I first became friends with Matt Ellis when I heard him playing his songs at The Habit, the much-missed Friday jam my brother, Paul, started at Abbot's Habit a few years back. I was impressed, and immediately went over and befriended him. That seems to be the way it goes with Matt, as last night The Stronghold was PACKED with friends for the digital release of Matt's new album, Births, Deaths & Marriages ... and we were all impressed.
Matt and his darling wife, Vavine, created an entire event around the release, complete with Hit+Run screen printing Matt t-shirt's of your choice right in front of you, a photo booth with props relating to birth (baby doll), marriage (bouquet, top hat) but no death - though someone did volunteer to zoom out and find a gun in the neighborhood. They had Matt's favorite Australian beer, Coopers, as a sponsor, and that helped get the party started off in a rowdy fashion. Giant burlap tapestries announced the album title, and lanterns were strung all over. The Stronghold has never looked better, and should keep the idea of moving the big couches back so that people can be up and dancing all over - which we were.
The music of the night started out with Will Courtney, a bearded troubadour (formerly of The Brothers and Sisters out of Austin) who reminds me a bit of Neil Young, sound-wise. The bad news was that many of the friends gathering hadn't seen each other in a while, so the catching up chatter at times kind of overwhelmed Will's on the quiet side acoustic songs. I'm going to need to re-visit his stuff, because I was into it (in between constant hugs and greetings).
The room was full to capacity when Matt took the stage with his band mates; Josh Norton on guitar, Simon Smith on bass, Marco Meneghin on drums, Tim Walker on pedal steel guitar and Stuart Cole (from Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros) on trumpet. People were already whistling and hollering before they even began, and it only increased when they opened with "Heart Of Mine" off the brand new album. There is a spirit of the open road flavoring the new songs, and it recalls the desert rock of Calexico at times, which makes sense as some musicians from that great band play on the album, and it was mixed at their spot, Wave Lab, in Tuscon, Arizona. All the good people in attendance were to have the digital copy in their in-boxes before they woke up today! (Hard copies coming in March. Expect another shindig.)
After thanking The Stronghold and the various sponsors, Matt asked "Is there a Mrs. Ellis in the house?" and Vavine took the stage to join Matt on their duet, "River Too Wide". Looking fantastic in a pink fluffy dress, and looking lovingly at her husband the entire while, the Sometime Songbird (Vav) made their love tangible for the entire room to see. It's also a toe-tapper, and got the house swaying, and that didn't stop from thereon out.
I spoke to Matt earlier in the day while setting up the place, and asked about the origins of the album's title, and the content itself. He said that all these events were happening (births, deaths, and marriages) during the songwriting process, and that you reach a certain age and realize that those are the very things that make the world go around. Each song has something to reflect on it all, and the title track, "Births, Deaths & Marriages" starts out with the line, "Will they even know my name?", and it's clear that he's been thinking about the babies born to friends all the way back home in Australia, and really feeling the distance ... "Missing you, back home." Again, though the tempo is way up, the tenor is rife with truth and feeling.
Next up was "Don't Let Me Forget" and featured the trumpet wail of Stuart Cole, lending it more of that Calexico-style patina and majesty. It conjured up a ton of emotion to where our friend Nathan said, "It's gonna be alright!", cracking up all of us within earshot. Love it. "So Many Lied" calls out political liars, and Fox News types (one in the same, really) within the confines of a rocker of a tune - just the way I like my truths told. "So Much To Live For" was lovely and reflective, and timely, considering we'd all just heard about the suicide death (Births, Deaths, Marriages again!) of Boner from Growing Pains, another Venice resident. Looking around the room, the friendships and unconditional love coursing about made one think that's ALL there is to live for, and we have it in abundance. And so we celebrated that ... all night long.
"Too Late To Call" carried on that Tuscon vibe, with serious weight to it. "Trying To Believe" is a party tune that had Stuart back on the trumpet, and the entire room dancing and singing along the "doo Doo DOO YEAH!" chorus. The party was ON, and too soon it was time for the last song of the regular set, "Won't Let This Die". This one is very special to us, as we are a group of friends that is really like family. We've supported each other, traveled overseas together, laughed, cried, and loved through it all. "The Boys" - Matt, Paulie, Joey and Scotty, are celebrated in this sweet Bromance of a song, where the verses talk about the meaning of Matt's friendship with each. All of them had been busting ass all day to help get The Stronghold ready for the show, and to hear this serenade of deep and lasting friendship sung by Matt with all the boys singing along down front, almost made me choke up, in spite of the rocking fun of it all.
Wild shouts and screams filled the by now boiling hot space, and Matt came back up with the band to reward us with an encore. He had Vavine join him again, and they treated us to the song they sang at their own wedding in Australia, "When I'm Without You". It is sublime, and an absolute tribute to their long-time love. Vav got extra hoots and hollers for the high note, and rightly so. Again ... lump in the throat.
Which soon cleared and was replaced by our singing along with Matt and Vav's cover of Iggy Pop's "Candy", one of my all-time faves. It's a perfect duet for M&V, and the crowd l.o.v.e.d. it. "Life is crazy ...." Isn't it though?
