The Weir-Quitons and Their ArtiStore

It's a drag to be sick when you live in Venice because you know so much is going on outside without you. Last weekend found me almost all better, and that meant hitting the ground running to catch up on the multitude of stories that await being told in our new year, 2016! I have tons of story ideas, but when a new year begins, I think a lot of people are thinking about things to change, things to accomplish, and new things to learn. It's a nice mile marker in the calendar to see what all you soaked up in a year's time, so I got to thinking about classes and lessons of cool things and now they just keep springing up.

Because it's Venice, I decided to start with art. ART! That alone is so wide open, so there really is something for everyone. I heard they opened up an ArtiStore over on Sunset Avenue, in the Pamela Weir-Quiton gallery space, and that they were also offering all kinds of classes. I headed over there as soon as I was back to normal, and I'm so glad I did. What a wonderful, Venice-full spot!

I was welcomed in by store manager, Yas Niktash, who told me that the store had been open about six months. With artist neighbors all around being forced out by greedy landlords (my take, not theirs, but it's true), the Weir-Quitons had to do something to keep the roof they've worked under since the 1970's over their head. They thought, "Open the doors." The galleries have been open during the wonderful ArtBlocks, but there had never been a retail space for their work to be featured in ... so now there is.

The store space is full of ArtBlock artists' wares, from the wonderful painted pieces and books by Rohitash Rao to the vibrant photography of Eric Schwabel, and so many in between that there is a phone book size catalog to browse.

We sat chatting among all the great works of art for sale (and what better gift with a sense of place than a piece of art from a local artist? None.), as people strolling by from Gjusta or out walking their dogs and strollers would pop in and find out that this treasure was here ... because most didn't already know.

While answering questions about the art and galleries, Niktash also offered up to everyone that there were also classes available - and every single person seemed generally interested. I think most people have a soft soft in them for their art classes growing up (when schools still had them - ugh), and would for sure still get a kick out of it today.

So you can take live drawing and illustration workshops (and Parent-Child classes!) from Pamela's husband, Gregroy Weir-Quiton (they hyphened both their last names), a charming guy who you can see is crazy about his wife of many decades (and vice-versa), ever since they met at the old Bullock's department store.

Both were highly interested in fashion, and working as an illustrator and in administration, respectively. Pamela was fresh from the Barbizon Hotel in New York, with her early Vidal Sassoon five point haircut, and turned Gregory's head permanently. They are so darling, and so supportive, it actually restores one's hope in true love. For real. *Interesting trivia: Gregory did the Dreamworks logo with the boy fishing off the moon. Which I love.

You may also take woodshop from Pamela, which I also heard is no longer offered in schools. What in the world are they still teaching kids?! I digress ... back to how much I want to take one of Pamela's classes! There's one coming up where she'll teach students how to cut out a beautiful wooden heart for Valentine's Day ... or just because they're beautiful.

We sat in her wood shop (called the Heart Center), and she told me all about her love for woodworking, and her enthusiasm was both palpable and contagious. While her military family was living in Alaska, Pamela became interested in working with wood, and ultimately received her degree in Woodshop from Cal State - Northridge. She got a bunch of press for a wooden doll she made, which led to design shows, which led to national press, which led to her being this famous 21 year old functional wood sculpture artist gaining commissions for bank lobbies and things. Because she was doing what she loved. And still is.


Teaching classes has been eye-opening and given the Weir-Quitons new inspiration by seeing their students so inspired. Their own love of what they do is inspiring others, and that's about the best life you can live, in my book.

Pamela wasn't allowed to take woodshop class as a young girl - because she was a girl - so she is entirely making up for it now. Wandering through her vast studio/gallery/workspace is like being in a toy factory of the finest kind. Menageries of animals surround you, gorgeous rocking horses, and serious works of art doll sculptures. "It's a creative Disneyland," she explained truthfully.

The wonderful space was 15 cents a foot back in 1973 when the Weir-Quitons moved in, $150 a month. 43 years later, that is no longer the case, but they're hanging in there, doing things like opening The ArtiStore because they love this building to the point where Pamela said it would be hard for her to choose between dying there or in her home. That's love, and you can feel it in every nook and cranny.

After hearing all about the history and inspiration, we lost time just talking about art and life and all good things ... like how when you get so excited and inspired by something you're doing that you practically levitate - "Trust that feeling." Like when she told me, "I'm in touch with being a spark ... I just want to be creative, and to inspire others to be so too." I loved that. She showed me some black star  wooden wands she had made right before David Bowie died, another soul in touch with being a spark.

"My whole thing is about pLAy," says Pamela (who also loves words like me, and likes to point out the LA in them), which is evident, because you can't help but have fun around her, even while just talking - to the point that we didn't even realize that it was closing time.

To wrap up and let her get out of there, I asked Pamela her feelings about Venice. She gazed ahead thoughtfully for a moment before sagely responding, "In a word, it's ENERGY." That is so often the answer when I pose that question, so you know there's something to it. She told me about how she feels differently about the Venice art community since the ArtBlocks began, because she used to just focus on her work in the studio, and then go home. Once the artists of the ArtBlock came together (and formed pretty much the whole thing in one night's meeting!), she feels so much more a part of a community, one that is special and sacred. "I want to live in a creative Venice. The energy in Venice is in flux right now, but it's alive. It's palpable. There's a fire underneath it. Look, you couldn't make this happen in Benedict Canyon." And she's completely right.

