Sunday

What is luxury? A Birthday Wish

I am thankful for the friends I have and the places I have been. I have won the lottery.

Currently in the studio examining the value of everything and the meaning of face value. Within this tight construct of beauty and luxury and demand and ultimate energy, I swim with the notion of riches and their definition and ultimate play. As I aim to transcend limitations, there is sometimes new limitations arise.

The grass may or may not be greener.

Simply wondering if there is a direct correlation to genetics and need for gems. That which outshines the others wins. This is true in some circumstances. I am sure Damian Hirst goes for shine. Glossy is always in, unless its not.


Love is the ultimate relay.




Friday

Chateau Marmot

Apparently everything in LA is way better when you walk in and own the place. After playing the piano at the Chateau Marmot on a Friday night and feeling like I was exactly where I was supposed to be and wondering if I may have been slipped some sort of delusion in my drink, which by the way was beyond amazing and worth every bit of thirty well earned dollars, I pinched myself. It was indeed really real and a truly unique experience that satiates my need to live in Los Angeles. And by amazing drink, I mean an infusion of spice with nice and a twist of deliciousness that will bring you back. Working on the next appearance and planning to play some songs I have been waiting to play.

Thursday

DIEM design intersects everything made

I had the opportunity to attend a really great design symposium in West Hollywood last week, and was fortunate enough to walk away inspired and reminded that I am doing what I love.

The attendees included many eager and prominent open minds in design and art in Los Angeles. Among the designers and artists and scholars within the discipline of aesthetic and value and between definition.

I go back to my studio with a renewed sense of clarity within my craft ready to hunt and create.


Tuesday

Slow and Steady.

Always making and always doing keeps my mind at ease. I truly enjoy all of the beautiful things in life. 







I love this set up. The old Lane Cedar Chest is one of my favorite pieces I have found over the years. Perhaps it is because of the idea of a HOPE chest and what it represents in our somewhat atomic age of potential fueled collecting and association with objects. 

The turquoise colored fire buckets are from the 1930's and I fell in love with them the moment I saw them. The bucket filled with oil cans is a sculpture I created based on a concept I have toiled with for quite some time. The collage on the top left is something I made. 

It says:

"Lovely to Look at Delightful to Hold, But if you Break It, Consider it Sold." 





These are some handmade wooden coasters sitting in the que in front of my typewriter. I use my typewriter to make cards.





 Paintbrushes in a glass jar.  The stack of handmade paper notebooks is part of a sculpture that I put together that has a tiny drawing and a wall piece that hangs and then a pedestal. This is just a part of the whole piece. In it's entirety, the sculpture is titled, "Made in China"





This photo is of one of a Pony collage made by Katherine Metz (right) and a white series collage by Aaron Edelson (left) and some photo proofs that I am printing.

I have a ton of work and have been super busy organizing all of it and creating a workflow that seems to suite me well. I am using a label maker to make everything even more systematic. I am almost at the point where I can hire someone to assist me. It feels so good. I love working with people I love. Slowly, but surely everything is coming together in such a great way that it is done with ease. 

I am currently designing the interior for a woman's house who is totally in love with my photography and has given me total freedom, which is always fun!

You can check out some of my paintings and collage and what not here.

Say Hello


Friday

LP Live at the Viper Room in West Hollywood



LP Live at the Viper Room

April 30, 2012


























Love, love , love her songwriting.  And wow what a voice!



SHE'S NOT THERE









PUBLIC FICTION (the museum of) >> 

749 Avenue 50 / Los Angeles CA / 90042

Suitably Arranged.



I am so happy to have somehow created a studio gallery space that is somewhere I can work and feel creative as well as open up to other artists to show their work. I for one know that it is very important to get your work out of your studio and show in spaces that fit your medium. 

The work that you see on the walls is the work of photographer and cinematographer Karl Hahn. I feel fortunate to have met him and am inspired and lucky to work with such talent. 

You can see more of his personal work at www.karlhahnphotographer.com

Suitably Arranged: The Sum of All Parts.

A Photo Survey. 

PROSTELLAR: SURVEY OF LOS ANGELES STUDENT WORK







PROTOSTELLAR
Survey of Los Angeles Student Art Work
May 4 - 20, 2012, Everyday 11am - 6pm
Opening Reception: Friday, May 4, 7 - 10pm

Studio Sereno is pleased to present PROTOSTELLAR Survey of Los Angeles Student Art Work in our Project Room.