The finale for Matt's set was the party anthem with a stern message, "Hey, Mister" from Matt's excellent last album, Tell The People. It goes off ... and had a little help from Paulie and Scotty on backup vocals too. The whole place was smiling, sweating and singing along, and as the cheers rang out at song's end, I had a flashback to the beautiful farm, Stump Jump, in Australia where Mr. and Mrs. Ellis were married. I had the rare honor and delight of being asked to speak at the wedding on behalf of the American contingent, and at the end of my speech to all our newly made friends down there who love and miss their Matt & V, I told them that I wanted them to know that as many of them that sat before me celebrating their love, there were just as many back in Venice that would've loved to be there. On this special night celebrating music, friendship, and love ... I felt the reverse, and just as powerfully. I knew that as many people that were shouting their love and support for Matt and V last night at The Stronghold, just as many back in Oz were wishing they were there.
You find out over time that you can feel Home in more than one place. Surely Australia is home for Matt and V, but so is Venice now. Venice came onto Matt's radar as a young lad because of skateboarding ... which soon led to him hearing about the music and artists that lived and created here. He came out to try living here when he wanted to make a big move on behalf of his music, and soon Vavine followed. They are now part of our family - for life - and the absolute Community of Venice. Matt wrote most of the songs for Births, Deaths and Marriages in his backyard garden in Venice. The beach, people, bike riding, burgers at Hinano's, coffee at Groundworks on Rose, drinks at The Townhouse, parties, dinners, holidays, drinking nights, trials and joys of our circle of friends all color the final product, directly or indirectly.
Music. Art. Community. Friends. Love. All of this made for a throw-down of an evening to celebrate it all. After a blistering set of Roots Rock (!) by the inimitable Restavrant - whom we also ADORE - and a ton more Cooper's, all there was left to do was rejoice ... and enjoy how lucky we are to be a part of such a talented, creative, kind, loving and FUN Family of Friends here in Venice, California.
Births. Deaths. Marriages. And I would add ... Nights like these.
*Matt Ellis can next be seen at the Troubadour on March 15, and at the SXSW Little Radio party right after that.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Upside Down Direction
Spring feverish feelings bursting out all over, into the air filled with the smell of freshly cut grass and that intoxicating jasmine. That's what Venice feels like right now, and lest you think that I'm a nerdy Pollyanna all the time, bouncing around in unicorn-rainbow-lollipop land, let me tell you that I started out the day in a bit of an angsty, stressed out mood. Again. As much as I try to inspire those around me to appreciate and feel constant gratitude, I'm mostly telling myself. ORDERING myself.
So it was today, after another invigorating early morning walk on the beach, checking out funny baby sandpipers along the way, that we once again rode past the Windward home that generously gives the directions to the Beach ... via their upside down sign with an arrow. I see it all the time, but today I had to stop, to appreciate for a moment, and reflect on how perfectly that little action of hanging it upside down encapsulates the spirit of Venice.
Sometimes you might not know exactly how you're going to get where you want to go, the messages might come to you backwards or upside down, but at least you know that you're heading in the right direction.
*Sweet photo by Jennifer Everhart
So it was today, after another invigorating early morning walk on the beach, checking out funny baby sandpipers along the way, that we once again rode past the Windward home that generously gives the directions to the Beach ... via their upside down sign with an arrow. I see it all the time, but today I had to stop, to appreciate for a moment, and reflect on how perfectly that little action of hanging it upside down encapsulates the spirit of Venice.
Sometimes you might not know exactly how you're going to get where you want to go, the messages might come to you backwards or upside down, but at least you know that you're heading in the right direction.
*Sweet photo by Jennifer Everhart
Monday, February 22, 2010
Journal On A Dress
Today is the kind of day that just makes you want to YELL all day long about how beautiful it is outside. My friend Jenny said, "Venice is in HD today", and she is correct. The rain during the nights this weekend made the days so crisp and clear, it actually kind of hurts to look at. The jasmine is bursting out and each deep breath inward is rewarded with a perfumed sigh back out. It makes you want to just write your feelings down the front of yourself ... with a Sharpie.
I had taken this photo a while back in the window of the thrifty shop on Abbot Kinney that is sometimes open and sometimes not. I want to know the person that wrote about myth and love and art down the front of their pink satin dress. And then I want to create my own journal dress. Inspiration is everywhere ... and inspiration MEANS "breathing in". What will you come up with today when breathing it all in?
I had taken this photo a while back in the window of the thrifty shop on Abbot Kinney that is sometimes open and sometimes not. I want to know the person that wrote about myth and love and art down the front of their pink satin dress. And then I want to create my own journal dress. Inspiration is everywhere ... and inspiration MEANS "breathing in". What will you come up with today when breathing it all in?
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Zingara
You really can't help but to be drawn into the bright shop on Abbot Kinney that is Zingara. It's a "Gypsy Emporium", and that is the perfect name for it (in fact, Zingara IS Italian for "gypsy"). Especially if you've ever strolled by on First Fridays and heard the band that plays on the porch (and now in the backyard because people get uptight about silly stuff), The Petrojvic Blasting Company. They are all straight up Gypsy Balkan Folk jams, and even have a Gypsy Caravan they brought over from Europe, that for now is living in Zingara's backyard.
