Wyland's Whaling Wall #31

Detail of Gray Whale Migration mural (1991) by Robert Wyland


Los Angeles is noted for being a city full of murals. I noticed that this blog is a bit light on showing such public art. So, here's a post to remedy the situation. ;-)

Wyland's work can be found all over the coast of California. Fortunately, we have a pretty cool mural over in Redondo Beach, the Gray Whale Migration. It was painted in 1991, the 31st of 100 murals that Wyland executed upon this theme. It was recently touched up to celebrate the twentieth anniversary.

I like how it captures the "Save the Whales" vibe of the era. It's an example of the developing "eco-consciousness" within the popular culture of the late 1980s and early 1990s.

South wall segment of Gray Whale Migration (1991) by Wyland.

And, most importantly, the Gray Whale Migration is an interesting image. Compositionally, it fits well along the building's western and southern walls.

Picking Up Where We Left Off

Breaking the Girl by Yoskay Yamamoto

I always enjoy art shows that involve the blending of multicultural influences. LaBasse Projects in Culver City has been the "go to" place for me to enjoy such exhibits. Currently, LaBasse is exhibiting a solo show of Yoskay Yamamoto's work, entitled "Picking Up Where We left Off." Blending themes and images from both traditional Japanese art and contemporary Los Angeles pop culture, Yamamoto creates a rich "dream space" that makes the mundane take on otherworldly qualities.

The textured quality of the paintings create a strong sense of space in which the mental or spiritual states of the subject manifests as perceptible force, form or color. Be it the wind in ripping though the hair or a haze of snow, the psychological state dominates the space in which the subject figure resides. It's a very powerful presentation.

Snow by Yoskay Yamamoto

And there is a refreshing sense of humor, a lightness of mood, that pervades Yamamoto's work. I especially enjoyed the image above. The title and white hair bring to my mind the legendary Yuki-onna. It's delightfully ironic that she seems entranced by music. ;-)

Adventures in Orchid Viewing

Orchid: Lady MacBeth


The South Coast Botanic Garden was holding an Orchid show and sale this weekend. So, I headed over to check it out. I ended up taking hundreds of photos. Yeow!!!

Orchids are not my favorite flowers, but I can totally get caught up in their amazing varieties, shapes, and colors. I think that, if I were to become a flower cultivator, orchids would present the most complex and engaging type to grow. It's easy to see how Victorian flower collectors would go crazy over obtaining a new orchid.

Orchid: Alice's Yasmin


I'm a bit tight on time today. So this is going to be a pure photo post. ;-)

La Bellissima

Anna Netrebko was born on September 18, 1971.

I know that this blog may be giving you all musical whiplash, but I can't let the day pass without wishing a Happy Birthday to one of my favorite contemporary operatic vocalists, Anna Netrebko. Her sweet soprano voice has a celestial perfection. Her ability to convey emotion through her gentle or impassioned vocal nuances is enough to melt a man.

I know older opera fans will quibble, but Netrebko is one of the greatest sopranos of all time. And, as for now, she's certainly the greatest soprano of the 21st century. It ain't open to debate. ;-)

La Bellissima!!! The reigning new diva of the 21st century!!!

Happy Birthday, Anna!!!

No Matter How I Struggle and Strive

Hank Williams was born on September 17, 1923


I'm not a fan of country music, especially not most current styles. But old time county tunes are welcome at Paideia. And my favorite performer of that genre is Hank Williams. His music has a bittersweet authenticity that makes it timeless and accessible. Yeah, it may not be my "thing" but I'd be a blockhead to not appreciate it as a superb expression of the essence of country music.

It's amazing to consider the influence Hank Williams had upon American music and reflect on the fact that he died at the age of 29 years. It's sad imagining how much music he still had in him to share with the world. But the fine music that he left behind serves as a testament to his immense talent and musical genius.

Hank Williams had 35 singles place in the Top 10 of the Country & Western charts.

Let's listen to some music.

Jinkies!!! Daphne Displays Her Drawers!!!

