Dean Karr, a prolific music video/commercial director known for his directorial work with artists such as Marilyn Manson, the Dave Matthews Band, and Ozzy Osbourne, who will bring his cutting edge photographic images to Snap Flash. Founder of Create:Fixate, Michelle Berc catches up with Dean, who has been a major artistic influence in her life. Before Create:Fixate came to be, Michelle was an aspiring music video director and Dean’s work has held an inspirational spot close to her heart. It is an honor to have him participating in Create:Fixate’s All Photography show this Saturday, April, 28th.

ANY LOVES OTHER THAN ART?  WHAT MOVES YOU MOST IN LIFE?
Diving with great white sharks, traveling and loud music.  I do two great white shark expeditions every year for the last ten years and love being so close to a predator so dangerous!

IF YOU WERE A MUSICAL INSTRUMENT, WHAT KIND WOULD YOU BE?
I would definitely be a Gibson Les Paul guitar, of which I own several.  Shredding guitar has always been a big part of my character and instrumental in my work!

WHAT IS THE BEST ADVICE YOU’VE EVER RECEIVED?  BEST ADVICE YOU’VE EVER GIVEN?
Be quiet and listen before you speak, especially when having a conversation with a client.

WHAT SUPERPOWER WOULD YOU HAVE AND WHY?
Time traveling would be a lot of fun!

IF YOU COULD LIVE ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD WHERE WOULD IT BE AND WHY?/WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PLACE IN THE WORLD?
My favorite city in the world is Prague, followed by Buenos Aires, but Prague has that mystical, gothic character than can also be found in my work.  I’ve shot there a good half dozen times over the years with Ozzy Osbourne and others.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE “CAUSE” AND WHY?
I think anything to do with protecting children or the oceans is what I get most worked up about.  We are slowly affecting the shark finning industry, but it’s just sickening to me what happens to these innocent animals.

HAVE YOU ALWAYS KNOWN YOU WANTED TO BE AN ARTIST?  HOW DID YOU DISCOVER YOUR TALENT FOR ART?
I had always been shooting heavy metal bands in Seattle since the young age of 16.  I definitely had my interests in the right place at a young age and learned unless you chase something it’ll not come so easy to you.

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT WHEN YOU’RE PAINTING/MAKING YOUR ART?
I’m intensely concentrated on composition, lighting and sensuality when I have a subject in front of my lens.

WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE/MOST INSPIRATIONAL ARTIST(S)? WHAT ART MOVEMENTS HAVE INFLUENCED YOU?
Favorite artists are definitely Jan Saudek, Joel Peter Witkin, Dave McKean, Kent Williams and Dave McKean.

DO YOU WORK ONLY WHEN INSPIRED?
Well when our work load gets heavy I don’t have much time to think about anything else.  Delivering the final product becomes my life and I am quite good at staying focused, even if a job lasts for several weeks.  I become the job!

WHAT IS MORE IMPORTANT TO YOU: SUBJECT MATTER OR TECHNIQUE?  PICK ONE AND EXPLAIN.
Both are very important to succeeding in this line of work.  What I think is a bunch of bullshit is when you have a room full of artists wanting to discuss “theory” about any medium.  It’s either inside you or it’s not.

WHERE DO YOU FEEL ART IS GOING?
I like the progression I’ve undergone.  Starting with photography, getting into music videos and commercials and now just waiting for the right feature film.  That is ultimately the big picture which will take me to my years as an old man.

IN YOUR OPINION, IS ARTISTIC CREATIVITY SOMETHING YOU LEARN OR SOMETHING YOU’RE BORN WITH?
As mentioned earlier, I believe it’s clearly either born within you

WHY DO YOU LIKE MAKING ART?
The satisfaction of seeing people react to my work is always fun, whether positive or negative.  I like leaving interpretation open to individuals.  I also like the freedom of life it’s afforded me to enjoy.  I’m not tied down to anything or anyone.

WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE ARTIST’S ROLE IN SOCIETY?  HOW HAS YOUR STYLE CHANGED OVER TIME?
It’s perhaps gotten a bit slicker since starting my professional career around 1990, ya gotta re-invent yourself and there’s nothing wrong with getting slick, just don’t lose your “edge.”

WHAT PROJECTS ARE YOU WORKING ON NOW?
I just finished the new #1 music video for Evanescence, just had the pleasure of having 15-year reunion with Marilyn Manson, resulting in an amazing photo shoot and am directing Lisa Marie Presley’s new music video this week, which I’m very excited about!

Thank you for taking the time to let us get to know you. We are looking forward to next week’s exhibit!

ART CRITICS WANTED!

Create:Fixate’s newest original program, “Best in Show” allows our patrons to rate their top-three favorite artists at each event- bringing out the art critic in just about anyone! Patrons can pick up their ballot at the entrance or at art sales and then explore the gallery hunting down their favorites!

The top three artists voted best in show will be awarded prizes from participating sponsors that support the artist’s creative endeavors! At the same time, patrons will be entered into a drawing to win prizes too! It’s a win/win situation!

A very special thank you to the following “Best in Show” Sponsors from our July 2011 event “Stop:Pause:Now” : Utrecht, Castelli Framing, MOCA, Wurstkuche, and Royal/T.  These companies generously supplied prizes for our top three artists and three of our lucky patrons!

