Blank Canvas aka Ode to Rothko, Oil on Canvas, McKenzie, Photo Romi CortierWonder, Oil on Canvas, McKenzie Fisk, Photo Romi CortierMcKenzie Fisk, Oil on Canvas, Photo Romi CortierBrian Blackham, Oil on Canvas, Photo Romi CortierBrian Blackham, Oil on Canvas, Photo Romi CortierTaman Vanscoy, Watercolor, Photo Romi CortierTaman Vanscoy, Watercolor, Photo Romi Cortier
I’ve been a fan of the Beverly Hills Art Show since the 1990’s when I bought my first monotype on paper, from artist Barbara Bouman Jay. Lets face it, nothing beats a stroll in the park while looking at original artwork created by artists who’ve gathered from all across the country. Sure, some of the art is better than others, but all in all it’s a grand experience seeing people mingling with their kids and pooches by the artists stalls, or sitting by the pond in front of the Beverly Hills sign while balancing food on their laps from the food trucks. It reminds me of Georges Seurat’s post impressionist painting Sunday Afternoon on the Island of LeGrand Jatte.
Georges Seurat, Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte to favor paintings
I tend to favor paintings over sculpture or blown glass, and the artists whose work I’ve chosen to feature above are my 3 top picks.
Artist McKenzie Fisk nabbed my attention with her geometric animals that feel like something Francoise Gilot might have created. I also love her use of wide open negative space that gives the viewer room to contemplate her subjects.
Artist Brian Blackham from Utah uses a palette knife, a paint brush, or both, to layer on sublime muted tones for his romantic still life paintings that capture the ephemeral nature of light.
Artist Taman Vanscoy uses watercolor covered in acrylic varnish, to create luscious works that feel like something out of the impressionist period. Judging by the second place ribbon at his stall, it appears that the critics also favored his work.
The Beverly Hills Art Show is a juried show that happens twice a year: one weekend in the spring, and one weekend in the fall. If you’d like to learn about future events, or how to submit your work, please follow this link: Beverly Hills Art Show
Follow the links below to learn more about each of the artists.
Lari Pittman, This Landscape, Beloved and Despised, Continues Regardless, Color LIthograph on Paper, Los Angeles Modern Auctions, Lot 283, $2,000 – 3,000Ed Moses, Cock Bak, Asphaltum and Acrylic on Washi paper, Los Angeles Modern Auctions, Lot 23, $2,000 – 3,000Karl Benjamin, #117, Oil o Canvas, Los Angeles Modern Auctions, Lot 198, $15,000 – 20,000Michael & Frances Higgins, Rondelay Screen, Los Angeles Modern Auctions, Lot 30, $2,500 – 3,500June Harwood, Untitled, Acrylic on Canvas, Los Angeles Modern Auctions, Lot 200, $5,000 – 7,000Tony Duquette, Six Panel Screen, Los Angeles Modern Auctions, Lot 47, $12,000 – 15,000Alexander Calder, Quatre Blancs, Sheet Metal Wire and Paint, Los Angeles Modern Auctions, Lot 167, $500,000 – 700,000
Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) is one of my favorite auction houses here in Los Angeles. Their upcoming auction on Sunday May 17th, 2015, is going to be a spectacular event. It includes everything from mid-century furniture, to sculpture, to painting. The gorgeous Alexander Calder Mobile shown above is listed for $500,000 – 700,000… wouldn’t you just love to be a fly on the wall and watch the heated bidding for this item! I was fortunate enough to be in the room once when a Frank Lloyd Wright chair was being auctioned off, and watched the bidding go to over $90,000. That was nearly 15 years ago before much of the bidding was done online. You were either in the room, or on the phone for privacy sake. It was beyond exhilarating and you could cut the tension in the room with a knife. With buyers premiums and taxes that $90,000 chair would have totaled up to at least $108,000 or more… for a chair! Would you let your guests sit on that chair when they come to your home, or would you put it on a pedestal and rope it off like a museum? I will admit that I have a fancy auction house chair that I won’t let anyone sit on at my house, but it’s not worth anything close to that. I have a few friends who can’t understand why I’d spend that much on a chair that no one can sit on… because it’s ART!
