Venice Art Walk 2016 - On The Last Day Of The Roosterfish

The final installment of Venice Art Week 2016 was the Venice Art Walk, a benefit for the Venice Family Clinic. It was another absolutely gorgeous day here in Venice, and the only problem was how to get in all the fun that was on offer for the day. 

The Venice Art Walk is the fancier, spendier option, which is fine because it helps our neighbors get access to health care and that's huge, but the headquarters of the whole affair is at the Google campus, and we all have mixed feelings about that. Of course.

We got a way late start on this beautiful Sunday, because the full moon night before had been a little nuts. Many of the open studio tour stops were repeats of the ArtBlock and the Art Crawl (both free), so I didn't stress too hard about hitting all of them (which wouldn't even be physically possible anyway), and went into cruising mode.

The streets outside of Google were full of art enthusiasts getting signed up for the Walk, and enjoying the live painting and people watching going on out there. I always dig live painting, really seeing someone's process and watching a piece of art come alive before your eyes. It's such a private process, that I really appreciate the bravery and coolness of these artists letting you watch.

Inside Google's halls was where the silent auction took place (and we all still miss it being at Westminster School - a public institution), and while there are many wonderful pieces of art to bid on to benefit the Clinic, the focus isn't really on Venice artists, though several are represented.

This show is more for any artists, and probably the ones that can fetch the highest bids.

I'm always drawn to the surfy or skate kind of pieces, and Venice itself is a dominant subject in many of the works. There was a very cool Venice sign on metal that changed colors as you watched, kind of like the pylon things at LAX. Very cool.

I really liked the piece by Timothy Williams that was done inside of an old metal port hole window. Original, colorful, all the way up my alley.

It was fun to see pieces by friends or artists we know from around town, and it was great to see that they were all fetching pretty pennies for the health care of other friends and neighbors. I really liked the piece by Brandon Boyd, who creates all sorts of wonderful art when he isn't out on the road with his band Incubus.

As it goes at all of these events, really the best part is running into the people you know and love, in the name of art. I saw fun friends all day long, and only wished the day could be longer so we could all enjoy both each other and the art without fear of missing out on anything. My friend, KC Mancebo, is one of the organizers of the whole thing, and it was great to see her, and also how her hard work was being appreciated by everyone in attendance.

Bands played outside in the Google courtyard while people sat on the grass in the sunshine. A beer garden was set up and generally people were just loving it all. I wanted to just sit there and bask in it all, but time was a-wasting. AND I thought the whole thing went until 6 pm, but the studio tours ended at 4. Oops.

We sped by all the Vernon and Sunset stops, because we'd just seen them all the week before, but poked our heads in to the Temple Of Mediclaytion again to say hi and see our friend Lacey already mastering the pottery craft after just a couple of lessons. Skills!

I was happy to see Attaway again out on the streets, and I also love it when artists just set up their own studio stop right there on the sidewalk. Just because you're not known or hyped or whatever enough to be asked to hang inside the Google walls, doesn't mean you're not an artist or that people wouldn't like to see YOUR work as well. I like the spirit behind that, and was pleased to see many people stopping to talk and look at the work of people that did this. Art is everywhere!

After stopping to talk to some more friends and more artists, we found out that the studio tours ended at 4, and it was now like 4:15. I know that some places like to close up so they can go out and explore themselves, but we decided to go for it at a couple of places. And I'm so glad we did. I'd never been to the home of my friends, Greg Falk and Tanja Skala before, and WOW. They built their urban retreat all by themselves, a true creativity compound, and it's extra impressive. As is their work. Skala had a performance piece (that we missed, sadly) called Until We Are All Free, None Of Us Are Free, and though we missed it, I could feel the weight of it just by being in the room. It was a concrete room with Middle Eastern-sounding music playing, and there had been a woman wrapped entirely in black yarn standing there for three hours. Onlookers would unravel some yarn, all the way until she was fully exposed (Free!), when she did a dance performance. I'm so bummed I missed it, because I could see talking to Skala how truly moving it had been.

Falk shared his very cool giant studio space with us, and told us how he'd finally found companion "Lost Dog" signs - both Lost and Found for the same dog - and how it had happened at Abbot's Habit - where we pretty much all know each other from. There is so much interesting stuff to look at there in the studio that you could spend a whole day, especially if they're there explaining things to you.

Downstairs they had created a "Confessional" where you could confess your sins and have them shredded up. There was also a bottle of holy water filtered through a copy of Darwin's Origin Of The Species, where you wound up with pure water. The whole place was a true highlight, and I'm so glad we took the chance of peeking in off of the alley.