The “Best in Show” winners from “Stop:Pause:Now” in July 2011 are:

First Place: Christina Angelina

Second Place: Kenneth Ober

Third Place: MIchelle Matthews

We would also like to congratulate the following patrons:

One Membership to MOCA goes to: Feli Ramos

A gift card for Royal/T goes to: Robyn Ford

A giftcard for Wurstkuche: Jimmy Razo

Thank you to everyone who participated! We look forward to hearing from you at future events when we once again ask the question,“Who will be Best in Show?”

To review past show winners, please click on the links below:

“Rise” – April 2011

“Vitalize” – April 2010

“Infinity” – December 2009

“Snap Flash” – September 2009

“Build” – June 2009

“Wisdom Within Us”  - March 2009

“Lucky 7″  - December 2008

“AMP” – September 2008

The scope of photography that has crossed my desk just so far this year started in earnest with progressive documentarian and social theorist Allan Sekula at Christopher Grimes Gallery, and from there branched out to post-modern romantic portraiture by Tasya van Ree, and Tranimal-inspired Pin-Ups by Austin Young. I covered iconic candid shots of rock stars by Henry Diltz, and sensational vernacular photography by the once-unknown Vivian Maier at Merry Karnowsky Gallery. The same week that I was a docent at photo LA, I covered old-school artist Bruce of Los Angeles’ fancy physique shots at Stephen Cohen, and reviewed the absurdly gorgeous book of the international artwork of ABOVE from Zero+ Publishing. Soon thereafter, the compelling group show of contemporary landscape photography Manifest Destiny at Analog Salon, and the unique, years-long portrait project by Sam Comen, 30 at 30. I profiled controversial, irreverent, and gifted fashion-fine art crossover phenomenon Jill Greenberg, and reviewed Kevin Cooley who was showing simultaneously at Kopeikin Gallery and Young Projects Gallery. I covered Backyard Oasis at the Palm Springs Museum — a mammoth and fantastic survey of the swimming pool in photography –for my previous post at this page. From that delirious and dazzling trip through the past to another, the show of new prints of previously unknown images of LA from 1949 by Ansel Adams warranted two pieces — a preview and a proper review.

By this point, I’d heard that the beloved annual SNAP:FLASH All-Photography Create:Fixate was being planned to coincide with the fast-approaching MOPLA, and I thought, yeah, perfect, photography is the order of the day around here — and I wondered both why that was, and what had taken so long. Since then, I wrote up Daido Moriyama at LACMA, and I’m working on a review of Fatemeh Burnes’ new heartbreaker of a book, also out from Zero+ Publishing. And it occurred to me in a snap/flash, so to speak, why it might be that photography, especially landscape photography and candid portraiture — in other words, pictures of the real, outside, everyday world — is experiencing such love at this moment. I think it’s because people are going nuts looking at tiny pictures on phones of faraway places and they want to see big, tactile prints of real places on a human scale. So with that idea bouncing around in my brain, I’m proud to be a part of two very different but equally fascinating MOPLA events in the lead-up to the big SNAP:FLASH party on April 28. Thursday, April 19th, I’m moderating a panel discussion with all the artists at the closing reception for BEYOND THE IMAGE downtown at KGB Studios. The curator Dale Youngman asked me to engage the very talented artists in the show on the topic of how technology has changed the genre. I’m feeling like a Luddite these days, so we’ll just see how that goes.

Then the next day, Friday, April 20, we open a group show of 12 photographers I curated at Analog Salon in Culver City. It’s called LOOKING GLASS. Here’s what I said it would be about: “Everyone knows a painter, for example, starts with a blank imagination” whereas photography by definition involves interacting with the external world not entirely of your making. For LOOKING GLASS I’ve assembled a dozen photographers whose work is in various ways made in a collaboration between the imagination and the world — to explore ways that the camera is an expressive, fantastical, imaginative and pliable medium as well as form of document that contains evidence of external reality.” Again, I seem to be returning to this theme of tactility and reality when it comes to photography –

a medium whose technological range allows for the most advanced kind of illusion-making. I also got a new iPhone, and now there are literally about 7000 pictures in my camera, so there’s this other aspect of the need to document what we experience in extreme detail, externalizing our memories to our devices and our clouds and perhaps more tellingly, having learned how to have direct experiences that are inevitably viewed as potential subject matter for a snapshot. We frame everything we see through the lens (pardon the pun) of photography. Encountering such a volume of classic examples in such a short period of time, and having that juxtapozed with a celebration of the new moment in photography has given me a rejuvenated appreciation and love for the artform, and a refreshed pair of eyes with which to navigate MOPLA.k canvas and piles of pigment and that whether they makes landscape, portrait, or abstract images based in whole, in part, or not at all on external phenomenon, that the thing they make is wholly created from “nothing” or, put another way “

This Saturday is Create:Fixate’s I ART YOU soiree celebrating their 10 year anniversary. It’s hard to believe a decade has gone by, but then again it feels like yesterday when they first started to lay the foundations of their fruitful playground. Create:Fixate has become a fixture in the emerging art world with their bi-monthly art and musical showcases. There is always a lot to take in when you enter a Create:Fixate space… curated rooms and outdoor backdrops form the stage for a variety of visual and performance art, immersed in the sounds of LA’s most groundbreaking electronic music. Their network of charitable and outreach programs has also been incorporated into the line up for those rich in passion but falling short on funds. One thing is for sure, C:F has been the center stage for upcoming artists, passionate about changing our perception of art for the last 10 years, and there is no stopping them now.

WELO meets with founder Michelle Berc on her 10 year transformational process of the Los Angeles art and music community.
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WELO: Since many artist reside in Venice, WELO Venice wanted to extend a big congratulations on your 10 year anniversary.
How does it feel?

