With Keith in the garage inhaling toxic fumes every night I started to get really jealous. So I looked around the house for something I could paint.
I’ve had these Chinese Bottle gourds for a few years. They used to be a bright mint green but have slowly dried to a beige, speckled perfection. The seeds inside even have a little rattle to them.
No patterns, no plan, just paint. It goes to show you what a little color can do.
If you can remember back, way back, almost two years ago now, before a person named Barack Obama was president, there was a little art show at the Democratic National Convention in Denver called Manifest Hope. The show eventually traveled to D.C. for the inauguration and helped make some of the pieces downright famous. This year, the same group has tapped more than 150 artists for a new show, Manifest Equality, which will be open through the weekend at a former Big Lots in Hollywood. The space was designed by Commune Design (who did the amazing Ace Hotel in Palm Springs that I wrote about at GOOD) and it will feature many of my favorite artists, including my most favorite, Keith Scharwath.
A house was getting gutted at the bottom of our street and every day a pile of architectural detritus would grow on the curb. Keith “rescued” this door, scraped it clean, and transformed it into his piece.
“This door was probably opened and closed many times, allowing or denying access to many people,” Keith says on his blog, where he has more photos. “Now it’s open forever.”
You can see Keith’s door and over 400 other pieces through Sunday. March 7 at Manifest Equality, 1341 Vine Street, in Hollywood. I took lots of photos of the show. Hope to see you there!
On the last day I was in Madrid, I made a big loop around the city on foot and managed to snap a bunch of cool tapas bar signage.
I loved these little illustrations.
Looks like it used to say something else but I couldn’t tell what.
Really, what more does one need?
Double bonus for the awesome accidental 80’s signage captured above.
This place was the perfect shade of apricot and the perfect shade of mint—a visual daiquiri.
Some Spanish restaurants make you really feel right at home.
Because what’s better than karaoke? Laser karaoke!
The Madrid metro was clean, colorful and easy to navigate, but I loved these little branded buckets the most. They were so cute, it almost made you happy it was raining!
I supposed it’s better than a Low Tech Hotel.
I headed towards the Royal Palace but the line was really long for tickets, so I opted to go inside the Almudena Cathedral, which is next door, instead. And then I looked up.
The most vibrant colors I’ve ever seen on a cathedral ceiling, as a children’s choir sang to a hushed crowd. What a pleasant, unexpected treat!
Speaking of treats, most helados shops were actually shut tight due to the cold weather. But I managed to find a special exception at Mallorca, these awesome little pastelerias found all over Madrid.
The coolest part was their system to keep track of your purchases as you roam the three-story epicurean playground because they know you’re probably going to eat that trufa helada de coco about 30 seconds after it comes out of the case!
All my photos are here. Hope you enjoyed our Spanish adventure!
Los Angeles is the featured city this year at ARCOmadrid, and it’s so fun to see little reminders of home by the L.A. artists all over town. This is a painting of the Olive Motel, which is just up the street from my house.
Also from my neighborhood, the collective Fallen Fruit had a fantastic exhibition at Intermediae Matadero.
They’re trying to plant these 60 fruit trees in the neighborhood…more on that later.
Doug Aitken’s The Moment screening in a cavernous space inside the Matadero, a former slaughterhouse.
Invisible City at Le Instituto Cervantes, featuring a dozen LA artists addressing everything from our city’s relationship to the police to the way the ficus trees buckle the sidewalks.
The incredible Panorama Los Angeles curatorial team of Kris ‘n’ Chris, otherwise known as Kris Kuramistu and Christopher Miles. You can read more about the show in an article by another Chris, Chris Lee, over at the Los Angeles Times.
The adorable Christopher James Alexander, curator for the Getty Research Institute, just after introducing the Madrid version of the show he first created in LA: Julius Shulman’s Los Angeles. I covered the opening for Dwell: In Madrid: Julius Shulman’s LA.
The Shulman show was designed by the stunning Maria Velez from the Getty, who also designed the show’s exhibition at the Getty and in Guadalajara, Mexico.
One of the best events of the fair was a panel on alternative ways to present art, featuring Emi Fontana from West of Rome (whose Women in the City show I wrote about for Print), Russell Ferguson of UCLA, Wendy Yao of Ooga Booga (who I included in my favorite LA places for Dwell) and Mark Allen of Machine Project (whose LACMA takeover I wrote about for Fast Company).
Two of my favorite new friends from the fantastic gallery 1301PE on Wilshire, Brian Butler and Isha Welsh (if they look a little shadowy here it is because they are mysterious men).
The tireless ladies of ForYourArt: Karen, Bettina and Melissa. If their fingers lose contact with their BlackBerrys for too long they start to turn blue.
LA-based performance troupe My Barbarian presenting their hilarious version of the Oscars, which are really called the Goyas in Spain—you even get a little statue of Goya’s head.
ForYourArt’s Melissa Goldberg and Bari Ziperstein (in sharp vintage frames!) at a fantastic dinner organized by Mary Leigh Cherry of Culver City gallery Cherry and Martin (thanks, Mary Leigh!).
Muchas, muchas more photos over at Flickr…
Have a seat and check out some of my favorites from the quite fantastic ARCOmadrid fair, which just happens to be the largest art fair in Europe.
This was like my 80’s wardrobe had been liquefied in a blender and poured onto a canvas.
Devendra Banhart does the most wonderful little drawings, which are now available as a limited edition catalogue. You also get this awesome zine as well as some of his music.
Taking photos of “hidden” cell phone towers was totally something I wanted to do, but Robert Voit beat me to it.
Paintings of Hearst Tower by Enoc Perez. We found a painting of the London Gherkin in the closet. He must have a thing for Norman Foster.
I loved these. Famous album covers rendered in embroidery by Alice Wagner.
Me in a Tony Cragg funhouse mirror.
A Warhol that looks like Matt Damon.
And a Hockney that looks like Corey Feldman.
I wore just the right kawstume to the KAWS opening.
And found some extremely gorgeous new work by Ryan McGinness.
There’s lots more photos where those came from…
