El Molino Viejo, 1817-2017 with Speaker Cathy Brown

Monday, May 22, 7:00 p.m.

The City of San Marino is home to El Molino Viejo (The Old Mill), the oldest commercial building in Los Angeles County, which this year is celebrating its bicentennial.  The San Marino Historical Society is pleased to have the Executive Director of El Molino Viejo, Cathy Brown, share some its stories on Monday, May 22 at 7:00 p.m. in the Library’s Barth Community Room.  In its speakers series at Crowell Public Library, the San Marino Historical Society presents quarterly programs focusing on topics especially selected for residents of San Marino.  These talks are free and open to the public.

In 2002, Cathy Brown began work at the Old Mill as the Assistant Director.  She is a graduate of UCLA with a BA in History. She will talk about the history of El Molino Viejo and the people who have made it a home and those that have influenced its history. She and John Quinn, President of the Old Mill Foundation, will conclude with a review of the Old Mill Foundation's plans for this special year.

Completed about 1816 as a grist mill for Mission San Gabriel, the original two-story structure of the Old Mill measured 53 by 26 feet. The lower walls are five feet thick and are composed of oven-baked brick and volcanic tuff, while the walls of the upper level are built of layers of sun-dried adobe slabs. The present entrance room (with its collection of antique paintings and furnishings) served as the grinding room of the mill. The top level was originally used as the granary, where the milled grain was stored. The California Art Club maintains an art gallery there today.  Outside is an attractive garden highlighting native California trees and plants. This patio is the home to a chamber music concert series each summer.

Learn more about this treasured architectural landmark, a fascinating link to the past and a notable California cultural center on Monday, May 22 at 7:00 p.m.  For information on the San Marino Historical Society call (626) 304-9375 or email smhistorical@earthlink.net.

Digital Photography with George Simian

Come to Crowell Public Library on Saturday, May 6 and learn how to improve your photography in the post-processing workflow. George Simian, a leading East-Coast/West-Coast commercial photographer (GeorgeSimian.com) and educator (UCLA Extension, Samy’s Camera, American Photographic Artists) will show you how to master the process of making decisions:  identifying your intentions, minimizing distractions, maximizing the mood, and directing the eye of the viewer.  Bring some digital files on a flash drive, and George will improve them in 60 seconds!  The seminar will begin at 2:00 p.m. and last until 4:00 p.m. in the Library’s Barth Community Room.

Audience needs considered and time permitting, George will address:  the mechanics of the camera and lenses and exposure, strategies for shaping your style and vision, post-processing using various software and refining the image in Photoshop, and practical business approaches appropriate to your specific audience.  George has worked with emerging commercial photographers, with boudoir and portrait photographers, with documentary fine artists, and with others just beginning to master the camera and the digital workflow.

George Simian started out as a photography teacher in 1973 at Cornell University, excited to "expose" newcomers to the wonders of the latent silver image, and its magical manifestation in the darkroom. When his career moved on to commercial photography, he became a mentor to his assistants, as well as presenting one-day seminars for photographers' organizations, and for various manufacturers.  Relocating to Los Angeles, George re-engaged with teaching as an avocation, and practiced it in various classrooms, location workshops, and one-on-one.  He continues to offer individual coaching, meeting with various emerging photographers with very different interests, and at different experience levels.  He finds it amazing how much one can accomplish when working side-by-side, focused exclusively on the issue at hand.

George Simian is a longtime member of the APA American Photographic Artists.  Don’t miss this free opportunity to improve your photography skills with an expert!