CLICK FOR BEYOND EDEN 2011 SLIDESHOW

Last weekend’s third annual “Beyond Eden Multi-Gallery Art Event” held at the historic Barnsdall Art Park / Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery in East Hollywood was vibrant and well-attended with an estimated 5000 people passing through the gallery between Saturday night and Sunday day – a fantastic turnout especially in the face of numerous competing art events and fairs during “Pacific Standard Time: Art in L.A. 1945-1980,”a multi-institutional initiative conceived by the Getty Foundation and Getty Research Institute. The success of Beyond Eden is further proof that the “New Contemporary Art Scene” (an umbrella term which encompasses Pop Surrealism, Street Art, Lowbrow, Outsider, Illustrative, Narrative and beyond )  is a force to be reckoned in the art world now, and for a long time to come.

The event, with its foundation planted firmly in California, the birthplace of the New Contemporary Art Scene, showcased the works of a half dozen Southern California galleries including C.A.V.E. Gallery, Copro Gallery, Gallery Nucleus, La Luz De Jesus Gallery (in celebration of their 25th Anniversary this year), Toy Art Gallery, and Thinkspace. Live painting demonstrations took place at the entrance and bar area of the gallery. This year’s featured events included exhibitions from Cannibal Flower (emerging LA based artists) and San Francisco’s Spoke Art (the LA stop of the traveling ‘Quentin vs. Coens’ exhibit) and a special showcase of Los Angeles street artists presented by Thinkspace and curated by local artist Euth. A screening of the ‘best of’ Sketch Theater, the online site designed to inspire creativity through time-lapsed, start-to-finish sketches from numerous artists ran continually in the gallery’s screening room. The event was topped off with a lively award ceremony, celebrating artist Anthony Ausgang on the 20th anniversary of his first solo show and his continued presence in the art world.  Previous Beyond Eden award ceremonies recognized the contributions and influences of La Luz de Jesus’ Billy Shire (2009) and artist Robert Williams (2010) with lifetime achievement awards.

The event was coordinated by Thinkspace and Sour Harvest‘s Andrew Hosner with Lee of Lee Joseph Publicity for the Visual Arts and Dionysus Records. Plans are in store for the Fourth Annual Beyond Eden, in 2012, stay tuned!

Enjoy the slide show (link above) of Beyond Eden 2011 shot by Sam Graham.

In just two more weeks La Luz de Jesus Gallery opens the biggest exhibition in their history. In fact it’s so big that it’s going to take them two months to showcase it all. This is LA LUZ DE JESUS 25.

On the weekends of October 7th and November 4th, La Luz de Jesus Gallery will be celebrating their twenty-fifth year of groundbreaking exhibitions with a show including almost everyone who’s ever been featured here. Billy Shire has masterminded and organized a monumental group show featuring over 250 artists, each of whom have contributed one new piece and a written anecdote about their experience with the gallery. This is La Luz de Jesus Gallery’s first survey, featuring three generations of the most important artists working today. There will also be a book –a companion to the show, chronicling the rich legacy of La Luz de Jesus and the movements it helped launch.
The exhibition roster for Part One is below
A full index for both exhibitions can be found here.

La Luz de Jesus 25 Part 1
Opening October 7 & 8
Friday & Saturday, 8–11 pm

La Luz de Jesus Gallery
4633 Hollywood Blvd.
Los Angeles CA 90027
323-666-7667
www.laluzdejesus.com
info@laluzdejesus.com

Jennybird Alcantara
Marco Almera
David Anderle
Rick Araluce
Robert Armstrong
Axel
Roberto Baldazzini
Paul Barnes
Glenn Barr
Lou Beach
Vicki Berndt
Cathie Bleck
Jon Bok
Walter Bortolossi
Frijol Boy
Scott G. Brooks
Calef Brown
Ken Brown
Mark Bryan
Robert Burden
Kalynn Campbell
Christian Clayton
Rob Clayton
Joe Coleman
R.S. Connett
Dave Cooper
Lisa Crafts
Bryan Cunningham
Jason D’Aquino
DAST
Glen C. Davies
Alfredo de Batuc
John de Fazio
Gerald de Jesus
Alex de Leon
Georganne Deen
Marc Dennis
Daniel Martin Díaz
Sam Doyle
Myron Conan Dyal
Brice Eichelberger
Bruce Eichelberger
P-Jay Fidler
Matt Fink
Tony Fitzpatrick
Mary Fleener
Alan Forbes
Don Fritz
Gregg Gibbs
Mark Gleason
Paul Glynn
Ralfka Gonzalez
Josh Gosfield
Bruce Gossett
Phillip Graffham
Matt Groening
Tamara Guion
Don Ed Hardy
Scott Harrison
Ric Heitzman
Al Honig
Jason Houchen
Norma Jones
Damara Kaminecki
Christine Karas-Gough
Dean Karr
Norbert H. Kox
Frank Kozik
Krystine Kryttre
Stacy Lande
Jon Langford
Craig LaRotonda
Laura Levine
Laurie Lipton
Alpha Lubicz
Sam Lubicz
Snow Mack
Jason Maloney
ManWoman
Hudson Marquez
Lyn Mayer
Matjames Metson
Sergio Mora
Victor Moscoso
Stanley Mouse
Clare O’Callaghan
Manuel Ocampo
Mu Pan
Gary Panter
Brad “Tiki Shark” Parker
Robert Pasternak
Lisa Petrucci
Gail Potocki
Matthew Price
Moritz R*
Brent Riley
Chris Roberts-Antieau
Francisco Rodriguez Maruca
Spain Rodriguez
Jonathon Rosen
Isabel Samaras
Corey Sandelius
David Sandlin
Kim Scott
Anna Sea
Daniel “DX” Segura
Jonathan Shaw
Jacqueline Shepard
Shrine
Aaron Smith
Owen Smith
Alyson Souza
Karl Stalnaker
Joanne Stephens
Stanislav Szukalski
Yoko Tanaka
Gary Taxali
Michael Teague
Pol Turgeon
Christopher Umana
Elizabeth Uyehara
Sarita Vendetta
Trici Venola
Nicola Verlato
Byron Werner
Robert Williams
Suzanne Williams
S. Clay Wilson
Martin Wittfooth
Dennis Worden
XNO
Trevor Young

