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.

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?

"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.

"Inspire Me Thursday" : Light

This week's "Inspire Me Thursday" prompt is "light" and I chose to do a painting based on the view from my hotel in Paris. On the last morning before returning home, I got up at dawn and watched the sun rise. Unfortunately, the view of the rising sun was less than stellar from my window, only rewarding me with hazy sky and very thin light.

I was struck, however, by a single spot of brilliant light pouring from the windows of a shop down the street --- how the light bounced off the wet sidewalk, how the deep shadows masked the contours of the cafes and boutiques, how the buildings grew rosier by the minute as the sun finally rose --- all of these impressions are an indelible part of my Parisian experience.

This painting is still in progress and I'm excited to include it an an upcoming show called "Recollection: Finding Inspiration in Everyday Miracles." I'm sure it was just an ordinary morning in St. Germain des Pres, but for me it's a very precious memory.

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.