Donna Humphrey grew up in L.A., and lives in Venice. She used to have an Espresso Bar in Culver City and then sold that to open what would become Zingara on the Boardwalk. She had her booth down at the beach for 6 months (and loved it - besides the moving everything in and out every day), until she found the little cottage on Abbot Kinney (formerly The Goddess) where her lovely store now resides.
Her Grandma on her Mother's side was a gypsy, and Donna was always drawn to that Bohemian, International eclectic vibe that one conjures up with the word "gypsy". It shows in both her decor and her merchandise. Brightly colored everything beckons to you from the sidewalk. Once inside the door, you're not sure what to look at first, it's all so fun and interesting. Her criteria for what she wants in her store are basically these three things: Authentic (no mass produced schlock). Fair Trade (very important. nothing from a dang sweat shop). Handcrafted (the more local, the better). It's a little like taking a trip around the world in there, and you can tell by the quality of everything, that Donna sticks to her guns about her basic business tenets.
Of these things, the one that I covet most is the custom ordered (of a million color and finish swatch possibilities) Clog Boots by Sven (of Minnesota, y'all!). I want the boots, but you can get them in normal clogs, different heights, furry stuff inside or not, and in honestly every color - even metallics - of the spectrum. Dope. And good for your posture.
The kid room is precious, filled with hand-knit sweaters from South America, little clogs, darling tights, fun shoes, little embroidered tunics, and whimsical little toys from all over the place. You can doll up your little one, while feeling pretty decent that you supported an actual artisan that was paid a decent wage.
There is a transformed bathroom/showroom full of aquatic themed ornaments and trinkets, and a kitchen with decorations and vintage aprons to present to a fun hostess.
Donna accepts items from local craftspeople and designers, and there is fun evidence of that all around, from jewelry to hats and gloves, and clothes re-fashioned and made new again from vintage pieces. Meaning one of a kind, and we all like to not look like everyone else, I hope.
When I asked Donna how she finds all the goods, she said, "Actually, things find me." I like that. And I like the Ulf Andersson dresses, the real Espadrilles from Spain (on sale!), the Masai beaded sandals from Kenya, the sweater with an Airstream trailer printed on cashmere, the plastic floor mats from Thailand that look like rugs, the Papal Picado - punched paper art from Mexico that adorns the whole store (see, you also learn things while there!), and again ... those sirens of my shoe world, the Sven clog boots.
Donna loves the COMMUNITY of Venice, and said that those who move in and don't get it, usually leave. True. She opens her store for First Fridays Fun every time (with that great band AND S'mores!), but also has that big, lovely backyard that she's open to having as a community meeting place, for non-profits, parties, etc ... and share the warmth that her entire space exudes. She's the Chairwoman of the Abbot Kinney Fest this year too, and informed me, which I didn't exactly know, that the Festival ITSELF is a non-profit. All the profits from that blast of a day go back to the community through a Grant process that local organizations can apply for ... ALL in Venice. In talking about that fact, Donna said, "This is Venice."
For Donna, Venice is also the ocean and the beach, the local Mountains (which she adores), and the Canal Club Happy Hour, all of which I will concur with. So maybe throw on something colorful from Zingara, ride your bike down to the beach for sunset, and wind up at the Canal Club for a Happy Hour mango margarita (or your own poison), and imagine yourself a real Gypsy. A Venice Gypsy.
Zingara
1507 Abbot Kinney Blvd.
Venice
310.392.6424
www.Zingaratrading.com
Donna Humphrey grew up in L.A., and lives in Venice. She used to have an Espresso Bar in Culver City and then sold that to open what would become Zingara on the Boardwalk. She had her booth down at the beach for 6 months (and loved it - besides the moving everything in and out every day), until she found the little cottage on Abbot Kinney (formerly The Goddess) where her lovely store now resides.
Her Grandma on her Mother's side was a gypsy, and Donna was always drawn to that Bohemian, International eclectic vibe that one conjures up with the word "gypsy". It shows in both her decor and her merchandise. Brightly colored everything beckons to you from the sidewalk. Once inside the door, you're not sure what to look at first, it's all so fun and interesting. Her criteria for what she wants in her store are basically these three things: Authentic (no mass produced schlock). Fair Trade (very important. nothing from a dang sweat shop). Handcrafted (the more local, the better). It's a little like taking a trip around the world in there, and you can tell by the quality of everything, that Donna sticks to her guns about her basic business tenets.
Of these things, the one that I covet most is the custom ordered (of a million color and finish swatch possibilities) Clog Boots by Sven (of Minnesota, y'all!). I want the boots, but you can get them in normal clogs, different heights, furry stuff inside or not, and in honestly every color - even metallics - of the spectrum. Dope. And good for your posture.
The kid room is precious, filled with hand-knit sweaters from South America, little clogs, darling tights, fun shoes, little embroidered tunics, and whimsical little toys from all over the place. You can doll up your little one, while feeling pretty decent that you supported an actual artisan that was paid a decent wage.
There is a transformed bathroom/showroom full of aquatic themed ornaments and trinkets, and a kitchen with decorations and vintage aprons to present to a fun hostess.
Donna accepts items from local craftspeople and designers, and there is fun evidence of that all around, from jewelry to hats and gloves, and clothes re-fashioned and made new again from vintage pieces. Meaning one of a kind, and we all like to not look like everyone else, I hope.
