Japanese Disaster Relief: Buy Art & Save Lives!

"The events of this past weekend in Japan have been devastating, and I couldn't sit idly by and watch the alarming coverage without doing something about it. As a compassionate human being, I don't know how anyone could. I've decided to donate 100% of my proceeds from my upcoming show to the relief effort."

So began the email I received from Daniel Lim that accompanied the images of his new body of work, "Sweet Imperfections," debuting at La Luz de Jesus on April 1st. He'll be showing as part of two separate two-
person exhibitions that also feature Mark Gleason, Danni Shinya Luo and Heather Watts.


The Hi-Fructose & Juxtapoz Blogs have each posted pictures from our gala opening for Everything But the Kitschen Sync vol. 14. There were some really impressive pieces this year, and we singled out 11 people for feature exhibitions in July and August, 2011.




Mark Melchior, whose cigarbox guitars are currently on display in the Everything But the Kitschen Sync show, was profiled by the Los Angeles Times in this past Sunday's Calendar section The article also references long-time La Luz patron Johnny Depp, who poses with a wine box guitar purchased from another local artisan. From Randy Lewis' Article:

Melchior has recently built his 50th cigar box guitar out of his residence in Highland Park, and sells the instruments mostly by word of mouth. Several are on display at La Luz de Jesus in Los Feliz as part of the gallery's annual Everything But the Kitschen Sync group exhibition that opened Friday and runs through March 27.

"I've left a footprint in a lot of areas, but this seemed like fertile ground, something with which I could get neck deep into American folk art," said Melchior, who is also a singer and songwriter. "It's taken me a lot farther than anything else I've done. This is very pure [craftsmanship] in an old world way," which is how Melchior was trained in Wisconsin, working as an apprentice to Italian-born accordion builder Alfonso Baldoni.
"Guitar technology is moving into things like self-tuning bridges. But if you can't tune your own guitar…." he said, letting the thought finish itself. "I've got to grab the reins and do my thing. I feel like a frontiersman, and this is a lot more exciting."

Tonight the Unveiling: 250 Works in our 14th Annual Everything But the Kitschen Sync Show

Sometimes a picture really does paint a thousand words. Below is a mere sampling of what's on display tonight -and available for purchase at La Luz de Jesus Gallery. These new works from John Brosio, JAW Cooper, Matthew Couper, Dimitri Drjuchin, Jeff Gillette, Mark Gleason, Max Grundy, Derek Harrison, Brett Hess, Jeremy Hush, Damara Kaminecki, Da Hae Kim, Dennis Larkins, Monika Malewska, Nathan Ota, Simon Sotelo, Edith Waddell, Mel Weiner, and Kim Zsebe are only a handful of highlights from the 125+ artists who have rendered over 250 artworks to make this year's Everything But the Kitschen Sync show one of the strongest ever:

Cakeland –Louisiana Style!

If you're anywhere near Shreveport, Louisiana you absolutely owe it to yourself to check out Scott Hove's Cakeland exhibition at ARTSPACE, co-curated by yours truly & La Luz de Jesus Gallery. It opened on February 25th and runs through May 7th, 2011 in the Marcy G. & Jack T. Everett mainspace.


From the show catalog:
"Cakeland is a series of sculptures resembling perfect delicious cakes. The sculptures, with their display of beauty, lure the viewer into a sens of anticipation."

Artspace is funded by the Shreveport Regional Arts Council. They've arranged to include a giant cake designed and decorated by Tanya Clark and Sydney Bell-Foster with a frosted beverages cash bar and Think Pink bites. Located on Texas St., Cakeland is currently the epicenter of the Downtown Shreveport redevelopment project.


We're up to some pretty special events ourselves right now, too.

The 14th Annual Everything But the Kitschen Sync exhibition opens tomorrow night at 8PM. We're having all the artists stop by tonight to make sure everything is priced and labeled correctly for the big unveiling on Friday. The show is about 80% presented as I write this, and should be completely hung, poised and pedestaled by 6PM.

