Cottage #32
Cottage #32
THE “HI-DE-HO” COTTAGE’S FORMER RESIDENTS WERE PART OF THE ARTS IN THE PARK LEGACY AT CRYSTAL COVE.In 1968, Tom and Alice Powell acquired Cottage#32, the Painters Cottage—which was also known by Covites as the “Hi-De-Ho” cottage (named after the song of the same name by Cab Calloway and his band). An artist, Alice used to keep a kiln in the backyard where she would fire porcelain pottery that she hand-painted.
Unfortunately, Tom passed away in 1987, but Alice later remarried a man name Roger Armstrong, who lived with her in the cottage beginning in 1990. Also an artist—one of the most renowned at Crystal Cove—Roger was known as a cartoonist who did artwork for “Bugs Bunny” and “The Flintstones,” among others, in addition to a prominent watercolor painter. He taught plein-air painting classes at Crystal Cove frequently, and today his work is featured in more than 300 private collections as well as public collections such as the Smithsonian Institution.
The influence that these two artists had on the community lives on at Crystal Cove even long after they moved out. Today, plein-air painters flock to the park to take lessons from the masters of their craft; visitors will also find ceramics and crafts from local artists in the store, and on Wednesday’s Community Days in the summer, there will be ceramic artists on the beach. For more information on the cottages and overnight rentals, visit crystalcovebeachcottages.com.