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"General Dynamics" — Solo Exhibition by Weston Riffle Opens at Poway Center for the Performing Arts A solo exhibition of new and selected works by California painter Weston Riffle, will open June 2, 2025 and run through July 1, 2025 at the Poway Center for the Performing Arts. Known for his vivid portrayals of rural California life and unflinching social commentary, Riffle brings a powerful and introspective body of work to North County San Diego. Born in La Mesa in 1970 and raised on a farm in Ramona, Weston Riffle is a product of the land he paints. His academic roots lie at San Diego State University (B.A., 1993) and San Jose State University (M.A., 1996), but he is largely self-taught—an “anti-artist,” in his own words. His unique voice blends deeply personal memory with socio-political undertones, capturing the spirit of California’s agricultural and working-class landscapes. "I wish to express simple purity in desire, action, and hope, of the people and places I have known," says Riffle. "Usually complex beginnings end in simple composition. A fatalistic view seems to be the result.” The exhibition title, "General Dynamics," references the tension between individual identity and the overwhelming machinery of modern systems—economic, social, and existential. In these paintings, brightly rendered scenes of farm workers, fishermen, and rural settings unfold in layered narratives that hint at both celebration and critique. As art gallery director, Deborah M. Williams notes, “It is as if the farm workers in their anonymity are just so many interchangeable parts in a larger machine… The political makes itself known through the personal.” Riffle’s work has been featured in galleries and museums across California for over 20 years, including the Oceanside Museum of Art, National Steinbeck Museum in Salinas, Borrego Art Institute and William D. Cannon Art Gallery. His pieces are held in both public and private collections and will also be the subject of an upcoming solo show at the Santa Paula Art Museum in 2028. Weston maintains art studios in San Diego’s Liberty Station-Arts District and in Idyllwild, CA. and splits his time between the two locations. More of his work can be viewed at Carruth Cellars (Liberty Station location) for the month of June 2025, his Liberty Station studio in Barracks 19, Golden Pine Gallery in Idyllwild and during Idyllwild Open Studios in July 2025. "General Dynamics" is more than a visual experience—it is an invitation to pause, reflect, and reawaken. Riffle’s canvases are memory, protest, and poetry wrapped in color. Exhibition Details: Title: "General Dynamics" Artist: Weston Riffle Location: Poway Center for the Performing Arts, 15498 Espola Road, Poway CA Dates: June 2, 2025 - July 1, 2025 Admission: Free and open to the public For more information, visit www.powaycenterarts.org or contact the box office at (858) 668-4793 The exhibit is open for viewing from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays and from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays at the Poway Center for the Performing Arts, 15498 Espola Road. Parking passes are required on weekdays and can be picked up in the Main Office of the PCPA lobby. Poway Center for the Performing Arts on Facebook / Instagram Weston Riffle on Instagram

Learn how to get the most from your colored pencils and explore a variety of techniques, tools and papers to help you achieve stunning results in your drawings! Colored pencils combine the best things from drawing with the best things from painting. In this class, you will learn: how to create highlights and shadows blending fundamentals color scheme fundamentals different styles of drawing with colored pencils how to create realistic art how to capture various textures Students will walk away with a finished drawing or two. NOTE: this class does not go over "how to draw" and focuses on using the materials with color mixing, layering, and blending. We recommend the Exploratory Drawing class. Supply List: $45 materials fee paid directly to the instructor (Leslie will provide what you need for the class) Class Info: Next session: June 5 - July 3 Cost $199 (5 classes) Instructor: Leslie Randall THU PM, 6 p.m. - 9 p.m. Max 14 students All skill levels welcome Age level: adult (18 & up) Visit: https://www.arton30th.com/colored-pencil.html Art on 30th, San Diego on Instagram and Facebook

Third Sunday Craft is a monthly gathering of creative writers that fosters support, inspiration, and community. More than craft classes, Third Sunday Craft will help you construct and sustain a writing practice. New focus topics for each session will challenge writers to explore and expand their craft. Generative writing prompts will encourage you to grow and learn in exciting new ways. Sharing your work within a safe, supportive community will help you discover and strengthen your voice. Finally, with the goal of fostering supportive accountability, each session will conclude with a writer’s intentions for the month. Come check out Third Sunday Craft! Please note that signing up for two months at a time will allow you to take advantage of the following discount: $62 for two months for members, $74 for two months for nonmembers June: "The Art of Time": How do writers use time-shift devices to create storylines? How to craft effective memories, thoughts, and flashbacks? When to use summary? Habitual time versus continuous time. We will explore with examples. Visit: https://writeyourstorynow.org/classes-workshops/2025-06-22-june-third-sunday-craft-with-rich-farrell/ SD Writers Ink on Instagram and Facebook

