Posts by Bondo Wyszpolski
William Blake: hello, goodbye
Blake was here, now he’s not The invisible Visionary at the Getty Center William Blake, who died in 1827, is yet another casualty in 2020. The English printmaker, painter-illustrator, and poet-painter (who among us doesn’t know “Tyger, Tyger, burning bright…”?) was to have had the starring role in “William Blake: Visionary,” a Getty show that…
Read MorePricey Diggs: No concerts? Let’s record!
Making music when you can’t play music On the road again? Not yet, but… The year dawned promisingly for most of us, or so we thought. And so thought Mark McMillen and Annie Boreson, the Manhattan Beach-based husband and wife duo who have lived in the South Bay for 10-plus years and have performed in…
Read MoreDavid Wolfram’s farewell art show
David Wolfram, former president of Destination: Art and one of the founding artists of the Torrance-based studio, is packing his bags and leaving town, but not before his online solo show opens with a Zoom reception on Saturday (on view through Dec. 20). Wolfram has been a noted artist on the local scene for many…
Read MoreIt’ll brighten up your evening
All lit up, and somewhere to go A glowing review, of course The wonders of orchestrated illumination are to be found in “GLOW” at the South Coast Botanic Garden. This nightly event, in collaboration with San Pedro-based California Outdoor Lighting, allows guests to meander through a select area of the grounds which have been festooned…
Read MoreSculptures in the great outdoors
Basking in the Moonlight When “Form and Movement” came out to play As noted last week in Easy Reader, Simon Ouwerkerk’s sculptures are being quarantined inside of the Manhattan Beach Art Center—and that means no visitors. So this past Saturday they were brought out into the light of day and were available for viewing by…
Read MoreWhen indoor sculpture ventures outdoors
Sculptures on the move Simon Ouwerkerk puts his pedal to the metal in Manhattan Beach Across the board, artists have been cheated. Cheated from performing in front of a live audience or from having their work viewed in person. Right now there’s a full gallery with sculptures by Simon Ouwerkerk in the Manhattan Beach Art…
Read MoreWhile smoking and drinking in Brazil
“Kiss Me Again as I Ride Off into the Sunset” A fictional aside for your reading pleasure In the salon and smoking lounge of Captain Nemo’s Underwater Seafood Restaurant, the Brazilian writer Jô Soares has just told Moacyr Scliar and others that “This is the kind of fable I think you’ll enjoy.” And so, skipping…
Read More“On stage” – Mira Costa drama zooms in
It’s showtime! Mira Costa drama students star in two fall productions It’s not ideal, and it’s not how anyone envisioned doing this earlier in the year, but the Mira Costa High School Drama and Tech Department has adapted to the rules and rigors of the pandemic and is forging ahead with two fall productions, “Spoon…
Read MoreDave’s bookshop: a new edition
Chapter Two Dave’s Olde Book Shop turns the page… Bookstores that only traffic in new items are great if we’re in search of a current title, but secondhand bookstores fulfill a niche that’s no less vital, and quite often more rewarding, for the simple fact that one may find an out-of-print gem with a bit…
Read MoreNo smiling: Ray Carofano’s “Faces of Pedro”
From Street to Studio Ray Carofano’s “Faces of Pedro” shows the essence of lives lived It’s easy to be flippant about someone’s looks, as when Oscar Wilde wrote that “A man’s face is his autobiography. A woman’s face is her work of fiction.” While that may be good for a chuckle, when we turn to…
Read MoreMesopotamian art: sorta, kinda, not on display at the Getty Villa
Once upon a time and far away “Mesopotamia: Civilization,” closed before it opened at the Getty Villa I want you to read this, and weep. Among the hundreds of art events or exhibitions that have not happened this year and may not happen at all, “Mesopotamia: Civilization Begins” is one of the most prominent. It…
Read MorePV Art Center highlights Belgian post-impressionist Paul Martel
Color was the soul of his painting Belgian post-impressionist Paul Martel’s online art show The Palos Verdes Art Center has been very good to Paul Martel, the Belgian Post-Impressionist painter, born in 1879, who fell out of the game, so to speak, when he and his American-born wife Muriel returned to America, to Muriel’s native…
Read MoreThe Torrance Cultural Arts Center forges ahead: a talk with Christian Wolf
Empty stages Progress and possibility at the Torrance Cultural Arts Center Those shows that you attended at the James Armstrong Theatre, the George Nakano Theatre, and elsewhere at the Torrance Cultural Arts Center? The man responsible for getting them booked and onstage is Christian Wolf. But then, in March, everything went south almost overnight. Six…
Read MoreDrica Lobo’s vibrant artwork at ShockBoxx
Be Here Now Drica Lobo’s ShockBoxx show is about connection, and being in the moment Drica Lobo celebrated her birthday last Saturday evening by hosting the virtual opening of “Decoding the Flow,” up through Sept. 12 at ShockBoxx in Hermosa Beach. The exhibition is like a big candy box with its vibrant paintings, tempered by…
Read MoreLiterary icon: Bukowski at 100
Light some candles, raise a glass Remembering Charles Bukowski on his 100th birthday This Sunday, August 16, Charles Bukowski would be drinking a glass of wine and celebrating his 100th birthday, but his earthly partying came to an end in 1994 and so the rest of us will have to do the drinking and the…
Read MoreQuality films for home viewing
Let’s dim the lights and screen a movie Film quartet: “A White, White Day”; “A Girl Missing”; “Shanghai Triad”; and “You Never Had It: An Evening with Bukowski” The movie-going experience at our local theaters may have to wait, but recent or re-digitized arthouse films are available on DVD or through virtual cinema. The first…
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