Fabric to Canvas: Old Store (Temporarily) is Gallery

NOTED ON THE night of the Atwater Village tree lighting: The former home of Thousand Fabrics, 3229 Glendale Blvd., is hosting a 4-artist exhibit, "Forms of Abstraction 4." The show is open Thursdays through Sundays, noon to 5:00pm, now through January 2010.

LittleBird Gallery Returns for Silver Lake Art Crawl

BACK IN APRIL LittleBird Gallery closed its Glendale Blvd. location but promised it was "not saying good bye, just see yah later." Well, it's later. LittleBird debuts its new temporary pop-up art show, "My Love For You Is Immense," at a new location tonight:

• Saturday, Nov. 7
• 7:00pm to 10:00pm
• Grain (back studio)
• 3135 Glendale Blvd.

The show is part of today's Silver Lake Art Crawl, which also includes Black Maria Gallery, 3137 Glendale Blvd., in Atwater Village.

LittleBird Gallery Packing Up, Moving Out

THIS WEEKEND LittleBird Gallery opens a final exhibition, "Make the Logo Wooden," April 25-29, 7:00pm to 10:00pm, at its Atwater Village storefront, 3195 Glendale Blvd. So is this goodbye? LittleBird tweets that the gallery is "preparing for podcasting and vlogging" and "not saying good bye, just see yah later." . Update April 24 via LittleBird's Twitter: "We're NOT closing, just moving! Details coming soon."

Saturday: Take an Artwalk Around Atwater Village

THIS SATURDAY, August 16, 5:00pm to 9:00pm, neighborhood artists open their doors and studios (and with any luck their bottles of beer and wine) to the huddled masses. It's time for Atwater Village's 2008 Artwalk. Amelia Fitzwater: 3129 1/2 Glendale Blvd. Grain: Pamela Burgess & Eban Lehrer: 3135 Glendale Blvd. Black Maria Gallery: 3137 Glendale Blvd. Kaldi Coffee: 3147 Glendale Blvd. Brian Sheffield Photography and Jacob Rushing Photography: 3181 1/2 Glendale Blvd. LittleBird Gallery: 3195 Glendale Blvd. Jeff Kies Studios: 3609 Edenhurst Ave., entrance in alley Pounder Kone Art Space: 3407 Glendale Blvd. Art and Mayhem Gallery: 3416 Glendale Blvd. Tom Neely: 3152 La Clede Ave. Andee Eve Husney: 3783 Glenfeliz Blvd. Ed & Vivian Flynn: 3765 Legion Lane Cathy Ford and Steve Stanard: 3910 Glenfeliz Blvd. Sorry to Tom, his studio at #10 is cut off my map here, but fully represented on the 2008 Atwater Village Artwalk brochure.

Touchups for Starbucks on Glendale Blvd.

Atwater Village Mural Clean Up, originally uploaded by Luis Lopez.

LOOKS LIKE THIS corporate coffee shop isn't yet on the chopping block.

Hot Time (Too Hot) at Artwater Festival

Artwater Rappers, originally uploaded by Atwater Village Newbie.

NEXT TIME, how about more tents?

Countdown: 3 Days Till Artwater

Lips #1, originally uploaded by theturningman.

THE ARTISTS TAKE OVER Glendale Boulevard, between Brunswick and Glenfeliz, in Atwater Village this Saturday, 2:00pm to 10:00pm: More than 40 local Artisan vendors John Marshall High School artists 3 stages with 19 local bands Dance performances by Dance Garden and Heartbeat House Flavors With Love BBQ New Belgium Beer 55 Degrees Wine Function Drinks Create Your Own Succulent Garden hosted by Bittersweet Butterfly Rock Painting hosted by Los Angeles Parents Union Silk screening by Think Organic Short film screening by R3 Productions (8pm) Receptions at Little Bird, jFerrari and other art galleries The Artwater Music and Art Festival benefits Sonic Muze, raising funds for musical instruments and art supplies for Atwater Village, Los Feliz, Glassell Park and Silver Lake area schools.

Artwater Festival Returns April 26

EASILY THE MOST colorful annual event in Atwater Village, the Artwater music and art fest returns Saturday, April 26, 2:00 to 10:00pm along Glendale Blvd. As a warmup to the 2008 version, see The Turning Man's excellent photo gallery of last year's event.

Busy Day at Brewery Art Walk

Beer Left, Food Right, originally uploaded by Atwater Village Newbie.

FOR THREE YEARS I've wanted to attend the Brewery Art Walk but for one reason or another haven't gone till now. And now that I have been, I really wish I had started attending three years ago. Too much to see in a day. Too much to see in a weekend, really. Too much art. Too many hipsters. (Generations of them, hipster moms with hipster daughters.) To be continued. Next year.

