Today is the start of the HWY 62 Art Tours. This is a great time to head to Joshua Tree and take the opportunity to visit the studios of hundred of artists for free. Stop into by JTAG for more information. Extended hours this weekend Sat.10 -5PM & Sunday 12 -5PM.

JTAG artists participating in the tour are: Barbara Drucker, Marcia Geiger, Coco Hall, Drew Reese, Steve Rieman, Judy Wold, Melissa Spurr and Karine Swenson.

Sponsored by the WWW. MBCAC.ORG. You may download maps from their site or visit local businesses to pick up your tour maps.

If you would like to spend the weekend in Joshua Tree and are interested in finding out where to stay, JTAG can offer some great suggestions as well as the Johsua Tree Highlands Houses.

Feel free to contact the gallery,  info@joshuatreeartgallery.com

What: Highway 62 Art Tours, JTAG
Where: Joshua Tree Art Gallery, 61607 29 Palms Hwy, Joshua Tree, CA 92552
When: Saturdays 10 -5 pm & Sundays 12 -5 pm
Phone: 760 366 3636
Website: http://www.joshuatreeartgallery.com

If you decide to stay in LA…don’t forget the Pick of the Week takes place today…..the Beverly Hills Art show.

Don’t forget, The Brewery Art Walk also happens today and tomorrow…October 20th and the 21st. This past Monday, my article came out in the Downtown News about the two day event. I’ve been before and I highly recommend it.

Charles Swenson recently rented a studio space at the Brewery. He will be participating for the first time as part of the art crawl. He will be exhibiting his Nudes and Shoes series.

Charles Swenson’s new studio is located at 1918 N. Main # 202 at the Brewery. He recently moved in just a month ago and is looking forward to participating in the 30th anniversary celebration of the Brewery Art Walk.

For more information about Charles Swenson, see his website. http://charlesgswenson.com/

Admission is free. Parking is free (Lot donated by UPS, closes at 6pm).

What: The Brewery Art Walk
Where: The Brewery, 2100 North Main Street, Los Angeles, 90031
When: October 20th and 21st 11:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m
Website: http://www.breweryartwalk.com

Don’t forget, SPARC’s 35th Year Celebration takes place TONIGHT….at SPARC, the Old Venice Police Station. The even

t will feature awards, a retrospective exhibition, dancing, food/drink marketplace, mural making, and live music by jazz & blues legend  Barbara Morrison, KCRW DJ Tom Schnabel and KPFK’s Global Village host Betto Arcos.

SPARC was founded in 1976 by renowned muralist and Distinguished UCLA Professor Judith F. Baca, filmmaker/director Donna Deitch, and artist/teacher Christina Schlesinger. SPARC has been a catalyst for social change through the arts and a home for artistic innovation – creating public art as a vehicle to promote civic dialogue, foster cross-cultural understanding and address critical social issues.

Information and tickets for all SPARC 35th events are available thru www.sparcmurals.org

What: 
Where: SPARC Gallery, 685 Venice Blvd., Venice, CA 90291
When: 7:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Phone: 310-822-9560
Website: http://www.sparcmurals.org

As always….there are several art parties taking place at Bergamot Station located at 2525 Michigan Ave., in Santa Monica. Some are on the early side…will be posting more for the Weekend Update too!

Head over to Bergmoat early for an artist talk at TAG gallery (D-3) from 3-4pm. Also Ruth Bachofner (G-2) has an opening from 4-6 pm.

Shoshana Wayne holds an opening reception for Kathy Butterly’s fourth solo show with the gallery.

Butterly has been creating small clay sculptures spanning her twenty-year career. These intimate objects suggest portraits of the artist’s many-sided emotional personas. Directly referencing the vessel and the body; each work readily becomes anthropomorphized by the viewer.

On view: October 20th – December 22nd

What: Opening reception, Kathy Butterly
Where: Shoshana Wayne Gallery, Bergamot Station (B-1) 2525 Michigan Ave., Santa Monica, 90404
When: 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Phone: 310.453.7535
Website: http://shoshanawayne.com/

Also at Bergamot…

At the Craig Krull gallery, the sculpture of Woods Davy’s (see image) will be on view. For the past thirty years, Davy has worked with stone in unaltered states, either from the sea or the earth, incorporating them into assemblages of precarious balance that appear to be in flux.

Concurrently, the gallery will present a solo exhibition of photographs by Wendy Burton with a new series entitled, Natural Histories.

On view: October 20th – November 24th

What: Opening reception, Woods Davy, Wendy Burton
Where: Craig Krull Gallery (B-3) Bergamot Station, 2525 Michigan Ave, Santa Monica, 90404
When: 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm.
Phone: 310.828.6410
Website: http://www.craigkrullgallery.com

Also in Santat Monica…..

Axiom Contemporary celebrates artist Jay Kelly in the new exhibition Westward. This solo exhibition features new mixed media work.

On view: October 20th – November 10th

What: Opening Reception, Westward
Where: Axiom Contemporary, 2801 Main St., Santa Monica, CA 90404
When: 6:00 pm- 10:00 pm
Website: http://www.axiomcontemporary.com

In Culver City…

Katherine Cone Gallery presents Jazz Notes, a solo exhibition of new works by artist Edith Baumann. Structure and randomness is greatly emphasized in her paintings.

