Celebrate the Holidays with Kat & the Blues Hounds, Wed, Dec 18th at the Melody Bar & Grill!

Kat and the Blues Hounds rock out with a FREE holiday show this Wednesday, December 18th at the Melody Bar and Grill in Westchester. If you have never seen this energetic little dynamo, Kathy Leonardo puts on quite a show. Her vocals are astounding....Leonardo has gathered a group of incredible talent to represent her Blues Hounds.

FREE music from 7-10pm. There's a wonderful happy hour that ends at 7 pm....right when the music starts...so plan on arriving at 6:30pm and order up!

Kat and the Blues Hounds will be performing holiday songs, classic blues and some jazz too. We've got special guests along with our usual great lineup....Bob Crickmore on Keys, John Wiemken on bass, Rick Bryan on Drums, with Lucky Wright on sax!

Melody Bar is located at 9132 S Sepulveda Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90045-4804, between W. 92nd St and Westchester Pky.
If you are coming from the Westside, be sure to keep your eyes open and make a left turn before you see the In and Out Burger (on right)...if you miss it pull over and park, since you will end up past LAX, since you CAN'T turn left, due to a medium that divides the traffic on Sepeluveda. 

This is a FREE Musical Event...it runs from 7-10 pm on Wednesday December 18th!

Bergamot Station Gets Ready for the Holidays, Saturday December 14th!

The Bergamot Station Holiday Open House takes place this Saturday December 14^th from noon till 5:00 pm. The galleries have pooled their resources to create a special one-day sale event. The Bergamot Station Holiday Open House has become an annual tradition.

As part of the event, Skidmore Contemporary Art presents new pastels by Kelly Reemtsen in the exhibition "Open Invitation." The event takes place from 2-5 pm and will also double as a book launch for Kelly's new book I’m Falling.

See image: Kelly Reemtsen  Orange Study
Pastel on paper  18 1/2" x 26 1/2"  2011

Reemtsen’s work is driven by her fascination with the 50’s woman. Reemtsen has always done sketches and color studies as part of her preparations for paintings, but it was when she began to work in pastel that it truly changed her approach to her drawings.

On this special day, you’ll have a chance to meet the artist and purchase a signed copy of I’m Falling. The book offers a birds eye view into Reemtsen's process and includes images of her paintings, pastels, prints and sculptures. Also part of the book, is a series of interviews stretched over a two-year period between the artist and Chris Fogg. I’m Falling and/or a Kelly Reemtsen original would make for a one of a kind gift this holiday season. The exhibit will be on view through December 21^st at Skidmore Contemporary Art (D-2) http://skidmorecontemporaryart.com

Talisman Fine Art (A-6) will be featuring photography…four divergent series of prints by LA based fine art photographer Paula Stoeke. The prints offer a range of appeal, and the pricing is very reasonable. http://www.talismanfineartgallery.com/  

Then at Lora Shlessinger Gallery, Mark Stock's “Hollywood Uncovered” exhibition opens (thru Dec 31). Also currently on view through January 4th, enjoy "La Famille" by French photographer Alain Laboile and "Paris Portfolio" by Dale Johnson.  www.loraschlesinger.com

 

dnj Gallery is featuring its annual holiday miniature editions. Each print is approximately 5x7 and offered for $100 each. The small size makes it possible to incorporate this artwork into even small living spaces, though they also look lovely when several of them are displayed in a group. http://www.dnjgallery.net 

Peter Fetterman Gallery features the work of Michael Kenna & Pentti Sammallahti. Also, for the month of December, the gallery is collaborating with Taschen and will be hosting a pop up store in the gallery Project Room. Enjoy complimentary gift-wrapping during the holiday event. There is a wide selection of collector's and trade books available, with a focus on Photography and Travel. Pricing ranging from $10.00 to $500.00. http://www.peterfetterman.com/news/

 

The jewelry and wearable art of Suzanne Felsen will also be on display at the open house. Felsen is offering customers the chance to “create custom cuff links” with loose gemstones that have been personally collected by designer Suzanne Felsen. Come to create your own special work of art…an original gift for that important person in your life. The gems include tourmalines, opals, amethyst and moonstones! http://www.suzannefelsen.com/

