Urban sprawl isn’t exactly what comes to mind when looking at Judith Howell’s lushly rendered, bucolic landscapes. But it’s definitely on the artist’s mind, fueling her desire to capture and exalt pristine pockets of untouched land, places that increasingly are being swallowed up to development. Howells, who grew up in eastern Pennsylvania, fondly remembers the rolling hills of her youth. ‘The area was filled with such gorgeous farmland,’ she said during a recent interview in the studio of her Huntington Palisades home. ‘Now there’s one shopping center after another.’ The artist reiterated these sentiments when she spoke last Saturday at the opening of her exhibition ‘Local Colour,’ at Schomburg Gallery in Bergamot Station. ‘I’m concerned about the degradation of land,’ Howells told the audience, adding the startling statistic that 40 acres of open land is lost daily in the state of Massachusetts. ‘I don’t see my work as being overtly preaching, but environmental issues have been part of my psyche and awareness since I can remember.’ The exhibition, showcasing 19 new oil paintings, is divided between East Coast work’Howells and her husband, Ted, have spent time on Martha’s Vineyard every year since 1979’and closer to home scenes in Southern California. The pictures exude a sense of calm and solitude, qualities Howells hopes also awaken a sense of vulnerability. Color is used in a rich, evocative way with lavender-hued hillsides and orange-infused fields. ‘I try to put a lot of myself in the paintings,’ said Howells, who describes herself as a contemporary realist, while recognizing hints of Impressionism in her work. Howells is a plein-air painter, working directly from nature in the tradition of many 19th-century landscape artists. She first was introduced to the style while attending Wilson College in Pennsylvania in the late ’60s, but didn’t make painting her artistic focus until decades later. Her circuitous career path included working as an art educator in public schools and at the Newark Museum and earning a master’s degree in printmaking from Montclair State University. ”When Howells moved from New Jersey to the Palisades in 1991 with her husband and two sons (now both in the their 20s), her interest in painting was reignited. ‘I discovered and fell in love with the California Impressionists,’ she recalls. ‘It opened up a whole new world for me.’ ”Equipped with her pochade box, a portable ‘suitcase’ of essentials for outdoor painting, Howells liked to travel up and down the California coast from Laguna to San Luis Obispo tracking radiant sights. These days, she stays closer to home, favoring views literally in her own backyard’Portrero Canyon’and in Topanga and Malibu Creek Park. ‘I’m drawn to the luminosity of a setting,’ Howells said. ‘I choose places that are intimate and often overlooked. They’re not necessarily postcard scenes.’ Her method often involves spending several hours outdoors creating 6-inch by 8-inch studies, works she refers to as her ‘index cards.’ The studies, exquisite records of color, atmosphere and light, are then used as the basis for larger works painted entirely in the studio. ‘I can be more introspective and have time to think about composition with the larger work.’ ”’Learning to paint is hard work,’ said Howells, who sometimes invests as much as 14 hours a day in her studio. ‘I’m constantly honing my skills.’ Learning to say goodbye to the finished product is another matter. ‘You come to realize how wonderful it is if someone else gains pleasure from the work.’ ‘Local Colour,’ which also features the work of painter Lee Webster Shaw, continues at Schomburg Gallery in Santa Monica through February 2. Contact: 453-5757 or visit www.schomburggallery.com.