MB: Thank You! It definitely feels like a major accomplishment and then I think where did all the time go? Create:Fixate has a true grassroots beginning and it’s always been a journey through our multiple stages of growth. We’ve learned so much over the years and I strongly feel we are ready to really fly as we enter into a new era as a nonprofit arts organization.

WELO: What has changed artistically since the start of C:F? Is there something more artist are gravitating towards these days?

MB: We’ve always been known to mash it up both artistically and musically with the curation of each show, so it’s hard to say if artists are gravitating towards any one thing. But I do think the art world has become more open to non-traditional mediums. I also think the LA art community is stronger than ever and it’s because artists like myself started creating our own opportunities rather than relying on the traditional gallery system.

WELO: I remember the earlier years and the loft parties. Did C:F start out as a solo project or perhaps an idea you had over night? Also, When did the transition of it’s success happen? Do you recall that moment or year when you felt established in the Art/Music community?

MB: C:F started from my yearning to exhibit my own art along with wanting a more festive environment to explore creativity. I always had a DJ at my first few art shows. In fact, Andrea Graham who is our music coordinator was that DJ. We were both very much into art and music. I knew when I moved into the loft downtown that I had to take advantage of the space so we gathered our artist and DJ friends and together with our neighbors we opened up our building and had our first art party. It was a hit from the beginning. Everywhere I went people were asking me “When’s the next one?” so I guess the pressure was on… But it was the good kind of pressure. By the third Create:Fixate we had hundreds of people lined up outside our building wanting to get in.  I had to look into getting proper event permits and purchase our first credit card machine to handle art sales (so this might have been my first moment of feeling that “Arrival” state of mind). It all happened so fast and I really don’t think I understood it all as I was always running to keep up with this thing I created called Create:Fixate. Sometimes I call it a beast… But it’s a beautiful beast! For many years we were moving so fast trying to do quite a bit for the community with very little resources. There came a point when I had to pull back the reigns and give this beautiful beast some structure if we were going to have any kind of sustainability.
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WELO: What are you the most proud of?

MB: The opportunities that have come to be for many artists because of C:F. I’m proud to give an artist their first show and help sell their first art piece. The same goes for turning our patrons into art collectors. Many have bought their first piece of art ever at C:F. Most recently I’m proud of how we work in themes into each show to add a philosophical aspect. Lastly, the community out reach to at-risk youth is near and dear to my heart. I love to inspire people, it’s in my blood.  Whether an emerging artist or a child learning to find their voice through creativity, it brings me so much joy to guide people through their artistic discoveries.

WELO: C:F not only explores art but electronic music. Do you feel you had a part in the way the electronica subculture has resurfaced into the mainstream radar? How do you feel about electronic music these days?

MB: I think the path that electronic music has carved has been a very natural progression just like the history of other musical genres. Electronic music cannot be stopped… It is endless because of technology and because of this it will forever be evolving as new sounds are created and electronic music styles merge. Currently it seems like there are a gazillion subgenres..   Culture is a living and breathing energy that we subconsciously gravitate and evolve with. There will always be forward thinkers or for better words taste makers that will take lead on introducing new music, art, sports, or any other lifestyle to the greater public. There are the innovators (aka the creators) and then there are the patrons or explorers that want to be stimulated or inspired. We can’t take full credit but I know we contribute to the flow of current culture.

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WELO: Where will C:F be 10 years from now?

MB: I am finally looking forward to pursuing a permanent space…. But I don’t just want a gallery… I see a building with art studios, a gallery, a social space with class rooms for workshops and kids programming… A space that welcomes collaboration from all creative directions. A space where the most current cultural energy thrives.

WELO: We are looking forward to your next evolution.  Congrats on the 10 year ride, I look forward to I ART YOU (appropriately themed).

MB: Thank you for your patronage… I do it for you and the rest of Los Angeles.

For more information & more on their 10 yr soiree this Saturday, check out their website & celebration page below:

https://www.createfixate.com/

I ART YOU 10 year celebration page.
https://www.facebook.com/events/253671254703680/

Create:Fixate Presents
Snap Flash
All Photography Show
At Premiere Events Center in Downtown Los Angeles
Saturday, April 28, 2012

LOS ANGELES, CA – April 9, 2012 – Arts organization Create:Fixate (C:F) is proud to participate in MOPLA (Month of Photography – Los Angeles hosted by the Lucie Foundation) with its all photography exhibit Snap Flash on Saturday, April 28, 2012 at the Premiere Events Center in Downtown Los Angeles. C:F’s signature blend features vibrant artwork and music produced by over forty local artists, DJs, and musicians. The excitement begins at 4:00pm with a three-hour gallery preview.  The main event starts at 7:00pm and closes at 2:00am.  Admission is $15.00 before 9:00pm and $20.00 for the remainder of the night. Premiere Events Center is located at 613 Imperial St., Los Angeles, CA 90021. For more information, including an image gallery of participating artists works, please visit www.createfixate.com <http://www.createfixate.com/> . C:F can be reached by phone at 310-590-7199for other inquiries.

The evening begins with a preview of the exhibit from 4:00pm to 7:00pm. There is a $5 suggested donation during this period but kids twelve-years old and younger are allowed free entry.  Parents are encouraged to bring the whole family during the preview hours and take advantage of the Kids Kreativity Zone.  Overflowing with art supplies, the Zone provides a supervised space where youth can dive into their own expression while parents explore the exhibit.  While all ages are welcome during the preview, attendees must be 21-years old or older to enter after 7:00pm.

