The BVS Cultural Arts Association's 36th annual Art Show is scheduled for Sept. 18 through 26, at the Oak Tree Country Club, 29500 N. Lower Valley Road in Bear Valley Springs. To visit the show, call Michelle (661) 972-2519 for a gate pass to Bear Valley Springs.

One of the most popular features of the show is the opportunity to win a piece of art donated by one of our many talented artists. Raffle tickets are available at the show.

One of our donors this year is Kris Gruben. Kris and her husband Randy moved to Bear Valley Springs six years ago to be near their son Josh and his family. 

 Kris has been an exhibitor at the Bear Valley show in past years. Her donation this year is entitled "Looking for Nectar," an encaustic, which is a mixture of beeswax and damar resin mixed with pigment for color. After Kris moved to Bear Valley, she took a class in Bakersfield on the less well known medium, encaustic.

The process is somewhat complicated and time consuming. A layer of the mixture is applied, then fused with heat before the next layer is applied. With each layer she adds more color to complete the picture. 

Kris has been exposed to art all her life. Her mother was a professional water color artist and Kris is always up for another creative challenge also doing water color and making ornate glass bottles.

Kris' beautiful art work can be viewed at Gallery 'N' Gifts in Tehachapi.