Robert Williams and Juxtapoz Magazine At The Barnsdall Art Park

Juxtapoz Magazine and its founder, Robert Williams, are throwing down a big art extravaganza at the Barnsdall Art Park, with their wild work on view to the public through April 19th in the Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery. When it's foggy at the beach, we head out in search of discoveries around town, which led us east to this art mecca. After a quick stop for morning coffee and donuts at Kettle Glazed on Franklin (yum!), it was time for art. And more art.

I'd ridiculously never been to the Barnsdall venue, and it's great. No fog over there, and the grounds were full of friends and families enjoying a sunny afternoon. A piñata was getting bashed for a kid birthday party, picnic blankets were set up all over, and some people simply napped on this Hollywood hilltop. But we were there for the art. Lots and lots of art.

This is a big show, extra dense, leaving us impressed not only at the scope of this Slang Aesthetics!/20 Years Under The Influence Of Juxtapoz show, but at the sheer amount of talent there is in this giant world. There are so many people doing so many cool things out there!

Robert Williams is the clear star of the show, with his vast collection of multiple genres of work lining most of the walls. I imagine he's a super interesting guy to talk to with all that imagination going on in his mind.

His art has a whole lot of range and styles, from eerie, cartoony sculptures, to little homespun drawings that would be right at home on a needlepoint sampler, with a whole lot in between.

There were a series of paintings that were a swirl of activity, but done in a more classic fashion.

There there were his pulpy paintings, all with his ever-present sense of humor ...

His cute little homespun ones, with pithy sayings ...

There were those crazy sculptures that look as though they might eat you ...

And ones that look like they might be rides (but were not).

There was so much going on in this gallery that it was all you could do just to take it in, never mind notating everything. Please accept this wall of credits as the credits, because I had my hands full just seeing it all.

I took a ton of photographs and barely scratched the surface of all that was on view, so there is still a whole lot for you to go see. This is merely a greatest hits of my favorites of the day. Like this one, for obvious reasons ...

I also loved this one featuring famed skate photographer, C. R. Stecyk III in oil.

This installation was kind of great, making you feel like you were spying on this guy in his seedy motel room. He was just kicking it.

Of course, coming over from the West Side, we were gonna love this one for sure.

This crazy cat took up an entire wall of the gallery...

While this cat like thing won my award for creepiest piece in the show - and that's saying something.

Actually, quite a few of the pieces were creepy, as that is an aesthetic that Juxtapoz has never shied away from, and in fact, celebrates.

This lady was pretty creepy ...

But for every creepy piece, there was just as much lovely.

There were big names featured, like Shepard Fairey and Shag ...

... but just as many artists I've never yet heard of, but probably should have.

There were fantastical pieces that would be great in a Game Of Thrones home ...

...And serious pieces (like this one from Kris Kuksi) that you couldn't even wrap your head around, so involved were they.

I've always been drawn to word art, so I loved this one ...

... And no one can be mad at a crazy pool full of color (by David Cooley).

I'm fascinated by what makes an artist make their choices.

Why a sculpture instead of a painting to express what they want to say? Why an accordion book of people instead of a drawing? How does the idea come to them and what makes them choose their materials? I love knowing all that stuff.

Of all the art we saw in this show, the one that moved me and made me love it the most was this one, by Tel Aviv based artist, Know Hope. Acknowledging The Missing By Missing. The older gentleman cradling his instrument ... he had me at hello. I looked it up and it said the artist "reflects on the blues and its shades." Rad.

                     

After so much color and entertainment for our eyes, it was kind of nice to go back outside and reflect in a simple little chair. 

                     

But only for a minute, as we were now starving. As we set upon our phones to look up east side delicious places to eat, we passed the La Luz De Jesus gallery on Sunset, and figured we'd better see just a little more art.

The gallery is in the back of Wacko, so it took us like an hour of goofing around and finding funny things before we got back there, because that dang store is packed with fun.

                         

All of the art in LLDJ would go great with all of the art at the Barnsdall show. All whimsy, and edgy, and pointed, and good. A great companion piece for the day.

