Bored in the boonies!

I recently took a short roadtrip up north with some fellow photographer friends to shoot in Bodie, CA. There is an old ghost town there that is awesome fodder for a load of instant film buffs looking for adventure. Alas, the sun was high and the days long... so some of us got a little bored... and little creative with props!

We had some down time while the other half of the expedition was still out finding abandoned goodies, so after relaxing a bit- I decided to empty out my bag of tricks! I just so happened to have packed my mumu, luchador mask and willy wonka goggles. Traci then became Mrs. Roper, The Sleestack. A million laughs later, we ended up with some awesome photos to document the crazy afternoon. Sometimes, it's the random shoots that you end up loving the most!

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The Night Market

 

From April through May, Thursday nights in Hollywood have an awesome and inexpensive option. The Yamashiro Farmers Market takes place from 5 til about 9pm each Thursday- bring friends and enjoy the relaxing night with some delicious treats and a view that can't be beat.

A nice variety of food trucks are represented up there along with stalls full of fresh produce and tasty cakes. There are tables and chairs along with some little nooks you can sneak off into to enjoy the sunset while sipping on some wine.

This market has been going on for a few years now and always turns out a good crowd. I finally got the chance to get up there a couple of weeks ago and arrived right at 5. The parking just down LaBrea at the Mosaic lot north of Hollywood Blvd was super easy (and free) and the buses (also free) come every few minutes to take you on the 5 minute commute up the hill.

Nibble on samples from some local food suppliers or just walk around and enjoy the view, you really can't go wrong. It almost feels like you are taking a break on a cloud and watching the city get on with it's night from a quiet and relaxing vantage point. Bonus if you live in the valley like me- there is a wonderful breeze which ALWAYS makes for a good night!

Yamashiro

1999 N Sycamore Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90068
Neighborhood: Hollywood

(323) 466-5125

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Dog Byte- Let It Fly Project

My afternoon with Dog Byte, another huge name in the street art scene.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I got to Jimmy's house for the latest installment of the Let It Fly project. When I heard it was going to be Dog Byte, a bunch of questions popped into my head.

Would he be in a mask? Would he not speak? Was I not supposed to look directly at his face!?!?!?!? WHAT!?!?!? You see, I have been intrigued by the people behind the art for the past couple of years. I love being able to just "know" that so and so is really SO and SO, you know? Not for any real purpose other then sort of an inside joke. I know that you know that I know that you know that you are SO and SO... It's just cool that sometimes you would never know some of these regular people are night time art vigilantes with a whole other huge persona out there.

When it comes down to it though, nine times out of ten when I get to shake someone's hand and sit for a minute and have a conversation about the randomest life things- they are good people. Being around a variety of creatives who's main goal is to share their art and make you see something you may not have thought of before is an amazing experience. This brings me to hanging out at Jimmy's house once a month (at least).

Around the 1st of the month for the past 9 months or so, there has been a flurry of activity on this little block in Burbank. The artist, some friends, some fans, some cameras and a whole lot of cold cuts come together for an afternoon of art making. This will continue through Sept or Oct... depending on how the flow goes.

This is how I found Dog Byte on the 1st of June. It was a HOT Saturday late morning and I walked up and he was already working hard at it. Huge stencils, spray cans, nuts & bolts everywhere- it was an outdoor studio.

There he was, big smile on his face Mr. Dog Byte. Sweet as pie and a good egg, we had a great afternoon (albeit a hot one). His piece entitled Space Race is his newest design and this was it's big debut.

He was over at the house earlier in the week setting up the background for the stencil, and it really set it off. The textured black and white wall was the perfect scene for the spaceman. Very little color was used in this piece yet it speaks volumes.

 

The work is hanging on the front of the house and free for all to drive by and enjoy it. Come July 1st, a whole new piece will be going up. Once the set is complete, there will no doubt be a show somewhere, keep an eye on the Facebook page for updates. This project is a labor of love for Jimmy and his whole family actually- they have given over their home for the sake of art!