The balanced, yet unbalanced nature of Baumann’s work with its minimal, yet intricate form, assist with the overall theme of structure and randomness.

On View: October 20th – November 17th

What: Opening reception
Where: Katherine Cone Gallery, 2673 S. La Cienega Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90034
When: 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Phone: (310) 287-1558
Website: www.katherineconegallery.com

Another Culver City gallery…Western Project celebrates the third solo exhibition by Los Angeles artist Cole Case.

Intuitively traveling to locations throughout Southern California, Case has found the extraordinary in the familiar: cement river beds, high desert landscape, or sunflowers arranged in left over plastic water bottles.

On view: October 20th – December 22nd

What: Opening reception, Cole Case
Where: Western Project, 2762 S. La Cienega Blvd., Culver City, CA
When: 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Phone: 310.838.0609
Website: http://www.western-project.com/

Or there are several happenings in Venice….this is just one (check back on Friday for more)

Marine Contemporary presents Another Self, a two-person exhibition by recent CalArts graduates, Akina Cox and Ariane Vielmetter.

This exhibition, which developed out of a letter from Cox to Vielmetter, includes a series of new drawing, sculpture and video works that explore the relationship between the two artists.

On view: October 20th – November 24th

What: Opening reception, Another Self,
Where: Marine Contemporary, 1733-A Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice, 90291
When: 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Phone: 310 399 0294
Website: http://www.marinecontemporary.com

Also in Venice, stop into The Gallery in Venice, who hosts an exhibition for Trying to be Neither. Curatad by Stephanie Chefa, the exhibition will feature a collection of new works by surrealist painter Scott Belcastro. 

On view: October 20th – November 3rd

What: Opening reception
Where: The Gallery in Venice, 74 Market Street, Venice CA
When: 7:00 pm -10:00 pm
Website: http://stephaniechefas.com/#home

Cave Gallery (1108 Abbot Kinney Blvd.) holds an opening from 7-11pm.

And more events Downtown.…(stay after the BREWERY Art Walk)

drkrm is pleased to present Camera Night at the Ivar, a group exhibition featuring rarely seen images from the Ivar Theatre in Hollywood, presented for the first time together.

On view: October 20th – November 25th

What: Camera Night at the Ivar
Where: drkrm, 727 S. Spring Street Los Angeles, CA 90014
When:  7:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Phone: 213.612.0276
Website: http://drkrm.com/ivar.html

Another downtown event…

ZOMBIE Fashion Show & Creature Art Exhibit hosted by Tom Kirlin. Over 50 Hollywood makeup artists will transform models into zombies for a fashion show featuring music by Glass Battles.

There will be over 300 pieces of artwork featuring Monsters, Zombies, Ghouls, Aliens, etc., on display

8pm-2am – Ages 21+  $10 Cover ($5 before 8:30pm)

What: Fashion Show & Art Exhibit
Where: The Mezz Bar, Alexandria Hotel, 501 S. Spring St. 2nd floor, Los Angeles, CA 90013
When: 8:00 pm – 2:00 am
Website: http://www.zombiefashionshow.com/

How about some theater in Pasadena….? A Noise Within (ANW), the acclaimed classical repertory theatre company, continues its 2012-13 season with THE DOCTOR’S DILEMMA.

This  is a rarely performed piece featurig the comic and incisive indictment of both the medical profession and the artistic sensibility by GEORGE BERNARD SHAW, directed by Dámaso Rodriguez.

The Doctor’s Dilemma, set in 1906, focuses on Sir Colenso Ridgeon, a fashionable and egotistical surgeon who has discovered a new TB inoculation and must decide who should be saved.

Show runs: October 20th- November 25th

Ticket prices currently range from $40 – $52. However they do offer group discounts for groups of 10 or more and student prices too. See their website

What: The Doctor’s Dilemma
Where: A noise Within, 3352 East Foothill Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91107
When: 8:00pm
Phone: 626-356-3100
Website: http://www.anoisewithin.org/

Or get out of LA and head to San Clemente ….

Amy Martinson’s show entitled, A Romantic Journey, can be seen as part of a new exhibition tonight at Gallery 104. Martinson travels all over the world to catch that perfect shot. She has most recently visited Aitutaki, one of the most beautiful and largest lagoons in the Cooks Islands, as well as Maldives and Bora Bora.

TGallery 104 opened eight years ago and has been a busy hub for local and emerging artists.

Tim Bean, co-owner of Gallery 104, is happy to have artist Amy Martinson as part of the upcoming exhibition. He explains, “This month we are featuring new art including Amy Martinson’s creative photography on acrylic and her latest work in 3-D. Our monthly open art exhibits are free, offering hors d’oeuvres, live music and wine tasting. It’s a meet and greet artist event that attracts upwards of 200 guests. It’s just an overall good time.”

For more information about Amy Martinson, see her website at http://www.amymartinson.com/

What: Opening reception, A Romantic Journey, Amy Martinson
Where: Gallery 104, 166 Avenida Del Mar, San Clemente, CA. 92672
When: Saturday October 20th, 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Phone: 949.218.0903
Website: http://gallery104.co