The Nightly Venice Light Show

The best show in town can be seen almost every evening along the edge of the continent here in Venice, California. The sunsets lately have been OUTRAGEOUSLY beautiful, and last night's fantastic display was the best one of 2019 - so far.

It was a hazy shade of winter all day long, and I went to The Whaler for happy hour with my friend Sailene, who recently decided to opt out of the expense of Venice and make the move to Joshua Tree, so she wanted to see some ocean. The Whaler has way better food now, and we thoroughly enjoyed our front row seat to the nice sunset shaping up. We were not prepared for how EXTRA spectacular it was to become, so we hastily finished up and sped out to the Venice Pier to get a better look - along with the rest of the nature lovers all facing west.

It got better and better with every passing moment, and was one of the rare sunsets where it's equally beautiful in all directions, lighting up the mountains behind us while the electric orange sun was sinking in front of us.

The air felt special, and everyone had that gorgeous sunset glow on their faces as we all shared in the awe. It was impossible to tear your eyes away from it all, and I was already about 15 minutes late for a meeting. That's when you start justifying things like, "Am I going to remember being on time for a meeting or the one of the top sunsets ever?" The sunset always wins with me. Sorry (not sorry).

We walked backward slowly, unable to turn our backs on the majesty. This is the best free show in town, with a pretty awesome wave soundtrack to go along with it. The social media feeds all filled up with the glory of the setting sun, for good reason - even though even the best of the photographs can never measure up to the real thing. There's a lot that people disagree about in Venice these days, but we can all get behind a glorious sunset. I'm still in awe of it just thinking about it, and feel so lucky and happy that I was in a place where I could enjoy it to the fullest - and have the memory for always.

Thank you, Nature! Five stars.

The Summer Venice Art Crawl - A Sunset Stroll

The Venice Art Crawl focused on Washington Boulevard for its Summer edition, which was a nice change of pace - and scenery - if a little sparse this time out.

There was a headquarters set up at The Kinney hotel, and the art stops went from there to the beach, with a few too far away for foot outposts going on all the way to Rose.

The Kinney art party was upstairs next to their tiny pool that I had never seen or known about. Artists and friends mingled around a bar, and enjoyed the golden hour lighting. Of the group show happening there, my favorite was Annie Seaton's work. She takes her surf and ocean photography and prints them out on rice paper somehow, paints them with natural indigo dye, and sews the different pieces together, using a whole bunch of talents at once. I loved them. Phantastic Photography by Lily was also cool, featuring her water reflection photos.

There's no time to linger when you've got more art to see, so I left the scenesters at The Kinney to it, and took off toward the beach.

There was a big stretch of wasteland with no art stops on it, which was too bad, as there are a lot of potential venues there on Washington ... maybe next time. The real action was all centered around Washington Square, the end part by the pier. It was a gorgeous night, so there were a bunch of tourist people out anyway, but the Art Crawl made sure that the locals were out galilvanting around too. I hit up Venice Surf & Skate, and admired the ceramic work of John Fukuda from the Temple Of Mediclaytion. I keep meaning to take a class there, and chatting with Fukuda reinforced this intent, as he told me it changed his life. I can dig that.

I kept running into Venice pals, which is really always the best part of the Venice Art Crawl. The sunset was so beautiful right about at this point that it was probably my favorite work of art of the night. The entire Venice Pier was lined with admirers trying to capture the beauty that is always better in person. But we all tried anyway.

Mercede's Grille was full of sunset hour revelers, and the wonderful real deal Venice ladies like Emily Winters were there selling their keepsake of a book Art Tiles At Venice Beach: Graphic History of Venice 1901-2001. The book itself is a fundraiser to preserve the fantastic old tiles on the beach benches. I was extra touched that they gifted me one of the books, and will add it to my library of Venice lore (which I'll hopefully be a part of soon - stay tuned!).

Another highlight of this Crawl was happening in the alley behind L.A. Gastronomy (next door to Mercede's). Live painting was gathering a crowd back there, and street artist Honor was in the midst of creating a mural of Robert DeNiro from Taxi Driver. He kept his fumes mask on for the photo in the time-honored tradition of graffiti artists being anonymous, but I say be known for your awesome work. It was an honor to meet you, Honor.

