Check out the story in today’s edition of Pasadena Star News about my latest art show in Altadena – here is the link and have a Great Father’s Day everyone!

A year ago my producer friend, Susan Deming asked for help on a short film selected by the AFI as one of the finalists in a competition. The D-Monster, directed by Kinga Suto is a wacky, very funny, and very well done tale about the cliches of  trying to break into the Hollywood dreamworld in any way possible.

Susan desperately needed to dress up the set of the movie’s main bad-ass Boss, Claire Feinstein – a villainous but hilariously funny  Top Development Agent.  Played brilliantly by Catherine Reitman (of the Reitman Hollywood dynasty – think Ivan Reitman “Ghostbusters” and Jason Reitman ” Up in the Air”), Claire has her own, personal magic mirror she keeps looking at and talking to, and her own portrait taking half of the mauve wall behind her chi chi desk.

And so I whipped a portrait, for fun and for a friend. Little did I know that it was intended to became a piece that revealed the Claire’s personality – and a centerpiece for her set!

At the AFI world premiere last night I met the director, producers, cast and crew of the film. Catherine, the D-Monster and my accidental muse was all at once a real sweetheart, wickedly funny, smart and quick as a whip, and drop dead gorgeous! And the whole movie was a superb piece, done on a shoestring and a prayer, but looking like it cost 10 times as much as it did – and took not 5 but 25 days to shoot. It proved yet again that there are not limits to what talent and perseverance, and a broad network of motivated, gifted friends can do!

See the link for more info on The D-Monster - it will be traveling festivals all over the country. Catch it if you can – you will love it!

And here is my version of Catherine Reitman, or the definitive D-Monster, in her Full Evil Glory!!!

Beware  …

“you CHANGE my WORLD! Great faces of Altadena” opened to a full house… we had standing room only, and a great party to boot! IT was the largest art opening at The Coffee Gallery to date. Many of my Muses – the subjects for my portraits joined us and loved the art, and even better, bumping into old friends and neighbors. I actually had no idea how many people that I painted, and others that came to the show from all over LA, knew each other, lost touch, and reconnected again.

I want my art to connect people. Looks like this first step in my new direction already did! Thank you all for coming to the opening – and if you missed it – please visit and check the art on display through the end of June!

The show with my latest, newest painting series opens in only two days – on June 1st, at The Coffee Gallery in Altadena! It is already creating quite a buzz around our town. Please come to see us, at The Coffee Gallery, and enjoy the art, the music, the java, and the locals. We definitely are a pretty colorful bunch up here on our ledge over LA!

For more details about the show and artist reception, go to www.youchangemyworld.com

I Love LA! This weekend was our wedding anniversary. Between 4 couples that joined us, we had over a century of uninterrupted monogamous relationships so we decided to celebrate in the heart of Hollywood: world capitol of glitz, glamour, prenuptial agreements and flavor du jour relationships.

We had a blast at the newest, coolest  hotel on the corner of Hollywood and Vine! Check out the “W”; and to make it even more fun, take the metro right to its front door from all over LA.  Enjoy the public art in the stations. It’s pretty cool. So is the pool on 12th floor of the “W” Hotel. “W” as a place got lots of attitude, but it also has a heart thanks to its wonderful staff, and thanks to both of them combined, it is a great place.

So Like I said – I LOVE LA!

We were invaded by the “Criminal Minds”. Cast and crew that is, filming on location in our home. And while I am too much of a wuss to watch the show as it deals with nasty people doing VERY nasty things to each other, we really enjoyed having them around very much! Their great team took over our world for 3 days, and left it much too quiet after all the Action! and Cut! moments.

It was odd to see our artsy home stormed by actors dressed as FBI agents, with their (fake) guns drawn. And to make it even more fun, they used Charly’s and my art in the show.

That’s LA – a City of Sets, of make believe, and celluloid dreams… Powered by real people, with real lives. One just has to dig deeper to see below the surface here to find the passion and the real stuff that keeps us all going.

I have been having fun with more art, and tried a little different subject. This one is done for and dedicated to a great cause of conservation and helping chimpanzees in captivity, in an amazing place called Chimp Haven, a National Chimpanzee Sanctuary in Louisiana. The little chimp in this picture is a baby called Tracy, one of the Chimp haven youngest residents. Isn’t she priceless ??!

Tracy, the Youngest Resident of Chimp Haven, the National Chimpanzee Sanctuary

Conan and Jay … here is Leno Feelin’ the Blues…

Jay Leno Feelin' the Blues

A great Wednesday!… just read a story from a young friend of mine… Spencer Koelle… with a deliciously twisted imagination

http://www.thousand-faces.com/f_chick.htm

check it out!  … will need to make a portrait of him too … in the meantime, here is my Cool Breeze … a good old friend with the biggest heart and an inimitable style of his own.