Create: Fixate Presents
I Art You
Ten Year Anniversary Valentine-Themed Art & Music Celebration
At Premiere Events Center in Downtown Los Angeles
Saturday, February 11, 2012

LOS ANGELES, CA – January 16, 2012 – Arts organization Create:Fixate (C:F) celebrates 10 years of existence with its next exhibit I Art You on Saturday, February 11, 2012 at the Premiere Events Center in Downtown Los Angeles. C:F’s signature blend features vibrant artwork and music produced by over forty local artists, DJs, and musicians. The excitement begins at 4:00pm with a three-hour gallery preview.  The main event starts at 7:00pm and closes at 2:00am.  Admission is $15.00 before 9:00pm and $20.00 for the remainder of the night. Premiere Events Center is located at 613 Imperial St., Los Angeles, CA 90021. For more information, including an image gallery of participating artists works, please visit www.createfixate.com. C:F can be reached by phone at 310-590-7199 for other inquiries.

The evening begins with a preview of the exhibit from 4:00pm to 7:00pm. There is a $5 suggested donation during this period but kids twelve-years old and younger are allowed free entry.  Parents are encouraged to bring the whole family during the preview hours and take advantage of the Kids Kreativity Zone.  Overflowing with art supplies, the Zone provides a supervised space where youth can dive into their own expression while parents explore the exhibit.  While all ages are welcome during the preview, attendees must be 21-years old or older to enter after 7:00pm.

I Art You will be filled with Valentine-themed merriment:

• The Love Car Art Competition – a live painting face-off on a 2003 Nissan Sentra
LA’s favorite live painters take on a Nissan Sentra in an art competition like no other! Through a live drawing on the spot, each artist will be assigned a section of the car and then randomly assigned a rock song title - love ballad, of course - to paint their own interpretation of the song on the car!  They have two hours to complete their painting.  Who might the winner be?  The crowd will be called upon to express their inner art critic when their cheers are measured by our judges!  Participating live painters include some of LA favorites  – John Park, Christina Angelina, Max Neutra, and Michael Pukac.

• Valentine’s Day Card Making Station Open All Night Long – Adult Friendly!

• The Art of Romance: Singles Mingle – Guided by relationship & passion consultant Barry Selby
Barry is The Passion Consultant, and his life purpose is inspiring people to live authentic lives. The vehicle that most effectively expresses his purpose is his facilitation and guidance with singles and couples to have amazing relationships, living purposefully and authentically, and fulfilling their highest potential.  About to be released through Amazon, his new book, Rules of Romance – 50 ways to love your lover, is your answer to many questions.  Comprised of 50 powerful relationship and romance principles, it will inspire and give you food for thought and will show you how to have what you want (in relationship and romance), whether you are single or in relationship.

Create:Fixate Founder and Artistic Director Michelle Berc explains the Valentine’s Day theme… “For ten years, we’ve been loving Los Angeles with art, music, and all things creative. I Art You seemed like the perfect title to express this accomplishment of serving our mission and reaching this milestone.  And as always, I love using our event themes to inspire people to think about who they are and who they are becoming.

“I Art You focuses on appreciating the special people in our lives and how we can express our gratitude by giving a gift that is made with our very own hands. I teamed up with a dear friend, Jessica Viola, who helped write our theme, which opens up with the line “We are how we hold each other.” It continues to say “to understand another, selflessly, purely and with good intention is the fire that feeds the desire to give and to find new ways of expressing our love… True love knows the greatest joys are not in receiving as much as in giving.”  This Valentine’s Day, we want to inspire everyone to remember that some of the greatest gifts can only be felt by the heart and to touch those hearts with art!”

All participating artists along with high school students from C:F’s community partner A Place Called Home will be creating one piece of artwork that expresses the show’s theme.

As part of Create:Fixate’s community outreach efforts the organization continues to empower youth through arts education projects. For the first time C:F will join forces with A Place Called Home (APCH).  APCH is a safe haven in South Central Los Angeles where underserved youth are empowered to take ownership of the quality and direction of their lives through programs in education, arts, and well being; and are inspired to make a meaningful difference in their community and the world.

I Art You will feature the creativity of over twenty visual artists in the Optical Lounge, the evening’s visual feast, presenting a stunning array of painting, photography, multi-media, interactive installation, and performance art. Highlights include:
• Curtis Brooks, who is motivated and driven most by the materials he works with in the home improvement industry, uses sheets of acrylic and latex enamel paint skins to create paint sculptures.
• Brian Robertson bridges the terrain between abstraction and representation. One finds in his collaged paintings meticulous geometric patterning and a highly developed sense of rhythm and movement.
• Emily White works with code to explore the aesthetics of inundation. Her recent drawings exist at the threshold between control and chaos. She has exhibited, lectured and published on topics ranging from manufactured islands to the use of code in engineered textiles.

The Audio Lab, otherwise known as the music portion of the evening, completes Create:Fixate’s vision.  Highlights include:
• John Tejada – “LA’s own techno hero” – LA Weekly
• Silver Pesos – a blend of tropical bass rhythms, soulful Spanish & English female vocals, and West African guitar psychedelia
• Valida – as heard on KCRW’s The Lab, late-night Saturday’s
• Aimé – electronic artist/hip-hop beat-maker, occasionally likened to artists such as Boards of Canada, Ulrich Schnauss, Amiina and Air

Create:Fixate is an arts organization that has now completed a decade of serving the emerging art and music community of Los Angeles.  The organization is best know for its signature blend of art and music, along with thousands of art lovers and party goers in massive – and at times intimate – warehouse locations and alternative spaces on a quarterly basis.  Founder Michelle Berc curates, produces and hosts these ambitious group art shows that present creative beings from around the globe with an emphasis on the local talent of Los Angeles. The production team also includes Music Coordinator Andrea Giardina, and a core team of volunteers and dedicated advisory board members. Awe-inspiring painters, photographers, sculptors, and multi-media artists exhibit alongside an equally impressive array of Los Angeles’ finest DJs and musicians. Each event’s aural artists are poised to create a soundtrack for the night that transforms this from a simple art show into one of the city’s most anticipated art events.

Optical Lounge:

Annie Terrazzo
Annie Terrazzo has been creating mixed media portraiture for almost 10 years and has sold over 450 works of art in that time. “Detritus”, Terrazzo’s current artistic endeavor is made completely out of newspapers from around the world. Her latest series, entitled “Head Lines” will be completed  in January 2012. Her latest work, Power Lines had a very well received exhibition in Toronto, Canada in September 2011 at Communication Art Gallery And Toast Gallery. 6 out of 10 pieces sold in 3 weeks time. Other projects include “Art Is Trash”, born in 2001, which mainly focused on creating portraits made with objects found on the streets of L.A. at 3am.

Annie spends most of her down time in Los Angeles, but travels most of the year doing shows in other countries and collecting new newspapers. She is inspired by the likes of Ralph Steadman, JR, Roy Lichstenstine, strippers that don’t speak English, box tape and expensive champagne.

Art Weeks
Formerly an advertising Art Director for over 20 years, Art Weeks had always had a dream to one day quit the advertising world to become a full time artist, and in 2007 he did just that.  His work often incorporates graphic elements, patterns and precisely rendered shapes, an obvious influence from his former career.  Since then, Weeks has participated in over 60 group shows, including five solo shows, even having had the prestigious honor of being chosen to exhibit a painting at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles.

Brian Robertson
Los Angeles based artist, Brian Robertson bridges the terrain between abstraction and representation. Within the artist’s figurative works, a convergence of disparate styles and technique combine to create a blended aesthetic. One finds in his collaged paintings meticulous geometric patterning and a highly developed sense of rhythm and movement. Robertson’s highly graphic and vibrant pieces – themselves a hybrid of processes – invoke a fusion of personal and referenced mythologies to create works of great emotional weight.

Curtis Brooks
Curtis Brooks is a southern California native and self-taught artist living in Santa Monica. A carpenter and house painter by trade, his work has evolved out of his twenty years of experience in the construction industry.  His wood sculptures and paintings, each with their own unique visible history, are inspired by and created with the left over paint, paint sticks, and scraps of wood used in his work as a home improvement contractor.

Donna Trousdale
Donna Trousdale considers herself more of a scientist than an artist – a scientist of Consciousness. She became interested in Sacred Geometry several years ago as a way to understand the fundamental structure of the Universe. Her paintings depict the Flower of Life and the Torus, which represent the underlying architecture of Conscious Vibration. It’s the geometry that naturally forms as Unity divides and expands itself. The sacred image of the Flower of Life has been found across the globe and its formation holds innumerable secrets to the mysteries of Creation. Its structure is a divine expression of L.O.V.E. – the Law of Vibrational Equilibrium. Trousdale has spent the last several years studying the dynamics of this Universal principle and has given talks around the world regarding the constant whole number solution to the Pi ratio, which was revealed to her while working with and painting this geometry.

Emily White
Emily White is an artist and architect working in Los Angeles. She graduated from Barnard College and holds a Master in Architecture from the Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc). Together with partner Lisa Little, she runs the design office LAYER. LAYER’s installations and buildings have appeared in the LA Times, Interior Design magazine, the 2010 California Design Biennial, the New Children’s Museum and the Skirball Cultural Center. White has exhibited, lectured, and published on topics ranging from manufactured islands to the aesthetics of inundation. She is currently on the faculty at the Southern California Institute of Architecture.

Erik Abel
Born in Ventura County, Erik Abel is an artist inspired by the subtle dynamics of the ocean, ancient cultures, and patterns of the natural world. With over 15 years experience as a freelance designer, Abel has fused his curiosity of nature and design with his passion for surfing and the sea. Through his unique mix of acrylic paint, markers, and colored pencil, Abel’s pieces intrigue clients and collectors to explore their affinity for the environment and appreciation of visual balance. Abel’s clients include private collectors along with notable brands such as Reef, Patagonia, Billabong, and Oxbow. His work has been featured in Surfing Magazine, Fluir, Tide, Juxtapoz, PDX Magazine, Citizen LA, and Oddica.

Gus Harper
Gus Harper was born and raised in Santa Monica.  For the last eleven years he has worked full time as an artist.  His first show was at Ground Zero in Marina Del Rey and since then has shown his work in New York, Denver, New Orleans, Mexico City, and Puerto Vallarta.  His best known work is from the series, “Signs of A Benevolent Universe.”  His most recent solo show, Daydreams, the Awakening was at Gus Harper studios, which he maintains full time at 11306 Venice Blvd. (90066).  His art can be viewed at www.gusharperart.com.  The work on display at Create:Fixate is from the “Signs of Life” series.

Isabelle Alford-Lago
Originally from Santa Cruz, CA, Isabelle Alford-Lago came to Los Angeles to receive her BA from University of Southern California, and has since been working as a painter.  Her current work is distinctly defined by her Gorilla portraits, which are both oils on canvas as well as large public murals.  The Gorillas are a satirical representation of classic portraiture, using an unlikely subject to portray real human emotion and individualized presence.  Alford-Lago is now based in Venice, CA.

Jeremy Crabtree
Jeremy Crabtree’s paintings are made to evoke a comparison between the dreams when we sleep and the dreams of our waking existence. Behind the many layers of color and texture lie varying methods of communication felt collectively from moment to moment, or from space to time. He uses whatever forms of paint or plaster is convenient at the time to maintain the spontaneity felt in our daily lives. He lives and works in downtown Los Angeles.

JK Wasson
JK Wasson is a Venice-based painter and filmmaker. His current series explores the heart– it’s mechanics as a pump, it’s place within the body, it’s rhythms, it’s mood swings. He draws inspiration from his own heart’s struggle to balance order and chaos.

John Park
John Park is an artist and teacher living in Venice.  He received his training at the Rhode Island School of Design where he studied classical figure drawing, painting, sculpture and anatomy.  His current body of work is an attempt to reconcile these classical influences with the modern aesthetic of the New Contemporary Art movement.  The paintings themselves are executed in a public setting in front of an audience at the various galleries, clubs, bars and music festivals that serve as his studio.  He teaches drawing and painting at Concord Prep in Santa Monica.

Jon Measures
Jon Measures is a British artist, designer, and educator based in Los Angeles. Measures produces intriguing mixed media images depicting Los Angeles, and in particular, the East side of LA. These pieces often combine multiple views; slicing and dicing bits of the city’s rich fabric together. The images are usually digitally edited, and collaged together with painted elements. Paint is used to stylize or emphasize aspects of the photographic materials and to add texture and layering. Measures has described his approach to image making as a hybrid between painting, photography, and collage.

Kat Shoa
Kat Shoa is an artist, a world traveler, and a businesswoman. A self taught artist, she combines her art influences from late 19th century to early 20th century impressionism with her unique ink drawing style. As an art collector from around the world, she uses acrylic painting as her creative outlet. She’s a late bloomer who discovered her artistic talents in 2008 with custom portrait paintings, and quickly expanded to figurative paintings, trees, vines, and other subject matters.

In real life, she’s the Managing Director of The Directive Group, a management consulting practice providing strategic business services to companies developing products, services, and intellectual properties. She also sits on the Board of Directors of the Los Angeles Boys & Girls Club, a 60 year old nonprofit organization helping disadvantaged youth with education, sports, and citizenry programs. She has degrees in Computer Engineering and Executive Management.

L. Croskey
Inspired by vintage pin up art, design, and advertising, LC creates a world of imagination, a very distinct world of his own, an image that reflects a metaphor or fantasy or delusion, a false paradise. By using magazines and books ranging from vintage pin up to children’s books and numerous others, he takes these classic beauties and other collected images and places them in a modern design setting. Years of collected wrapping paper, wallpaper, scrap booking paper, and magazines are the materials LC uses to build this girl inspired world, luring you in to find out that the story might actually be saying more than what it may have initially alluded to.

LC’s art is a diary of emotions from his past and the lessons he has learned from these various, funny, sometimes dark relationships, and sometimes just good old fashioned sex.

Luis Sanchez
For his paintings, Luis Sanchez utilizes a number of mediums, including acrylic, dry pigments and stucco. His two-dimensional works are often noted for his masterful use of trompe l’oeil, leaving viewers with the impression that he has used photography, collage, or other techniques when he has only used the brush. His work seamlessly combines the past, present and the future.

Born in 1968, Sanchez lived the first ten years of his life in Mexico City with his family (a Cuban born father, a Mexican-Lebanese mother, and an older brother and sister.) He and his family immigrated to Seattle, WA in 1979.  He attended Cornish College of the Arts and the Academy of Realist Art in Seattle, WA.  In 2002 Sanchez moved to Los Angeles to pursue painting and sculpture full time. He exhibits in Los Angeles, Indiana, Chicago, Miami and New York.

Michelle Nielsen
Michelle Nielsen is a young Bolivian visual artist educated in San Francisco, Chile, and Mexico. Her oil paintings use a combination of narrative figuration and pop influence inspired by fashion and photography. Letting the canvas capture frozen moments in liquid environments filled with color and transparency, her latest work shows a different stroke of what her development as an artist can offer to the eye. Determined to stay true to her feminine sensibility, imagination, and sense of humor, Michelle’s artwork invites the spectator to enjoy the pleasure of looking.

Mike Russek
Mike Russek graduated with an MFA from Maryland Institute of Art in 2001, with a focus in sculpture. He started his own company,1028 Designs, in 2005. 1028 Designs is a custom design and fabrication facility utilizing laser tooling to create furniture, interiors and various products and solutions. Russek is also the co-owner and curator of d i a l e c t satellite gallery, a cutting edge mobile gallery which travels to special events and festivals around the country, showcasing works from established and emerging local and global talents.

