Painter Radhika Hersey creates a cosmic portrait at the basement Art Crawl popup gallery at Full Circle
Photos by Denis Katrichenko
Venice Art Crawl celebrates its fourth year with live-painting, music and good cheer at Full Circle
A party four years in the making, the Aug. 21 Venice Art Crawl anniversary event celebrated community collaboration and creativity with a gathering of more than 200 artists, volunteers and revelers at the Full Circle cultural space on Rose Avenue.
Founded about three months ago by Andrew Keegan, best known as one of the stars of the movie “Ten Things I Hate About You,” the nonprofit artistic and spiritual collective Full Circle hosts weekly meditation ceremonies, yoga and dance classes, film screenings, art showings and other public events.
Keegan, a 12-year resident of Venice, said hosting the Venice Art Crawl party was a natural fit for Full Circle. In fact, Full Circle will host the next VAC outing on Sept. 18.
“Venice has always been a home for artists,” Keegan said.
The Venice Art Crawl, now partnered with the Venice Chamber of Commerce, has been hosting quarterly community arts events at local businesses and arts studios since August 2010.
“Every year we’re trying to make it bigger and better,” said co-organizer Bobby Olson, a real estate attorney by day. “I want VAC to be as much a part of this community as it possibly can.”
During the fourth anniversary celebration, art covered the walls of Full Circle’s main gathering room, its basement and even spilled over into the sidewalk on Rose Avenue, with several artists live-painting on canvasses as deejays spun hip, upbeat tunes.
Painter Telopa Treloky captivated the crowd with his interesting technique for imbuing his portraits with their characteristic rich sepia tones — spitting red wine onto his work between brushstrokes.
Also in the main room, muralist John Park drew inspiration from John Campbell’s “Heroes of 1,000 Faces” to create spontaneous canvasses for an upcoming exhibit at C.A.V.E. Gallery.
With the help of art director Ying Yang and her scene-stealing Maltese poodle Mimi, Venice Paparazzi’s Edizen Stowell entertained guests with a newly created automated photo booth.
Yang, who works on the creative side of advertising, appreciates VAC because “it brings all the local artists together and the community together,” she said. “It’s a chance to see the community shine all in one night.”
Los Angeles City Councilman Mike Bonin and Mayor Eric Garcetti’s Westside area representative Daniel Tamm presented VAC President Sunny Bak and Vice President Nicole Muyingo with certificates honoring the art crawl’s cultural contributions to the city.
“I’m glad to be able to help celebrate [the Venice Art Crawl’s] fourth, and I hope it celebrates its 14th and its 40th,” Bonin said.
Said Park, surveying Full Circle’s full house between brushstrokes: “Anything that gets people off their computers, out of the house and into the community is awesome.”
— Michael Aushenker
