The 2018 Venice Family Clinic Art Walk & Auctions - Art And Healthcare For Everyone!

The 2018 Venice Family Clinic Art Walk & Auctions  took place yesterday, and showed once again - for the 39th time! - why it is an annual event that Venice looks forward to all year. My dear friend, Deb, was coming west to spend the day at the Walk with me, and I couldn't have been more thrilled. The May Gray burned off as soon as we'd finished fueling up at The French Market, and we were off to Google headquarters to pick up our maps and wristbands for the studio tours.

The entire area was already packed by the noon starting time, and people were ready to check out some ART. And there was SO MUCH art. Phew. The Google headquarters is always a good place to start, and it's free, so it really is an event for the whole community. Outside, there was a kid zone, food trucks, an art car "museum", arts and crafts booths, workshops, and the merch area, where you could pick up this year's t-shirt designed by Alexis Smith with a print of her "Stairway To The Stars".  Own it. Love it.

The silent auction inside of Google features so many artists you don't really even know where to begin. I wanted nearly every piece, and with so many bids being placed, you can see why this is the Venice Family Clinic's biggest fundraiser of the year. Art for good! My first favorite was Till The Clouds Roll By, 2018 by Patrick Haemmerlein. I was clearly outbid, because I didn't get back in time and I didn't win it. Boo, but happy for whomever got this great piece of art.

I also loved Pacific, 2016 by Lynn Hanson. A sea painting on a pull-down map! Ooooh.

A piece by Sam Durant (also an honoree of the event, and a past client of Venice Family Clinic) was really the whole point of the fundraising day, called, Everyone Deserves Healthcare, 2018. The serigraph was created especially for this year's Art Walk. It spoke the absolute truth, and served to remind everyone what the day was all about.

Another honoree of the event was the late Ed Moses, who was represented by his son, Andy Moses, and by a gorgeous live painting that was done to remember this Venice legend.

Guillermo Bert told us You Don't Have The Right To Remain Silent, 2017 - and you don't. Not in these times. There were several works that touched on current events, but this one was one of the most pointed.

In that same vein was another favorite  ... God, Leave The Rockstars Take The Politicians, 2018 by Adam Mars. My sentiments exactly.

"It's on every Collector's Calendar" was one of the event's tag lines, and if you are a collector of photography, there was a TON for you to choose from. Alfred Stieglitz (!) to Danny Clinch, John Van Hamersveld's Muddy Waters to The Eazy E by Mike Miller. And if you were lucky, you could get it for a steal.

There was live painting going down outside, and Jim Morrison was being both painted and adorned with flowers as he watched over the live music and beer garden in the patio outside of Google. Love Street vibes, for sure.

The clock was running on the Art Walk, so we set out to see how many artist studios we could get to while they were all still open. The complex next to Gjusta was up first, and I revisited my new friends from Wallspace, who were showing several of the works we saw at the Venice Art Crawl three days earlier.

They were popping up in MB Boissonnault's space, so I got to see her excellent, wave-like works again too.

Up the hall, I checked in with Marty Katon, who was chatting with visitors while a pigeon in a cage cheeped along. His wildlife and Native American pieces are so great, and he's even now doing original oil paintings on bracelets - as seen on such trendsetters as Rihanna!

I was delighted to find that my friend, William Attaway, was back in his own space just a few doors down from his longtime studio next to Gjusta. There are new works, including a giant giraffe sculpture that he did at the "Bombay Beach Biennale". Attaway is a Venice classic, and Art Walk would never be the same without his outstanding work on display. Welcome back, Attaway!!! (not that it ever felt like you were gone).

Jim Budman's studio is always a fun place to visit. He's always rearranging and adding things, and it's a treasure chest of interesting curios and art. Plus Mr. Budman is always a treasure chest of stories and bon mots himself. The only drag is that you don't want to really linger any one spot, because there is just so much to see all over town ... so off we went.

It was tempting to stick around Patrick Johnston's ceramic studio to enjoy a cold Tecate, but man, the art. We admired his collaboration pieces depicting Venice scenes, and I vowed to return for one of my own one day soon (when I have my own shelves again). Hugs and well wishes were exchanged and back to it we went.

We headed over to the studio of Alejandro Gehry, the son of architect, Frank, and an impressive artist in his own right. His series of the women of punk rock (Belinda Carlisle, Siouxie, etc...) were on display, as were his new works of women in military helmets. He was there explaining these works to some visitors when we arrived, and said that he got the idea for the concept works when women were allowed to be in combat. I would have loved to stay and hear more ... but more art was calling!

My former next door neighbors on Westminster were showing in their home studios, and Brad Miller and Mollie Favour both showed their fantastic works off. To get to Favour's studio, you took a wooden staircase covered with wisteria to get there. Inside, Favour was working on paintings featuring those same wisteria, and they were lovely. We thanked them for sharing, and took off over to Broadway to see still more art.