Sal Escobar
An advertising creative during the day and conceptual artist at night, Sal Escobar originally from Puebla, Mexico, started his artistic expression in Mexico City doing videos and installations. In 2005 he moved to Los Angeles where he explores new techniques using recycled materials to create diverse objects. For his collection “Banderas” (Flags), he uses mixed-media to express the wear and tear of relationships and the confrontation of ideals where love is the battlefield.

Sean “Chango” Caffey
Sean Caffey came into the arts naturally with a painter for a mother and a jazz composer of a father. With a family full of artists ranging from photographers and graphic designers to fine mixed media artists, he was exposed to the raw knowledge used to create art.  At a young age, Caffey learned drawing, painting, carpentry, costume design and various forms of dance all before he entered high school.  Over the last ten years he has developed into a metal artist.  His latest permanent installation can be found at the Holy Cow night club in San Francisco where he integrated edge glowing fiber optics into his sculpture to make a dynamic lighting display over the DJ booth that pulses to life with the music.  As of late “Chango” has found perforated sheet metal to be his favorite material, the Moiré patterns from stacking the material allow for significant light and shadow play.

Sebastian Halmagean
Residing in San Diego, Sebastian Halmagean is an emerging artist whose education in art is rooted at the Watts Atelier in Encinitas, CA. His paintings can be defined as “snapshot narratives” that have a tale to tell… an asymmetric and riddled tale that is fueled by longings, nuanced by reverie, laced with a dreamy romanticism, and punctuated by a flare for elegance.

Stephanie Han
Stephanie Han emigrated to the U.S. in 1978 from Seoul, S. Korea. She obtained her MFA degree from the School of Visual Arts in New York City in 1999 and now pursues careers in painting and graphic design.  She exhibits all over Southern California and also works as an Art Director at a graphic design firm in Long Beach. She explores themes of loss and hope with her current series of abstract expressionist paintings.

Tari Karkanen (Video Projections)
- bio coming soon

Terry Hutton
Terry Hutton was born in London, England in 1960. With no formal education, apart from a long spell in Florence, Italy, and some junior college credit, he is self-taught. Undecided if this is an advantage or not, he works closely with a silent voice, many call it a natural instinct, or intuition. As a direct result of this, he is setting a new purpose, by veering away from representational work he’s known for, to peer closely into color and just sheer paint. There is nothing under the sun that has not been done before, so with this in mind, a new endeavor has evolved to let the paint sing louder then his brush.

Zig Gron
A performing musician (percussionist) born in Detroit, sound and rhythm are often integral components of Zig Gron’s films and videos, which he has been making for the past 25 years.  Fascinated with the way seemingly insignificant images can merge to form something more powerful than any individual part (the way a musical ensemble is the culmination of separate instruments), his work often results in complex visual graphics based on simple tropes, using time-honored compositional techniques such as theme and variation, repetition and counterpoint.

• Fashion / Jewelry / Crafts:

Irene LAVA Jewels
Irene LAVA jewels, a line of vintage-inspired beaded jewelry, was started by Interior Designer/Personal Shopper/Photographer Janet Grey as an antidote to a debilitating e-bay habit.  Thankfully, it worked out!  Named after her two grandmothers, Irene Jeanette Goldman and Leona Lava, each one-of-a-kind Irene LAVA creation is lovingly hand-assembled by Grey using a unique combination of vintage, czech glass, Swarovski Crystal, gemstone, rare, unusual and just simply SPECTACULAR beads from the early 20th century through current times. Gems include onyx, amethyst, labradorite, garnet, peridot, jade, aventurine and more.

Delevo Designs
After graduating from Columbia College, Deborah Vogt became a founding member of The Conjugate Projekt, Transamoeba Studios and The Chicago Art Department, participating in the creation of many collectives, multitudes of events and performance art installations throughout Chicago. She began creating her line of jewelry, Delevo designs, in the year 2000, even traveling to Bali to teach her stylized designs to the master artisans there. Upon landing in Los Angeles, she worked with several high end designers, and early in 2010 co-founded d i a l e c t gallery on 6th Street downtown. She now divides her time between curating and singing in her band, Early Bird Circus. Her jewelry is hand-crafted, elegant and simple, using fine woods, sterling silver and gold, precious and semi-precious stones and recycled materials to create universal and distinctive designs.

Luv Warrior/WittyKitty
Witty Kitty is all about fashion with flavor!  We are inspired by anything and everything Witty! Our “Kittys” also known as leather sleeves or fingerless gloves are all handmade, no two “Kittys” are a like!  Whether casually worn or dressy they complete any look! The buttery soft leather makes them so comfortable, and there is no thumb or finger cut-outs so your fingers are literally free! Our “Kittys” definitely qualify as a classic in the right wardrobe! Enjoy!

Viola Living Jewels
Jessica Viola is a botanical designer and the founder of Viola Living Jewels and Viola Gardens. For the past thirteen years, Viola has been cultivating her design portfolio and practice based on sustainability, whole-system solutions and artistic vision.  Viola Gardens was born nearly six years ago, specializing in permaculture-based botanical design, CA native plant restoration, drought-tolerant water-wise artscapes, edible gardens and organics.  Viola Gardens has worked with a large range of clients throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles, both residentially and commercially.  Viola lectures on sustainable landscape design and permaculture at Santa Monica College, Venice Community Housing and Pepperdine University.  After many years of working in design, studying, stretching, exploring holistic living, traveling to South and Central America, playing music, singing, making art, creating gardens and teaching, Viola Living Jewels was born.  The collection features fashion-forward botanical jewelry; amulets of our wild essence.

Jenneration Fix
Jenneration Fix is a small company made up of two Jennifers:  two women who wanted to help the environment in their own way.  They aim to make a difference in the world by transforming rescued materials into art and supporting various non-profit organizations at the same time.  Jenneration Fix, in effect, makes a complete circle back into the community by taking potential pollutants in the world from businesses and individuals, creating fun and useful items and then donating a portion of their profits back into a wide variety of charities.  The crafty ladies use materials such as discarded fabrics and clothing pieces, leather, scrap wood, e-waste, warped vinyl records, corks, and plastic packaging to make art work, jewelry, purses and clutches, pet toys, clocks, greeting cards and other quirky and fun gifts!

(soy’-ka designs)
Natalie Sojka found her first elements of inspiration for this line at an antique shop in rural Pennsylvania. After seeing the unique blend of metal shapes and textures she was inspired to produce her current line of jewelry.  Her goal with this line is to give her clients something unique, sexy, authentic, and edgy to wear, as well as a conversation starter.  All pieces are handmade, one of a kind, and made from all recycled materials.

Audio Lab:

Silver Pesos
The Silver Pesos blend tropical bass rhythms, soulful female vocals in Spanish and English, and West African guitar psychedelia. Formed in 2009 by producer/instrumentalist Peter Brambl, singer Chloe Conger, and guitarist Robert Weber, the group’s debut album Born at Midnight features the single “Regresando,” which has created a buzz on and offline.  Currently based in Los Angeles, the Silver Pesos also feature jazz bassist John von Seggern, percussionist Jason Kadlec, drummer Krishnanda Adipurba and vocalist/keyboardist Joanna Ellis.
www.thesilverpesos.com For free download of album, enter: http://www.thesilverpesos.com/create-fixate

John Tejada (Palette)
Normally associated with his peers in techno from Detroit, Europe and elsewhere, John Tejada has embraced electronic music as a personal frontier, expanding on his formidable resume as a techno recording artist as producer and remixer, DJ, and label owner. With dozens of singles, remixes, some film and TV work, and contributions to sample CDs to his credit, this recent expansion has born a slew of tracks deeply informed by his uncompromised aesthetic honed over years of diligent production, which finds its roots in Detroit techno but references a far broader range of music, both in and outside of electronic music. His musically formative years were steeped in classical music, growing up in family of performing artists – his mother a soprano singer and his father a conductor – which then widened to include hip hop, DJing and finally, electronic music. www.paletterecordings.com

Valida (KCRW)
Dubbed by LA.com as “one of the most important figures in L.A.’s nightlife scene,” Valida’s steady rise comes from her uncanny ability to seamlessly blend a variety of music styles that include house, hip-hop, indie rock, b-more/electro, and some classic 80s, disco and pop tracks thrown in for good measure. Since purchasing her first set of turntables in 1998, Valida has straddled the music and modeling arena with skills and ease. Worldwide bookings have brought her musical eloquence to Winter Music Conference in Miami, Regine in Paris, Dragon-I in Hong Kong, Mystique in Kuala Lumpur, Budoir in Dubai, Nuphoria event in Tokyo, Candela Party in Puerto Rico, Organic Party in Mexico, Barbados and her native Bosnia.  She can be heard on air on KCRW (89.9 FM) in Los Angeles on rotating Sundays from 3:00 to 6:00am as part of their program The Lab. www.valida.com

HouseMates (Venice)
HouseMates are a DJ trio reigning from Venice Beach consisting of founders Jacob Vaynshtok & Aidan Ramos of Jacob’s List and Matt Xavier of Railyard Recordings. After a series of convivial Venice gatherings the trio continue to provide an indubitable source of thoughtful art and house music events at unique venues along LA’s westside.  http://facebook.com/housemates.venice

Mr. NumberOnederful (Cannibal Flower)
LC has been passionately spinning vinyl since 82’. Specializing in remixes, mash ups and covers. But what creates LC’s sound is the hip hop, lounge, reggae, trip hop, dance and some pop music mixed together to harmonize this DJ’s acoustic signature. A sound that has made him a vital piece of the musical group Bitter:Sweet, as featured on 89.9fm KCRW.  LC spreads his vibe and sound around to various events around LA such as, Cannibal Flower, Bacchanal,  at the Del Monte Speak Easy, L.A. Beatdown at the Henry Fonda, the Mar Vista Farmers Market every second and third Saturday of the month, and is the tour DJ for Shana Halligan formerly of Bitter:Sweet. But his creative spirit doesn’t end there. Out from behind the DJ booth, LC is a collage artist and also a co-owner and curator of Thinkspace Gallery and Cannibal Flower. If you like the vibe LC spins you can download mixes, contact, and book him at www.lcroskeyart.com

Santana (TruthSeekers Radio | KPFK)
Santana Westbrook is the host of TruthSeekers which airs Midnight-2am every Friday Night/Saturday morning on KPFK 90.7 FM Los Angeles. The musical selections cover a wide range of genres from downtempo electronic instrumentals to soul and beyond. Santana also produces music under the aliases of BuddhaSupreme and Nexus102. The show can be heard on demand at www.truthseekersradio.org.

Aimé (Aimemusic ltd)
Los Angeles resident Fran Dominguez a.k.a. Aimé is an electronic artist/hip-hop beat-maker, occasionally likened to artists such as Boards of Canada, Ulrich Schnauss and the Icelandic band Amiina and French duo Air, for his more hybridized orchestral styles. Following the success of his first album Place Your Hands Over Your Eyes, that included accolades (Los Angeles Music Awards “Electronic Album of the Year” 2007) and diverse college and internet radio airplay, Aimé has since gone on to produce music for cable channels (Plum Television, Comcast Cable Programming), short films (“Cop” 2009) and has remixed the work of artists both mainstream (Radiohead, Minus The Bear, Gorillaz, Brian Eno & David Byrne) and underground (Pinklogik, The Dead Amps). A highly anticipated follow up album titled Times When I Know You Will Watch the Sky will be out in 2012. http://www.facebook.com/aimespace

Dj Sebiseb (SD Mixmasters)
Originally from France, DJ Sebiseb  brings European feels to her mixes. Her versatile skills on either vinyl or CDs lets her play different style of music to accommodate many different types of music lovers. She has started to incorporate her music skills into the music producing world. For more info, schedules and booking www.djsebiseb.com.

Theory Abstract (Deep funk records)
Theory Abstract is a 20 year experienced DJ coming from a strong family musical background. He has embraced many styles of music and incorporated them into his sets. He has appeared in small lounges & LA underground events to large clubs in Vegas. He has opened and performed with the likes of MAW, Osunlade, Mark Farina, Doc Martin, Nickodemos, Dj AM, MixMasterMike, Thievery Corporation, and the list goes on. He has collaborations with live bands such as the funk sensation “Kool In The Gang”, as well as the live nujazz project “Modern Groove Assembly”, with singer Sy Smith. www.mixcrate.com/theoryabstract

Charles Guilterre (Fallen Fronds)
Producer/DJ Charles Guilterre is a recent transplant from Brooklyn to LA. Best known for his Hump Wednesday parties in New York City’s East Village in the late 1990s, his electronic sound incorporates elements of lounge, experimental, electro, synthwave, heady house, and a hint of industrial, the latter heavily influenced by music from Chicago’s WaxTrax! label from the mid-1980s. He is currently concentrating his production/remixing efforts on his production team, Fallen Fronds.  http://www.facebook.com/guilterre

Christos Kedras (Kapa Music, SOAK Brasil) -
Originally from Greece and based in Los Angeles, Christos Kedras is a globetrotting ambassador of music sophistication thanks to his ultra-unique music style. Kedras hand-picks the finest ingredients from all over the world: African & Latin rhythms, Disco/Funk/Soul grooves, Brazilian bossa, Jazzy brass & pianos, and dancefloor-adorned Deep House beats. He mixes these into unmatched music cocktails that caress the senses, move the body, and expand the mind. With DJ gigs in Europe, Japan, Brazil and several US cities, a radio show that airs globally, and a constant supply of high-quality productions, Christos Kedras is one of the most international Los Angelinos in the house/electronic genre! www.christoskedras.com

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For more information, images, or to request interviews, please contact Green Galactic’s Lynn Tejada at 213-840-1201 or lynn@greengalactic.com.

Create:Fixate Presents
Stop-Pause-Now
At Premiere Events Center in Downtown Los Angeles
Saturday, July 16, 2011

LOS ANGELES, CA – Arts organization Create:Fixate (C:F) is once again up to some good with their next exhibit Stop-Pause-Now on Saturday, July 16, 2011 at the Premiere Events Center. C:F’s signature blend features vibrant artwork and music produced by over forty local artists, DJs, land musicians. The excitement begins at 4:00pm with a gallery preview.  The main event starts at 7:00pm and closes at 2:00am.  Admission is $15.00 before 9:00pm and $20.00 for the remainder of the night. Premiere Events Center is located at 613 Imperial St., Los Angeles, CA 90021. For more information, including an image gallery of participating artists’ works, please visit www.createfixate.com. C:F can be reached by phone at 310-590-7199 for other inquiries.

The evening begins with a preview of the exhibit from 4:00pm to 7:00pm. There is a $5 suggested donation during this period but kids twelve-years old and younger are allowed free entry.  Parents are encouraged to bring the whole family during the preview hours and take advantage of the Kids Kreativity Zone.  Overflowing with art supplies, the Zone provides a supervised space where youth can dive into their own expression while parents explore the evening’s exhibit. While all ages are welcome during the preview, attendees must be 21-years old or older to enter after 7:00pm.