Around the corner wall, another mural was being done by Showz Art, who was halfway through a rad rendering of Trayvon Martin. Some of the best art in Venice is in alleys, and it's always worth getting off the beaten paths to discover something great. Duck behind this strip of Washington next time you're there ... it's looking good.

The Cow's End was already closed at like 8:00, which was funny because the map said 10:00, but oh, well. A dude was set up out front anyway, and a lot of people were talking to him about his work, so that was good. Fresh air, fresh art.

The VB Surf Shop was featuring work from Maggie Boelter, a Venice local, whose bio says she grew up swimming at Tower 26. Awesome - as was her work of Venice beachy themes.

Priscilla Ortiz and Natalie Strong were showing their stuff at Arbor, where the skateboards were as fun to look at as the art. Wine and snacks were being shared pretty much everywhere, and Arbor was no different. What a great looking shop, check it out if you haven't been in for a while. Aren't they due for a music show there soon too? I believe so.

Next door at Aesthetic Ambition Piercing & Tattoo was the most rocking stop on the Crawl, as a reggae/ska band, Funky AF, was blasting out through the whole neighborhood. There was more art set up outside, but the main deal was folks getting DOWN to the band, especially one shirtless dude in a top hat that was extra feeling it. That's the Venice Vibe, and that's what is great about our town celebrating art - not just for events like the V.A.C., but all the dang time. Everyone was loving it, and it felt like full throttle Summer.

From there I headed over to the new New Deli (which I didn't even know was finally open, and will forever be Sal's to me), but they were shut up tight, well before their map's stated closing time. Lame. Especially as at this point I was feeling that I hadn't eaten yet, and probably would have picked up some stuff from this new New Deli, but nope. Oh, well. There wasn't a whole lot of time left in the Crawl, so I zipped over to Turning Point Pilates to check out the work of Marian Crostic. I'd long heard of Crostic's work, as my brother hangs it all for her when she has exhibitions, and she's lived right on Abbot Kinney forever. Her Pre-Dawn Venice pieces were lovely, as was Crostic ... as was the wine and cheese.

That was that for the Crawl for me this time, as I have a whole lot going on and was just grateful to see some art, some friends, and some gorgeous sights. The next Crawl will be the After-Burn one (September 21-23 in Windward Plaza) and that's always one you don't want to miss, as Burning Man comes to Venice - where it really should still be like Burning Man all the time. The Venice Art Crawl does a lot to help with those vibes, and I really try to never miss it to get that fix.

See you in September, Hippies! XO.

A Full Moon Mandala

Yesterday was a complete delight here in Venice. I ran into all sorts of old friends all day long, and ran into beautiful surprises as well. It was all kind of magic, like when my old friend, Pete, called and said, "I'm at the basketball courts", and I just happened to be walking by the basketball courts at that very moment. I left them and headed down the Boardwalk toward Hinano's on a burger mission, but had a few moments to kill before my friend would arrive. I took the opportunity to stroll out on the Venice pier, and there on the sand below, two guys were creating a spectacular mandala on the beach.

The Virgo full moon would rise soon, and Andreas Hoenigschmid - known as "The Geobender" - and his assistant for the day, Vikram Vasan, were out there on the sand, just two dudes and their rakes, creating something of beauty, in a lovely reminder to appreciate the moment.

It was rather cosmic as I had just been talking to Gary Palmer about sacred geometry, and meditation, and numbers, and his chalk art that washes away, and here was a living example of that exact conversation, like an hour later. It felt special - especially as it was the day after I saw the green flash at sunset!

To make things even better, I went over to Hinano's after chatting with the guys a while (but not wanting to keep them from their work, as light was waning and the full moon was rising), sat down and ordered a freezing cold Red Stripe to enjoy while I reflected and waited for my friend. A few minutes later, Kelly Slater (only the all time greatest surfing champion in the world, for those who might not know) walks on by. The coolest.

I was telling everyone I could to get out there and look at this amazing art on the beach, and I think it made everyone's day. By the time we had our burgers and beers, and then some more friends and fun at Mercede's Grille, the mandala was already being washed away.

Hoenigschmid told me that he's out there every full and new moon, as nature creates a new low tide canvas twice a month. All are welcome to join, or simply behold the magic as it is being created in front of your eyes ... and then it all disappears. What a metaphor for living your life!

