Just 90 minutes north of Los Angeles and 30 miles east of Santa Barbara sits Ojai, a tiny town tucked into the hillside of the Topa Topa Mountains with fertile soil and postcard pink sunsets.

The Chumash Indians, the original inhabitants of this area, along with spiritual seekers revered Ojai as a place of healing, entitling it as “The Nest.”

Respite For Body and Spirit
Named after the Chumash Indian word for moon, Ojai is a place to nourish the body and the human spirit with a multitude of spas, yoga, and meditation offerings. It is also an artist enclave amass with colorful, creative personalities—from photographers, sculptors, and painters to writers, composers, and actors.

Settled in the 1800s and incorporated as a city in 1921, Ojai has also been blessed with an inviting Mediterranean climate for growing olives, grapes, and lavender.

 

Upon returning here for some rest and relaxation, I re-visited the 220-acre Ojai Valley Inn & Spa. Glass mogul and philanthropist Edward Drummond Libby originally built this Spanish colonial-style resort in 1923 as a country club and golf course for residents and visitors. Today, the resort offers extensive spa, yoga, art, and meditation opportunities, as well as top-quality cuisine.

I luxuriated in a 100-minute Shangri-La treatment: a sugar scrub infused with lavender, aloe, and jojoba, followed by a shea butter massage, mini-facial, and scalp treatment. Afterward, I relaxed further on the spa patio inhaling more of the lavender aromas while listening to soothing sounds of flowing fountains and gazing at the splendid mountainscape.

Satisfying the Palate
Dinner at the Maravilla Restaurant (with menu created by new Chef Chad Minton) was further indulgence. Dining out on the balcony under the star-studded sky, I enjoyed a tender filet and fresh garden vegetables straight from the resort’s elaborate herb garden.

For a more intimate Ojai respite, I experienced an overnight stay at the Emerald Iguana. Its construction was influenced by Spain’s surrealist architect Gaudi, as seen by the broken tile mosaics and iguana fountain at the entrance.

The stone exterior was preserved from its original state, but owners Julia and Marc Whitman have added a contemporary, eclectic flair to both the exterior and interior. Carved wooden pieces from Bali and original artwork by local artists adorn the 13 cottage-style rooms. Julia calls the architecture “art nouveau craftsman” with lots of arches and curves.

I stayed in The Cricket, a two-level suite with a patio overlooking a tropical setting. An ample continental breakfast was served by the poolside.

Finding good restaurants for lunch and dinner in Ojai is not a problem, but choosing one was a real challenge. A favorite of mine, Azu Restaurant and Tapas Bar, was on Ojai Avenue, the main drag.
 

I filled up on a small dish of savory seafood paella, gambas (shrimp) sautéed with garlic and olive oil, a succulent Flat Iron steak, and a crunchy arugula and dried fig salad. Chef Laurel Moore, a photographer from L.A. with a love for Spain and cooking, has done an admirable job with the menu over the past 11 years.

 

 

Just a few blocks from the Ojai Valley Inn, and also on Ojai Avenue, is Suzanne’s Cuisine. As I entered the restaurant and stepped onto the covered patio, I felt like I was part of an Impressionist painting amid a colorful, flower garden setting. French music was piped into the bathrooms for a further European feel. Their signature dessert, Café Liegeois de la Maison, was the piece de resistance to my filling meal of shrimp wonton soup and rack of lamb. The service was excellent.

Osteria Monte Grappa on Signal Street has the most amazing seafood salads and daily selections influenced by the finds at the local Farmer’s Market. Outdoor sitting was delightful for lunchtime.

Inspirational Artistry
Although I reveled in relaxation and quality cuisine, I was most enamored of the spiritual and creative personalities living in Ojai.

One such individual was 83-year-old landscape artist Bert Collins who has enjoyed her 40-year career in the town. She has been an inspiration for aspiring artists around the world who come to her 2,500-square-foot home and studio to learn from the master painter—if they can get beyond her three-year waiting list.

In 1997, Collins received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the City of Ojai. She is part of the Ojai Studio Artists, a guild of over 40 artists who organize an annual open studio tour every October to raise funds for scholarships to promote art education in the community.

How did she get started? Her first job out of high school was at a ceramics studio. Years later when her two children were grown, a neighbor said, “Let’s go take an art class.” Collins’s first assignment was to paint a tree, hills, and a road, which actually was similar in style to what she paints today. Her student says Collins has a mimetic memory and that she knows if anything has been touched on, or not, in a painting, after seeing it just once.

Collins teaches three days a week with workshops on the first, second, and third Saturdays. It’s obvious how much her students adore her, which I personally observed at her studio. According to Collins, “I love teaching even more than painting.”

She used to paint still life in her younger years, similar to the 16th century Dutch masters, and then she went on to do landscapes using oils and acrylics. “Once I discovered pastels,” she said, “I knew that was for me.”

What she loves about using this medium is that what you see is what you get. Unlike oils and acrylics, pastel colors never change after they reach the canvas. Her popular pastel classes have turned into a club that holds two art shows a year exhibiting just pastels.

What is Collins’s dream from here? She is quite content to teach and paint in this studio/home built by her deceased husband. “I have a perfect setup now. However, I still want to paint a masterpiece,” she says. And, on another breath with a Cheshire cat grin, she notes, “Who can possibly have more fun than I am having now?”

Art and Aging

At the other end of town, up a curving hill, a perfect spot to eye the magnificent pink sunsets, lies the home and studio (called “The Nest”) of artists Alice and Richard Matzkin, a husband and wife duo—she is a noted painter and he is a well-known sculptor. Married for 30 years, they have been an inspiration to one another’s creativity, which has evolved into a thematic focus of the beauty and fears of aging.

Alice’s painting of the famous potter Beatrice Wood at 100 years old sits in the National Portrait Gallery of the Smithsonian. With her own realization of the aging process, Alice painted and interviewed 21 women age 70 and older, from portraits to nudes, in a quest to answer her own questions about how women can live fulfilling lives and still be considered beautiful as they age.

Richard approached aging from a darker perspective. “I was looking at my own fears and began sculpting a series called ‘Naked Old Men.’”

As an expression of the deep love between him and his wife Alice, Richard’s work has progressed into a series of bronze sculptures depicting older couples caught in an embrace.

The Matzkins have taken their art to yet another level with a published book, “The Art of Aging.” A documentary based upon the book is soon to be released, and their “Naked Women” series appears on a 2012 calendar.

After reflecting on her art and interviews with the 21 mature women, Alice says, “I have come to a place of self-acceptance and self-love and realize that life is extremely precious. I savor every moment.”

I thought of Alice’s words as I left the picturesque town of Ojai on my way back to San Francisco. I tried to reflect on the aromas, scenic beauty, and tranquility of the sacred town’s mountain greenery that surrounded me at every turn. I savored it all.

For more information contact Ojai Visitors Bureau: www.ojaivisitors.com or 1-888-OJAI NOW

 

 

Beverly Mann has been a feature, arts, and travel writer in the San Francisco Bay Area for the past 28 years. She has received numerous accolades in the fields of travel writing, education, and international public relations, including a Bay Area Travel Writers Award of Excellence in Newspaper Travel Writing. Contact Ms. Mann at: www.beverlymann.com