Claremont COURIER/Friday, June 14, 2013

The walls of Los Angeles

by Jan Wheatcroft

enaro Molina is my friend and an almost son. I met him many years ago when he worked as the photographer for the Claremont COURIER and I sold ads. He even lived with us for a while. He is a photographer for the Los Angeles Times now and lives in the Santa Monica area with his girlfriend, Patty. I am lucky. They treat me very well indeed.
On Mothers Day, Genaro created a real treat that he knew I would love: A tour of Los Angeles to see the Public Art spaces created by artists and locals on walls, fences and spaces that could be reached by man. It took a lot of research on his part to locate these places and then find out the history behind as many as possible. The day was hot and we got caught in traffic. We jumped out at overpasses, underpasses, walls, mechanical coverings and bridges. We struggled to find parking places and even received a parking ticket as a non-gift. But it was an unforgettable day; one filled with art, color and soul. The first place we went to was the evening before at the Ballona Water Canal bike path in Santa Monica. This was part of the Peoples Art Project, which is comprised of different faces and exists all over the world. This one was way up on the plinth of the canal overpass but so high up that one wonders how anyone was able to get up there. There are 3 little faces, 2 babies and a woman in the center. The next morning we went for a breakfast on the Venice boardwalk, all foggy and cold. Who knew what heat would be waiting for us later on? Then we moved over to Abbot Kinney Boulevard at Palms to the Brig Building to see Brandellis Brig by Arthur Mortimer. This is a mural inside a mural; a painting of the bars owner and wife being painted by the painter. We could stand in the parking lot and photograph it. Then we went to see a large group of wall graffiti, which turned out to be one of my favorites. It was in Culver City on Washington Boulevard. It was at a former Hyundai Car Dealership and is soon to be torn down, which is really sad. The title is Branded Arts and the paintings are by a number of known artists with the only rule being nothing negative. Some of these were in a cartoon vein, others with outlined, fat letters. My favorites were the large pieces that covered an entire wall

and went into alley ways and central courtyards or parking areas. The area is now littered with glass and garbage, but people stop to see and photograph the art. It is really sad to think that soon they will all be gone. We drove up Robertson and Third Street. At a gas station, there is a very small Banksey of a boy peeing low down on the corner of the wall. A trail of pink dribbles up the street. The Banksey style is very obvious, stencil art that is sprayed on and is usually in black with red. I saw a lot of this work in Paris. We then drove into West Hollywood to the library where murals are painted on the parking structure. The largest and most dominant and exciting was the West Hollywood Peace Elephanta black and white figure on a yellow and red background. This was painted by Shepard Fairey, who rose to artistic fame when he created the Hope poster of the then-presidential candidate, Barack Obama. The elephant is a very bold and powerful design and wonderful to look at. In the Fairfax District beginning at Melrose and Ogden, we discovered treasures on walls and buildings and fences by just driving around, in and out of alleys. My favorites were a Banksey of a boy on a rocket, a group of marching soldiers and a dog pulling a man on a skateboard painted on a metal fence. There were many more woven into parking lots and alleyways. A really funpainted onto a backdoor and on the sidewalk was a red pair of shoes at the end of candy striped legs. If one has the time, and enjoys the hunt, it is amazing what can be discovered. We drove down into Korea Town on Vermont at Wilshire, where there is a huge mural on 2 sloping walls called the Big Bowl of Rice Finished, Waiting for Giant Soy Sauce Packet. It was made from a digital photo into a painting. On Glendale Boulevard on the underpass of Sunset, are 2 sets of large and bold paintings on both sides. These are the Eyes Murals where the artist, Ruben Soto, has focused on the eyes area of the face. Here, we were

able to park and walk along both sides to get a great view and photos as well. We stopped in Silverlake on West Sunset Boulevard for a break at the Silver Lake Coffee bar (intelligentsia coffee). I had read about this place as having first sourced Ethiopian Coffee and wanted to try it. It was not, however, the right season so we had Kenyan Coffee instead, which was delicious. Their pastries were excellent, as well. After some people watching and gazing at the beautiful floral arrangements coming from the shop next door (it was Mothers Day after all) we drove on down Sunset towards Echo Park, stopping to photograph the chickens and cats along the cement walls by Cache, which have become quite the landmark. Apparently Cache and 2 other painters climbed ladders and spray-painted while a small band of onlookers gathered to watch. He began painting his signature chickens in 2001. The next stop was at the Los Angeles Times parking lot to see the Newlyweds by Kent Twitchel and a tribute to the 1934 and the 1984 Olympics at the Victor Clothing Building. Our last lot of murals and wall art was in the Art District in Downtown LA. Here, we parked and walked around the various streets that had been brought to life with paintings and action. At one building there was a group filming a music video, using people who were just walking around holding cardboard signs. Hanging out of a window aboe them was a beautiful black and white husky dog. It made a great picture. There was a mural of 3 wolves on a pink backdrop, which I found very effective. There was a purple JFK under the words Beware Hipsters. Another of a woman standing in a polka-dotted bowl. The masculine faced Mona Lisa had be tagged, sadly. Then there was a whole wall of 3 black and white elephants. The whole area within a 3 block radius was alive with artwork. It was a super day filled with bold images that shouted out, I am someone,and I was here. This isnt about gang tagging or words you cant read or understand. This is street art. It is about looking at where you are and being there for a few moments yourself. It is bold expression, humor, a swash of color in an often drab place. It shouts Look at me! And I did. It is a part of the soul of the people of Los Angeles, different from what I saw in Paris or London, perhaps its brighter and more bold here. It was a terrific gift to me and a super way to explore Los Angeles.
Debbie Carinis OUTOFMYMIND/page10

Happy Fathers Day.