The Metro

Copyright Lea Antonio, 2007

It was a warm day in LA. Traffic was light for a Sunday afternoon in K-Town.  We had sushi at an unmemorable place down the street.  He was wearing a sweater, I was wearing black stiletto boots and a dress that would would qualify today as a shirt.  We were in line to see The Killers... remember them?  My five-year-old used to sing Mr. Brightside in her car seat.

To kill time while waiting in line, I snapped a number of pictures of the distinctive architecture of the Wiltern Theatre, the people streaming out of the Metro stop across the street, and the "eccentric" homeless man taking a nap at the bus stop.  One of those photos became the basis of this painting, "Wilshire Reflection."

Some people think it's a photo.  Technically it is, I guess, a photo of a painting.

The painting hung in a local exhibition in South Pasadena.  One day, an art director for the Metro offered to buy it.  For his wife, as a birthday present.  He liked the Metro blade reflected in the glass.  I think he rode a bicycle.

I miss that painting.

Easter Egg Banner

Here's my take on a festive banner --- with decorative easter eggs instead of pennants.  In keeping with the large event space, each egg needed to be fairly large --- in this case over 24" tall.

Using a combination of spray paint and acrylics, I painted the base colors for maximum impact and visibility.  I chose vibrant shades of pink, teal, aqua, violet, chartreuse and turquoise and embellished with intricate decorative motifs based on vintage fabric, wallpaper designs, and pottery decorations.  Last, I used puffy paint ---- yes, the ones that come in squeeze tubes --- and applied Faberge-style filigrees and other embellishments for added dimension and interest.

Here's a photo of an egg in progress....

The Sign at Rialto Theatre in South Pasadena is Coming Down

Copyright Lea Antonio 2007

Sad day.  The Rialto Theatre's sign --- crumbling, peeling, rusting and glorious --- is coming down for safety reasons.  I for one have always considered the Rialto Theatre, in its Spanish Baroque splendor, the centerpiece of our small town, and am so sad that the building will lose its crown.

As recently as a few years ago, you could still see lines forming on Fair Oaks Blvd. at midnight for screenings of the Rocky Horror Picture Show, The Shining, and Halloween, which was filmed right here in South Pasadena.  We sat on the uncomfortable seats, with the springs poking painfully into our bottoms, hoping that the armrest wouldn't fall off in the middle of the movie.  But that was all part of the "experience" --- a little throwback to a simpler time when widescreen televisions and 5.1 sound were unknown.

I'm glad I had the opportunity to paint the Rialto sign while it was still a thriving part of our community, and I look forward to the day when it can re-crown our small town treasure.

Update:
South Pasadena Patch has posted an update, indicating that Landmark Theatres has hired a structural engineer to develop a plan which MIGHT enable the sign to remain on the building if it can be safely secured.  Details can be found here:

http://southpasadena.patch.com/articles/historic-rialto-theatre-south-pasadena-landmark-theatres-sign-coming-down

Finally... A Party for My Own Daughter

I can't believe it's time to plan my daughter's 13th birthday party and I've been saving this painting for the past decade for precisely... this moment!  So far, we've come up with black, white and hot pink.  What could be more perfect?

Still Life with Cat and Cartoon Birds

Taking a short break to post one of my Still Life with Cat photos.  Luckily, my subject can sleep through anything, including cartoon birds twittering around him.

A Who-liday Display

I'm scouring my archives for inspiration for a holiday-themed display, and rather than going down the usual path of cute reindeer and frosty snowflakes, I thought I'd embrace my inner Who.  I can't think of a more fun color scheme than turquoise, red and white for the holidays.  To top it all off, the handpainted flourishes and dimensional embellishments make it irresistable.

Photos of the final project shortly...

Cozy Woodland Cottage

For a Snow White-themed party for a lucky three-year-old, I built a 10'-tall entry archway to the main party space, which incorporated various faux painting finishes.  Yellow ochre, burnt umber, and burnt sienna acrylic paint, applied in streaks fools the eye into thinking it's seeing bundled thatch. 

A faux bois technique in a mahogany colors paired with simple grisaille painting for the shadows and highlights look like carved beams.

The arch of foliage in with leaves in ten shades of green mimic an espaliered tree, complete with twisted and braided branches.  To heighten the illusion, silk ficus branches and miniature apples are incorporated into the arch, and the young guests delighted in picking the apples, which were attached with velcro and ready to be picked over and over!  Shhhhh... don't tell anyone... this arch is completely crafted from foamboard.

