Santa Paula Art Museum — ‘Cornelis Botke: Painter of the Western Scene’ opens March 14!, more upcoming events

Exhibit Premiere

Mesa Country by Cornelis Botke, c. 1935, Oil on board, 26″ x 30″, Collection of Janet and Wylie Greig.

Premiere Party:

Cornelis Botke: Painter of the Western Scene

Saturday, March 14, from 4 PM to 6 PM

$5 SPAM Members, $10 Non-members

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Be the first to see our all-new exhibit on Saturday, March 14! Santa Paula artist Cornelis Botke (1887-1954) is best remembered as a master etcher whose work earned international acclaim and entered the collections of the California State Library, the Library of Congress, and the Smithsonian Institution. Yet from childhood, Botke’s greatest ambition was to be a painter.

This exhibition presents 50 rarely seen oil and watercolor paintings gathered from private collections and the permanent collections of the Santa Paula Art Museum, the City of Santa Paula, and Santa Paula Unified School District. Cornelis Botke: Painter of the Western Scenewill be on view from March 14, 2026, to July 12, 2026.

This exhibition is sponsored by

Did you know Cornelis taught art classes in Carmel and Santa Paula?

We think he’d approve of these upcoming classes at SPAM’S Cole Creativity Center:

Untitled (Port of Chicago) by Cornelis Botke, c. 1910, Graphite and gouache on board, 6″ x 8″, Collection of the Santa Paula Art Museum, Gift of David Schwabauer and Michael McMahan.

When Cornelis first emigrated to the United States in 1906, he worked as an architectural draftsman. To secure the job, he mastered the art of architectural perspective in just one week. Now you can learn the fundamentals yourself in a single evening.

Sally Lou Nesbitt by Cornelis Botke, Date unknown, Oil on board, 22″ x 20″, Collection of the Santa Paula Art Museum, Gift of The Nesbitt Family.

Botke did not consider himself a skilled portrait painter and seems to have created only a few portraits upon special request. We like to think he would have enjoyed our two upcoming portrait painting classes!

Special Event

Paint & Sip Night at Parque 1055

Thursday, March 26, from 6 PM to 8 PM

$40 per person • Ages 21+

We’ve partnered with our friends at Parque 1055 to host an evening of painting and sipping inside their beautiful restaurant. Teaching artist Jem Atwater will guide you step-by-step in creating your own beach-themed acrylic masterpiece while you enjoy two glasses of red or white wine, along with cheese and crackers. Preregistration is required and space is limited. (Parque 1055 is located at 1055 E Main St. in Santa Paula, just one block from the Santa Paula Art Museum).

Save the Date

“Still Life” by Cornelis Botke, Date unknown, Oil on board, 22″ x 27″, Available in the 2026 live auction.

The 16th Annual Fine Art Auction Fundraiser

Saturday, August 15, from 3 PM to 5 PM

$15 Members, $20 Non-members

Save the date of Saturday, August 15, 2026, for our biggest fundraiser of the year. Dozens of stunning artworks will be up for bid, featuring both historic and contemporary California artists. Don’t miss your chance to take home Cornelis Botke’s “Still Life” (pictured above), or another incredible piece of California art. All proceeds support the Museum’s arts education and community programming.

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Santa Paula Art Museum & Gift Shop Hours

Wednesday – Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Sunday 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Closed Monday and Tuesday

Cost of Admission

Adults $4.00 • Seniors $3.00

Free for children, students, and members

Free for everyone on the first Sunday of every month

Cole Creativity Center Gallery

& Supply Shop Hours

Tuesday and Thursday 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Saturday 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

The Cole Creativity Center is otherwise open only for classes and special events.