Los Angeles in Pieces & Parts

Images from Culver City gallery walk on Washington Blvd between Helms Walk and Fairfax Ave.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Deer at Getty Villa the Italy in LA

The calm and serenity of this recreated Pompeii Villa is easy understand, when in  Disneyland-style a deer frolics so near!

LACMA is always an iconic art stop

and bright experience especially when you start our day in the neighborhood with pastries and beyond from Republique.

HAMMER!!!

This museum is so potent and dynamic that my experience fell into two distinct categories. The Armand Hammer Collection revitalized my love of some long life favorites, mainly Gustave Moreau. There is always so much to learn from the skill of these traditional masters. The beauty of these compositions and my, clearly bias, love of bouquets translated elegantly into "The Stories Of Almost Everyone" exhibit. Every object has a story. What does it mean when you place that object and that story in an institutional setting and burden it with a canon of higher meaning? Some of these works were pure cheek, while others were heartbreaking records of human history. 

Indulgences:

The pop up shop at Hammer (Rat Bastards), GUCCI (another theme park moment waiting in the long Rodeo Drive line to get into the storefront) Laduree Salon de Tea (the height of French decadence, eventually I’ll patron every Laudree in the world)

The End

at the Castle in the Rain - Greystone Mansion and Park

An icon in the film industry. It was worth winding up into the Beverly Hills as this epic house made for a great last look at the L.A. cityscape, even through a rainstorm.

Getting Friendly

I was asked to use my skills to help with the Friendly House Charity Fundraising auction, by my good friend, fellow artist, and comity head Ellen Goldschmidt. How could I turn down an oppurtuinty to be a part of the glorious  "Ambiance Comity?"

Creating the 1930's themed deco decor, turned out to be an enormous task, literally, the piece I over saw was HUGE! Luckily, I had a lot of friendly help!

All of this effort, was a wonderful excuse for adults to make art with abandon. Myself included. Knowing these pieces were temporary and for a fun party, led me experiment, to let go, and to focus on what I love about making. In the end it brought people together in new ways which is at the core of the Friendly House.

Fantastic Feathers

Feathers are natures fashion. The riot of colors are symbols of lust and the length of the plumes show your status.

This shoot from "W" Magazine has Jeniffer Lawrence showing of the best of both worlds.

Accompanied by other expressions of wings.

Taking great inspiration from Wesley Younie's solo show "Dark Paradise" at Mark Whoolley Gallery. Up now until March 15th.  Wesley is a fellow feather lover.

You know what the say about flocking together.

See many more of my favorite feathered loves at  BIRDS IN COMMON.

Pieces of New NEW York YORK....Museum

The Museums of New York are huge institutions of art, serious, grand, and mind blowing!

I visited as many as I could and soaked in as much as I could, this is what I absorbed. 

NEUE GALERIE museum for German and Austrian art

This jewelry box of a Museum was featuring the work of Egon Schiele.

The exhibit was intimate and yet crowed (bonus sighting of Bruce Willis). Hung salon style you were plunged in to a raw world of psychological portraiture. 

I have been a long time fan of Schiele ever since my first year of art school when I graduated from the joyous work of Gustave Klimt (I should mention that the most stunning Klimt painting I have ever seen is part of the Neue Galeries’ collection among other striking art nouveau and deco artifacts) onto the darker work of his protégé; Schiele who instead of using pattern and design to build up the magic in his portraiture (like Klimt) striped all of the ornamentation away leaving you with an honest confutation of the subject. This helped him to pushed the social limits in portraiture. He had a brief but potent career, dying at an early age. This exhibit was intimate and yet crowed (bonus: sighting of Bruce Willis). Hung salon style you were plunged in to a raw world of psychological portraiture. 

 

Pieces of New NEW York YORK......Museum

The Museums of New York are huge institutions of art, serious, grand, and mind blowing!

I visited as many as I could and soaked in as much as I could, this is what I absorbed. 

 

GUGGENHEIM

Guggenheim

At the time of my vist The Guggenheim was featuring "ZERO a countdown to tomorrow 1950- 1960."  Zero is an art collective of German artist born in a zeitgeist of positivity and exploration in post war Germany.  

Zero (1957–66) founded by Heinz Mack and Otto Piene and joined in 1961 by Günther Uecker, and ZERO, a larger international network of likeminded artists, including Lucio Fontana, Yayoi Kusama, Yves Klein, and Piero Manzoni.  Work by more than 40 artists from 10 countries who were united by an aspiration to transform and redefine art following World War II.

These works were stunningly cohesive with the unique architecture of the fabulously spiraling Guggenheim. The show was laid out not only chronologically but by artistic expression. Starting with minimalist color fields Yves Klien "Blue" the tastiest among them (this "blue" is one of the great loves of my life), kinetic paintings on timers kept me enthralled and added to the whimsical spontaneity that these artist where trying to capture, the artist then stated deconstcutying the canvas but punchering ripping and burning the surface. All of these exploratory gestures evolved from 2-d into 3-d  kinetic light instillations, some of which were intragted with film and performance, all timed to push these installations into the realm of grand happenings! 

Beyond Brick and Ivy in Boston

This is such a beautiful buttoned-up town.  Surrounding the red brick covered in ivy and way too many college logo sweaters, there is an under current of exploration and exuberance!

I mainly explored the southern neighborhoods, as that is where my art trail lead me. 

I should mention that one of the absolute best art museums in the city is the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, it is a fabulous cultivated mansion. Everywhere you turn is more ascetic vignettes and visual stimuli. This woman curated a vast range of art, so effortlessly, you are transported to a timeless world of treasures.  Her collection of Japaneses screens stands out in my mind as dose the nicknamed "Leather and Lace" room with embossed leather wall paper and her collection of antique lace on display, but the courtyard alone will take your breath way! Alas you can not take any pictures there so you simple must go in person!!

These are my finds:

first stop                           Harvard Museum of Natural History

The flowers, the Jelly-fish, and sea slugs are hand blown glass by father and son Leopold and Rudolf Blaschka, I know it is hard to believe, the skill and the scientific accuracy are beyond amazing!

Second                    Museum of Fine Art, Boston (trust me call it MFA)

The stand out Artists where:

Shinque Smith a female artist using feminine street art gestures in mixed media painting that are laden with fabric and connected to fashion, glamor and fantasy.

&

Jamie Wyeth a master painter that pushes water color to a its limits, with effortless gestures, using classic landscape motifs of the "Brandy wine" tradition in a pop culture context. The stunning portraits of Andy Warhol left me scratching me head at the juxtaposition (in a good way)!

around Boston:                       The Library and more

I really got to now the artist John Singer Sargent as so much more than a masterful portrait artist his mural at the library are vast and wonderful. (I also loved his array of works at the Gardener Museum raging from sketchy studies to jaw dropping Flamenco dancers!)

Bonus:                               ICA at the Institute for Contemporary Art

Buckman Art Show and Sell

I am ready! All is prepped and tagged for my booth!

This could be the beginning of a Nomad's paper and art shop. Stay tuned.

If you are in Portland stop by the Art Fair @ Buckman Elementary School

part of the money goes back to support ARTS in the schools!