Downtown L.A. ~ The City in Color

I never met a color I didn't like.

~Dale Chihuly

Downtown Los Angeles 

As you may have heard, Downtown Los Angeles has had a Renaissance in recent years. There are new businesses being brought in all the time, new museums, old buildings restored ... there is a lot going on! And, with a lot of various walking tours, you can have a guide help you navigate through the wonderful history of the city. (That's not to say there aren't some sketchy areas I wouldn't want to walk alone, as well as the skid row area which has grown in recent years.)

I decided recently to take a walking tour of art deco buildings downtown with the Los Angeles Conservancy, which was great! Most of these photos were taken that day, (with the exception of Olvera Street) but I'm saving the Deco shots for a future post when I have more time to write!

The Los Angeles Theater

1931

National Register of Historic Places

I was inside this French Baroque style theater, years ago, and it's an incredible sight to see! I hope to go back in some day and take photos to show you! I've never been in another theater like it anywhere. It was partially funded by Charlie Chaplin so it would be done for the premiere of his film City Lights.

The touring company of Carrie just played there and sometimes various films are screened there. It is also used quite often for film and TV locations.

A color is as strong as the impression it creates.

~Ivan Albright 

The Tower Theater

1927

This theater below was commissioned by H.L. Gumbiner, who also commissioned the Los Angeles Theater. It was the first theater to be wired for talking pictures and premiered Al Jolson's The Jazz Singer, which was a revolution in film making. And it was the first with air conditioning! 

Now the lobby is leased for various things, the auditorium is leased to a church and it's used as a film set as well.

Pershing Square

Colors speak all languages.

~ Joseph Addison 

... and more downtown ...

About a week later I met my friend for lunch on Olvera Street (the site of many past posts) along with her daughter. I guess you'd say it's on the edge of downtown, along with Chinatown. It's just so colorful and fun to photograph!

Colours are brighter when the mind is open.

~Adriana Alarcon

Color is the fruit of life.

~Guillaume Apollinaire 

The world is your kaleidoscope,

and the varying combinations of colors 

which at every succeeding moment it presents to you

are the exquisitely adjusted pictures 

of your ever moving thoughts.

~James Allen

Blessings and light!

The Getty Center and J.M.W. Turner

Light is therefore

COLOUR.

~J.M.W. Turner

Being an art teacher, I thought it was important to go see the big J.M.W. Turner exhibition going on at the Getty Center. While my mom is a huge Turner fan, I'm sort of ... on the fence. However, I love his painting of the Roman Forum, which is part of the Getty collection.

Strange to see the big fountain without water, because of the drought. They are also letting the lawns go. Kind of strange and sad. 

J.M.W. Turner: Painting Set Free

February 24-May 24, 2015

Modern Rome-Campo Vaccino

exhibited 1839

oil on canvas

Yep, this is the one I absolutely love. Obviously, my whole Italy obsession might have something to do with it, but I do think it's just a beautiful painting.

Painting is a strange business.

~J.M.W. Turner

This next piece is usually how I think of Turner, with a very limited palette. (In a way I'm wrong because his earlier work is very different, at least to my eye.) It's terrible to say but the brown and golden earth tones somehow remind me of the 1970s.

I know it's ridiculous and irrational, but there you have it. I think the later paintings bring up a sense memory of the colors people used to do that weird "antiquing" to their perfectly good wood furniture. Remember that? Anyway, like I said, I think my issue with his palette is in his later work.

What I do love is his dynamic movement in nature, the sense of mystery, and his portrayal of action ... and then also way he layers the paint with his brushstrokes and varying textures. That's a lot to appreciate.

Snow Storm-Steam-Boat off a Harbour's Mouth
exhibited 1842
It's now part of the Tate, London's huge Turner collection. The exhibition was done along with them.

The moon is up, and yet it is not night.

The sun as yet disputes the day with her.

~Lord Byron, Childe Harold's Pilgrimage (1812-18)

as altered by Turner

There were over sixty "key oil paintings and watercolors," in the show. It was huge. What I didn't know, frankly, were Turner's watercolors. Turns out I am a fan. I wish I could have photographed some of my favorites for you but there was no photography aloud so ... I dragged these off the exhibition website. We'll see how long I get away with it, but I want to share these with you!

The Blue Rigi, Sunrise
1842
Tate London

Beautiful right? If you love watercolors, and you are driving distance, you should head over there. It goes until May 24th, so you have a little time. What's great is that he did watercolors on location, so you have these great places like Venice and Switzerland for subject matter and they are totally fresh and alive.

But look what I found! This quick video shows some of his watercolors and talks about them. I wish they showed his pieces of Venice, but here you go!

I haven't seen the biopic "Turner" yet. I've heard mixed reviews but I am sure I will see it. I love a biopic, especially when they are about artists.

Here is the trailer, in case you are interested in renting it. After the trailer is an interview with the actor Timothy Spall, who plays Turner, along with scenes from the film.

This 16 minute video shows how they recreated the paintings and bought an old place and gutted it to recreate Turners home. Very cool.

Above you can see the lawn turning ... but the garden was still blooming with color.

I took my friend Karen with me, which was great, because it was her first time there! I love taking newbies to the Getty and other great places in the city. There is so much to see and do here, that people don't always get around to. 

