Sparks Gallery Highlights the Ilan-Lael Foundation’s 2025 Visiting Artists in Newest Exhibition
Sparks Gallery is proud to present its newest exhibition, The Power of Place: Inspirations from Ilan-Lael, featuring the Visiting Artists from the Ilan-Lael Foundation. Running from Sunday, November 9 to Wednesday, December 31, the exhibition highlights the work of the eight visionary artists whose creative journeys were shaped by their time at the Ilan-Lael compound, the iconic home and studio of renowned artist and late architect James Hubbell.
Guests can view works ranging from plein air paintings, ceramics, woodworking, mixed media, stained glass, and photography, reflecting the spirit of collaboration and craftsmanship that defines Ilan-Lael. There will be a free reception, held on Sunday, November 9 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., allowing guests to hear from the foundation leaders and artists themselves. The opening will also offer attendees a unique experience to speak to the artists directly and learn about the art in depth.
Originally presented at the Harvest Moon Fundraiser at Ilan-Lael, this collection now travels to Downtown San Diego, offering an expanded audience the chance to experience these remarkable works firsthand. See below to meet the artists of the 2025 Visiting Artist program:
Donna Cosentino has been practicing photography since 1971, as a photojournalist, she specialized in street-shooting and now she most often shoots with black and white film. She tought photography for over 30 years at Palomar College, and founded the Photographer’s Eye Collective in Escondido.
Brennan Hubbell’s work embodies the same reverence for nature that defines his father James Hubbell’s legacy. Many of Brennan’s art practice is in private commissions for homes, businesses, and public spaces.
With an impressionistic style shaped by her former career as a dancer and theater director at SDSU, Margaret Larlham creates expressive landscapes and figurative works. An avid en plein air painter, she often draws inspiration from her own studio garden.
Mati Moon grew up in the lush green forest of the Pacific Northwest and moved to Julian in 2004. The contrast in the environment inspired her exploration in life cycles, simple rituals and the subtle changes in our natural world by way of gauche, clay, ink and getting her hands dirty.
Cindy Mushet-Shriver began working in stained glass at age 16, drawn to the hands-on craftsmanship she inherited from her mechanic father. For over 40 years, she has collaborated with James Hubbell and the Ilan-Lael Foundation.
Working from his La Jolla studio, Joe Skoby hand-crafts ceramics inspired by traditional Japanese techniques and organic forms found in nature. He often handcrafts patterns and smooth surfaces into sculptures that stray from the functional purposes of a vase.
Dan Thoner is a Julian woodworker who started off his artistic career as an illustrator and oil painter. When he moved to the mountains of Julian, he started experimenting in other mediums by using his wood carving tools to start shaping wood and melting glass.
Originally from New York, Toni Williams studied visual arts at UCSD and became inspired by San Diego’s plein air tradition. Her work is shown across North County and in guilds such as the Rancho Santa Fe Art Guild and the American Impressionists Society.
Category: Architecture, Art, Events, Local News, Nonprofit