Create:Fixate Founder and Artistic Director Michelle Berc explains the event’s theme, “Sometimes, you’ve got to take a moment, with all that’s whizzing by.  The noise level rises and it becomes an ever-increasing challenge to just be, much less Be Present. So take a moment. Let go of that angst about the past and your worries about the future. Give your undivided attention to what’s going on right in front of you. Pause. Center. Focus.  And when you’re ready, Take Action. Find your way to Now and make it happen!”

All participating artists along with high school students from Sun Valley High School will be creating one piece of artwork that expresses the show’s theme.

Stop-Pause-Now will feature the creativity of over thirty visual artists in the “Optical Lounge” – the evening’s visual feast – presenting a stunning array of painting, photography, multi-media, interactive installation, and performance art. Highlights include:

• Kenneth Ober’s current paintings are meditations exploring and defining time and space through complex fields created by using the excessive repetition of simple, small lines.  The paintings are made primarily with a tool designed for pin-striping automobiles, which is used to apply relentlessly consistent lines of paint to subtly textured canvas.

• At first distance Michelle Matthews‘ works are typically read as photographs. It is only when the viewer steps closer to the piece that they become disoriented by the materiality of the thread. Anonymous spaces become materialized in tens of thousands of stitches, and the thread supplants the photographic pixel.

• In her assemblages, Jena Priebe uses a myriad of media such as mirrors, glass, antiquated found objects, metals, adhesives and the guts of machines.

• Mark Dugally’s love of motorcycles and passion for the extraordinary come together in the rolling creations that are functional pieces of art. His designs are exotic materiality mixed with an aesthetic that questions what we know as “motorcycle.”

• Ken Murphy is a musician, programmer, artist, and tinkerer living in San Francisco, who is interested in the intersection of art and technology.  His latest creation “A History of the Sky” is a time-lapse visualization of the sky, clouds, weather and light.

• Chase, named one of Italian Vogue’s favorite 2006 street artists in the world (alongside Shepard Fairey and Banksy), is an artist/designer and Belgium transplant now based in Los Angeles.  He spends most of his time painting free murals containing uplifting messages in cities around the world. Chase will be doing a live painting installation during the event, which will be auctioned off to raise money for Create:Fixate’s community outreach programs for at-risk youth.

• In 2006, Kat Dawes traveled to Africa seeking to intimately understand the Laws of the Universe, hitchhiking from South to Central Africa and back again for a year with minimal possessions and financial resources.  Her vision inspired her to create a unifying word – NOWism™– that celebrates the practice of wisdom expressed throughout all cultures and ages.  In addition to live painting, Dawes will be giving a short talk about her campaign for the NOW.

The “Audio Lab” – otherwise known as the music portion of the evening – completes Create:Fixate’s vision.  Highlights include:

• Love in the Circus features unique and seductive melodies that combine and blur the lines of electronica, rock, jazz and blues with sultry, edgy, museful hooks. The group has recently played at festivals in Bali, Europe and recently toured Australia and Indonesia over New Years. C:F will be offering a free download of their latest album!

• As a continuation of an alliance with KCRW, C:F welcomes the one and only Jason Bentley who serves as the Music Director of the station and host of their signature program “Morning Becomes Eclectic.”  Bentley, who maintains a distinguished career as a Music Supervisor for film and advertising, is a tireless champion of new music and culture with an influence close to home and around the globe.

• Idiot Savant is the DJ collaboration between Jesse Wright and Ron Levy, the founders of Pocket Underground.  Since 2004, they have been a staple in California house and techno communities.

• DJ Wiseacre, the co-creator of three very successful LA parties, including Lift, will continue his quest to bridge genres of music and people by spinning fine tunes from all over the world, ranging from Brooklyn to the Balkans, from South America to Sweden, from house, to disco, to Afro-Latin broken beat and dub.

As part of Create:Fixate’s community outreach efforts the organization continues to empower youth through arts education projects. For the second time, C:F and Sun Valley High School will join forces. The exhibit will feature a collection of work from the students of Andrea Graham, who weave the concepts of emotional and spiritual health with art.  Using the show’s theme, Graham teaches her students to become aware of their preoccupations, so that they can move beyond and learn the benefits of living in the present.

Create:Fixate is an arts organization based in Los Angeles.  It is completing its 9th year of producing art/music events that bring together emerging artists and musicians, along with thousands of art lovers and party goers in massive – and at times intimate – warehouse locations and alternative spaces on a quarterly basis.  Founder Michelle Berc curates, produces and hosts these ambitious group art shows that present creative beings from around the globe with an emphasis on the local talent of Los Angeles. The production team also includes Music Coordinator Andrea Giardina, and a core team of volunteers and dedicated advisory board members. Awe-inspiring painters, photographers, sculptors, and multi-media artists exhibit alongside an equally impressive array of Los Angeles’ finest DJs and musicians. Each event’s aural artists are poised to create a soundtrack for the night that transforms this from a simple ‘art show’ into one of the city’s most anticipated art events.

~The Optical Lounge~

Adam Diaz
Adam Diaz was born and raised in Los Angeles. He attended college at California State University Northridge, obtaining a degree in English literature, with extensive course study in traditional art techniques. He is currently working as an animator for cable television programs, having channeled his traditional visual skills into the world of 3D graphics and animation. The focus in his mature art is both visual and narrative as he includes passages from his verse writings into his paintings. His aim is to form a new experience for the viewer by marrying imagery and hints of narrative–always with a nod to the comic culture.

Alexander Drecun
Born and raised in Houston, Texas, Alexander Drecun moved to Los Angeles in 2004 to attend Occidental College where he received his B.A. in Art History and Visual Arts (Film Emphasis) and his minor in English and Contemporary Literature.  As part of his course work, he studied film-based black and white photography, a pursuit that quickly changed from academic requirement to passion.  Based in Los Angeles, he now divides his time between street photography and his work as a director of photography on feature films, documentaries, and commercials.  The images displayed represent two facets of Drecun’s street work: candid moments of intimacy, humor, or melancholy that speak to the strangeness of the human experience and portraiture documenting the breadth of a singular human experience manifested in appearance.

Ali Matin
Born in Iran, in 1972, Ali Matin started his journey as a freelance photographer in 1991.  He traveled throughout Iran and captured the uniqueness of its diverse nature and culture. His work has been widely published by UNESCO, the Cultural Ministry of Iran, and private publishers.  Today, he pursues his passion in documentary photography; catching the synchronic moments of the unfolding time and defining it symbolically.  Matin is showcasing “Man and Nature” in this exhibition.

Anthony Kraus
A Native American from the Watanak tribe, Anthony Kraus now lives in San Francisco where he is pursuing his masters in Indigenous and Buddhist philosophy at San Francisco State University.  In his free time, Kraus trains as a cage-fighter.  His work as a live-painter and muralist has won awards while at the same time stirring controversy.  He thinks art will save the world.

Ashleigh Sumner
Ashleigh Sumner is a self-taught artist living in Los Angeles. Originally from North Carolina, Sumner received her B.A. in Theatre Arts before moving west to pursue an acting career in stage, film, and television. Influenced and inspired by the social, physical, and artistic environment of California, Sumner expanded her creative pursuits beyond the stage to the canvas. While Sumner is still professionally involved in the collaborative process of performance, she finds tranquility in the solitary process of painting.

Ben Encarnacion aka Benedigital
Ben Encarnacion aka Benedigital escaped the streets of South Central Los Angeles over 13 years ago to become a successful graphic designer and interactive art director. He draws upon a background in graphic design, architecture, fine arts, and animation to produce work for his extensive client list, which includes Warner Brothers, Lucas Arts, Relativity Media, Discovery Channel, Disney, HBO, General Motors, and Kia, just to name a few.

Inspired by his vocation, his avocation began to emerge and 2 years ago Benedigital began creating his own art in earnest. Channeling his personal experiences thru graffiti, painting, computer graphics, and creating mixed media, he addressed issues of gang violence, social injustice, and his rich heritage.  The evolution of his art is a fusion of the underground electronic music scene and his digital fantasy world. Embracing this energy, Benedigital has become a fixture in the growing live painting community in Los Angeles.

Boris Litvinov
Boris Litvinov started sculpting at an early age using materials harvested from broken home appliances and any hardware he could find. More recently, Litvinov has added stone sculpture to his repertoire. As in his early works, the prevailing theme for his art remains a change in physical form, a metamorphosis from a cold, dead media to life-like shapes and forms. As a sculptor, Litvinov reaches into his professional experience as a physical therapist.  He has come into contact with many bodies, resulting in art that often reminds people of natural body curves or shapes.

Chase
Chase is an artist/designer and Belgium transplant now based in Los Angeles. He spends most of his time painting free murals that contain uplifting messages in cities around the world. Best known for his “Remember Who You Are” and “Awareness Geezers” campaigns, the intent behind his work is to inspire people to follow their hearts and to remind them to stay connected to their inner child. In 2006 Chase was named as one of Italian Vogue’s favorite street artists, alongside Shepard Fairey and Banksy.

Christina Angelina
Christina Angelina has been an artist her entire life. After attending NYU, the Art Center College of Design, and OTIS, she graduated with a BFA from UCLA in 2008. Additionally, through UCLA she has attended universities in Italy and Greece, focusing on Art History and Classics. Angelina has owned, curated and co-owned four galleries, with her present space being Starfighter Studios in Venice, Ca.  Her work has also been featured at the Oscar suites at the Pacific Design Center, LA Fashion Week, the Brewery Art Walk, the Downtown Art Walk, the Venice Art Walk, the Venice Art Crawl, the Abbot Kinney Festival, Equality California Events, the Catalina Art Walk and Lightning in a Bottle. Her work is constantly changing so you can look forward to some new and exciting pieces this summer at Create:Fixate.

Farzad Kohan
The thought provoking works of Farzad Kohan range from drawings and paintings to sculpture, installation and photography. Kohan is widely known for his experimental work using unconventional methods and mediums.

Kohan comments that his work is merely a reflection of how he sees the world around him. “My art reflects what is often a simultaneous experience of both the struggle and beauty that comprises life. With my art, I communicate across cultural divides, language barriers, religion and gender.  I’m a citizen of this world.”

General.LA
General.LA has shown at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MoCA), the Geffen, A+D Museum of Architecture and Design, and the prestigious Art Center College of Design, where he was top of his class. He was creative consultant for the first graphic tee campaign with American Apparel, designer and consultant of Coachella’s 2008 center stage with Pulse Architecture, has just finished designing and co-producing a 300M Major-Studio feature film yet-to-be released, and is principle of his own design firm General.LA and Co-founder of the agency Monumental International Ltd. He has been a guest critic at Art Center College of Design’s Environmental Design and Fine Art program, UCLA AUD, and Southern California Institute of Architecture SCI-Arc. General.LA is currently developing the next evolution of 2001’s Parametricism, this time microgenre-izing specific evolutionary “lexicon.genetics” as well as creating its primary manifestation known as the phenomena of “General.ization,” the unifying formula of the universe.

Hagop Belian
Hagop Belian was born and raised in Syria before moving to the United States in his early teens.  His creative process began while studying at UC Santa Cruz, where he earned a BA in Mathematics. His work explores the possibilities of illusion and how nothing is ever as it seems. It is about the deconstruction of the human condition and the “unlearning” of one’s own belief system.  Each piece allows Belian to reveal another layer of the hologram of life.  He currently lives in Venice Beach where he continues to explore the unreal.

Jaja Dario
Born in Los Angeles in 1979, Jaja Dario was raised in Manila where she received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Studio Arts-Painting at the University of the Philippines in 2004. Dario’s creative approach revolves around the mystical and transpersonal realms of consciousness, and was brought about by a deeply felt experience of oneness with the universe. Her artistic process begins by being intuitively informed of the song that she names each painting after, then she drafts multiple points of concentric circles with a compass on a wooden panel frame. Dario then sets the stage for a visual journey of exploration in color perspective through value, intensity, and layers of emulsion. She carefully plays with the intervals of time and space, spinning around the wooden panel as she paints, composing and creating her lively geometric tones and harmonious forms in attempt to visually vibrate the music of the spheres.

James Ketover
James Ketover was born in Salt Lake City, UT.  During secondary school in New York he was privileged to study art with the distinguished illustrator, Bill Parsons.  He credits Mr. Parsons with teaching him the importance of careful observation, creativity and execution.  Ketover regards art and design as a constant reminder that there are no creative restraints except those individuals place upon themselves.

This work investigates different modes of representation in order to reveal various qualitative aspects of spatial organization.  The art was inspired by Louis Sullivan’s A System of Architectural Ornament According with a Philosophy of Man’s Powers (1922).

Jasko Begovic
Born in Bosnia, Jasko Begovic creates art that is both probing and poignant, and although his pieces are conspicuously filled with anguish, they are also about alacrity and elation. His art breathes into his memories and has no rules or borders.

Jena Priebe
Conceptual sculptor Jena Priebe lives and works in Los Angeles, California. In her studio in downtown LA, she works to achieve a symbiotic relationship with her life and the creation of her art. She uses a myriad of media and her assemblages include mirrors, glass, antiquated found objects, metals, adhesives and the guts of machines. Some things are haggled over, bartered for, unearthed in a forgotten family attic or pulled from the depths of tangled industrial salvage yards. Her pieces are meant to give the mechanical metaphor of the path we take through the complexities of life.

Ultimately, she wants to express the magic of those things we often take for granted. To capture the simplicity of wonder and joy we sometimes forget for our everyday surroundings.

John Lavezzo
John Lavezzo makes orb paintings.  The space created is threefold: optical illusion, abstraction and relief.  The optical illusion occurs when tinted, cast and painted plaster hemispheres are perceived as a two dimensional surface.  The abstraction exists in the form of colors, shapes and patterns made up of orbs and the space of the canvas.  The relief is revealed in the physical presence of the work. Changes within the orbs and their placement are made in an improvisational way as influenced by his mood, energy level, and intuition.

Justin Snyder
The Long Beach based artist Justin Snyder is an emerging painter living in Long Beach, CA. After spending 8 years working as a film editor for Twentieth Century FOX, he has now taken his art career full time. His latest body of work, consisting of paintings on canvas and wood, has been described as dimensional layouts of echoing harmonics, distorted body forms, and organic abstraction.  Snyder is an active figure in the Los Angeles Art Community and has become an activist and outreach worker around issues on homelessness and starvation.

Kenneth Ober
Kenneth Houghton Ober was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts on February 22, 1972.  He studied Art, Art History, and Literature at the University of Maryland in College Park for two years. The art and culture of Asia served as an introduction to Buddhist philosophy, which led him to Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado.  The desire to connect with a larger art world brought Ober to California, where he graduated from Otis College of Art and Design in 2001.

Ober’s current paintings are meditations, exploring and defining time and space through complex fields created by using the excessive repetition of simple, small lines.  The paintings are made primarily with a tool designed for pin-striping automobiles, which is used to apply relentlessly consistent lines of paint to subtly textured canvas.

Kuger Peterson
Kuger Peterson is an artist based in Los Angeles.  His surrealistic assemblages ventilate his political concerns and ignite a dialogue between the viewer and the subject.  Ironic situations and rhetorical subversions inspired by the media and our dominant institutions fuel each piece.  Instead of passively absorbing the work, the viewer is confronted with moral dilemmas, implied narratives, and familiar imagery.

Mark Dugally
Mark Dugally is an artist, designer and bike builder in the Los Angeles area. A native to the area, he grew up around architectural design and a family business of custom homes. His love of motorcycles and passion for the extraordinary come together in the rolling creations he creates, which are also functional pieces of art. Dugally’s work is all about exotic materiality mixed with an aesthetic that questions what we know as “motorcycle.”

