The Art of Culver City

It was an unexpected outing, at the end of a long week. We were invited to an exhibition of some art students at the group studio owned by their school, down in Culver City in a reclaimed industrial building.

We arranged to meet for dinner here at Gloria's:

One of my favorite places to eat, because the staff - Gloria herself, all the waitstaff - are wonderful. A creature of habit, I always get the Plato Tipico because it has an assortment of Salvadorean tastes - A pupusa, with its vinegary cabbage slaw, fried yuca, fried plantains, and black beans and rice. [The Man I Love] got camarones with garlic - it's nice to know how secure he is that I love him.

We then went down to the studios. When the school occupied it, it built partitions so that each student would have a private studio to work in. The result is a warren-like structure with winding hallways and multiple levels. Brightly lit, splattered with paint, crammed with stored canvases and sculpture materials, it looks like the perfect place for Art to Happen.

These are truly talented young artists, and touring their workspace it was easy to see that some of them will be notable in the future. I can see the reason people buy art as an investment - but I also can see that the investment part of the transaction isn't what motivates a buyer the most. You just want that piece that moves you so much to be in your life - so you can look at it.

I didn't take any photos except the one above, which is in the sculpture studio of Mitsuko Ikeno. Let the work speak for itself. If you want to see the wonderful work of some of these artists, just go here, and here, and here, and here and here. If you can support them, please do.