L.A. Louver

On Friday after an enjoyable lunch with my friends Chris and Bernie and their friends Cheryl and Larry, Chris encouraged Cheryl, Larry and me to check out the L.A. Louver gallery across the street from the James Beach Restaurant on North Venice Blvd. one half a block from the beach.  L.A. Louver is an art gallery focusing on American and European contemporary art.  It was founded in 1976 and represents notable artists including Dale Chihuly, David Hockney, Ed Kienholz, Ed Moses, Ken Price and many others. 

The beautiful building currently houses works by Alison Saar and Tom Wudl.  Alison Saar is a Southern California artist whose work explores themes of African cultural diaspora and spirituality.  She was born in L.A. on 2/4/1956 and received her art education at Otis College and Scripps College. Here are pictures of some of her works on display.

"Cotton Eater," 2013, wood cotton acrylic and tar.  In the back ground is "The Cotton Eater study" 2013, found sugar sacks, gesso, charcoal and graphite.

"Shorn," 2013, wood, wire, glass

"Via Lactea," 2013, wood cast bronze, mother of pearl and acrylic

"Cotton Eater (head)," 2013, ceramic, acrylic, graphite, and cotton balls.

"Milk Teeth," 2013, paper, glue, cast resin, tar, and found child's chair.

"Cat's Cradle," 2013, wood, tin acrylics, graphite and cotton cloth.

"Pearly," 2013, paper, foam, glue acrylic, graphite and polyester cloth.

"Spring," 2011, cast bronze

"Summer," 2011, cast bronze.

The upstairs gallery had several works by Tom Wudl.  These were paintings on linen and vellum.  Wudl is a Los Angeles-based artist.  He was born in 1948 in Cochabamba, Bolivia and immigrated to the U.S. in 1958.  He received his art education at the Chouinart Art School in L.A.

The gallery brochure states that "Wudl's new work is inspired by the Avatansaka Sutra (or Flower Ornament Sutra), the revered scripture of Huayan Buddhism.  The sutra describes an interdependency of all phenomena within a cosmos of infinite realms."  This exhibit is called "Reflections of the Flowerbank World."  Below are a couple of my favorite of his works.

"Light of Silent Sound," 2012, gouache, gold, silver leaf on archival inkjet print on Asuka and Tengucho rice papers and pencil on vellum on wood panel.

"Unattached, Unbound, Liberated, Kindness," 2013, pencil, gouache, 22 karat gold and gum arabic on rice paper.