Michelle Matthews
Michelle Matthews is a photographer, artist and graphic designer.  Since 2007 she has been creating a body of work that relates to the representation of photography through embroidery. From a distance, these works are typically read as photographs. It is only when the viewer steps closer to the piece that they become disoriented by the materiality of the thread. Anonymous spaces become materialized in tens of thousands of stitches, and the thread supplants the photographic pixel. What has been typically a medium of celebration, national pride, corporate championing and consumer trade, becomes a place for making the banal and insignificant heroic, bringing into focus, the history, consequence and potential of our built environment. Although we build it, at the end of the day, Matthews’s work brings attention to how space defines us as both individuals, and as a society.

Mister Pike
Mister Pike produces art in the time and space of inspiration, on street walks, using discarded materials.  This disregards the art object, instead encouraging art as a re-arrangement of what is already there.  It is “art” only for the time it remains intact, the digital photograph being the record of art taking place.  Mister Pike creates a story using comic strip narration, a medium easily understood by anyone. Graffiti, vandalism, and invasion of public space are also brought forth in his art, yet the materials in the pieces were already there and can easily be removed.  The messages are typically playful with a humorous approach to serious topics.

Patrick Haemmerlein
A native of Kinderhook, NY, Patrick Haemmerlein is a freelance designer and artist living in Los Angeles. After receiving his BFA from The Savannah College of Art and Design in 2000, Haemmerlein took a long road trip across the country and settled down in LA.  There he began to obsessively photograph the city and its components. He gradually moved into a new art form as he started to combine and create the images he was shooting. Reflecting on the issues of the day, Haemmerlein explores themes of nature versus industry and how they can coexist or clash.

Rebecca Cabage
Rebecca Cabage graduated from Rochester Institute of Technology with a BFA in Photographic Illustration. After graduation Cabbage moved to Los Angeles, seeking solace in the California warmth and sunshine after 4 years in the cold, cold winters of upstate New York.

Cabage has worked for clients such as Honda/Acura (via Genex) and Virgin Records.  She has also shown her work in various galleries in Los Angeles, including MOPLA and AFTA. In addition to photography, she works as the Director for Studio Bookings at Smashbox Studios. She is currently in production for her book “Save the Salton Sea.”

Sonja Solinas
Los Angeles artist Sonja Salinas, a.k.a. Little Sonrisa, paints quirky worlds that might exist in the gap between reality and dreams. These whimsical creations are influenced by the dark lowbrow movement and the strange universe of surrealism.

Having a strong background in graphic design, the artist works not only digitally, but also in oil and colored pencil on wood panel and canvas.  Her latest body of work, a collection of eccentric humanlike birds telling nostalgic stories to the child within is her interpretation of mythology, in which birds have been symbols of power and freedom, linking the human world to surreal realms that lie beyond ordinary experience.

Stephan Canthal
Technology is a key component in the work of Stephan Canthal.  He began experimenting with the photographic medium while pursuing a Fine Arts degree at California State University of Long Beach.  His interest in advancing this medium and its process has led him to printing on multiple surfaces, including aluminum, wood, film, and specialty papers. As he explores the idea of printing images on different surfaces, he has begun to use texture not only to accent the image, but also to create a communication between substrate and imagery.

Yu Cotton-well
Yu Cotton-well was born and grew up in Yokohama, Japan.  A decade ago, she decided to move to California to expand her cultural and artistic experience. She uses fiber as her main medium and often blends different kinds of materials, including every day objects.  She seeks to create a relationship between her personal life and her artwork, as well as to convey a message that she believes is always hidden in everyday life.

Cotton-well also likes to combine written materials with her visual media to deepen the meanings both visually and conceptually. Her recent piece “3yrs 9mons 25dys” transforms ordinary diaries into a three-dimensional piece with her personal memories placed in drawers.  Cotton-well wishes to capture those delicate moments in life where we pause and look inward to reflect.

~Video Artists~

Stuart Scanlon
For the last decade and a half Stuart Scanlon has created animation, motion graphics and visual effects for commercials, film titles and theme parks. In recent years he has fused those talents and his formal music training to create musically inspired video work. His desire to return to his live performance roots and his love of the underground dance music scene has inspired his process of designing fixed visual compositions which he deconstructs and reassembles in real-time. His work can be seen on permanent installation in Anaheim, Orlando, Paris, Tokyo and Hong Kong as well as appearing temporarily in the hills of San Diego, the deserts of Nevada, the warehouses of Los Angeles and televisions near you.

Ken Murphy
Ken Murphy is a musician, programmer, artist, and tinkerer living in San Francisco.  He is interested in the intersection of art and technology.  His past projects include abstract, luminescent artworks using LEDs and “Blinkybugs”–simple, blinking electronic insects that can be built from few parts.  They are now available in the form of a combination book and kit.  He also has written how-to articles for Popular Science and Make Magazine.  His musical background includes film scoring, as well as producing “music buttons” used by NPR programs such as “All Things Considered.”

“A History of the Sky” is a time-lapse visualization of the sky, clouds, weather and light over a long period of time.  An image of the sky is captured every 10 seconds for a full year; the images from each day are assembled into a movie, and the days are arranged chronologically.  The mosaic of time-lapse movies reveals the cyclical patterns of sunrise and sunset over the course of the year.

~Live Painting~

Kat Dawes
Dynamic and charismatic, Kat Dawes can be recognized by her signature double braids and head wrap. Communicating with her entire being, Dawes’s contagious energy makes her compelling and memorable.

In 2006, Dawes traveled Africa to intimately understand the Laws of the Universe, hitchhiking from South to Central Africa and back again for a year with minimal possessions and financial resources.  Her vision inspired her to create a unifying word – NOWism™ – that celebrates the practice of wisdom expressed throughout all cultures and ages. NOWism™ is a universal reminder service, encouraging people to participate in the present moment by BEING their desired results…NOW.

In addition to live painting, Dawes will be giving a short talk about her campaign for the NOW.

~Fashion and Jewelry Designers~

Delevo Designs
After graduating from Columbia College, Deborah Vogt became a founding member of The Conjugate Projekt, Transamoeba Studios and The Chicago Art Department, participating in the creation of many collectives, multitudes of events and performance art installations throughout Chicago. She began creating her line of jewelry, Delevo designs, in the year 2000, even traveling to Bali to teach her stylized designs to the master artisans there. Upon landing in Los Angeles, she worked with several high end designers, and early in 2010 co-founded d i a l e c t gallery on 6th Street downtown. She now divides her time between curating and singing in her band, Early Bird Circus. Her jewelry is hand-crafted, elegant and simple, using fine woods, sterling silver and gold, precious and semi-precious stones and recycled materials to create universal and distinctive designs.

ONA Los Angeles
Leona Giddings, aka Ona, began her mission to be a fashion designer in 1999. She attended a fashion program in her home town of Tucson AZ, then in 2000 moved to Los Angeles when accepted to FIDM.  For ten years she worked in the fashion industry, learning and developing her skills, working as a pattern maker, assistant designer at Fredericks of Hollywood and eventually moving on to “ready to wear” in technical design.

ONA Los Angeles can be described as a fiercely elegant collection of Men’s and Women’s contemporary clothing. Dresses and tops for women are often versatile, making them wearable several different ways. Many of the printed styles feature exclusive and original textile artwork.

Viola Living Jewels
Jessica Viola is a botanical designer and the founder of Viola Living Jewels and Viola Gardens. For the past thirteen years, Viola has been cultivating her design portfolio and practice based on sustainability, whole-system solutions and artistic vision.  Viola Gardens was born nearly six years ago, specializing in permaculture-based botanical design, CA native plant restoration, drought-tolerant water-wise artscapes, edible gardens and organics.  Viola Gardens has worked with a large range of clients throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles, both residentially and commercially.  Viola lectures on sustainable landscape design and permaculture at Santa Monica College, Venice Community Housing and Pepperdine University.  After many years of working in design, studying, stretching, exploring holistic living, traveling to South and Central America, playing music, singing, making art, creating gardens and teaching,  Viola Living Jewels was born.  The collection features fashion-forward botanical jewelry; amulets of our wild essence.

Fahmina
Topanga eco-designer Fahmina is tarnishing the thought that leather can’t be green. The Bangladeshi New Yorker model reconstructs gorgeous, handmade leather accessories from reclaimed and pre-cycled leather. 100% of the leather used is pre-consumer waste, salvaged from factory cutting tables.  Mixing colors and textures fearlessly, she creates elegant design that is chic, urban and utilitarian, hand made with excellent quality.  The fanny clutches are an instant hit because they are a chic rendition of the good ol’ fanny pack. Other merchandise includes bangle style Slit Cuffs, gauntlets, Komorbondhs, and belts for men and women. Earrings are constructed with leather and14K gold hooks or sterling silver hooks, and are therefore are hypoallergenic.  Everything is designed and engineered with ingenious simplicity.  This is an eco-conscious company paving the way towards a green and sustainable world. Leather art from the heart.

Mamacita Jewelry
Mamacita Jewelry by Erin Ferro began in 1996. Each piece is handcrafted and one of a kind. Usually made from 18k gold filled wire and chain, each piece is wire-wrapped with love. Mamacita gathers inspiration from her family and friends, Quintano Roo, the ocean, the desert, and the semi- precious stones, wood, shells, feathers and beads that she collects along the way. You can find Mamacita at the outdoor artist market on Abbott Kinney in Venice on Sundays and in various boutiques.

Jenneration Fix
Jenneration Fix is a small company made up of two Jennifers:  two women who wanted to help the environment in their own way.  They aim to make a difference in the world by transforming rescued materials into art and supporting various non-profit organizations at the same time.  Jenneration Fix, in effect, makes a complete circle back into the community by taking potential pollutants in the world from businesses and individuals, creating fun and useful items and then donating a portion of their profits back into a wide variety of charities.

The crafty ladies use materials such as discarded fabrics and clothing pieces, leather, scrap wood, e-waste, warped vinyl records, corks, and plastic packaging to make art work, jewelry, purses and clutches, pet toys, clocks, greeting cards and other quirky and fun gifts!

Solsis Clothing for the Soul

~The Audio Lab~

Slash Fiction
Slash Fiction is the remix-slash-DJ duo comprised of Henry Slash and Mick Fiction (with additional production from Chris Winston) and signed to Sleazetone Records. They are the resident DJs at Full Frontal Disco and have lovingly destroyed the dance floor at other clubs, parties and events too numerous to list.
http://www.myspace.com/slashfiction
http://soundcloud.com/slashfiction

DJ Miss Bliss
DJ Miss Bliss is one of the only female DJs in town that still spins vinyl records.  You can catch her all over Hollywood at places like The Viper room, The Foundation Room, King King and Cinespace. When she is not digging for records or spinning her bliss, she is surfing waves at the beach.  Don’t miss the bliss.
www.julieji.com

Jason Bentley (KCRW)
Jason Bentley serves as Music Director of KCRW and host of their signature program “Morning Becomes Eclectic.”  He has had a distinguished career as a music supervisor for film and advertising, and has worked an exhaustive DJ schedule in bohemian Los Angeles. Bentley is a tireless champion of new music and culture with an influence close to home and around the globe. Bentley is no stranger to the business side of music, having worked in A&R at Maverick and Island Records, music supervising the Matrix trilogy, and consulting for countless advertisements, video games, and live events. While acting as the Music Director of the station where he’s grown up – literally and figuratively – is a challenging task, Bentley is devoted to leading KCRW’s team of talented DJs into a new era.
www.kcrw.com/jasonbentley

Love in the Circus
Love in the Circus features unique and seductive melodies that combine and blur the lines of electronica, rock, jazz and blues with sultry, edgy, museful hooks. The group was formed by singer/bassist Leanna Rachel and multimedia producer/guitarist Chris Brickler. Curtis Cunningham joins the group on drums, Eric Hargett on keys/saxophone and Cha Chi on percussion/synths. The High Priestess and Leah Zeger add beautiful textures on the harp and violin, respectively. The group has recently played at festivals in Bali, Europe and just toured Australia and Indonesia over New Years.
www.loveinthecircus.com

Morgan Alexander (Bottom Floor)
Morgan Alexander began building a sonic home in house music during the early nineties.  Career highlights include a residency with LIFE, Boston’s largest deep house night, traveling with Mountain Dew’s entertainment presence for the X Games, regular features on the West Coast, and hosting “Wednesday Revolutions,” the deep installment of Boston’s revered electronic dance music show on WERS 88.9FM.  Alexander volunteers a healthy portion of his time to a board appointment with NextAid – the dance music community’s response to vulnerable children and youth in Africa.  2011 finds him very much at home in sunny Santa Monica, producing Bottom Floor.  The venture, formed with Halo of CityDeep Music, provides a multi-faceted platform for DJs and producers prolific in their ability to squeeze soul out of machines.
www.thebottomfloor.com
www.facebook.com/morgalex

WISEACRE (theLIFT – LA / LOUIE and CHAN / FOUND LOVE – NYC)
Living in the seaside republic of Venice for 20 years, DJ Wiseacre initially established a successful career as a commercial/fine art photographer. In 2003, he decided to pick up some vinyl, a couple of turntables, a mixer, two speakers and a few friends in orderto begin the labor of love we call “throwin’ parties”. Since this time, Wiseacre has put his love for photography on hold and co-created three very successful LA parties, FUNKY IN THE MIDDLE, CUSTOM SUNDAZE and now the LIFT, which after one year is expanding to San Francisco and New York.
http://www.facebook.com/djwiseacre
http://www.louieandchan.com
http://www.facebook.com/tryandfindus

Macaya
Disco to Afrobeat, funky house to electro, soul to punk, downtempo to rock– as long as it sounds good and makes heads bob, he’ll play it. Born in the Bay Area, raised in the Pacific NW via Chile, and now a ten year resident of LA, Macaya spent time behind the decks at LACMA, The Viper Room, Tarfest, CTA Theatre Project, The Echo, Mountain Bar, and many gallery openings and/or apartment parties. He paints when he’s not DJing: www.jasonmacaya.com

Idiot Savant (Pocket Underground :: the DoLaB/Woogie)
Idiot Savant is the DJ collaboration between Jesse Wright and Ron Levy.  They cofounded Pocket Underground in 2004 as an outlet for less obvious, fun-filled events in LA and have been a staple in the Southern California House and Techno communities for over a decade.  Jesse is the Managing Director for the Woogie Stage at the Lightning in a Bottle Festival, created by the amazing collective the DoLab.  Ron has released numerous records since 2001 and smells better than Jesse.
www.facebook.com/idiotsavantmusic

Ketchup Soup
“Accordion diva Mrs. Hobbs has a new project — a collaboration with singer/songwriter lovemando called Ketchup Soup, in which her penchant for torchy, slightly surreal, old-timey French jazz-inspired numbers finds a sympathetic, if slightly more gritty, urban counterpart. Together they compose and interpret music with an arresting, romantic, and slightly noir vision of the modern bohemian cabaret.”
- Shana Nys Dambrot, Flavorpill.com
www.ketchupsoupband.com
http://www.listn.to/ketchupsoup

Shayn Almeida
As former product specialist for Native Instruments and Stanton DJ, Almeida has held residencies at clubs such as Spundae, Avalon, and Sugar.  Mixing various styles of House, TechHouse, Breaks, and Dubstep, Almeida has  played at events ranging from Earthdance, Moontribe, and Boombox, to Burning Man and the Democratic National Convention.  After taking a five year hiatus to concentrate on his Yoga studies, Almeida is now back on the scene focused on DJing and Music Production. He is currently working on original music and remixes for the dance floor, as well as down-tempo, dubbed out tracks for the yoga community.
http://DjShayn.com
http://twitter.com/ShaynAlmeida

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For more information, images, or to request an interview, please contact Green Galactic’s Lynn Tejada (née Hasty) at 213-840-1201 or lynn@greengalactic.com.

