Tony's Leaving L.A.

In My 'Hood

One of my favorite Los Angeles artists is moving away. Tony de Carlo was born in L.A., lived in Hawaii as a kid, and then moved back here many years ago. His artwork is L.A.-centric; Latino-centric and gay-centric. He is a self-taught artist who has actually made a decent living from selling his paintings....my hero!

Whenever Tony finishes a painting, he e-mails the image along with written inspiration for the painting to his many admirers on his mailing list. He sells most of his pieces this way.

Tony has lived in this magnificent 1920's four-plex in Echo Park for 15 years. Recently, the building was sold and all of the tenants were asked to leave. Tony painted his glorious apartment and the backyard (that he so beautifully landscaped) over and over again. Bits and pieces of his place show up in many of his paintings.

Suicidal Dreams

Tony exhibits in various galleries in L.A. and elsewhere, but every summer he would have an open house to sell his paintings. Larry and I always attended, even if we were too poor to purchase a painting. Purchasing a painting direct from Tony, however was always more cost-effective than buying from one of his galleries. Over the years, we've collected quite a few pieces. Many of them are sprinkled throughout this blog.

Tony and his partner, Isidro are moving to Corrales, New Mexico. I feel sad that Tony may not be painting the L.A. landscape anymore. I know that his subject-matter will change, along with the scenery. I also know that whatever he paints will be good. Thankfully, we'll all still receive his e-mails filled with stories and pictures. I wish him the best in his new location, but Los Angeles, along with Ellen and Larry will miss Tony de Carlo.