This October I had the opportunity to spend some time in Los Angeles - a town that was at one time my home, many moons ago. The trip was equal parts vacation, inspiration, and work. Joined by a couple of my besties who live in the area, I made the most of my 9 days there with a busy schedule of art, beach, nature hikes, architecture, music and more.
Among many things, I had the chance to view the opening of my friend Tomashi Jackson’s art show “Minute by Minute” at Night Gallery, which incorporated hand-embroidered and tatted textiles made by my own grandmother, Carrie Barcus, which I had gifted to the artist. Truly a special moment to see these complex, multi-layered (quite literally and figuratively), collaged works in person - they are POWERFUL! I could feel my grandmother’s utter awe and delight raining down on that gallery as well. You can read more about Tomashi’s show in this wonderful LA Times interview.
I also made a pilgrimage with my dear friend Tamara, to see my hero Niki de Saint Phalle’s installation “Queen Califia’s Magical Circle” in Escondido - one of the few existing sites of her art in the US. Magical indeed! I cannot even fathom the amount of time it took to cover this entire area in mosaics - much of which was made from semiprecious gemstones! The docent at the site told us that Niki and her team went to the Tucson gem show to buy the stones. I imagine they must have cleared out a lot of dealers’ bins to make this work!
Back in LA proper, I had the chance to visit the Neutra VDL House in Silverlake with my friend Symantha. This onetime home and studio of architect Richard Neutra is a place I’ve long wanted to see in person, as a huge fan of mid-century modernism and Neutra in particular. Neutra shares a particular history with my mother’s lineage, who were Austrian Jews. While it may not seem so unusual today, the fact that the original structure for this building was made in 1932 is pretty mind-blowing.
Last but not least, the trip was capped off by a trunk show at the beautiful Kinship Station boutique in Topanga. I loved hanging with the shop staff, and getting to know their customers more. They’ve got such a gorgeous curation of decor, clothing and jewelry - definitely worth a visit.
That’s a wrap! Until next time LA <3