For Immediate Release:  March 11, 2011

Create:Fixate Presents
RISE
Celebrating 9 Years of Emerging Art & Music
Saturday, April 9, 2011

LOS ANGELES, CA – Arts organization Create:Fixate (C:F) celebrates nine years of infiltrating Los Angeles with curated events of emerging art and music for culture seekers of Southern California. After a brief hiatus in 2010, C:F returns to its downtown roots with a spring-themed show entitled RISE at the Premiere Events Center. The exhibit will take place on Saturday, April 9, 2011 from 7:00pm to 2:00am and features over forty local artists, DJs, and musicians with vibrant artwork and music. Admission is $15.00 before 9:00pm and $20.00 for the remainder of the night. Premiere Events Center is located at 613 Imperial St., Los Angeles, CA 90021. For more information, including an image gallery of participating artists’ works, please visit www.createfixate.com. C:F can be reached by phone at 310-590-7199 for other inquiries.

The evening begins with a preview of the exhibit from 4:00pm to 7:00pm. There is a $5 suggested donation during this period but kids twelve-years old and younger are allowed free entry.  Parents are encouraged to bring the whole family during the preview hours and take advantage of the Kids Kreativity Zone.  Overflowing with art supplies, the Zone provides a supervised space where youth can dive into their own expression while parents explore the evening’s exhibit. While all ages are welcome during the preview, attendees must be 21-years old or older to enter after 7:00pm.

Create:Fixate Founder and Artistic Director Michelle Berc chose the title RISE to describe the spring-timed event. “During this time of year, the season brings renewal in all forms. The theme of this event speaks to the awakening of creativity.”

RISE will feature the creativity of over thirty visual artists in the “Optical Lounge” – the evening’s visual feast – presenting a stunning array of painting, photography, multi-media, interactive installation, and performance art. Highlights include: Danuta Rothschild’s otherworldly landscapes and portraits capture the scope of the human experience – from the ominous to the magically affirming. Nighttime is when Garret Suhrie explores, contemplates, and photographs the world; from surreal cityscapes to serene landscapes he utilizes long exposures on transparency film.  Rachel Schultz uses the less traditional technique of reverse painting on plexiglass.  The energetic applications of vibrant paint colors bring a unique livelihood to the stillness in her abstract “tree-scapes.” Gwen Samuels wall sculptures consist of multiple transparent film prints sewn together by hand, like patchwork quilts, forming compound images that hang unframed. The “Chromastrobe” produced by Leif Maginnis is an interactive kinetic light installation that mixes moving elements with electronically-controlled colored lights and ultra violet strobe lights. A Create:Fixate exhibit is never complete without the spontaneity of live painting. On-site painter Ashley Montague will be joining the festivities all the way from Portland, Oregon. He uses his work to explore the unseen around him.

The “Audio Lab” – otherwise known as the music portion of the evening – completes Create:Fixate’s signature blend of art and music.  After a long history of hosting many of KCRW’s finest DJs, C:F finally welcomes award winning, critically acclaimed radio personality, DJ, and culture critic Garth Trinidad. The LA-based DJ is known for finessing the airwaves to expose new and progressive international music while paying homage to the classics, by weaving together intergalactic tapestries of sound. Whether on the radio or live, Trinidad artfully explores a multitude of genres and movements. With skill and ease, he anoints with jazz, indie rock, hip hop, world rhythms, and electronic music to make his point. Felix Bloxsom aka PLASTiC PLATES will be joining us all the way from Australia. As a musician, Bloxsom has toured and recorded with many artists including Empire of the Sun, Sam Sparro, Jamie Lidell, Sia, The Presets, and Sneaky Sound System, performing at music festivals including Coachella, All Points West, Capital FM Summertime Ball, V Festival UK and Radio 1′s Big Weekend. By embracing all moods and genres, Pumpkin is the music producer and curator behind the Wandering Marionettes and their eclectic event, Kabinet Theatre, as well as member of the famed Los Angeles collective POCKET Underground. His remixes and DJ sets – that walk the line between hip-grinding rhythms and bittersweet lyrical melodies – have been known to inspire lust, love and laughter.

See below in the bio section to learn more about the musical acts rounding out the evening.  Don’t miss a special “Leisure Listening Lounge” hosted by SuperTall Paul Newman.  At 6’6” the improvisational musician/magician/MC/street performance clown will bring his multi-instrumental, live sampling, silly ukulele stage show to an intimate, interactive, headphone lounge. SuperTall creates a world ‘inside’ where the listener gets to experience this audible art as a process.

Since Create:Fixate is all about building community around Angeleno artisans, The Equation will be joining the festivities with an interactive project that will be revealed the night of the event. The Equation’s mission is to create opportunity and to keep the arts alive by cultivating community within creative industries.  They bring people together through unique and interactive events that support and nurture our fellow artists.  To become a part of The Equation go to www.theequation.org.

As part of Create:Fixate’s community outreach efforts the organization often works with nonprofits facilitating youth empowerment through arts education projects. For the second time, C:F and Youth Speak Collective (YSC) will join forces. YSC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Pacoima, California. Youth Speak’s mission is to empower low-income, at-risk youth and their families with the skills necessary to pursue higher education and create strong communities. The organization provides teens throughout the Northeast San Fernando Valley with creative, high-quality programs that channel their intellect and talent, build their academic skills, and strengthen their investment in their own communities. Create:Fixate has saved a wall to exhibit student artwork – as it often does – so that kids from YSC can create an art piece inspired by the RISE theme.

Create:Fixate is an arts organization based in Los Angeles completing its 9th year producing art/music events that bring together emerging artists and musicians, along with thousands of art lovers and party goers in massive, and at times intimate, warehouse locations and alternative spaces on a quarterly basis.  Founder Michelle Berc curates, produces and hosts these ambitious group art shows that present creative beings from around the globe with an emphasis on the local talent of Los Angeles. The production team also includes Music Coordinator Andrea Giardina, and a core team of volunteers and dedicated advisory board members. Awe-inspiring painters, photographers, sculptors, and multi-media artists exhibit alongside an equally impressive array of Los Angeles’ finest DJs and musicians. Each event’s aural artists are poised to create a soundtrack for the night that transforms this from a simple ‘art show’ into one of the city’s most anticipated art events.

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For more information, images or to set up interviews please contact Green Galactic’s Lynn Tejada (née Hasty) at 213-840-1201 or lynn@greengalactic.com.

Create:Fixate Celebrates Its 8th Anniversary
“Infinity”
Saturday, December 5, 2009

LOS ANGELES, CA – Arts organization Create:Fixate will host Infinity, its eight-year anniversary show, on Saturday, December 5, 2009 from 7:00 p.m. – 2:00 a.m. The art exhibit (and beyond), featuring over forty top local artists, DJs, and musicians will fill the Premiere Events Center (PEC) in downtown LA with vibrant artwork and music.  In all, the night will offer work in a plethora of media including painting, photography, sculpture, multimedia, installation, fashion, jewelry, and video projection. Premiere Events Center is located at 613 Imperial Street, Los Angeles, CA 90021. Admission is $15.00 before 10:00 p.m. and $20.00 for the remainder of the night. All ages are welcome. For more information, including a gallery with images of Infinity artists’ works, visit www.createfixate.org. Create:Fixate can be reached by phone at 310-590-7199 for other inquiries.

The evening begins with a preview of the exhibit from 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. There is a $5 suggested donation during this period and kids twelve-years old and younger are allowed free entry before seven o’clock. Parents are encouraged to bring the whole family during the preview hours and take advantage of the Kids Kreativity Zone (4 – 7 p.m. only). Overflowing with art supplies, the Zone provides a supervised space where youth can dive into their own expression while parents explore the evening’s exhibit.

Infinity will also feature the work of approximately 30 local artists including Kerianne Connor, whose work combines sculpture, painting, and design, and reflects the experience of a modern generation that has grown up in a world immersed in prominent visual design. Also featured is the work of Dave Lovejoy, an artist and designer fond of ceramics, and maker of things. His artistic direction has always involved an exploration of old, weathered surface textures, whether in clay, wood, or an assemblage of various media. This time, the upstairs loft will feature an audio-visual installation by well-known San Francisco-based DJ/artist Gavin Hardkiss aka Hawke entitled A Collection of Art Inspired by the Hawke Album +++. Hardkiss will also have a proper DJ set on one of two house sound systems in the latter part of the night.

Not to be outdone, the Audio Lab portion of the evening promises to impress with a collection of Los Angeles’ best up and coming musical talent. Some of the aural highlights for December 5th include Healamonster & Tarsier, an electronic production duo who combine elements of dream pop, dub, ambient, and other cinematic forms of music. Philadelphia-based Playloop founder, Justin Paul will be in town to throw down his eclectic mix of various genres as will label-mate, Dave Hughes, an Irish transplant firmly based in L.A. who creates and plays beautiful techno beats. Jeremy Sole’s Musaics juxtaposes elements of Afrobeat, Cumbia, highlife, jazz, dub and experimental beats. As a true music lover, Sole has always found a way to blend these elements together and can be found every Wednesday night on KCRW 89.9 FM and at his weekly night club Afro-Funké where he is a co-founder and resident DJ.

Every Create:Fixate event has a community outreach component. On this occasion, ninth graders at Sun Valley High School in Mrs. Graham‘s Health class are learning more than just about their physical health. The students are learning to connect with the world and become aware of their emotional and spiritual well being as well. The world can seem infinite at this stage in a young person’s life and each of our roles might seem insignificant. Since suicide is a leading cause of death amongst teens, Mrs. Graham’s students brainstormed about ‘Reasons to Live.’ Combining mandalas, mixed media and their own raw emotions, they created work around this theme, which will be included in the art exhibit.

Create:Fixate is an arts organization based in Los Angeles completing its 8th year running art/music events that bring together emerging artists and musicians, along with 1500+ art lovers and party goers in a 15,000-square foot downtown warehouse location on a quarterly basis. Founder Michelle Berc curates, produces and hosts these ambitious group art shows that present creative people from around the globe with an emphasis on the local talent of Los Angeles. The production team also includes music coordinator Andrea Giardina, and a core team of volunteers and dedicated advisory board members. Awe-inspiring painters, photographers, sculptors, and multi-media artists exhibit alongside an equally impressive array of Los Angeles’ finest DJs and musicians. Each event’s aural artists are poised to create a soundtrack for the night that transforms this from a simple ‘art show’ into the city’s most anticipated Art Event.

Optical Lounge -

Amy Bernays
Amy Bernays is a painter living and working in Los Angeles, California. By using non-conventional mediums (like spray paint in her ‘stripper’ series), Bernays investigates conventions of beauty, pop culture, and street aesthetic. She graduated with a BA (honors) in Fine Art from Central St Martins, London in 2001. Shortlisted for the Mercury Prize in 2006, Bernays’ work is gaining momentum. Exhibited in galleries in Los Angeles, New York, London and Edinburgh; Bernays is a prolific, persistent and engaging artist.

Anne Carmack
Anne Carmack is a self-taught writer, painter and photographer. Her organic approach to creativity leaves the moment up to fate; this accidentally allows her to have something certain to hold on to when the moment has gone and disappeared, and all that’s left of it is light.

Dave Lovejoy
Dave Lovejoy has been working as an artist and designer since the early 1980′s. A successful career as a graphic designer supported a long and leisurely arts education at several schools, focusing on ceramics. His work has been exhibited in galleries and museums in California and Oregon for over a decade. As a maker of things, his artistic direction has always involved an exploration of old, weathered surface textures, whether in clay, wood, or an assemblage of various media. Lovejoy lives and works in Pasadena, California with his wife, Vera, and teaches monthly workshops in raku-firing techniques.

Debra Murray-Kagan
Debra Murray-Kagan was born into a family of artists and entrepreneurs. She attended the School of Visual Art in New York, and now lives and paints full time in Los Angeles. Her viewpoints change often, as do her paintings, which range from oils to encaustics, from light to dark. She says creating and making art is a way of being human; everyone should be doing it. Murray-Kagan has been working on commissions for corporations and individual collectors.

Ashleigh Sumner
Ashleigh Sumner has always found creative inspiration in the movement, lines, and rhythm of pulsating cities. Through bold, abstract expression, Sumner attempts to imbue the implied visual textures of densely populated urban landscapes with the raw, gritty textures of industrial areas. The combination of these elements is intended to evoke a powerful sense of unrestrained vitality to the viewer. With a palette knife Sumner applies several layers of bold color by scraping paint across wood panels or canvas. She then incorporates strong accents of black through out the piece. Finally, resin is used in the process to render added depth and to convey a modern, veneered surface.

Gavin Hardkiss aka Hawke
“A Collection of Art Inspired By The Hawke Album +++”
Gavin Hardkiss aka Hawke has created a happening of lively art and music inspired by his new album titled +++. As an alternative to having songs remixed, Hardkiss asked visual artists to create paintings, sculptures and mixed media inspired by the album. Those artists will be joining him to create an art event to celebrate the album’s release. Recorded in San Diego and San Francisco between 2004 and 2009, the album was conceived as a creative statement of naive beauty and possibility. “At times I tried to imagine what it would sound like if I was a teenager again making this music alone in my bedroom. Romantic and futurist, confident and vulnerable, sexually charged and childlike, anticipating something big to happen,” says Hardkiss. Participating artists include Felipe Merida, Fernando Apodaca, Handiedan, Duser, Ursula X. Young, Pure Evil, Owen Maigret, Robert Ogden, Evan Venegas, Trina Merry, Gina Bieber, Joslyn Lawrence, Brian Kuhlman, and Araceli Santos de Bieber.

Greg Boudreau
Greg Boudreau creates multi-layered spray paint stencils on frames constructed of salvaged wood. Working from original digital photographs, he processes them on a computer and prints the layers as architectural blueprint plots, then cuts the coordinating stencils by hand. The stencils are sprayed on frames constructed of salvaged shipping pallets; his photographs focus on portraying industrial and urban landscapes and portraiture.

Hagop Belian
Hagop Belian was born in Syria, where he lived until his early teens before moving to the United States. His creative process began while studying at UC Santa Cruz, where he earned a BA in Mathematics. He was pulled by a strong desire to create and began to experiment with different mediums, searching for an outlet to express his passion. His paintings are rooted in the realm of what is felt rather than what is seen and is an exploration of emotions based on reminiscences of the past. It represents rebirth, transformation, truth and change. Currently Belian lives in Venice, CA where he continues to explore his creativity using his intuition and environment as inspiration for his work.

Heidi Spring
Heidi Spring has studied at the Burren College of Art and University College Dublin, holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Illinois Wesleyan University, and a Master of Art in Fine Arts from the University of Brighton, England. A current member of the Catalyst Artists Collective (CAC), Spring produces a variety of work on commission and for exhibitions in the central and western United States and Europe.

