Click Here for Part One “Bouncing in the Artist’s Bubble" The womb of an artist’s bubble reflects one's spirit; the exoskeleton can expand with joy and contract in pain. A new project ballooned into bliss. I was having a chat at Coffee Talk in Kaimuki with friend...
Legendary Fabricator Jack Brogan (1930–2022) The Cowboy Gets Off the Saddle
Jack Brogan, the legendary arts fabricator, quietly died at home on Wednesday, September 14 at 3:30 PM. He was 92 years old. His long life was exemplary. Born in Tennessee in 1930, Brogan came home after serving in the Korean War. He drove a truck until the unions...
BOUNCING IN THE ARTIST’S BUBBLE, PART ONE
Artists create in a bubble, a womb constructed with their hearts, minds and souls. This freedom-loving habitat is a protective space, a defense against the contrarian outside world. Influences might receive a wary invitation to enter. That beautiful bubble may float...
Reconnoiter: Kimberly Brooks Interview with the artist
The acorn never falls too far. At age 12, an enterprising artist stood in front of White on White, the Kazimir Malevich painting at MoMA NY. She tugged on her father’s sleeve and asked the surgeon, “What does it mean?” His answer inspired Kimberly Shlain Brooks toward...
Reconnoiter Interview with Cliff Benjamin
In 2003, Cliff Benjamin and Erin Kermanikian founded Western Project. The pioneers were the third gallery to open in Culver City. In 2015, they moved out of their space and now operate in our new virtual frontier. I caught Cliff on the island Maui. Beyond the obvious...
The Sweet and Sunny of Mark Bradford
Several weeks of cold rain and angry trade winds broke. At last, the balmy warm weather had been restored to the Hawaiian island of Oahu. The glorious outdoors beckoned, but many chose to fill the Doris Duke Theater of the Honolulu Museum of Art. Art star Mark...
We Love Art Books! (Part 2)
In Part One of this article, gallerist Charlie James, collector Tom Peters, arts advisor Michelle Isenberg, art writer Shana Nys Dambrot, insurer William Fleischer and book designer Roy Brooks discuss art books and all their glory. Click Here. Yah, sure. Everybody...
We Love Art Books! (Part 1)
Yah, sure. Everybody loves an art book. But why? When a fine art book is published, the action generates a series of exponential benefits that ripple across the art world. Here, we present ten art world leaders, specialists in their roles, to detail the intricacies of...
FIELD REPORT: HONOLULU
In the future, it’s all Surf and no Turf. The issue of global warming and rising tides asks the question “What will we eat, as our food supply changes?” Four New York–based women artists have tackled the prospective dilemma in the pop-up gallery show “Flooded” in...
RECONNOITER
In celebration of Artillery’s inaugural Food Issue, caterer and collector Tom Peters has agreed to divulge several of his secret and most cherished recipes. He began both his profession and his passion in the early ’80s. Since then, he has amassed a clientele that...
Past and Present: LA Art in the ’90s
The recognized History of Art is marked by a movement, our blue-chip Art Stars and our institutions. Often more interesting and dynamic, the smaller histories of a regional art community are established by the galleries, art spaces and the people who support them. The...
Pussy Riot Goes Hawaiian, Part 2
Click Here for Part 1. Art Star and painter Masami Teraoka conceived of a collaboration with Russian performance collective Pussy Riot. These words document their performance in Hawaii. THE NINTH WAVE The marketing of The Tempest was limited to an events...
Pussy Riot Goes Hawaiian
Artist Masami Teraoka said, “Let’s make art!” and they did. Pure art rumbles, bubbles and springs forth, like the eruption of a magnificent geyser. As the plume spray drifts and evaporates in the wind, the beauty of the gesture is the impermanent purpose. A...
Honolulu Biennial
The art world as we know it is in a constant state of reinvention and definition, continually seeking relevance. In this quarter of the great game, the self-intentioned academics are running with the ball. Global societal, biological and environmental issues are king...
Historic Hot Spots
Yee Mee Loo, Chinatown: Dark, exotic and mysterious, this temple dive bar was the touchstone for all Angeleno art legends. Destroyed by an earthquake. Today, the original iconic matchbooks are a prized collector’s item. Barney’s Beanery, WeHo: Located...
RECONNOITER
Jack Brogan is a fabricator. He makes things. Challenged with the whim, fancy and far-reaching concepts of the artist, Brogan, 86, will produce a dimensional object. His influence will never be truly known nor appreciated. ARTILLERY: Your proficiency in new materials...
Hippie Noir
There are times when an art movement quietly documents the heart and soul of the much louder story of history that surrounds it. In 1966, LSD was legal. It was available to a large group of first adopters who found the drug to be “very sensational.”In 1967, LSD was...
Blood, Salt Water and Gasoline
Through the heart of every true Southern Californian, there flows a passionate mixture of blood, salt water and gasoline. "Kustom Kulture II" is a celebration of this Life and Style. Grab your sweetie and a blanket, revv the rod and head down to the sands of...