Brewery Artwalk Autumn ‘09: A Free Pass To LA’s Creative Common

A reduction linocut by artist Dave Lefner. Studio 212, Moulton Ave.

LA is home to the largest art colony in the world. That’s right, the world. It’s one of our city’s best kept secrets. Twice a year, the Brewery Art Association near downtown LA opens its doors to art aficionados, collectors, students, curious onlookers, and those who only wish they could support themselves based solely on creative genius. I fit into those last two categories.

The following photo collection reflects my first experience at the Brewery Artwalk, which took place this past Saturday and Sunday, October 24 & 25. It is in no way a comprehensive representation of the work that was on display (the complex boasts roughly 300 work/live studios). But it’s a taste of an authentic, thriving art scene unique to LA—a must-try for all Angelenos.

Living Where You Work

Brick: A Blast From the Past
The Brewery is composed of industrial buildings–some dating back to the late 1800s–that have since been converted into lofts ranging between 600 and 6,000 square feet.

An Invisible Wall
Hanging windows make a cozy kitchen in Dave Lefner’s studio.

How Artists Relax
An elevated hot tub (standing nearly 15 feet off the ground) overlooks a nearby rail yard.

Less Talk. More Art.

John Friedericy

A selection (#4) from a 30 piece collection of stone-lithography prints detailing the artist’s process.

Selected work. Piece #5.

Selected work. Piece #30.

Pieces from the collection “Origins Extinct.” Mixed media.

Stump on her process: “I’ve never been able to do abstract art, but I’ve always wanted to. The drips make it feel…loose.”

Composed of over 800 separate ceramic elements, Chuang’s work references symmetry and pattern-making that occur within nature.

Patterson hand-paints each pair with a custom design. Fashionable and functional, the shoes will maintain their look through wear and tear because of a unique property in the paint that bonds it with the leather.

Kaleb Higgins

Lithograph prints and spray paint.

Higgins and Patterson were some of the younger artists I ran into. They shared a studio. Their work is infused with a sense of play.

Tuan Phan

These seemingly decaying forms are Phan’s representation of Stupas, empty vessels that mark graves in Buddhist burial grounds.

Fin

The next Brewery Artwalk will take place in April of 2010. Don’t miss it!

» Brewery Artwalk (official site)