The exhibition features 16 art students representing 9 schools in the Los Angeles area:

Monica Bello ∙ ArtCenter
Laura Cechanowicz ∙ USC
Annie Cho ∙ ArtCenter
Alexander Collins ∙ Otis
Wesley Hicks ∙ CSULB
Chuck Sung Hohng ∙ ArtCenter
Raymie Idadevaia ∙ ArtCenter
Amy Lee Ketchum ∙ USC
Elijah H. Kleeman ∙ CalArts
James Lee ∙ Platt
Nathan Munoz ∙ CSULA
Michael Nesbit ∙ SciArc
Maria del Carmen Uriarte ∙ Otis
Matthew Waller ∙ ArtCenter
Audrey Wollen ∙ CalArts
Melissa Zimmermann ∙ CGU

Projection, sound, performance, text, animation, programming, drawing, painting, printmaking, conceptual objects, and sculpture.

Studio Sereno is grateful for the opportunity to meet these exceptional artists and would like to express gratitude for the extraordinary individuals who are responsible for introducing us to the artists: Thank you to Clyde Beswick of CB1 Gallery, Lisa Mann at USC, Jeremy Gilbert-Rolfe at ArtCenter, Chris Wilder at Otis, Mason Cooley at CSULB, Thor Erickson at SciArc, Michael Dee at Platt, Suzanne Lacy at Otis, and Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions at large.

Studio Sereno is a producing art studio which provides artistic services such as project management, consultation, and fabrication for the arts and entertainment industry: we are not a gallery. Our Project Room is for finishing projects but each quarter of the year we hold the space open for curatorial projects. Please join us in supporting these artists as they begin they their circumnavigation of the art world.

Street parking is available.



Thursday



Photo by Ooga Booga store in Chinatown, L.A.
A play on a joke about California being full of fruits and nuts, Laura Owens' works made of '60s California newspapers are at Actual Size through May 12
Also check out our Google Map of L.A.'s alternative art spaces
Some of the most progressive art made in L.A. today can't be seen in museums or blue chip galleries. Instead, it's in the city's many alternative art spaces -- venues run by artists and other (typically young) people with a vision. These spaces tend to operate on a shoestring budget, in funky locales, or even out of people's homes and studios. Often you can find out about them only by word of mouth or social media.
Ten years ago, you could count the number of alternative art spaces in L.A. on your hands. Today there are more than anyone can keep track of, and they've become a significant factor in L.A.'s status as a new art capital.
We had to do some stringent paring to get this list down to 25. With a couple exceptions, the more commercial galleries were left out, no matter how cool their programming. Older and more established nonprofit venues, such as Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions (LACE) and 18th Street Art Center, also were excluded.
What's left is a list of cool spaces you might not be able to find on your own. Don't delay in checking these places out -- the nature of experimental art venues is that they may not be around tomorrow.
tranimal.jpg
Emily Lacy
Machine Project's master class in how to be a "tranimal," organized by Austin Young and Squeaky Blonde, in February

The alternative mainstream
Machine Project: Always tinkering
Started at a humble storefront in Echo Park almost a decade ago, Machine Project, under the direction of Mark Allen, has moved into the relative big time of the alternative art world. In 2008, it organized a memorable, one-day takeover of LACMA, with offbeat events all over the campus; it later was invited to do residencies at museums from Denver to St. Louis. Back at home, it puts on community-oriented activities such as a fundraiser for those jailed in the Occupy L.A. arrests, DIY workshops on everything from home electronics to theatrical costumes and hikes with poets. Machine also recently got attention for removing its storefront windows, reinstalling them 20 feet back and creating a sort of indoor-outdoor plaza. 1200-D N. Alvarado St., Echo Park. (213) 483-8761, machine​project.com.
Carol Cheh
A work by Dashiell Manley included in the Artist Curated Projects show, "One for the Money, Two for the Show," curated by Math Bass

