Save the DATE…Thursday, April 2, from 6-10pm, enjoy an art party at NiteSpa. Founded in 2005, creative director and spa director, Julia Martin has been in the beauty business since1994. As the story goes…the idea for nitespa was inspired by a dream.
A social person, Julia said she is like a cruiser director, and loves to help people feel transformed. Nitespa offers massage, Mani-pedi s, Facials , Waxing, makeup application…even Psychic Readings too.
I can personally attest, nitespa has a great vibe with sprawling walls…perfect for art…and of course an art party! So come on down! This is a FREE event!
We will be celebrating the art of Michael Baroff, Barbara Kosoff, Michelle Oppenheimer and Stephanie Visser. It’s going to be a fabulous art party. A portion of the proceeds of all art sales will be donated to Miracles for Kids, an important nonprofit offering support to children and their families affected by cancer.
I can’t say e
nough about Miracles for Kids. It’s a great organization. I recently wrote abou this nonprofit in the Huffington Post article this past December.
Here is a blurb from my article explaining first hand how Miracles for Kids helps kids and their families dealing with the trauma of cancer.
At just five years old, little Anaya Green was diagnosed with neuroblastoma (stage 4) in April 2011. This type of cancer, which develops in the nerve cells and spreads to the bones, is most commonly found in children under the age of five.
See image: A
naya Green, photo courtesy of Miracles for Kids
Cancer can be a destructive force. It surges in…leaving families dazed and confused. But the physical disease is just one component of the dreaded illness. It causes an emotional roller coaster for not only the patient, but the family as well. It wreaks havoc on ones finances, and often leaves family and friends feeling helpless and miserable.
“As a family, our everyday financial hurdles were and are compounded with the pain of fighting a disease like cancer; it feels overwhelming,” said Amanda Defour, Anaya’s mother. “Through Miracles for Kids, the generous people with big hearts, we have seen that our blessings have often come in the form of strangers.” She went on to say that what affected her most was this kindness from people she didn’t even know. “In the darkest parts of my life, at times when I’ve felt must alone, there was an outpouring of love and support that I’ve never known; as well as assistance with rent, bills, food and so much more.”
For more info about Miracles for Kids, visit the website
Mic
hael Baroff has been painting metascapes for thirty years. As he states on his website. “I am interested in the “transitional” space between realism and abstraction where a dream-like quality can emerge.” These meditative works are a perfect fit for nitespa.
See image: Michael Baroff Metascape (from Expression Series) Oil on Canvas 6″x12″
Baroff lives and works out of his Santa Monica studio. His art has been shown at Blue 7 Gallery. Palos Verdes Art Center, Hale Art Space, Art Insight Gallery, Odalisque Fine Art ,Tom Binder Fine Arts, Gallery 409, James Turcoutte Gallery Pacific Art Guild, Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery and most recently at the 42nd Annual Brand Library Art Center “Works on Paper” Exhibition.” Baroff is set to be included in a group a group show at haleARTS S P A C E in July. http://www.metascapeart.com/
M
ixed-media artist, Barbara Kosoff has a background as a graphic designer and art director and has participated in numerous exhibitions in Los Angeles. In fact, next Thursday, April 9, Kosoff’s work will be featured in a group show at FABstudio in Santa Monica.
See image: Barbara Kosoff, Prosperity, Mixed-media, archival print
One of the works in the exhibit is titled “Prosperity.” Kosoff’s inspiration behind this piece came from a personal exploration of creating one’s own success and abundance. The garden is a lovely metaphor for cultivating that growth. With that idea in mind, she began to explore this through her usual way of working – taking images, found and photographed, and combining them with oil bars. “Working intuitively,” she says, “I arrange and rearrange these until a story grows organically from it. People ask me if this is a self-portrait and, in some ways, I guess it is.” This piece recently appeared on the cover of GDUSA magazine, where she was a winner of the Neenah digital cover competition. You can also find Kosoff’s work featured in the LA Times. http://barbarakosoff.com
Per
haps the reason why Michelle Oppenheimer’s paintings have a calming affect on the viewer is because of her background as a Doctor of Oriental Medicine. An abstract artist, Oppenheimer chooses to work in watercolors. “I enjoy color and expressing myself through color,” said the artist.
She has been painting her entire life but has been making a living at it for the past fifteen years.
See image: by Michelle Oppenheimer, Untitled, 10×10, Fine art print, Mounted on wood with a resin finish
She describes her inspiration, “I absolutely love this color. I wanted to create something that would pull the viewer in and hopefully get lost.”
Her paintings can be found year round in at LA at WallSpace LA, as ell as in Chicago, at Chicago Art Source. Her painting schedule varies….but these days she currently working on several commissioned pieces, so is in her Venice studio everyday. http://michelleoppenheimer.com/
Another abstract artist, Stepha
nie Visser, has worked with Miracles for Kids before. She donated one of her works for to benefit the nonprofit at a holiday charity event at Upper West. See my Huffington Post article about the event and the artist.
Visser said everyday, she finds inspiration all around her. “I see things…I feel things…and…I have an unrelenting need to express them.” One of the works that Visser will be showing is from her Inception series.
See image: Stephany Visser, “Inception Series ” Untitled #10, Acrylic on Raw Linen, 40 x 60
She explains her inspiration, “One day I was driving to the studio in Venice and as I crossed over the 4th Street bridge from Ocean Park, I could see the Pacific. There was a marine layer over the coast, and it was about 4 in the afternoon in the winter months, so the sun was setting behind the marine layer. It was so beautiful I couldn’t get it off my mind.” http://stephanievisser.com/
Gruppo Mezzacorona has donated some wine for the event. The company’s Los Angeles Regional Market Manager, John D’Alvia will be pouring Stemmari’s Baci Vivaci at the event.
“Baci Vivaci–meaning “Lively Kisses” in Italian–is our newest sparkling from Sicily.” explained D’Alvia. “It’s a light sparkling made from Grillo (Sicily’s most prominent white grape. This wine has all the components of a great white wine: lively aromatics, hints of tropical fruit, and delicately balanced with minerality and nice acidity. It’s perfect for the spring and summer months ahead.” For more info see http://www.gruppomezzacorona.it/
Venice Duck Brewery has stepped forward to donate some of their local brew.
T
wo friends, Christian Warren and John Binder started the Venice beer company and often help out local community non profit events.
You can purchase Venice Duck at Whole Foods and find it in local bars such as Melody Bar and Grill, Hals’s Bar and Grill and more. Be sure to check the website to find out more info about Venice Duck here: http://www.veniceduckbrewery.com/
Our other generous food/wine/beer sponsors are: Baby Blues BBQ, Uncle Darrow’s, Hal’s Bar and Grill, Finn McCools, and Upper West.
The Country Legends will be performing as well…Greg Cruz will be singing some Johnny Cash (with Kathy Leonardo as June), Petr Hromadko on stand up bass and Mitch Montrose on druums.
W
e’ll be doing some Patsy Cline, Willie Nelson, and some blues too. Come on down and parteee!
For more info, check out the Country Legends FB page.
Hope to see you Thursday…remember This is a FREE event kids!
What: Art Party – opening
Where: nitespa, 12024 Venice Blvd., 2nd floor, suite D, LA, 90066
When: 6:00 pm – 10:00 pm – April 2nd
Phone: 310 390-5122
Website: http://nitespa.com/
