ALCHEMY WORKS

ALCHEMY WORKS is a gallery, retail, and events space concept, located in the Arts District of Los Angeles, California.

Stopping by this shop on our lunch hour a few weeks ago, I had to marvel how quickly the LA Arts district is changing. Stores and murals are popping up so quickly, that visiting the same block within a few weeks we discovered two new gems.

Started in 2013 by Raan Parton (of Apolis) and his wife Lindsay to be a curated shop of cult-California items (home, apothecary, clothing, vintage, etc) with a salt water aesthetic in the Arts District neighborhood. What really makes this store special is that it doesn't feel like a store. It feels more like a living room than anything else. Grabbing an issue of Kinfolk off the shelf and reading it on the couch with a cup of Blacktop coffee isn't just acceptable, it's encouraged. The owners want this to be a place where people feel comfortable coming in just to hang out.

Alchemy Works seems to be a quintessional 2015 "Socal Artisan Style" experience. The products are extremely well curated, mixing high and low end artisinal objects. We wandered around picking up trinkets, magazine and gazing at the perfectly placed art of local beaches. The vibe might not be as big, bright or bold as my usual favorites, but I apprecated the style of this downtown arts spot.

According to one reviewer, "It's got that dynamic theme to it. When you have a 1959 Fiat Abarth Spyder sitting in the middle of the space in one month and a vintage sailboat the next month, you might raise an eyebrow or two or three."

THE POLITICAL LINE

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POLITICAL HARING

The Keith Haring Political Line show has long passed, but realized I never got a chance to post about the groundbreaking work I saw over Christmas in the San Francisco DeYoung.

I was somewhat familiar with Keith Haring’s art and knew he was famous for transforming Graffiti art into Gallery Art. But, this show blew me away. This exhibition showcased some of his more provocative pieces which reacted to New York life in the 80’s. I loved his use of raw iconic imagery and bold color.

It’s always more interesting to experience a painter’s body of work as a collection, rather than as individual pieces out of context. Each of the rooms was themed around a specific grouping, from subway art to art in the Aids crisis. The scale of the pieces was as imposing as the subject matter. It was an incredibly powerful show, one that gave interesting stories behind the art I have only seen as patterns.

STAHL HOUSE SUNSET

CASE STUDY 22

Wow! Had to shares these photos as soon I could. Studying Architecture in Los Angeles I had always heard about the Case Study Houses. The Case Study 22 house IS THE QUINTESSENTIAL Los Angeles experience. It’s on a cliff in the Hollywood Hills, overlooking the twinkling lights of the megapolis, built out of innovative materials in the booming late 50’s.

I had come across the website that mentioned there are tours on the weekends and signed up when I had a guest in town. They book up early. The twilight tour is DEFINITELY the best one as you get to see the house during dusk, twilight and then nightfall. The colors of the mountains transformed the house, and make the experience incredibly special.

The house is small but powerful. It is truly a unique piece of Los Angele architecture, an icon of its time and of modern architecture, a case study of blending with the site and embracing its views. I tried to capture its expansive panorama, the essence of being perched on such a high cliff with only steel and glass around me. The clean lines and thin materials highlighted the perfect indoor/outdoor Southern California experience. But photos can never do it justice. No matter how photogenic the form is, the Stahl House must be experienced to be full appreciated. Sitting in the glass living room brought me back to the bygone romance of Los Angeles and the Hollywood Hills. High above the sunset strip, seeing the city but being removed from the hustle and bustle, I felt the city’s pulsing energy but was at peace.

Upon nightfall, the docents briefly turned off the lights, and the result was even more magical.  We stopped photographing frantically and just observed, looking out onto the sparking city grid. The house inspired a moment of stillness, a moment of beauty, a moment of simple times and a moment to enjoy living.