The Beautiful & The Boring: West LA Gallery Findings

So, last Saturday I set about to visit several local West LA gallery openings, in Beverly Hills, Culver City, and lastly Malibu. I sure saw a lot of different kinds of art, and here are my highlights, or at least those that I wasnʻt afraid to dare taking a picture of !

Claire Falkenstein retrospective exhibit, Jack Rutberg Fine Arts, West Hollywood

I started here at Jack Rutbergʻs gallery, where the biggest draw was a retrospective on Claire Falkenstein. Interesting abstract paintings and sculpture, with alot of organic movement and shapes. She really used so many mediums throughout her long and illustrative career.

Claire Falkenstein, painting detail, Jack Rutberg Gallery

Peter Krasner, Jack Rutberg Gallery

Then I headed further west to Culver City, around Venice & Washington Blvd., where I hit upon an uber hot-spot of galleries… Iʻve been in LA for 6 years, but embarrassed to say I only just found out about this particularly popular block! Including: Blum & Poe, Honor Fraser, Cherry & Martin, George Billis, Carmichael, Mark Moore, and many other galleries I didnʻt have time to see…

I donʻt know if it was an artwalk, but all the galleries had their doors open, and Iʻd never seen so many people storming the galleries, like a packed trendy nightclub. Although the crowd appeared hi-class and connected, most of the art was downright boring and uninteresting. It really felt like a joke to me that the curators were called some of these pieces “art,” almost an insult to those artist who put so much skill and time into their craft. Hereʻs a small sample, but most of the things I saw were too boring to take a photo of:

Main Room at Blum & Poe

See those metal bars hung across the room? No, thatʻs not the beginning of a construction project, thatʻs an “art installation!” WHAT??? And behind it is a plain, upside-down blue T canvas, but you canʻt see the pink filing cabinet turned on itʻs side. The most interesting thing in this room is the concrete pyramids, which isnʻt saying much either.

Black & White canvas, Blum & Poe

This is the most interesting piece I found at Blum & Poe, but it still kinda puts me to sleep and insults my own work at the same time.

Masood Kamandy, Digital Art at Maloney Fine Art

One of my favorites, at Maloney Fine Art. Arenʻt those colors just wild & carefree? I loved it.

Husmann Tschaeni, painting at Carmichael Gallery

Another favorite of Culver City that night, with wild colors & images, a semi-abstract that you could stare at for hours. Also I saw Lola from Bravo TVʻs reality show: Work of Art, Next Great Artist, touring Carmichael.

Kris Kuksi sculpture at Mark Moore Gallery

Mark Moore Gallery pleased me the most, except for the one trash can installation, not cute! But works like these intricately detailed Kuksi sculptures above had me swooning, and the next artist below as well.

David Ellis paintings at Mark Moore Gallery

Without a doubt, my FAVORITE artist of my Culver City gallery explorations! I just want to delve into these swooping black forms, and explore the dimensionality of the layers and colors in the background. I feel like the best art should leave you captivated for hours, and this one definitely could!

Arjuna Noor at Art For All People Gallery

Lastly, I headed over to Malibu, to a personal favorite, Art For All People Gallery, where I showed a painting last month. This current monthʻs theme is Local Visions. Above is one of my favorites, by my friend Arjuna, who creates beautiful digital art from sacred Buddhas, incandescent leaves and intriguing patterns of nature. You have to see these in person to appreciate all the detail, and the changing light they had on it really brought out different colors and nuances.

Mykai Aubry painting at Art For All Gallery

Another favorite here for me is always Mykai Aubry, a featured artist at this gallery. Such delicate and transcendent visions of intergalactic space nebulas and supernovas, they take my breath away!

All that in one Saturday night! Whatʻs YOUR favorite of the above artworks?