Unless the Art Glows in the Dark

YOU MAY WANT TO arrive early (or late) to the Immigrant Punk exhibit tonight, if Black Maria Gallery participates in Lights Out LA. Immigrant Punk - Opening exhibition, Black Maria Gallery, 3137 Glendale Blvd., Saturday, Oct. 20, 7:00pm to 10:30pm Lights Out LA - Turning off all non-essential lighting for one hour, Saturday, Oct. 20, 8:00pm to 9:00pm

Neighborhood Photographer Stops Time

ANDREW HALL GETS SHORT - 1/8,000th of a second short - with his subjects. From today's LA Times West magazine: "After moving from London to Los Angeles in 2005, Hall, 44, set up his studio in a former cosmetics factory in Atwater Village. He takes his pictures in total darkness, controlling what he can, including the method and speed of the pour, as well as when to activate the flash." More of Hall's photography of water, fire, smoke and gas at andrewhalleditions.com.

A Little Bird Told Me

I FEEL LIKE I HAVE been in this very spot. Behind this very woman. Watching her take this very picture. "Monday Noticed" Solo exhibition by Maxwell Boas Opening reception May 19, 7pm LittleBird Gallery 3195 Glendale Blvd., Atwater Village

Making Up for Lost Weekends

Orange Drain Cover Cat, originally uploaded by theturningman.

I HAVE BEEN RIGHTLY tsk-tsked for my absence from a shining moment on our neighborhood's spring calendar. The Artwater Music & Art Festival (previewed here) swept the sidewalks and storefronts of Atwater Village two weekends ago. Thanks to these kind persons, this is my blog's only first-person account: It wasn't culturally groundbreaking and we didn't stay overly-long, but my kid got to get her face painted, I met the sweet li'l old lady whose portraits are hanging at the J. Ferrari gallery, and Kaldi was selling espresso jello parfaits on the sidewalk. Overheard dialogue between a father and tween-age son as they walked toward one of the performance stage areas (the guitar case-toting son, ostensibly about to perform): Son: [grumbling] Aww, man! This looks lame! Father: [pleasantly clueless] What's that? You say you think it's going to rain? No, I was not boycotting. I was in Fillmore, of all places, for the annual pilgrimage to ride this cartoon-faced locomotive. Nothing personal. Let's enjoy together: theturningman's Artwater photos [Flickr]

Four Hours with Don Suggs

HOW DOES AN ARTIST stay with the same gallery for 30 years? Based in our northeast corner of Los Angeles, Don Suggs has been showing with LA Louver in Venice since 1977. This April 24 LA Weekly piece gets to the center of the painter, illustrator, photographer and sculptor: "His spacious Atwater Village studio, though packed with books, tools, materials of all kinds, mountainous bins of plasticware, and a contraption the size of a small room designed to spin a canvas horizontally while the artist applies pigment from a mattress-lined perch above, is minimally stocked with chairs, and we make little - in fact, no - use of them over the course of my nearly four-hour visit..." Suggs' next show, Concentric, opens at LA Louver May 17 with a reception Saturday, May 19, 6:00pm. Don Suggs is all over the place - in a good way [LA Weekly] Artist profile of Don Suggs [LA Louver] Don Suggs biography [Wikipedia] [Photo of Don Suggs in his studio by Meg Linton, Director, Ben Maltz Gallery, Otis College of Art and Design]

Artists May Save Us From the Rain

IF THE RAIN CONTINUES these open studios might be a good way to participate in Saturday's Artwater Music & Art Festival. From Steve Stanard: Artwater Open Studio Tour Saturday April 21, 3:00 to 6:00pm "Here's your chance to meet neighborhood artists and experience their work in a casual setting. On this self-guided tour, you’ll see the art your neighbors are making right here in Atwater Village. There’s nothing to sign up for, and it's free." (Click to enlarge map.) Samuel Saga (drawing, painting) - 3149 1/2 Glendale Blvd., upstairs Christi McAva (painting) - 3181 Glendale Blvd., #6 - Enter at back door in alley Lorraine & Rick Heitzman (painting, drawing, jewelry) - 3251 Garden Ave. Cathy Ford (painting, photography) - 3910 Glenfeliz Blvd. Eban Leher (painting; adult content) - 3933 Legion Lane, off Dover Juan Rosenfeldt (painting, assemblage) - 3828 Valleybrink Road Ed, Vivian & Ian Flynn, Flynn Art Studios (painting, drawing, assemblage) - 3765 Legion Lane, off Sunnynook Just don't be surprised if upcoming exhibits include variations of a"wet shoeprints on studio floor" theme.

Causing a Row

CommunityWalk Map - Artwater Village

THE NEIGHBORHOOD MAY BE in serious danger of getting one of those Gallery Rows everyone talks about. Newbie friend Swirl Syndicate emailed me the scoop on the newest art scene in Atwater Village. Taking over the Heart To Heart Candies space at 3195 Glendale Blvd. is LittleBird Gallery. Artist opening and reception is planned for Saturday March 31, 7:00pm. So that's five galleries on that side of Glendale Blvd. If only they could schedule their openings on the same nights...