Artist Curated Projects: Nomadic troopers
Begun in 2008 by artists Eve Fowler and Lucas Michael, ACP feels like one of the elder statesmen in the current crop of alternative organizations. Although Michael relocated to New York a couple years ago, the roving project is still going strong, with exhibitions, performances and talks at a range of locales, including the homes and studios of friends, art fairs and institutions like the MAK Center and Armory Center for the Arts. Check out ACP's semi-annual flat file sale for a great opportunity to purchase affordable artworks by notable artists. artistcurated​​projects.com.
Young Art: Those damn kids
Like Jancar Jones, Young Art, run by curator Kate Hillseth, considers itself a gallery rather than an artist-run space, but it distinguishes itself by showing dynamic work by, yes, younger artists. Young Art's history dates back to 2006, when Hillseth ran a space in Highland Park next door to where Public Fiction (see description below) is now. She then spent a brief spell in the Woman's Building, L.A.'s historic center for feminist activity, before her current Chinatown location. Most recently, Young Art featured "Where the Skin Gets Pinched," an adventurous, site-specific creation by Cara Benedetto and Davida Nemeroff, which obliquely explored the pressures of being a working artist. 418 Bamboo Lane, Unit B, Chinatown; young​art​gallery.com.
Carol Cheh
Jancar Jones receives a visit from Cypress College teacher Elizabeth DiGiovanni, left, and her conceptual photography class

Jancar Jones: S.F. to L.A.
Opened last fall by art historian Ava Jancar and artist Eric Jones, this Chinatown spacedefines itself as a commercial gallery with a set stable of artists. Its conventional structure belies its fresh programming, however. A recent show by David Berezin, for example, featured amazing photographs that looked like meticulous studio arrangements but were really Photoshopped images from the Internet; in one, a loaf of bread and a set of skis sat on a terraced pedestal, casting perfect shadows. The two gallerists met in San Francisco while attending school at the Art Institute, and actually ran the gallery there for three years. Here they show a mix of L.A. and Bay Area artists. (Don't confuse Jancar Jones with Jancar Gallery, an older Chinatown space run by Ava's father, Tom.) 1031 N. Broadway, Chinatown. (323) 223-3115, jancarjones.com.
Avesha Michael
The exhibit "Hanging Gardens," a play on the gardens of Babylon, curated by Renée Fox at Beacon Arts Building

Making art and showing art
Beacon Arts Building: Improving Inglewood
Beacon Arts is the only venue on this list with a larger civic agenda, founded by private interests as an arts center for the Inglewood community. Located in an enormous four-story building that used to be home to Bekins Moving and Storage, Beacon Arts houses artists' studios, as well as large exhibition areas. Director Renée A. Fox has been doing a bang-up job programming exciting exhibitions such as Mat Gleason's "Tel-Art-Phone," a wild, sprawling affair in which chains of artists created artworks in response to the work of other artists, much like the childhood game of telephone. So far, every exhibition has ended with a rousing panel discussion accompanied by catered IHOP pancakes -- always a crowd-pleaser. 808 N. La Brea Ave., Inglewood. (310) 419-4077, beaconartsbuilding.com.
Carol Cheh
A whimsical installation by Audrey Chan and Elana Mann festoons the kitchen at elephant art space

elephant: The party is in the back
A cheerfully laid-back vibe permeates elephant, a humble building in Glassell Park, which houses the studios of an ever-changing roster of artists, mostly CalArts grads. A nice entry room greets visitors with the latest exhibition, while a kitchen and backyard are friendly party areas. On view recently was Audrey Chan and Elana Mann's "fake retrospective," a fun collection of props and documentation from their seven years of working together.3325 Division St., Glassell Park; elephantartspace.com
Monte Vista Projects: We're all in this together
This relatively low-key space, in existence since 2007, houses artist studios and an exhibition space. Among past shows are an exhibition of Christmas trees that you can rent and take home; a show inspired by the gestures of classic clowns; and the first run of Dawn Kasper's Nomadic Studio, in which she moved all of her stuff into the exhibition space and hung out there all day. Kasper did it again at the Whitney Biennial, earning a New York Times profile and a tweet from Martha Stewart. 5442 Monte Vista St., Highland Park;montevistaprojects.com.
Up next: House rules apply 

Location Info

Machine Project

1200-D N. Alvarado St., Los Angeles, CA
Category: General

Young Art Gallery

418 Bamboo Lane, Los Angeles, CA
Category: General

Jancar Jones Gallery

1031 N. Broadway, Los Angeles, CA
Category: General

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