Getty Center

We went to the Getty Center today. I was just there about a week ago, so it was nice to have a second look at the art. It's easy to get visual overload by seeing too much at once, so going multiple times is a nice luxury. Not the first time I've been there on New Year's Eve, and the crowds were strong, as usual.

 

Fear and Loathing in Purchasing Art

Great article in the New York Times about purchasing art. It's a shame when people want to buy art, but are afraid of getting something they feel will be ridiculed by the guests leaving their home. It takes all the joy out of the experience, and many end up buying either safe blue chip art or something that is trendy in the gallery scene, paying way too much and hating it secretly. Or worse, buying Kinkade and bragging about it. Look no further that the Broad Contemporary to see a lot of bad '80s art (not everything in there is bad). You have heard of the artists, and that is why he bought them. And, yes, the value will likely increase in time.

When you purchase art you will see the piece every day, so make sure it's something you like. Basically, it's like wine, if you like it then it's good. I don't know about hiring a consultant or decorator to find art for you, seems a bit odd unless you are using them to find something specific and you want to avoid legwork. The best thing to do is visit a lot of galleries. Both at openings and during off hours. Do you like the artwork? Is the gallerina helpful? Are they snobs? Is it painful to find prices?

I know a wealthy man who was snubbed at a Culver City gallery, and will not return. He buys art, has taste and spends a lot of money on art. So he spent his money next door instead. Also, the way galleries treat people is a reflection on the artist. I would be upset if some one I knew went to the gallery where I show and was not treated well.

I have some friends who have one of my paintings in their house. Most of their art is bought at Ikea and such featuring prints of landscapes to go with the couch. But the comments they get are always about my painting. I'm not saying it is the best painting in the world, but it is obvious that it is not a print and is not common looking. There are lots of artists making great art for affordable prices out there.

2008, Year in Review

I accomplished some things that I'm proud of this year, but in the end will be glad to see '08 go. I left a horrible architectural firm filled with back stabbing weasels. After my project ended, there were no more good projects in the office. And I was a thoroughbred among pigs, so one day I had had enough and left. I started a new job, which I loved, until the economy took a nose dive of epic proportions. Architecture is a frustrating profession with few rewards, long hours, lots of stress, primadonna personalities that are impossible beyond belief and stupid construction workers who make more than you and critique your design base on their ignorance of anything aesthetic.

As for the art world, I had my usual show at the Santa Fe Art Colony near downtown, Los Angeles, and sold the most I have sold there. I was in 2 juried shows, one of which I won 3rd place and a cash prize. I also had a solo show in September at Orlando Gallery. I have some work in the current December group show that I am quite happy with. Unfortunately  the crowds at the opening were little more than friends and family of the artists. Again, the economy being so horrible.

I am not expecting 2009 to start fast, the economic damage has been done and is extreme. It is a  scary time right now. But I am still optimistic that if we can pull through things the opportunities will be stronger and better.

San Diego

Got back from San Diego. If I could, I would move there tomorrow or sooner. Didn't bring my surfboard, because there was a sewage spill (typical after rain) and it seemed like a pain. So, of course, the waves were 1 to 2 feet overhead, great shape and with only 5 guys out.

We went to Point Loma to the lighthouse. Views were amazing. I liked this little spiral staircase.

Heading down to the tidepools. We lucked out with minus tide, so you could walk way out on the rocks.

Christmas 08

Just isn't Christmas without silly hats.

2008, The Year of the Rat

In January, 2006, Rat rose to power. A Rat Controlled City had 8 parts. Parts 1 through 3 were lost. By the end of 2008, Rat lost everything. His city collapsed on its own weight. The following pages document the only images of Rat during his short reign.

Seasons Greetings

Can't believe Hallmark won't return my calls. Happy Holidaze!

Time to surf

I was bitten by the surfing bug and had to go out. So I went to Sunset this afternoon. The tide was very low, and Sunset is really the only spot where this is a good thing. I have not been out in way too long, so it was good that the waves were knee to waist high today and, while putting on my wetsuit, I knew I gained a few pounds. I made my way through tide pools, rocks and seaweed and paddled out. I caught a few fun little tiny waves, enjoyed the peace and liked that there were only 4 others out in the water, one of which was a little kid who ignored his mom's arm waving from the shore meaning it's time to leave. Gotta love it.

So after about an hour, I left feeling relaxed and happy, and got an ice cream headache from the cold. All in all, well worth the trip.

Today's Art Outing

Went to LACMA today. The 2 second rundown:

Hearst Collection: shiny things, including knights (see below).

