Posts by Bondo Wyszpolski
The Torrance Cultural Arts Center forges ahead: a talk with Christian Wolf
Empty stages Progress and possibility at the Torrance Cultural Arts Center Those shows that you attended at the James Armstrong Theatre, the George Nakano Theatre, and elsewhere at the Torrance Cultural Arts Center? The man responsible for getting them booked and onstage is Christian Wolf. But then, in March, everything went south almost overnight. Six…
Read MoreDrica Lobo’s vibrant artwork at ShockBoxx
Be Here Now Drica Lobo’s ShockBoxx show is about connection, and being in the moment Drica Lobo celebrated her birthday last Saturday evening by hosting the virtual opening of “Decoding the Flow,” up through Sept. 12 at ShockBoxx in Hermosa Beach. The exhibition is like a big candy box with its vibrant paintings, tempered by…
Read MoreLiterary icon: Bukowski at 100
Light some candles, raise a glass Remembering Charles Bukowski on his 100th birthday This Sunday, August 16, Charles Bukowski would be drinking a glass of wine and celebrating his 100th birthday, but his earthly partying came to an end in 1994 and so the rest of us will have to do the drinking and the…
Read MoreQuality films for home viewing
Let’s dim the lights and screen a movie Film quartet: “A White, White Day”; “A Girl Missing”; “Shanghai Triad”; and “You Never Had It: An Evening with Bukowski” The movie-going experience at our local theaters may have to wait, but recent or re-digitized arthouse films are available on DVD or through virtual cinema. The first…
Read MoreBody painter Paul Roustan and the year of the Psychedelic Circus
At the top of his game Paul Roustan places high in the World Body Paint Festival I’m guessing that most of us haven’t noticed, but not only is the World Body Paint Festival the largest gathering of body painters on the planet, the Austria-based annual competition has been held for over 20 years. Furthermore, it…
Read MoreThe legacy of South Bay poet and bookseller JB Kennedy
To Poet JB Kennedy, a Homage (James Bullard Kennedy passed away on July 13, 2020) by Bill Yankes When the call comes in the dead of night, the doctor leaps to his feet to rush to attend a person in crisis; so does the fireman, and the war correspondent… the warrior poet cannot bear the…
Read MoreHelmut Newton, as his models knew him
“Helmut Newton: The Bad and the Beautiful” Once fashionable fashion photographer on film “As a woman, I find your photos very misogynous,” says Susan Sontag to Helmut Newton. The photographer replies that he loves women. Sontag doesn’t buy it. “A lot of misogynous men say they love women, but show them in a humiliating way.”…
Read MoreOf palettes and paddleboards
Paintbrush and surfboard Catching an art wave with Zen Del Rio It was my last question of the afternoon, but it might as well have been the first: So tell me, Zen, how did you get your name? “While my mother was pregnant with me, in 1957, she had the pleasure to see a Zen…
Read MoreA walk through abstract expressionism
Basic principles Abstract expressionist painter and arts teacher Dael Patton And so let us begin, in medias res, with Adolph Gottlieb coming out from New York and teaching a graduate art class at UCLA. Gottlieb (1903-1974) is still hailed as one of the masters of abstract expressionism, and one of his students that year, Dael…
Read MoreFrank LaMantia: In realms of color
All the colors of the rainbow The illuminating art of Frank LaMantia For some time now, usually when least expecting it, I’d come across an image that simply popped from the page. It took a while to figure out that Frank LaMantia was the artist behind these works, which in most cases were so colorful…
Read MoreThe seascape art of Stephen Mirich
Living and painting down by the sea The shoreline is in the very blood of Stephen Mirich Stephen Mirich is a prominent member of the Portuguese Bend Artists Colony, whose primary focus has been landscapes and seascapes. He’s also been a local resident his entire life, born in San Pedro in 1954, living in Portuguese…
Read MoreLucy Bradanovic Agid, sculptor
A life carved in stone Ninety years with sculptor Lucy Bradanovic Agid Let’s look at her art first, shall we? because it takes only a glance to see the artistry in the marble and bronze sculptures and statuettes created by Lucy Agid. They are not excessively large, we’re not talking Michelangelo’s “Pietà” or “David” here,…
Read MoreDylanfest 30: Live-streaming this weekend
Come rain or shine or virus, Dylanfest is here Live-streamed Friday through Sunday This year’s Dylanfest, presented by the South Bay music duo Andy and Renee, is celebrating its 30th anniversary. The live concert was scheduled for May 30. Not surprisingly, some changes were made, but it all comes down to this: The show will…
Read MoreSquealer! 40 years later, will he be redeemed?
Trouble in the Magic Kingdom Redemption after 40 years Author’s note: Nearly everything written these past two or three months has had some connection with COVID-19. While that may define the times, it doesn’t define us. I thought back a few weeks to when I referenced Bocaccio’s “Decameron,” that treasure trove of tales narrated by…
Read MoreMaking art? Of course they are!
In their burrows, but they aren’t asleep! An interruption or two, but then artmaking marches on When I wrote about our local theaters last week, I was taken by what Gia Jordahl told me, that The Torrance Theatre Company regarded our current health crisis as “the great intermission.” Not being able to go and see…
Read MoreIntermission: 20 minutes? or 20 months?
Life during “the great intermission” Hold that pose: local theater companies on standby The usual theater intermission is about 20 minutes, but what if it’s 20 months? Let’s hope it’s not that long until we can step back into our favorite theater. In the meantime, here’s what some of the area venues are doing while…
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