OK, now we were suffering from hunger, so the closest, best place that popped up was Grub on Seward. If potato chip chicken or crab cake sandwiches or blackberry pepper mimosas and a super pleasant room and staff weren't enough, Grub's rules (really just the 5th) ensured that we will return.

                        

Make my funk the P(rince) Funk! 

Thanks for a great day, artists, curators, galleries and pit stops, and Los Angeles as a whole. You were all great.

Slang Aesthetic! and 20 Years Under The Influence Of Juxtapoz are on at Barnsdall Art Park now through April 19, 2015.

Sunday Get It Done Day

What a great Sunday we just threw down. It was one of those days that was so nice out and so great feeling, that you just had to cram in as much good fun as you possibly could. After perfect coffee in the bright sunshine at The French Market, it was on to perfect Bloodies at very dark interior of The Townhouse. It was far too nice out to stay inside (though it was very tempting, George), so we blinked our way back out into the ideal beach day.

The water is so warm right now (almost tropical, I swear. You people that don't swim in the ocean because it's too cold, it's bliss right now, and one of the great pleasures of living near the coast. Go!) that we got right in - and stayed in. The only reason good enough to get out was that the ice cream guy was pushing his cart down the sand, and that hard work needs to be rewarded. And a Bomb Pop must be had to officially commence Summertime.

After that sheer delight, we dried off in the sun for a little while and then pedaled over to Mercede's Grille, where they were celebrating their Sweet 16th Anniversary with a proper Jamaican-themed party.

Cesario Montano was spinning all the very best reggae, and all the drinks that began with an "M" were half price. Moscow Mules, Margaritas, and Mojitos went down smoothly, and were the perfect accompaniment to the all jerk menu (the flavor, not the clientele). Yum.

The divine Miss M (Mercede Ahrablou) was the stunning hostess, and made the rounds of the place, accepting congratulations for keeping this end of Washington Boulevard so much fun for all these years.

The staff was in full rasta mode, sporting the knit hats with rasta dreads attached, and having a blast as they attended to the packed house of revelers.

I could have wiled away the entire afternoon and evening there, but we had a Devo show to get to!

The Wiltern was packed with the Devo faithful, and the old punk jams from the band's basement years were a special treat for the fans, many of whom (more Venice on the east side!) dressed the part.

I could have packed even more in, as this is that time of the year when there is always too much fun going on to do it all. Very good problems to have.

I hope your Sunday was awesome too ... and that the rest of our Summer Sundays keep topping themselves. Go!

Venice Oceanarium At The Pier

Two of things I love most in life are the ocean and words. I've kept a quote book pretty much since I first learned to write, so it was with pure delight that on a picture-perfect (but extra windy) Sunday, I saw some of the most beautiful quotes about the sea ever lining the Venice Pier, courtesy of the Venice Oceanarium.

The Oceanarium is a "Museum without walls", and they set up most Sundays at the end of the pier, from 11:30 am to 2:30 pm. They line the stroll down to the end of the pier with the beautiful quotes from the likes of Shakespeare and Neruda and Melville that nearly cause you to swoon over the side into the ocean below.

At the end of the pier they set up an ever-changing display of creatures and plants from the sea, to educate and fascinate ... only this week they were packing up early because the wind was blowing so crazy the tent was threatening to go overboard.

I kind of like that there's nothing really to do attraction-wise on our Venice Pier, that it really is only about the ocean, the view and that feeling that only comes from being on the water - or above it, as it were.

The Venice Oceanarium is another absolute treasure about Venice that we should all appreciate and support. They put on the extra cool and fun events like the annual Grunion Run parties (mark your books for the next, even bigger and more fun one than ever, Friday, May 16th!) , the great annual weekend long reading at the Breakwater of the entire Moby Dick, and the heart-melting quotes and wall-less museum most every Sunday.

It's so beautiful here on days like this that it's hard to put into words ... but they did.

Thank you, Oceanarium!