I had the pleasure of attending this year's Venice Art Walk over the weekend. For one full day, you're invited to explore the residential streets of Venice Beach, CA and discover the tight knit community of artists that inhabit it. The day started at Westminster School on Abbot Kinney where we enjoyed fabulous foods from many of Venice Beach and the surrounding cities best restaurants. The Counter and Chaya Venice were two of my favs. We ate under the shade of an umbrella while listening to live jazz music. After lunch we hopped on one of the complimentary studio tour buses. Expecting to see art studios and galleries, we were really surprised when our first stop was the second story apartment of the artist. Walking up the stairs to Marion Lane's contemporary loft was an experience all its own. We were met with three huge canvases hanging on the wall each one painted a different color but carrying her signature design. She specializes in acrylic designs on glass which she then transplants to canvas in very intricate patterns. And not only canvases, walls, mirrors, windows, toilets, and sinks also wore the colorful swirls of malleable paint. They resemble colored glue art only a lot more sophisticated than the days of Elmer's school glue.
Next we visited the home of contemporary furniture designer and fine art film maker, Elizabeth Page Smith, who happened to live right around the corner. She creates an amazing array of clear acrylic furniture filed with powdered pigments. She explained that the static inside the pieces created unique designs in the pigments, making each and every piece a true original.
The captivating artwork of mixed media artist, Fortune Sitole, told the story of the people of his South Africa. The paintings created on long, panoramic panels of wood use real corrugated metal siding and found food and drink wrappers indigenous to South Africa to create lively images of life in South African villages.
All in all, we walked approximately 3 miles and saw the homes, studios and most often home-studios of 23 different Venice dwelling artists. While I was fortunate enough to receive a free ticket from a friend, the $50 fee (which goes directly to the Venice beach Family Clinic) is well worth every penny. I definitely look forward to next years event.
