The Brewery Art Colony: Art Walk.

Artists: Joe Abelar, Adriana Vargas Allin, Mark Anderson, ANDLAB, Dawn Arrowsmith, Artist Bound, Magda Audifred, avenue21, Joyce Aysta Barbara's @ The Brewery, Guillermo Bert, Black Hearts Brigade, Bookfinger, Bill Leigh Brewer, The Brewery Project, Brizee Studio, Ada Pullini Brown, Rebecca Cambell, Caracola Latin American Fine Art, HeatherCarson, Elizabeth Chandler, York Chang, N.E. Christensen, Claudia Endler Designs, Melissa A. Contreras, Margarita Cortes, Lisa Crockatt, Abram Santa Cruz, Patrick Dailey, Bruce Gray, Wendy Hall, Patrick Hannah, Yoshi Hashimoto, James Hill, Billy Hix, Mark Hix, Iva Hladis, Chuck Hood, Holly Hood, I-5 Gallery, Lili Forest Jabali, D'Andrea, Glass Etchings, Darrah Danielle, DM13, Joshua Elias, Empire Gallery, Jason Eoff, Ann Erpino, Laura Fine, Monica Fleming, Kevin Flint, Autumn Michelle Foote, Llyn Foulkes, Found: Photo Gallery, Gregor Goethals, Suzanne Pratt, Psycho Girlfriend, Ragan Art Academy, Roland Reiss, Andie Reti, Monika Reti, Richard Seltzer Designs Inc., Tirzah Rodgers, Kevin Rolly, Randall Rothgeb, Sakebomb, Michael Salerno, Leigh Salgado, Dax Savage, Victoria Sebanz, Richard Selzter, Rob Silverman, Philip Smith, Sean Sobczak, Tary Socha, JillianSuzanne, Misato Suzuki, Jill Sykes, Rick Szczechowski, Annie Teegardin, Telemachus Studio, Tim Timmermans, Topanga Canyon Gallery, Jean Towgood, Mike Tracy, Nic Valle, Walker, Hea-Sook Yoo, Yakov Zabolotsky, John Zarcone, Brad Zieg, more.

Comment: The Brewery Art Colony presents itself as the world's largest artist live-work environment of its kind. It's big-- no question about that-- comprising approximately 20 acres, 21 buildings, some 300 studios/lofts, and a population of 400+. The former warehouse complex is located near Main St. and Interstate 5 (Golden State Freeway) in a predominantly industrial area just northeast of downtown Los Angeles (a handful of loft spaces having cherry views of the city center) and east of Dodger Stadium. Residents include fine and commercial artists, designers, photographers, performers, and more. The Brewery also has its own restaurant (Barbara's), an art bookstore (Bookfinger), and several art galleries.

Twice a year, over 100 Brewery residents open their studios to the public in what's called the Brewery Art Walk (which also includes a group show of participating artists' work at The Brewery's I-5 Gallery). The event is always festive and well-attended, and I luck out and get a parking space just before the lot fills. The Art Walk is notable as much for the copious amounts art (and related creatables) on display and for sale as it is for people watching and the opportunity to experience live-work spaces of the residents (assuming you're partial to innovative and eclectic interior design). And it's a bit of a treasure hunt too-- yes, you get a map, but navigating the facility is by no means a gimme.

The layout is circuitous and verges on overwhelming, particularly for greenhorns, and you can easily deviate trying to cypher the topography (not altogether a bad thing-- because no matter where you end up, there's always something to see). The good news-- once you get a grip, the confusion abates and you can peruse the offerings more effeciently. Fortunately, Mat Gleason, publisher of Coagula Art Journal and President of the Brewery Art Association gives me a quick orientation and tour. Thank you Mat!! Even with his generous assistance, I have time to visit only a fraction of the studios; complete coverage likely takes the full two days of the event.

But I do fine, see plenty of good art, meet nice people, and have a creditable afternoon. Before we get to the images, though, I gotta give Pick of the Brewery Art Walk to Llyn Foulkes for his wonderful whimsical eccentrical one-man SRO concert. Foulkes accompanies himself on vocals with an overwhelming otherworld instrumentation assemblage the likes of which I have never seen, could never imagine, and which is unquestionably destined for museum immortalization. So OK. There you go. Let's take the tour...