The massive studio of Greg Falk and his wife, Tanja Skala, was our next stop, and was a highlight of the Walk, as it always is.

Falk was showing his super interesting work upstairs, like the piece that displays world currencies according to their longitudes, where he found that the melanin in the faces gets lighter the more north you go.

There was a piece showing the ten most read books in the world, which we were admiring when all of a sudden we heard LOUD shouting from downstairs...

Skala was leading about a dozen women in a performance art piece that voiced female affirmations as they quoted Maya Angelou's Still I Rise. We were their only audience at the time, and it gave me chills as it gave their legs bruises. Powerful stuff, and I'm so happy to call this creative force of a couple my friends. Wow.

As we were still pretty close to Google, and my friend, Lacey Cowden, was about to play in the courtyard, we kicked it back over there to enjoy Lacey's tunes, and also take a quick breather in the shade (as it was now a bright, sunny day after the marine layer burned off).

We couldn't get too comfortable, though, as most of the other studios were further away, and we needed to hop on one of the shuttles circling around town. We got on a blue line shuttle, and headed for the home studio of Matthew Heller. Heller's great works with song lyrics and asterisks are some of my current favorite local artworks, and it was fun to get to see where they were created.

The wonderful Amy Kaps' pad was our next stop, and she was there in full black and white striped regalia. I was overjoyed to hear that she has been booked to do one of her performance pieces for RedCat Theater in its upcoming season. Richly deserved, and not to be missed!

Rohitash Rao's studio was our next visit, and I was real happy to hear the news that he gets to stay in his space that he was about to be booted from - thanks to Wabi Sabi, who offered to share the space with him. That's how a community that wants to keep its artists living and working nearby works together to make it happen. NOT by jacking up rents so that no one cool remains. Ahem. Rao's art is some of the very best around - and wittiest - around. I love every single thing, but especially the little plane in the big sky with a bubble saying, "Excuse me, Stewardess? I speak jive." Love.

I quickly stopped by Gary Palmer's studio, where we drank the last of his wine, and saw more of the work that we'd been teased by over at the silent auction.

Now it was four, and as many of the studios were closing down, and Deb had to get back East to let her dogs out, it was back to Google for me, where several friends had been texting, "Where are you?!" from. Now was the time to enjoy a little wine and the musical stylings of Foxtrails playing for a now extra-packed lawn. So many friends and local acquaintances were there, you couldn't even finish an entire conversation ... and I loved it.

By the time we did our fair share of gabbing and wine drinking, the food trucks and all that outside were closing up shop, and we decided to hit Hal's for happy hour and a resting of the feet. More friends congregated there, and it was a whole posse that then headed over to Flavio Bisciotti's studio to help him celebrate his birthday, that also happened to fall on this day. Friends reveled and congratulated him on a new year, and admired his work while we were at it. Oh, and there was more wine. Cheers, Flavio!!

It had been a super long day (after a super long night staying up to watch the royal wedding the night before and I was BEAT). As I headed straight for the bed waiting for me, I was walking down Abbot Kinney and got escorted part of the way by the passing Venice Electric Bike Parade! What a wonderful and fitting conclusion to a day that is always about Venice and the arts. Spectacular!

Once again, EVERYONE DESERVES HEALTHCARE!!! And the Venice Art Walk happens each year to bring us closer to that truth, and that reality. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, to all involved in the creation and execution of this wonderful annual art extravaganza. We love the ART, and we love you, Venice Family Clinic!

Until next year ... Keep art in Venice alive every day!

Before They Go - A Venice Group Art Show

Last Saturday night was Very Venice, as we celebrated the arts and culture of Venice all night long.

The evening began with a little soirée at Beyond Baroque to toast our venerable literary institution on its 50 years of existence. We're so lucky to still have a place to host such a comprehensive book store and performance facility that celebrates the history - and the contemporary torch bearers - of the Venice Beats - and Friends. It's a true gem.

I got there a little late to hear the program, but glasses were clinked, and we got pretty much everyone there to follow us over to The Hangär (not sure why there's an umlaud) on Centinela to take in the opening of the Before They Go group art show featuring the work of Venice artists, and photographs of them all in their studios in the impressive project from Debbie Zeitman.

You might have seen some of these photographs on the wall at Wabi Sabi the past couple of months, showing our beloved Venice artists in their studios, well ... before they go. Several of the featured artists have lost their studio spaces in Venice due to the astronomical - and exceedingly greedy - rents pricing them out. This night was to acknowledge them all, and to appreciate what we still have, while it lasts - and to ensure that it always does. Venice is meant to be about the art, and this show puts an exclamation point on that truism. In addition to featuring artists that are gone, leaving, still hanging in there by their claws, or thriving and fortunate, some of the work also featured Venice places that are gone, like the Venice Beach Laundry piece from Taylor Barnes (the one that was next to Whole Foods).