The moon was fully full on my way back, and there was a mystical, orangey corona crowning this Virgo in her glory. It was hard to look away. I hope you got to see it, and I hope you are able to find some magic of your own today. It's raining now, and one could feel low and bluesy, but I'm thinking about the surprises in life that make it awesome, and those thoughts sustain you until the sun shines again.

Happy Weekend, Friends. Make it a good one.

A Spring Sunset Sail

My dearest friends are here visiting for Spring Break from Minnesota ... and as they are avid boaters back home, this called for a sail.  I called up my favorite Commodore, Noah Farrell (of Abbot's Habit fame) and he agreed to take us out for a spin around the Santa Monica bay.

The Krsniks are motor boaters, and this was a sail. That meant a crash course in being Farrell's crew, which is never a dull moment. It was a fairly choppy day, with plenty of wind (on the vessel named "Got Wind?"), so at times we were almost literally flying.

The day was so beautiful, made even more so by the glow of good friends, and the appearance of a little baby dolphin gang that delighted in jumping around our wake. It was awesome.

We nearly lost Renato at one point when we hit a wave and his 6'6 frame nearly upended him into a MOB drill (Man overboard, rookies). Luckily, his beautiful wife Christine broke his fall (and almost her neck), pretty much saving his life, and ensuring that he'd be here today to celebrate their sweet 16th wedding anniversary!

The air grew chillier as the sun started to set, and Captain Farrell let me operate the tiller almost all the way back in. It's so fun to feel the effects of the wind on the sails, and how the slightest correction in driving makes a total difference. I could see getting obsessed, as people do. The gorgeous sunset was our reward for all the kind of hard work.

We warmed up in the cool South Coast Corinthian Yacht Club (SCCYC) in the Marina, and did more boat talk. It's the ultimate best when you get to share parts of your life and where you live with your very best friends that live far away, and have them get to know the people you surround yourself with when they're not there. We all hit the hay last night exhausted, and more than stoked.

Thank you, Captain Noah! Happy Anniversary, Christine and Renato!

A Colorful Weekend In Venice

I don't know how the weather sometimes seems to know it's the weekend and after a week of bright sunshine while cooped up inside working, the weekend came and was all gloom, not August feeling at all. But where the sun did not shine through, and though the melanin levels suffered from no beach time, there was still plenty of color.

Saturday night we were invited to hear the Blue Oyster Cult play in the Marina from some friends' boats pulled up right next to the stage. They had drinks, a grill with tasty whole fish and hot dogs, and quite possibly the most spectacular sunset of the summer so far. The electric colors competed with the rock for everyone's attention, and the sky won until the sun fully set.

It was also a delight to see that there is a gondola available for rides around the Marina, adding to the Venice atmosphere that we appropriated from our sister city in Italy. It was utterly charming, and the passengers were treated to an gorgeous evening of epic proportions. Soon after the sun set, the (badly, badly needed) rain began to fall, and we enjoyed the rest of the night below deck, listening to the rain beat on the rood as we gently rocked and loved every minute of it. Thanks, Commodore Farrell!

Though Sunday rose as another gloomy day (August Foggest), Venice doesn't let that dampen the spirits at all. It was the annual Festival Of The Chariots and the Hare Krishna colors were flying high. Everyone looks forward to this day each year as the parade comes down the Boardwalk and invites all it passes by to join in the dancing, sharing and fun, regardless of religious affiliation. Like it should be.

Stephanie captured a little of the action, so you can kind of feel what it's like as the saffron colored flowers are tossed out to the crowd by the people in saffron colored robes aboard the chariots.

In spite of the grey skies, the weekend was FULL of color, and the kind of days that carry on with the fun, no matter what the weather does. Yeah, we weren't able to do the usual weekend solid beach days, but were instead rewarded with perfect afternoon Bloody Marys by George at The Townhouse, occasional glimpses of blue sky, rain drops on our upturned and grateful faces, and a finale of a delicious meal at the good old Galley.

Weekends are just great in Venice ... no matter what. Hope yours was exceptional too. And extra colorful!

June's Venice Art Crawl - All Mapped Out

Thursday was the June edition of the Venice Art Crawl, and it was as much fun as ever. It was also - as ever - nearly impossible to see it all, though I did keep on trucking enough to get a good bit in before just giving in to the party of it all.