Snap Flash will present an array of images adhering to the premise that life can reside in a single moment in time – and in that millisecond, a whole story can be told. This show will honor moments in time that would have never been shared without the presence of a photographer and their remarkable vision.

The curatorial direction will include all photographic mediums and styles including film, digital, 3D, multi-media image manipulation, and even interactive. Anything goes as long as the original image was captured on camera by our participating photographers.

As part of Create:Fixate’s community outreach efforts the organization continues to empower youth through arts with its Young Creatives Art Program. C:F is currently working with A Place Called Home (APCH) through 2012.  The second session has commenced for the month of April as C:F works with their digital media students on a photography project to be exhibited at theSnap Flash show.  APCH is a safe haven in South Los Angeles where underserved youth are empowered to take ownership of the quality and direction of their lives through programs in education, arts, and well being; and are inspired to make a meaningful difference in their community and the world.

Snap Flash will feature the creativity of over twenty-five photographers in the “Optical Lounge,” the evening’s visual feast, presenting a stunning array of painting, photography, multi-media, interactive installation, and performance art. Highlights include:
Dean Karr, a prolific music video/commercial director known for his directorial work with artists such as Marilyn Manson, the Dave Matthews Band, and Ozzy Osbourne, who will bring his cutting edge photographic images to Snap Flash.
Andrew Matusik collaborates in the creative process of producing fantasy and impact-full images. He does not shy away from pushing new mediums into new unexplored territory. He will bring his fresh creative approach and an aggressive application of new technologies to the show.
Tiffany Trenda is a video installation performance artist. Her process is to take technology (LCDs, video projectors, cameras, etc.) and create a digital environment with an embodied performance that simulates the human psyche. Her work is an investigation of how we are defined and redefined through the integration of technology.
The LA 3-D Club (Stereo Club of Southern California) is a Los Angeles based organization dedicated to promoting the art, enjoyment and science of stereoscopic 3-D imaging. The club will be exhibiting The 54th Hollywood International Stereo Exhibition 2012 – featuring a digitally projected selection of award winning 3-D photos from around the globe. In addition, the group will share stereoscopic 3-D projection from members of the LA 3-D Club.

“The Audio Lab,” otherwise known as the music portion of the evening, completes Create:Fixate’s vision.  Highlights include:
Garth Trinidad, the award winning, critically acclaimed radio personality, DJ, and culture critic who will bring his progressive mix of soul, hip-hop, and world rhythms to the night.
Joplin whose musical style is eclectic, but for the last 13 years, she has been mainly recognized for her deep and funky house grooves.
Space Ribbon who is foremost a composer/producer combining acid, dub, and techno elements; he has developed a mainly tech/deep house style of DJing.
And expect surprises from Matthew DeMerritt & Friends. DeMerritt is known for saxophone (tenor, bari, & alto) and also plays flute, keyboards, percussion, and melodica.

Create:Fixate is an arts organization that has now completed a decade of serving the emerging art and music community of Los Angeles.  The organization is best known for its signature blend of art and music, along with thousands of art lovers and party goers in massive – and at times intimate – warehouse locations and alternative spaces on a quarterly basis.  Founder Michelle Berccurates, produces and hosts these ambitious group art shows that present creative beings from around the globe with an emphasis on the local talent of Los Angeles. The production team also includes Music Coordinator Andrea Giardina, and a core team of volunteers and dedicated advisory board members. Awe-inspiring painters, photographers, sculptors, and multi-media artists exhibit alongside an equally impressive array of Los Angeles’ finest DJs and musicians. Each event’s aural artists are poised to create a soundtrack for the night that transforms this from a simple art show into one of the city’s most anticipated art events.

Optical Lounge:

Andrew Matusik -
Andrew Matusik is an image creator. His embracement of the digital medium of today has enabled him to advance the visual esthetic of photography.  His classic training, coupled with an aggressive application of new technologies allows him to produce surreal and impact-full images appealing to a new generation of visual consumers.

Avesha Michael -
Los Angeles based artist Avesha Michael is a photographer, designer and ceramicist.  The minimalist approach in Avesha’s work is very reflective of her process, very organic, honest and pure in nature.  As a commercial and fine art photographer, her work has been published in numerous magazines and publications and shown in galleries both nationally and internationally.  Her newest body of work, her “Paris in Puddle” series is highly graphic and abstract, yet gentle in contradiction.  The Puddle Series is an ongoing project and new direction for Avesha, as a photographic artist and has been very well received.

Cerraeh Dutchess Laykin -
Native L.A. photographer Cerraeh Dutchess Laykin has been drawing, painting and creating imagery since childhood. Though self-taught in photography, she has mastered capturing light, color and composition and has a passion for creating provocative images from ordinary objects, such as food and flowers.

David A. Knudsen (DAK) -
After years of practicing fine art photography, DAK has become almost entirely liberated from his DSLR. With the iPhone in his pocket, there’s never a lost opportunity to capture the beauty all around! With a primarily abstract style, DAK captures Reflections, Shadows, Textures and Patterns in our everyday world from a unique perspective. No apps or effects are used. It’s all about the composition and the aesthetic. He embraces the limitation of this instrument in creating captivating imagery.

When speaking of Director/Photographer Dean Karr, the one thing that people seem to agree about is that he is a true original. His signature style, often copied but never duplicated, has gained him international recognition as one of a small group of young media artists whose work interprets and defines our time.

