Venice Muralist Never Hits Minneapolis - A Day Of Prince Art

Well, I'm back in Minneapolis for a bit, but always take a little Venice with me. I was happy to hear that muralist Jonas Never (artist of the big black and white Touch Of Evil piece on Windward in Venice, among many others) was here in town working on a big Prince piece downtown in the North Loop, on the side of a Floyd's Barbershop.

I went down to check it out, and it's a great addition (though the face reminds me more of Fred Armisen as Prince) to the many Prince tributes around the legend's hometown. It made me want to pay a visit to Paisley Park, as I hadn't been out there since I went after Prince's death in 2016. All the hoopla has settled down out there, but as I drove down Highway 5 past Paisley Park, I had to pull over fast. I saw that down a bike path along the highway there was still a big fence full of purple tributes to Prince Rogers Nelson. There was nowhere to safely park, so I went to an office park, climbed a fence, walked back along the highway, through a drainage ditch, over another little fence, and behold - a beautiful memorial remains for all to come from around the globe and pay their respects.

There were so many lovely sentiments written, and so many creative ways of showing one's love for the Artist that can never be replaced, and who will clearly never, ever be forgotten. People had whole books inside of plastic sleeves, flowers, pancake mix, starfish and coffee, and even a purple Prince jacket. One could spend the whole afternoon just reading what Prince has meant to so many.

A little sign said that the memorial was kept up by area neighbors, and to please not take anything, and to be sure to visit the tunnel too. Tunnel?! On my way ...

I was surprised to see a guy down there in the tunnel under the highway, wearing a purple beret and painting away at an easel. His name is Dan Lacey, and he is known as the "Painter of Pancakes". I remembered seeing him back in 2016, when he was set up among the droves of mourners and tributes, doing a piece of Prince on a bike.

Lacey continues to paint Prince and help maintain the Memorial, and he was great about giving me all the information and trivia on Prince that one would ever hope for. He even had a flyer printed up called "Prince's Places", and you can go visit the various homes and landmarks made famous by our beloved native son, including all of the local murals.

There was a piece of Prince done on the ceiling of the tunnel, that Lacey told me was done by an artist that used to cut herself, but now uses knives to create. He pointed out the detail on her piece, and you could see that the whole work was made up of Prince symbols created with a knife. Cool.

A couple more people came through while I was down there in the tunnel chatting with Lacey, and you could see that they too were visibly moved. It was their first visit to Paisley Park, and I forget now where they were from, but their point of being in Minnesota was to pay their respects at Paisley Park. Prince's life was so big and reached out so far, that it's sad all over again when you realize what a massive void his loss has left, and how easily it could have been prevented. It's truly a damn shame.

I told Lacey I would let him know when the Never mural was done and where it is, so here you go! And thank you for helping to keep the wonderful memories of this once in a lifetime star alive for Minnesotans, and for his legions of fans from around the world. He was truly something else.

Prince Rogers Nelson June 7, 1958 - April 21, 2016 - Forever.

New Mural On Speedway Celebrates Muscle Beach

There's a big new mural on Speedway right behind Muscle Beach at Speedway, and it shows off some of the things that have historically made Venice a cool place to be. Skating. Surfing. Babes. Boards. Muscles. The good stuff.

Jonas Never has been making his mural mark around town for a while now, and this is another good one that gives passersby a true sense of place. A place that has its fair share of problems, but none of them outweigh the good vibes, and the general aura of letting the good times roll.

There is yet another VNC meeting tonight that will deal with affordable and homeless housing, both sorely needed in this place where Art has always met Crime (and now Eviction - thank you Attaway and Gallo for coining these phrases). I hope that if you're planning to attend (and you should if you care about the future of Venice), and if you do, and you're planning to speak, I hope you're coming with ideas for SOLUTIONS, and not just your complaints. Everyone knows people don't like needles and human waste and people sleeping on the sidewalks, and that you don't want your kids seeing these things on the way to the beach. We get it. But if you're new, and you're freaking out about that, well ... you probably shouldn't have moved your kids here. If you're old school and freaking out about these things, come with solutions, not just shouting over other people. People just embarrassed themselves (but were so self-involved that they probably didn't notice) at the last one, and I'm hoping for a much more civil evening tonight. A meeting where mature citizens who can agree that we all love Venice can come together as the intelligent and creative people that we are (or can be) for the greater good. Come on. Make us all proud. One Love. Thanks in advance.