‘Celebrating women, femininity and honoring who we are’ has been the central theme of photographer Gayle Goodrich’s work. Goodrich recently relocated from Manhattan Beach to Pacific Palisades, where her Haverford home also doubles as a studio. The small room, where Goodrich keeps a variety of fabrics, lighting equipment and a fan for her portrait work, has several windows while remaining private and tucked away. ‘It’s the first studio space I’ve had where I could also use natural light,’ says Goodrich, who has been a professional photographer for 17 years and a fine art photographer since 2000. After studying with portrait photographer Joyce Tenneson in 2002, she has been photographing fine art nudes in addition to her work with corporations, families, children, engaged couples, weddings, and pregnancy portraits. Goodrich’s interest in photography began in 1974 in Jakarta, Indonesia, where she was living with her first husband. While he worked 12-hour days at his import/export business, Goodrich, who has a B.A. from USC in French and Russian, found herself writing friends and family 15-page letters accompanied by photos of the country. ‘People would write me back, and say ‘Your photos are so beautiful,” she recalls. After moving back to California, Goodrich became the family documentarian, continuing her photography as an avocation’photographing weddings, babies and family events. In 1983 she married her second husband, and soon had a tubal pregnancy. Four years later, a second tubal pregnancy, in which she had to get emergency medical care after the tube burst, left her in a deep depression. ‘To help me heal, my husband built me a darkroom at home, something to take my mind off it,’ she recalls. After a long, frustrating day in the darkroom trying to make negatives, ‘I realized I needed schooling.’ She learned about the N.Y. Institute of Photography in a photography magazine, and signed up for the school’s correspondence course, taught by professional photographers. Goodrich would shoot her assignments, and send in prints with written essays. ‘The teachers would critique it on audiotape. ‘The feedback was tremendous. They would say, ‘I see what you’re trying to do here, but try moving the camera a little bit lower and to the left.” When she started getting school assignments where she had to shoot body shots, she recruited subjects from her gym. Soon she began moving into paid photography, photographing dancers and head shots for child actors. In 1989, she began working with the owner of a South Bay lingerie shop. ‘She knew women’s bodies like you couldn’t believe,’ Goodrich says. For Valentine’s Day, she offered boudoir photography. ‘I really learned a lot from her, about a different type of photography’dreamy, romantic, artsy, full-length poses.’ Her husband’s work then took them to the Boston area, where she set up a successful boudoir photography business, working out of her basement. She hired a makeup artist to do the women’s hair and makeup and provided feather boas to use as props. Women often used the resulting photos as a gift for a boyfriend or husband, such as one woman whose husband was a lobster fisherman, and who slipped the photos into his bag when he was leaving on a fishing trip. Goodrich says that after these photo sessions, the women ‘developed a confidence and appreciation of who they are, embracing their femininity as a whole. People said, ‘I feel so beautiful. I know my body is not perfect, but I have my own uniqueness, I love what I see.” Goodrich thinks of portrait photography as ‘a beautiful collaboration between two people. The direction of a session will totally depend on who is in front of the camera; it always takes on a life of its own.’ In 1994, she moved back to Manhattan Beach, where she set up a studio, ‘Images by Gayle,’ and began working on movie stills and doing a lot of beach portraits. Demi Moore’s pregnant portrait had come out the year before on the cover of Vanity Fair, and Goodrich began working with pregnant women, photographing them draped in fabric. She likes photographing women in their eighth month of pregnancy when the belly takes on a distinct shape, and encourages husbands to come and also be part of the photo. As with all her portraits, she tries to incorporate aspects of the couple’s story into the photo. She also does contemporary boudoir portraits, using a variety of sheer fabrics, such as cheesecloth and chiffon, draped over partially nude women. One of the things she loves about portrait photography is following a family through the years, shooting their engagement, wedding, pregnancy and shots of their children. ‘It’s great to see people grow and change.’ Goodrich’s rates vary, but they generally start at $350 for a roll of 36 pictures or $350 an hour for weddings and events. Goodrich uses a film camera, and often photographs people at the beach or other outdoor locations. To help her clients feel comfortable, Goodrich talks to them throughout the session, using a sense of humor. ‘I try to keep them in the moment and myself in the moment. I’ll set something up and get the shoot started, and then stuff happens.’ For example, on one photo shoot of a couple and their one-year-old child, she noticed and captured the interplay of the family’s three pairs of barefoot feet on the sand. Between commercial jobs, Goodrich works on her own photography. After going through a divorce in 2000, she says, ‘I began taking more risks in my work, as a reflection of my independence.’ Now having built a body of work, which she describes as ‘unusual juxtapositions of the body with outdoor environments, celebrating different parts of the body, and having fun with the body,’ she hopes her next step will be a book of her photos. Goodrich can be reached at 230-8388. Her online portfolios can be viewed at www.gaylegoodrichphoto.com or www.gaylegoodrichfineart.com.