Daphne Blake exhibits her underclothes at Bergamot Station


I paid a quick visit to Bergamot Station in Santa Monica today. I wanted to check out a few galleries. I wasn't expecting to see this. ;-)

I have no clue as to why Daphne was there. I have no idea why somebody decided to have her show off her panties. But it's weirdness like this that makes visiting the West Side of Los Angeles always an interesting experience.

So, what do you think belongs in the thought balloon? Hmm. . .

Enjoy!!!

Realism and the Body Beautiful

A Deal With The First Devil You Came Across (2011) by Jeff Ramirez

Last December, Thinkspace gallery exhibited a show called "The New Realism" which displayed a group of six artists including Aaron Nagel, Jeff Ramirez, and Jennifer Nehrbass. Well, they have a current show going on which again features these three artists. And, if you missed the December show, you have another opportunity to admire the fine figural realism of these artists.

I've written about Jeff Ramirez's work before at a show last May. His paintings still contain a powerful mix of highly detailed realism blended with obscurity or inscrutability of significance. With figures hidden under trashcans or brightly colored clothes, the paintings are visual enigmas. The painting above is not as overtly indeterminate, but it still uses cropped, foreshortened, and obscured compositional elements to create a mystery in regards to its premise.

Aaron Nagel's work approaches the mysterious in a different manner. His paintings of realistic female nudes evokes the transcendent quality of religious iconography. Upon a shadowed background, the women shine with supernal radiance, like carnal saints of mortal Beauty. Nagel's figures are exemplars of that which contemporary society worships.

Sincerely II (2011) by Aaron Nagel

My original training in the Arts was focused on religious iconography. So, Nagel's work really resonates with me. If "deus mortuus est" then what is the purpose of the "ora pro nobis"?

Singin' the Blues

Blues Icon B.B. King was born on September 16, 1925.


Wow!!! I nearly missed B.B. King's birthday. Most of the great blues legends have passed away, but we're lucky enough to still have "Blues Boy" with us. So here's wishes for a Happy 86th Birthday to the King.

B.B. King's influence within the blues tradition cannot be overstated, but it should also be noted that his innovations in guitar playing techniques extends well beyond the confines of the blues and into classic rock performance styles. He is frequently regarded as one of the greatest guitarists of all time. It is a reputation that he has properly earned with a long career of brilliant playing.

B.B. King, Master of the Blues Guitar


Don't take my word for it. Let's listen to some music and you can decide for yourself.

Friday Flowers: Osa Pulchra

Osa Pulchra at the Huntimgton Botanical Gardens

 Air and Angels
(By John Donne)

Twice or thrice had I loved thee,
Before I knew thy face or name;
So in a voice, so in a shapeless flame,
Angels affect us oft, and worshipped be;
     Still when, to where thou wert, I came,
Some lovely glorious nothing I did see,
     But since my soul, whose child love is,
Takes limbs of flesh, and else could nothing do,
     More subtle than the parent is
Love must not be, but take a body too,
     And therefore what thou wert, and who
          I bid love ask, and now
That it assume thy body, I allow,
And fix itself in thy lip, eye, and brow.

Whilst thus to ballast love, I thought,
And so more steadily to have gone,
With wares which would sink admiration,
I saw, I had love's pinnace overfraught,
     Every thy hair for love to work upon
Is much too much, some fitter must be sought;
     For, nor in nothing, nor in things
Extreme, and scatt'ring bright, can love inhere;
     Then as an angel, face and wings
Of air, not pure as it, yet pure doth wear,
     So thy love may be my love's sphere;
          Just such disparity
As is 'twixt air and angels' purity,
'Twixt women's love, and men's will ever be.



I've been waiting for a good opportunity to share these pretties with you all. If I had to guess, I'd have said they were white angel's trumpets, but that's totally off. These Osa Pulchras are from the coffee family (Rubiaceae).

