Art & Exhibits

Sherman Gardens’ lush garden setting plays host to an array of festivals, programs and art displays.

Current Exhibit – Located in the Historic Adobe

Summer School is in Session: The Brandt-Dike Summer School of Painting

In the early 1940s, Rex Brandt moved his family to a small house in Corona del Mar. They named the house “Blue Sky,” and it became the center for one of the best California watercolor schools.

In 1946, Brandt asked Phil Dike, a mentor and fellow artist, if he was interested in forming a summer painting school. Dike agreed and on June 26, 1947, they opened the Brandt-Dike Summer School of Painting at “Blue Sky.”

The school’s popularity grew from the 1930s watercolor movement known as the California Style, or also as the California School of Watercolor. This movement focused on scenes from everyday life among California landscapes. The painters worked outside using strong brushstrokes, vivid colors and bold designs. They would often use the white of the paper as a design element. For decades, Phil Dike, Rex Brandt, Joan Irving (Brandt), along with guest artists, taught this California Style at this summer school.

It was estimated that over 4,000 artists participated in the Brandt-Dike Summer School of Painting.

Original Instructions from Brandt-Dike Painting School
Phil Dike watercolor of barns in Corona del Mar, which is now Irvine Terrace
Sketch of barns in Corona del Mar, which is now Irvine Terrace.

Past Exhibits

Inspired by Nature – 2022 

 Art exhibit featuring over 30 original mosaic works by internationally renowned mosaicist Irina Charny

greenHOUSE: Lavish ‘living’ rooms with a botanical twist – 2021 

Sculptura Botanica - 2020

Sandscapes - 2018

Glasscapes - 2016

Metaling in the Garden - 2015

Yarn Bombing - 2015