Our New Art Lecture Series Begins Today!

Today we celebrate the end of an extraordinary pair of exhibitions by hosting two informative lectures. Steven Daily will illuminate the hidden symbols and secret handshakes that populate his dense expose of Masonic Conspiracies: Covenant.

Howard Hallis will relate the creative process and personal sacrifices that culminated in the completion of his thirteen-year and fifteen-feet-tall project The Picture of Everything.
4pm until 7pm on Saturday, January 29th.


This weekend is also the last chance to catch Tammi Otis' A Fertile Madness and Charles Binger's posthumous A Pulp Life. Two absolutely stunning collections that need to be seen.


Next Week we'll be opening an extraordinary collaboration of art and music as we unveil Charon's Pantheon by Myron Conan Dyal and Jennifer Logan. We've published a catalog of this exhibition with an audio CD of the music written specifically for the statues on display. This is an installation unlike any we've ever hosted before. There will be a lecture series on each Saturday in the month of February that will begin with a talk and continue with a live musical demonstration.


On Valentine's Day we'll be hosting a very special signing with Marion Peck and Mark Ryden. This will undoubtedly be very crowded and we anticipate a long line, so mark your calendars. You can call the Soap Plant / Wacko for details: (323) 663-0122.

The following Friday we'll hand the gallery keys over to The Igloo Tornado for an event so wonderfully bizarre that I'm hesitant to post the details. Suffice to say that will be a Henry & Glenn Forever themed evening, and there will be art and music.

February heats up, courtesy of La Luz de Jesus!

No Fez Required

Welcome to the First in a series of LLdJ Guest Blogs!

Hi, everyone!
Brand new La Luz de Jesus gallery employee Mia Matsumiya reporting! I'm sorry; that was a really cheesy introduction but I think it's somewhat excusable and maybe even appropriate to talk like that when you carry a clipboard –I mean, officially.
(That's me at left.)

So speaking of official, my very first official exhibition as an employee was the January 7th opening, highlighting artists Steven Daily, Howard Hallis, Tammi Otis, and Charles Binger. So fun!

As the show attendees began swarming into the gallery, I was a little nervous and didn't know what to expect; it was my first official show ever! I had been to a gazillion La Luz de Jesus shows but this was my first as a gallery employee. Ack! But then my friend/gallery director, Matt Kennedy, handed me a clipboard and woosh! Suddenly, everything changed. My back magically erected into a straighter and more confident line! My mini-shakiness disappeared! I have never, ever publicly carried around a clipboard in my life but let me tell you, it totally infuses you with a new-found vigor and fearlessness. In fact, I'm 99% sure I could fight a bear and win using nothing but a clipboard. Anyway, onto the more important things: The Artwork!

When you first walk in (with or without a clipboard), Steven Daily's paintings zoom out at you immediately because they're just so drippingly sinister and mystic-looking. Bejeweled fetal skeletons! Two-headed mutant lambs! Creepy demons! Skulls and occult symbolism everywhere! These are the exact types of paintings you'd expect to see if you were roaming around a Freemason temple all alone in the dark, completely naked (except for a fez, of course), and accidentally wandered into a super-secret drawing room. You'd look up and there you'd have it: Stephen Daily paintings all over the walls!

"Dichotomy" is my favorite because I'm convinced there's an interesting story going on here. Check out the two skeleton guys on the very left. One is wearing an eyepatch and the other is wearing a monocle. Obviously, they both have afflictions in their right eyes, right? Well, that's why they're buddies/best friends and are always together. Now shift your eyes over to the guy in the back row, all the way at the end on the right. Note that he also has an eye affliction but he's wearing an eye patch on his LEFT eye. The right-eye-afflicted Freemason skeleton couple HATE him and shun him from their group for having his affliction in the wrong eye. Or I guess it could be that they just don't like him because he's a huge jerk. I don't know. In any case, they don't want to be anywhere near him. I asked Steven Daily if that's what was really going on and he didn't confirm or deny it. Suspicious!


Sharing the front space and spilling into the back gallery, Charles Binger's work hangs in all its gorgeous, pulp-fiction glory. This was a real treat because this was the first time in 45 years that his work was being exhibited! Binger was a British painter who was mostly known for his movie posters, portraits of Hollywood celebrities, and paperback covers, including classic sci-fi books "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley and "The Illustrated Man" by Ray Bradbury! In person, his paintings are seriously STUNNING. Sensuous, lush, colorful, and the very epitome of technical perfection. Pulp heaven! Check out the cover to "The Man from Brazil" or "The Golden Trollop" (pictured).

Tammi Otis's exhibition is called "A Fertile Madness" for good reason. The subjects of her paintings are lone, half-clothed women who look like they've taken a giant nosedive straight down the rabbit hole of deliriousness. I'm not exactly sure about the backstory, but all her paintings are done in a beautiful goldleaf and she uses a lot of candy apple red, black, and white - all Japanese kimono colors! That gives her artwork an automatic thumbs up from me, (being Japanese myself). Tammi was incredibly sweet and it filled me with glee to see that she was wearing a candy apple red outfit that perfectly matched her paintings!