When I asked Donna how she finds all the goods, she said, "Actually, things find me." I like that. And I like the Ulf Andersson dresses, the real Espadrilles from Spain (on sale!), the Masai beaded sandals from Kenya, the sweater with an Airstream trailer printed on cashmere, the plastic floor mats from Thailand that look like rugs, the Papal Picado - punched paper art from Mexico that adorns the whole store (see, you also learn things while there!), and again ... those sirens of my shoe world, the Sven clog boots.
Donna loves the COMMUNITY of Venice, and said that those who move in and don't get it, usually leave. True. She opens her store for First Fridays Fun every time (with that great band AND S'mores!), but also has that big, lovely backyard that she's open to having as a community meeting place, for non-profits, parties, etc ... and share the warmth that her entire space exudes. She's the Chairwoman of the Abbot Kinney Fest this year too, and informed me, which I didn't exactly know, that the Festival ITSELF is a non-profit. All the profits from that blast of a day go back to the community through a Grant process that local organizations can apply for ... ALL in Venice. In talking about that fact, Donna said, "This is Venice."
For Donna, Venice is also the ocean and the beach, the local Mountains (which she adores), and the Canal Club Happy Hour, all of which I will concur with. So maybe throw on something colorful from Zingara, ride your bike down to the beach for sunset, and wind up at the Canal Club for a Happy Hour mango margarita (or your own poison), and imagine yourself a real Gypsy. A Venice Gypsy.
Zingara
1507 Abbot Kinney Blvd.
Venice
310.392.6424
www.Zingaratrading.com
Labels:
bohemian,
Fair Trade,
gypsies,
imports,
local artisans,
Venice,
Zingara
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Kwaku Alston - Horizon Court
You've probably seen Kwaku Alston all around town ... and always with his camera. He is an extraordinary photographer, and just had his stellar opening reception for his new works, Horizon Court, last Friday night at his gallery on Abbot Kinney.
We're pals, but we sat down on Thursday - amid all his preparation madness for his show - to dig deeper into his origins as an artist. He grew up in D.C. and Philadelphia, and began his interest in photography at the age of 13. His first camera was a Polaroid, and he liked the instant gratification that sweet camera (that we all miss) gave him, and it was then that he began to fall in love with the process of capturing images. He was always an artist, whether it was painting, illustration or taking pictures, so that led him to enroll at the Rochester Institute of Technology in New York to continue his photography education.
That led him to New York City, where once he started working, it has never stopped. His first client was The New York Times Magazine, which led to assignments for The New Yorker, Time Out, The Village Voice ... a lot of assignments, and a lot of running around.
In the 90's it became a lot more about music, and Kwaku got gigs doing album cover shoots for a whole bunch of artists, like Missy Elliot, Wyclef, Santana, etc ... and then the real celebrity culture stuff started in (and we still haven't been able to shake it), and work started bringing Kwaku out to Los Angeles a lot more. Ultimately, he knew he needed to move to the West Coast to expand his business, and there was no other choice for him than to live in Venice. Once settled in L.A., it became all about shooting celeb magazine covers and articles (GQ, Vanity Fair, People, etc..) and movie posters, all the show biz kind of action, and Kwaku quickly became a go-to photographer if you wanted an absolutely gorgeous portrait style photo of the days' celeb du jour.
The 2000's brought work that started to feel more like advertising, the work more fleeting, and there was far less attachment to it for Kwaku. That began making him question himself as to what he was doing, and why. The age old artist's struggle between art and commerce really began to affect him, and he remembered hearing that Helmet Newton said that the best images are made less than two miles from your house. Living in colorful, crazy Venice Beach, Kwaku knew that Mr. Newton was probably on to something there. So began his Venice Project.
Inspired by photography greats like Diane Arbus, Joel Sternfeld, Alec Soth, and Bruce Davidson, Kwaku set out to get close to his subjects, in terms of proximity, but also in trust. If you see people around all the time and know them, he figured, you're much more apt to get an image that has depth and meaning. So he set out with his large format camera, and did street photography, or sometimes chose subjects and brought them back to shoot in his studio, generally shooting the things that really meant Venice to him. First came the Venice (at large) series, then the Volkslivin series of VW buses. Then the one that we just celebrated last weekend, called Horizon Court.
Kwaku temporarily moved into a place on Horizon Court last Summer, right off Speedway. He went out and constantly shot the denizens of that Boardwalk-adjacent neighborhood, and every last image simply oozes Venice. I went and looked at the works before the opening, and immediately understood what Kwaku meant when he said that this series of images are "Aspirational" photos. For example, the one of the punk rock couple from Seattle ... hard edged as they appear, there is something within them that they want to shine. Tons of angst, but it seems like there is still hope in their eyes (especially the boy). Or the guy that's always down there in his tiny bathing suit flexing his muscles and rolling around metal balls ... that guy aspires to something, even if it's just blushing tourist Moms getting their photo taken with him and forking over a buck or two. The quiet looking kid with his guitar, making you wonder what his music sounds like. The ventriloquist and his dummy, doing their schtick out there every day, a Venice Beach Star to the huddle of people that may - or may not - gather around. Each of these photographs are done with the same beauty and respect that Kwaku shoots our First Family with. (Yes, he's shot the Obamas multiple times ... THAT is the kind of talent we're talking about here, People.)