Check out the Let It Fly Project on Facebook and see who's up next!

a note on Jimmy:
Jimmy is an awesome guy. There are many words you can use to describe Jimmy- but I think my favorite would be advocate. It's described as one that supports or promotes the interests of another. And that is him 100%. Jim is Gianni's dad. Gianni is THEFL. An amazing artist himself and good guy, I met Gianni through the love of street art. I met Jimmy soon after. I learned about this project going on and miracle of miracles- it happens to be but a few blocks away from where I live!

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Morley- wise words on the street

Are you familiar with Morley? You HAVE to be... If you live in LA, you will recognize these black and white words of wisdom from all over town. My opinion? HE IS A GENIUS! And a nice guy to boot!

I moved out to LA in the summer of 2009, immediately I fell in love with the plethora of amazing street art. There are a handful of artists that have really pushed the envelope and molded the art form into something much bigger then ever seen before. Morley is one of them. I have lost count of how many I have run into since then, dozens- DOZENS I say- and I am always looking for more. His work brings such happiness to my day, there really is no way to explain the little jolt of happy I get when I run across a new Morley. 

So when I'm having a bad day, or just need a pick me up- those are my days to hunt! I get on instagram and facebook and his website and start tracking new sightings. Recently Morley was out of the country spreading the love to a new audience, but when LA postings started to pop up last week though I knew that he was home and back at it! Oh happy day.

After a couple of hours of research, I was able to nail down five spots with a possible two others. Notes & locations in hand, I set out for a couple of hours to knock out the hunt. I came home with the five I set out for. Not a bad haul! After some more research and hints from fellow hunters- I am on to the other two... now to just set aside the time to get out again! It's hit or miss with these guys, some ride for weeks/months and others won't last a day. I always get a sense of urgency when there are new ones around. I NEED to get them before the buff man comes.

Fingers crossed, I'll keep finding my happy when I need it.

From his website- 

Morley is a Los Angeles-based street artist that specializes in bold, typographic posters which he wheat pastes within the urban landscape. Blending humor, hope and his unique perspective on life, Morley's aim is to act as a friendly voice amongst the cacophony of billboarded messages and corporate slogans. This voice was given a face when he began including an image of himself in each of his pieces, looking to create a more intimate relationship between the artist and the audience than many of his anonymous contemporaries could allow.

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Pillow Fight!

 

If you haven't heard, there is a national pillow fight day. And in some places it's quite an event!

This past April 6th, I decided to check out the hooplah at the closest one to me, downtown LA. Right around 3pm (ish) small clusters of pillow and costume clad fighters started to appear in and around Pershing Square. It wasn't very organized at all... I decided it was gonna be up to me to get the ball rolling. So I went up to a group of 4 brightly colored participants who were looking around for something or someone and said "pppsss hey- you should start a countdown, you look like you can yell pretty loud" And wouldn't you know it, by the time he got to 7- people started coming closer and closer until he got to 1.

Then- BOOM! Let the flinging begin.

 

It took some time for people to really let go and give some good swings but after about 30 minutes- the first pillow popped. Feathers brought out the competition in these people! Now we had a party going. As little as the event was, the fighters were all in top shape and spirits and made the best of the day.

I know in previous years and at different locations, the crowds have been incredibly larger. This year was sort of difficult to really know if it was happening and where. The event had been canceled in 2012 and the information online was pretty spotty. People interested had to really keep their nose to the ground and research all the way up until the morning of. It was hit or miss. Hopefully though this is a sign of an upswing and next year there will be much more advanced notice allowing for better planning and larger crowds.  

Noone was exempt from having a ball. Pillow Pup included! Costumes were fun, there was a unicorn and some rainbow girl and various superheros too. The whole thing went on for about 2 hours. In the California sun, that is some tiring work. These guys were troopers.

 

I'm glad it actually happened this year and I hope the city of Los Angeles doesn't hate us.

Here's to a better turnout next year!

You can stay in the know about International Pillow Fight Day here. If you are in another large city, odds are there is one happening near you.

Full set of photos over here

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Sunrise at the sea... the Salton Sea

There is a place in the desert, far far down in southern California, where fish go to die.