These photos were snapped between March 1 and March 3 and document Billy Shire and assistants installing the massive 121 artist, 200+ piece  La Luz de Jesus Gallery juried group show, “Everything But The Kitschen Sync 14” along with the show’s artist preview night.

Roman Cho shot these photographs of the show’s opening party on March 4.

Have a look at the entire show at this link! There are still many great and affordable pieces for sale.

“Everything but the Kitschen Sync XIV”

March 4 – 27
Opening Reception: Friday, March 4th, 8-11 pm
La Luz de Jesus Gallery
4633 Hollywood Blvd.
Los Angeles CA 90027
323-666-7667
www.laluzdejesus.com
info@laluzdejesus.com

Preview the entire show here!

La Luz De Jesus Gallery will be holding their annual juried group exhibition, “Everything but the Kitschen Sync” this coming Friday, March 4. This gigantic, no-theme show features works from some of the freshest and most relevant artists working today. Commercial illustrators, graphic designers, tattooists, scenic painters, students, and animators and other have been invited to submit images. The show includes artists the gallery has previously exhibited, who consistently produce some of the most interesting paintings and sculptures in pop contemporary, as well as a large selection of work from a brand new batch of undiscovered, underground talent. This year’s list of 121 Kitschen Sync artists showing 225 pieces were chosen from over 8000 entries that were sent to the gallery throughout the year.

“Everything but the Kitschen Sync” began in October 1986 as the “Día de los Muertos” show which was entirely focused on the folk art, sculptures and imagery of Mexico’s “Day of the Dead” celebration. By 1995, gallery owner and curator Billy Shire felt the show had run its course and presented other themed group exhibitions such as the 1996 “21st Century Tiki Show” curated with Otto Von Stroheim. In 1998 Shire decided to present a non-themed show dedicated to illustrative and narrative artwork. As many local artists work in commercial graphic art fields such as illustration, cartooning, animation, ect, the show was named “Uncommercial Art by Commercial Artists.” In 2004, Shire changed the show name to the more encompassing and less-cumbersome “Everything but the Kitschen Sync.”

“Everyone looks at this show for new and interesting artists” states Shire – and indeed, not only does La Luz de Jesus pick artists from the Kitchen Synch for future smaller group and solo shows – numerous curators and owners of other galleries also keep their eyes on the yearly show for potential artists to add to their rosters.

“This is the only opportunity for emerging artists to show at the most prestigious gallery in post-pop and it is one of the most anticipated shows of the year because patrons get a crack at buying art from future superstars” states gallery director Matt Kennedy.

“Everything But The Kitschen Sync” 2011 Artist List:
Jessicka Addams
Ron Adkins
Marco Almera
Betty Alvarez
Susanne Apgar
Chris Athans
Davidd Batalon
John Brosio
Greg Brotherton
Michael Brown
Blue Broxton
Jeaneen Carlino
Evan Chambers
Andy Clark
Lacey Clemens
JAW Cooper
Edward Robin Coronel
Matthew Couper
Robert Craig
Will Crane
Jessica Dalva
Patrick “Star27” Deignan
Delphia
Robert Doucette
Dimitri Drjuchin
Jesse Fillingham
Mary Fleener
Vanessa Flores
Tim Forbus
Harold Fox
Frijol Boy
Don Fritz
Richard Frost
Rachel Fujii
Damian Fulton
Jeff Gillette
Mark Gleason
Bruce Gossett
Desiree Grisham
Max Grundy
Sunny Gu
Tamara Guion
Conrad Haberland
Caitlin Hackett
August Hall
Walt Hall
Ashley Harrison
Derek Harrison
Gale Hart
Andy Hernandez
Brett Hess
Scott Holloway
Jack Howe
Bree Hranek
Eric Hudgins
Jeremy Hush
Jennifer Jelenski
JoKa
Damara Kaminecki
Da Hae Kim
Miran Kim
Tara Krebs
Eunbyul Kwak
Dennis Larkins
Dave Lebow
Caroline Lee
Alexis Lopez
Carl Lozado
Danni Shinya Luo
Dion Macellari
Jon MacNair
Monika Malewska
Apricot Mantle
Robert Marbury
Aya Masuda
Mark Melchior
Miso
Junko Mizuno
Nicole Moan
Roberto Morales
Click Mort
Emi Motokawa
Munk One
Corinne Odermatt
Daisuke Okamoto
Jose Ontiveros
Amy Ortiz
Nathan Ota
Cristina Paulos
Celene Petrulak
Linda Quakenbush
Cate Rangel
Brian Raszka
Bonni Reid
Eric Richardson
Gustavo Rimada
Antonio Roybal
Leigh Salgado
Van Saro
Scott Saw
Kim Scott
Simon Sotelo
Andy Steele
Bryce Takara
David Russell Talbott
Hui Tan
Johnny Taylor
Pol Turgeon
Marietta Villalva
Javier Villanueva
Edith Waddell
Jessica Ward
Dave Warshaw
Mel Weiner
Mirmy Winn
Jasmine Worth
Christine Wu
Adam Ybarra
George Yepes
James Zar
Kim Zsebe

