Black is Back – at Loft at Liz’s

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With the stunning group show Black, at Loft at Liz’s through March 26th, the color glows, shines, and spills texture. Curated by gallery owner Liz Gordon, the exhibition reveals the ways in which this color is not just one rich, dark shade, but an entire palette of blackness, nuanced and thought-provoking.

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Like the spill of ink or a shimmering backdrop to stars, there is a wonderfully vast feeling to the work on display; in fact there is so much wonderful art that it spreads beyond the main gallery into a small section of Liz’s Antique Hardware store on the floor below.

This is the black of coffee, of night, of puddles, of lightless woods, of just-about-morning, of rain storms with thick clouds, of those perfect cocktail party dresses, of contrast – with pops of gold, red, and white. It is ice caves and moonless midnights, the bottom of a well, the ash from a fire.

You won’t know just how black and how varied black can be until you take in this show.

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Kelly Berg’s  sculptural wall art uses shards of mirror and plexiglass creating shining, physically and emotionally sharp works that remind one of chunks of hail, ice, or broken glass stabbing through the blackness; Berg also offers additional sculptural pieces which weave in color that reference the fashion industry, shoes and purses.

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Carlos Grasso’s mixed media works are a fascinating study in textural contrast, as are the volcanic, molten, obsidian-like works of Jeff Iorillo.

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Michael Hayden’s encaustics fall into a different sphere, layered, with  a golden, horizon-like light weaving in gold leaf and salvage.

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Veda B. Kaya creates swirling, abstract images in white and orange on her oil and acrylic works, patterns that evoke snowflakes and shimmer with both surface and hidden light.

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Andy Moses, also working in oil and acrylic, gives viewers large scale works with black backgrounds against which hypnotic white and blue patterns seem to move, slowly, to the viewers eye, as if they were ice flows.

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Lindsey Noble makes a pointed reference to the energy devoured by the cryptocurrency industry in her series of ribbed and webbed works, and in taking on that industry also evokes some of its shadowy, dark, deep beneath the ground “mining.”

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Miguel Osuna offers stunning textures, and in “Difficult Pleasure,” a rose pattern within his midnight black works.

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This is dizzying, fabric-like, highly textured work you could sink inside.

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Red and white faces and bodies pop like vampires or creatures born in darkness within Stefano Panichi’s large scale black backgrounds.

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And then there are the seductive and sinuous sculptural limbs created by Camilla Taylor. Cast from stoneware, lino-cut, ceramics and pewter, these are powerful pieces, haunting, dismembered, burnt, scarred, redeemed.

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This is a poetic and beautiful show, one that somehow, almost magically, carries the viewer deep within the heart of blackness, making viewers forget – or realize the fallacy of – the monochromatic color scheme.

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Above, Liz Gordon, curator and gallerist.

Black is back indeed – riven with passion – or perhaps it never left. It’s bold, it’s big, it’s gotta be seen.

Loft at Liz’s is located at 453 S. La Brea in mid-city.

  • Genie Davis; Photos by Genie Davis; additional photos: Carlos Grasso and Michael Hayden

 

 

Approaching the New Year: A Thank You to Los Angeles Artists

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Creating art is in and of itself a generous act. Artists are sharing a vision of the world, something that moves viewers, enhances viewers’ lives, and shapes something beautiful out of chaos.

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What a collection of astonishing work: oil and acrylic paintings, sketches, digital prints, photography, sculptures.

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We’ve been proud, deeply touched, and beyond thrilled to see even more generous artistic moments this year, in not one, but two fundraisers held for my daughter and grandson Nicole Saari and baby Aaron Saari, below, suffering from late stage Lyme Disease, which is not covered by medical insurance or recognized by the CDC.

