La Luz de Jesus’ 2013 Laluzapalooza / Kitschen Sync Juried Group Show Includes Art by The Creepy Creeps / Creepxotica’s Dave Warshaw!

After publicly extending their annual Laluzapalooza juried group show submission deadline an extra month, La Luz de Jesus Gallery‘s Billy Shire and Matt Kennedy sorted through over 15,000 images to select over 220 paintings, drawings, sculptures, assemblages, and photographs to be included in their biggest show of the year.

Laluzapalooza patrons will see a noticeable difference in the tone of the show, reflecting a shift toward labor-intensive work of all mediums. Along with work from animators, tattooists, graphic designers, and commercial illustrators, La Luz de Jesus is incorporating photography and digital art into the show. Shire and Kennedy didn’t set out to change the show’s parameters, but several submitted pieces fit the format so perfectly, the duo decided to accept the works and expand the show. They are both confident that there is a “WOW!” factor in this year’s Laluzapalooza which you won’t see in any other group show.

2013′s Laluzapalooza showcases artists from six continents: North America, South America, Africa, Asia, Australia, and Europe

View the 2013 show preview

View Laluzapalooza 2012 gallery install photos

This year’s Laluzapalooza features the following artists:
Peter Adamyan
Jeannie Houston Antes
Susanne Apgar
Briana Bainbridge
Christopher Bales
Davidd Batalon
James Bentley
Michelle Bickford
Winifred Brewer
Michael Brown
Mark Bryan
Erin Burrell
Jeaneen Carlino
Victor Castillo
Adrian Cherry
CHOD
JAW Cooper
Torii Cooper
Edward Robin Coronel
Matthew Couper
Robert Craig
Jessica Dalva
John de Fazio
Dave Dexter
James Dowlen
Mark Edward
Bruce Eichelberger
Angela Ellefson
Jessica Fife
Harold Fox
Don Fritz
Richard Frost
Germs
Mark Gleason
Steve Diet Goedde
Kim Gordon
Max Grundy
Sunny Gu
Walt Hall
Howard Hallis
Hanzel Haro
AshFord Harrison
Derek Harrison
Clare Hebert
Brett Herman
Andy Hernandez
Sam Ho
Scott Holloway
Jason Houchen
Jack Howe
Stephanie Inagaki
Jinx
JoKa
Jessica Joslin
Jason Justice
Brent Kallenbach
Shannon Keller
Billy Kheel
Jaesun Kim
Michael Kortez
Norbert Kox
Lindsey Kuhn
Zoe Lacchei
Mavis Leahy
Dave Lebow
Alexis Lopez
Lizz Lopez
Didu Losso
Carl Lozada
Dion Macellari
Apricot Mantle
D.W. Marino
Ofelia Marquez
Horacio Martinez
Mary Ancilla Martinez
Aya Masuda
Genie Melisande
Miso
Graham Moore
Click Mort
Lyle Motley
Emi Motokawa
Dustin Myers
David Natale
Ron Norman
Daisuke Okamoto
José Rodolfo Loaiza Ontiveros
Tammi Otis
Leah Parrent
Brian Poor
Matthew Price
Anthony Purcell
Eric Quezada
Cate Rangel
Bonni Reid
Billy Reynolds
Ave Rose
Ken Ruzic
SAGE
Van Saro
Justin Schaefer
Kim Scott
Dale Sizer
Aniela Sobieski
Mike Sosnowski
Spinestealer
Josh Stebbins
Sean Stepanoff
Anna Stump
Hui Tan
Treiops Treyfid
Pamela Tu
Christopher Umana
Eric Van Straaten
Vega
Dave Warshaw
Mirmy Winn
Jasmine Worth
Sandra Yagi
Mimi Yoon
Kim Zsebe

Laluzapalooza: Everything but the Kitschen Sync Vol. XVII
(Year XXVII of the Greatest Group Show on Earth)

March 1 – 31, 2013
Opening Reception: Friday, March 1st, 8-11 pm

La Luz de Jesus Gallery
4633 Hollywood Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90027

Congratulations to  tattooist, Creepy Creeps and Creepxotica guitarist Dave Warshaw whose intricate ballpoint pen on wood art has made the cover of the August 15th issue of  his hometown weekly, The San Diego CityBeat! Perfect timing too what with Tiki Oais starting on the 16th!