It's difficult to motivate sometimes, because things are so spread out, and if you have never gone somewhere before it can feel like pain in the neck, with the logistics of everything.

The thing is, it's worth it!

Looking up at architect Richard Meier's work ...

The sun is God.

~J.M.W. Tuner

The Getty Gardens

by California artist

Robert Irwin

There's a sketch at every turn.

~J.M.W. Turner

Here is a little documentary about Turner. You can see more of his watercolors at the beginning of the doc and then at 29:50 he goes to Italy, and shortly after are some watercolors of Venice. :)

My job is to paint what I see,

not what I know is there.

~J.M.W. Turner

Link to the Turner/Getty page here.

Hollywood, Miss Piggy and Sizzling Rice Soup!

My 8 year old nephew Benjamin was on spring break, so my sister brought him down to L.A., last week. They went to the zoo, while I was working, then we met up at the apartment before heading to Sushi in West Hollywood at Yoshi Sushi. First time I ever had seared barracuda sushi! And it was great! I highly recommend it.

Anyway, I took the next day off, so I could cruise around with them. Ben said he wanted to go back to Hollywood, and then visit Chinatown, so Penny got tickets to see the new Muppets' movie at the El Capitan Theater. 

El Capitan Theater

1926

The El Capitan is a beautiful old movie palace, on Hollywood Blvd. It opened in 1926, by the same developer that opened the famous Chinese Theater, across the street, and the old Egyptian Theater, a couple of blocks east. It was refurbished and reopened in 1991, just before I moved to Los Angeles.

They do this "show" with the various curtains and scrims, that kind of cracks me up, for some reason.

The Theater and adjacent buildings are owned by Disney, so they open many of their films and have many of the premieres at the El Capitan. They also do a little live show before the movie. In fact, one of the Disney Nature films brought in a whole show with live animals. 

Before Monsters University, they had a couple of musical numbers, with the Monsters … and for Muppets Most Wanted they had Kermit and Miss Piggy "live" on stage. They did a few songs, including Rainbow Connection which, of course, reminded me of me of my childhood and even made me a little weepy!

Kermit and Miss Piggy at the El Capitan

(By the way, I had an awesome Miss Piggy puppet in the 70s)

Rainbow Connection, is on the AFI list of 100 best film songs and has been covered by everyone from Willie Nelson to Lea Salonga. Just saying.

El Capitan ceiling

Not sure if they do this in a lot of cities, other than L.A. and probably New York, but the nicer theaters here often have wardrobe on display, in their lobbies. When we used the bathroom on the lower level, Ben found a room filled with (mostly) Miss Piggy's costumes from the film. We were cracking up!

They had a few other items, from the movie, including this set piece of Miss Piggy's dressing table in "Berlin."

I think this is my favorite! Love the rhinestones on her fishnets! 

And the traditional end to a fashion show … a wedding gown!

Exiting through the gift shop (of course) … the character of "Animal."

Below, looking across Hollywood Blvd., to the El Capitan, from "Hollywood and Highland."

Hollywood and Highland are streets in Hollywood as well as the name of what is basically a mall. They were trying to design it based on a 1916 D.W. Griffith film set extravaganza, for his silent movie Intolerance: Love's Struggle Throughout the Ages. It's kind of strange, frankly, but if you park there, and get a tea at Starbucks, you can validate your parking and pay only 2 bucks.

We headed to Hop Woo for lunch, in Chinatown, after our little Hollywood movie excursion.

Chinatown Los Angeles

 

Hop Woo

The sizzling rice soup was great. We figured Ben would like the orange peel chicken, which he did, as well as the asparagus in garlic sauce and pot stickers. (We over-ordered a bit!) 

It was all pretty decadent, and yummy, though my favorite thing is still the steamed tilapia, that I had on a previous visit. I would recommend that if you want something tasty, that's a little more on the healthy side …

During the week it was pretty slow, and not quite the bustling place that I think Benjamin was expecting. It's always visually stimulating though, and who doesn't love a red lantern!

Slightly strange mannequins? Or is it just me?

In the photo below, is Via Café, where I usually eat when I'm in the neighborhood. It's actually Vietnamese, and has a great crab noodle soup and yummy garlic fish dish with mushrooms and asparagus. (I actually ate there last night!)

Not so busy on a Thursday afternoon ...

We were throwing another bridal shower, that weekend, for my cousin Jenny and put these coins (below) in some little satin coin purses we bought for game prizes. The three coins together, on a red string in your purse, are supposed to give you endless fortune. Figured that endless fortune would make a good little prize. ;)

After our mini tour of Chinatown, I dropped off another painting at my framers, across the street, and Penny and Ben headed back to Ojai. It was a great little visit and as always, very fun having them in my hood.

Oh, here is a little extra shot of me with a couple of Muppets, taken by my favorite 8 year old. It's my new profile pic on Facebook.

Who said that every wish

Could be heard and answered 

When wished on the morning star

Somebody thought of that 

And someone believe it

And look what it's done so far

What's so amazing 

That keeps us stargazing 

And what do we think we might see

Someday we'll find it

The rainbow connection

The lovers

The dreamers …

and meeeeeee!

~Kermit the Frog

by Paul Williams and Kenneth Ascher

Happy April!

Blessings and light!