Thursday, December 15, 2011

Check out our new Art in the Hallway Exhibit!


We've just added a new semi-permanent exhibition page to the website. It's called "ART in the HALLWAY."
For years, we've filled the hallway that runs from the east wall of gallery one to the restroom with pieces from previous shows and occasional, special pieces that our artists or patrons consign to us. Believe it or not, there are more pieces on the two walls of this corridor than in gallery one and gallery two combined! In fact, there are always between 90 and 100 individual art works exhibiting in this space, which is among the highest traffic areas on the premises. And to make this even more special, José Rodolfo Loaiza Ontiveros delivered a new set of Kissing Prince and Kissing Princess portraits along with some original animation cels.

Since I received more requests for these portraits than I could keep track of, Rodolfo painted variations on the pieces included in his Sold Out August show just in time for the holidays! Click Mort delivered an entirely new series of his surrealist remixes of classic, nostalgic pop-sculptures, some starting below $200!


There are ninety-nine incredible selections, many perfect for gifting -whether for friends, family or for yourself. It's really a Who's Who, featuring new work by Nathan Ota, Jeff Soto, Joe Sorren, as well as some classic (and very risqué) Byron Werner erotic collages from the 90s and a Bill Ward color drawing from 1978.







Thursday, December 8, 2011

Art Center Portfolio Review/Report

At the end of each term, Billy Shire and I are invited to review the Design and Illustration portfolios of the Art Center College of Design's senior class. Most of those soon-to-graduate are seeking industrial jobs in editorial or animation, but a brave handful are hoping for gallery representation. The quality of work from these young artists is almost invariably stellar, but I've singled out a few highlights below. These images represent the work of those I hope to work with (in some capacity) over the course of the next year and beyond. Some will participate in the Laluzapalooza group show in March 2012, and some will be getting feature exhibitions after that, while others will participate in satellite projects to be revealed later. These young folks epitomize the creative impulse of the next generation, and I'm always honored to be asked to jury their portfolios. I spent a lot of time at Art Center in the 90s, and many of the instructors are friends, colleagues and artists I've had the pleasure of representing, so it's exciting to see their students taking unique steps along the same path.

Timothy Cheng is a painter, a sculptor and animator who is sure to be scooped up by a smart Pixar supervisor before the holiday break. Check out these two examples of his painted illustration work and three-dimensional, hand-crafted statues. The image at left is a tribute to Park Chan-wook's ultraviolent and groundbreaking film, Oldboy, and the image below is an example of his surreal, situation sculptures. He also had an intensely realistic sculpture of a baked fish on sushi rice (visible on his website), which will feature prominently in a senior exhibition that also includes drawings and a video installation. Timothy's animation reel was no joke, and it's been a long time since I've seen a triple-crown talent like his.




Shaun Berke first blipped onto my radar when Christine Wu recommended I check out a Rembrandt master-study he had painted for possible inclusion in our Everything But the Kitschen Sync exhibition. It would definitely have passed jury, but I wouldn't have been able to guarantee its return for his senor exhibition upon sale –and I'm certain it would have sold. The heavy subject matter of his work is counter-balanced by his easy-going, good-naturedness. The painting shown here is titled "The Intersection of Hecate, Drowning of Noah, and Disappointment of Ludovica -or Deathboner Blueballs." It's an oil on linen painting measuring 40" x 51". What can I say? The kid can paint!

One of Shaun's good friends, Elliot Brown, graduated last term, and had previously submitted for possible inclusion in our next group show. I returned an email letting him know we weren't looking at submissions yet (this was back in August), but that his portrait of Motorhead frontman, Lemmy, was the best heavy metal portrait I'd seen since Martin Emond passed away three-quarters of a decade ago. Elliot brings his own sharp vision to narrative painting via his superb illustration and painting chops without sacrificing style. He'll definitely be featured in Laluzapalooza in March, possibly via multiple mediums, as he can also sculpt and draw like a motherf**ker.

Sharry Lai first attended Otis College of Art & Design, studying Communication Design before switching majors and schools to study Illustration and Textile Design at Art Center. Her simple, but hyper-stylized drawings are succinctly fashion driven, and the application of her work inherently lends itself to packaging and product lines. I actually purchased a piece from Madame Lai's senior exhibition without seeing it framed, but I trust her instincts and can barely wait to see it on my walls. I think she's one to watch, and look forward to seeing what a smart, intuitive couture designer can bring to a gallery sensibility.


Everybody knows that we don't generally showcase digital work, but there was something fresh and unique to Sara Saedi's mock rock posters, so I asked her about making monoprints, and she offered an even better solution: unique silk screens! Also a talented pattern-maker, Sara is sure to connect with fans of Tara McPerson, Mark Atamos Pilon and even Shag –but with a new-jack twist.