"I'm opening up my workspace to inspire people to make their own art," explains Pamela, and that's a great way of keeping Venice about the art, and about the fun. The more artists, the better! The more fun the better! Right? Right. (Some might think the classes are kind of expensive, but I look at it like it's a lifetime skill, and a lifetime of enjoyment, and way better than stuff. Thus, way worth it.)

My wonderful new friend Pamela had this to say in closing, and I can't say it any better ... "Come to PameLA's PLAground (see, LA in both!)! Have fun! Be inspired! Never get old! Make things!"

And off you go ...

The ArtiStore
360 Sunset Avenue
Venice

Classes by appointment:
http://www.pamelaweir-quiton.com

A Farewell Bash For Attaway's Studio - Where Art Meets Eviction

There was a bittersweet party last Sunday ... more of a wake, really. Bill Attaway is being forced out of his studio space on Sunset Avenue, where he has worked and created his Venice landmarks for decades. It was dreadfully awful and superfun all at the same time. 

Awful because ARE YOU KIDDING ME that ATTAWAY of all people is being given the boot out of his legendary space and will now have to do his art in ALHAMBRA?!?! Where even is that? No more taking a break to ride his bike up to the Boardwalk and visit both his friends and his iconic mosaic obelisk next to the kid park at the beach. No more having people ride by his studio and stop in for a chat or music or who knows what fun may have been going on. No more. Superfun because it's a party at Attaway's ... and nothing more has to be said.

Oblivious day trippers standing in line down the street at Gjusta had no idea what was going on. Why longtime - some lifetime - members of the Venice art community and neighbors for decades and friends for years were spilling out on to the sidewalk, jam packed within the fences on a blazing hot day, wanting only to be even closer to each other one last time in this special place.

I first really got to know Attaway when I wrote a story about him a few years back. He invited me in to his studio, where we wound up spending an afternoon rapping and talking about how much we loved living and working in Venice. NEVER did I think I'd be writing a story about a party for him having to leave. Never.

In a recent Wall Street Journal story on the dorking out of Venice by Google and Snapchat, longtime resident and film director, Tony Bill (in fact, he directed the first movie I ever worked on, Untamed Heart) was quoted saying some smack about how Venice has never been for starving artists, it's for "Accomplished Artists", and that if you're accomplished, you can afford the rents here. Seriously, Mr. Bill?! Everyone I know in town has their blood simply boiling over that statement, and the fact that Bill Attaway is being priced out of his studio shows how very false, inaccurate, mean spirited and downright dickhead that crack was. Bill knows well how it's always been and that the very artists who ARE now accomplished (I'm sure he's thinking of Moses, Bell, Lodato, etal) ALL moved here in the first place because of the cheap rents, so respectfully, give me a BREAK.

If all the great artists are priced out of Venice, all you've have left is a bunch of tech zombies in skinny pants going to the same chain stores they go to in other homogenized places that were already taken over by the corporate greed machine. And who wants to hang out in a place like that? Not anyone crammed into Attaway's party on Sunday, I can tell you that for sure.

There was some live music by Sleep Sleep (aka our friend Brandon) that was awesome. People laughed and hugged and told stories and pretty much tried to avoid talking about the ridiculous reason for the party. Guys were hauling in kegs and vats of food and it was a big old neighborhood style potluck that nobody wanted to ever end.

The bad news for me was that it was also Bob Marley's 70th Birthday Concert starring his sons at the Hollywood Bowl, and I'd had tickets since May and look forward to Reggae Night at the Bowl each and every Summer. I couldn't stay to see the real end of Attaway's studio, and in a way I'm glad. This kind of stuff is very hard for me to take, and I could see myself getting rebellious that night. I got to see all sorts of beautiful, talented, ACCOMPLISHED friends and artists all coming together to honor one of their own with one last hurrah.

I finally tore myself away to get in the car to the Bowl, and as I walked down the sidewalk, there was Attaway, sitting quietly outside with his little boy, having a moment to themselves. I couldn't find him inside to get a statement about it all, but when I saw him outside alone, no words were needed at all. We both knew damn well how we were feeling. We hugged and kissed and meant it, and I said goodbye. Not to my friend Bill Attaway, but to a time and place that we all held downright sacred in our hearts.

Anyone making ridiculous money from this kind of devastation to a culture and a groovy way of life should be first ashamed of themselves, and then punch themselves in the face so I don't have to. It's disgusting. OF COURSE there's going to be change, but have some mercy. Have some creativity. Have some VISION. Because if you think you're cool because you just moved to Venice and booted out someone awesome to take their rightful place, you just made your house the most uncool place in town. And people know it. Venice is cool because of the people and the art and the music and the surf and the skate and the culture and the PEOPLE that made it that way. The moment that's gone, so is your big property value. Gross.

But we have to also celebrate that time EXISTED at all, while fighting like hell to preserve it. So Attaway went back inside. I went to the Bowl.

An entire amphitheater of the most diverse audience ever sang along at the top of our voices to "One Love". Everyone was up and dancing. Everyone was sharing everything they had. One guy in our section was throwing out individual jello shots he'd made to people all over. Beach balls were bouncing overhead, with everyone chipping in to keep it going. It was so fun you could hardly process it. It was also extra inspiring ... and the perfect antidote to the sadness I'd earlier felt. It IS possible for everyone to co-exist, and everyone really knows somewhere within themselves what is right. It's our collective job to make sure we bring that best out in everyone, the best we can, to truly live One Love.

Attaway ... you'll be back. We love you.