The opening was a blast, packed with Venetians appreciating the work that came right out from under them. Kwaku has a bunch of other ideas up his sleeve for new chapters of what will ultimately be a Venice book - though each chapter could be a book unto itself. They are also a serious time capsule, as over the years, his documentation of Venice has captured the before/after of the gentrification, the changes in architecture (photos of an old beach bungalow which is now a big, new, modern architectural gem) and also the people ... from Old Venice to the New Hipsters.
Ah, Venice ... Kwaku loves living near the water, and the eclectic art vibe of the place, as well as the friendships that grow over time, though as he said, it does take a while to earn your place in the community. We talked about the places we love most, for sure agreeing on Gjelina ("Travis Lett is a good person, and his artistry is food" - Kwaku). He loves Seed ("Get the yucca fries, and the Southwestern Burger is the best burger in Venice."), Hal's, Jin Patisserie, Wabi Sabi, and splits his coffee time between Intelligentsia and Abbot's Habit - but not on the weekends, when as he cracked me up with, "The Bridge and Tunnel crowd take over." As for most of us, it's very important to Kwaku to support the local businesses.
Regarding Art in Venice ... "The allure, the mystic, the MYTH of art in Venice still exists, but artists today can afford less and less. So called 'Artist Lofts' that start at $850k are unattainable and illusionary for even successfully working artists. There needs to be special, dedicated lofts for affordable Artist's housing". THAT is something we can all agree on, I'm sure.
So we celebrated all of this, and more, with a mass of neighbors and colleagues, at the Horizon Court opening ... and I think realized - to a person - that art exists among us every single day. You just have to open your eyes to it. Thanks to Kwaku for being out there doing this for us, again, every single day.
We're pals, but we sat down on Thursday - amid all his preparation madness for his show - to dig deeper into his origins as an artist. He grew up in D.C. and Philadelphia, and began his interest in photography at the age of 13. His first camera was a Polaroid, and he liked the instant gratification that sweet camera (that we all miss) gave him, and it was then that he began to fall in love with the process of capturing images. He was always an artist, whether it was painting, illustration or taking pictures, so that led him to enroll at the Rochester Institute of Technology in New York to continue his photography education.
That led him to New York City, where once he started working, it has never stopped. His first client was The New York Times Magazine, which led to assignments for The New Yorker, Time Out, The Village Voice ... a lot of assignments, and a lot of running around.
In the 90's it became a lot more about music, and Kwaku got gigs doing album cover shoots for a whole bunch of artists, like Missy Elliot, Wyclef, Santana, etc ... and then the real celebrity culture stuff started in (and we still haven't been able to shake it), and work started bringing Kwaku out to Los Angeles a lot more. Ultimately, he knew he needed to move to the West Coast to expand his business, and there was no other choice for him than to live in Venice. Once settled in L.A., it became all about shooting celeb magazine covers and articles (GQ, Vanity Fair, People, etc..) and movie posters, all the show biz kind of action, and Kwaku quickly became a go-to photographer if you wanted an absolutely gorgeous portrait style photo of the days' celeb du jour.
The 2000's brought work that started to feel more like advertising, the work more fleeting, and there was far less attachment to it for Kwaku. That began making him question himself as to what he was doing, and why. The age old artist's struggle between art and commerce really began to affect him, and he remembered hearing that Helmet Newton said that the best images are made less than two miles from your house. Living in colorful, crazy Venice Beach, Kwaku knew that Mr. Newton was probably on to something there. So began his Venice Project.
Inspired by photography greats like Diane Arbus, Joel Sternfeld, Alec Soth, and Bruce Davidson, Kwaku set out to get close to his subjects, in terms of proximity, but also in trust. If you see people around all the time and know them, he figured, you're much more apt to get an image that has depth and meaning. So he set out with his large format camera, and did street photography, or sometimes chose subjects and brought them back to shoot in his studio, generally shooting the things that really meant Venice to him. First came the Venice (at large) series, then the Volkslivin series of VW buses. Then the one that we just celebrated last weekend, called Horizon Court.
Kwaku temporarily moved into a place on Horizon Court last Summer, right off Speedway. He went out and constantly shot the denizens of that Boardwalk-adjacent neighborhood, and every last image simply oozes Venice. I went and looked at the works before the opening, and immediately understood what Kwaku meant when he said that this series of images are "Aspirational" photos. For example, the one of the punk rock couple from Seattle ... hard edged as they appear, there is something within them that they want to shine. Tons of angst, but it seems like there is still hope in their eyes (especially the boy). Or the guy that's always down there in his tiny bathing suit flexing his muscles and rolling around metal balls ... that guy aspires to something, even if it's just blushing tourist Moms getting their photo taken with him and forking over a buck or two. The quiet looking kid with his guitar, making you wonder what his music sounds like. The ventriloquist and his dummy, doing their schtick out there every day, a Venice Beach Star to the huddle of people that may - or may not - gather around. Each of these photographs are done with the same beauty and respect that Kwaku shoots our First Family with. (Yes, he's shot the Obamas multiple times ... THAT is the kind of talent we're talking about here, People.)