We zipped over to C.A.V.E. Gallery to see their group show for their 8th Anniversary, where we got to see more work from Bisco Smith, among a bunch of others, plus Venice Duck beer on tap. Always a good time. And you know what was so great on this day ... People kept driving by that I knew, and they'd yell, "I love you!" instead of "Hi!" It was in the air.

Across the street we saw the photographic work of Marian Crostic there in a sort of hidden house on Abbot Kinney. I liked her work a lot, probably because most of it featured Venice and the beach. Really nice stuff.

Now we were getting messages to head on over to The Roosterfish, because it was the very last day of it being open. Ever. It's just so sad. We went over but the line was almost around the block and we hadn't yet eaten. That would not end well, so we took a breather to BBQ with friends (and see the travesty of a Prince tribute on the Billboard Awards - ugh) and rest our feet for a spell.

Once fed, there was no choice but to face it, and it was back over to The Roosterfish for one more stiff drink with our friends in this beloved Venice landmark. It was SAD and dumb and wrong ... and FUN one more time.  It was late, so folks were fairly sloppy by this point, but the love was felt strongly felt.
The place was packed, and it didn't really feel that much like a gay bar anymore, because everyone in town was there to celebrate the good memories had within those walls, whatever your sexual preference might be. There was a rumor that the porn-y men's bathroom ceiling was going to be donated to LACMA or MOMA or something, and it really should be. This place was HISTORIC. And now it's gone.

The almost full moon shone down on everyone out there on the patio (that stayed open late for this last night), and while everyone was certainly enjoying ourselves, there was definitely the pall of sadness over it all, that yet another Venice institution will disappear - for what is rumored to be another "Start up" company to take over the space. If that's true, good luck to them, because no one is happy about this, and I can't imagine wanting to be the ones that got rid of The 'Fish.

People were upset. People were drunk. People were sad, but also kind of happy that we had ever had this place in Venice in the first place - at least that's the best way to deal with it, or you'll just be mad all day. It was nice that the last day was also on the day of the Art Walk, so people that were just visiting Venice could see all the commotion and know that this was somewhere special. And that we're all trying so hard to KEEP it special, and things like the Art Walk help with that. The doors closed on The Roosterfish for good last night, but not before more good memories were made within its walls. Farewell, Fish. We loved you.

If I had to choose a winner of Art Week, I'd go with ArtBlock, simply because it's so very much by and for the People of Venice, and open to all for free. The truth, however, is that we're ALL Winners because we just had a whole week in our town that was all about Art! With all the crushing losses in our town and in the world, that's really something.

Thank you - as ever - to all the wonderful people that come together to make these things happen for our community. With all of your efforts and spirit, I have no doubt that Venice will always remain special.

The 2016 L.A. Art Show - So. Much. Art!

The opening of the 2016 L.A. Art Show was last night, and it was truly something to behold. Art just everywhere! So much art it can feel overwhelming to see it all, especially when you're stopping to talk to people you know every few feet. We got there a little late, and I began hyperventilating about how we could possibly see it all ... when person after person said, just cruise, relax, enjoy the pieces you see vs. trying to see everything. Such good advice ... and with that, I was off! (and this is just a random sampling of all that I saw ... someone else might have a whole different trove of photos).

Opening night is so fun to see all the people, but opening night is more about that than even the art. It's hard to see the art, in fact, because so many people are squeezed in around the crowd pleasers that you can't really appreciate them as well as they're meant to be appreciated. But that's why you go back over the weekend. To see things like Melanie Pullen shooting people for her High Fashion Crime Scenes, where there was a huge crowd all night.

A bunch of exhibitors had interaction going on, with performers dressed up to match the art in some instances ...

Or you could BE the scene, if Robert Vargas chooses you to create a mural of in front of you ...

There was a lot of live painting, with giant creations coming to life right before our eyes ...

There was a big showing from Asian artists this year, with a whole Chinese section, and a lot of great stuff from Korean artists as well.

There was a "Fortune" castle, where once inside you were surrounded by mirrors and giant wedding cakes ... but I didn't see any fortunes?

There was an adorable "Bakery" from the Daniel Rolnik Gallery, selling little works of art like (and of) baked goods, complete with a Chef back there. Fun!

A great part of the L.A. Art Show is the fun. Every few feet you run into fun people you know, and with as many Venice folks that make the trip downtown, it calms me down a little bit about artists disappearing in Venice. The Art Scene remains strong!

