Painting

A car dealership isn’t the most typical setting for an art exhibit, but don’t tell that to Newport Lexus. The second floor of the dealership on MacArthur Boulevard is currently home to an exhibit of 75 original works by the famous Spanish artist Salvador Dalí, a collection ranging from sculptures to graphic engravings to watercolor paintings. “We have two contrasting themes: Dalí and a Lexus car,” said Allen Moznett, general manager of Newport Lexus.

The same type of paint Newport boat owners have used for decades to protect their vessels from barnacles and algae could be deadly to some of the fragile organisms that live in Newport Bay, prompting a local environmental group to take action. Orange County Coastkeeper is teaming up with Newport Beach officials and a private boating company to encourage boaters to switch to more environmentally friendly paint. The majority of the program, which will include education, financial incentives, city policy changes and water monitoring, will be paid for by a $260,400 grant funded by the Environmental Protection Agency.

The same type of paint Newport boat owners have used for decades to protect their vessels from barnacles and algae could be deadly to some of the fragile organisms that live in Newport Bay, prompting a local environmental group to take action. Orange County Coastkeeper is teaming up with Newport Beach officials and a private boating company to encourage boaters to switch to more environmentally friendly paint. The majority of the program, which will include education, financial incentives, city policy changes and water monitoring, will be paid for by a $260,400 grant funded by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Grouped along three walls in an alcove nestled toward the back of the gallery at Roger’s Gardens is a series of plein-air paintings depicting local Orange County landscapes. Those paintings will be on public display for the first time in Orange County, when Roger’s premieres its new Fine Art Gallery today. Gallery manager Theresa Marino said such scenery throughout California is disappearing quickly, but the 11 artists whose work will be featured in the seasonal show, “Reflections of Spring: California Masters of Plein-Air” are preserving the beauty those areas reflect by painting them.

FOR THE RECORD In the article below, it should have read Michael Schofield had the drawing on consignment from the Studio City casting director, meaning he did not share ownership of the piece. . . . . . Newport Beach artist Michael Schofield will be investigated for possible grand theft after allegedly using a Pablo Picasso drawing that did not belong to him as collateral for a $40,000 loan from real estate broker Jeff Stokes, authorities said Friday. Schofield, 60, is an artist with paintings listed on several art websites.

COSTA MESA — Pat Conlon remembers how bad litter can get at Estancia High School. The 2006 graduate often stepped past trash on his way to class, and a number of his schoolmates got assigned to cleanup duty when they stepped out of line. “When I went to Estancia, they made you pick up trash if you were late to class, because the trash was so bad,” Conlon said. Now, the OCC student is helping to clean up his alma mater. eVocal, the Westside boutique and gallery where Conlon works, has started a project in which professional artists paint metal cans and situate them around the Estancia grounds to give students a readily visible place to deposit trash.

Newport Beach artist Michael Schofield will be investigated for possible grand theft after allegedly using a Pablo Picasso drawing that did not belong to him as collateral for a $40,000 loan from real estate broker Jeff Stokes, authorities said Friday. Schofield, 60, is an artist with paintings listed on several art websites. He allegedly told Stokes he was using his $40,000 to buy artwork and gave him the Picasso as collateral, Stokes said. Schofield was supposed to sell it to a soon-to-open auction house and then repay Stokes his money plus interest, Stokes said.

The Splitends hair salon in Costa Mesa is a work of art in itself. The small building near The Camp shopping center boasts a symmetrical room with a sink, two chairs and two mirrors on each side. Around them, the interior is the ultimate in minimalist chic: white walls with only a few dashes of red for color. Starting this weekend, though, Splitends will display art of a different kind. Owner Christopher Hall recently collaborated with curator Johnny Sampson to found The Box gallery, in which paintings by local and outside artists line the salon’s formerly nondescript walls.

Laguna Beach’s 2008 Pageant of the Masters production, “All the World’s a Stage,” is looking for people of all sizes and ages to volunteer as cast members for next summer’s show. The annual event features “tableaux vivants,” or living pictures, with people posing as subjects in famous paintings. The casting call will take place from 7 to 9 p.m. Jan. 5; 2 to 5 p.m. Jan. 6; 7 to 9 p.m. Jan. 10 backstage at the Irvine Bowl, 650 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach.

Lyn Belasco was honored by her peers recently when the former commissioner and one of the founders of the Newport Beach Arts Foundation was given a tribute at a tea party at Sage Restaurant. Belasco retired this year from her work with the foundation after years of service and was presented with gifts from those who have worked with her in the past, including a painting of Michaell Magrutsche and a 12-pound cast iron sculptured picture frame. She is revered as one of the people who helped bring a forum for quality art to the Newport Beach area.