And there you have it: a short survey of the wonderful work presented by the class of 2011. Not pictured but equally intriguing was a miniature, cloth-and-wood diorama by Li Kai Lai, called "My Grandfather's Closet," and Liz Mamont's proto-Victorian illustrated zine, "Uncle Tiberius."

Big props also to my two former assistants, Ann Shen and Sana Park for presenting incredible design portfolios. Ann included pages from Pop-Sequentialism and La Luz de Jesus 25, both of which she designed, and Sana would have had pages from The Panik Diaries, but the content might have been a bit questionable for a senior project. More on that later...

I'll leave you with Jon Lau's loving caricature of Korean, hip-hop girl-group 2NE1, a wonderful miniature print of which is currently under a magnet on my refrigerator:

Saturday, December 3, 2011

Here, Kitty, Kitty!

Last night we opened two incredible new shows from a couple of artists whose styles couldn't be much more different, yet manage to complement each other perfectly. I'm speaking of course of Daniel Martin Diaz's Quantum Mysticism (LA Canvas' Gallery Pick of the Week), and Rob Burden's Toy Box.

Daniel appeared in person to sign his latest art volume Anatomy of Sorrow (La Luz de Jesus Press, 2011) which contains many of the pieces featured in this exhibition of symbols steeped in the lore of Christianity with roots in pre-Christian dogma possessed of sigil-like power. Prints, drawings and paintings combined to make Quantum Mysticism an incredibly enlightened gallery experience.

In Gallery II, Rob Burden's larger-than-life portraits of toys required special loading, assembly and hanging apparatus, and it's hard to believe how quickly the rear gallery transformed from a work-in-progress to a stunning display of mind-blowing nostalgia. At least one top ten performer marveled at the scale of Rob's paintings when he stopped by for a sneak peak of Toy Box on Thursday evening.




TONIGHT, we'll be hosting a special signing event for Taschen's The Big Book of Pussy, edited by Dian Hanson, and featuring the work of dozens of photographers and models -many of whom will be in attendance, including our good friend Ed Fox (pictured at our last signing extravaganza). I'm not allowed to confirm which models will be arriving for this, but I can say that if you are even remotely interested in the body part that all of us have passed through at one moment or another, you will hate yourself for missing this.


The event opens at 7 PM and runs until 10 o'clock. And yes, it's exactly what you think it is –only more!

Saturday, November 5, 2011

La Luz de Jesus 25, Part 2: Photo Blog

Oops! We did it again!

La Luz de Jesus 25, the groundbreaking, retrospective exhibition of all of the artists given feature exhibitions in the last quarter century continued last night (and tonight!). Here's an assortment of images from the Thursday night, artist-only mixer. It was like a combination class reunion and yearbook signing event that once again brought together three generations of Pop Surrealism's finest. Check out these images and come on down tonight to revel in the glow of the the final reception for this historic show.

La Luz de Jesus Gallery is located inside the Soap Plant / Wacko complex on the corner of Rodney, one block east of Vermont at 4633 Hollywood Blvd, LA, CA 90027. Call gallery director Matt Kennedy for art purchases: (323) 666-7667.

















Saturday, October 29, 2011

And now, a word from our guest blogger: Mia Matsumiya

Happy 25th birthday, La Luz de Jesus!
To celebrate, we rabidly frothed out a massive exhibit on Friday and Saturday, October 7 & 8, showcasing a staggering 76 boatloads of pop surrealist artists (some of them very prominent!) that have shown here over the last twenty-five years. Okay, so we didn’t actually calculate the exact number of boats, but it was a lot of artists – 142, to be exact, so it was at least the equivalent of a small fleet. This is actually only the first half of the show; the second half will be premiering in November and will feature 117 more artists.













The place was packed. Being 4’9”, it was pretty much a sea of torsos and nose hair with occasional flashes of artwork, but hey, that’s just the way it is for a 4’9”er. (NOT to be confused with a 49er in football.) Honestly, it was one of the most impressive shows I’ve seen in the last few years. It kind of blows my teensy, human mind that so much awesomeness can exist in such a small amount of physical space.Check out a couple of my favorites from the first installment: Paul Barnes’ “King Charles,” and Pol Turgeon’s “The Bishop, the Flower, and the Egg" (both above).

Craig LaRotunda’s “Feast of the Undead” (featuring nipple injury and flying, demonic, skull-carrying babies) makes me terrified of motherhood, so thanks a lot for that, Craig LaRotunda.



Also pictured from the first show: Sam Doyle's "He/She," Kim Scott's "Lookout," Joe Coleman's "The Triumph of Burlesque in the Age of Sodom and Gomorrah," Mark Gleason's "Sissy," and Jason D'Aquino's "From the Mouths of Babes."


Mia's favorites from La Luz de Jesus 25 Part 2 will be posted soon...