Osa Pulchra at the Huntington Botanical Gardens



Well, they're still quite beautiful. ;-)

When Women Wore Gloves

Little Girl Go (2011) by DJ Hall


Koplin Del Rio Gallery in Culver City is currently exhibiting works by DJ Hall in "Kodak Moments, Portrait of a Los Angeles Artist in the 1950's." The artist under review in the '50s is DJ Hall as a child in Southern California. It's a playful show with a good mix of nostalgia and impudence. On one hand, there is a clear love for the details and nuances of the era, from Disney lunch boxes to girls attire to poolside birthday parties. On the other hand, there is a tongue in cheek campiness that portrays the era with a "Dick and Jane" simplicity.

In terms of emulating an era or setting, this show is fantastic. But there are other elements that make this show more than just a fine display of emulation. First, the painting and composition of the works are exceptional. These exuberant images are crafted with bold, expressive strokes. The vitality of the brushwork is the foundation from which these figures derive their powerful presence. Even the flowers seem to jump off the canvas towards the viewer. This paint has got punch!

Smell the Roses (2010) by DJ Hall

The second element that wins me over is the manner in which the artist uses her youthful self as a mirror or counterpoint to her mature self. In some of the paintings, the child has an adult's self-awareness. It's as if the artist has transferred her consciousness back in time into her young body. It's a powerful depiction of the way we all reflect back on our life, experiencing these childhood memories from the vantage of adulthood. In our memory, we inhale the fragrant flowers of our grandparent's garden with a poignant intensity that children rarely demonstrate. Kids aren't aware of the transience of life, wherein the flowers shortly pass away, as do beloved pets and family members.

Somethin' Else

Julian Edwin "Cannonball" Adderley, jazz alto saxophonist, was born on September 15, 1928.


Cannonball Adderley was one of my favorite jazz musicians. His 1958 record, Somethin' Else, is definitely in my Top Five Jazz Albums. His rendition of "Autumn Leaves" with Miles Davis is one of the essential works of the jazz repertoire.

Sadly, Cannonball passed away at the young age of 46 years. His soulful, blues-inspired playing and his distinct, imaginative compositional style promised great things to come, but it wasn't to be. However, we can be grateful for the fine music that he left us in his short but prolific musical career.

Cannonball Adderley from the cover of Know What I Mean? (1961)

Let's listen to some music.

Weekly Wrap: Wednesday Night #9

On Board by David Thefeld


Another exciting week draws to an end. I didn't get as much writing done as I would have liked. But I finally got an art gallery review posted after a shameful hiatus. I fumbled on Spooky Sunday. This upcoming Sunday looks a bit tightly scheduled as well. Maybe I should turn it into Terror Tuesday. With three missed weekends in a row, I'm thinking about it.

On the positive side, readership here at Paideia is booming. I'm somewhat confused as to what's driving the increased traffic. I've certainly not networked the blog or attempted any type of promotion. Having a large readership isn't a big deal to me, but I appreciate having it. My primary audience is myself, but having others read and enjoy my crazy flights of fancy is oddly affirming. ;-)

Here are my hopes for this upcoming week. I want to get an art gallery review out on Thursday, Saturday, and Monday. That's my old schedule and I think it's a good one. I want to get a Spooky Sunday post, but, if I can't, were moving to Tuesday. And I want to get 14 posts written up by the next Weekly Wrap. I need to stop slacking on production. It really isn't that tough to find a cool image, toss together 300 words, and find a related YouTube vid.

It shall be done!!! LOL!!!

Single Self by Korin Faught on exhibit at the Corey Helford Gallery

Here are the ten posts of the week:

We celebrated a bunch of birth dates and anniversaries, including pop singer Pink, Russian figure skater Irina Rodnina, KFC's Colonel Harland Sanders, and the debut of Scooby Doo, Where Are You!

We had our Friday Flowers and a special celebration of the Harvest Moon.

And we had four art related posts. I went to the Corey Helford Gallery to review Korin Faught's wonderful show "Voices of the Lake". We admired LACMA's netsuke collection. I paid a visit to the Huntington. And finally, we admired the sculpture garden in the Manhattan Beach Civic Plaza.

Good stuff!!!

And now for our weekly weird image.

An image for PETA's" KFC Cruelty" ad campaign

Enjoy!!!