Upper West Restaurant Presents "A Parade of Ladies" Sunday, February 8th!

Artist Bobbie Rich will be showcased in a solo exhibition on Sunday, February 8^th at Upper West Restaurant in Santa Monica.

See image: "Ladies in Waiting" acrylic and oil on canvas  48x36 inches

The artist is looking forward to showing her work at Upper West. She was first introduced to the restaurant by friends… “My favorite selection thus far is their burger.  I'm very picky about burgers and rarely love them… but Upper West's is the perfect size, marinated well and oh so juicy,” Bobbie confided.

The Santa Monica resident was born in Atlanta, Georgia, Bobbie Rich has lived in Texas, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Virginia and Illinois all before the age of 15.  Bobbie was drawn to the West Coast by the University of Southern California and promises of learning from accomplished artists, art and academic scholarships and the LA art scene. Bobbie is now rooted in Southern California, creating in her Santa Monica home studio, as well as, her Palos Verdes Estates teaching studio. 

Bobbie explains her painting "Ladies in Waiting" (above). “These two young, society ladies are out on the prowl and have clearly both spotted someone of interest. The loose abstract background is acrylic diluted with water and painted, dripped and splattered across the canvas. The women were drawn directly with a paint brush in oil. You can clearly see the dark prussian blue sketch. The figures are entirely oil paint, except for the patches of acrylic background peaking through.”

See image: "Duality" mixed media  30x12 inches

Among many of Rich’s projects, she is also an Artist-in-Residence of Resonate Church LA. “We will have a big gallery even around Easter displaying the 10 windows and a collaborative art piece.” She recently did some live painting for a collaborative work. Eight additional artists will paint live to complete the piece. “Everything is really exciting and new, explained Rich. The group meets at Bergamot Station on Sundays 5:30pm. 

Rich continued, “I know that Resonate Church and the position of Artist-in-Residence is an ideal fit for me. I know I can serve God and His church by reaching a multitude of residents in West LA and beyond - both Christian an non-Christian.  I have a strong work ethic and have definitely proven my commitment to what I love and believe in by supporting myself fully as an independent artist living in Santa Monica. I am beyond prepared for this new and exciting chapter as Artist-in-Residence of Resonate Church!”

The opening reception will be held on Sunday, February 8^th at Upper West located at 3321 Pico Blvd. in Santa Monica. http://www.theupperwest.com/  

The LA Art Show Kicks Off Wednesday, January 14 and Runs Through Sunday, Januray 18!

The LA Art Show is once again upon us. Taking place this weekend, the 20^th year of the LA Art Show kicks off with an opening night gala this Wednesday, January 14^th.

With each year, the annual event draws in new fans and exhibitors “We have been able to strategically incorporate galleries representing diverse art genres and broaden its audiences to include collectors and enthusiasts of modern, contemporary, historic and traditional works, as well as works on paper, sculpture and installations,” said Kim Martindale, manager and show founder.

This year artist J.J. L’Heureux will be a part of the event with bG Gallery at Booth 827. This will be the first time the artist's work will be in the art show.  “I have only attended a few times as I am often away from Los Angeles during the month of January, it is summer in the Southern Ocean when I have the opportunity to visit."

L’Heureux is an active photographer, who recently returned from her fourteenth expedition.  Since each excursion runs about six weeks, upon return, she is busy catching up at her studio in LA. She is consistently booked up to two years in advance with solo exhibitions in museums across the country.

She has been featured in one-person exhibitions at Science Spectrum, (Lubbock, Texas), Goddard Center, (Ardmore, Oklahoma), the International Wildlife Museum (Tucson), the Lafayette Science Museum, (Lafayette, Louisiana), Chicago Academy of Science Museum, the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History, Fernbank Museum (Altanta), and more.

L'Heureux works in multiple mediums, photography, painting, mixed media and collage. L’Heureux admitted that she felt most galleries prefer working artists who create with one or two mediums. “There are photography galleries, galleries where the director personally likes paintings or conceptual works, explained the artist. “When I work with a gallery the director often only has interest in one of my series of work and both of us are comfortable.” For more info about J.J. L'Heureux, see both of her websites
http://www.jjlheureux.com/  http://www.penguinspirit.com

Gallery director Om Bleicher happens to be a terrific artist himself, and understands the plight of the artist. For the LA Art Show, gallery director Om Bleicher has chosen to spotlight L’Heureux’s Bergy Bit Series.