This mythical oasis of abandonment is The Salton Sea.

I fell in love with the sea in 2009 after hunting down rusty crusty locations in my new SoCal home of Los Angeles. Surprise, there aren't that many. If you're willing to drive though, there are lovely discoveries to be had! And so I set out to explore Mecca, Salton City, Niland and the surrounding areas.

The photos you see here are from my most recent excursion, April 2013. Leaving Los Angeles at 3:30am with a fellow photographer, we made our way south to catch the sunrise over the water. It was a spectacular event. We had the whole day ahead of us. Starting on the south side of the sea, we caught sunrise at the Marina and meandered still more south to the airport and random shacks.

This side of "town" used to be rich with abandoned scenery- what I most love to photograph- but has since been quite cleaned up. Seeing pretty much everything we needed to see on this side, we quickly made our way up and around to the north shore where our first stop was an abandoned house & surrounding overgrown yard.

You can still on occasion run into a surprise here and there. This empty trailer proved to be a sweet photo op with the dust covered office chair rolled into the doorway!  Down the road a bit there was then an awesome yellow boat... on land of course. It could have been a scene out of Mad Max, trash strewn about with household objects everywhere. There it was, a scraggly tree, smack dab in the middle of it all with a speedboat resting up on its overgrown roots and fallen branches. Scored another random find.

Continuing along the north shore you come to the appropriately named North Shore Yacht Club that was newly constructed a year or two ago. It sits there sad and empty. Just before it though, you come across a very old school building with a very junior high feel to it- That would be the North Shore Coffee Club. Like a slice of life in the early eighties, it just sat there empty as well.

The marina for the yacht club had some of the stillest water on the sea. The skeletal bait shack sat on the lower level of the marina, sad and empty. Not a soul in sight. Being there made me think of the age old question: "If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?"

Of course, no trip to the sea is complete without a stop at Bombay Beach. Since we were not staying for sunset, the view was just a bit ordinary.  95% of the trailers and random bits that littered the beach were cleaned away. Nothing but a van of tourists touting cameras and sunscreen was of interest. So from there we continued on to the last stop. The Niland Marina with it's lonely shacks.

 

 This pretty much made the trip worth it for me. The dry lake bed surrounding this little shack which I'm pretty sure was a bathroom, was the highlight for me. Well that and the yellow shipwreck. This little shack was just one of a handful. The others were located much closer to the edge of the sea. This one was left behind, out in the wild. The holes from the toilets could still be seen even though the stalls were full of garbage. From afar though, they could be marvelous decrepit cottages. And I loved them. From there we made our way back north to Palm Springs to spend late afternoon and evening drenched in colorful vistas and cool poolside relaxing. 

The best of both worlds.

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Eighty'ish Hours in Miami

I had the incredible pleasure of spending 4 short days in Miami for Art Basel this past December. What a 4 days it was! I have never wanted more pairs of eyes or 24 hours of daylight in my life!!! Holy crap, every inch of every THING was covered in incredible art. The streets were the best galleries. I mean there were actual galleries, but with 3.5 short days, who has time for that! My companions and I did our very best to walk Wynwood every day and document all the ever changing creativity.

Walking around and seeing the artists at work was sometimes as exciting as discovering a random nook with awesomeness. There was something for every taste, I was there purely for the street. Some of the biggest names around the world- all converged for art, parties and beaches. Taggers, pasters, painters- you name it- this was the place to be.

From masters like Chor Boogie to Herakut to El Mac & Retna, Space Invader, Dabs Myla & Risk- you got gorgeous large scale work. LA was well represented with The Creative Cartel Crew (2wenty, Gregory Siff & Mar), Zombie, Benjamin Alejandro & Annie Preece to name a few!

 

All in all, it was a great way to spend a long weekend. Next year though, I will be planning ahead and heading over a few days early so as to document alot of the larger work going up. The artists go to Miami weeks in advance to get started on their pieces, that's when I want to be there. Like any good soldier, I want to be in the think of it! 

For the complete set, find them all on Flickr

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