We toured a bit in Palos Verdes yesterday morning to end up at Glorias to visit and see how she was feeling. Lunch with her in her neighborhood and off we went to La Luz de Jesus Gallery in East Hollywood. This gallery has been on my list for quite a long time so it was great that R cleverly proposed it as a destination on our way to our new stomping grounds.
First off, you cannot miss this place as it is vividly painted from the pictures and type on the fascia to the neon declaring "Wacko" to the orange mullions surrounding the glass. Inside is not the pristine gallery environment I had anticipated. But a wild mix of a great bookstore of art, popular culture, world culture, oddities and childrens books all depicting an aspect of art, illustration, culture that this gallery embraces. There are teeshirts, Indian instrctional posters, Mexican shopping bags, jewelry, figurines and collectibles,and on and on...There are old poster displays -- dirty but functioning with Shag (to name a name) screenprints for $150-$250 a pop. Random giclees from name illustrators wrapped in cello, corrugate backed and identified with hand lettered stickies applied to the top. The gallery is in the back of the space surrounded by merchandise and books. The chock a block aesthetic matched the aesthetic in the display and range of work, quality of craft and content. Prices topped mainly at $3,000. With much of the work not exceeding a thousand. What was interesting is the reputation La Luz de Jesus has, how it is often the first step for many artist illustrators, and the reach it provides is the magic that this amalgam of art, books, gear, decorative arts featuing pop culure, tikis, kar kulture, fantasy, and fashion provides.
As inspiring for mr was a shop across the street called Fresh Pressed Sreen Shop (www.fresh-pressed.com). Essentially these guys will do a one off teeshirt, bag whatever... As you wait. They have a computer set up with house industries type and illos..so you can do your own graphics, bring em on a flash from
Home or have them do it. They will screen one or many colors or metallics (huge here-- very trendy). Brilliant concept. And perfect location as their customers are the Luz de Jesus people.
We hotwired the room ($125 per night--4 star ) landed us at the Hyatt Regency in Century City near this fantabulous mall with all the shopping and food being infused with drama and theater. Funny and scary as well.
More to talk about-- but no free internet-- so this is a slow iPhone entry.