Vanity Fair portraits: Interesting to see some of the older celebrity photos. Has no business in a museum whatsoever.

Permanent Collection: Excellent.

Shell Shocked: German expressionism. Violent, angular, ugly. There is an excellent Bauhaus section, however.

Story of Photography: Amazing. Some of the photos are from 1840.

After all that, I have visual overload.

A Dark Christmas Tale

This year Santa found himself in a dilemma. Much of the North Pole had melted, due to global warming and, because of this, his subprime loan for his house made him upside down. He couldn't make the mortgage payments, and his 401k was almost gone. He laid off some of the helpers and the rest had to work extra hours with a pay cut.

Santa petitioned congress for a loan. He knew he was too big to fail, but did not have any lobbyists, so he was turned down. Santa then turned to help from the Chinese. He despised their shoddy toy construction and working conditions, but had no choice.

Nor did it help that Mrs. Claus had a minor medical condition, and was denied her claim from the HMO. And the SPCA and PETA were all over him for the raindeer. Santa also made the unfortunate choice in putting his funds in with Madoff, and was out quite a bit of money.

Thankfully, this dark tale is all fiction. We all know that none of these things could ever happen in the United States of America. So Santa is just fine, thank you for asking.

Show Poster

I made a poster for an opera my wife and daughter are in. It will be tonight and tomorrow.

Last night we went to my daughter's play at Knightsbridge Theater in Silverlake, of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. Fun show and was very funny.

I have a friend who is an actor. He has done a lot of theater work, and his wife is a painter. He told me once how lucky we painters are, because the audience only sees the perfected end product. Whereas his art depends on a perfect moment experienced by the audience as it happens, and a lot can go wrong. Makes me really respect actors.

iDoctor

No museum trips today. Instead I went to the eye doctor, which is never fun.

This morning there was snow on the hills above Simi Valley, and don't think I've ever seen it that low before.

Hammer Time

Today's museum trip was to the UCLA Hammer Museum in Westwood. I don't think the west valley got past 42 degrees today, and most of the time it was raining, windy or both. Anyway, the museum was empty and I always like that. There is a show called Oranges and Sardines. It is curated by six artists and features mostly abstract paintings, although there is a Hockney painting and some sculptures and drawings, as well. I thoroughly enjoyed this show. Some of the paintings looked so simple and minimalist, yet were so compelling. There is a Dan Flavin blue fluorescent light on the wall, and in the next room there is a large bright red painting, and walking from one to the next is intense.

I have to admit, I am not very schooled in abstract painting. I have always had respect for it, but was never able to quite distinguish something made by a master painter vs. something that "my kid could make." It is almost like wine, in that never mind what they say, if you like it, it's good. Well, this show is better than good and is worth seeing.

Next door was the Gouge, The Modern Woodcut 1870 to Now. There are a lot of pieces in this show and, although this is not the type of medium I go to see, the work is compelling. There was a series of activist type of art, that was fascinating. My favorites were some of the large pieces by Latin artists. Go check it out, this show appealed to me more than I expected.

Finally I stopped by the permanent collection, featuring paintings by Sargent, Van Gogh, Cezanne, etc. I love looking at paintings by the old masters. I could not help to think how lucky we are that they are in museums, as opposed to some rich person's basement in some part of the world where you or I would never get to go, or be among the elite invited to see the art.

Getty Center

I went to the Getty Center today. It was a cool 50 degrees but the views were spectacular.

And, yes, the art was great, too.

Prefab?

Prefab houses are becoming popular, and this is mostly a good thing. Cheaper than building a traditional house, and the can be assembled in all of 2 days. They are showing up mainly in Venice and the west side/ Mar Vista areas. The designs are getting better, too. Once built, they do not have that cheap prefab look.

One firm that is making these is Marmol Radziner in Santa Monica. Their designs fit sites ranging from a flat lot in the desert to a beach lot in the south bay to a house half way into a hillside. Their designs are cutting edge and unique. Another firm is Resolution 4, in New York. Curbed LA has photos of one of their houses going up in Venice. I am not so impressed with them, as their floor plans are juvenile and simplistic. Always a big mistake to have a master bedroom with no direct access to its own bathroom. Architecture 101 mistake, and naming one of its designs triple wide sounds like a trailer.

The prices of pre fab houses run around $250,000 to build and install, depending on the design, size, etc. Also fits into the eco friendly environment, as opposed to a traditional house, and creates much less construction waste. With all the years of building that we have done, detailing and materials have not changed very much. Traditional construction is still a messy, awkward and expensive process that involves timing with a number of trades. With a pre fab house, much of this goes away.