There are a lot of functional pieces this time around that are hard-conveyed via the website, so come on down to see these works of art in person. The piece at left is Nicole Moan's life-size, three-dimensional ceramic torso which lights up. It could be yours! Don't hesitate, as I've been selling pieces all day long and updating the website as often as possible. Edward Robin Coronel, Walter Hall, José Rodolfo Loaiza Ontiveros, Jasmine Worth, and many others have already sold all of their juried pieces, but there are incredible paintings, sculptures, drawings, craftworks, functional art and more still available.

Big congrats to Myron Dyal & Jennifer Logan for landing a Huffington Post review for their collaborative work, Charon's Pantheon! Columnist Lisa Derrick included many pictures and links to several YouTube videos. Art critic Peter Frank also had occasion to visit the exhibition on its final day and I wouldn't be surprised if he were to put some words together for the L.A. Weekly about it.

A Snow Yak Valentine

Mark Ryden & Marion Peck stayed and signed books until eight o'clock, as the Valentine's Day crowd lined-up around the corner on Rodney from Hollywood Blvd., half-way to Franklin. We saw pretty much every edition of each published book bearing the Ryden name, as Mark & Marion handed out chocolates to their fans and took occasional camera-phone pics to update their twitter accounts.

The first hundred or so folks got free, limited-edition lapel pins bearing Mark's Pink Lincoln and everyone got a free bookmark from Marion. I definitely ate more than my share of Russell Stover chocolates while updating the website with images from this coming Friday's Henry & Glenn Gang Bang art exhibition. Nobody does a holiday like the Rydens!

Thanks once again to Mark & Marion for the happiest Valentine's day on record! The crowd was incredibly enthusiastic and well-behaved, and it's safe to say that everybody had a wonderful time.

After having experienced Christmas and Valentine's Day with the Ryden's I can scarcely imagine what they've got in store for Easter...
:)

The King & Queen Shall Herald Cupid's Return!

You've probably seen our ad in the L.A. Weekly by now, but in case you haven't, Mark Ryden & Marion Peck will be holding a book signing on Monday, Valentine's Day from 5-7PM at La Luz de Jesus Gallery!

This is a first-come, first-serve dealio, so call and pre-order your books to be guaranteed a ticket to this event. You can bring your own items, but purchasers will be given preference in the line which is sure to wind around the block.

The Rules:
1. The line-up starts at 3PM
2. There is a three book limit.
3. All books must be signed to a specific reader.
4. Keep it brief.
5. Have fun.

The authors are only here for two hours, and we want to accommodate as many fans as possible, so we're enforcing a strict limit on the number of items you can get signed (three) and we want to keep the line moving, so don't get long winded when you get your turn with the King & Queen of Pop-Surrealism.

Tonight is the second Listening Party & Lecture with Charon's Pantheon architects Myron Conan Dyal and Jennifer Logan. The artists will meet and greet attendees from 6-7pm, and will be happy to sign your books during that time. At 7PM sharp a brief lecture will precede the performance of the complete audio transcendence, which is 70 minutes long. There will be no in-and-outs once the performance starts. If you need to leave in the middle, we ask that you do so quietly to respect the enjoyment of your fellow audience members, and bear in mind that you will not be allowed re-entry. So use the bathroom before the music starts. ;)

This Friday, February 18th, in honor of Henry Rollins 50th belated Birthday, La Luz de Jesus Gallery and those irreverent upstarts The Igloo Tornado will co-host the Henry and Glenn Gang Bang Art Show. Based around the hilarious comic book project, Henry & Glenn Forever, this exhibition contains new art from curators Tom Neely and Gin Stevens, as well as Coop, the Clayton Brothers, Johnny Ryan, Ed Luce, Eric Yahnker and Kaz, among others. Punk Rock cover bands Black Fag and Glenn will perform brief sets in the La Luz back patio. We've stocked up on copies of the book, which posits the timeless question: What if Henry and Glenn were more than just friends?