This year’s Tiki Oasis VIP Gift Bag (handed out upon check-in at The Crowne Plaza Hotel and limited to 500) will contain this postcard which has a unique download code for the free 14 song TOP SECRET DIONYSUS RECORDS SAMPLER, featuring tracks from Stereophonic Space Sound Unlimited, The Martini Kings, Orchestra Superstring, Kava Kon, Robert Drasnin, Creepxotica, Skip Heller, Jerry Sun, The Creepy Creeps, The Satelliters, The Creatures of the Golden Dawn, Redondo Beat, and Ruby Dee and The Snakehandlers. About a week after the event ends, we will be sticking these in all Dionysus Mail-Order packages until we run out.

Our fave SOCA surf-garage-rock ‘n’ roll monsters THE CREEPY CREEPS and their alter-ego, the soothing, exotic but still creepy CREEPXOTICA are playing some rad shows in their home turf of San Diego in the next few weeks – catch’ em if you can!

Friday 7/27/12 with Mr Tube and the Flying Objects, The Amandas, Ted Washington, DJ Claire at The Casbah – San Diego
Satuday 7/28/12 with Deadbolt at Barona Dragstrip
Saturday 8/18/12 (as Creepxotica) Poolside set at Tiki Oasis  and a Creepy Creeps set during room crawl at Frankie’s Tiki Room’s room
Saturday 8/26/12 with The El Vez for President show and Schitzophonics at The Casbah

Based out of Avalon Tattoo 2 in San Diego Dave Warshaw is quickly making a name for himself. Here’s an insider’s look at Dave outside of his daytime world of tattooing. Several friends and collegues express their insight about Dave as an artist. But it doesn’t stop there, he’s a member of The Creepy Creeps and quite the collector of sorts…take a look!

www.davewarshaw.com
www.urbantaxidermy.wordpress.com
www.thecreepycreeps.com
www.avalontattootwo.com

Dave Warshaw  has been creating distinctive tattoo art for two decades, thirteen of those and counting at one of the best known tattoo shops in Southern California, Avalon Tattoo II.

Recently, one Dave’s appointments canceled at the last minute. Dave’s pal, Ryan Sinn, formerly of The Distillers and Angels and Airwaves was at the parlor and decided to take the time slot. Dave tattooed his “Four Eyes” creation (currently on display at La Luz de Jesus Gallery) on Ryan – in one shot – a total of four hours! Tattoo art genius!

Dave also creates fantastical imagery on wooden surfaces. From the poetic and surreal intertwining of live thorny vines to nectar-oozing flowers surrounding his detailed creations which he calls “Urbantaxidermy,” the artist’s compositions flow like a virtuoso playing his chosen instrument. Warshaw’s mediums are ballpoint pen and wood – all types of wood, from balsa to skate deck. At one time Warshaw carved wood and painted with watercolors and acrylic, but now strictly creates his art with ballpoint.

“My first creations were based on original commercial clay and steel wheel skateboard graphics from the 1960s. I then began morphing the company logos into my own surreal creatures. I use cheap ballpoint pens, the kind you find at the drugstore. If the wood surface is too grainy and unfriendly to the ballpoint, I will use a fine tip ink pen for my line-work – and then go back over and finish with ballpoint pen,” explains Warshaw whose art is heavily inspired by Southern California car-surf-skate-comic-Tiki and punk rock culture. It was Warshaw’s creative efforts that lead him to a career in tattoo art.

Warshaw starts his pieces much like his tattoo art, using a sketch which he transfers to wood, then lines and shades using his improvisation and imagination as his guide. “I don’t scribble on the surface– you have to be cautious as the ink from the pen smears easily and you cannot erase wood,” says Warshaw who, as a tattooist, knows well that you only get one shot and cannot blow it!  Among the many wooden “canvases” Warshaw uses for his art are one-of-a-kind skate decks specifically made for him by the oldest manufacturer of skateboards, Watson Laminates, the company that was responsible for the original Dogtown decks, among other classics.