Atwater Chatter - Non Non-Election Edition

SURELY THERE ARE HAPPENINGS in our little slice of northeast Los Angeles beyond grammar violations and canceled elections, yes? Yes: Future of Arthur Magazine looks bleak - "A split between Babcock, who ran the editorial operation out of his Atwater Village home, and Kreslins, whose Maryland-based company holds the trademark and handled the business side, became inevitable last year." [LA Times] Kaldi Coffee and Tea - Atmosphere: 4 stars. Coffee: 3 stars. [Los Angeles Coffee Shops] Visual Artists in Los Angeles - Ian O'Phelan, contemporary drawings, pen & ink, Atwater Village, ianophelan.com [Artist Directory] Now a personal - and, at this point, garlicky - question. Tonight we hankered for Zankou Chicken, went to the Burbank superstore. I noticed something missing from the menu: the Hollywood location. Not on the paper menu, not on the web site. Isn't LA's original Zankou still open at Sunset and Normandie? Why would it be disowned?

Artwater Village Weekend

This weekend, call us ARTwater Village...

Pounder Kone Art Space
3407 Glendale Blvd.
Four Points: African Contemporary
Opening Reception
Jan. 12, 6:00pm

Black Maria Gallery
3137 Glendale Blvd.
11th Commandment
Opening Reception
Jan. 13, 7:00pm

jFerrari Gallery
3015 Glendale Blvd.
Art Through Sports
Artist's Reception
Jan. 13, 6:00pm

Frogtown Update: They've Got Art

Missing from all this talk about whether or not Frogtown, a.k.a. Elysian Valley, just south of Atwater Village, might be the next up-and-coming hipster hood is mention of an apparently already-thriving art scene. As the Montecito Heights blog says covering last November's Frogtown Artwalk, it "felt like Downtown probably did several years ago."

MORE: FrogtownArts.com
MORE: Frogtown Artwalk Map
PHOTOS: Gallery 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Atwater Village Newbie's Best of 2006

Leave year-end restaurant rankings and political punditry to Los Angeles veterans. These are year-end bests for us, two of the LA newbies who helped bump city population over 4 million in 2006. Best Secret On-Ramp - From Riverside Drive in Elysian Valley, just south of Atwater Village, there's a well-marked ramp to I-5 south. But around the bend the ramp splits, without warning or signage, to join highway 110 south toward downtown LA. Shhhh... Best Secret On-Ramp, Spanish Language Version - In Boyle Heights, the Mission Rd. ramp to I-5 splits to I-10 East Best Reason to Know About Secret Ramps: Closures of I-5 north from I-10 west after midnight every time we try it Best Tacos in Walking Distance - Tacos Villa Corona Best Tacos in View of Hollywood Sign and Griffith Observatory - Sidewalk tables at tiny taqueria Casa Diaz, 4666 Hollywood Blvd., give unobstructed angles on two of the icons that drew us here Best LA Blog Family - Mike & Maria & Baby Blogger, curators of Franklin Avenue and Rate-a-Restaurant - among other blogs on every LA newbie's must-read list - and originators of the term Blog-LA-Sphere Best Blog-LA-Sphere Member Who Graciously Answers Pesky Questions from Moving Newbies - LA City Nerd Best Eight-Hour Stroll - Wilshire Blvd., the whole length of it, 16.2 miles from downtown Los Angeles to the ocean Best Local Show to TiVo - Eye on LA, a half-hour of trendy and traditional hot spots Best Web Site for Learning Where LA Neighborhoods Are and How Much It Costs to Live in Them: Rentslicer, especially cross-referenced with this city map Best Way to Make a Colorado Transplant Chuckle: Complaining about how cold it is in LA Second Best Way: Wearing Uggs when it's cold in LA Third Best Way: Being excited about Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory Best Vet for Newbie Pets: Gateway Animal Hospital, Alan Jimerson, DVM, 431 W. Los Feliz Blvd., Glendale Best Way to Read the Los Angeles Times Online - Fishbowl LA's LAT in 90 Seconds Best Automobile Accessory for Newbies - Thomas Guide for Los Angeles and Orange Counties Best Grocery Store Analogy for Newbies - VONS : SAFEWAY :: Ralph's : King Soopers Best Refurbished Grocery Store - Vons, 311 W. Los Feliz Blvd., Glendale, where employees must get paid for friendly greetings the way other grocery store employees are compensated for blank stares Best Place to Take Visitors Who Hate LA - San Diego Second Best Place - Pasadena Best Place to Take Two-Year-Old Visitors in LA - Shane's Inspiration Playground, Griffith Park Second Best Place - Travel Town, Griffith Park Best Traffic Web Site for Newbies - MyCaliforniaTraffic.com Best First Stop for Newbies Moving from a Landlocked State - IKEA, because landlocked states do not have IKEA Best Second Stop - The Getty Museum, because 1) it's free, 2) it gets you used to the idea that in LA "free" means you still pay for parking, and 3) the view makes you glad you moved from a landlocked state Best Song to Hear While Driving a Hyundai to Zankou Chicken in Glendale - "Debra" by Beck Best TV Show to Sharpen LA Geography Skills - From "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip": "A caller from Toluca Lake called us Barbra Streisand loving, Michael Moore worshiping jackasses;" "I keep all your things nicely stored on a garbage scow off Catalina" Best TV Show to Set Unrealistic LA Traffic Expectations: "24" Best Blog by Another LA Newbie: BLDGBLOG