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

LosAngeles
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.

Silver_Brewery

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.

Brewery_BldgH

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

A wall of windows makes for a homey kitchen.

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

An elevated hot tub overlooking a nearby railyard

Less Talk. More Art.

John Friedericy

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

Litho_Form
Selected work. Piece #5.

Litho_Flight
Selected work. Piece #30.


Iva Hladis

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


Anna Stump

Painting_Sculptures
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.”


Ying-Yueh Chuang
“Cross +”

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


Jacob Patterson

Shoes_Paint
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

Print_Celeb
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

Sculpture_StupaBods
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)