IT'S AN ORIGINAL

Greg Simkins, Kris Lewis, Nathan Spoor

Nathan Spoor with painting, "The Soft Opening"

The latest event with GenArt, Details, Penguin and Fred Segal was a blast. We did take some photos, which I'll get resized and put up in a bit since they're much funnier than the professional shots. But seriously, you can't go wrong with having too many good photos, right? Click here to check out the official pics by the Details photographer, and the Lola shots are on the way...

PLAYSTATION / COACHELLA

The third weekend in April was the big Coachella music festival in Indio, CA. I accompanied Lola out to the showgrounds and met up with fellow funster Joe Vaux, as the two of them prepared for their meet and greet at the Sony Playstation tent. After a brief settling in, the fun quickly began: new games, fun people and the best, air conditioning! And the new Playstation thing comes with all kinds of new toys, including some way of taking pictures and then different filters for distorting things out. Here Joe, Lola and Raoul show us how it's done. Then they woke me up from my special couch nap and got me in on the silliness.

 I got zero good pictures of the rest of the event, mostly due to not wanting to take out the camera every stop to take shots of all the foot traffic. But I can say that Franz Ferdinand, Leonard Cohen and Morrissey were all amazing live, and Paul McCartney is still very much Paul McCartney.

But here's one gratuitous stage shot, showing Leonard Cohen entertaining the mass with his slow and still resonant crooning.

TODD SCHORR / THE WORLD WE LIVE IN

Todd Schorr’s The World We Live In features four massive new paintings by Schorr in his latest solo exhibition in five years. Why five years? Take a good look at these works in person, or in photos, and you might get a peek into what takes a master craftsman such as Schorr a few extra days to shape up such a task. Greg Escalante and Nathan Spoor take us on a brief photo tour of the latest exhibition of Todd Schorr’s masterworks here…

KOFIE / VINTAGE FUTURISM

Kofie One (Juxtapoz #73) has put together possibly his most ambitious collection of works to date: Vintage Futurism, held last month at the infamous 01 Gallery in Downtown LA. This new body of work features the latest evolution of this died-in-the-wool aesthete, a true Los Angeles native unafraid of staying relevant though his continued progression. Join us for a more in depth look at Kofie and his dynamic works here…

CLARE ROJAS / AMERICAN REALITIES

Greg Escalante and Nathan Spoor take a look at the exhibit American Realities, featuring the latest works from superstars Clare Rojas, Andrew Jeffrey Wright and the elusive ‘Lydia Fong.’ With all the artists on hand and performing in one way or another at the opening, it was quite the event and entertained eager crowds for hours on end. Follow the link for more coverage here…

KEN GARDUNO / CHANNELS

Ken Garduno is a fascinating study in narrative illustration, conjuring images of strange scientific studies, time travel, interdimensional communication as well as the age-old tale of inner turmoil and the search for love. In his debut solo exhibition, "Channels," at Black Maria Gallery, he continues his growing repertoire of distinguished and interconnected visuals. And recently, Ken gave us a little insight on his latest body of works and his life in general. Click here to follow us in...

BOLD HYPE / SAY WHEN

Bold Hype , a hot spot for local and international talent, has an exhibit on view featuring an impressive lineup of artists. "Say When," curated by gallery owner Eric Althin and artist Nathan Spoor, brings a cohesive array of works from 15 artists from near and far to the capitol of the Orlando new contemporary art sphere. Click here to get a peek into the experience.

In addition to the awesome photo job done by the BH crew, now on flickr ( Click here to view flickr pics), Eric has also sent over a fun little press mention. It's somewhat of a lead-in to the show from the perspective of an early viewer dropping in on opening night: Click here for the Orlando Weekly sniping

Congrats to Jason Li-MON, Andrew James Jones and Amy Sol for rocking it out, and the to the rest of us that "held their ground" on the walls.

HI FRUCTOSE / THOMAS DOYLE

The latest issue of Hi Fructose bears a strong portrayal of artist Thomas Doyle. I say strong because it's a great little feature spot, with amazing images and some decent text on the artist's work, process, thoughts and statements. Actually, this issue is really amazing in its own right. Click here to check it out further and grab yours before it's an ebay item!

BL!SSS / MARTIN WITTFOOTH

The latest artist spotlight comes in the form of the amazing Martin Wittfooth gracing the cover of BL!SSS magazine. In honor of his upcoming volume with Murphy Fine Art Books, the magazine has featured an excerpt from the forward that Greg and I put together for the book. Super cool if you can find it. Or click here for a peek.

ELIZABETH McGRATH / SHADOWLESS SUMMER

Liz McGrath (HF v.9) is quite the busy gal. She currently lives and works in Los Angeles with her husband Morgan Slade, with whom she plays in the band Miss Derringer, as well as her two tiny hairless dogs Blue and King Tut. Her work can be found in myriad publications, including a published collection of past works "Everything that Creeps". She has exhibited her work around the globe and is about to embark on her first solo show in NYC! Follow us in for an exclusive sneak peek at Liz's latest treats!

DAVID SIMON / LONG BEACH MUSEUM OF ART

Greg Escalante and Nathan Spoor take us on a mini-tour of the exhibition currently on display at the Long Beach Museum of Art, David Simon: Dark Forest. This exhibition features the latest of Simon’s impressive sculptures, centered around the theme of a particular avant-garde theatrical production. Also included is a rundown of the Museum’s history and relevance to Southern California culture, including choice pieces from the permanent collection. For more goodies, click here.