‘I’m a fifth generation Presbyterian, always have been, always will be,’ claims Palisadian Shelby Larsen, who has been a member of the local church for the past 18 years. But very soon, she will move from the congregation to the altar, having recently graduated from Fuller Theological Seminary, and having been sponsored by the Presbytery of the Pacific. While her official ordination depends on receiving a ‘call’ or placement in a church, Larsen will preach at both services this Sunday at the Palisades Presbyterian Church. ”Although Larsen characterizes her midlife career change as a move that ‘God made me do,’ the more psychological answer has to do with a midlife crisis with a small c. ‘I got to a point when I felt I should be doing something else with my life’ says Larsen, who is in her mid 50s. ‘I talked to John Todd, the former pastor, and told him I’d like to take some bible study classes.’ ”Todd, who retired last year and moved to Tennessee with his family, recognized a more serious intention. ‘A lot of people say that they may want to study theology, but I thought that she ought to pursue it all the way,’ he told the Palisadian-Post. Todd presented her to the body of elders of the church, who voted their support. She enrolled in Fuller, a nondenominational seminary in Pasadena, and at the same time followed the requirements of the Presbytery, studying Presbyterian history and Christian education She was assigned a mentor, who made sure that she was taking the appropriate classes, while the committee on candidates for ministry is guiding her on finding the right place to serve. ”While at Fuller, the headmaster of Trinity Anglican Seminary in England, Dr. Reverend Frances Bridger, came to lecture. Larsen and Bridger became friends and exchanged visits, which led to Shelby studying a semester at Trinity. ”Larsen, a lawyer who specialized in entertainment law and transactional matters, wasn’t feeling too confident when it came to fulfilling the internship requirement of her training. ”’When I started my first internship working as a chaplain at the UCLA Medical Center, I wasn’t thinking of doing anything professionally. I was sort of self-centeredly wanting to get my own spiritual life together. But then I thought OK, I am a lawyer, I can do so much for these patients.’ ”What she soon discovered was how much the patients did for her. ‘You have no idea of the grace of God and the kindness of people,’ Larsen says. ‘The rewards you get by being there to listen, teach you a lot of humility and a wider view of God’s grace. The courage and bravery and everything you see happening in the medical center is so life-affirming, it brings us to a real sense of what we’re all about.’ After that experience, she was certain she wanted to be a chaplain in a hospital. ”But, then the old dread came back when it was time to intern in a church, another requirement for graduation. With the assistance of John Todd, she found West Hollywood Presbyterian and worked under the guidance of pastor Rev. Dan Smith. ”’West Hollywood Presbyterian has always been on the forefront of social activism,’ Larsen explains. ‘It was the first church to get involved in the civil rights movement by opening as a shelter. It has always been open to the gay community, and nowadays is welcoming to Russian immigrants. It welcomes everyone who wants to believe. ”’Shelby had a full learning experience of what it would be like to be a pastor of a small urban church,’ Rev. Smith says. ‘Throughout the year, she preached, lead worship, got involved in pastoral care counseling and administration. She has a real strong drive and commitment for ministry and she’s flexible enough to withstand all the changes that happen in people’s lives and keep a vision of where we are going as a church.”’ ”Larsen once again marveled at how she learned from the people. ‘I realized that there are no easy answers, and that every single person has some brokenness somewhere in their lives. We need to support each other and not be judgmental. This experience brought home to me both the fragility and goodness of human beings. ”’When I had completed that internship, it never occurred to me not to be in a parish.’ ”In a way, Larsen changed the course of her life once before. In 1991 she quit work to be chaperone to her daughter Alexis, who was a world-class swimmer. ‘She was only 14 at the time and traveling all over the world for competitions, Olympic trials, senior nationals,’ Larsen says. ‘Her speciality, the 1500 meters, is not an Olympic event, but Alexis was fourth in the world in the 1500 for four years.’ ”When Larsen resumed work, she decided to assist her husband Chuck in handling the business affairs work for his television distribution company, October Moon. ”The Larsens, who have lived in the Palisades since 1987, have three grown daughters and four grandchildren. ”Now prepared to begin her ministry, Larsen is seeking a small congregation. ‘I’m looking for a redevelopment church, one that is reshaping itself to fit the climate and culture in Southern California. A small church that is willing to change and become relevant to the community.’ ”’Shelby’s greatest strength is her ability to go ahead,’ Todd said. ‘She responds to the need, to give everybody time. She is well qualified for what is not an easy job.’