“bG Gallery will feature new artists to the gallery,” explained Bleicher.  “Christopher Mudget’s cubist tinged sentimental expressive works, and Campbell Laird's striking new digital abstraction, Barbara Kolo's abstract/landscape optical pointilist works, Dan Busta's optical dotted nude photography, Philip Vaughan's thorough composed abstractions, Linda Smith’s colorful ceramic crossovers, Nancy Larrew;s ironic mixed media sculptures JJ L'Huereux's nature documentary abstractions to name a few of the goodies we're looking forward to introducing in what we hope to be a very significant milestone for the LA Art Show.”

See image:  Gay Summer Rick_Moon Ahead_Oil on Canvas 12 x 12 in

Although Gay Summer Rick has previously shown her work at the LA Art Show, this will be her first time with bG Gallery. “Om has selected several paintings from my "City and Coast" series and from my "Night and Day" series,” said the artist. “I'm excited about having this work at the LA Art Show because I think that the urban images resonate with people. The paintings depict the quiet side of LA life. These pieces can be a reminder to take a moment to absorb just how beautiful our city is - power lines against glowing skies, a flood of headlights on the the streets at dusk, the reflections on the bay of a moon rising over the city. It is the LA that people don't often think about.”

bG Gallery’s booth (# 827) http://santamonica.bgartdealings.com/

Show dates: January 14 – 18, 2015 Tickets are $20 at door; all weekend passes are available as well as tickets to the opening night benefit. The Los Angeles Jewelry, Antique & Design Show will will run simultaneously with the LA Art Show at the Los Angeles Convention Center, South Hall, 1201 Figueroa Street, Los Angeles, CA 90015. See http://www.laartshow.com/

The Rebecca Molayem Gallery Presents “Abstract Expressions P.II” Featuring Artist Sona Mirzaei!

The Rebecca Molayem Gallery presents a solo exhibition featuring contemporary artist Sona Mirzaei entitled “Abstract Expressions P.II” on Saturday, January 24th.

The exhibit will feature 12-15 pieces abstract paintings from her series entitled In Search of Splendor. Mirzaei said the exhibit will be feature abstract paintings that reflect her passion of this genre of art and working in mixed media.

“This new addition to my series In Search of Splendor builds the journey that I take every time I pick up a brush or palette knife so I solely just worked on abstract pieces while ensuring that each has its own unique character and overall theme.”

This past year, the artist participated in a group show at NOosphere Gallery in New York City. Her art was selected to be featured in the Beverly Hills artSHOW. “I enjoyed exhibiting at the Beverly Hills Art Show; it was nice to be local and get to know members of the Los Angeles community and visitors alike while being in outdoor setting in the Beverly Hills gardens with amazing artists and people. It was really fun and it made two days go by in a blink of an eye. Definitely looking forward to participating again!”

Mirzaei is an active painter; she created over fifty new works in 2014 alone. She added that inspiration comes in many different forms. “There isn’t ever one factor that contributes to creativity, but in a nutshell I wanted to focus on what drives my practice and interest in modern art.”

Gallery owner, Rebecca Molayem has had her gallery for six years, “I met Rebecca at her gallery on Robertson and Beverly several years ago back in 2009 and have kept an ongoing relationship since she has moved to her new gallery location on 3rd St and Sweetzer, said Mirzaei. “We both are looking forward to this exhibition of Abstract Expressions P.II and the start of 2015. This is our first time finally working together and I know it is going to be great!

See image: Karma Electric

Molayem’s gallery was first located on Robertson Boulevard and soon moved to the larger space next door. “I was there for four four years, but rent went up so high, had to move...I moved here, as a temporary space, but ended up staying,” said Molayem. Although her gallery has featured eight solo shows and several group shows, Molayem considers herself an artist first, but said she enjoys hosting other artist’s exhibitions. She said “I look for consistency and esthetically compatible with my work and the type of work I represent."

Originally starting as a graphic artist and illustrator, fifteen years ago Molayem started painting then later added sculpture.  Her work features a figurative, expressionistic, bold and whimsical style. “I mostly paint in acrylic, on canvas or board...and I also sculpt in clay. There are other mediums that I hope to explore. I also do sculpting workshops and hope to teach painting and sculpting once I move to a bigger space.”

 “Abstract Expressions P.II” opens Saturday, January 24th, with a reception from 7-10pm. This is a Free event, please RSVP at mrebecca@sbcglobal.net

The exhibition will run through February 21st. Rebecca Molayem Gallery, 8304 W. 3rd Street, Los Angeles, 90048; 323-944-0553; rebeccamolayemarts.com