La Luz de Jesus is turning 25 soon, and to celebrate the galleries is having a massive group show, featuring three generations of artists that have shown with the gallery. Not only have more than 200 artists submitted a work of art, but also a small anecdote about their experience with the gallery. There is no doubt that La Luz de Jesus has been a major force in this art scene, and has helped to push many artists into the spotlight. Along with the exhibition a book will be released, going over the past 25 years of the gallery and the surrounding art movements that helped it along. I know I say this quite a lot, but this is one of those shows that you should not miss. I firmly believe that all art should be seen in person, but how often do you get to see so many amazing artists in one show? Robert Williams, Joe Coleman, Mark Ryden, Glenn Barr, Elizabeth McGrath, Gary Panter, Mark Mothersbaugh, Marion Peck, Owen Smith, Frank Kozik, Gail Potocki, Dave Cooper, Daniel Martin Diaz, Laurie Lipton, Shag, Scott Musgrove, Gary Baseman, Tim Biskup, Joe Sorren, Chris Mars, Eric White, The Pizz, Jessica Joslin, Gary Baseman, Bob Dob, Clayton Brothers, Shepard Fairey, Jennybird Alcantra, Carrie Anne Baade, Ana Bagayan, Shawn Barber, Scott G Brooks, Matt Groening, Charlie Immer, Michael Hussar, and the list keeps going.
The show will be in two parts, with the first part opening on October 7th, and the second part opening November 4th. The entire show with all of the works from both parts is now online to view, so head on over after to preview and take a look. There is some outstanding work in this show. Below are just a few of my favorites.
Ladies of the Newbrow by Patrushka
Simply known as Patrushka, this San Francisco based artist grew up in Southern California and was inspired by children’s books, album covers, comics and tv. Later the inspirations moved to MC Escher, R. Crumb, Dali, and the current lowbrow/pop surrealist scene. The artist has a few ongoing series of works on her portfolio, one entitled “Ladies of the Lowbrow”. Working with oil on wood, she has created portraits of Camille Rose Garcia, Isabel Samaras, Femke Hiemstra, Jessica Joslin, Jennybird Alcantra, and you can even see Gwen Stefani and Kat Von D.
“In The Trees: TWIN PEAKS 20th Anniversary Art Exhibition”
Opening tonight, February 12th, in Los Angeles at Clifton’s Brookdale is a group show dedicated to David Lynch’s cult television series “Twin Peaks”. The show will feature work by Glenn Barr, Tim Biskup, Scott Campbell, Paul Chatem, Ryan Heshka, Stella Im Hultberg, Ashley Wood, Jessica Joslin, Chris Mars, Liz McGrath, Eric White, and more. Clifton’s Brookdale is a very unique restaurant, however the artwork for the show has been placed online so those of us that aren’t able to make it to the show, and grab some food, will be able to check of some of this outstanding work. I really like what Stella Im Hultberg came up with, the contrast and colors are perfect.
Check out the full show and details here: Twin Peaks
Laurie Lipton and Jessica Joslin @ La Luz de Jesus Gallery
As the end of the year slowly creeps in, there have been some outstanding shows and they keep on coming. This Friday, November 5th at La Luz de Jesus is a duo show with new works from Laurie Lipton and Jessica Joslin. The highly anticipated, and quickly selling, “Machine Punk” show by Laurie Lipton is inspired by the Steampunk craze, but Laurie has changed it a little and states that “my devices are mostly run by electricity and madness.” Jessica Joslin’s “Hybrids” show is a “circus of oddities, a mixed-media menagerie of unexpected creatures.” Both shows look amazing and are now online to view. If you are in the area, make sure to stop by as this work needs to be seen up close.
Preview: Travis Louie’s “Monster” @ Copro Gallery
This July 11th at the Copro Gallery will be “Monster”, a group show curated by Travis Louie and features the work of over 50 artists. I’m a big fan of the work of Mr Louie, and was raised on monster artwork, so this show is right up my alley. Some of the artists that will be at this show are Ron English, Femke Hiemstra, Jessica Joslin, Audrey Kawasaki, Tessar Lo, Martin Wittfooth, Chet Zar, Amanda Visell, Ana Bagayan, Annie Owens, Attaboy, Brandt Peters, Brian Despain, Brom, Chris Ryniak, Dan Quintana, Ekundayo, Dave Chung, Dave DeVries, Davey Wong, Deseo, Dice Tsutsumi, Francesco LoCastro, Fred Harper, Heidi Taillefer, Isabel Samaras, James Zar, Jason D’Aquino, Amy Botello, Kris Kuksi, Kris Lewis, Lola, Mari Inukai, Mark Texiera, Miles Teves, Molly Crabapple, Nouar, Xiaoqing Ding and many more. If you head on over to Erratic Phenomena you can see an interview done with Travis about the show and his stance on the art scene and where it is going. I like how Travis brought up that some of the art we see is short on conception and lacks creativity. My favorite bit is:
A gallery owner (I won’t say who) tried to tell me how great someone’s brushwork was, and he really had no clue about what constitutes “good brushwork.” Folks, there is a significant difference between having a strong style that exaggerates anatomy, and exaggeration because of a lack of anatomical knowledge. I’m not saying I’d like to see all things painted realistically or naturalistically, but I would prefer that the artists know how to draw something, at least. I’ve seen so many artists whose drawing was so bad I can’t believe they got shows.
Not only am I crazy about Art History, but I am also quite big on anatomy and classical ways of painting/drawing. I hope to see more of these disciplines as well. Anway, make sure you head on over to Erratic Phenomena to read the interview and check out the gallery for the full preview of works.
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