William Stout

One midnight I was on the deck of the ship. It was light enough to paint by. The sea was a mint green, the sky an apricot orange, and the icebergs were a blue violet! Of course the photographs picked up none of this . . . . I have never seen a place more spectacular. --William Stout Pasadena artist William Stout was so profoundly affected by his first visit to Antarctica in 1989 that he felt compelled to introduce people to its harsh and fragile beauty.

As exclusive gatherings go, this one was noteworthy, even by the high local standards set by A-list Hollywood, with attendees including a former acting director of the CIA, at least one prime-time TV star and half of Penn & Teller (the smaller, quieter half). That last guest is perhaps the one clue you need to figure out the subject of their mutual interest: magic. Or more specifically, the history of the art, as long-dead prestidigitators, illusionists and "miracle" workers were resurrected for the 10th Los Angeles Conference on Magic History, held Nov. 8-10 in North Hollywood.

As exclusive gatherings go, this one was noteworthy, even by the high local standards set by A-list Hollywood, with attendees including a former acting director of the CIA, at least one prime-time TV star and half of Penn & Teller (the smaller, quieter half). That last guest is perhaps the one clue you need to figure out the subject of their mutual interest: magic. Or more specifically, the history of the art, as long-dead prestidigitators, illusionists and "miracle" workers were resurrected for the 10th Los Angeles Conference on Magic History, held Nov. 8-10 in North Hollywood.

One midnight I was on the deck of the ship. It was light enough to paint by. The sea was a mint green, the sky an apricot orange, and the icebergs were a blue violet! Of course the photographs picked up none of this . . . . I have never seen a place more spectacular. --William Stout Pasadena artist William Stout was so profoundly affected by his first visit to Antarctica in 1989 that he felt compelled to introduce people to its harsh and fragile beauty.

An Imperial County man who admitted taking Indian artifacts from public lands has been fined $500 and placed on probation. William Stout, 63, of Winterhaven pleaded guilty to stealing pottery shards from an archeological site the federal Bureau of Land Management oversees. About 10,000 sites exist between San Diego and the Colorado River, but the exact location was not disclosed. He entered the plea in a U.S. Magistrates Court in San Diego on June 10.

The work of the Hollywood movie artist who inspired "Jurassic Park" is now on display at Mission San Juan Capistrano. Artist William Stout's exhibit opens to the public today and will run through Feb. 22. The show includes 20 oil paintings, watercolors and drawings depicting the dinosaurs, penguins, whales and other wildlife of Antartica's past and present.

Words & Ideas Compiled by Grace Krilanovich. SUNDAY William Stout: The author of "New Dinosaur Discoveries A-Z" and "Dinosaur Discoveries" will present and sign his new books. Dark Delicacies, 4213 W. Burbank Blvd., Burbank. 2 p.m. Free. (818) 556-6660. MONDAY Majid Naficy: The Beach House's first Artist in Residence will read and discuss his poetry, focusing on the theme "The Homeless and Other Exiles." Annenberg Community Beach House, 415 Pacific Coast Highway, Santa Monica.

In regard to your two July 14 articles [“For Kids, Statins Are but One Path” and “For Some, Statins Are the Best Remedy”]: Before we start shoveling statins down the throats of our kids, I'd like to point out a very serious side effect that I suffered at two different times from two different statins. I'm a 58-year-old male. I was taking statins to reduce my cholesterol (which worked). After a few months on statins, I became wildly depressed and suicidal (not my normal sunny nature)

DIGITAL "The Films of Charles and Ray Eames. " $79.99, available at the Museum of Modern Art online gift shop, momastore.org . NONDIGITAL "California Houses of Gordon Drake. " $39.95, available at William Stout Publishers, stoutpublishers.com . SPLURGE Grasshopper floor lamp, $875 at Design Within Reach, (800) 944-2233 or dwr.com . BARGAIN Arts & Architecture prints, $19.95 each, shop.lacma.org . Thanks to Pacific Standard Time and in particular to the ongoing LACMA exhibition "Living in a Modern Way: California Design 1930-1965," L.A.'s Midcentury design pioneers are back in the spotlight.

The New Short Fiction Series, which bills itself as "L.A.'s only live literary magazine," will present "My Brain Escapes Me" by Robert Steven Rhine at 8 p.m. Tuesday at the Lankershim Arts Center, 5108 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood. Rhine, a Valley resident, has published short fiction in more than 65 magazines plus several anthologies. Featured Tuesday will be spoken-word artist Sally Shore, plus guest performers Bill Lee Brown, Rob Elk, Benito Martinez and Rafael Noble. $10.

Think of Forest Lawn, and "museum" is probably not the first thing that comes to mind. But to illustration artist William Stout, it makes perfect sense as "another example of Los Angeles' idiosyncratic character." So it's little wonder that Stout's works are being featured at the 56-year-old Forest Lawn Museum in Glendale as part of the exhibition "Visions: The World of Fantasy Art."

Re "Betraying the California dream," Opinion, Nov. 4 On behalf of California, its citizens and especially its children, I wish to thank Jeff Bleich for his exceptional Op-Ed article. How sad a future we all face here if our leaders cannot gather the courage to reverse the current course. Until recently, my chief concern had been whether I would be able to afford to send my two young children to the University of California, given the escalating tuition and room and board. Lately this concern has been overwhelmed by another: Will I even want to send my children to a UC campus?