West Coast Recap

I've been in my home away from home, the US of A for the last two months exploring art, culture and design. While on the West Coast I was able to a produce an artwork that was on my mind all summer long - Made in California (below) is a hand-printed bandana on 100% cotton - the work is a first for my practice on the scale of 18" square and I hope to work more on this size and continue to screen print onto cotton and silk on my return to England. 

Made in California, 2009

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L.A. Times: The Getty name is synonymous with Los Angeles. The oil magnate left his collection of art and antiquities to form the J. Paul Getty Museum for the Angelenos to enjoy. Having already visited the breathtaking Getty Center, Brentwood, I made my way to Pacific Palisades west of Malibu, to the Getty Villa. Built on his estate where his private home still resides, this spectacular re-creation of the Villa of the Papryi at Herculaneum, Italy houses Greek, Roman and Etruscan antiquities - the collection only highlighted by the Mediterranean ornamental and herb gardens that look down to the Pacific Ocean. Although Getty himself died before the completion of the Villa, the J. Paul Getty Trust ensures that Getty's vision is as clear and magnificent as it was intended.

If L.A. gets too much for the soul, head for the oasis that is the Self-Realization Fellowship on Sunset Boulevard. The Lake Shrine provides spiritual prayer and tranquility, through the divinity of the human spirit intended by founder, Paramahansa Yogananda. This was an incredible experience - void of urban noise and digital toxicity - and a surprising find just off the busy West Sunset Boulevard. Namaste and thank you to my Angelenos friends for sharing this special corner of calm with me.

Getty Villa
17985 East Pacific Coast Highway
Pacific Palisades
90272

The Lake Shrine
Self-Realization Fellowship
17190 West Sunset Boulevard
Pacific Palisades
90272