Under the Sea: Jelly Dreamscapes and Tiny Brilliant Frogs Dazzle at Aquarium of the Pacific

Posted on by Diversions LA

A dazzling display of undersea life is currently on display at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach. Almost celestial, the Jelly Dreamscapes exhibit is offers a vast array of sea jellies. From more common species to rarer types, these fascinating creatures are hypnotic, delicate, and diverse.

The exhibition is thoughtfully laid out, with an entrance display that features informative video screens and a vast “lake” with shifting, mesmerizing pastel lights playing off the incandescent jellies floating there.

From there, visitors are invited to wander among the curved aquariums, watching these beautiful and mysterious creatures float and swim through their respective spaces. While sea jellies have no heart, brains, or gills, they are so wondrously alive that the viewer remains riveted by these amazing beings.

Each consists of three main parts, the bell — the umbrella or bulbous shaped top which propels their movement, tentacles that are designed to sting and immobilize prey (and of course a luckless human or two), and arms or flaps that move their prey to their stomach or broods.

Sea jellies primarily consume zooplankton, small crustaceans, fish, or other jellies; they range in size from as small the eraser on a pencil to a vast presence not present in the aquarium said to be larger than a blue whale.  They’re close related to to sea anemones and coral, a fascinating fact learned at the exhibition. Even more awe inspiring, jellies have existed even before dinosaurs roamed the planet.

Watching the various jellies is rather like seeing a rainbow: they shift within their watery world, emanating a kind of mute beauty and grace that makes visitors spend copious amounts of time just watching them be alive. Some appeared completely translucent, others more colorful. Some were marbled, some were milky, some were spotted, some lacy, some have long, dangling tentacles, others have small, eyelash-like tentacles that blink and sway. Warty comb jellies are not true sea jellies in that they do not sting, but their tiny cilia form light prisms that dance with color.

This is a completely wonderful, gaspingly beautiful exhibition that should not be missed.

Equally riveting is the aquarium’s Frogs: Facing a Challenging World. Brilliantly colorful and often quite minute, the frogs on exhibit reveal wildly different ecological adaptations from poisonous responses to astounding camoflage. Here you’ll find the bright blue poison dart frog, the panamanian golden frog, and the Magnificent Tree Frog. A frog nursery exhibition is particularly informative.

In the same area, a mysterious-looking axolotl – a salamander that remains with gills, tail, and body fin intact its entire life, is another fascinating creature to observe.

Elsewhere in the aquarium, you’ll find purple sea urchins, bright hyellow butterfly fish, a Cortez Rainbow Wrasse from the Gulf of California, a forest of green, red, and blue colored lorikeets, seals and sea lions, spiny lobsters, gigantic whiprays, zebra sharks, and a sea turtle, among other thoughtfully laid-out, experiential exhibits.

The aquarium is always an enchanting way to spend a day; don’t miss the Jelly Dreamscapes now through April 30, 2027 or the amazing, brilliantly colorful frogs.

  • Genie Davis; photos by Genie Davis 

Knott’s Scary Farm: Plenty of Fun and Chills

Posted on by Diversions LA

Part of what makes Knott’s Scary Farm so much fun is literally getting lost in it. The nearly circular amusement park is kept dark and spooky with fog machines, wandering scareactors inhabiting themed scare zones from the Gore-ing 20’s to the wild west of Knott’s Ghost Town area, and the always-screamworthy coasters and other thrill rides operating with lights off.

In short, the theme park feels like a place where spooky shadows and grasping ghouls might dwell, and simply to be there is to feel the chills and join in the laughs and scares.

Spread out and spectacularly shadowy, the park lets guests literally and figuratively get lost in the Halloween myths that transform Knotts by night.

The scare zones were particularly effective this year, with scareactors catching guests unaware as they studied park maps or focused on consuming popcorn, giant chocolate chip cookies, Halloween themed cocktails, and the requisite slice of Mrs. Knott’s historic Boysenberry pie.

And of course there are mazes. New this year, Inked has a morbidly awesome mix of mad clown circus and wild and crazy animation history that puts the true “looney” into this macabre but delightful world in which wildly homicidal cartoon characters have come to life.  This maze is as  much dark ride fun house as jump scare haven. A particular treat are the rear projected inflatables with their crawly spider motif, which guests must push through. Also new this year is a well-done archeological dig themed maze, Unearthed. This maze offers mummies, moody and mysterious lighting, and monstrous animal hybrids roaming the dark.

