Roni Breite: An artist with Breite Ideas

 By Lonnie Burstein Hewitt. Photos by Maurice Hewitt.

 

The artist outside, with her Rakish Piece.

“I make uncommon art from common objects,” Roni Breite has written.  In other words, she sees interesting possibilities in things other people step over, ignore, or toss out.  

Different sorts of odds and ends seem to call to her, something  that began in 2018 when she suddenly noticed an old motorcycle chain ring her husband had tossed in the trash and realized she could give it new life. “I transformed it, and the process transformed me!” she said.

 Rotary, the Breitened bicycle chain ring.

Maurice and I got to see many of the results at her home in San Diego, a week before she was inviting friends, neighbors, and an assortment of interested art lovers to come to a special event, with   all of her artwork on view—over 170 pieces, including some works in progress—and most of the pieces available for sale. 

Here are some of our personal favorites:

Bridged, made of a guitar bridge.

Guitart. She made five different pieces out of this guitar.

Goo Goo Face, made of hairbrush, calculator keyboard, marbles and copper rings.

The Wait.  “This is my infertility piece,” she told us. “After years of infertility, we adopted, and what you see here is multiples of my hand over my husband’s belly and arm, and the green is our backyard.”

In the kitchen: Palm Hooter, made of palm frond and CDs.

A view of her studio wall.

In the past few years, Roni’s work has blossomed; it’s been shown in a number of galleries, and featured on the announcements for two of the group shows.  And it was a delight to view her often amusing and always inventive artworks, indoors and out.

“I see something, it’s compelling, and I say I’m gonna make something with this someday,” she said. 

“And someday I do… though it may not be soon.”

Coming Soon?  Making art out of mishap.

“Five months ago, we were on a bike trip in Italy, and I broke my right elbow,” Roni told us. “Luckily, I’m a lefty, but I’m still undergoing rehab and not dextrous enough for art-making yet. So I’m saving scraps of the thermoplastic that’s used to make splints to make my next artworks when I’m ready again!” 

For more of Roni’s uncommon art visit her website. 

Lonnie Burstein Hewitt is an award-winning author/lyricist/playwright who has been writing about arts and lifestyles for over a dozen years. You can reach her at hew2@sbcglobal.net

Gaze of the Dead: A Stunning Seasonal Exhibit at Encinitas Library

 By Lonnie Burstein Hewitt. Photos by Maurice Hewitt, except as noted.

Artist Luis Murguia merging with his La Muerte.

Elegant skeletons welcome you into the lobby of Encinitas Library, just in time for Dia de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead, a holiday in Mexico and other Latin American countries that honors departed loved ones and takes place from October 31 to the actual DOTD November 2. These skeletons are called Catrinas, and I was happily able to interview the artist, Luis Murguia, who lives in Escondido.

 

Posing with Catrina Christina,  his inspiration for La Muerte. (Photo by Luis Murguia)

To begin with: a little about Catrinas.

They were originally created in the early 1900s by José Guadalupe Posada, a political printmaker who was criticizing the dictatorship of Porfirio Diaz and his high-end supporters who decked themselves out in European styles during the Mexican Revolution.

In 1947, Diego Rivera created a large-scale mural that popularized the Catrina, which gradually became a symbol of the Day of the Dead.

And now, introducing our local Catrina artist: Luis Murguia was born in San José, CA, but his parents decided to move to Tijuana to reunite with relatives there. They never really celebrated the Day of the Dead, but as a child, he was very artistic, and when his family moved back to California in the 1980s, he kept on painting, and friends and family members began commissioning artworks from him.  He even did a mural for a Mexican restaurant in Arizona.

Then, a few years ago, a relative asked him to create a skeletal Mariachi Trio for his family. They had seen something like that at Disneyland, and thought it would be great to have a similar piece for their home celebration of the Day of the Dead. 

“I was just experimenting at that time, looking for new projects, so I thought that would be a good challenge for me,” Luis said.  “I came up with the idea of using PVC pipe for the frame of each piece, which would keep them light. I’d worked with paper maché in school, so I thought of paper maché and cardboard. And when I’m done with a piece, the painted finish looks like ceramic or porcelain.”

The Mariachi Trio (Photo by Luis Murguia)

 At first, he made his own skeletons; this time, he used store-bought skeletons and created the pieces on top of them.  Still, each Catrina can take up to two weeks to make, depending on how detailed it is: fine art isn’t easy.

 Here’s a little about each Catrina:

Libelula. Her name means dragonfly: See her dragonfly wings? 

La Catrina Azul.  Inspired by a Catrina on a Solana Beach poster for a DOTD event several years ago.

 La Tapatia & El Charro. She’s inspired by La Catrina Andante, on instagram, he by El Charro Gonzales, a cultural ambassador for DOTD.

La Catrina Rosa. Inspired by a pink dress Luis’s wife recently received as a gift.

La Catrina Verde & El Catrin. Both inspired by cards in La Loteria.

“When you see a Catrina, it’s a reminder that we all have the same destination, and life is to be celebrated,” Luis says. “And there’s one day a year we can remember and honor the lives of our loved ones who have passed.”

Maurice and I come to visit these Catrinas often: they actually lift our spirits, every time. You can do the same, through January 5, 2027, when the exhibit ends. You can even take one home for yourself—they are all for sale—or commission the artist to create something special for you. Contact him at luis2152@att.net

Catrina/Day of the Dead Exhibit by Luis Murguia 
On view until Jan 5, 2027
Encinitas Library
540 Cornish Drive, Encinitas, CA 92024
760-753-7376. 
Hours: Monday10-6; Tues/Wed 12-7;Thurs 10-6;Fri-Sun 10-5.

