It’s a brightly lit Tuesday afternoon and I’m sipping on an iced mocha at LA Café, chatting with downtown resident artist Robert Vargas for the second time. The painter is having lunch while flipping through a book of Albert Moore’s languorous nudes, feeling inspired by some of his favorite romantic compositions between nibbles of salad. [...]
Author Archives: Shannon Logan
On The Hunt For Ed Roski
April 23, 2009 – 1:08 pm
In my quest to interview the great man himself, Ed Roski Jr., I got passed off to the company’s official downtown spokesperson, their Senior Vice President of Corporate Development Fran Inman. Then they told me, Mr. Roski doesn’t give interviews. Actually, the exact words were ‘slim to none,’ and ‘slim’ is enough of a chance [...]
The Gallery has Landed
April 17, 2009 – 9:44 am
It’s early morning, and I’m at the Landing Party Gallery on Broadway watching the owners Erik and Aaron make a slow effort to clean the place after last night’s fashion show. The show, which was a first for them, was quite a learning experience. And judging by the state of things, a bit messier than [...]
Easter at Midnight
April 13, 2009 – 11:50 am
Skid Row on Easter weekend; the scene is both sad and festive. Arches of pastel colored balloons float over the trash filled intersections. White folding tables are being set up along 5th street, as the hungry crowds line the sidewalks. There are long queues forming in front of the missions. This is the only celebration [...]
Nathan Cartwright and his Hive
April 8, 2009 – 10:43 am
It wasn’t easy spotting the place. The Hive is deceptively camouflaged, with its maroon canvas awnings and glass window storefront. It could be anything, I thought. A pizza place, a café closed for business, or an empty store. I hunted nervously for the address from where I stood across the street. 729. This was the [...]
Bert Green On Art Walk
April 2, 2009 – 4:10 pm
Like the Buddhist influenced pieces on display in the main gallery area, Bert Green sits at his desk, a little Buddha-like himself, calmly presiding over the domain of the flourishing downtown Los Angeles art scene. I took a good look at the exhibits before sitting down today with the multiple gallery owner, and founder of [...]
Cole’s
March 31, 2009 – 11:56 pm
It may not seem like a big deal, but nothing is more comforting to me than a glass of wine and a grilled cheese sandwich. If you add an overcast sky to the equation, a crunchy homemade pickle, and a bowl of tomato soup— just stick a fork in me, I’m done. Lucky for me, [...]