The more venerable Cinema Slasher makes its eerie movie theater return with headless theater patrons, ominously dancing popcorn, and more, starting right at the ticket window.

There are ten mazes in all to mark Scary Farm’s 53rd year of fun scares, including Origins: The Curse of Calico and The Chilling Chambers, both in their final year. The latter maze is in enclosed in an eerie haunted cathedral setting externally but within, it houses a variety of highlight rooms from a mental hospital set to a zoo replete with farting elephants.

Mary – The Haunting of Worth Home, The Zoo, Widows, and Room 13 were all spooky scraems and laughs; the speakeasy theme of Room 13 was delightfully immersive, with a scareactor bartender offering imaginary libations before guests entered passages that recalled The Shining.

Stage shows include master magicians from The Magic Castle and voodoo queens evoking the haunted cemeteries of New Orleans.

It was rainy the night we attended, but that put no damper of the fun. Giant pumpkins, skeletons, and dark purple lighting alll sparkled with rain drops, while screams echoed off the terrifyingly steep Accelerator.

For a hauntingly good and yet still impressively lighthearted night of chills and thrills, Knott’s Scary Farm, now a part of the Six Flags family, beautifully walks the line between campy classics and truly chilling moments. Yes, you can laugh and scream at the same time. Knotts is located in Buena Park, Calif.

  • Genie Davis; photos by Genie Davis

Carving Up Halloween Fun at Descanso Gardens

Posted on by Diversions LA

Carved, the Halloween season attraction now at Descanso Gardens in La Canada-Flintridge, is a spooky joy for all ages. Open through November 1st, the magic of following an artistic trail of pumpkins through a winding overview of the gardens after dark remains potent.

Focused on the carving of jack o’lanterns, there is both a small house and a charming sea monster made of pumpkins, as well as as an entire field of grinning pumpkin heads and eerie scarecrow figures. Over a mile-long walk through the dark, eucalyptus scented gardens, the glowing orange pumpkins enchant.

While many of the set pieces remain the same as last year, some have moved or are expanded, and regardless, the beauty and family-friendly fun of Carved makes it an annual treat.

The Dia de los Muertos offrenda alter has expanded and is quite lovely, with faux candlelight dancing over the happy musician skeletons and paper and pencil available to create your own tribute to the dearly departed in your lives.

Pumpkin-head characters and a vast array of carved pumpkins, albeit not real pumpkins, which would never last for the run of the event, fill a tree-lined meadow.

But in the rose garden near the dessert station, massive real pumpkins are carved by artisans who can make highly detailed depictions of everything from key Dodgers baseball players to Dolly Parton.

The neon Rhizome light sculpture rises dramatically up from Descanso’s Oak Grove, while orange orbs literally float on water and the charming model trains have dinosaurs and monster figures alongside the tracks.

Guests can also enjoy the fun of a hay maze, the adorable and spooky wood spirits conjured – or rather cut – up by artist Chainsaw Jenna, and the simple wonder of trees, the leaves, the soft grass, the humming of crickets, and all the natural forest setting beauty that makes Carved the immersive experience that it is.

Pumpkin head scarecrows have their charms anywhere perhaps, but here, there is a sense of being a part of nature, the spectral spectacle of All Hallows Eve, the time of Samhain and ancient tradition.

While enjoying the gardens, you can partake of tasty eats such as churros, delightful black bean and acorn squash tacos, cocktails, hot chocolate, and spiked hot chocolate.

Timed tickets mean the trails and beautifully lit set pieces are relatively uncrowded and the magic of an All Hallows Eve experience will happily haunt you. Pricing ranges from $29–$52, for adults and $19–$37 for kids 12 and under. ) A new anytime ticket is also available for $85.

Enjoy the spooky fun.

  • Genie Davis; photos by Genie Davis

 

Steel Art, Committed Heart: The Activism and Art of Karena Massengill

Posted on by Diversions LA

Karena Massengill is both an artist and art activist. Her brilliant sculptural work in mediums from mild steel to fused glass and painted works is infused with the same kind of committment and rich meaning that she puts into the causes she espouses.

