Tag: james panozzo

Lezley Saar: Autist’s Fables

Tomorrow night is the opening reception for Lezley Saar's Autist Fables at Merry Karnowsky Gallery. It's the first time since I moved away that I wish I was back in Los Angeles. The show sounds fascinating as described in the press release my friend and Merry's husband, James Panozzo, sent me:

The exhibition begins with a painting titled “They’re Here, Get Used To It,” which sets the tone for a modern allegory compromised of paintings, dioramas, photographs, and a short film. Saar uses multiple mediums to create an imaginative and enigmatic environment inspired by the sensibility, perception, and reality of her 17-year-old Autistic daughter, Geneva.

The short film that will be shown, entitled Le Mystère de Geneviève, is described as
"a fairy tale which is symbolically autobiographical as it relates to Geneva’s journey." Saar explains, “So much attention is focused on the problems of autism; the tragedy of it all, how to ‘cure’ it, how to ramrod these children into being ‘normal.’ But, I find autistic people fascinating. With Autist’s Fables there’s the body; my work which tells this story, and the soul; the moral which is that perhaps Autistic people should finally be accepted as they are.”
And, as with Aesop's Fables, the inspiration for the show's title, Autist's Fables is all about creatures, one of whom looks just like my dog, Darby, a pagan version of him.

I love work like this; personal and primal, darling and dark. If you're in Los Angeles, stop by and see for yourself. Here is the info:

Autist's Fables Opening Reception at Merry Karnowsky Gallery
Saturday, September 11, 2010

7 – 10pm

170 S. La Brea Ave.

Los Angeles, CA 900036

323.933.4408

Thanks, James.

September 10, 2010
Dave McKean’s Wolves

Moon

My friend James Panozzo of Lawrence Asher Gallery and pig roast fame recently wed Lowbrow maven Merry Karnowsky. Last week, I stopped by Merry’s gallery, The Merry Karnowsky Gallery, to extend my best wishes and see the opening of Dave McKean: Persistence of Vision.

Dave is one of those artists who is as prolific as he is masterful. Three rooms were packed with his drawings, mixed media paintings, and, perhaps my favorite, his photograph series called The Particle Tarot: The Major Arcana. (I dabble in Tarot card reading, so I was immediately intrigued.) It was truly awe-inspiring.

I confess this was my first exposure to his work. He has a huge following in the graphic novel/comic book world and is said to be influenced by contemporary graphical artists José Antonio Muñoz and Lorenzo Mattotti. To me, his work resonated with the spirit of preeminent cubist Georges Braque (1882-1963).

Violin and Candlestick by Georges Braque, 1910

Inspired by the haunting wolf in Moon (top) I did some digging for more “dogs” in his art. I was surprised to discover McKean is a children’s book illustrator, collaborating with Neil Gaiman on The Wolves in the Walls, the story of a young girl’s discovery of, yes, wolves in her walls. Amazon calls it “terrifying.” The New York Times selected it as one of the best children’s book for 2003.

The success of the book inspired the stage production of the same name last year at the National Theater of Scotland. The Guardian called it “Endearingly terrifying…Like Bambi with fangs.”

AP photo by Richard Campbell

Finally, Dave McKean is also a celebrated filmmaker and a highly anticipated compilation of 17 of his short films called Keanoshow is being released today on DVD. You can buy it here.

I have only scratched the surface of the body of work of this amazing artist. Here are some resources if you too are now a fan.

The Art of Dave Mckean is a comprehensive fansite.

The official Dave McKean website is a work in progress.

See images of The Persistence of Vision at The Merry Karnowsky Gallery and purchase limited edition prints and the catalogue here.

The show runs until August 16, 2008.

July 29, 2008
Bryan Ricci’s Dogtown

Dogtown, 2007. Oil on photograph mounted on panel

My friend James Panozzo over at Lawrence Asher Gallery will be featuring one of my new favorite dog art works in this weekend, Bryan Ricci’s Dogtown. The piece, part of Ricci’s first solo show there entitled Don’t Feed The Animals, juxtaposes the simplified background of blurred patterns and shapes of the urban/oceanfront photograph with the spotlighted coyote panted in "obsessive detail with a pixel-like quality."

Working with the contrasts of style and subject, Ricci aims " to bring to light the ever-increasing disparities between the
limitedness of what we allow ourselves to see and the enormity and
timelessness of the world that goes unnoticed. [His] paintings serve as a
reminder of human ignorance and neglect, an invitation to look deeper,
and a challenge to question and examine one’s own perceptions."

On it’s own, I think Dogtown is a gorgeous piece. And truth be told, I don’t usually respond to artwork with a social message. But I think Ricci has deftly made his point in a beautiful way. And that’s true art!

