You Shine!

It's the last full day of Summer, and what a seriously beautiful Summer 2015 it was! Sunsets like maybe never before ... music filling the starry nights ... warm waters to swim in ... stories told around backyard fires ... wearing way less clothing ... this Summer was fully great.

I was walking along thinking about all that when I saw this new piece by Wrdsmth up in Venice, and it made me feel like the whole Summer did. Shiny.

As if on cue, the overcast skies of Autumn have just now descended upon us here, but who cares, because the sun shines IN us, as this wonderful bit of street art reminds.

You shine! No need to blush (but it's pretty cute).

Happy Fall, Friends!

Muck Madness Show Opens At Qart Gallery

Jules Muck took over the newish Qart.com Gallery on Washington Boulevard last night in the old Wells Fargo building (my old bank!).  The place has been transformed into a big gallery, with big walls, perfect for showing off the big canvases of Ms. Muck.

We're used to seeing Muck's pieces on walls all over Venice, and it was nice to see her get a big - and richly deserved - indoors show, with DJs and wine and all the usual art gallery trappings and scenesters.

Muck herself was live painting a big Dali piece (up for auction last night), and it was a joy to watch her dance as she painted, clearly having a blast, and reveling in the congratulations from all the Venice homies that came to pay their respects.

Her familiar green visages lined the walls, and her Malcolm X was a real standout.

The piece I liked the best was one that veered away from the green and the personalities to a beautiful landscape with rainbow cloud reflections. Landscape Graffiti was so serene, and a nice departure from the more popular culture figures that Muck does so well. Simply lovely.

These kind of jams are always fun because you see the faces from around town that have always loved and supported our local artists together. It lets you breathe a sigh of relief that we're all still here, all still in it together, and all still really caring and celebrating the sheer beauty of all ART.

With the beats thumping, people dancing and pieces being sold ... you left with the feeling that our art scene is as vibrant and adored as its ever been, and the added impetus to keep it so.

Then this morning, walking along the Boardwalk, I see this guy, also doing his thing, beautifying Venice. Wonder when his Qart show will be?

Art is everywhere. That's why we love it here.

Qart.Com Gallery
480 West Washington
310-405-6183
www.qart.com for purchasing and inquiries


*Stay tuned for a full story on Jules Muck soon!

The Littles Of Venice

I was kicking a pinecone down the sidewalk the other day, when it rolled up against this little piece of street art.

I have absolutely no love for rats, so I'm surprised that I like this, but I think my affection is more about scale. It's all tiny and cute, and someone took the time to make a little piece of art just for fun.

The little surprises add up to make a happy life ... if you're paying attention.

Look!

In Heroes We Trust - A Super Venice Shop

In Heroes We Trust is the (great) name of the great new shop I just discovered right around the corner from Abbot Kinney Boulevard on Westminster. You can't miss it because the street art on the sidewalks leads you right to it.

There may be artists right there on the sidewalk making their art when you stroll up, as there was when I did. That's because owner Neely Shearer wants her store to be an interactive experience, a place to see art and fashion and the people that make it.

Shearer, a native Californian, spent most of the 90's in Japan, living and working in design. When she returned, she had a store in West Hollywood called Xin (pronounced "sheen") for years, which she closed when that nasty recession hit. That enabled her to spend more time on her own (gorgeous) design company, Parade.

The itch to re-open a place of her own arose again, and she found the space for In Heroes We Trust on Westminster, and opened this past June.

The store is a wonderful mix of new and vintage designs, with her preferred decades of the 60's and 70's - right up my alley (as is the store!). The beautiful clothing, jewelry and art share the space with depictions of Heroes on the walls, all chosen and painted by local street artists like Chase, Isabelle Alford-Lago and Diana Garcia, just to name a few.

Heroes (the theme inspired by the David Bowie song) range from Mighty Mouse and Michael Jackson to Frida Kahlo and Nelson Mandela ... illustrating perfectly the point that anyone can be a Hero to anyone else. Each of these heroic designs will be showing up in Shearer's In Heroes We Trust t-shirt line coming soon. And you'll want one.

These aren't idols, they're heroes - there's a difference. Heroes are an example of what is GOOD, and we can all aspire to be that. Shearer mused that these days, street artists are heroes themselves, which is certainly true enough. "We're in a time where we really can do and be what we WANT," she explained, adding that some of her designers are single moms, working hard, but doing what they're passionate about. That alone is heroic, in my view.

Shearer told me that, like Venice itself, the shop is a creative vortex. People stop in all the time with instruments for impromptu jam sessions. Artists leave easels there to paint the next time they come by. Newcomers stumble upon the shop from Abbot Kinney and are surprised and delighted to make this discovery of their new spot. Friends came and went as we sat there chatting, and it wasn't long before a stylish friend of Shearer's came by with a bottle of champagne to pop, for no good reason other than being there together, like-minded people appreciating art, a great store, and a sunny day.

There will be a party/art opening/celebration of all things heroic this Thursday evening, December 4th. Music, hula hooping, live art, gift shopping, and fun is the occasion. A great time to stop by and make this wonderful discovery for yourself - a very Venice-minded shop in the heart of Venice. Exactly what we need more of these days.

Because, remember ...We can beat them, just for one day, We can be Heroes, just for one day. 

Or every day.



In Heroes We Trust
300 Westminster Ave.
Venice
310-310-8820
Inheroeswetrust.com
Facebook.com/inheroeswetrust
Instagram: Inheroeswetrust_venice