It’s the ultimate actor’s showcase happening on Theatre Palisades’ stage with the opening of A.R. Gurney’s ‘The Dining Room.’ An ensemble cast of four women and three men heroically create 47 distinct characters who whirl in and out of action on a single set’a dining room’that represents a host of dining rooms belonging over time to a host of different people. ”The series of vignettes ranges from the comic to the serious, all in the service of skewering that easy, well-worn target: the upper-middle-class WASP. Playwright Gurney, who went on to create such hits as ‘The Cocktail Hour’ and ‘Love Letters,’ wrote ‘The Dining Room’ in 1982, the first play to bring him recognition. Born in 1930 to a well-to-do Buffalo family, Gurney drew upon a world he knows well. ”In an interview a year after the play opened, he commented: ‘The people I write about are not as threatening as they once were. They’re now perceived as another ethnic group. They’re no longer thought to hold the keys to the kingdom.’ ”Indeed, Gurney’s venture into John Cheever’s territory is at times an almost sympathetic look at a vanishing breed. A formal family dinner with a high and mighty father preaching to his children about the virtues of sitting up straight and using proper grammar is juxtaposed with a scene, intended to be several decades later, in which a real estate agent tells his prospective buyer that the two previous owners used the dining room ‘only to sort laundry.’ One can’t help but think that the playwright is reminding us that something truly has been lost with the dissolution of the traditional family dinner. ”In another sketch, an architect proposes to a client dispensing with the dining room table altogether (this, of course, coincides with the emergence of the infamous ‘Great Room’ in the ’80s). ”In between, the dining room table plays host to teenage girls raiding the liquor cabinet, a son catching his mother in a morning tryst (‘Is this what they teach you at Deerfield?’ the mother exclaims when stunned by her son’s surprise visit from boarding school) and a despondent woman, newly separated from her husband, pleading with her father’a man fixated on his ritual cocktail, preferably served in his favorite peacock glass’to allow her to live at home with her children for a time. In yet another setting, we learn Uncle Henry has been insulted at the Club, by no other than Binky Beyers (the insinuation, hardly a gasp today, surely not much of one in the ’80s, is of being gay). It’s all a rollicking, muliti-generational journey, following an ‘if these walls could talk’ premise. ”The cast’Tina Arning-Brazell, Lara Doucette, Matthew Iott, Phillip Kelly, Ivy Khan, Steve Larkin and Pamela Murphy’works overtime, tackling each new role (and there are many!) with an astonishing freshness and verve. Arning-Brazell stands out whenever she appears, displaying an incredible range from a convincingly precocious child at a birthday party to an unsteady Alsheimers-afflicted grandmother. Of special note, too, is Steve Larkin, whose winning portrayals include a controlling patriarch comically communicating the detailed plans of his own funeral to his son. ”While the sketches are engaging, at turns both funny and poignant, I’m not sure the sum of the parts reaches any revelatory whole. But maybe that’s the point when trying to make sense of family traditions and tensions among WASPS’or among any group, for that matter. ”Directed by Michael Macready and produced by Cindy Dellinger, ‘The Dining Room’ continues at Theatre Palisades, 941 Temescal Canyon Rd., through February 6. Performances are Friday and Saturday evenings at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. The box office is open 3:30 to 6:30 p.m., Wednesday through Saturday. Contact: 454-1970.