Update: James just sent over another Ricci piece with similar themes but a different energy. Very cool!

Summer Lovin’, 2008. Oil on photograph mounted on panel.

Information:

Lawrence Asher Gallery
5820 Wilshire Blvd.
Suite 100
Los Angeles, CA 90036

Opening Reception March 15, 6 – 10 pm.

The show runs until April 12.

March 14, 2008
The Perfect Evening: Dalí, Dog Art, and Cheese (oh…and some red wine too) PART II

To continue our adventure…After the Dalí exhibit, Allison and I crossed the street to go to see our friend James Panazzo at his Lawrence Asher Gallery Christmas party. Kris Kamm, our other friend, met us there too. You may remember James and Kris from the pig roast escapade.

James (center) and friends

LAG owner Steve Kramer with his daughter Jennifer (right) and family friend

I hadn’t seen the gallery’s latest show and was pleasantly surprised to see several wonderful dog works on display.

Allison, Kris and Me in front of The One by Kim Kimbro

Prey by Kim Kimbro

Artist Barry Baldwin with his intriguing English Girl statue.

English Girl close up

Eventually we felt a little peckish and Kris recommended we to go to Lou, a tiny wine bar nestled between a Laundromat and a Thai massage parlor near Vine and Melrose Ave.

Lou exterior

Because the windows and door are covered in fabric, I had no way of knowing that inside is one of the coziest, coolest restaurants in LA. With no reservations, we sipped some wine from the 25 wine-by-the-glass menu and hovered near the bar. I had the Lirac Syrah which was just right for a rainy night.

This is the entire restaurant. My camera doesn’t do justice to the low warm lighting, but you get the idea. It’s like being at someone’s dinner party.

Eventually seats opened up at the bar and we had the perfect spot to chat with owner Lou Amdur, to watch him meticulously pour his flights of wine, and to discover that he’s a former financial biz guy who always had a passion for wine and cheese.

Lou Amdur

I like wine too, but I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE cheese, so I was thrilled by this new find, not that I would ever doubt Kris, who is always on LA’s inside track. But…we all were a little disappointed with the food. The pig candy (bacon with savory/sweet seasoning) and the macaroni & cheese were cold. And the cheese board was bizarrely uninspired. Granted, by this time I was starving and anxious to inhale a hamburger (not on the menu) and the room was slammed with standing room only patrons. And there are many raves for Lou at Yelp. So maybe it was an off night. Plus, Lou was so nice and the place has such an inviting speakeasy feel, I would definitely go back. But I was glad I had the fixings for a turkey sandwich when I got home.

December 20, 2007
TarFest, Dog Art, and a Pig

Four years ago, my friend James Panozzo decided L.A.’s Miracle Mile, a stretch of Wilshire Blvd. packed with galleries, music venues, and museums, needed an event to bring everyone together and celebrate the art scene in the area. With no money, no experience and no idea what he was doing, he pulled it off and the awesome cultural experience known as TarFest was born.

This Friday it kicks off again with a juried art exhibit, followed by music, film and fun family events throughout the weekend. Click here to see the schedule.

A check of the works this year reveals only one piece of dog art, Mimi Drop’s Sun Room Sofa Fabric (above). Don’t adjust your monitor. This is how the piece looks.

Last year there were two dog works:

Ramona Otto’s Lucky Dog, which anchored the center of the room with its eye-catching lucky charms.

And Pacific Dog Day, by me, Moira McLaughlin:

This is an image of Mike Schmidlin, my friend Katie’s brother, and his dog Milo. Katie commissioned it when she heard news that Milo’s days were coming to an end. Mike received it almost a week after Milo died in his arms and was really moved by the surprise tribute to his best friend.

I based it on several photos I had taken in 1998 at Mike’s Pig Roast Camp Out, an orgy (not really) of former wrestlers making leis, drinking beer and roasting an entire pig.

Here are some more snapshots of the crazy weekend that TarFest’s James Panozzo was a part of too.

James with my dreamy red surfboard.

Katie, James, Kris and Hugh at our campsite.

To the right is the edge of a cliff, not great when you wander out at night looking for the bathroom in the pitch black. Luckily we all survived.

I made an editorial decision to include the pig so you could get the full effect. Apologies to any vegetarians.

This was feeding time. The pig wasn’t finished and the natives were getting restless. Eventually the guys just hacked into it with knives. Katie and I ate potato chips for dinner.

Say hi if you see me at TarFest. And say hi to James too. Aside from having great taste in art, astounding willpower, and endless charm and energy, he’s always super-friendly. It’s a great combination to make something happen in this town. Congratulations, James, for pulling it off again!

October 4, 2007