Ingrid Boulting was raised primarily by her grandparents in South Africa as her parents went to pursue careers in England and France. Her mother was a model and actress, and her father was a writer and director. She herself moved to London when she was 7, and she herself went to "a show-biz school" before being selected for the Royal Ballet School. It was a rough adjustment, as Afrikaans was her first language. She landed her first of many magazine covers ("Queen Magazine") when she was 12 years and the rest is history.

Through it all, her first love was and remains painting. She has (had) an exhibit at the Ojai Art Center through the end of April, and has focused mostly on still life. Another lifelong love has been yoga, she is the owner of Sacred Space studio, where she integrates her spirituality and love of nature into her practice.

Ingrid was a favorite muse of French photographer Sarah Moon and was known for her delicate features and ethereal air. Ford Models founder Eileen Ford herself recruited Ingrid, though she resisted modeling as a full-time career, giving priority to acting on the stage and screen, as well as painting. She flourished in the 1970s and 1980s, co-starring with Robert DeNiro in Elia Kazan-directed "The Last Tycoon," and was the "Biba Girl" with the English cosmetics company.

She has family all over the world, but has lived in Ojai since the mid-1980s, introduced by Guy and Leone Webster. "It either won't let you leave, or it kicks you out," she said. Ingrid's various moves between theater, film and modeling continued, but Ojai has always been home base. Among her many careers, Ingrid also learned from White Lotus owner Frank White, the renowned yoga teacher, who started when he was 68 and trained several generations of teachers. He mentored Ingrid into teaching yoga, which she continues at Sacred Space Studio. We also talked about our shared love of Ojai, its distinct aroma, its resemblance to the south of France, her pets, the perils of poor city planning and the constant threats Ojai faces.

We did not talk about IRS forms, baseball's new rules or allergy season.

You can check out more about Ingrid and her art at her website, IngridBoulting.com. Her yoga class schedule is posted at SacredSpaceStudio.com (the only studio in Ojai with Earth Mats.)