If you’re a collector ‘wanna be’ and don’t have the money for these kinds of purchases, I’d at least recommend going to one of the previews at LAMA and seeing their items in person. It doesn’t cost a thing to look, and the same goes for sitting in the room while the auction happens. If nothing else, it might be a very enlightening experience and you might also make a few really cool friends…. friends who might invite you over to sit on their fancy auction house chair once they’ve won that sought after lot.
An Aggregation by Bahk Seon Ghi, Photo Romi CortierAn Aggregation by Bahk Seon Ghi, Photo Romi CortierAn Aggregation by Bahk Seon Ghi, Photo Romi CortierAn Aggregation by Bahk Seon Ghi, Photo Romi CortierAn Aggregation by Bahk Seon Ghi, Photo Romi CortierAn Aggregation by Bahk Seon Ghi, Photo Romi CortierAn Aggregation by Bahk Seon Ghi, Photo Romi Cortier
Once you’ve seen the work of Korean Artist Bahk Seon Ghi, you won’t forget it. Initially I discovered his work at the Palm Springs Fine Art Fair in February of this year. One of his sculptures was hanging in the entry of the fair, however I wasn’t able to find the artist placard. The minute I saw his work at the PDC in West Hollywood last month, I connected the dots and knew in an instant that it was the same artist.
There’s so much to love about his work. It’s as if birds have taken flight and created a silhouette that we can recognize instantly. In reality, they’re small pieces of charcoal threaded together with nylon, hanging from a translucent disc. As you move around the sculpture, you’ll notice how the lighting creates stunning shadows that are equally as interesting. It’s so difficult to know where the actual sculpture ends, and the shadows begin. It makes me think of those crazy fight sequences in the Matrix, where we’re able to observe the actor from several points of view. Of course inquiring minds want to know how these remarkable pieces are packed and transported, not to mention how they’re constructed. The gallery hostess told me to simply enjoy the works as they are, when I asked her those questions.
Bahk makes open-form representations of architectural objects and elements of the natural world. The series above is titled: An Aggregation, where his charcoal and nylon objects take the form of a liquid drop, picture or window frames, and a vortex among other nebulous and beguiling forms. These works are on view at the CMAY Gallery, 8687 Melrose Avenue, Space B226, West Hollywood, Ca. 90069. The exhibition closes May 22, 2015.
Iconic Bel-Air Sign, Photo Romi CortierBel-Air West Gate Inset, Photo Romi CortierBel-Air West Gate, Photo Romi CortierBel-Air East Gate, Photo Romi CortierBel-Air Hotel Sign, Photo Romi CortierBel-Air Hotel, Photo Romi Cortier
What can I say about Bel-Air, except that I’ve been obsessed with it since I watched the 1986 movie Ruthless People with Bette Midler and Danny DeVito. Their fictional home on Bellagio Drive packed with over the top Post Modern furniture from the Memphis Era, inspired and tantalized my early designer taste buds. Little did I know that the set designer of the film was actually mocking the over the top furniture style that’s beginning to make a comeback today. (You can catch a glimpse of it in the clip below) Bellagio drive became one of the first places I wanted to see on my next visit to L A… aw the power of movies. Little did i know that one of my first clients after moving to L A in the mid 90’s would be one of the actresses who appeared in this film. I’d been doing her hair for several years when the subject came up. By then she was working as a red head, no longer being cast as the dumb blonde I’d seen her play in the stereo store with Judge Reinhold… the scene about how bigger is better in regards to stereo speakers.