It's also one of those shows where you realize that absolutely anything can be considered art. A pile of purple sandbags? Art.

A claw holding the Earth while it rotates? Art.

A giant red Sumo wrestler statue? Art.

Taxidermied animals chilling in a dining room setting? Art.

A pile of inflatable animals? Art.

Tires rolled out with fabric across the floor? Art. Just think up an idea that looks cool, and it's Art!

A true highlight every year, and the section I beeline for, is Littletopia. It's where all my favorite stuff is.

My MOST favorite within Littletopia every year is always Red Truck Gallery.

What a delight to walk up and see Noah Antieau and Nick Sin chilling there at the table with friends like they were having a house party in the middle of all this chaos.

Antieau curates his awesome gallery with mostly treasures from New Orleans, where they are located (until they open another one soon in San Francisco - yay!). He represents his Mother, Chris Roberts Antieau, and her simply gorgeous works of folk art and quilts, of which I adore every single one. Like this one, Constellations.

They also feature whimsical automatons like you won't see anywhere else.

Antieau was excited about his new artist that does teeny tiny carvings on the top of pencils out of the lead. Tiny!

I would love to have stayed and hung out with the Red Truck boys, but there was just too much ground to cover. This year's Dali and Warhol heads were replaced by Frida Kahlo, in the always eerily real work of Kazuhiro Tsuji. Trippy.

This year we pretty much skipped the bars altogether because they just take too dang long (although spreading them out this year helped some with that), though you could see a lot of your friends in line if you so chose. I ran into my old pal, Seth Green and his wife, Clare ... and only then was jealous I didn't have a drink to toast him with.

We met a couple who had just returned from Banksy's Dismaland - they reported that it was pretty cool, and they sported a whole lot of merch.

Not to be outdone by Banksy, Mr. Brainwash has a strong showing here, especially with his very cool Jimi Hendriz made out of smashed vinyl records. Loved it.

A nice companion piece with this for me would be the great piece of a guitar wielding butterfly girl that I want by Mark Andrew Allen, who I learned worked out of Venice for years. And also misses Hal's.

Allen's booth also featured a "Selfie Booth" that I did not participate in because I don't do that, but people loved it as much as they to take selfies. A lot.

There were also a lot of butterflies from Damien Hirst, of course, and there was one that almost exactly matched my dress. I had to take a photo - but not a selfie.

Never mind the selfies, most of what people were doing was taking pictures of themselves with all the great art. It can't be helped.

You could see yourself in the cool, steel and studded skateboards hanging on one wall ...

But then, you could see yourself in a lot of the art ... and isn't that what Art is? And why you like it? I mean, I've been a sucker before ...

Some of the art is frustrating because you feel like a monkey could do it. Then there's the art that you have to wonder just how they did it, because it doesn't feel like anyone could do it, so intricate and amazing it is. That's the Art world, though. Just blame Obama.

There was a lot of David Bowie art (that all seemed to be done before his death at least), but this was the best one, kind of 3-D.

A similar looking piece was up the way, of a woman, made entirely from wine corks, lighters, and other ephemera that makes up mixed media. Save those wine corks!

If you needed a little break from art and the bar lines, you could cool out with some friends and play some arty ping pong. Why not?

Someone who could probably really use a break was performance artist, Millie Brown, with her Wilting Point piece. She is lying there almost naked, surrounded by flowers, surviving on only water for the five days of the show. She is "focusing on the beauty of the external decomposition around her, and the evolving changes within." And being photographed an awful lot. It was beautiful, but I bet it gets pretty old for her before the weekend is up.

My friend Big Cookie was showing with his sculpture series, Toy Soldiers, depicting young boys as violent men, but still children, in his biting social commentary work. It's powerful stuff.

I loved this deer with waterfalls eyes.



I also loved this piece made from rice paper rolled up, where it would change color depending on where you stood.

There was a crazy installation of sound waves and stuff that I didn't really get from the Metabolic Studio, but it's always fun to immerse yourself in something.

Which is, of course, the point of art, I think. To immerse yourself in something outside of you, to discover the inside of you. There was a big red wall near the VIP area that quoted Auguste Rodin, saying, "The main thing is to be moved, to love, to hope, to tremble, to live."

That's what Art is all about, what LIFE is all about, and I hope you'll get to enjoy some for yourself this weekend at the wonderful L.A. Art Show. I barely scratched the surface here, so you've got a lot to see!

The L.A. Art Show runs now through Sunday, January 31, at the L.A. Convention Center Downtown.