On a cooler note, right after I saw this new mural this morning, I also saw dolphins! Another bit of glory we get to witness in this excellent (perhaps last) beach community of color and diversity and art. These are the moments you put in your back pocket to get you through things like tonight's meeting - and what makes it all worth it. V's up!

The Bandit Forever

Burt Reynolds died on September 6, 2018, and very shortly after that a new mural went up on South Venice Boulevard near Speedway to honor this Hollywood legend.

The Bandit has been immortalized by Jonas Never, whose work shows up all over Venice. It's nice to see am image of Reynolds there in his prime, and it brought a smile to my face. My brother Paul does an impression of Reynolds that always makes me laugh (it involves gum chewing), and when I heard that Mr. Reynolds had passed away, I made Paul do the bit in his honor. And laughed again.

RIP, and thanks for the laughs, Burt.

Try To Set The Night On Fire - A New Jim Mural In Venice

What an excellent surprise to be walking down Speedway the day I got back to town, when I looked up to see a brand new mural of Jim Morrison being finished by muralist Jonas Never on the side of the Ellison Suites on Paloma. With the official "Day of the Doors" celebrated in Venice on January 4th, this was pretty good timing. I missed that, but we can all go try to set the night on fire this coming Sunday (January 14th) when Peace Frog plays at Surfside Venice. If you've never seen them live, and you feel like having a blast, go. You can shut your eyes and imagine it's the real Doors playing for you ... because they're just about that good.

Humming "Love Street" to myself, I walked on to see that the other side of the Ellison Suites had a giant mural of the actor John Hurt (The Elephant Man, Harry Potter, V For Vendetta, etc ...), who is rumored to have lived in this building. It is a gorgeous tribute to the late actor who passed away last January.

Next to Mr. Hurt is a gigantic Lana Del Rey, for reasons I really don't know. I've never heard of a Venice connection with her, but there she is, larger than life. O.K.

I'm of the mindset that all buildings should have an awesome mural painted on them, and the Ellison Suites have never looked better. Take a stroll down Speedway when you get the chance, and tip your hat to the Lizard King there, watching over it all.

And have a sensational weekend while you're at it!

A Werner Scharff Tribute Mural By Jonas Never

There is a new-ish mural of Werner Scharff tucked in at the parking ramp across from James Beach, in a wonderful depiction of the late patron of the arts done by muralist Jonas Never. A lot of people might be wondering who Mr. Scharff was to Venice, so here you go.

Scharff was a German immigrant who made his name and fortune with Lanz, his clothing company best known for its well-loved flannel "Granny nightgown". He saw a dilapidated Venice and began investing in real estate here, amassing a land empire that he had beautified along the way. He commissioned several murals to spruce up the joint, effectively launching Rip Cronk's career while creating Venice landmarks for generations to enjoy (The Van Gogh Starry Night one. The one of Cronk rappeling down the side of the Beach House Hotel. The side of the now Surf Side. Iconic all.) If you look closely, several murals around town feature the tag "Werner loves Simone" as a public declaration of his love for his wife. Sweet.

The L.A. Louver is a gallery that Scharff had built, and he owned the James Beach building also (among hundreds of others, including The Cadillac Hotel), so his memorial mural is exactly where it should be. The kindly looking gentlemen is there driving his convertible with the top down, cruising through Venice for always. A reminder and an appreciation for the history of a very special place, and the people who get it.

Tip your hat next time you're sauntering down North Venice.

Venice Is For Lovers

I read the horoscope in the L.A. Times this morning, as one does, and this is what they had to say overall about today for everyone's sign ...

"The sun's moving into the sign of sensual awareness will show you the true character of your environment. If you let it happen, this place will be a vibrant influence over the day and your mood. Consider and compare other possible settings. As you do this, the reason you are precisely where you are will become very clear."

Then I went on my morning constitutional along the beach, and saw this rad mural by Jonas Never on my way back in front of The Whaler ...

NOW I know why we're here! That horoscope might just be on to something. Pay attention to signs, People.

Get it, Lovers!

*Happy Birthday, Sailene Ossman! Enjoy your day with your lover! xxx