LA Comes Alive As Sinning In LA Invades The Downtown Art Walk
Here in Los Angeles, you can pretty much find whatever it is you’re looking for, and whenever you want it. You can slip out the door and find sushi freshly flown in from Japan. You can find live reggae music on a weeknight. You can even find art, from high-end gallery shows to the graffiti deep inside a warehouse. Having recently been blown away by Carmen Spera’s showing in Santa Monica, our next art adventure would take us far from the world of galleries and into the heart of the city. So on a brisk January evening, I brought along our photographer (and fellow art enthusiast) Jacopo Campaiola for the ride and we set out to showcase the Downtown Art Walk series.
After consulting my trusty pal Magellan to navigate us there safely, we soon found ourselves among the The Art Walk crowd. It takes place on the second Thursday of each month and this free event is open from noon until well after 9:00pm, which makes for a fabulous and free night on the town. It has everything from local galleries showcasing works from both the established and the struggling (The Skid Row Art Collective was particularly entertaining though), not to mention a section where artists could set up shop to show their works, which more often than not were handmade and one-of-a kind.
As we walked through one of the tented areas, I was particularly taken by the pieces done by Roger Hayes, a local steel artist for over twenty years. For the last five years he has been turning his passion for working with metal into a fashion statement with his custom-created cuffs and bracelets.
Partly inspired by iconic steel works such as the Eiffel Tower, Roger’s creations are both stylish and unique, combining soft leather bands with beautiful hand-crafted steel on the top. What really got me though was the beautiful way in which he displayed his work, which played incredibly well with the new audience that was being exposed to his work on this night.
“To me as an artist, how I present my works is my respect to you,” he said. “I could just lay them out on the table but by building up a display it’s important for me because this is my art.”
He’s been an artist all of his life but has spent the last six years living in Los Angeles perfecting his craft and taking it to the next level.
“I do a lot of LA shows,” he explained. “I do this one, the Melrose market every Sunday and of course Venice, which I still love.”
I then asked him his thoughts on participating in an evening event like the Downtown Art Walk, as Roger really seemed to be in his element.
This is the most direct way because you get honesty. I’ve done gallery openings, bigger art and all these different types of things but for me this is the most rewarding type.
Our next encounter for the evening was a set of paintings from David Saputra, whose “Pop Art” works took iconic figures such as Bob Marley, Barack Obama, John Lennon (even Albert Einstein) and showcased them on wood pieces, which he then spiced up with acrylic layering over them, which gave a glossy, unique finish to each one.
“It started as a hobby,” David told me. “But I always like to find new things and try and create something that’s a little different than what’s out there.”
He certainly succeeded and had crafted such innovative re-imaginings of these famous figures that would make any room in your abode “pop” a little more.
As we took in sights and sounds from the neighboring galleries, Jacopo reveled in capturing all the craziness that was surrounding us on what turned out to be a far cry from a typical Thursday night in the normally dormant-after-dark Downtown district.
We even stumbled into an abandoned old-style theater, where an impromptu blues jam was being performed by two dueling guitarists, much to the delight of the small, intimate crowd who had snuck in from the art show in the neighboring building. Drinks flowed, smoke rose and dancing ensued all as thousands of fellow art appreciators looked on in bemusement.
I later came across the work from Ronald Jackson, whose Artistic Expressions pieces caught my attention for their diversity and also hand-made nature.
“I’ve been doing this for over seventeen years,” he told me. “I’m proud to be a local artist, and I’ve been selling my stuff for about twelve years now.”
His pieces played off symbols that we all relate to, which Ronald incorporates through a variety of styles including drawing, painting and even carving, which he then makes a silicone mold of in order to duplicate his work.
I’m working on what society is driving towards. You got the peace symbol, the music symbol and I just pull from what I see on the streets.
He then added, "I’m in the community all the time, so that’s they way I work it, especially with my paintings.”
With an event that’s as stimulating and invigorating as this one, it’s easy to see that the independent art scene is alive and well in the City of Angels.
“I tell all artists, ‘you have the desire to whatever it is you want to do.’ But the reality is each individual artist has the ability to move their art work to any direction that they want to,” Ronald explained. “That’s why we have such a strong independent scene going on right now, because they have that ability, all they have to do is figure out in their heads what the hell they want to do and they can do it.”
Whatever it is you’re looking for, we’re here at Sinning in LA to help you shine a light in its direction. It could be a great concert, an amazing piece of art, or the darkened corner of a hidden bar.There’s an adventure waiting just past your front door, and we’ll show you how to get there. It’s up to you, however, to get yourself home.
Photos By: Jacopo Campaiola