It seems the allure of Bel-Air continues after nearly 90 years. Founded by Alphonzo E. Bell, Sr. in 1923, it’s part of the Platinum Triangle which also includes Beverly Hills and Holmby Hills. There are 2 major entrances: the East Gate and the West Gate. Stone Canyon Road was formerly named Bel-Air Woodland… which makes me think of Hollywoodland, another 1920’s real estate development. Did you know that there were several other signs that dotted the landscape during that era? There was Beverly Crest and Beverly Terrace, both on stilts like the famed Hollywood sign, as well as Bryn Mawr, Tyron Ridge and Eagle Rock that were embedded into the hillside itself.
Another interesting fact is that the homes closer to Sunset Blvd are more expensive than the homes higher up in the hills. These gates below give you a sense of the privacy some of these homeowners require. Bel-Air has such a secluded and tranquil vibe that even a simple drive through it’s canyons can reset your senses. Just beware, there are camera’s at both gates photographing your license plates as you enter and exit, not that you would to anything illegal… but the Bel-Air Homeowners Association is watching just in case.
Bel-Air Home Gate, Photo Romi CortierBel-Air Home Gate, Photo Romi CortierBel-Air Home Gate, Photo Romi CortierBel-Air Home Gate, Photo Romi Cortier
I wandered into 2118 Beech Knoll Road during an open house last week. Oh. My. God. I live around the corner from here and have been walking by the home while its been under construction during the last couple of years. I had no idea what a spectacular residence it was. Yes, it’s got a great vibe from the street, but I was left speechless after spending 20 minutes in it, touring each of the 3 levels of the home.
The brilliance of this home is how beautifully the design concept is integrated through each and every one of its rooms. This is something I try and make clear to clients when they’re beginning a remodel. I urge them to think of the design as a whole, not just as a kitchen or bathroom remodel that stands alone. Otherwise you can end up with one amazing room that makes the others look tired and shabby. When you’re surface materials match from room to room, then the whole will be greater than the sum of its parts. While these photos speak for themselves, I’m going to break it down a bit and point out some of the architectural and design details that truly impressed me.
The concrete flooring with the wood insets is an absolute first from my point of view. I’ve never seen it done before, however, I had an idea to do this in one of my Palm Springs properties with flooring cut-outs for loose stones. Sadly, I lost faith in my vision and never did it. Now my creativity has been sparked, and I hope to be much more inventive in the future.
The use of Bulthaup Cabinetry throughout the residence, from home office, to bathroom, to kitchen, is the epitome of sleek modern elegance. Never in my wildest imagination would I have thought to combine it with the rustic and reclaimed wood like designer and owner Ted Dhanick did. He wisely chose ashy muted tones for most of the wood finishes, which work beautifully with the taupe cabinets. The custom wood and glass doors on pivots are noticeably warmer in tone, however, because they’re used in every room of the home, he created a visual rhythm that completely works. And I can’t rave enough about the rustic skylight trim in the kitchen when combined with the white walls, lacquered cabinets, and stainless Gaggenau, Subzero and Miele appliances. And the fireplaces in both the master bedroom and kitchen are out of this world. I’m so not a beige guy, and would never put a beige sofa or chair in front of these fireplaces, yet the idea is so smart because it lets you focus on the stunning sculptural aspect of the fireplaces, as well as their luscious woodgrain.
This 4500 square foot home has so many other details that help justify the nearly $4 million price tag: Automated LED lighting throughout, IP video intercom and security cameras, Fleetwood pocketing sliding doors, Boffi and European sinks, Kohler DTV automated rain and massage shower system, Somfy automated window shades throughout the house, central vacuum system, Napoleon fireplaces, commercial-grade water softening and filtration system… you get the idea. If you’ll visit their dedicated website, you can see the complete list of amenities.
In closing I will say that this is one of the finest homes I’ve ever set foot in and I wouldn’t change a thing. That’s why I’m calling it a Modernist Masterpiece. Nothing would make me happier then to show up on their doorstep with my suitcases in hand, and a big fat check.