And with just under three weeks left until Artageddon, the Everything But the Kitschen Sync Annual Group Show volume 14 has been locked and loaded: the preview page is now live, and pre-sales are opened! Discover tomorrow's stars today and become a full-fledged patron to the arts for as little as a hundred bucks. There are over 225 pieces from over 120 artists. Paintings, drawings, sculpture, assemblage, functional, craft, musical instruments, silkscreens, art-dolls, dioramas and even lewd cross-stitching all share space in the most eagerly anticipated show of the year -now celebrating its fourteenth birthday and just as edgy as ever!

Head over to the Upcoming Exhibitions Calendar and check out some early posted previews, like Mark Gleason and Danni Shinya Luo's April comeback shows. We've also announced a few new additions to the coming schedule and highly recommend that you sign-up for the artist notification list of your choice.

Kitschen Sync Line-up Announced!

La Luz de Jesus Gallery presents:
“Everything but the Kitschen Sync XIV"

March 4 - 27
Opening Reception: Friday, March 4th, 8-11 pm
La Luz de Jesus Gallery
4633 Hollywood Blvd.
Los Angeles CA 90027


La Luz De Jesus Gallery proudly presents our annual juried group exhibition, "Everything But the Kitschen Sync.” This gigantic, no-theme show features works from some of the freshest and most relevant artists working today. Over 8,000 commercial illustrators, graphic designers, tattooists, scenics, students, animators and working gallery artists have submitted images, and we've finally narrowed it down to 123 artists showcasing just over 225 pieces. The show includes artists we've previously exhibited (who consistently produce some of the most interesting paintings and sculptures in pop contemporary), as well as a large selection of work from a brand new batch of undiscovered, underground talent.

“Everything but the Kitschen Sync” began in October 1986 as the “Día de los Muertos” show which was entirely focused on the folk art, sculptures and imagery of Mexico’s “Day of the Dead” celebration. By 1995, gallery owner and curator Billy Shire felt the show had run its course and presented other themed group exhibitions such as the 1996 “21st Century Tiki Show” curated with Otto Von Stroheim. In 1998 Shire decided to present a non-themed show dedicated to illustrative and narrative artwork. As many local artists work in commercial graphic art fields such as illustration, cartooning, animation, etc., the show was named “Uncommercial Art by Commercial Artists.” In 2004, Shire changed the show title to the more encompassing and less-cumbersome “Everything But the Kitschen Synch.” Several spelling variations later, here we are at volume XIV.

“Everyone looks at this show for new and interesting artists” states Shire – and indeed, not only does La Luz de Jesus pick artists from the Kitchen Sync for future smaller group and solo shows – numerous curators and owners of other galleries also keep their eyes on the yearly show for potential artists to add to their rosters.

This is the only opportunity for emerging artists to show at the most prestigious gallery in post-pop and it is one of the most anticipated shows of the year because patrons get a crack at buying art from future superstars.

Please join La Luz de Jesus as we continue to support the latest and most original efforts from the nation's alternative art scene.

The “Everything But The Kitschen Sync” 2011 Artist List:

Jessicka Addams
Ron Adkins
Marco Almera
Betty Alvarez
Susanne Apgar
Chris Athans
Davidd Batalon
John Brosio
Greg Brotherton
Michael Brown
Blue Broxton
Jeaneen Carlino
Evan Chambers
Andy Clark
Lacey Clemens
JAW Cooper
Edward Robin Coronel
Matthew Couper
Robert Craig
Will Crane
Jessica Dalva
Patrick “Star27” Deignan
Delphia
Robert Doucette
Dimitri Drjuchin
Jesse Fillingham
Mary Fleener
Vanessa Flores
Tim Forbus
Harold Fox
Frijol Boy
Don Fritz
Richard Frost
Rachel Fujii
Damian Fulton
Jeff Gillette
Mark Gleason
Bruce Gossett
Desiree Grisham
Max Grundy
Sunny Gu
Tamara Guion
Conrad Haberland
Caitlin Hackett
August Hall
Walt Hall
Ashley Harrison
Derek Harrison
Gale Hart
Andy Hernandez
Brett Hess
Scott Holloway
Jack Howe
Bree Hranek
Eric Hudgins
Jeremy Hush
Jennifer Jelenski
JoKa
Damara Kaminecki
Da Hae Kim
Miran Kim
Tara Krebs
Eunbyul Kwak
Dennis Larkins
Craig LaRotonda
Dave Lebow
Caroline Lee
Alexis Lopez
Carl Lozada
Danni Shinya Luo
Dion Macellari
Jon MacNair
Monika Malewska
Apricot Mantle
Robert Marbury
Aya Masuda
Mark Melchior
Miso
Junko Mizuno
Nicole Moan
Roberto Morales
Click Mort
Emi Motokawa
Munk One
Corinne Odermatt
Daisuke Okamoto
José Rodolfo Loaiza Ontiveros
Amy Ortiz
Nathan Ota
Cristina Paulos
Celene Petrulak
Linda Quakenbush
Cate Rangel
Brian Raszka
Bonni Reid
Eric Richardson
Gustavo Rimada
Antonio Roybal
Leigh Salgado
Van Saro
Scott Saw
Kim Scott
Simon Sotelo
Sean Stepanoff
Andy Steele
Bryce Takara
David Russell Talbott
Hui Tan
Johnny Taylor
Pol Turgeon
Marietta Villalva
Javier Villanueva
Edith Waddell
Jessica Ward
Dave Warshaw
Mel Weiner
Mirmy Winn
Jasmine Worth
Christine Wu
Adam Ybarra
George Yepes
James Zar
Kim Zsebe

Congrats to each of you!

When you consider past Kitschen Sync alumni like Glenn Barr, Gary Baseman, Sandow Birk, Tim Biskup, The Clayton Brothers, Daniel Martin Diaz, Camille Rose Garcia, Michael Hussar, Jessica Joslin, Chris Mars, Scott Musgrove, Liz McGrath, Tara McPherson, Nathan Ota, Mark Ryden, David Sandlin, Shag, Owen Smith, Jeff Soto, Gary Taxali, Mark Todd, Esther Pearl Watson, and Eric White, there's just no telling who you may discover this year...

Fire Walk With Us

We held the soft opening for Charon's Pantheon last night, and tonight we hold the artists' reception with Myron Conan Dyal and Jennifer Logan on hand to explain the origins of this heavily conceptual exhibition. There will be three performances of the 69 minute audio counterpart to the sculptures. Seating and standing room is limited, therefore RSVPs will be necessary. At least two professors attending the event on Friday evening intimated that this exhibition would become part of their mandatory curriculum this semester.

Since images alone do not capture the essence or mood of this incredible show, I encourage you to view the two videos below.
The images are taken from the exhibition catalog, which comes with an audio CD of the music. The book of Charon's Pantheon is published by Last Gasp Books for La Luz de Jesus Press, and is available for $25.




Charon's Pantheon: DEATH



Charon's Pantheon: GODDESS of TREES

These promotional videos give a basic introduction to what is now on view at La Luz de Jesus Gallery, but missing from them is the relative weight and the atmosphere of mysticism that permeates the live setting. Each of these sculptures has been "danced" by Myron Dyal in a spiritual ritual. The goddesses of the Pantheon are products of Myron's rebirth, as he terms it –a coma from which he emerged at the age of four that triggered a lifetime of visions, the result of his Temporal Lobe Epilepsy.

The gallery has been completely transformed, and this will be a one month show, after which the entire exhibit moves to Grand Central Art Center as part of a rotating museum tour. The intimacy that La Luz de Jesus Gallery lends to the proceedings will be lost even if the grandiosity is enhanced.

In addition to tonight's Artist Reception, there will be three more lecture-and-listening parties throughout the month. On each Saturday in February (12, 19, 26) from 6-9PM, Dyal & Logan will host a seated performance of the music followed by an informal discussion of the work, during which they'll be happy to sign books and answer questions. I urge you to RSVP for at least one of these. This is no mere show, it is an experience. The feedback has been quite polarizing, with some attendees empowered and enlightened while others are utterly and completely horrified.

I offer you a chance to decide for yourself.