Saturday Night Art

Art Car on La Cienega

Everything always happens on the same night in Los Angeles.  There were numerous gallery openings, concerts, plays, music gigs and more, all this past Saturday.  Larry and I had to pick and choose.

We started out at the George Billis Gallery on La Cienega.  East Culver City has amassed a number of great art galleries all within a few blocks of each other.  It seemed that most of them had openings this past Saturday.  Our friend, Joan Tucker had a show at George Billis.  I'm an early collector of Joan's paintings.  Her work is better than ever.  We saw Joan and her husband, Paul and toured the rest of the work at the gallery.  

 

Artist, Joan Tucker

We particularly liked the work of Patricia Chidlaw.  She has a realistic, but painterly style of Los Angeles scenes.  I really like this scene of a deco bar, with a car crash on the bar television set.  

Painting by Patricia Chidlaw

Patricia also painting a scene that I drive by on a weekly basis.  Here's Patricia's elegant and interesting painting, along with my photograph of the same scene.  It's taken from the bridge on La Cienega where it crosses over Ballona Creek, looking east.

Painting by Patricia Chidlaw, Ballona Creek

Photo by Ellen Bloom, Ballona Creek

After a quick chicken shwarma pita wrap at Gaby's Express, down the street, we hopped into the car and zoomed up to Highland Park.  Next art stop was Future Studio to see "Mystery Wreck 2" by Dan Van Clapp (Could this be the answer to the mysterious disappearance of Amelia Earhart?).  The artist, Dan Van Clapp constructed what could have been Amelia Earhart's airplane, aged and wrecked, "found" in the desert, along with other aerospace "artifacts."  The artist was there to explain his work.  Van Clapp is highly entertaining.  His work is wonderful!

"Mystery Wreck 2" by Dan Van Clapp

Future Studio Gallery Owner, Amy Inouye tries to explain the Mystery

Amy is still explaining.  Stuart is not so sure.

Artist, Van Clapp and photographer, Larry Underhill

Aviatrix, Amelia Earheart

The Chicken Boy Store has been upgraded too!  I managed to find a few items to purchase for the upcoming holiday season.

The Chicken Boy Store

Amy and Stuart served snacks!

Last stop on our Saturday Art Adventure was a new gallery called EklectoMania, also in Highland Park.  Gallery curator, Ted Meyer displayed a show called "Sex Stories" consisting of his work and also George Joaquim's paintings.  It was a cohesive and fun show in this new gallery that fronts two 1910-era homes.  

Artist, Ted Meyer

Many of Ted's new series, "Women Napping with Animals"

George Joaquim's work

We were able to check out one of the 1910 homes, under restoration, behind the gallery.  Wow!  Lots of cool architectural details and LOTS of work to restore.

1910 Highland Park home under restoration

Help me, NELA (North East L.A.) Second Saturday Art Organizaton people!  There wasn't a map or gallery guide to be found ANYWHERE for this second Saturday event....not online, not in any of the galleries.  Come on!  Update your website before the Art Walk each month!  I don't live in Highland Park, so I'm not in-the-know as to which galleries will be open for this event each month!

Chicken Boy, the Statue of Liberty of Los Angeles, Route 66, Highland Park, Little L.A.