Brett Hess “Iconoclast” Acrylic on wood panel 22.25″ x 26″ in 26.25″ x 30″ frame
Evan Chambers “Diving Bell Desk Lamp” Copper, bronze, blown glass 4″ x 8″ x 4″
Eric Hudgins “The Liberator!” Oil on canvas 24″ x 30″
Betty Alvarez “Romantic Underworld” Acrylic on canvas 16″ x 20″ in 22″ x 26″ frame
Bonni Reid “Never a Frown” Egg Tempera and oil on hardboard 13″ x 16″
Nathan Ota “Wind Me Up” Mixed media, acrylic painted resin sculpture 6″ x 8″ x 6″

Tonight marks the opening of a double-header art exhibition featuring the insanely detailed drawings of Laurie Lipton and the unusual and creepy hybrid sculpts of Jessica Joslin at La Luz de Jesus Gallery in East Hollwood  / Los Feliz, CA. The show remains up until November 28.

“Motoring” – Charcoal and graphite on paper, framed  39.5″ x 29.25″

“This show was inspired by the Steampunk movement that is sweeping Britain. Instead of steam, however, my devices are mostly run by electricity and madness. I was vacuuming one day and noticed the amount of plugs and cables on the floor… a veritable wasp’s nest of wires and sockets connecting a hoard of gadgets and doo-dads intertwining around the house and my life. I was trapped like a fly in an electrical web. What had happened? Were these things making my life easier or more complex? I began with The Steam Punk Pocket Watch, an absurd idea of a time piece too huge & complex for anyone’s pocket, and went whirling on from there. These machines are designed to hinder, control and/or give the illusion of technology. I had a tremendous amount of fun creating the images and think that this show will touch anyone who has ever become entwined, up to the eyebrows, in the Technological Age.” – Laurie Lipton

Inspired by the religious paintings of the Flemish School, Lipton tried to teach herself how to paint in the style of the 16th century Dutch Masters and failed. When traveling around Europe as a student, she began developing her very own peculiar drawing technique building up tone with thousands of fine cross-hatching lines like an egg tempera painting. “It’s an insane way to draw”, she says, “but the resulting detail and luminosity is worth the amount of effort. My drawings take longer to create than a painting of equal size and detail.”

“Illusion of Control Tower” Charcoal and graphite on paper, framed, 59″ x 21.75″

“Stardust”

Jessica Joslin’s “Hybrids” is a circus of oddities, a mixed-media menagerie of unexpected creatures. A whimsical cat in a red leather harness harness pulls his polycephalic partner along on a wooden cart, blue and brown eyes gleaming mischievously. An exquisite two headed tropical bird with lush brass plumage preens on it’s perch. A troupe of monkey-cat hybrids engage in mysterious shenanigans, and truncated half-creatures preside over the festivities.

The creatures that populate Joslin’s world are intricate fusions of bone, brass, antique hardware and other bits and bobs. Sparkling glass eyes are inset in kid leather, giving these fanciful hybrids the illusion of life and animation. They seem ready to spring up and play, just as soon as no one is watching. In her work, Joslin celebrates wit, whimsy, ingenuity, insightful curiosity and skill. The finely wrought craftsmanship renders the hand of the maker at once visible (the miniature bolts, springs and joints which comprise anatomical structures are readily discerned) and invisible (there is a keen sense of their unique personalities, and as such, the illusion that they are not constructions, but rather living beings.)

“Clio and Loci”

Joslin grew up collecting flies off the windowsill to look at under her microscope. Ever since, she has been enchanted with collecting a magpie’s array of remnants from the natural world. The collection gradually grew to include obsolete bits of antique mechanical mechanisms, hardware and other oddball artifacts. In 1992, she began building the first beasts of this menagerie, using objects sent in a care package from her father, the same pieces that she’d collected as a child.

To preview all show images, click here