To Live and Die in L.A.

So when we last spoke I was rolling down the mountain high above the Palm Dessert, and heading to the beautiful beachfront Santa Monica to teach at the Urban Craft Center.

Had a great time hangin', plus it was broken up in two night classes I got to do a bit of exploring.  First stop the beach of course.

Then a bit more sight seeing around Venice…one thing though if you're driving on Main St. don't look up if you're afraid of clowns.

Next stop over to Hollywood to check of the shows at La Luz de Jesus gallery.  If you have every read Juxtapose magazine, many of the artist in that are represented here.

Then the obvious next stop is the Hollywood Forever Cemetery…

which is filled with the bones of famous Hollywood folks.  Such as 

Johnny Ramone of the Ramones…

though, he may not actually be dead…it looks sort of like he is frozen in carbonite.

Also here is Cecil B. DeMille, Faye Wray, and the most important grave of all…VAMPIRA!

I should mention that this cemetery does some really cool things…first, they have a huge Dia de los Muertos celebration every year…and in the summer they have outdoor cinemas... projected on the mausoleum. 

 How friggin' cool is that?  

So just to whet your appetite…I'll tell you that plans are in the works…big plans for next summer with the Urban Craft Center to something FANGtastic, that will include some nifty L.A. haunts…including a trip to this joint for some night time flix.  More later…can't wait to spill the beans!

Stay tuned: 

In the next post, 

I find that Santa has been kidnapped from his beach home of Carpinteria

and

I get Dane and boogie in Solvang at the Art Clinic.

Wild and Idle in Idyllwild

So still doing my little Southern Cal thang.  Goin' on week three.  When we last met I was busy gathering squirrel feet at Necromance….

From there I wandered up the hill to Idyllwild, a high dessert town with an awesome art school.

If you ever get a chance wander up that way to teach or take classes.  Great great great group of folks.

And it is the land of the Idyllbeast.  

While I was up there I had a bit of down time so having been recently puppet inspired I started making a bunch of puppet heads…soon to be altered with found thingies.

Another cool thing at Idyllwild was this piece of art at the house they rented for me. 

Sure it just looks like the Ten Commandments at a L.A. drive in…but it is made entirely of colored duct tape. 

Awesome!