For the second year in a row, Warshaw’s art appears in the rebranded annual La Luz de Jesus juried group show -”Laluzapalooza“

Along tattoo art and his ballpoint pen, Warshaw plays guitar in The Creepy Creeps, a San Diego surf-garage-punk rock band with releases on Dionysus Records. In 2011, the group were hand-chosen by Robert Plant to open for his Band of Joy shows in Southern California.

Warshaw works and plays in San Diego, CA. where he enjoys a family life with his wife and son.

View more of Dave Warshaw’s ballpoint and tattoo art here

IMAGES:
“Foureyes” – Ballpoint pen on wood, 8″ by 11″ (in the La Luz de Jesus “Laluzapalooza” show)
“Foureyes” tattoo
“Birthday Gifts” Ballpoint pen on wood, 8″ by 11″ ( in the “Petals To The Metal” show at Vishuddha Creatives in South Park, San Diego)

Follow Dave Warshaw on Instagram: @davewarshaw
www.davewarshaw.com
www.urbantaxidermy.wordpress.com
www.facebook.com/urban.taxidermy

Tiki Farm is throwing their Big Ole’ Tiki Bash 3 on November 12 in San Clemente, CA and The Creepy Creeps will be part of the entertainment! For more information go to the Tiki Farm website or join in the thread on Tiki Central

The always loveable Creepy Creeps will be playing at Hensleys in Carlsbad  on October 28, with the always amazing Thee Swank Bastards! click the link for more information.

And, on October 29, the band will be playing a Halloween show at the Til-Two Club with Thee Cormans, Haunted George and Mother’s Worry.

Go – see ’em play!

Our friends Creepxotica serenade or invade the Tiki Oasis 11 (Crowne Plaza Hotel, San Diego) Room Crawl on Saturday August 20, Mariachi  / Dia de los Muerto style  – as room crawlers exit and board the glass elevators (which also had live music.)

Another Tiki Oasis has come and gone.

Having been to all 11 Tiki Oasis weekenders, I can without a doubt say that this year’s event was in many ways better than the previous 10, and that my friends is not an easy accomplishment. For instance, Tiki Oasis’ musical line-ups have always been magical but this one was that much more over-the-top. Some of the musical highlights from Tiki Oasis 11 include the legendary “Mr. Bongo,” Jack Costanzo‘s superb Latin Jazz ensemble who just freakin’ NAILED it, tight and tough instrumental insanity from Los Straightjackets who were joined by our pal Big Sandy for a round of rock ‘n’ roll songs en Espanol, an excellent set of Herb Albert tunes from the tribute group Herb, exotic and percussive Latin Jazz sounds from Orchestra Superstring featuring some truly amaazing play between the percussionists as well as DJ Bonebrake’s brilliant performance on the vibes, and the spooky exotic meets surf sounds of our own Creepxotica who played poolside, at the art show and wandered around the event dressed as Dia De Los Muertos mariachis with portable pig-nose amplifiers strapped to their outfits. To cap it all off, for the first time, Tiki Oasis extended through Sunday Night with a most entertaining show including two perfectly paced sets from exotica legends Don Tiki who filled the stage with exceptional musicians on their very first performance in California.  As stated, these were highlights for me – the rest of the music? Two thumbs up!

I’d have to write over a thousand words to truly cover the event from start to finish, so instead of going into detail about how great the symposiums, art,  debaucherous room crawls,  LuxuriaMusic.com and poolside DJs, the fabulous King Kukulele and Marina the Fire Eating Mermaid, marketplace, Otto’s muschache and Baby Doe’s circle skirt were, I’ll just load up this post with Tiki Oasis videos from our friends at Lost in Paradise and other various sources on YouTube so you can see for yourself the color and fun that this event represents and gives to its attendees. Don’t miss Tiki Oasis 12… Stay tuned for the scoop!

I shot a video of Creepxotica playing outside the elevators as the room crawl action was going full steam with my iPod Touch – will post as soon as I upload and edit as I’m still catching up on work here. As more Tiki Oasis 11 videos pop up on YouTube I’ll put those up as well.

Lee
(Photo: Marina the Fire Eating Mermaid –  by Scott Evanskey)

Tiki Oasis Flicker Photo Group

Tiki Oasis Facebook Group

Lost in Paradise videos

Jack Costanzo

Tiki Oasis 11 Car Show with Crazy Al Evans, Perk, SHAG, and the Hula Girls

Burlesque