It was not even dark out yet when I hit the information booth to pick up my map and they were already all gone. This is either bad planning or so wildly popular they ran out even before nightfall. Probably both, but VAC, you need more maps. The various map locations should have stacks of them too - none did. This makes it hard to know where to go ... luckily, I cajoled one from a couple that could share. The very last one. The volunteers were a little snippy about it too, saying to me, "Take a picture (of the map), it will last longer", and to another person, "It's not my job to give out information." Um, yes. It is. Anyway, it was good that I made new friends sharing my map and pointing people where to go, but a map would have been way better for them. Next time ...

I hit the Art Walls first, as there was a group called the "Setting The Pace Foundation" painting on the walls for the Art Crawl. It was cool, and the sunset is always a wonderful backdrop.

I always have to swing by the skatepark to see what's going down, so I did.

Small World Books is right there, so I went in to check out the new works by Deb Loucks, get a new book ...

... and say hi to the artist, enjoying friends and family at The Sidewalk Cafe.

 The sunset was now threatening to outshine all the art, so it's good that it all carried on after dark.

I headed over to "Emerged at Alpha," a space on Market Street that had girls selling flower crowns, live music and a whole bunch of art. It was cool, but I didn't recognize anybody.

It was fun to see a great mix of people, once again coming together all because of art.

I knew there was a Venice Symphony Orchestra fundraiser going on over at Horizon, with a group show curated by Jules Muck behind the house with her mural on it.

What I did not know was that the Orchestra wasn't really playing (only a 3 piece could make it this night), but there were naked ladies getting body painted in there, so that seemed to satisfy all who strolled through looking for some classical music.

It looked kind of fun. I may volunteer next time (for being painted on, not handing out maps).

I always enjoy chatting with the artists that set up in the parking lot next to Hama Sushi, but I always feel bad for them because it is almost pitch dark in there, nearly impossible to see the work. We need to get some lighting in there for them next time. Arist Niciforos had little tiny painting that had 3D waves coming off the beach scenes ... I got one for $5, and was happy to see that it can be a magnet on the fridge art piece.

Set up next to him was a very smart guy whose name I lost, but whose art reminded me of Gaudi. In fact, he told me all about the church in Spain designed by Gaudi that has taken 100 years to build and it still isn't. The conversation was enlightening, even though I could barely see them.

Set up outside the parking lot, getting some street light on the subject, was a guy who said his name was Ant, who had some "controversial" pieces. I just found them to be true. Another good conversation was had, and then I was late to meet friends at The Townhouse.

After some catching up and refreshments, we had more ground to cover. I wanted to see the "Skate The Sky" pieces at Venice Originals, but the place was all locked up tight, so I stopped by the packed Lightning Bolt shop, where people were crammed in listening to Kathleen Myers, but too full to really see the art. Next it was Gotta Have It, who featured work by Theresa Flowers and music by the ever-ready Paul Chesne.

We watched Chesne's set from up in the new little nook gallery overlooking the shop, which was great.

It became kind of our own headquarters that we could shout out the window from to people on the sidewalk to come up and join us.

As always happens, we'd again forgotten to eat, and that had to happen before anymore art (or drinks) could be had). As happens while you look at the art, kitchens tend to close, so we looked at more art anyway. The guys that set up out in front of The Bank Of Venice were doing cool stuff with spray paint...

But this guy (whose card I also lost) was on a new level, with a laser pen thing that colored in the images as a black light showed it appear. It was trippy, and I'm always a sucker for live painting.

There was SO much to see and do, that it was funny when I met a reader of mine (Hi!), who asked if I would see more this time than I did last, since I'd mentioned in that article the difficulty of getting around to it all when you keep bumping into friends to catch up with and stuff. The answer was that I believe I saw even less this time, but had even more fun! After a quick bite at Hal's (where they launched their new gallery), we went all the way over to West Adams, but still kind of Venice, as we visited the Mid City Yacht Club, owned and operated by Commodore Noah Farrell (of Abbot's Habit). Venice is a feeling ... of people being free and expressing themselves through their art, whichever medium it takes shape with. And you can take it with you.

Another whole night of art and expression, wound up with all Venice people all the way across the city, but that feeling carried with us the whole way. And next time ... I promise to see way more. With the help of the ample maps that I'm sure will be available to all.  Thanks again, VAC!