According to the artist, “My inspiration has largely been a desire to inspire other people to become a part of the solution and not be a part of the problem of climate change. When people recognize the power of their own voices to be heard and truly make a difference it is very inspiring to me.” She laughs that “Several years ago, a well-known critic (who will remain nameless) looked at my work and said ‘your work is unique and very special. And I have never seen anything like it! Though with your addressing climate change, it will never sell.'” Clearly that assessment has been incorrect.

Massengill has been an activist since high school. “Air pollution was a big problem from the TeePee burners at the lumber mills in Ukiah, California. A couple of friends and I wrote letters and pressured the city to do something about this problem. It worked. Another girlfriend and I got the dress code at school changed to allow girls to wear pants to school. It is so inspiring to me when people stand up for what is right,” she relates.

Her work and her political passions have both continued to evolve. Referring to her art, she notes that “I always did lots of life drawing in art school, [and I] traveled around South America painting,landscapes and portraits, and was invited into people‘s homes for food,” she recalls.

“Metalsmithing took on a passion for me until I realized the scale was too small. I discovered welding and was able to continue with my love for drawing and painting, and incorporating it within my sculptures,” she says.

Massengill loves to work with metal, and prefers recycled metals. “[I go] to scrapyards and pick up what I find on the street if it works as well. Because I love to paint and work with color. I incorporate that within the sculptures and [what I call accompanying works to many of my sculptures], Echoes. I also work with found materials and juxtapose materials in unorthodox ways, all while seeking to have a conceptual meaning behind it. Sometimes, as I work,very intuitively, I don’t even understand what the work means until I’ve completed it,” she explains.

Thematically her current work reflects her passion concerning climate change. “I work with recycled materials to help eliminate landfill as much as possible. I love to create [by] combining unorthodox materials, things that you would normally not see put together into some manifestation of my current passion.”

Indeed, she has at times included beads, sea shells, and a wide variety of metal scraps in her work.  Her steel working skills are unparalleled, and shape a body of work that is quite unusual.

Welding itself is what drew her to work in this medium. “When I immigrated to Canada after graduating with my BFA from Tyler School of Art, Temple University in Philadelphia, there was an ad in the paper offering successful applicants to be trained as welder-fitters to work on the pipeline transporting crude oil down from Alaska through Canada and into the U.S. ,” she  relates. “I applied and got the job! I trained along-side convicted felons seeking a better life for themselves. I had to earn their respect along with [honing] my craft. When I worked in traditional metal smithing, I found the scale too confining, so this was a perfect fit for me.”

 

Over the years, her welding skills have enabled her to work on large public commissions in both Canada and the U.S.

While working on the artwork for her public work, Gateway to Downey, in Downey, California, she used the opportunity to celebrate the aeronautical history of Downey, as well as addressing the food and shopping venues in the area. “The overhead cutouts create shadows that promote [the city of] Downey and simultaneously provide a shaded area as was requested by my client for having a meal outside.”

Massengill also created the public art project, “Rosie’s Dog Beach” for the City of Long Beach. She says that this piece “has reminded me of the power possessed by artwork, out in the public eye. It can stimulate conversation and generate ideas, emotional experiences, and even an intangible thought-provoking impact. I captured the joy of dogs playing on the beach and in the ocean,” she tells us.

The artist has been busy recently, with social exhibitions first at the Palos Verdes Arts Center and currently at Diversions Fines Arts Gallery. Asked what’s next, she reveals that she is looking forward to focusing on work in her studio without other distractions.

“I get so excited when an idea hits me and nothing else seems important until I can get into the thick of it! I love to make things, but I also love to feel like what I’m doing has meaning and is potentially important,” she says.

She welcomes other opportunities to show her work and the “stimulation of conversation…When people look at my work there’s an intimacy when they feel something and are moved to express their own experience of it.”

She says that what matters most to her is the reaction of her viewers, when people “see my work either emotionally, intellectually, or viscerally. I love it when they see things that I didn’t know are buried beneath– and it affects the way I see my work from then on,” she shares. She adds that to her,  “One of the most powerful things about abstract art is that it gives people permission and encouragement to explore the work personally as they have their own filters impacting this experience of it.”

Visit Karena’s multifacted and lovely work at Diversions Fine Arts, 1069 N. Aviation Blvd. in Manhattan Beach: open house and curatorial walkthrough 10/24 1-4; artist’s talk and closing reception 11/1; or stop by during regular gallery hours for a visit.