NORTH COAST
December 19, 2013 PAGE B5
French artist makes American debut at local gallery By Kristina Houck Artist Céline Chourlet has exhibited her work around the world — even at the U.S. Embassy in Paris — but never in the U.S. The French artist is finally making her American debut at a showing at Art & Framing by Munro Gallery in Carmel Valley. The exhibit runs through Jan. 2, 2014. “We’ve got some nice, beautiful, original art from local artists, and now we’ve invited an artist from France to show her work,” said General Manager Randy Gray. Gray learned about the artist when one of his clients had a Chourlet piece framed. Greg and Marsha Mooradian discovered Chourlet’s work during a Paris vacation 12 years ago. Since then, they have collected 18 of her paintings. They have also become close friends with Chourlet. In fact, her 18-year-old daughter stayed with the Carmel Valley couple for a week in the summer. “I love the colors and vibrancy of her art,” said Marsha Mooradian, a retired art teacher. “She has evolved over the years that we’ve known her into quite a successful artist. It’s been fun to follow an artist and see their development.” Because Gray has also become a fan of her work, Mooradian encouraged her friend to showcase her paintings at the local shop, which specializes in custom framing. Mooradian has been a customer of Munro Gallery since Maggie Munro founded the business nearly a decade ago. Dr. Christy Jackson, a neurologist at Scripps Clinic Torrey Pines and Gray’s fiancée, purchased the business in March. “It’s wonderful to have an opportunity to see a European artist here,” Mooradian said. “It’s good to be international and understand where other people are in this world. “I love her art, but I love even more the relationship that has come from collecting her art.” Munro Gallery invites the public to view nearly a dozen of Chourlet’s paintings at Munro Gallery, located at 4653 Carmel Mountain Road, Suite 309 A, San Diego, 92130.
Marley (David McBean), infuses Ebenezer Scrooge (Tom Stephenson) with the Christmas spirit. Daren Scott.
Cygnet Theatre’s ‘A Christmas Carol’ delights all ages Randy Gray, general manager of Art & Framing by Munro Gallery, with paintings by French artist Céline Chourlet. Photo/Kristina Houck “Come and view some fine art in the little art gallery here in the Torrey Hills Plaza,” Gray said. “We’re the little art gallery that could.” For more information about Art & Framing by Munro Gallery, call 858-259-2787 or visit www.munrogallery.com For more information about Chourlet and her gallery in Cannes, visit www.chourlet.com and www.galerie-neelchourlet.com
By Diana Saenger Let’s Review! Whether a fan of Christmas Past or Christmas Present, theater patrons will find Cygnet’s “A Christmas Carol” a pièce de résistance. Based on Charles Dickens’ classic holiday ghost story, the message-filled tale has been a seasonal favorite in film, books, and on stage ever since it was written in 1843. Everyone knows the story of the hard-working Bob Cratchit, whose boss Ebenezer Scrooge doesn’t believe in Christmas or pay Cratchit enough to take care of his family, which includes the afflicted Tiny Tim. For several years, Cygnet Theatre has produced the play as a live radio show, mimicking those from the 1940s. This year, the Cygnet cast is performing a new adaptation of the story that it promises, “to be light and bright while embracing a fun and festive Christmas spirit.” This See CAROL, page B31