There was a great turn-out of artists and the people who love them. Wine flowed, introductions were made, and so were friends. The art was displayed around in little vignettes within the antique/ furniture store there on the corner of Centinela and Palms. It was a smart venue, because you could picture how a piece would look in your own home, as well as it offering ample seating for the many conversations going on around the room.

The diversity of the works were beautiful reflections of the Venice art community itself, and there really is something for everyone. You might be into wildlife, and there was a piece featuring Wise Wolves by Marty Katon for you. It was accompanied by a picture of Katon and a blurb telling about him and his art, as there was for almost all of the artists. I learned a lot about our resident artists that I didn't know before, and it's worth the cruise over to Centinela for the stories alone. Except there's also so much good art as well!

There was an almost photographic painting of artist Peter Lodato by Kenny Harris, that captured the legend perfectly. I wanted to cheers him.

Trek Thunder Kelly was represented with his piece Control Alt-Right Delete, a protest poster that gets right to the point. As ever, our artists are taking the clay of the world and shaping it with their own views, without flinching.

There were a few that would be good companion pieces in the same room, creating fine ocean views wherever you may be. I loved MB Boissonnault's The Long Winter ... and I bet some people are feeling like that right now ...

Google Earth by Jason Marello was another beachy piece that brought you an aerial view of  Venice (also a home to Google) ...

 ...  and the String Field Series by Gary Palmer was also in the vein of water and meditation that added a sense of calm to the bustling venue.

Flavio Biscotti was represented with his piece Monumento, and it looked right at home in its own still-life with lamp and vase - all also for sale.

Rohitash Rao shared his art - and wit - with his piece calling everyone out for always being on their dang phones, When He Finally Looked Up. Zing! Be on the lookout for Rao's upcoming show at Google featuring his fake album cover works. Cannot wait.

Sunny Bak shared her iconic photos of The Beastie Boys, and was there in the house representing.

There are so many artists in the show (29!) that there is still plenty for you to go see that is not picture here, in multiple rooms, while the show is up at The Hangär for the month of March. I think maybe the most legit Venice piece came from Tonan Ruiz, with his Surf Culture - mixed media on a palm frond! It's a diorama of basically what it feels like to be in Venice at the beach. Love it.

Like Beyond Baroque, this show was extra-great mainly for its celebration of the art and culture of Venice, and for its zoom lens on the importance of the arts in our community. To know the actual stories and see the photographs of the artists working in their own studio environments (while they still had/have them) is to truly appreciate what they and their art mean to this place. Sincere and heartfelt congratulations to Debbie Zeitman and Barbara Lavery for this impressive assembling of the current arts and artists of Venice. Thank you.

Before They Go is up through March.

The Hangär
3472 South Centinela
90066


*Shout out to The Rustic Kitchen on Centinela too, for your great food and warm hospitality shown to our rowdy bunch of art hooligans. Thanks!

A Rohitash Rao Show At Wabi Sabi - Eat Art!

There was a really fun art opening last night at Wabi Sabi, featuring the wonderful work of Rohitash Rao. There were so many friends, neighbors, and fellow artists crushed in for the reception that I almost felt kind of bad for the diners who perhaps weren't aware that they were going to be eating in the midst of a full on art show. But, hey - good for them. I was told that there was special "Shoe-shi Surrealist sushi" (?), but I never saw that. I like the creativity though. A lot. 

Rao is one of my favorite local artists, with his witty pieces that poke at current events and our society today with clever humor and proper digs when necessary. He was in such demand to talk to that the photo I took of him is just a blur ... and good for him!

I love the old thrift store paintings that Rao inserts Darth Vaders into ... particularly the beach scene being accosted by the Dark Lord. Why not?

It was great to see so many familiar faces out to support their friend, and even more encouraging to see that so many of them are artists still working in Venice. We need you! More than ever!

And this night was a celebration of exactly that, as also on view were photographs of Venice artists in their studios by Debbie Zeitman for her "Before They Go" project - which we all hope they never do.

The ceiling in Wabi Sabi is so beautiful, it really deserves its own artistic shout-out. It's essentially a big terrarium, full of living plants, that need to be lowered to water. It's so gorgeous, I find myself spacing out into it often. Good job, Wabi!

Good job all around, actually, as this was Venice doing what Venice does best - celebrating art and each other, every chance we get. Congratulations to all the artists, there in person and in spirit. We love you and appreciate you! Thank you to Wabi Sabi for recognizing this, and throwing a darn good art soirée! Congratulations Ro and Debbie! Love.

Check it out! See you at happy hour.