The opening was a blast, packed with Venetians appreciating the work that came right out from under them. Kwaku has a bunch of other ideas up his sleeve for new chapters of what will ultimately be a Venice book - though each chapter could be a book unto itself. They are also a serious time capsule, as over the years, his documentation of Venice has captured the before/after of the gentrification, the changes in architecture (photos of an old beach bungalow which is now a big, new, modern architectural gem) and also the people ... from Old Venice to the New Hipsters.
Ah, Venice ... Kwaku loves living near the water, and the eclectic art vibe of the place, as well as the friendships that grow over time, though as he said, it does take a while to earn your place in the community. We talked about the places we love most, for sure agreeing on Gjelina ("Travis Lett is a good person, and his artistry is food" - Kwaku). He loves Seed ("Get the yucca fries, and the Southwestern Burger is the best burger in Venice."), Hal's, Jin Patisserie, Wabi Sabi, and splits his coffee time between Intelligentsia and Abbot's Habit - but not on the weekends, when as he cracked me up with, "The Bridge and Tunnel crowd take over." As for most of us, it's very important to Kwaku to support the local businesses.
Regarding Art in Venice ... "The allure, the mystic, the MYTH of art in Venice still exists, but artists today can afford less and less. So called 'Artist Lofts' that start at $850k are unattainable and illusionary for even successfully working artists. There needs to be special, dedicated lofts for affordable Artist's housing". THAT is something we can all agree on, I'm sure.
So we celebrated all of this, and more, with a mass of neighbors and colleagues, at the Horizon Court opening ... and I think realized - to a person - that art exists among us every single day. You just have to open your eyes to it. Thanks to Kwaku for being out there doing this for us, again, every single day.
Labels:
art,
Horizon Court,
Kwaku Alston,
photography,
Venice
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Venice Valentine
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Herb & Dorothy
Thank you, Venetians. You once again led me to a wonderful film via "Local Favorites for Venice, CA" on Netflix, and affirmed my belief that I live amongst some real cool cats.
I saw Herb & Dorothy last night, and am still just brimming over with love for it today. Herb and Dorothy Vogel are now-famous art collectors, whose love and dedication to art - and to each other - is so moving and real ... it's contagious.
It also reminds one of how extremely important art, music, dance, creative writing, theater - ART in all forms - are to have in our schools as part of every child's education and expression. Especially now when California is broke and public schools often can't keep up with basic education requirements, we see the temptation to get rid of what administrations might consider frivolous or whatever, but it's SO important it makes me crazy to even imagine making kids go without.
I used to have a kid's class on Saturday mornings at Venice Arts called Art Discovery. I just made it up every week, and had "Guest Stars" come in to help teach the things I didn't know how to do myself. My brother would come in and make a jam band with the kids. My friend Denise would show them how she makes molds for toys at Mattel. My friend Shane taught them how to be tough guy actors. Vavine taught hula. I would wake up Saturday mornings after a long night out and think "Tie Dye today?", with both dread and humor. All of this tangent being said, it IS important. I ran into a Dad of one of my former kids this morning down at the beach, and he told me that the boy is playing trumpet and making movies now - at 10. He was exposed to ART every Saturday morning, and he is a cool little kid now, and I suspect will grow up to be even cooler.
Herb and Dorothy grew their art collection in their tiny one bedroom Manhattan apartment to the size and import of such greatness that when they decided to DONATE it all to the National Gallery in D.C., it took FIVE full Semi sized trucks to transport it all. They still live in the same little apartment, and Americans and visitors have been given the GIFT of seeing all their art displayed forever. Watching the film, you learn about all the art pieces from their regular person point of view, and I found myself feeling both smarter about art, and inspired to create, and share.
Check out Herb & Dorothy ... it will do your heART good.
I saw Herb & Dorothy last night, and am still just brimming over with love for it today. Herb and Dorothy Vogel are now-famous art collectors, whose love and dedication to art - and to each other - is so moving and real ... it's contagious.
It also reminds one of how extremely important art, music, dance, creative writing, theater - ART in all forms - are to have in our schools as part of every child's education and expression. Especially now when California is broke and public schools often can't keep up with basic education requirements, we see the temptation to get rid of what administrations might consider frivolous or whatever, but it's SO important it makes me crazy to even imagine making kids go without.
I used to have a kid's class on Saturday mornings at Venice Arts called Art Discovery. I just made it up every week, and had "Guest Stars" come in to help teach the things I didn't know how to do myself. My brother would come in and make a jam band with the kids. My friend Denise would show them how she makes molds for toys at Mattel. My friend Shane taught them how to be tough guy actors. Vavine taught hula. I would wake up Saturday mornings after a long night out and think "Tie Dye today?", with both dread and humor. All of this tangent being said, it IS important. I ran into a Dad of one of my former kids this morning down at the beach, and he told me that the boy is playing trumpet and making movies now - at 10. He was exposed to ART every Saturday morning, and he is a cool little kid now, and I suspect will grow up to be even cooler.
Herb and Dorothy grew their art collection in their tiny one bedroom Manhattan apartment to the size and import of such greatness that when they decided to DONATE it all to the National Gallery in D.C., it took FIVE full Semi sized trucks to transport it all. They still live in the same little apartment, and Americans and visitors have been given the GIFT of seeing all their art displayed forever. Watching the film, you learn about all the art pieces from their regular person point of view, and I found myself feeling both smarter about art, and inspired to create, and share.