Kate Daly
Kate Daly, born and raised in Santa Cruz, CA, recently graduated from Laguna College of Art and Design. Through Daly’s command of oil, she illustrates her personal philosophies. With music as her greatest inspiration, she translates the energy and mood of sound into the movement, or lack thereof, in each piece.

Katie Ryan
Spawn from her artist mother, Ryan’s art filled life began at day one. Growing up, she enrolled in classes and assisted those that her mother taught every summer at the Maitland Art Center in Florida. Ryan earned her BFA in Drawing and Painting from the Ohio State University then upon graduation moved to Los Angeles where she now lives and works in the world famous art colony – The Brewery in downtown Los Angeles. Her paintings represent her internal, microscopic body. They illustrate biomorphic abstractions of both emotional and physical content felt underneath her skin through intuitive techniques and processes with oil paint.

Kerianne Connor
Kerianne Connor is a contemporary abstract artist who graduated with a Bachelors Degree in Art from the School of Art at UCLA in 2005. Her work combines sculpture, painting, and design, blurring the traditional strict separation between the genres of Design and Fine Art. Connor’s work reflects the experience of a modern generation that has grown up in a world immersed in prominent visual design. She subtly compels her viewers to consider this relationship as she seamlessly combines elements of popular and emblematic designs with the fine art of sculpture and painting. Sharp edges, block colors, and calculated rows of stretched strings raised against severed canvases are characteristic of Connor’s current body of work. By representing contemporary landscapes through abstract works, Connor successfully acknowledges the importance of the dialogue and interconnectivity between design, form, and function.

John Chang
Born and raised in Shanghai, China, John Chang is now living and working in Los Angeles. Chang’s works have been widely exhibited, including Kauffman Gallery at Shippensburg University, Porter Square Gallery at Art Institute of Boston, Communication Arts Gallery at University of Wisconsin Parkside and Dana Hall Gallery at Wellesley. Chang’s work has been featured in various publications such as Pasadena Star news and on KTLA. John Chang is a recipient of The Artist-in-Residence grant 2004 from Vermont Studio Center.

Jorge Oswaldo
Jorge Oswaldo produces both handmade designs and digital incarnations, stitching them together into seamless visual hybrids. Oswaldo’s process often begins by creating a simple line drawing and inevitably results in a frenetically arranged, calculated explosion of line and shape. Three dimensional vinyl and hand-painted appliques on multi-layer plexi-glass create a 2 dimensional object in a 3 dimensional plane.

Liz Brizzi
A native of France, born of Italian parents, Brizzi grew up in Los Angeles. Her mixed media collage technique fuses her original photography with colorful acrylic wash layers. She is inspired by urban themes and loves to portray the beauty she captures in the raw and industrial aspects of city life; she began this series of work with landscape paintings of the streets and alleys of downtown Los Angeles, where she resides, but is now broadening the scope of areas she paints to places she has been to in recent travels.

Luis Sanchez
Luis Sanchez works both in figurative and abstract art, colliding the natural and industrial worlds in painting, sculpture, found objects, and shadowboxes. For his paintings, Sanchez has reinvented the ancient process of fresco; he paints on his own recreations of degraded stucco walls remembered from his childhood in Mexico City. His two-dimensional works are often noted for his masterful use of trompe l’oeil, leaving viewers with the impression that he has used photography, collage, or other techniques when he has only used the brush. His work seamlessly combines the past, present and the future. While the medium he uses looks back in time, the work sees into the future.

Matt Donegan
Matt Donegan was born in Flint, Michigan and moved to California when he was eighteen. His photography started at age thirty during underwater explorations on tropical diving trips. His curiosity and passion for travel grew, drawing him further out to Africa, Asia, New Guinea and many other locales. Donegan’s subjects range from architecture to landscapes, seascapes, flora, fauna, and peoples of the world. His images reflect the customs, ways of life, and everyday tools of the cultures he visits, which are all rapidly disappearing from our view.

Michelle Nielsen
Michelle Nielsen is a young Bolivian visual artist educated in San Francisco, Chile and Mexico. Her oil paintings use a combination of narrative figuration and pop influence inspired by fashion and photography. Determined to stay true to her feminine sensibility, imagination and sense of humor, Nielsen’s artwork invites the spectator to enjoy the pleasure of looking.

Michael Pukac
Michael Pukac (poo-khash) is a Long Beach-based artist who focuses on acrylics, utilizing methods that involve layering with metallic and reflective paints. Pukac was born on the Gulf Coast of Alabama and grew up in the swamps. He received a BFA in painting from the Ringling School of Art and Design. Pukac has also co-founded three small nonprofit art organizations as well as produced and curated art events, art walks, and other live performances around the country.

Mykal Aubry – Visions of Origin™
The art of Mykal Aubry invokes peace within the heart and reflects the majesty of being alive. Inspired by the power and the beauty of being human, Aubry’s work speaks to and communes with the Soul of the viewer, using images of the human form, geometric patterns and star formations. After graduating from Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles with a B.F.A Aubry went on to work for Warner Bros. Pictures as an Art Director in feature film advertising. In 2003, he was inspired to create a series of paintings titled, “Light-Seven: Sacred Portraits of the Chakras,” which has been widely exhibited and celebrated throughout California and beyond. Aubry also leads a chakra meditation workshop and ceremony, titled “Origins: A Journey of Empowerment.” It is his highest joy to create images that support and invoke a felt experience of our Inherent Worth.

Nicole Bruckman
Nicole Bruckman was born on April 30, 1978 in Cleveland, Ohio. She received a B.F.A, with a Major in Illustration from the Columbus College of Art and Design in 2000, and continued on to Los Angeles to work further. After graduation Bruckman began work as a freelance illustrator and designer. After deciding to continue to pursue her love for painting, Bruckman began showing with Cannibal Flower, The Hive, Regent Galleries, and The Grind Gallery.

Enchanted by the enchanting, Bruckman pulls raw inspiration from sources such as children’s tales and folklore (the cautionary tales of Struwwelpeter and Hans Christian Andersen as well as fairytales like Alice and Wonderland), National Geographic, and animals to create intriguing environmental fairytales. Some influences include Maxfield Parrish, John Currin, Mark Ryden, Camilla Rose Garcia, and Walton Ford.

Tony Hong
Tony Hong is a Los Angeles based artist who works exclusively in ink. He tries to maximize the potential of this otherwise pared down medium. His current influences are patterns found in nature.

Tracy Sagalow
Tracy Sagalow practices the art of pyrography, or wood burning. Her background in film encourages her to tell stories and create themes in her visual art. Each piece is hand drawn. The drawing is then burned onto pine panels and enhanced with acrylic paints. Sagalow enjoys sharing her vision of the world and its beauty by painting with fire.

Walt Hall
Walt Hall was born and raised in North East Los Angeles. Although he was an active artist from a very young age, he cut his creative teeth in the world of commercial art restoration rather than the traditional art school. Until 2000 his main focus was music and a series of local punk bands that he formed with friends. Since that time he has returned his creative focus to the visual arts. Although painting is his first and foremost creative method he also employs a wide variety of surfaces, forms, objects, mixed media, and enjoys collecting discarded materials for assemblage work. He paints primarily with acrylics and produces work that ranges in size from several square inches to mural sized works on unstretched canvas.

~ Video Projections ~

Andrew Hoeveler
Andrew McIntosh Hoeveler is a freelance motion graphics designer and animator based in Los Angeles. After graduating Northwestern University film school and winning a Student Emmy Award in Animation, Hoeveler moved to Los Angeles in 1997. Clients include a variety of design firms and ad agencies, such as Mattel, DirecTV, Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, DDB Needham, and Chiat\Day. Hoeveler draws inspiration from the memories of his childhood, playing amongst the trees and streams of New Hampshire, and is heavily influenced by the dynamic forces at work in nature, and the aesthetics of the human desire to control entropy and the chaos of natural law. Hoeveler enjoys playing with the merger between technology and art, and is currently studying the programming language “Processing” in order to artistically collaborate with his computer.

Andrew Hoeveler will be debuting a new interactive art piece, the Photo Paper Print Projection Booth. This piece merges together the fun of a carnival game, with the science and art of photography at its most basic. The P^4B is, in essence, a large scale camera-like contraption housing both a changeable light source (the “lens”) and a “film plane,” which holds light-sensitive paper. Ghostlike prints are created by the play of light and shadow across the surface of the paper during its 5-minute long exposure.

Museum/ of/ Traffic (M/o/T)
Museum/ of/ Traffic (M/o/T) is a traveling audiovisual production collective promoting expression through digital technologies and audiovisual products. M/o/T was founded in the fall of 2004 in Los Angeles by Manwell H.Hernandez (Art Center College of Design 2003 BFA-Multimedia) and Eddy Vajarakitipongse (Art Center College of Design 2002 BFA-Multimedia).

~ Fashion/Jewelry Designers ~
Brass & Bones/Jessica Seaton
Brass & Bones is designed by artist Jessica Seaton. Each piece is hand sculpted using the lost wax technique, hand polished and set. Some of the materials she incorporates are naturally molted deer antler and fossilized mammoth tusk, sourced by and to benefit the people of Alaska.

Brooke Benson Designs
Brooke Benson is an emerging designer working and living in Venice, CA. After graduating from UCLA with a degree in Theater, her creativity began to extend to other art forms. Her jewelry designs are inspired by her extensive travels throughout Southeast Asia, Nepal and the Middle East. There is a distinct style that is captured in the designs, revealing a uniquely raw yet refined style. Using spiritual symbols, gold, wood and semi-precious stones, her pieces are created to ignite the divine creative energy within each of us and enhance our awareness to the beauty that lies within. Each one of these energetic adornments carries a special essence that is felt by all who wear it. Recently written up in Daily Candy, her creations “blend the earthy with the ethereal.”

Delevo Designs/Deborah Vogt
After graduating from Columbia College, Deborah Vogt became a founding member of The Conjugate Projekt, Transamoeba Studios and The Chicago Art Department, participating in the creation of many collectives, multitudes of events and performance art installations throughout Chicago. She began creating her line of jewelry, Delevo Designs, in the year 2000, traveling to Bali to teach her innovative designs to the master artisans there. Upon landing in Los Angeles she has worked with several high-end designers while continuing to produce and coordinate art galleries and events. Her jewelry is handcrafted, elegant and simple, using fine woods, sterling silver and gold, precious and semi-precious stones, and recycled materials to create universal and distinctive designs.

Soy’-ka Designs
Natalie Sojka found her first elements of inspiration for this line at an antique shop in rural Pennsylvania. After seeing the unique blend of metal shapes and textures she was inspired to produce her current line of jewelry. Her goal with this line is to give her clients something unique, sexy, authentic, and edgy to wear, as well as a conversation starter. All pieces are handmade, one of a kind, and made entirely from recycled materials.

Erik Maes (MAES • Jewelry Design)
From his home studio Erik Maes has built a strong collection of sterling silver rings, pendants, cuffs, belt buckles and earrings utilizing methods and techniques both antiquated and innovative. Having first been exposed to lost-wax casting while studying critical theory in film at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, he has worked to cultivate his expression within jewelry design by pushing the process and developing his own unique, hand-made jewelry. Cast from sculpted wax, carved cuttlebone, and repurposed found objects, the innovation, style, and expert craftsmanship is evident in each piece. This jewelry must be worn to be fully appreciated. One view cannot capture the three dimensional and tactile quality of this beautiful work.

Valerie Dussin aka “Valou”
Created in 2006, the artist’s new line combines her contemporary vision with an edgy urban style to create a ring that is tastefully sexy and powerfully bold. Her unique designs express a culture of individuals who are not afraid to stand out from the crowd.

With over 12 years of design experience, Valou embarks on a journey to share her imagination with the world. After the success of the original “PURE” 3cap design, she continues to challenge the forefront of street fashion, gaining a worldwide clientele and a wide celebrity following.

Victoria Reyna Designs
This designer is a native of Argentina, now residing in the USA. She graduated as an interior designer in Buenos Aires. Her excitement about design takes her to many ways of expression: interior design, landscape design and now jewelry and fashion accessories. The concept of her work is minimalist, contemporary and architectural.

QueenKing Designs
Tonya King is the creator of QueenKing Designs: A line of handmade feather accessories, original, one of a kind, with a 1920′s vintage flair. From the mythological to the classic beauty, these pieces are eternal.

Omnatura
Omnatura is the labor of love of Vivica Menegaz, a graduate of the Pasadena Art Center for Design, who by combining her vision of modern design and aesthetic with the traditional craft of the artisan creates sustainable fashion objects. Omnatura was born in 2005 in Bahia, Brasil from a meeting with a local cooperative of women, helping them to create new designs. This experience led to discover a world of great talent and materials, but also of great poverty and need. Soon Menegaz became familiar with the Bahian artisans and their work, and from a series of collaborations evolved a line of handcrafted jewelry.

In 2009 Omnatura expanded to a collaboration with Pasion Argentina, the first Argentine leather good company to use the principles of Fair Trade.

Audio Lab

Gavin Hardkiss
Born in Johannesburg, South Africa, Gavin Hardkiss now makes his home in San Francisco. During the 1990’s Gavin was one of the originators of San Francisco dance culture with his music labels Hardkiss and Sunburn.

Over the past decade, he has remixed the likes of Led Zeppelin, Elton John and Youssou Ndour and performed alongside Snoop Dogg and The Buena Vista Social Club. He records albums under the guise of Hawke. The latest Hawke album titled +++ was released in October 2009.

Healamonster & Tarsier
Healamonster & Tarsier (H&T) are an electronic production duo whose music is characterized by soft vocals, mid-tempo elastic breakbeats, and a variety of traditional instruments. Their musical style combines elements of dream pop, dub, ambient, and other cinematic forms of music.

Jeremy Sole’s Musaics (Afro-Funke, KCRW)
As a Chicago-born DJ/producer/designer/guitarist/human, Sole has been making beats since the MPC 60 was born, deejaying since rotary crossfaders were the standard, and playing clubs since he was too young to (legally) get in. Since then Sole’s obsession grew to include music from around the world. As Co-Founder and resident deejay of Afro Funke, J.Sole and his partners Rocky Dawuni and Cary Sullivan produce an event that brings a diverse mix of music lovers together each week at the Zanzibar in Santa Monica, blending Afrobeat, Funk, Reggae, Latin and Brazilian. Jeremy has had the honor of sharing the stage and/or the studio with hundreds of his deepest inspirations, including Roy Ayers, Ben Harper, DJ Krush, Lauryn Hill, War, The Meters, Chaka Khan, The Greyboy Allstars, Antibalas, Ray Charles, Jerry Garcia Band and many more. In April 2006, Sole spent a few months making music for Lauryn Hill. The first thing she told him after hearing him DJ was “Have you ever thought about getting into radio? Because THIS is the music that the people need to hear”. Exactly one year later, Anne Litt from KCRW called, asking him that exact same question, and now you can catch J.Sole on 89.9 KCRW every Wednesday from midnight-3am.

Professor LaCroix (TBM)
In sixth grade, young Professor LaCroix deejayed a high-profile spring dance at his middle school. As parents gathered outside at the end of the night, LaCroix ended his set with Billy Idol’s “Mony Mony.” The selection caused an uproar as parents stood helpless outside, listening to their children repeatedly drop the f-bomb at the top of their lungs. The principal told the young DJ that he would never, ever play that song again. The following fall, he did.

