So I went to this show of absraction at the Torrance Art Museum. It was a kinda disappointing show, as there were some tired and trendy painters from “the right galleries” and then some free agents that masterfully stood out over the establishment. So I picked one up for the gallery. His name is Eric Zammitt. He brought three new pieces by the gallery this afternoon. They look sweet, similar to his stuff in the museum show, but newer and definitely standing on their own. Come by the gallery and ask to see them, we have them on the painting racks.

Also worked on the Roland Reiss advertisements for the show - I realized that Roland’s new paintings were of less consequence than the fact that the gallery is actually showing Roland Reiss - this is an artist with a prestigious track record, when he shows at your space, it is not that he puts YOUR gallery’s name on HIS resumé, it is the other way around. So I went with a phot of the artist in his studio, a candid shot. the hsow is not until the middle of November but here I am, scrambling. Funny, really.

We went to Jail today - haha, Jail Gallery, which is across the street from the Men’s Central Jail in Downtown L.A.

The show there was a photgraphy exhibit of portraits, intense, up-close, personal and unsettling ones. Good stuff.

If you need to make bail and look at art, this is a good place, great space, clean, good light, you know the drill by now, right?

I was excited to see that ArtScene Magazine had an extended preview of CalAsia, our show at Gallery C curated by Chip Thom that opens September 13. The writer, Ray Zone, made some good points, flat out nailing the intent of most of the artists. Seeing the name of the show on the cover of the ArtScene magazine print edition was the highlight of the day.

We also caught the closing day of a group show at Avenue 50 Studio in Highland Park - it was a great show. Kathy Gallegos is really doing something special out there. The art world really roars into the swing of things in September so we all gotta hit the ground running.

There is something weird about the calendar lining up this year like it did in 2001. There were a bunch of openings that Saturday, September 8 and then that Tuesday… Ka-Boom. It pretty much put art on the back of everyone’s mind for a few weeks, months even. Sales didn’t fully bounce back to their 2000 level until 2004, really. So the ArtScene has the openings listed for September and the 8th is a one and a half columns on a two column page - amazing, but kinda eerie when I look back to the similarities. I’m not being superstitious here, I am being neurotic, there is a big difference.