The 43rd Annual Festival of Arts in San Dimas will be Friday, April 26 through Sunday, April 28, featuring some 30 nationally and internationally recognized artists, in a showcase of varying mediums, genres, and styles.

The exhibition will open be at Civic Center Plaza, 245 E. Bonita Ave., San Dimas.

The format for the show highlights the beauty of California from mountain to shore – its images, history, and unique industries.

The exhibit is open and free on Saturday and Sunday and the public is invited to come, to meet the artists, and to experience the beauty and wonder of California through the lens of the artists’ eyes. All works will be for sale.

This year’s featured artist is Mian Situ, who has been honored as a Master of Western Art, a Signature Member of the Art Club of California, and a Master Signature member of the Oil Painters of America.

Situ’s art spans Eastern and Western culture. He was born and raised for the first half of his life in the Guangdong Province in China. His formal artistic training is international and includes studies in Russia and the Guangzhou Institute of Fine Art.

In 1987, Situ immigrated to North America. He spent a short time in Canada and eventually relocated his family to Southern California, where he has worked in various positions as an artist, gallery owner, tutor, and instructor.

Situ describes the “sense of story” in his work as the main difference between his Russian influence and the typical compositions in most typical Western art. Many of Situ’s paintings reflect complex historical scenes and portray life in the West during its formative years.

There is something for everyone in this show.

– Contributed by the Festival of the Arts