viewfromaloft

Fairey says Farewell to a Friend

Stuart Noble by Birdman

The Arts District lost a local when Stuart Noble was struck by a car while crossing a Pasadena street last Friday morning. He helped make art, and street art, a visible force in downtown Los Angeles, including curating exhibitions for Pershing Square, and helping out one particular street artist. The renegade has something to say about Noble's passing. 

I met Stuart in 1999 on my first trip to London. Stuart was a partner in a flyer distribution and promotions company called Don’t Panic! Don’t Panic curated an art poster supplement that was distributed with the flyers. I think their goal was to mix art and commerce. I was offered the Don’t Panic art poster as a means of promoting my London art show, but I had to drive straight from the airport to their offices and work on the art in order to meet their print deadline. Stuart and the rest of the Don’t Panic! crew were very enthusiastic about the design I made.  Stuart then offered for me to tag along to put up posters as he drove the Don’t Panic! delivery van around London dropping off flyers. Stuart was on the job, so I wanted to respect his time, but I kept seeing good spots, so I would ask him if we had a second to pull over. The answer was always “yes!” and as he started to understand my modus operandi he would drive out of his way to take me to great spots.

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Stuart visited LA and liked it enough to move to the city in 2005. I was in need of a new poster printer, so Stuart signed on for the job. He would also go on poster missions with me and took the initiative to put posters up on his own as well.  Stuart became an Obey ambassador of sorts, talking to property owners about walls for my art. Many of the murals I have done in the downtown LA Arts District were organized by Stuart. Stuart was quite a prolific purveyor of Obey on every front!

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I’m eternally grateful for Stuart’s friendship and passion for my work. Stuart, thanks for everything… I’ll miss you man!

Obey Giant [view]

CBS [view]

 

 

"Iconic Vision" of John Parkinson

A biography of John Parkinson by Stephen Gee has been out since early May, and it’s "the first book to detail, in words and images, this master architect's incredible contribution to Los Angeles." With City Hall, the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Bullock's Wilshire, Union Station, the architect and his firm gave the city a look that has become a cultural reference.

"His buildings are an essential part of Los Angeles. City Hall is still the hub of political power in the city," Stephen Gee told KCRW earlier this month. "There are thousands of people who live and work in Parkinson’s buildings. Union Station is still a tremendously important train station on the west coast. These structures are just as important now as the day that they opened."

A documentary on Parkinson is also planned. Donations are being sought.

Iconic Vision: John Parkinson, Architect of Los Angeles [view]

Some of Parkinson's earlier buildings may not have the cultural visibility of City Hall. You can see that in a dedicated list by German photography Martin Schall, who stalked Arts District gems like the Spreckel Bros. Warehouse and the Joannes Bros. Building.

You-Are-Here I Parkinson [view]

Arts District Keeps Rolling Along

Urban über coolness under construction in the Arts District. Above, One Santa Fe moves forward. Below, the SCI-Arc League of Shadows is a weave of beams.








One Santa Fe I Michael Maltzan Architecture [view]

SCI-Arc Arts District Anchor Project I Art Place America [view]

One Santa Fe photos via Helen Ly / vfal. League of Shadows by Scot Ezzell.

April 2013 Posts

Take a photo of street art or a mural, and the photograph becomes a interesting form of collage. That's one of the topics in this month's round up of my posts at KCET.org.

Arts District Project Greening Project I April 27

Arts District Project Greening Project, a recipient of a major Tree People Grant, are now looking for a few good tree huggers and planters. They are signing up new  volunteers to help plant trees on Saturday, April 27, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Those who signed up at last years outdoor love fest are already on the books, and only need to re-sign if contact information has changed. Huggers and planters will meet at Urban Radish.  LARABA

Calder and Wild Life Have Another Take On The LA River

The collective installation work of Calder "Cardboard" Greenwood and Wild Life took on a rubber ducky theme yesterday,  seemingly using materials studier than paper-mache for a waterbound statement. With the duck, the native landscaping of the Los Angeles River, near Los Feliz and the golf courses, has playful symbolism for its recreational directives.

Photo by Stephen Zeigler. April 10, 2013.

Art Walk for March, 2013

At KCET, my March 2013 Art Walk post is up, including information on a big show in the Arts District

"14 Gallery Shows to See at the April 2013 Downtown L.A. Art Walk"  [view]

Fun Clip: Howser busting an imitator.

I dare you to find a clip with Huell Howser that isn't likable. Here is one of my favorites. Howser calls out and busts a Sacramento entertainment reporter who likes to imitate him on the air. "Is this going to take litigation?"

ADD: My post on Huell at KCET.

R.I.P. Huell Howser

From July, 2007: Huell Howser took a visit to Blooms General Store in the Arts District, after the passing of Joel Bloom. Howser's gift was not just finding stories, but connecting with people who understood the stories of their neighborhoods.

The longtime host of KCET series "California's Gold," died last night of natural causes. He was 67.

OC Weekly

Media Bistro

ADD: My post on Huell at KCET.

KCET has a list of Huell tributes.

Photo: EF / VFAL

Downtown Vid Pic: "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer."

"One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer." 

John Lee Hooker revisited his 1966 cover of the Rudy Toombs penned song "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer" in this video film at 544 Mateo, near Palmetto. The Downtown Vid Pick was spotted by Arts District local Tim Quinn, who suggests the filming took place around 1999. No matter. The song is a triple shot Arts District anthem to dance away 2012.

The blues master passed away in 2001.