Art with heart
“Untitled,” watercolor, 2014, by Johnny 2/3.
Johnny “2/3” Anderson hosts art benefit for Harbor Rock Recovery
Every Friday morning Johnny Anderson wakes up and makes his way down to the grassy oasis, known as Noble Park, that sits along The Strand between 14th and 15th streets in Hermosa Beach. It’s here he’s spent the last four years working to create a welcoming and open-hearted environment through his weekly church services for the city’s homeless.
As a member of the King’s Harbor Church community and with the encouragement of his fellow pastor friends, Anderson began the community ministry out of what he thinks was necessity.
“It’s hard; we’re really trying to love the unlovable,” says Anderson. “Here in Hermosa, the homeless population is kind of the modern day lepers. People are willing to throw homeless people a dollar or two, but they don’t really want to deal with them or take the time to help them further than that.”
“Untitled,” watercolor, 2014, by Johnny 2/3.
Anderson, better known as Johnny 2/3 and owner of the widely known Yer Cheat’n Heart Tattoo Shop, understands the challenges that come with trying to pour love into the homeless and share spiritual truth when the usual Friday morning crowd he serves shows up rowdy and seemingly wary of his words. But he continues to nurture strong relationships with most of the homeless in Hermosa.
“Every once in a while we’re able to help somebody and see people actually get better, and I think that’s why we continue to do it,” says Anderson. “A lot of times, churches will open up their doors to the homeless, but they rarely go out of the building. One thing I know about Jesus was that he was always out of the building, out encountering people, going into uncomfortable situations, and that’s what we want to emulate. We want to be out in the community. People are afraid to go to a church; they might be intimidated by it. So the idea was to bring church to them.”
Johnny ⅔ Anderson, owner of Yer Cheatin’ Heart Tattoo Shop, hosts a show of his art Saturday night. Photo Courtesy Johnny 2/3 Anderson.
In constant pursuit of providing a spiritual outlet and support for causes that will help further community outreach, Anderson will be hosting an art show Saturday August 15, to benefit Harbor Rock Recovery, a ministry devoted to supporting and helping those with alcoholism and addiction.
“Harbor Rock recovery is a non-profit organization that I’m a part of and that marries the 12-step program back to the Church and Christianity,” says Anderson.
Saturday’s show, which will not only occupy Fat Face Fenner’s Fishack, but will also spill into Anderson’s adjacent tattoo shop, includes over twenty pieces of Anderson’s signature, traditional tattoo style watercolor paintings that he created between 2014 and 2015. Anderson’s pieces will run the gamut of 1940s-inspired imagery to prominent nautical, rock of ages tattoo designs, and will all be available for purchase night of, as will some more budget-friendly prints of the show’s works.
“We expect there to be a great showing on Saturday and invite anyone to come,” says Anderson. “It won’t be your typical Saturday night in Hermosa, we plan on the event being very family friendly, and a sort of coming together for a good cause.”
The Harbor Rock Recovery Benefit Art Show will be this Saturday evening, August 15 at Fat Face Fenner’s Fishack and Yer Cheat’n Heart Tattoo. Open to public.