Dean Karr -
Dean Karr’s prolific work as a music video/commercial director, and his cutting edge photographic images, have brought him to the forefront of his craft. His directorial work, with artists such as Marilyn Manson, the Dave Matthews Band, the Deftones, Ozzy Osbourne, Dr. Dre, Duran Duran and Velvet Revolver, reveals a highly-tuned sense of style, fashion, art, and storytelling. His music videos are constantly found at the top of MTV playlists, and have been nominated for major MTV, Much Music, Billboards, and MVPA Video Awards in each of the last several years.

Actively pursuing his feature film career, he is now in pre-production on his first major release “Condemned”. Karr’s photography has been the subject of numerous shows at galleries ranging from the Laguna Art Museum, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Karnowsky Gallery, to a show that travelled throughout Russia and the Ukraine in mid 1999. His striking album and print work is familiar to the music buying public.

Always finding inspiration from reality, Karr has developed a sense of adventure in seeking out unique settings for his projects. Recent ventures have taken him to such varied locations as the Amazon Rain Forests, and the chilled waters of South Australia to film the Great White Shark.

Erik Borzi -
Erik Borzi is a seasoned fashion photographer and a 3D digital artist with over 20 years of feature film and television commercial experience. In a departure from working in fashion and on blockbuster films, Borzi’s mixed media, fine art photography focuses on his fascination with the human condition through the use of archetypes as an instrument for visual narrative. In this series of images, his focus is on transformation and the uplifting support of a strong community during trying times. Borzi works with encaustic beeswax, an outstanding archival medium that has been around for over 4,000 years, for its archival properties and for its refractive properties, which slightly warps the image in ways that gives it depth and creates an overall ethereal visual experience.

Franklin Londin – Interactive 3D Photography Displays -
“Beyond single lens photography, 3D photography has the magical ability to draw you into a space.  More than remembering the event from a flat image, you are reliving the moment by the active engagement of your eyes and brain. In essence you’re time traveling.”

Franklin Londin is a two time Academy Award winner for his animation work on the Titanic and Spiderman2 visual effects teams. His passion is shooting 3D photography and sharing that passion with others.

Through his work he loves contributing to the “wow” in peoples’ lives. He wants to remind people of the amazing blessing of binocular vision. His interactive displays have been seen at art events around Los Angeles. They are meant to be touched and enjoyed. Franklin is  also a member of the Stereo Club of Southern California and a graduate of NYU Film School.

Jamais vu -
Jamais vu is a term in psychology (from the French, meaning “never seen”) which is used to describe any familiar situation, which is not recognized by the observer. Often described as the opposite of déjà vu, jamais vu involves a sense of eeriness and the observer’s impression of seeing the situation for the first time, despite rationally knowing that he or she has been in the situation before.

Jamais vu is more commonly explained as when a person momentarily does not recognize a word, person, or place that they already know. As a photographer Jamais Vu uses a digital camera to take photographs of models, places, and things. He then combines these images into new compositions and realities.

Javiera Estrada -
Javiera Estrada was born in Acapulco, Mexico on Aug.6 making her a Leo Rooster with a Scorpio Moon.  She was creative from day 1, always getting into trouble for drawing on the walls and sometimes her face with nail polish.  After many years of traveling, Javiera decided to settle in Los Angeles, enrolling in Santa Monica College, ranked one of the top photography programs in the country.  In school she was one of three chosen to receive a grant as an award of excellence and was honored a coveted mentorship program given to one student every three years. Soon thereafter Javiera continued to exhibit in over 16 gallery shows in L.A.

In regards to the creative process, Javiera believes that every piece of art is a self-portrait, a physical expression of that inner world that is nameless; the part of us that goes beyond our thoughts and self-created paradigms.  The external factors of time, light and space are inescapable influences.  The sound of the camera’s click is the confluence of these two worlds, a place between reality and the ethereal.

Jimi Dava -
Jimi Dava, born in Tbilisi Georgia the former republic of the USSR, moved to New York City with his parents at the age of 5, where he was immersed in the art culture that NYC had to offer. Dava soon realized his calling and attended the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University where he focused his studies on film.

He has gone on to direct Music Videos and Commercials and is currently working on his first feature film. Enamored with the Visual aspect of film Dava is rarely seen not taking a photograph. He is inspired by form, composition and the play between light and shadows. Dava currently resides in Los Angeles and continues to chase his dreams of becoming a raconteur through visual arts.

Kathy B. Shapiro -
Kathy B. Shapiro is a fine art photographer specializing in contemporary color images.  She seeks to create abstract art through manipulation of her lens and camera settings.  Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, Shapiro has lived in Laguna Niguel, California, since 1991.  Her work is currently on display and in the permanent collection of Hoag Hospital, Irvine, California.  She has been in various juried exhibits from Orange County, California to Middlebury, Vermont.  Shapiro has received awards in each of the past two years’ Single Image Contest in B&W + Color photography magazine.

Kristen Perman -
Kristen Perman is a California based photographer inspired by the urban suburban sprawl of her surroundings.   A Polaroid enthusiast, Kristen’s work unearths is an evocative collection of images of the everyday and familiar.  Kristen received a BFA from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco and lives in Los Angeles.

Manoosh Nabavi -
Manoosh Nabavi has earned her degree in Photography and Acting from Youth Cinematographer Center in Tehran, Iran in 2006. Growing up in an artistic family, to cinematographer parents, inspired her to be a creative thinker since her early days. She has worked in different fields of photography such as advertising, portrait and modeling, theater and cinema photography, she has also worked with different singers and music bands. She moved to the United States in 2010 and continued working in the same field. Her photos have been published in Eastern Eye magazine in UK in 2011. She believes that ” It is always possible to enjoy life, discover new and exciting things by observing carefully in our surrounding environment, by paying attention to details in these settings and by capturing the moments on camera”. She learned from photography to be aware of any of these existent details that lot of people would just passed and don’t pay any attention to them.