Ikon Ltd will be feature work by renowned artists Ed Ruscha, Andy Warhol, Pablo Picasso, Jean Michel Basquiat, Robert Longo, Gerhard Richter, Yoshitomo Nara, Keith Haring, Raymond Pettibon and others. (G-4) http://www.ikonltd.com

EarthWe (D-5) will host a Holiday Art Projects event sponsored by Lakeshore Learning from 12 - 4pm. Art materials will be supplied for children. http://www.lakeshorelearning.com/

Later in the evening…ADC & Building Bridges (F-2) will be having a reception from 6-9pm for “Dialogue: International Traveling Exhibit” featuring Installation, Video Art, Photography, Mixed Media. If you would like to attend, please RSVP for the reception: 310.770.1961 or adccontemporarybuildingbridges@gmail.com The exhibition will run through January 5^th 2014.  www.adcbuildingbridgesartexchange.org

Many other galleries will be open serving refreshments and nibbles such as http://www.taggallery.net/; William Turner Gallery (E-1) http://www.williamturnergallery.com/;  http://www.loislambertgallery.com/; http://www.rosegallery.net and several more.

Bergamot Station is located at 2525 Michigan Ave. in Santa Monica. Parking available.  http://bergamotstation.com/

An Artist's Journey...Two Artists Talk About Inspiration!

Inspiration…its what propels artists to create…but it’s a different journey for each artist.

For Sona Mirzaei, a visit to San Francisco’s MOMA made a big impact on her. She explains, “It was inspiring, sometimes you can see a painting or a particular artist’s work a thousand times and it is always a different effect and the evolution of the interpretation, experience and connection are always changing, yet still a beautiful magical feeling. Jay Defeo work really stood out on this trip and was impacting as well as well as seeing Yayoi Kusama’s latest works. Kusama’s journey, life, spirit, creativity, and her passion is encouraging for any artist and especially emerging artists to never give up on your work and life pursuit.”

See image:  Sona Mirzaei   Liberty Blvd Series # 2 - Red painting  - Medium: spray paint, acrylic, metal leafing on canvas  2013 - Dimensions: 48x106


She continues, “In addition to these amazing women that have led the way for female artists, I am always moved by the establishers of abstract contemporary artwork, during my SF MOMA visit, I re-experienced Jasper Johns and Rauchenberg together which is a cosmic feeling for modern artists. Outside of the museum world, an emerging mid-level artist, Alex Couwenberg works caught my eye and is currently having an exhibition at the Andrea Schwartz Gallery in San Francisco. The symmetry, colors, patterns, etc. in his work is so vibrant, bold, and a unique concept and design execution which was motivating and inviting. I love seeing new works that look original and have their own variation of themes and speak to someone – that’s inspiring.” Sona is scheduled to show her work at Wallspace Gallery in 2014. Visit Sona Mirzaei’s website for more details on the artist. http://www.sonamirzaei.com/

Landscape photographer, Scott Tansey also finds inspiration while visiting galleries and museums. He recently attended an exhibition at the Peter Fetterman Gallery at Bergamot Station in Santa Monica. “I saw the Salgado show. Great images of Creation.”

Tansey has been taking photos for over 40 years. Inspired by legends like Ernst Haas, Ansel Adams and Minor White, he often travels to far-off place to find that perfect shot. Photography is a time consuming art and takes patience. Waiting for the right light, that perfect shot, knowing what to shoot. For Tansey, he finds it’s all about instinct. “It sounds strange, but it is mostly instinct, cites Tansey. “I go through different periods.  I am ending a Los Angeles Panorama Project.” The photographer will be showing his aerial views of the Central California Coast in the exhibition. 

Tansey currently has his photography on view at Figtree’s Café, located at 429 Ocean Front Walk in Venice. He is happy to be a part of the holiday show at the Santa Monica Art Studios. For more info about Scott Tansey, see his website at http://scotttanseyphoto.com/ http://www.santamonicaartstudios.com