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In March, we held a successful fundraiser at the Neutra Gallery in Silver Lake. Our most recent event, depicted here, held at the Loft at Liz’s in mid-city,  included some 90 pieces of profoundly wonderful art in one of the liveliest and most exciting settings in the LA art scene. The event was an evening of food, drink, and of course a bounty of silent-auction ART at “Lyme Away 2: Help Nicole Saari and Baby Aaron Saari Win The Fight Against Late Stage and Congenital Lyme Disease.”

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As the New Year approaches, we wanted to thank the art community for their amazing and joyous contributions,  and remind our readers to support artists and gallerists by spreading the word about their work, attending openings and artists’ talks, buying art when they can, reviewing and photographing art when they can, and simply opening their hearts and minds and eyes to the incredible work of so many artists here in Los Angeles. Below, are photos from our Loft at Liz’s event in December, and following those, from our Neutra Gallery event in March.

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Above harpist Corrin Zug plays; below pyrographic artist Zachary Aronson worked live.

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Above, right, Loft at Liz’s own Liz Gordon with artist Stuart Kusher.

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Above, Randi Kristopher Kreeft, curator at Loft at Liz’s

From our March event:

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Above, the band Search for Delicious rocked out at the Neutra.

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Above, curator Dulce Stein.

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Below, an art raffle, conducted by Terry Holzman, helped raise funds, too.

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Participating artists included: Catherine Ruane, Zadik Zadikian, Francisco Alvarado, Hung Viet Nguyen, Monica Wyatt, Kaloust Guedel, Dwora Fried, Chenhung Chen, Dani Dodge, Bryan Ida, Monica Wyatt, Zachary Aronson, Susan T. Kurland, Lorraine Heitzman, Richard Chow, Mike Mollett, Sonja Schenk, Ted Meyer, Kate Carvellas, Samuelle Richardson, Scott Trimble, Cathy Immordino, Kristine Schomaker, Robert Costanza, L. Aviva Diamond, Tom Dunn, Peggy Sivert Zask, Ben Zask, Aline Mare, Johnny Naked, Cansu Bulgu, Bibi Davidson, Cynthia Friedlob, Leonard Greco, Stephen Levey,  Karrie Ross, Tracey Weiss, Phil Santos, Skye Amber Sweet, Robyn Alatorre, Michael Giancristiano, Rouzanna Berberian, Gary Brewer, Heather Lowe, Julian Hernandez, Gary Pawler, Bleep, Sydney Croskery, Lena Moross, Jodi Bonassi, Kristine Augustyn, Susan Lizotte, Lena Moross, Randi Matushevitz, Deirdre Sullivan-Beeman,  Kim Kimbro Taylor,  Erika Lizee,  Nadege Monchera Baer, Nurit Avesar, Rouzanna Berberian, Tom Dunn, Terry Holzman, Skye Amber Sweet, Gay Summer Rick, Jane Szabo, and many more — I hope I have not missed anyone, but there was such an outpouring of wonderful works, I may have.  (And please correct me!)

Happy New Year!

  • Genie Davis; photos: Jack Burke, Genie Davis

Taking Found Art to the Highest Level: Diverted Destruction 10 – The Alumni Show at Loft at Liz’s

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Above, gallerist Liz Gordon in her give-away installation room.

Through September 6th at Loft at Liz’s, the 10th annual Diverted Destruction exhibition is the perfect example that one person’s detritus is another’s – art treasure. Curated by gallery owner Liz Gordon, the show features the work of a number of renowned Liz’s exhibition alums: Aaron Kramer, Charles Dickson, Dale Brockman Davis, Dani Dodge, Dave Lovejoy, Doug Pearsall, Joe Davidson, Joe Sims, June Diamond, Mike Saijo, Pamela Grau, Rosalyn Myles, Ruben Acosta, Steve Olson, Teresa Tolliver and Terri Hartman.

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Over 60 artists have participated in the show over the years, whose mission it’s been to inspire people to be creative with items that would otherwise be thrown away. This year’s show asked participating artists to create works with the waste of items they personally use and customarily discard. Another change in this year’s show: while giveaway tables filled with found-art items Gordon collects have always been a part of the show, this year, Gordon installed a Projects Room Giveaway Installation as a part of the exhibition space. 