Check out Herb & Dorothy ... it will do your heART good.
Labels:
art,
Herb and Dorothy Vogel,
National Gallery,
netflix,
Venice Arts,
Venice locals
Monday, February 8, 2010
Bohemian Exchange
Bohemian Exchange is a uniquely great store on Abbot Kinney, that is - get this - a non-profit store. Meaning, proceeds from items you buy there go to non-profit organizations like Heal The Bay, The Sierra Club, Tree People, The Surfrider Foundation, and the NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council). How cool is that?
Proprietress Deborah Lashever, born and raised in L.A., has a background in fundraising for charities, mostly environmental ones. With the economy suffering as it has been, non-profits are hurting badly right now, and really need our help. Knowing this, Deborah decided to open a vintage clothing store, including new items from local designers and artisans, as well as accessories from Fair Trade organizations, and donate her share of all profits to the groups listed above. When the block has gotten so fancy and high-priced, it is truly a pleasure to find a spot that has its heart in the right place, and that you can feel good about purchasing from, knowing that you got a cute dress AND helped out the planet a little bit too.
Deborah and I were chatting, and she made a really good point that non-profits are pretty much the only way to get real information these days. You can't trust the mainstream media at all anymore, so when you want to get to the bottom of a certain topic, it makes sense to go to the sources that advocate for themselves, right? So that makes it all the more important to keep these organizations alive and thriving in every little way we can.
Deborah always had the philosophy that it was cooler when buying gifts to get five things that were unique and awesome from a vintage store, than one thing that everyone else around will be wearing, for the same price. She started accumulating a whole bunch of vintage clothes and would go to Street Fairs and various Festivals to sell her treasures, always for charity. When she came up with the idea to have a store for non-profits, she looked at the business model of Discovery Shops and Out Of The Closet, and went for it. Once bills are paid, 100% of the profits go to her chosen organizations, and get split up based on where the need is greatest.
Tired of shopping on Abbot Kinney and finding dresses that were 75% off and still $750, Deborah knew that she wanted to do clothes, and she wanted to be on Abbot Kinney. Timing and luck joined forces to enable Deborah to open Bohemian Exhange at 1358 Abbot Kinney, right next to the Liquor Store and across from Abbot's Habit, right in the heart of all the action.
The shop is lovely, filled to the brim with clothing treasures, beautiful beaded items from Paanissin (an artist's collective from Burkina Faso), jewelry and accessories of all kinds, a "Princess Dress Up Room" that kids can play dress up in (or you can when trying on something gorgeous), and Deborah's two cats, Truffles and Kallista, watching over the whole scenario.
Deborah is accepting clothing donations (call her first to make an appointment), so if you have tons of clothes you never wear anymore (like I do), you can get rid of them there, and know that the sales will benefit the community we all love. As non-profits are struggling, so too are shops and everyday people. We can all help each other out, and going back to the 5 items for 1 theory of Deborah's ... it's a really good time to economize AND help by shopping at Bohemian Exchange.
Community - there's that word again. And it came up a lot while talking with Deborah, when we agreed that Community is exactly WHY Venice is so special. You can feel it, if you've lived here even just a little while, and it's why Deborah says Venice is her favorite place in all the world. We spoke about the sunsets lately, and how really we should all stop what we're doing at that time of the day and go down to the beach and watch it. Every day. Doing that, and knowing that you just got a fresh hat, and that the money you spent went to help preserve the ocean you're staring out at, I suspect will make the experience even sweeter.
I liked it so much when Deborah said she starts each day by thinking, "I wonder what magic is going to happen today?" and reminding herself to be open and looking for it. It can appear in so many forms, especially here in Venice, so if you start every day thinking like that, your life can't help but be pretty magical.
Bohemian Exchange has also gotten into hosting fun events at the store ... First Friday parties, Trunk shows, and packed to the rafters Fashion Shows (the last one we couldn't even squeeze in the front door!), the next one being this coming up April 1st.
As Deborah also said, "It's time to give back. We've done the selfish, taking thing, and it didn't work. It's time to give." So stop in and say hi and give her a thumbs up, get something for yourself or a friend (But not the blue hooded cape. I want that.), and know that you've done something to help improve the world. OUR world.
Bohemian Exchange
1358 Abbot Kinney Blvd.
310.396.3044
www.BohemianExchange.org
Bohemianexchange@gmail.com
Proprietress Deborah Lashever, born and raised in L.A., has a background in fundraising for charities, mostly environmental ones. With the economy suffering as it has been, non-profits are hurting badly right now, and really need our help. Knowing this, Deborah decided to open a vintage clothing store, including new items from local designers and artisans, as well as accessories from Fair Trade organizations, and donate her share of all profits to the groups listed above. When the block has gotten so fancy and high-priced, it is truly a pleasure to find a spot that has its heart in the right place, and that you can feel good about purchasing from, knowing that you got a cute dress AND helped out the planet a little bit too.
