While LA was breaking out some amazing shows last Friday, The David B Smith Gallery in Denver, Co exhibited an incredible group show from long standing artists, (Kris Lewis, Shag, Jason Thielke, etc) as well as some unexpected ones (MARS-1, Amy Sol, Jud Bergeron, etc).  Pics after the jump.

More Images + Info »

Amy Sol’s gentle and delicate new pieces are on display at CoproGallery in Bergamot Station. “The Wilderness Buffet” continues through Nov. 28. You can visit the artist and gallery websites for high-quality images of her first-rate work.

More Images + Info »

Amy Sol offered a delectable  menu of new original paintings with Wilderness Buffet which opened this past Saturday (11.7) @ Copro Gallery in Santa Monica. This new body of work (four medium sized pieces and three smaller pieces) features Sol’s beautiful and surrealistic imagery blending earth tones with numerous aquatic references. While the new pieces retain her signature serenity with a dash of whimsy, they feel slightly more upbeat and cheerful.

In addition to the original work, the gallery is offering three exquisitely done prints of her new work (nearly 1:1 size wise).  The Sea Ice Caravel print in particular is quite stunning – done on paper, the wood texture is reproduced with strong results.   For complete information on painting and print availability, see the official show page.

Copro Nason
Bergamot Station
7525 Michigan Ave T5
Santa Monica, CA 90404
310.829.2156

More Images + Info »

This weekend opened the “Kokeshi” show curated by designer Christina Conway at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles, which has been showing some great emerging work as of late.

Kokeshi featured nearly 100 custom traditional Japanese Kokeshi dolls from some of the most talented artists in the emerging contemporary scene including Amy Sol, Travis Louie, Yoskay Yamamoto, Tara McPherson, Kozyndan and more.

What was even better was that the museum had an entire exhibit of traditional Kokeshi and a timeline of Kokeshi dolls through history to give you a real sense of the importance of the doll in Japanese culture. An excellent display and a worthwhile excuse to visit JANM.

More Images + Info »

R to L: Amy Sol, Kelly Vivanco, Stella Im Hultberg

Presented by LATDA, Kokeshi from Folk Art to Art Toy opening on July 11th, 2009 @ the Japanese American National Museum, offers a broad survey of a multitude of  Kokeshi – Japanese wood dolls that were traditionally  collected as souvenirs by hot springs visitors.  The large show will feature three sections – the first features over 300 examples of traditional kokeshi from the collection of Itske and Anthony Stern, the second features contemporary original takes on the koekshi from eleven artists working in diverse media, and  the third section entitled Custom Kokeshi 2009 curated by Christina Conway features over 100 international artists interpretations of an identical blank kokeshi  wood form.

Dailydujour had the pleasure of visiting the museum a few weeks ago to get an early look at the varied pieces in the show with the assistance of Maria Kwong (LATDA) and Christina Conway.  Though we were primarily focused on the work done for Custom Kokeshi 2009, the follow-up to Christina’s successful 07 Kokeshi show, what we saw of the other show sections was quite impressive.

Conway selected a varied and talented group of artists (full list on the flier after the jump) based on their ability to bring an interesting interpretation of the blank kokeshi form.  While it goes without saying that Conway invited some of the best and brightest artists in the low-brow and pop surrealist genres, she also invited perhaps lesser-know artists who she had become familiar with over the years.  The result is a very strong collection of work which in our opinion surpasses that of the first show – by no means a trivial task.

Enjoy this preview which features pieces from Amy Sol, Caia Koopman, Kelly Vivanco, Meredith Dittmar,  Mike Rivamonte, N.C. Winters,  Stella Im Hultberg, and Tara McPherson.  Look for more shortly. Finally, be sure to mark July 11th on your carder to catch the opening of this excellent show.

Japanese American National Museum
369 East First Street
Los Angeles California 90012
213.625.0414

More Images + Info »

The Drawing Room group show curated by LA painter Audrey Kawasaki featuring drawings from 24 artists opens this Friday, November 7th @ Thinkspace Gallery [7-11 PM].  dailyduJour had the pleasure of an advanced look at the show.  Here’s a little sneak peek at what’s in store for you at the opening.

If you’ve ever wished you could tour Audrey Kawasaki’s work space – her front room installation is probably the next best thing featuring many personal items and furniture from her studio + many drawings on the desk and throughout the room.

While we can’t show you very many pieces, click through for a preview featuring work by Audrey Kawasaki, Amy Sol and  newcomer Joao Paulo Ruas. Don’t miss the opening – it’s a very strong show.

Thinkspace Art Gallery
4210 Santa Monica Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90029
323.913.3375

More Images + Info »