It’s the final day of the two day Beverly Hills artSHOW. See their website for details.

Today is a big day for Venice…the annual Venice Art Walk & Auctions takes place, and it’s the 34th anniversary. Be aware there are several other art events taking place today as well. So get out there early kids and help support a great cause.

The Venice Art Walk’s silent auction and reception is once again hosted by Google Los Angeles this year. See my article featured in the LA Weekly.

Each may19 VAWyear the event brings thousands of community members together to celebrate Venice Family Clinic. Artists open their studios, architects open their homes, and over 300 artists donate their work to ensure that neighbors in need have access to health care. With incredible home and studio tours, a taste-bud tingling food fare and the largest silent art auction in the area, Venice Art Walk & Auctions raises over $600,000 annually.

The Venice Art Walk was created to help raise funds for the Venice Family Clinic back in 1979. The clinic was founded in 1970 to offer residents in need a low cost health option. At the time the clinic was struggling financially as it lived side by side with crack dealers and gangs. Last year, Google reached out the Art Walk staff and offered to sponsor and host the silent auction and reception.

This yeaVAW mxfheads1r, along with John Van Hamersveld, who designed this year’s Venice Art Walk & Auctions flyer, Larry Bell will also be a featured artist. The silent auction will feature one of his works and many other renowned and emerging artists.

Mark Farina became involved with the event 12 years ago and has had his work purchased from the silent auction. This year his studio on Lincoln is part of the Venice East tour. He will once again donate art to the auction.

This year the marks the 3rd annual surf and skate auction and it will take place for the first time in the Fall. Farina has been involved with it since it’s inception. He recalled, “We started this separate event as of way of honoring Venice as the surf and skate mecca to the world.”

Farina works with the video department at Otis college and make experimental films. He talks about his work…”I am continuing my experiments in pop art painting that includes aerosols and silkscreening. I do a number of collaborative sound art installations that involve solar power and radio telescopes.”

ArtiVAW AndyMosesst, Andy Moses has been donating his work to the silent auction for 10 years. “I donated a painting that I just finished,” said Moses. “It is representative of my recent topographically based work but I have pushed the paint process in some new directions where there is an incredible illusion of texture, but it’s all an illusion.”

See image: Andy Moses, “Morphology 111” 16×20 Inches Acrylic on Canvas 2013

Moses is one of many that is happy with the change of location to Google for the 2nd year. “I think that the Google venue was a great success last year. It’s an incredible place and it’s nice to have a change of Venues from time to time to keep things fresh,” added Moses.

VAW KellyBerg Livepainting1This year artist Kelly Berg will be doing some live painting at Google as well as donating to the silent auction. This is the 2nd year that Berg has been involved with the event. Currently Berg is working on a new series of acrylic and ink paintings that juxtapose natural disasters with futuristic cityscapes through my process of layering.

See image: Kelly Berg painting live at Bloomingdale’s in the Santa Monica Place mall for last year’s Venice Artwalk in-store promotion event.

All proceeds fund Venice Family Clinic’s health care services. Venice Family Clinic provides quality primary health care to people in need. Venice Family Clinic serves more than 24,000 low-income, homeless and uninsured men, women and children through 106,000 patient visits each year.

Artist Linda Fenster has been a Venice resident for over 30 years and has opened her studio up to the tour since 2002. She originally became involved with the Venice Family Clinic as I wanted to give back to the community, cited Fenster.

“I got involved with the Venice Family Clinic as I wanted to give back to the community and spent about ten years volunteering at various Art Walk artists studios before realizing that I should open our house as well as it is full of mosaics & paintings & collage bead work. I have lived and worked in Venice as an artist for over 30 years,” said Fenster.

“TVAW LindaFenster peacesignhere is new staff organizing the Art Walk, they have fresh ideas and have been very successful in executing them by changing the locations of the open studios so that returning Art Walk supporters see new Venice artists and the chosen studios are close together geographically for easy walking accessibility. Although last year there were less open studios, the Walk was very do able and patrons could reach them in one afternoon. Before this change, it was impossible to visit every studio, time would run out as they were too spread out. I think this is a positive change,” insisted Fenster.

Since the Art Walk route changes each year, Fenster’s studio is not on this year’s tour, however she will be donating one of her signature Mosaic tile works of art.

Fenster will be donating a Peace Sign entitled “Wild, wild horses,” made from recycled costume jewelry collected from all over the world and LA and beads from her extensive bead collection.

Tickets are also available for purchase at the Ticketing booth at the Community Celebration located on Hampton Dr. between Sunset Ave. and Rose Ave. in Venice. For your convenience, tickets are also available at the Walgrove Parking lot, providing easy access to parking and the East of Lincoln tours.

Pre-purchased tickets will held at Will Call at both Ticketing locations as well. Please note, this year we will not be mailing tickets. See the website for more info and to buy tickets http://theveniceartwalk.org/

It’s the last day of he Earth Project event/“Respect your Momma” Show, taking place at 1320 Main St., (all weekend event) Check their website for details.  http://www.earthprotect.com/ 

There are lots of unofficial additions to the Venice Art Walk & Auctions popping up all over Venice today. Artists Mardi de Veuve Alexis and Emily Van Horn, Nina Gigante, and Cooper, would love your company on from 12-5pm at 818 1/2 California Ave.  Also close by, Artist Marianne Magne will be having a farewell art show, (she is moving) located at 533 California Ave, Venice 90291  from 1pm to 4pm if you’d like to see the walls or from 7pm to 10pm stop in to say goodbye.

WU Sun 5.19 ArtBlockSeveral Venice Studios will be opening their doors today to participate (unofficially) with the Venice Art Walk. such as ….ARTBLOCK!

ARTBLOCK is continuing the tradition of open studios and salons in Venice. It’s a good way to experience a neighborhood; supporting artists while creating community. ARTBLOCK is a FREE event.

There are some incredible renowned artists participating in this event such as Attaway, Alberto Bevacqua, Francisco Letelier and many more…

At KATON STUDIO 324 Sunset Ave., Artist Marty Katon will be honoring Women Artists (You know Mama loves that).

Meet the Artists Noon to 7pm. Singer songwriter Rachel Goodrich performs. Enjoy paintings by Audrey MacNamara, Sara Issakharian, Sirpa Baylis Heikka and others.

A portion of sales goes to art supplies for needy Children, Native American WWII veterans and Venice Free Clinic.  Healthy juice, water and snacks will be offered. Children and pets welcome. 310-399-8701;

M Herrington will be part of ArtBlock as well. Located at 815 Hampton #5, her studio will be open until 5:00 pm. http://melissaherrington.com/

AWU Sun ArtBlockFranciso Marydogmuraltoo2s part of the  Art Block, Francisco Letelier and Mary Fama have painted a mural for today’s event. The mural celebrates the neighborhood and its rich cultural and artistic legacy.

The mural is called Pueblo Chucho or Dogtown Revisited and it is on 6th Avenue between Brooks Ave. and Indiana Court.

This is a FREE event.

What:  Art Block
Where: Around Venice see site
When:  11:00 am – 5:00 pm
FB Page: http://veniceartblock.wordpress.com/

Sun 5.19 BodiesbyBrian GMartinLeibowitzSkip the whole art walk and head to Santa Monica…

Enjoy an art party and opening for a new exhibition featuring the work of G. Martin Leibowitz at the fitness studio of Bodies By Brian.

RSVP at bglaspy@gmail.com

What: Opening reception
Where: 3019 Pico Blvd across from the Weinerschnizel
When:  6 p.m.
 

Have a fantastic weekend….and let me know if you get to all of these…You know Mama’s gonna try….gotta love the art parties….right????