Tattoe Joe (Moontribe, South Lake Tahoe)
Tattoe Joe has been sharing his passion for music with Los Angeles and the desert for many years. His productions are flawless and beats are contagious. Currently, he owns a Tattoe shop in South Lake Tahoe and will be making a very special appearance at Create:Fixate’s anniversary show December 5th.

Eduardo Castillo (The Eclectech / VOODOO / LA)
Eduardo Castillo moved to Los Angeles and spent 3 years as the head of the sound design and music department for mun2 television, a Latin music television network owned by NBCUniversal. Simultaneously, Castillo served as the Director of Music and Talent for Palisades Development Group, curating and booking talent for its currently operating boutique properties, the Custom Hotel and Palihouse Hotel in Los Angeles. In the past 3 years Castillo has been influential in the diurnal and nocturnal music scenes of Los Angeles, Miami, and New York with his The Eclectech event brand.

Justin Paul (Playloop/Philly / LA)
Justin Paul is the founder and CEO of the Philadelphia based record label brand Playloop. More than most other electronic music entrepreneurs Justin Paul works feverishly to create a vehicle where several electronic dance music genres can thrive under one roof. In years past, it would be considered uncouth to pair genres ranging from deep house to drum n’ bass, electro, house, indie dance, tech-house and techno on the same label. However, diversity is at the heart of why his Playloop label brand has seen a meteoric rise in business since the release of its critically acclaimed debut label compilation, 2006’s “Playloop Presents Get Into The Loop Vol. 1.” In 2009 Justin Paul has held his own alongside the heavyweight talents of Bassnectar, Crystal Method, Deadmau5, King Britt, MSTRKRFT, Prodigy, Thievery Corporation and more.

Dave Hughes (Playloop/Ireland/Los Angeles)
Dave Hughes played his first Dublin DJ gig at the legendary Kitchen, owned by U2 when he was 16 years old. He would eventually end up working as an assistant audio engineer on U2’s album All That You Can’t Leave Behind in Dublin, 2000. Fast forward, Hughes’ “Let’s Do It EP” was released legendary DJ/producer John Tejada’s Palette Recordings. That same day Playloop Records released his “Messages EP”… all in time for his 29th birthday. Check out Hughes’ new remix of the song “Do You Believe In Angels?” by The Model on Playloop.

Vealchop (Freshcuts)
Collecting vinyl for over ten years and accumulating a very impressive record collection, music is Vealchop’s life. Music is his expression, selections for any session. Systematically arranging mixes, blends, and experimental sound collisions. Collecting, contracting, building, and releasing. The Chopper’s job is to push boundaries and put forth new and unfound music for the ears of curiosity. Explorations through time, space, and sound. Always moving, taking shape and constantly changing. Its not just playing records. He is all about presenting diversity with fluidity. There is really no type of show this vinyl-mastermind can’t adapt to.

Dave Dolphin (Distinct Vibrations)
DJ Dave Dolphin is recognized as one of L.A. and Orange County’s top Club DJ’s. His portfolio features most of the best clubs in L.A. and elsewhere. He has also spun in Bali, Ibiza, Morocco, and Mexico. Dolphin has been essential in the southern California underground dance music scene since 1989. From the 90′s to present day he has worked numerous parties all over LA: underground clubs, raves, desert parties, Burning Man, global gigs and local living rooms.

# # #

For more information, images, and interviews please contact Green Galactic’s Lynn Hasty at 213-840-1201 or lynn (at) greengalactic.com.

For Immediate Release: February 5, 2009

Create:Fixate Presents
“Wisdom Within Us”
Saturday, March 7, 2009

LOS ANGELES, CA – Arts organization Create:Fixate kicks off the new year with its first event of 2009, “Wisdom Within Us,” on Saturday, March 7, 2009. The event will take place at the Premiere Events Center where two large warehouses filled with vibrant artwork and music will present over 40 top local artists, DJs and musicians. The venue is located at 613 Imperial Street, Los Angeles, CA 90021. The full-blown event runs from 7:00 p.m. – 3:00 a.m. Admission is $15.00 before 10:00 p.m., and $20.00 for the remainder of the night. All ages are welcome. For more information please call 310-590-7199 or visit www.createfixate.org.

The evening begins with a preview of the exhibit from 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. There is a $5 suggested donation from 4:00 – 7:00 p.m., and kids twelve-years old and younger are allowed free entry before seven o’clock. Parents are encouraged to bring the whole family during the preview hours and take advantage of the Kids Kreativity Zone (4 – 7 p.m. only). Overflowing with art supplies, the Zone provides a supervised space where youth can dive into their own expression while parents explore the evening’s exhibit.

“Wisdom Within Us” is a theme exploring the convergence of the word and the picture; the text and the vision; the concept and the manifestation. On March 7th, emerging and established visual artists and musicians come together to celebrate language and the images it inspires. Each artist has been asked to choose a meaningful quote to influence the creation of a new art piece to be shown as part of their body of work.

Highlighted artists include Gabriel Rivera whose paintings are modern versions of ancient cave paintings and markings, seeking to communicate yet falling short of being too specific. Rivera has also referred to his paintings as cityscapes roughly depicting the urban metropolis which he’s lived in for his entire life. Michelle Perone is inspired to create atmospheric acrylic paintings that stir emotions and memories, recalling both the movement and stillness, and the interconnectivity that exists between present moments, dreams and spiritual realms. Michael Pukac’s work has been said to be reminiscent of the old masters such as Rubens, Titian, and Rembrandt. However his acrylic and reflective paint lends a fresh edge combining a classic style with a surrealist and contemporary composition that can only be recognized as Neo-Mannerism.

Ever curious how the art at each Create:Fixate show gets made? Spontaneous visions will be free-flowing by live painters Carlos Vera, Hans Haveron, and Michael Pukac, who will WOW crowds by giving them a behind-the-scenes peak at their creative process.

Not to be outdone, the Audio Lab portion of the evening boasts an impressive line-up of the city’s very best DJs and musicians. These are just a small cross-section of all the great musical acts in store March 7th… check out the Audio Lab section below for the full line-up. Globally recognized west coast house DJ legend Steve Loria brings his fascinating style, ranging from deep house to progressive to acid house, to the mix. Paper Magazine describes Irwin of Irwin’s Conspiracy as someone who, “doesn’t just play his electronic (music) – he makes it on the spot, creating all the beats and sounds right in front of you… see it if you dare pussy.” While Vancouver, Canada-transplant Square-1 brings his special blend of hip hop to the night.

Create:Fixate is dedicated to showcasing the work of emerging and mid-career artists in a unique environment. Usually, every three months, Create:Fixate founder Michelle Berc curates, produces and hosts these stunning group art shows that present creative people from around the globe with an emphasis on the local talent of Los Angeles. The production team also includes music coordinator Andrea Giardina, technical producer Andre Freimann, and a core team of volunteers and dedicated advisory board members. Awe-inspiring painters, photographers, sculptors, and multi-media artists exhibit alongside an equally impressive array of Los Angeles’ finest DJs and musicians. Each event’s aural artists are poised to create a soundtrack for the night that transforms this from a simple ‘art show’ into the city’s most anticipated Art Event.

PHFE Management Solutions (PHFE) helps to provide a comprehensive administrative and fiscal structure for Create:Fixate’s nonprofit division. PHFE Management Solutions, also known as Public Health Foundation Enterprises, is a 41-year-old 501(c)3 nonprofit organization providing back office support and management services to other nonprofit organizations.

~ Optical Lounge ~

Angie Jones
Storytelling and self-exploration call Angie Jones to paint. Jones is inspired by traditions in symbols, rooted in nature and fantasy. Dreamy tales filled with beauty, lost innocence, enchantment, struggles, wonder, and despair are the heartbeat of her work. With every painting there is a singular visual story to be told. These are the worlds she wishes to live in. Jones earned her BFA at the Atlanta College of Art in Atlanta (now SCAD), where she studied under noted artists Marcia Cohen and Dana Cibulski, both experts in color theory. For the past 15 years, she has worked on movies like Pan’s Labyrinth, X-Men 2, Stuart Little 2, Scooby Doo 2, Garfield, The Cave, Stealth, Freddy Vs. Jason, Chronicles Of Narnia and many others.

Ashton Trujillo
A 24 year-old Los Angeles native, Ashton Trujillo is a visual artist who utilizes acrylic, wood, light and found objects to execute his works. His carpentry background and affinity for nature are displayed through his explorations of space, texture and color. Pushing the boundaries of traditional two-dimensional art, Ashton’s recent works deliver depth, and probe functional art.

Betsy Ullery
Betsy Ullery paints uniquely organic, feminine shapes that are mixed with brave conceptual undertones. Her work requires more than a simple glance, as she likes the idea of fluidity and blending one recognizable form into another not so recognizable. Ullery’s art reflects her belief that reflection and perception are all shown to us through our subconscious and that our subconscious is governed by nature. Using oils on canvas and wood, Ullery lets the mood of the piece determine her palette.

Christopher Dingle
The art of Christopher Dingle is a meeting of opposites. Whether it is two lovers, two forces, two ideas, or two sides of the artist, Dingle’s paintings are about conflict. A Los Angles based artist, his paintings reflect the influence of his many years designing key art for major motion pictures and advertising.

Daniel Mercadante
Daniel Mercadante was born on October 13, 1984. He now lives and works in Los Angeles. He believes in flow ship and the consilience of creative media. His exhibited works, Routines: Contact Sheets (20” x 30”, Light Jet prints) are assemblies of every frame of individual parts of his continuous video series, Routines.

David Phillips
David Phillips’ paintings fall between the line of pop and avant-garde. The American Abstract Expressionists of the late 1950s and Ed Kienholz also influence his paintings. Phillips is originally from Oklahoma. He now lives in Venice, California, with his studio located in the Marina.

Ela Boyd
Ela Boyd is a California native. She studied at the Art Institute of Boston, Scuola Lorenzo de’ Medici (Art Institute of Florence, Italy) and California College of Arts, San Francisco. Boyd is intrigued by time, space and light as means for measuring the nature of reality in our physical universe. She works artistically with such ephemeral phenomena to create awareness of the limitations of our faculties for knowing, and experiencing, objective truth. We are challenged to discover what makes up the veil that is our own perception. To explore this phenomenological dynamic, Boyd uses ephemera to evoke nostalgia/memory, transparent media to generate space, and video to transfigure our internalized temporal models. She also records, depicts and creates light to offer a visceral experience of a metaphysical shift towards perceptual freedom.

Eric Grimes
Eric Grimes is an artist living in Kansas City, MO. Grimes sees himself as a connoisseur of decay and documents this fascination with large-format, highly detailed photographs. With his work, he hopes to redefine aesthetic guidelines, pushing the boundaries of what typifies beauty. By day, he works in a scientific research facility as an image technologist and microscopist. He also writes critical reviews for the Kansas City-based arts publication, Review, and curates shows at local galleries.

Gabriel Rivera
Gabriel Rivera is a Los Angeles based artist who paints mixed media works predominantly on raw cotton canvas. His works are data driven chaotic surfaces that incorporate numbers, scratched out calculations, writing (sometimes legible, sometimes not) and various forms of iconography. The idea behind most of his paintings is that they are modern versions of ancient cave paintings and markings, seeking to communicate yet falling short of being too specific. Rivera has also often referred to his paintings as cityscapes roughly depicting the urban metropolis which he’s lived in for his entire life.

Hans Haveron
Hans Haveron’s artwork has been lauded by both the street culture audience as well as high street. Bridging the gap between raw and refined, seemingly effortlessly, Hans’ work fuses raw natural elements along with pure beauty to form a striking end statement. His amazing talent has not gone unnoticed, Hans has done work on top-tier Disney films, and most recently the Paul Oakenfold Perfecto campaign.

Jason Hadley
Jason Hadley was born and raised by artists in Norman, Oklahoma. That family connection and the influence of the rusty red Oklahoma soil have followed him to Los Angeles where he works as an artist for the film industry as well as the real world. Hadley creates multimedia works from wood, wax, copper, paint, and found objects, sometimes deconstructing a single piece of equipment like a gas mask and reworking each tiny part into a series of sculptures that comment on the original item. Many of his current pieces feature lights, sound and movement, and have a strong focus on the wax life-casts of his friends, parents and children.

JC Jaress
JC Jaress studied painting for ten years under Art Silva, Marciano Martinez and Deborah Davidson. Jaress’s work has appeared in multiple print publications, as book and CD cover art, on the label of Longoria Winery’s Blues Cuvee 1999 and 2000, and three of his paintings appear in the recently released DreamWorks film, I Love You, Man. An active member of the arts community, Jaress served on the Board of Directors of the Los Angeles Art Association for three years and as President and Chairman of the organization from 2001- 02.

Joseph Fernandez
Joseph Fernandez is a sculptor whose work in clay makes the human or animal figure present in gesture. Each piece, though made in the same way with the same techniques, resonates with its own personality. Born in Long Beach and now residing in L.A., he currently works as a bronze caster, fine metal finisher, and large metal sculpture fabricator. He is also attending and working at El Camino Community College. He plans to transfer in spring of next year to study sculpture in Chicago.

Keri Rosebraugh
Keri Rosebraugh attended Pasadena’s Art Center College of Design where she received her Bachelor of Fine Arts with honors in Illustration. Her illustrations have been featured in newspapers and magazines worldwide, with clients that include The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, Disney Consumer Products, Mattel, Inc., Dreamworks SKG, and Coca Cola, Inc. She has recently served as the president of the Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles for two years and has shown her work in numerous group shows including La Luz De Jesus Gallery in Hollywood and The Ecological Art Gallery in Los Angeles. Currently she is concentrating on her fine art pieces and murals for private clients.

Kerianne Connor
Kerianne Connor is a contemporary abstract artist who graduated with a Bachelors Degree in Art from the School of Art at UCLA in 2005. Her work combines sculpture, painting and design, blurring the traditional strict separation between the genres of design and fine art. Connor’s work reflects the experience of a younger generation that has grown up immersed in the prominence of design in their everyday lives. She subtly compels her viewers to consider this relationship as she seamlessly combines elements of popular and emblematic designs with the fine art of sculpture and painting. Sharp edges, block colors, and calculated rows of stretched strings raised against severed canvases are characteristic of Connor’s current body of work. By representing contemporary landscapes through abstract works, Connor successfully acknowledges and brings to the surface for viewers the importance of the dialogue and interconnectivity between design, form, and function.

Liz Brizzi
A native of France and born of Italian parents, Liz Brizzi grew up in Los Angeles. Her individual mixed media technique begins with a collage of her original photography, which she then blends within layers of colorful acrylic washes. She is inspired by urban themes and loves the raw and industrial beauty of city life; her most recent series portrays the streets and alleys of Downtown Los Angeles, where she resides. In a city that is changing and developing rapidly, her artwork captures the disappearing traces of history and the authenticity of a neighborhood in full bloom.

Michael Pukac
Michael Pukac (poo-khash) is currently a Los Angeles-based artist who has painted for over 17 years, focusing in acrylic and mastering a new technique involving reflective layering with metallic and reflective paints. Pukac was born on the Gulf Coast of Alabama and grew up in the swamps. He graduated from the Ringling School of Art and Design in Sarasota, FL, with a BFA focusing on painting. Thereafter, he has made painting a full time gig, traveling the country, making a living off of his fine art, murals and illustrations. In the last 5 years, Pukac has co-founded three small nonprofit art organizations, has hosted and curated art events, art walks, and produced other live performances around the country. He has participated in over three-dozen art shows, starting from the age of 19, with close to a dozen solo exhibitions. These recent endeavors have brought him to Long Beach, CA, where he now resides and continues to show his work and participate in live painting performances throughout Southern California.