Norman Golightly -
A feature film producer by trade but relentless photographer by hobby, Norman Golightly spent much of the last two years focused on his volunteer efforts with the Cura Rotary Home in rural Kenya, an orphanage to 50 children who have lost their parents to HIV/AIDS. Golightly spent months living at the orphanage capturing what he found to be an unexpected world of color and optimism. Further sharing his passion for the still image, Golightly put the children themselves behind the lens through the gift of cameras donated from around the world.

Michael Rababy -
Documentary/street photographer Michael Rababy likes taking pictures of people.  He studied art history at the University of San Diego before spending time in Paris. Taking influence from Henri Toulouse-Lautrec and Henri Cartier-Bresson, his ethnographic documentary book, American Bachelor details the highs and lows of the single male.   His credits include The VICE Magazine Photo Book, Mercedes-Benz, E!, the style network, Fine Living, LA Weekly, the Village Voice, Time-Out New York, Citizen LA, LA Canvas, and TLC’s LA ink.  Michael lives in Southern California with his record collection and is currently at work on his latest masterpiece.

Patrick McPheron -
Patrick McPheron is a photographer and graphic designer based in Los Angeles, California. His work is inspired by music, pop culture, nature and—of course—his everyday life.

His nighttime long-exposure series takes the ordinary street corner and transforms it into an alien landscape whose sole function is design. Patrick will be showcasing new work that is printed on metal.

Paynie -
Steve Payne, oft known as “Paynie” started out working for the British rock journals NME and Melody Maker back in the early 80′s.  He then graduated to The Evening Standard (London’s newspaper) shooting editorial and portraits.  He did not attend any St. Martins College of Art nor read any fancy photography books.  He just used to take pictures and people seemed to like them.

He moved to LA in 1991 and worked as a video director, but never stopped taking pictures.  He still shoots some film/video, the latest being “The Revenge of the Electric Car,” directed by Chris Paine.  He is currently editing a DVD about the Seattle band, Candlebox. For years Payne has enjoyed shooting dancers, both stills and film, and one crazy evening these images got created with the fabulous Sonya Krimsky.

Robin Warner -
Robin Warner discovered photography June of 2010.  Motivated by a feeling of emptiness due to life changes, she was encouraged by a friend to pick up a camera.  This is the first time she had ever been behind the lens.  Her whole world opened up, she saw things she had never noticed before, she saw beauty everywhere.  ”Everywhere” included nature and, most interestingly, the streets, where she was particularly drawn to the homeless.  Moved by their stories and free spirits, so deeply inspired.  She thrives on capturing their soul, their spirit and their relationship to the environment.

Rex Bruce -
Rex Bruce has been working with art and technology for over two decades, distinguishing himself as an innovative artist, educator and curator working in a wide variety of computer related disciplines over the course of his career. Currently his focus is experimentation with a variety of low resolution digital cameras, using them as a starting point for inverting the conventions of photographic art and digital imaging. Bruce is the founder and director of Los Angeles Center for Digital Art. He founded the digital program at Artists Television Access (San Francisco) for which he curated exhibits and created curriculum. He received his masters from SFSU in Interdisciplinary Art where he also taught and developed curriculum for many years. His work has been shown internationally for over twenty years. Most recently he has emerged as a significant artist and organizer in the burgeoning Renaissance in downtown Los Angeles as well as becoming a leader in the exploding international scene revolving around art and technology. Video and photography from this current series have been exhibited at the Centre Pompidou, Laznia Center for Contemporary Art (Poland), Guggenheim Gallery (Chapman University), California Museum of Photography (U.C. Riverside), New Media Center Santa Ana, Found Gallery, Niche.LA Video Art, Silver Lake Film Festival, Downtown Film Festival–Los Angeles, photoLA, photoSF, and Scope L.A. and LACDA.

R. Dean Larson -
R. Dean Larson has been a professional photographer and a photography teacher in Los Angeles for over 40 years.  His Fine Art work has been influenced by two very different styles of photography:  the Architectural Documentary and the Hollywood Glamour styles.  He photographs locations, buildings, anywhere that has a sense of ‘place’ as a documentarian, and then glamorizes them through digital manipulation.  He uses the backdrop of the sky to add emotionality to the image.  His work has been shown internationally and is in many fine art collections.

Stephan Canthal -
Technology is a key component in the work of Stephan Canthal.  He began experimenting with the photographic medium while pursuing a Fine Arts degree at California State University of Long Beach.  His interest in advancing this medium and its process has led him to printing on multiple surfaces including aluminum, wood, film, and specialty papers.  As he explores the idea of printing images on different surfaces, he starts to use it to not only accent the image but to also create a communication between substrate and imagery.

Stephen Hutchison -
Stephen Hutchison studied art at the University of California, Los Angeles. He works in the mediums of photography, video, and installation. His latest series engages traditional landscape imagery while withholding the concessions of material and scale.

Sven Dreesbach -
Based in Los Angeles, California since 2004, Sven Dreesbach has worked as a visual effects artist for some of the leading post production facilities in the industry. Like so many others, he wasn’t able to resist the American West’ temptations with all it’s glorious natural and urban landscapes, eccentric inhabitants, and a sunlight so appealing to many photographers. As a result, still photography became one of his essential creative outlets during his spare time from work. His diverse portfolio includes landscapes, portraiture, street as well as travel photography – which became one of his trademarks.

