This months procession of busy Bee's at the Hive, gleaned from the local honey pot ( and I promise that shall be my final perfunctory pun) some stellar inclusions from some rising stars, some exceptional musical interludes and a good old fashioned chat with friends-old and new. As is customary, it's all relayed to you through my trustee digi-cam.
Getting it out of the way first, the obligatory 'serious' artist shot, standing before Sacramenstrual.
Before the several hundred marched in through the door, I took advantage of the quietude, to fire off some shots of the rooms.
The silence didn't last long, broken by a performance from an exquisitely lovely musician, who accompanied her ethereal vocals with what looked upon first inspection to be a Toy Piano, but I've discovered is called a Schoenhut. Eliza Rickman, held both my wife and I captivated throughout her enchanting set and long into the journey back to San Diego, with her six song EP. Suffice to say, 'tis a rare thing to see a star in the making, but we were honored to see her perform, and I shall be writing a full blog post on her and her work soon.
As I have stated on former occasions, one of the keynote pleasures at group events, is the cameraderie one gets from meeting other artists. One such kinship, came meeting one of the artists in residence there-Paul Torres-an artist whose work I have admired at subsequent showings, but who I hadn't the pleasure of meeting until last evening. I am told that Paul was producing Pop Surrealist work, long before it had been tagged as such, and on evidence of his extensive body of works,I have no reason to doubt it. Again, I shall be dedicating a post entirely to his exceptional collection soon.
No its not a poor mans Al Pacino, it is the master-Lance Richlin, who was gracious enough to share some of his method-and when the time presents itself-has promised to give me a live demonstration. See what I had to say about his work Here.
Finally, the evening would not be as special without the support and encouragement from the people who show genuine interest in my work, and are generous and interested enough to let me wank on about my ideas-a substantial Thank you to everyone who attended, a tip of the hat to all of the above, and a special thank you as always to ringleader Nathan Cartwright,the lovely Julie and all the other faces behind the curtain, and his wonderful sideshow.
Tonight I am showing at the LA based Hive again, where I am premiering my newest piece-Sacramenstrual. Doors open at 8pm until 12.30am, its $8 at the door/ $5 for those dressed in Black and Yellow, and what you will see is the finest mix of contemporary art from up and comings on the West Coast. There's also live music, DJ and burlesque. Show runs June 6th-27th, I can't think of a better way for you to spend your Saturday night.
729 S. Spring Street, Los Angeles, CA 90014
After negotiating traffic in the wrong direction up a one way street in downtown LA, and a delicious bite to eat at the Hop Woo BBQ Rest (I'm serious-the shrimp was exquisite) we arrived at what was a considerably extensive collection at the Hive. And what remarkable company to be amongst, consisting of such an eclectic mix of the pop surreal vanguard.
I met a lot of new admirers,made lots of new friends, and was inspired by some fabulous art-a great night all told, well worth the two hour journey home in the early hours. My only regret is that I'd have liked to have taken more pics, such was the evening that we were so engrossed in chat, there never seemed the opportune moment to play the perennial tourist, but the smattering below gives you a snapshot.
My serious arty farty face, and then doing my best David Brent (Ricky Gervais) below:
Lots of people all night, and a wander through the catacombs-Oh that's why its called the Hive-I geddit.
A steal at eight bucks admission, there's a concession charge for anyone wearing black and yellow. Note the adorable little ankle biter dressed as a bumble bee below-the natural star of the show.
Some beautiful young ladies stare on admiringly-I knew there was a reason I loved being an artist.
One of the wonderful things about group shows, is the immediate camaraderie one feels, from meeting artists you admire. Such an artist is the exceptionally talented Christopher Ulrich, whose intricately detailed work I am told, was conducted in little than a month. Coming on like some kind of occult Magus with considerable flourish from some dark 16th century cavern in remote Tibet, his vision was profound in its multi layers, concept and foundation. I look forward very much to getting aquainted with him and his work more.
Another darling artist, I had the chance to become aqainted with, was one Amy Bernays -a superlative expressionist whose golden landscapes are spliced with urban sprawl.
Like myself, she's also a British ex pat, and it was lovely swapping home grown bonheme with her. Thank you Amy
Special thanks to curator-Nathan Cartwright, Sensei, Lance, Margot, Ty, all the other artists, and everyone who attended that night.
Getting it out of the way first, the obligatory 'serious' artist shot, standing before Sacramenstrual.