Michelle Perone
As a working artist, Michelle Perone has experience drawing realistic images for themed entertainment, animation, television and film. Painting has been her respite, and her way of communicating most authentically to others and herself. Perone is inspired to create atmosphere that stirs emotion and memory, recalling both the movement and stillness, and the interconnectivity that exists between present moments, dreams and spiritual realms. She paints softly – blurring edges, subduing colors, using line with motion, suggesting at the essence and the mystery of form and feeling. Perone is currently working with acrylics on canvas, creating symbolic landscapes and figures, and exploring further the different perceptions they call forth.

Monica Roache
Monica Roache is a multi-media artist from Los Angeles. She received a degree in Art from Cal Arts and is currently working at The Museum of Contemporary Art. Roache’s works ranges from photography to acrylic paintings, drawings and sculptural installation. In this exhibition, she presents new work of organic and intricate ink drawings. Highly associated with filth and poverty, Roache plans to demystify the fear of the roach by producing a line of plush toys inspired by the out casted insect.

Neil Simon Poyuzina
Originally from Watkins Glen, New York, Neil Simon Poyuzina has resided in California since the age of 14. During his third year of college, he decided to pursue the arts regardless of the consequences inherently involved. He left school… his thinking: “if you’re looking for a degree here you won’t find one.” Poyuzina believes that the true source of learning is in the doing of your personal interests. Since then he has produced more than a thousand works, curated many group events, opened a gallery in Downtown LA, and participated in more than 80 group/solo shows.

Robert A.D. Frick
Robert A.D. Frick is known for creating artwork that is totally non-representative at inception and remains so upon completion. Frick prefers to allow the viewer to derive representative imagery from abstractions. As a result, Frick finds most challenging aspect of creating digital art is knowing when to quit. With digital imagery you are able to evolve pieces as long as your imagination will allow, therefore, one of the more difficult aspects is picking a point when which to call a work finished.

As of late, Frick has diverted his attention to a simplified style focused more on color and form in order to allow for various output options such as textile design and metal casting, and less on detail and complexity. He is also a digital artist, by trade, for Digital Domain, in Venice, CA, where he lives. Apart from Create:Fixate, he has also exhibited at Siggraph Art Gallery, LACDA and Cannibal Flower.

Seth Balliett
Based on a foundation of painting and graphic design, Seth Balliett creates unique torn paper/collage portraits using only materials, artifacts and memorabilia specific to the subject, adding depth and significance to each piece. Born in upstate New York, Balliett has been creating, inventing and building his entire life. A BFA graduate of Alfred University, Balliett now resides in Venice, CA.

Treiops Treyfid
Treiops Treyfid strives to create artwork that is bold, unique, of high quality, and speaks to the age in which we live. His materials vary from the exotic to the recycled and always complement his conceptual vision. Whether through sculpture, assemblage, performance, painting or video, Treyfid’s bold and focused concepts are always elegantly and efficiently realized.

Vincent G. Madrid
As an artist, Vincent G. Madrid tends to reach into the collective unconscious to evoke imagery that speaks to the subconscious – the inner workings of the psyche, where the basic truths of the human spirit lie dormant. Being completely self-taught, Madrid has made a commitment to bring an awareness of the beauty that exists in this world as well as bringing a sense of the mystical knowledge that there is more to reality than what we see on the surface.

Walt Hall
Walt Hall was born and raised in North East Los Angeles. Although an active artist from a very young age, he has cut his creative teeth in the world of commercial art restoration rather than the traditional art school. Until 2000 his main focus was music and a series of local punk bands that he formed with friends. Since that time he has returned his creative focus to the visual arts. Although painting is his first and foremost creative method, he also employs a wide variety of surfaces, forms, objects, and mixed media, and enjoys collecting discarded materials for assemblage work. He paints primarily with acrylics and produces work that ranges in size from several square inches to mural-sized works on un-stretched canvas.

Yuki Miyazaki
Born in Kumamoto, Japan, Yuki Miyazaki came to Los Angeles as a girl, deeply interested in continuing her family’s tradition of creating art. Yuki’s paintings have been described as “Eastern pop culture meets classic Western children’s book illustrations.” Recently selected to appear in the Asian and Pacific Islander American Heritage 2008 Calendar and Cultural Guide, she continues to explore her childhood influences with Western culture and expresses them through her paintings.

~ Live Painting ~

Carlos Vera
Carlos Raphael Vera was born in Los Angeles, California on May 3, 1973. He spent his childhood in Los Angeles before he moved to Boston in 1992 to attend the School of the Museum of Fine Arts. After leaving the Museum school Vera spent time in New York City and Louisville, Kentucky before returning to Los Angeles in 1996 to pursue a career in the art world. He began work in the film industry as a conceptual illustrator, which helped further establish his craft. Vera continued to work on many group, as well as solo, art exhibits, which included his live painting shows. He opened an art gallery in North Hollywood in 2000 and in 2001 utilized the gallery as a springboard for a youth based entrepreneurship program in the arts (California Artists for Humanity). Carlos is currently working as a designer, fine artist, and an aggressive live painter.
When asked the question, “What is your inspiration?” Carlos’ answer is…”all of you.”

~ Edible Sculpture ~

Hip Hop Chocolate
Marcus Gray is a 32-year old artist living in Los Angeles. He conceived of a confection that could act as a meditation on the potential of culture. The product consists of a series of chocolate sculptures made in
the shape of various symbols associated with the hip hop culture.

~Video Projection~

Museum/ of/ Traffic (M/o/T)
Museum/ of/ Traffic (M/o/T) is a traveling audiovisual production collective promoting expression through digital technologies and audiovisual products. M/o/T was founded in the fall of 2004 in Los Angeles by Manwell H.Hernandez (Art Center College of Design 2003 BFA-Multimedia) and Eddy Vajarakitipongse (Art Center College of Design 2002 BFA-Multimedia).

M/o/T activities to date include “expanded cinema” performances, impermanent audiovisual installations, digital projections, performance art, “institutional” events, TV commercials and live audiovisual.

Paul Zelevansky
Paul Zelevansky is an artist, writer, and teacher living in Los Angeles. The work presented in Create:Fixate is drawn from his Flash animation website GREAT BLANKNESS (www.greatblankness.com). GREAT BLANKNESS is composed primarily of found material selected from clip art, old text books, puzzles and games, music samples, sound effects, quotations, and video clips both identified and anonymous. Running between 20 seconds and a minute+ in length, these animation loops encourage multiple viewings, repetition serving to extend a joke, reveal the text, build anticipation, or generate unease in order to establish a kinetic link with the content. The collective title of this now five-year project–A GREAT BLANKNESS THAT INSPIRES AWE–refers to a sense of inspiration and surprise before the declarative speech of the stereotype, but this blankness is “great” and expansive to the extent that it seduces the viewer into the oscillating web of meaning that the mix provides.

~ Fashion/Jewelry ~

Billie Shane/Bronze Age Modern
Designer Billie Shane has been thrilled by the idea of discovering beauty in unlikely places since she was young. While growing up in Los Angeles, she could be found plowing through flea markets, antique shops, and even trashcans for hidden treasures. These days, she creates visceral forms inspired by the rich dynamic sculpture and ceramics of the 20th century combined with earthy textures.

Bronze Age Modern is a unisex line of pendants, lariats, bracelets, cuff links, and rings cast in bronze and sterling silver. Many of the necklaces and bracelets are available on both leather and chain.

Brooke Benson Designs
Brooke Benson is an emerging designer working and living in Venice, CA. After graduating from UCLA with a degree in Theater, her creativity began to extend to other art forms. Her jewelry designs are inspired by her extensive travels throughout Southeast Asia, Nepal and the Middle East. There is a distinct style that is captured in the designs, revealing a uniquely raw, but refined, style. Using spiritual symbols, gold, wood and semi-precious stones, her pieces are created to ignite the divine creative energy within each of us and enhance our awareness to the beauty that lies within. Each one of these energetic adornments carries a special essence that is felt by all who wear it. Recently written up in Daily Candy, her creations “blend the earthy with the ethereal.”

Creasol by Soledad Proaño
Soledad’s functional art is mainly characterized by organic, abstract designs (as images that give impressions and feelings, more than the recreation of people or landscapes) and an eye-catching use of color. In the process of making her mosaics, she looks not only for harmony for herself but also for the final recipients of her work. The final objective is to always give some beauty to other people’s lives, and in the pursuing of this objective, she works on every piece until satisfied with it, no matter how long it takes. Although she uses ceramics, glass, mirror, and glass pebbles, most of her mosaics are made from vitreous glass, a material that comes in squares, normally 3/4″ wide, that are carefully shaped to make them fit one next to the other. Each one of her mosaics is one of a kind.

Doe Studio
Doe Studio is the line of Los Angeles-based jewelry designer Susanna Rödder. Her collection is handmade in sterling silver and 14kt gold vermeil. Her pieces are modern and clean, but never exacting. No line is ever straight, no circle perfectly round, no shape symmetrical. Her designs are effortless, elegant, quietly clever. Born and raised in Cologne, Germany, Rödder now lives and works in Hollywood, California.

Sasha Bell
Sasha Bell is a well-versed Canadian silversmith and jewelry designer who has recently returned to this passion full-time since moving to Los Angeles this past year. Her desire to create jewelry and work with precious metals was first piqued at the Kootenay School of the Arts in B.C. Canada, where she completed a 2-year program of small object and jewelry design. She is a popular designer on the well-known Etsy website and sells her jewelry at many stores throughout the US. Her style is both modern and edgy, with an organic feel presented in soft brushed finishes and deep patinas. Through her jewelry design process, she intends to create completely handmade miniature wearable works of art to be treasured by women of all ages.

Victoria Reyna Designs
Victoria Reyna, native of Argentina, earned a Master’s Degree in Interior Design in Buenos Aires. Her excitement about design brought her to many ways of expression: interior design, landscape design, and now jewelry. The concept of her work is minimalist, contemporary and architectural, and her pieces are handmade, one of a kind. For her, beauty is the illusion painted in materials; it is the combination of expressive materials, interesting color palettes and clean sleek lines.

~ Audio Lab ~

Anthony Plamondon
Detroit born and Los Angeles based DJ Anthony Plamondon has been DJing and throwing events since the early eighties. He has deejayed in New York, San Francisco, Hong Kong, Detroit, Las Vegas, and other cities. His musical interests vary from Funkadelic, Bowie, Air, The Pixies, Sufjan Stevens, Deerhunter, Blonde Redhead, Matthew Dear, Four Tet, Moodymann, and Theo Parrish. Plamondon has a residency at Bar 107 and plays regularly with the experimental collective Big Thaw.

AudioMoe
Whether it’s producing original music and remixes or killing it live behind the decks, AudioMoe (AKA Moses Truzman) combines his passion for music and expression to create something truly unique. Born in New York, he was influenced by many styles of music ranging from rock, Latin and hip hop. According to him, “Music has no labels. It’s all just soul music to me.” And with that mindset, he creates music that crosses genres and styles but still hits you in the same place. As for his DJ sets, be prepared to get taken on a journey that touches on funk, hip hop, house and everything else in-between.

Cajami
Cajami is the alias for Michael Callon, a Los Angeles native whose dad was the sound engineer for Funkadelic and founded JDC Records, an early dance and hip hop label and distributor. Cajami was always highly passionate about many different styles of music, but became hooked on electronic and dance music in 2000. At the end of 2002, he started mixing records and now has deejayed at parties and clubs throughout Los Angeles. He started producing music in late 2006 and will be putting out his first release this year through TechnoHop Records.

Irwin’s Conspiracy
Irwin is known for melding the spontaneity of jazz and power of rock with a pulse like hip hop on steroids, though rarely sounding retro. His unique performances have merited four return tours to Europe and praise from the most critical music and art aficionados. All beats are performed live, while other sounds are designed and generated from computer, accessed via theremin, composed and looped on the spot. “Irwin doesn’t just play his electronic (music)- he makes it on the spot, creating all the beats and sounds right in front of you… see it if you dare pussy.” –PaperMag

Love Grenades
Playful, sexy, and eminently danceable, Love Grenades is a new, unifying force in independent music – in its most literal interpretation. The brainchild of 25-year-old mastermind Elizabeth Wight, Love Grenades is the unlikely beat-driven collision of electro-pop, Italo disco and punk that’s winning over Los Angeles audiences. Ever since the band began playing two years ago, Love Grenades has packed L.A.’s hippest venues, including The Echo and Silverlake Lounge. Tracks have been on heavy rotation in local underground dance clubs well before their official releases, in addition to making playlists on radio stations KXLU, KCRW and INDIE103.1. The LA Weekly has called the band “as scorching as they are seductive – a collective soundtrack for making out one-on-one or maxing out with a hundred sweaty strangers on the dance floor.”

Morgan Alexander
Morgan Alexander began building a sonic home in house music in the early nineties. Career highlights include his residency with LIFE, ¬Boston’s largest weekly deep soulful house night, traveling as part of Mountain Dew’s entertainment presence for the 2000 and 2001 X Games, regular features on the West Coast, and hosting “Wednesday Revolutions,” the deep installment of Boston’s revered electronic dance music show on WERS 88.9FM. Morgan cites his influences sure to be found in his record bag ¬as producers prolific in their ability to squeeze soul out of machines.
Spain
Formed in Los Angeles in 1993, Spain released three albums (Blue Moods of Spain, She Haunts My Dreams, I Believe) between 1995 and 2001. A compilation CD, Spirituals: The Best of Spain, was released in 2003. In 2007 Spain founder Josh Haden reformed the band with all-new members Tom Gladders (guitar), Randy Kirk (keyboards, guitar), Matt Mayhall (drums), and Marcel Camargo (guitar). A brand new album is forthcoming produced by Soulsavers’ Rich Machin.

Square-1
Square-1 (Stephan Jacobs) started deejaying in 2000, where he spun his special blend of hip hop at local house parties and clubs in his home town of Vancouver, Canada. Jacobs’ production style was fueled by underground music cultures, which lead him to Los Angeles. Here he made his appearance known in the L.A. underground where he plugged into the Burning Man and club scenes. Square-1 is currently working on his solo album, Hooked on Stephanix, to be released 4/20/09.

Steve Loria

West Coast’s legendary house DJ, Steve Loria is a globally recognized artist traveling all over Europe, the United States, South America and Japan. His fascinating style, ranging from deep house to progressive to acid house, has given him a respected name in the electronic music community. Loria has headlined parties such as Los Angeles’ largest New Year’s party Together as One three years in a row, San Francisco’s Gucci party and legendary By the People parties, Freedom Festival, and furthermore, he was invited to lead the grand opening extravaganza at Las Vegas’ now legendary super club Utopia. Loria was also chosen to be a part of the DUB Tour that traveled across America with other exceptional house talent and friends like Doc Martin, DJ Pierre, Josh Wink, King Britt, and Eddie Amador. Loria has produced and remixed tracks for world-renowned labels such as Plastic City, Stickman, Power Music, and Distant Music.

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For more information, images or to set up interviews please contact Green Galactic’s Lynn Hasty at 213-840-1201 or lynn@greengalactic.com.