Wobsarazzi -
Wobsarazzi is a self taught photographer from Costa Mesa, CA.  An Orange County native, he spent time studying graphic design at Cal State Long Beach and advertising at Cal State Fullerton.  It wasn’t until a couple years ago when he picked up the camera again that he had finally found his voice.  Wobsarazzi currently spends most of his time photographing weddings and events, but lives for those nights where he can explore the urban landscape.  Thriving in low light conditions, you’ll find him standing in the middle of the street with cars and buses passing by just a few feet away on any given night of the week.  His work draws inspiration from the speed of life and our constant battle against it.  By slowing down his scenes with long exposures, he aims to strike a balance of life’s constant motion and scenery that we often overlook.

Tiffany Trenda -
Tiffany Trenda is a video installation performance artist based out of Malibu, CA. She received her BFA from Art Center College of Design and her MFA from UCLA Design and Media Arts. She has exhibited at Robert Berman, Farmani Gallery, Photo San Francisco, Los Angeles Center for Digital Art, Korean Cultural Center, Highways, and Track 16. In 2009, she created an artist installation for Photo Los Angeles and performed live. Later that year she performed “Entropy” at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Trenda won the prize of The Artist of the Year at the London Creative Awards in 2008 and 2009.  In 2010, she performed at the World Fair, Shanghai, China.  Most recently, she performed at LACE (Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions) and displayed new media works at the A + D Museum in Los Angeles.

Her process is to take technology (LCDs, video projectors, cameras, etc.) and create a digital environment with an embodied performance that simulates the human psyche.  Her work is an investigation of how we are defined and redefined through the integration of technology.

Live photography by Daniel Jung featuring Kucoon Designs and Bel Kazanand, and Paynie (bio above)

Daniel Jung -
Daniel Jung is an award winning director and photographer living and working in Los Angeles, California. A former punk rock vocalist, his first start in the visual arts was designing flyer art for the San Francisco hardcore music scene in the 80’s. Surrounded by the grit of legendary clubs like the Mabuhay Gardens, street dwelling kids, and DIY fashion, his eye and aesthetic were shaped at an early age. After attending a recruiting presentation for art school, he escaped to Los Angeles to attend the Art Center College of Design and push his creative boundaries. Since then he has gathered a large roster of clients and awards for his ingenuity and style in photography, film, and art direction. Daniel’s photographs have appeared in numerous international magazines and publications including The Wall Street Journal, LA Weekly, Slave, Auxiliary, Dark Beauty, City Beat, PDN, Wraparound, 180, and Photographer’s Forum.

Fashion / Jewelry Designers:

Bel Kazan -
Bel Kazan is a line of contemporary women’s apparel inspired by the rich culture and natural beauty of Bali. The fit is universally flattering & modernly feminine, yet edgy. Originally from Istanbul, Turkey, designer Belinda Kazanci, travels to the stimulating island each season in search of bold, new print combinations in vibrant colors to be reflected in her latest designs. The collection maintains its unique vibe through its original prints, exquisite detailing, and versatility.

Constitution Couture -
(bio coming soon)

Delevo Designs -
After graduating from Columbia College, Deborah Vogt became a founding member of The Conjugate Projekt, Transamoeba Studios and The Chicago Art Department, participating in the creation of many collectives, multitudes of events and performance art installations throughout Chicago. She began creating her line of jewelry, Delevo designs, in the year 2000, even traveling to Bali to teacppowntown. She now divides her time between curating and singing in her band, Early Bird Circus. Her jewelry is hand-crafted, elegant and simple, using fine woods, sterling silver and gold, precious and semi-precious stones and recycled materials to create universal and distinctive designs.

Kucoon Designs -
(bio coming soon)

(soy’-ka designs) -
Natalie Sojka found her first elements of inspiration for this line at an antique shop in rural Pennsylvania. After seeing the unique blend of metal shapes and textures she was inspired to produce her current line of jewelry.  Her goal with this line is to give her clients something unique, sexy, authentic, and edgy to wear, as well as a conversation starter.  All pieces are handmade, one of a kind, and made from all recycled materials.

Victoria Reyna Designs -
This designer is a native of Argentina, now residing in the USA. She graduated as an interior designer in Buenos Aires. Her excitement about design takes her to many ways of expression: interior design, landscape design and now jewelry and fashion accessories. The concept of her work is minimalist, contemporary and architectural.

Viola Living Jewels -
Jessica Viola is a botanical designer and the founder of Viola Living Jewels and Viola Gardens. For the past thirteen years, Viola has been cultivating her design portfolio and practice based on sustainability, whole-system solutions and artistic vision.  Viola Gardens was born nearly six years ago, specializing in permaculture-based botanical design, CA native plant restoration, drought-tolerant water-wise artscapes, edible gardens and organics.  Viola Gardens has worked with a large range of clients throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles, both residentially and commercially.  Viola lectures on sustainable landscape design and permaculture at Santa Monica College, Venice Community Housing and Pepperdine University.  After many years of working in design, studying, stretching, exploring holistic living, traveling to South and Central America, playing music, singing, making art, creating gardens and teaching, Viola Living Jewels was born.  The collection features fashion-forward botanical jewelry; amulets of our wild essence.