Deborah and I were chatting, and she made a really good point that non-profits are pretty much the only way to get real information these days. You can't trust the mainstream media at all anymore, so when you want to get to the bottom of a certain topic, it makes sense to go to the sources that advocate for themselves, right? So that makes it all the more important to keep these organizations alive and thriving in every little way we can.
Deborah always had the philosophy that it was cooler when buying gifts to get five things that were unique and awesome from a vintage store, than one thing that everyone else around will be wearing, for the same price. She started accumulating a whole bunch of vintage clothes and would go to Street Fairs and various Festivals to sell her treasures, always for charity. When she came up with the idea to have a store for non-profits, she looked at the business model of Discovery Shops and Out Of The Closet, and went for it. Once bills are paid, 100% of the profits go to her chosen organizations, and get split up based on where the need is greatest.
Tired of shopping on Abbot Kinney and finding dresses that were 75% off and still $750, Deborah knew that she wanted to do clothes, and she wanted to be on Abbot Kinney. Timing and luck joined forces to enable Deborah to open Bohemian Exhange at 1358 Abbot Kinney, right next to the Liquor Store and across from Abbot's Habit, right in the heart of all the action.
The shop is lovely, filled to the brim with clothing treasures, beautiful beaded items from Paanissin (an artist's collective from Burkina Faso), jewelry and accessories of all kinds, a "Princess Dress Up Room" that kids can play dress up in (or you can when trying on something gorgeous), and Deborah's two cats, Truffles and Kallista, watching over the whole scenario.
Deborah is accepting clothing donations (call her first to make an appointment), so if you have tons of clothes you never wear anymore (like I do), you can get rid of them there, and know that the sales will benefit the community we all love. As non-profits are struggling, so too are shops and everyday people. We can all help each other out, and going back to the 5 items for 1 theory of Deborah's ... it's a really good time to economize AND help by shopping at Bohemian Exchange.
Community - there's that word again. And it came up a lot while talking with Deborah, when we agreed that Community is exactly WHY Venice is so special. You can feel it, if you've lived here even just a little while, and it's why Deborah says Venice is her favorite place in all the world. We spoke about the sunsets lately, and how really we should all stop what we're doing at that time of the day and go down to the beach and watch it. Every day. Doing that, and knowing that you just got a fresh hat, and that the money you spent went to help preserve the ocean you're staring out at, I suspect will make the experience even sweeter.
I liked it so much when Deborah said she starts each day by thinking, "I wonder what magic is going to happen today?" and reminding herself to be open and looking for it. It can appear in so many forms, especially here in Venice, so if you start every day thinking like that, your life can't help but be pretty magical.
Bohemian Exchange has also gotten into hosting fun events at the store ... First Friday parties, Trunk shows, and packed to the rafters Fashion Shows (the last one we couldn't even squeeze in the front door!), the next one being this coming up April 1st.
As Deborah also said, "It's time to give back. We've done the selfish, taking thing, and it didn't work. It's time to give." So stop in and say hi and give her a thumbs up, get something for yourself or a friend (But not the blue hooded cape. I want that.), and know that you've done something to help improve the world. OUR world.
Bohemian Exchange
1358 Abbot Kinney Blvd.
310.396.3044
www.BohemianExchange.org
Bohemianexchange@gmail.com
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Handyman
It seems that this has shaped up to be a week about signs ... whatever way that means. For the past few months, when walking along Venice Boulevard, every so often a new crop of signs show up on posts advertising a Handyman. Each time I've seen one, it's always a beautiful picture, and always somewhat sensitive. My favorite was an intricately drawn fish, sort of Asian design-y, and this was the one I saw today:
And a ways up the block, another one:
The word "Handyman" and the number (#310.821.2508) is always just scrawled on with a pen, too faint to show up on camera, really. I can't vouch for him (I'm guessing it's a him with the word HandyMAN?) being good at even just hammering stuff, but I'd be the person that would call him up just because I like his style. And his initiative. If you need services of a handy nature before I do, let me know how it goes. I'm curious.
And a ways up the block, another one:
The word "Handyman" and the number (#310.821.2508) is always just scrawled on with a pen, too faint to show up on camera, really. I can't vouch for him (I'm guessing it's a him with the word HandyMAN?) being good at even just hammering stuff, but I'd be the person that would call him up just because I like his style. And his initiative. If you need services of a handy nature before I do, let me know how it goes. I'm curious.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Found Items
Some months back, I got all excited at the prospect of people looking out for their fellow humans here in Venice. I got my stolen bike back. People were posting signs of lost keys, wallets, canaries, etc ... and following up to see that lost property was returned. Utopia! But now - and I never thought I would say this - it might be going too far:
I especially like that it says "previously fresh", and that someone else took the time to chime in with "They are Republicans". I don't know what that has to do with anything, but it made me laugh. Join me, won't you?
I especially like that it says "previously fresh", and that someone else took the time to chime in with "They are Republicans". I don't know what that has to do with anything, but it made me laugh. Join me, won't you?
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
February Focus
So I'm just cruising down Speedway, tripping out in my head about what I'm doing and where I belong ... you know, the usual stuff ... and I stop to say hello to a friend. While I'm waiting for them to come to the door, I turn my head, and there is the same answer to all of my questions, staring me in the face. Again.
Thank you, Venice, for always answering.
Thank you, Venice, for always answering.
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