“I love doing installations. This year instead of throwing all the items out on tables, I decided to create an installation that resembles a store with all the items that I am responsible for disposing of. Everyday it is replenished because box lots come to the store everyday.When the show ends I find teachers to give all that is left.
The collection for the following year starts immediately, piling up in my garage or in The Artist Boxes until the last Saturday of June when there is the Diverted Destruction Opening Reception for that year,” Gordon asserts.

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Discussing what led her to start a found materials show and give away in the first place, Gordon explains “I’m passionate about this show. I believe it is important to be aware of how much garbage each one of us creates.  It is vital that we as consumers do the best we can to minimize the amount of landfill material we create.”

As the owner of Liz’s Antique Hardware as well as the gallery, Gordon has access to backlots with items that would otherwise be tossed; these are items she offers as part of the giveaway collection. “Many items that come in are broken, too new or not relevant to the store.  There is a section in the back alley of the store that we have always called The Artist Boxes.  That is where these types of items accumulate throughout the year,” she relates. “The first year I did Diverted Deconstruction, I thought to put those items on tables and give it away to anyone that may want to create Found Object Assemblage. A couple examples of the type of items that come in frequently are half hinges which are incomplete, another are damaged vintage glass doorknobs.”

Gordon says she decided to make her found art show an annual event immediately after holding the first one.

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“I saw the positive response to the works that were created and everyone had a great time picking through the heaps of giveaway finds.   By the third year, a free Assemblage Workshop was added.  Artists from the show are asked to come to guide those in attendance. This year we have had four workshops.”

Upcoming on August 19th from 2 to 4 p.m., artist Dani Dodge instructs.

“I also collect throughout the year my personal refuse to put in the giveaway.   Corks, bottle caps, magazines and much much more.  I often find items in the garbage.   The fabric stores in the area give me their sample books.. After I saw one of the stores throwing them in the dumpster I went around asking the stores for them instead of throwing them away.  They are delighted to have a place that they will be
used instead of being thrown away.  Artists need materials!” she enthuses.

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While Gordon is thrilled with each work in the current show, she says her favorites are Aaron Kramer’s kinetic toys and Charles Dickson’s feet.  “They are so clever and so much fun,” she says.

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Dickson’s mixed media left and right foot “Carbon Footprint” features a wide variety of colorful ephemera incased in plastic.

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Kramer’s toys include “Differential” which utilizes Pelegrino bottles to create a gravity-assisted fascinating motion sculpture. His “Intense Wood” is an artistic pinball machine.

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Dani Dodge’s “The Last Lamenting Kiss” utilizes items left over from her room-size installation “Personal Territories at Lancaster MOAH gallery, including mattress skin, stencils, fabric, thread, and even some of the boxes from the frozen meals she consumed while creating her work.

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Frozen food boxes, wedding dress tulle, and battery operated holiday lights are her medium in “I love you until the end of plastic.” Her glowing, dimensional wall sculptures are like celestial orbs in the gallery space.

The mixed media “All Lives/Black Lives Matter” offers Braille inscription on an otherworldly LP; Michael Hayden offers a series of encaustic and mixed media works that shimmer with blues and copper and aquamarine.

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June Diamond’s recycled glass, paint, and steel sculptures have an ethereal look; contrastingly, the pieces also evoke anchors as art form, utilizing chains and design angles that feel rooted.

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Pamela Grau’s sculptural works utilize tennis nets and metallic patina as well as other found objects, creating works that like her “Nubia” feel like icons from an ancient time.

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Ruben Acosta’s “At the Cross” and “Bits and Pieces” focus on wood among its found objects, the pieces feel burnished and ancient.

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Terri Hartman’s large scale chicken wire, newspaper, paper, and organdy thread “And Women Weep” resembles a suspended Egyptian sarcophagus.