Join us on First Free Sunday for the closing celebration of "The Art of Autism: A Different Lens." The program will start with an inspiring conversation and Q&A between exhibition curator Debra Muzikar and neurodiversity consultant Alexander Plank, offering insights into the creative processes and perspectives behind the exhibition. Then, guests are invited to meet the artists, explore the gallery at their own pace, and dive deeper into the bold, expressive works. Celebrate neurodiverse creativity through connection, insight, and discovery. Oceanside Museum of Art on Facebook / Instagram

A Very Special San Diego Backgammon Club Event — Open to All Saturday, June 7 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. Embassy Suites, La Jolla Admission: Free and open to the public Parking: Free with $10 food/drink purchase from the hotel Whether you’re a seasoned player or haven’t rolled the dice in years, we’d love to see you at this fun and welcoming backgammon celebration. This event is for everyone — longtime enthusiasts, newer players, and anyone curious to reconnect with the game. Enjoy talks with: - Phil Simborg (legendary teacher/commentator) - Art Benjamin (“Human Calculator”) - Masayuki “Mochy” Mochizuki (super grandmaster) - Other top players from around the world - Friendly competition, free tutorials & a chance to challenge the pros - Casual games, socializing & a fun DMP tournament - A welcoming, relaxed vibe — no pressure, just fun Proceeds benefit the Helen Woodward Animal Center If you’ve been waiting for the right moment to get back into the game — this is it! San Diego Backgammon Club on Instagram

NPR's Ayesha Rascoe plays the puzzle with Weekend Edition puzzle master Will Shortz and NEPM listener Alison Triebwasser of East Longmeadow, Massachusetts.

Charlie Kirk, who rose from a teenage conservative campus activist to a top podcaster, culture warrior and ally of President Donald Trump, was shot and killed Wednesday during one of his trademark public appearances at a college in Utah. He was 31.

Los Angeles-based artist Shirley Tse (b.1968) works in sculpture, installation, photography, and text. She deconstructs our world of synthetic objects that carry paradoxical meanings and constructs different models in which differences might come together. Various strategies of visualising heterogeneity are used: conflating different scales, fusing the organic with the industrial, crossing between the literal and the metaphorical, merging different narratives, and collapsing the subject and object relationship. Tse received a Master of Fine Arts from ArtCenter College of Design, Pasadena and Bachelor of Arts degree from the Chinese University of Hong Kong Department of Fine Arts. Tse represented Hong Kong at the 58th Venice Biennale. Her work is featured in many articles, catalogues, and publications including "Akademie X: Lessons in Art + Life" (2015) and "Sculpture Today" (2007). Tse received the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship in 2009 and is on faculty at California Institute of the Arts since 2001 where she is Robert Fitzpatrick Chair in Art. Visit: Shirley Tse: Remote Artist Talk

Join us at OMA on June 6 for Street Level x Art Walk! Discover musicians, artists, and craftspeople from across your street to all across Southern California. This month we are featuring Celeste Barbier, a singer and sound healer with a voice that blends vintage charm and modern elegance. Her background in classical music, jazz, and contemporary favorites allows her to create an atmosphere of warmth, and sophistication. We will also have an artist tour of Mary Jhun’s Exhibition, "In Losing Sleep I Painted," at 6 p.m. and local artists and craftspeople selling their work on our terrace and in the OMA store. Bring your family, meet new friends, or roll in with your crew to create your O’riginal experience with artists, innovators, and entrepreneurs at OMA’s biggest social events of the summer. Street Level is open to all ages and admission is FREE for all guests in partnership with Oceanside Art Walk. Drink tickets are an additional fee. Adults 21+ who would like to purchase alcoholic beverages must show ID. Reserved Tables are available for sale to accommodate our music lovers. Reserve yours now! ($100 to reserve table for 4) Oceanside Museum of Art on Facebook / Instagram

Artist Mary Jhun has been painting her "girls" for decades: surrealist silhouettes with intricate, dreamlike details. She's also struggled with sleep apnea her entire life, and when she introduced a CPAP machine to sleep better, she lost her dreams — and with them, her surreal, creative muse.