Another entrance, this one in the shape of a tiny cottage, was built just tall enough for children... and dwarves.  To enter, if you're over four feet tall, you'll need to crouch!

In the Whistle While You Work Kitchen, hand-painted set pieces set the stage for pretend play fun.  We started with a 6-foot rental table and draped the top with a standard yellow cloth.  After that, we went to town with the painted finishes.  The backsplash features timbered edging, a mini cabinet, and a Delft blue tile panel.  A trompe l'oeil utensil rack depicts painted ladles, skillets and pans, with a few real wooden spoons mixed in.

Draping the table to the floor is a hand-painted canvas skirt which depicts shelves laden with baskets of fruit, eggs, mason jars, earthenware bowls, and all the things that make for a well-stocked larder, painted with no detail overlooked.

Inspire Me Thursday: Limited Palette

I'm so very excited to be able to participate in this week's challenge on Inspire Me Thursday. After immersing myself night and day in preparation for a show, I found that I needed a few weeks to catch up on all the daily details left neglected for so long. It feels good to pick up a paintbrush again.

Using only violet, yellow and white, this painting depicts a block wall in Palm Springs, California. I like the starkness of the wall juxtaposed the looming boulders only a few yards away. At sunset, the mountains are a remarkable shade of purple with gold highlights which you must see to believe.

"Library Park"

In preparation for an upcoming art show, I decided to explore the neighborhood with an eye toward depicting our local landmarks the way children would see it. So I spent a morning following my little boy around Library Park, which was a daunting task because he doesn't really slow down to take in the sights.

Here are two paintings which will be included in the show. I tried to capture the contrast of deep shadows and bright sunlight, and how the environment, though still and serene, was alive with movement and possibility. The exposed roots of the magnolia tree in the first painting inspire never-ending fascination for my son, who has been climbing them since he was barely able to walk. Just around the corner, the library entrance (now used as a community room) was the site of countless climbing sessions, up and down the steps, right before the weekly toddler story time.

These are landmarks we pass each day on the way to Trader Joe's, the post office, or the ice cream parlor, and it's been great fun to capture them in this way.

Silhouette Project: Part Two

The school year is coming to a close, and I can't believe how quickly it flew by. In the course of ten months, the children cover so many areas, both academically and socially, and by the end of the year, they are different children from the ones that entered last September.

This piece will help me remember my daughter's handwriting, her love for her pet mice (all fourteen of them), her favorite school subjects, and her growing passion for crochet.

Self-Portrait

Painting tends to be something I do in fits and spurts. Unlike others who have trained themselves to work at something every day, I tend to leave my brushes alone for days, sometimes weeks, at a time.

This portrait was done during one of my middle-of-the-night spurts, abandoned in the back of a closet for a few months, and is now looking for a home on my cluttered walls. So far, it's been propped on the floor against my dresser, hung on the wall next to my bed until I couldn't stand to look at it anymore, and is now waiting for a nail in the upstairs hallway.

Seems rather self-centered to have a self-portrait hanging in my house, but who else would be a willing model at 1 o'clock in the morning?

Twenty-nine

I ran across this painting I did a couple of years ago and wondered what it would be like to be twenty-nine again? Hmmm, endless work under fluorescent lights, commuting an hour each way to work on L.A. freeways, lunch at my desk... not so good. But traveling, that was the up-side. Arriving in a foreign country with no hotel reservations was exciting, not scary. Having no itinerary was liberating, not inefficient.

Oh, to be twenty-nine, impulsive, and fearless again.

Today, I'm too responsible & careful... I tend to always be preparing to do something, rather than just doing it... like scouring "Real Simple" for tips on organizing the house, rather than just grabbing some bins and trashbags and getting down to business.

This is something that needs to change... On that note, I better get off my bum and go do something!

Bon Voyage

I just dropped off these paintings as my contribution to a silent auction which benefits our local schools and I'm torn about sending them off into the world having no idea where they'll end up. I really need to get over this separation anxiety.

Perhaps I'm especially attached because these photos depict places where I was very happy. The first is a view down the Rue de Seine in St. Germain des Pres in Paris. The kids and I were tired after a day of tromping through the Louvre. The sky was so very blue that day and the buildings, for some reason, were so very grey.

The second painting is a view at the Parker Palm Springs, where decadent weekends are just a couple of hours away. I love the color of the front door with the oversize handles, and the way the shadows strike a bold contrast to the hot glare of the sun. Standing under the portico before entering the hotel is heavenly, with the breeze blowing through and the orange/red door beckoning you forward.

I hope their new owners will enjoy them as much as I have.