 

Lonnie Burstein Hewitt is an award-winning author/lyricist/playwright who has been writing about arts and lifestyles for over a dozen years. You can reach her at hew2@sbcglobal.net

Irma Sofia Poeter A-Dress: Power and Belief at San Diego Mesa College Art Gallery

 by Patricia Frischer

Reverse of dress below

Irma Sofia Poeter’s exhibition at SD Mesa College Gallery struck three cords.  1. These fashions from the rear view are as important as the front view. This drives home the idea of dress as sculpture. 2. Seeing the designs (even in photographs) on real people bring them to life in a way that define a different point of view. 3. Looking closely at each work, means seeing the amazing details of works creating new and upcycling old fabrics in completely different ways.

Clothes can be worn as  body armor, self-expression, beautification, or even political statements. Poeter’s constructions are all of these and together they define a cultural that she has created out of her life experiences. They define her as much as a self-portrait.

There are then works that are not to be worn and are purely soft sculptures. The rows of stuffed shirts, stuffed animals and the wall of baby dresses, are living next to wall tapestries.  She truly embodies an artist who lifts the act of sewing into fine art. We are proud to say she is a 2016 SD Art Prize recipient.

Reverse of dress above

Reverse of coat above

Details of dress above

Details of tapestry below

Detail of tapestry below

Detail of tapestry below

Irma Sofia Poeter - A-Dress: Power and Belief  
San Diego Mesa College Art Gallery
Exhibit on view October 5 - 29, 2026
Artist Talk on Wednesday, October 21, 6 PM
Fine Arts Building, Art Gallery, FA103, 7250 Mesa College Dr. SD 92111Art
FREE and OPEN to the public. 
Monday through Thursday, 12 - 5 PM.
Or, set up an appointment for a time outside these hours. Gallery Director, Alessandra Moctezuma  or call (619) 388-2829 during business hours.

Rupinder Kaloti: The Gathering at Oceanside Museum of Art

by Patricia Frischer 

Rupinder (Rupy) Kaloti, detail

The Gathering might be separated into the two small gallery either side of the SD Art PrizeExhibition, but it does relate in a way as it is the very personal view of another women Rupinder (Rupy) Kaloti. It deals with issues of family, of immigration, and place making. But this artist’s work differs greatly in that it creates a new world of intense color and optimism. There is a deep sense of religious destiny coupled with a history of the rich traditions and rituals of India.

Her grandmother from the Punjab, represented by a tiger figure, is shown as the real strength to establish a new home in East San José. Both places are represented in these works. The frames and shaped works together with the vivid color, make these works jump off the wall.   

Rupinder (Rupy) Kaloti, detail

Rupinder (Rupy) Kaloti

Rupinder (Rupy) Kaloti

Rupinder (Rupy) Kaloti

Rupinder (Rupy) Kaloti

Rupinder (Rupy) Kaloti

Rupinder (Rupy) Kaloti

Rupinder (Rupy) Kaloti, detail

Rupinder Kaloti: The Gathering
Oceanside Museum of Art
On view through Feb. 28, 2027
Exhibition Celebration Sat, Dec 5, 2026, 5-7 pm (Members free, Visitors $20)
704 Pier View Way, Oceanside, CA 92054  (760) 435-3720
Wed to Sunday 11 to 5 pm  Extended Hours on First Fridays 11 to 8 pm

Secrets, Surprises, and Humor in A Black Billed Cuckoo at La Jolla Playhouse.

By Lonnie Burstein Hewitt.

Cuckoo Poster. Photo by Maurice Hewitt

 
In this world-premiere play about a group of birders—one of them a young newbie—the first words you hear are “What do you see?”
 
But much of this show gradually reveals what you don’t see— not only the elusive bird that some of the five onstage characters are missing but also the hidden truths about their lives— super-significant facts unknown to each other about folks they’ve been birding with for years.

The Set, before the performance. Scenic Design by Wilson Chin.
Photo by Maurice Hewitt

Cast onstage, birding. Photo by Rich Soublet 11

 
The play was written by Mat Smart, a gifted playwright who was born in a suburb of Chicago, started out writing for his high school newspaper, went on to an MFA in Playwriting at UCSD, and has written 27 plays so far, some of them inspired by his worldwide travels.  This particular one was  inspired by the birding group he joined several years ago in Prospect Park in Brooklyn, which is now his home.

Iain Gunn, Puppet Designer. Photo by Maurice Hewitt

 
One of the delightful surprises for me began on the  moonlit night just before showtime when my husband and I walked into the theater and discovered  Iain Gunn (aka Animal Cracker Conspiracy ) was seated beside me— he’s the renowned puppet maker who created  a puppet for the show. 
 
“I’m a puppeteer and a puppet designer, and I really liked the script, but this was the hardest thing  I’ve ever done,” he told me afterwards.
 
“It’s the most technical puppet I’ve ever made and it took me the longest… It has to really look believable when it appears. There are actually 13 little feathers on each wing, all stitched together, so they un-flag when it flies. It’s one not-so-big bird with one big moment.. and I hope it’s a big surprise!” 
 
Can’t show you the Bird in this story… it has to be a surprise!  But you have until October 11 to see A Black Billed Cuckoo for yourself at LJP’s Mandell Weiss Theatre. It’s an unusual show with interesting characters and plenty of heart  and humor. Just keep your eyes open: you don’t want to miss the Bird! 
 
A Black Billed Cuckoo
La Jolla Playhouse
Mandell Weiss Forum
On view through Oct 11
Tickets or 858-550-1010
 

Lonnie Burstein Hewitt is an award-winning author/lyricist/playwright who has been writing about arts and lifestyles in San Diego for over a dozen years. You can reach her at hew2@sbcglobal.net