Adventures in the LA
Kim GardnerWell I just returned from a whirlwind trip out west! I actually spent a few days in Arizona before that with my dear friends Amanda and Allison before traveling onto Allison’s home in LA. I will definitely share more on my trip to Arizona in another post because LA was full of so much that I wanted to share that visit first.
After arriving and immediately seeing SEAN ASTIN in the airport it really seemed like this was a true LA experience unfolding! The following day, we set out on our adventure to the studio of Peter Shire nestled in Echo Park. Peter is a fabulous artist born and raised in LA. He is a cinephine, book worm, and coffee lover who ended up giving is a little tour along with his assistant Julia and wife Donna.
His space carries a nostalgic and whimsical energy featuring a vast collection of works in ceramics, furniture, paintings/drawings and sculptures, and bikes along side cars, scooters and a couple of canoes, in addition to a wicked knife collection (in the photos).
The space is also filled with his daughter, Ava’s works. A selection of colorful and golden poops tucked into a magnificent garden of real and painted plants that play off the funky vibes of Peter’s work.
By then end of it we each had a piece from his collection (rare anomalies for us).
From there we grabbed some coffee and hit LACMA (Los Angeles County Museum of Art). It seems there is some new construction in the works, but the Exhibits we got to see here were just stunning.
I especially enjoyed Tavares Strachan’s works featured in “The Day Tomorrow Began” which was a collection of installations and sculptures which touched on the preservation of history and what and who influences what this looks like. The works were also an exploration through materials featuring full room installations, as well as ceramic and metal sculptures, this was definitely worth the visit!
There are quiet a number of historic and contemporary works housed here but we simply didn’t have the time to see them all, so I hope to see more on my next visit!
The next day included a quick visit to the Peter shire NOHO Gateway and donuts from the Iconic Randy’s before a hike to the Griffith Observatory. then finishing our day with our feet in the sand and a sunset at Venice Beach.
Our last big adventure was to the Getty.
A campus on a hill looking out over the city with clear views to the ocean on our visit. There is quiet a collection to take in here at this campus in addition to gardens, a large library and research space, the building/grounds were so breathtaking!
I was determined to go here for the blue cat, a friend of mine had shared this piece with me a little while back and seeing it in person was well worth it! The cat is porcelain and dates back to about 1700–1750 and was likely a incense burner! In the mid-eighteenth-century France the bench was made to compliment this regal kitty. There were a number of ceramic items in the collection that were later adorned with more French gilt bronze, all of which are stunning.
Additionally we checked out a great photography exhibit, featuring Annie Hsiao-Ching Wang’s series, The Mother as Creator, which was so awesome. The artist and her son took a photo every year with the past years photo in the frame with them.
There was a lovely sculpture garden and a wonderful Guerrilla Girls Exhibit (linking a great article about this feminist artist activist group that is worth a read!)
Well now I am off the catch up on work but leave a comment if you enjoyed the read or the pictures!