With an eye for design and color, Torrey has rendered the savannahs of Tanzania and Kenya in much the same way that the plein air artists depicted the Mediterranean landscape of Southern California at the turn of the century.

Torrey was inspired to do the series while on his honeymoon trip to Africa last year. He and his wife, Tricia, toured the Amboseli game preserve in Kenya and took 20 rolls of film, which he later used to guide his compositions.

Building up his pigments, Torrey paints a distinct vision of the place that he calls the Vanishing Eden. He has not only captured the landscape, but also gives us a portrait of the African game park and its animals, including elephants, wildebeests, giraffes and zebras, all cast against the backdrop of Mt. Kilimanjaro.

With a background in illustration and art direction, Torrey turned to painting several years ago, mastering the style of plein air, which opens the landscape up to the free impression of the artist outside the studio.

His first exhibit, shown in Brentwood last year, included a series of paintings of his vision of Los Angeles landmarks and "classic" Santa Monica Mountains coastal valleys.
Torrey's current exhibition displayed in the newly restored library, will continue through March 10. Contact: 230-3278