The spectacle to end all spectacles was Howard Hallis' mindblowingly micro-detailed masterpiece, "The Picture of Everything." If you've never experienced psychedelics before and want to know what it's like, go stand in front of one of the over-sized lenticular lenses of this piece and rapidly shake your head back and forth while continuing to stare at it. This piece is impressively MASSIVE, measuring a whopping fifteen feet tall by twelve feet wide! Whoa. That's even bigger than an African bull elephant (and almost approaching the size of my clipboard-induced joy)! It's actually so humongous that it actually has to hang at an angle to fit inside the gallery.

While the original piece isn't likely to fit in many people's homes, it is for sale, and I'll be surprised if it doesn't go into a museum collection. For the rest of us, Hallis has made a limited edition (420) of movie poster sized prints (for only $100!). Go visit The Picture of Everything website to view sections in detail!

Well, that's it! My first-ever La Luz de Jesus exhibition report! Add this to your RSS feed, Okay? Bye-bye for now!

Love,
Mia

PS. Check out some of the reviews:
Hi Fructose
Flavorpill
Chinashop
Beinart
Airship
UWant2Go

The Post-Hanukkha, Week-Before-Christmas, Kwanzaa Preparation Sale!

There are a handful of artists whose work is so highly sought that it almost never becomes available for sale. Acquiring a piece involves cozying up to a gallerist for a good, long time just to get added to the bottom of that artist's waiting list. If the artist is not prolific, the prospect of ever actually owning a painting is somewhere between slim and none.

Joe Coleman is such an artist.

His shows are almost entirely pre-sold, and his painstaking, three-hair brush technique doesn't lend itself to a large body of work. In a career that spans over three decades, his total output is still under 150 paintings.

We have two Joe Coleman paintings for sale, both of which are incredibly important and valuable works from his early gallery period. Pictured at left is Divine Comedy from 1993, a signature work which contains a self-portrait in his ubiquitous grotesque. This and 1991's The Need to Incorporate Sexual Fantasy into Everyday Life (a piece so controversial that we can't post it to our blogger account), are part of the Secret Holiday Sale of paintings from the collections of our collectors.

This is a very atypical collection of works, featuring the very first Joe Sorren experiment with oil paint, Marylin Monroe, from the Pin-Ups group show back in 1996 (the figure is acrylic, but the hair is oil). Joe's recent work has been snatched up by some of the most important and influential collectors in the market, and pure portraiture is extremely rare within his oeuvre. His work simply never hits the resale market, and this painting has the added cache of being historically significant in charting the artist's progression.

Similarly, we have a beautiful Daniel Martin Diaz painting (in a gorgeous hand made frame) that was featured in his published catalog Mysterium Fidelis. We have a classic Bill Ward conte crayon drawing from a 60s girlie magazine. We've got a seminal Eric White painting from 1996 that hints at the genius to come. We've got a Laurie Lipton commission from 1975 that might be the earliest example of her work that you will ever see!

What else? How about an authentic, signed Salvador Dali woodblock print from 1964, or two H. R. Giger silkscreened artist proofs from the early 70s? How about three Syd Mead gouaches from the late 1960s –from that most desirable body of work done for U.S. Steel! A big Clive Barker charcoal! A couple of small Camille Rose Garcia paintings! Three Clayton Brothers paintings from back in the day! Multiple Chris Mars, Shag, and Biskup paintings!

This is like Juxtapoz Magazine's Greatest Hits, all under a single banner: The Secret Holiday Sale!

This is seriously the kind of work that justifies selling vehicles, stock portfolios and taking on second mortgages to buy. And this is only the beginning. I'll be adding more paintings right up until Christmas Eve, including dream pieces by Gary Baseman, Scott Musgrove, and Isabel Samaras. First come, first served! This past week we sold multiple Robert Williams, Shepard Fairey and Marion Peck pieces, and if I had any more of their work, I'd list it, but I do not. There are pieces from other artists that I would loved to post that I can't. If you've got an artist whose work you've been dying to collect, let me know. I might have it right here already.

Don't be the last person without a chair when the music stops. Shoot me an email and get on the notification list. If you see a piece you want to buy, but don't think you can afford it, call me to see about working out some payment terms. You deserve this.
Get yourself a present this Christmas.
Spend some of that Hanukkha gelt!
Or just buy some high class decorations for Kwanzaa.

Of course there's really no excuse necessary for buying art, because owning art is its own reward, and the art in this collection offers a whole 'nother level of reward. Link here.

And did I mention we have a Dali?

The Secret La Luz de Jesus X-Mas Art Sale is on!

People who signed up for our email list and checked off the boxes next to their favorite artists got a heads up on this, but we sold some Shepard Fairey, Robert Williams, and Marion Peck paintings a few days ago.

I ran out of available work from them, but I've restocked with H.R. Giger, Joe Sorren, Clive Barker and Salvador Dali.

Yes, you read that correctly. We've got a signed Salvador Dali piece!
We've also got three Syd Mead paintings! Click the image and check out the sale. This art is going fast...