Here's some excellent advice from Coagula.com:

I made a conscious decision this year to buy more art. If you are a Mormon in good standing, you tithe ten percent, if you are a member of many denominations, you tithe ten percent. If you are in the art world, you should spend ten percent of your income on art. That is the line that I am going to draw in the sand. You are either on the bus or off the bus.

I don’t care if you are Jeremy Strick getting kickbacks on your retail art purchases made with MOCA money - ten percent of your net income should be going to the purchase of art (and of course, if you can get it at studio prices, you should buy twice as much). And this is not an issue of consumption - it is a demand for an ongoing support or an insistence that you shut the hell up about “fixing” problems with the art world.

Complete article here.

I would buy more art if I had money right now, and I do buy art. Much of the paintings I have sold are purchased by other artists, which is twice as good because you are selling to your peers. So get on the bus and buy art!

The Print Edition is Online

With the L.A. Times' parent company filing for bankruptsy, it seems only a matter of time before print publications disappear completely. The N.Y. Times is available online in the same format as the print edition and available for Blackberry users. Michael Salerno just confirmed that Coagula is going paperless. All is good for the environment, and will ensure I do not miss any of my favorite publications.

The down side? I really like the tactile feeling of newspapers. The black spots on my coffee mug, the feeling of the pages, sitting next to the pool in direct sunlight. Spilling something on a paper is better than your laptop. But what I really don't like is reading things on my computer screen. Anything over a page and I'm sending it to the printer. If too much time is spent on one page, the screen dims and I have to nudge the mouse to bring it back. I never know where I am when I am reading on a screen, whereas with a printed paper I always know where I am in the story and how much more is left to read.

On that note, I'm off to read the Times, while I can.

Sign of the Times

Last night was the opening for Orlando Gallery's Art Treasures annual group show. I have done this show for the past 5 or so years, and the crowds are always strong. Typically the gallery is packed from opening to closing and art flies off the wall. I always do quite well at this show and sell paintings.

But last night's opening was, well, dead as dead can be. Only friends and family of the artists showed up. One painting sold by another artist, and a handful of small ornaments sold (they were $20 each, and even I bought one). I have not seen such an empty opening since the year it rained. 

Strange thing was the entire day was filled with people visiting the gallery. Even busier than usual. A lady visiting from Canada was very interested in my paintings, but no sales.

This makes me wonder if all the other openings are experiencing this. And, more importantly, if they are, I am imagining the only people buying are not affected by the recession/ depression. These are the people to meet. And without the crowds, are easier to find. It is also a good time to make connections with other artists and gallery owners.

The other day I dug out an old surfboard to paint. I stripped the old wax off, using the most toxic chemicals known to mankind and was ready to go. Artist Drew Brophy turned me on to paint pens. These are amazing! Easy to use, vibrant colors, blend really well and are very different form the oil paints I am used to working with.

After this I have 2 more boards to paint.

How to Avoid Crowds

paint pens on surfboard

I will be in the annual Art Treasures group show at Orlando Gallery this Saturday.

Opening reception is 6 - 9 PM. Show runs December 6th through 30th, Tues. through Sat. 9:30 - 3:30 PM.

Orlando Gallery

18376 Ventura Blvd.

Tarzana, CA 91356

Map

Towers of Light

oil on panel

16" x 9"

The Business

Like many businesses, architects are getting slammed by the economy. I know of a few major Los Angeles firms that may close their doors. All because the banks will not loan money to our developer clients.

I had lunch with a friend who owns a small firm. He had to cut everyone's pay by 20% and is making payroll using a line of credit. He is not alone. We basically laughed about the whole thing because we have been in the profession long enough to know it will come back.

If some firms go under, and the old man decides to either retire or maintain a smaller office, is that so bad? The principals under him, who really run the show, will start their own firms when things improve and take the clients with them. A number of these people I know, and would be happy to work with and get into an office at the start.

There is still a housing shortage in Los Angeles, and there is plenty of work out there, so it is just a matter of time. Otherwise, the only projects being built are healthcare and work in Dubai, neither of which I find appealing.

Every time economic crisis hits architects, the profession changes. And usually for the best. For example, in the 90's recession many in college, majoring in architecture, saw the lack of work and low pay and went into Silicon Valley jobs instead. Also, many architects switched professions (it weeded out the weak). When things picked up, there was a shortage of architects, and those of us who suffered and stuck with it were able to finally make decent money, as we were in demand. Will be interesting to see what happens, and hopefully it will happen soon.

When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro.
HST