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Indeed, there is a sense of reverence and elegy – as well as playfulness, an interesting and complementary dichotomy – in each of these works.

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In short, go for the art exhibited, attend a workshop, and stay for the long term in an awakened awareness of human wastefulness – and how we can utilize that waste to create something beautiful.

  • Genie Davis; photos courtesy of the gallery and Genie Davis

 

 

Feeling Blue? The Loft at Liz’s Has What You Need

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Above: artist Gary Brewer

Feeling blue? Then it’s time to immerse yourself in the wondrous rush of the color, emotion, and vibrations of blue at Loft at Liz’s. The show features the work of artists

Brad Howe
Angel Chen
Gary Brewer
Barbara Kolo
Shana Mabari
Miguel Osuna
Stephen Rowe
June Edmonds
Campbell Laird
Moses Hacmon
Bertil Petersson
Michael Hayden
Crystal Fischett

Blue is a seminal show, a rush of sky, sea, flowers, planets, windows to the spirit. The only question is, how blue are you?

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Above, Gary Brewer’s work evokes both water and light,  a moment captured in freeze frame, motion and emotion, both transcendent and incandescent. It’s a love affair with the color of spirit. His “Alchemical Language,” above, is alive and transformational.

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Above and below, the work of June Edmonds.  “Aquatic Pastoral” and “Royal Roost.” Like a feathered kaleidoscope, Edmonds spins viewers into her richly textured work.

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Above, Miguel Osuna dazzles with a vortex of blue light, a planet spinning outward. The oil on canvas work is both fragile and strong, something gestating.

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Above, Angel Chen gives us stoneware, earthenware, sculptures that capture a wave, a seahorse, a goddess, a portal, blue coral – fossils that represent the color blue, glorious stepping stones into another dimension.

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Above, Brad Howe’s abstract blue sculpture is built of stainless steel, aluminum, and urethane, 23 separate pieces linked like mysterious alien musical notes.

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Above and below, Barbara Kolo creates Sky, Harbor, Tide in ink and colored pencil so rich that they appear, at first glance to be paint. These shades are like a Rorschach test for color. Each piece has an inward glow.

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Below, Gary Brewer with wife and artist Aline Mare (Mare has her own exhibition across the street from Loft at Liz’s at the Jill Joy Gallery).

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Below, power art couple Osceola Refetoff and Shana Nys Dambrot.

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Above, Michael Hayden uses encaustic mixed media to create, in his words, “rough, smooth, bright, dark –  in my mind the kind of way that it works for me.” Using resin and beeswax melted together contrasts the burlap and thin layers of wax over burlap.  “I’m so attracted to the ever-changing, hypnotic horizon line. You never get tired of getting lost on the horizon line. I just moved from West Hollywood to the Marina just to experience it.” Viewers can experience it in his art, which also employs silver leaf for high gloss and shine.

Not pictured but equally powerful are the works of Campbell Laird – his resin film print Blue Beneath the Pier, Venice CA is a stunner; Stephen Rowe, who uses dots, lines, and a pointillist technique to create acrylic on canvas works of complex abstraction; Crystal Fischeti’s geometric blue acrylic and oil pieces which have the quality of stained glass; Moses Hacmon’s archival pigment on aluminum panels which capture the wonders of the deep; Bertil Persson’s painted steel and lucite cubes; and Lauren Kasmer’s mesmerizing silk and chiffon dresses and jackets as wearable blue art.

Go for the color of creation…and check out Kasmer’s exciting December 8th presentation of Not So Blue, an evening  of small bites, R&B, hip-hop, video, and wearable art. The event is free but be generous – donations benefit two local charitable organizations dedicated to feeding and sheltering women and children in need.

Loft at Liz’s is located at 453 S. La Brea Ave., and the show itself runs through January 9th.

  • Genie Davis; photos: Jack Burke