There is a lot of stuff I couldn't list to preserve the anonymity of certain collectors and estates who have provided these choice selections. Shoot me an artist want list, and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.

Two Chances for Holiday Patronage

Christopher Ulrich has launched a holiday patronage program on Kickstarter:



"My name is Christopher Ulrich. I have done an alchemical journey through painting. The first series was called Demoneater and it represented “the black phase." I had my first one man show on November 2nd, 2007 at the Bergamot Station in which these works were featured. That set the process into motion. Two years later, after a lot of hard work, I began The Illuminator series which represents “the white phase." Those works were shown on my birthday August 6th, 2010 at The La Luz Jesus Gallery. I am now on the eve of completing this journey. The next and final series will be The Reckoning which represents "the red phase." I want to create 12 new paintings, one of which will be a large epic mural and it is scheduled to be shown on December 7th, 2012. I currently need the funding of $12,000 to pay for these new surfaces and frames that I have designed and materials to execute them with. My hopes are to complete the Great Work. When I first began to fulfill this dream, I was not widely known. However during the process, I have gained a growing recognition which has been very encouraging. If I could generate the funds for the 3rd project and reward any contributions with my various gift supplements, I would consider it not only an honor but the Universe's blessing to see this thing through."

Christopher Ulrich's work is rich with process; he routinely develops up to a dozen graphite design studies before initiating each of his paintings. He will be rewarding pledges with those studies from his next show, The Reckoning, which debuts at La Luz de Jesus on December 7th, 2012. If 240 people donated a mere $50 each, he would reach his budget goal, and be able to begin working on the last entry of his Christ Chronocrator series. I know that money is tight, but this is a worthy cause that would pay off in bragging rights alone –and you'll get artwork that is already worth a hell of a lot more than your donation.

There are pledge levels from $25 to $5,000.00, with each level of donation reaping greater rewards than the last. La Luz de Jesus Gallery will be taking no commission from these, so please donate knowing that all of your pledges go directly to funding Christopher's next show.


The Twelve Days of X-Mas Sale Begins Tomorrow!
GIGER! BARKER! SORREN!

I'll be sending out notification tonight at midnight to herald the beginning of our Twelve Days of X-Mas Sale.

Following the success of our Black Friday Art Sale, I was contacted by a handful of private patrons and estate managers to represent more high-profile, Blue Chip caliber works –including actual, museum exhibited paintings. In addition to a new assortment of pieces from The Clayton Brothers, Shepard Fairey and Camille Rose Garcia, this twelve-day, virtual exhibition and private sale includes original work from Swiss surrealist H.R. Giger and visionary futurist Syd Mead, whose collective influence reaches beyond the art world to have permanently impacted pop-culture, industrial design, entertainment and architecture.

Not every masterpiece will be posted (to preserve a degree of anonymity for the sellers), so if you would like to receive information on these and other once-in-a-lifetime purchase opportunities, shoot me an email (info@laluzdejesus.com) and I'll respond with images, sizes and prices.

Buying art changes lives.
Happy Holidays!

Zombie Time!

It's almost Christmas, and that can only mean one thing...
ZOMBIES?

The Walking Dead season finale aired on AMC Sunday, which means we couldn't have planned it better to have Sean Yseult of White Zombie signing her new memoir, I'm in the Band, here on Tuesday night from 6-8pm. The folks at Sino Tequila will be mixing some drinks. Sorry, no zombies, just margaritas.

Below are some pics from our last two music-themed events. Friday, at the opening reception for the Winter Folk Art Show, we hosted the World-Wide Debut of James Slay & Carlos Grasso's new multi-media project, Dumfuxx. Coagula art journal gave the performance a rave review and included a YouTube link:



The following night we held a signing for Lesli Cabarga's Topless Summer Love Girls, which featured a Burlesque show and several incredible musical performances led by Will Ryan and the Cactus Cowboys including Ian Whitcomb, and Gunsmoke's Johnny Crawford!

On Sunday we held a signing for Joe Oesterle's Weird Hollywood and Muttpop's Fabien Mense. But this week we've got even more events that will challenge your work-week comfort zone:

On Thursday night we'll be hosting Adam Parfrey and the Feral House gang for a Winter Solstice Celebration. New ink from Genesis P. Orrige and others. Slide shows and total craziness is scheduled to ensue!

And by weeks end I'll be announcing something so ridiculous that you'll think I'm pulling the wool, but it will be True! Stay tuned!

Remembering Miriam Wosk

Excerpted from the Los Angeles Times, November 11th:

"Her art was definitely a major deal and her use of materials broke a lot of boundaries," Billy Shire told The Los Angeles Times. "She kind of put forth in her work that art could be beautiful as well as meaningful."

Working in paint, pastel and collage on paper, Miriam Wosk often began with an anatomical image that she smothered "in veil upon veil of floral ornament and pattern, creating a sort of gothic, hyper-decorative Surrealism that is as invigorating for the imagination as it is for the eye," according to a 2006 Times review of the show "Sequins and Skeletons" held at the now-defunct Billy Shire Fine Arts Gallery in Culver City.