Audio Lab:

Garth Trinidad (KCRW) -
Garth Trinidad is the award winning, critically acclaimed radio personality, DJ, and culture critic. Through his work in radio, music supervision, and as a voting member of The Recording Academy, he’s broken artists like MIA and Gnarls Barkley, exposed music of independent bands on HBO’s Emmy winning series, Entourage, and is credited in part for creating The Grammy Awards “Best Urban Alternative Performance” category. The LA based DJ is known for his signature style of finessing the airwaves to expose new and progressive international music while paying homage to the classic, by weaving together intergalactic tapestries of sound. Whether on the radio or live, Garth artfully explores a multitude of genres and movements. With skill and ease, he anoints with jazz, indie rock, hip hop, world rhythms, and electronic music to make his point. Over the years he’s satisfied dance floors in South America, Western Europe, and across the US, while his constant presence in Los Angeles and online has informed local and global music trends. http://www.garthtrinidad.biz

Space Ribbon (mirror-space/Berlin) -
In his teens, he was already a jet-set club kid migrating between the cultural capitals of EU & US. At 6 years old he began to play the keyboard, continuing on to teach himself cello, viola, drums, bass, and finally Ableton Live. Foremost a composer/producer combining acid, dub, & techno elements; he has developed a mainly tech/deep house style of DJ-ing, dramatic and climactic on the dance floor – but never forgetting to let the music breath.
Newest Mix: http://soundcloud.com/spaceribbon/flashback; Remix: http://soundcloud.com/space-ribbon/fever-ray-vs-minou-space-ribbon-remix

Joplin (Pocket, Pork & Beats) -
With an unusual and intriguing musical upbringing– spanning Bluegrass to Rock, Classical to Jazz and Punk to modern day Electronica-Joplin’s musical style can truly be called eclectic. For the last 13 years, she has been mainly recognized for her deep and funky House grooves, but her more recent repertoire extends far beyond to include Afro-Latin-jazz and Blues influenced Downtempo, Nu Disco, Broken Beat and Funk. http://pocketunderground.com/artist/joplin

Matthew DeMerritt & Friends -
Based in Los Angeles since 1997, Matthew DeMerrit has toured with Macy Gray, De La Soul, Talib Kweli, Rakim, Ghostface Killah, Pharoahe Monch, Breakestra and many more. He has recorded with George Clinton, Eels, Nine Inch Nails, Charlotte Gainsbourg w/ Beck, Everlast, Macy Gray, and many others. In addition to those he has toured with, he has performed with Santana, Mos Def, Common, Black Eyed Peas, , Benny Golson, Sharon Jones, Big Daddy Kane, Nikka Costa, Katy Perry, and many others. He has also contributed to numerous film and commercial projects. In addition to tenor, bari, and alto saxophones, he plays flute, keyboards, percussion, and melodica. www.mattdemerritt.com <https://img1.stun1.com/www.mattdemerritt.com>

Zygote (Architects and Heroes) -
Zygote is the brainchild of Stephen Ruiz, aka DJ Stephen R., founder of Architects and Heroes Records. With it’s origins in the Bay Area electronic music scene of the early aughts, Zygote was inspired by musicians that were at the forefront of the “laptop techno” movement. San Francisco Artists such as Kit Clayton, Kid606, J Lesser, Cex, Sutekh, Twerk, Safety Scissors and Matmos were all exploring new ways of producing and performing live electronic music at the time. It was this environment that was influential in paving the way for Stephen to launch his career as a recording artist, producer, DJ, and label owner.

The musical goal of Zygote has always been to use the mechanized process of electronic music production to convey complex human ideas through sound. With a decade of experience of navigating underground electronic music environs, Zygote is set to take these sound ideas to anew audience. With a newly formed line-up that includes new production partner Will Rosario (aka Asymmetrical Head), as well as guest contributions from a cast of vocalists and MCs, Zygote is embarking on the next chapter of sonic exploration. With a sound that’s influenced in equally by the early Warp Records,Hip-Hop, Techno, Dub and Experimental Music, the “Zygote Sound” is an aural landscape that is as much at home in an art gallery as it is on the dance floor -http://www.stephenruiz.com; www.architectsandheroes.net <http://architectsandheroes.net/> .

JC Chamboredon (Milan Records) -
JC Chamboredon, the head of LA based Milan Records, will provide his mix of downtempo, film scores and world beat.  www.milanrecords.com <http://www.milanrecords.com>

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For more information, images, or to request interviews, please contact Green Galactic’s Lynn Tejada at 213-840-1201 orlynn@greengalactic.com.

I Art You

Create:Fixate’s 10 Year Anniversary Exhibit
Saturday, February 11th, 2012

Premiere Events Center
613 Imperial Street
Downtown Los Angeles 90021

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A limited number of PreSale tickets are now available
until February 9th at 9pm unless we sell out sooner!
$15 Pre-Sale Tickets include VIP entrance all night long!

Click Here to Purchase PreSale Tickets

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I Art You

We are how we hold each other.

A poet once wrote “Losing myself in you, I discovered a million selves I never knew I had.”  Surrendering to love’s grace and receiving the blessing of love’s wisdom takes courage.  It takes a courage and a willingness to humble yourself, to let go of who you think you are long enough to allow love to transform you…. and your beloved. To know love is to know understanding. And to understand another, selflessly, purely and with good intention is the fire that feeds the desire to give, to find new ways of expressing our love.

They say the buddha has a thousand arms because there are a thousand ways to love.

True love knows the greatest joys are not in receiving as much as in giving. Indeed, the artists of the world know this. In a world laden with material masquerades, we can easily lose sight of time-tested mementos and simple gestures of the heart. home-crafted gifts and cards. a song sung by moonlight. a midnight picnic.  a photo album. a piece of art. love tokens.  How do you hold the people you love?  How do you express your understanding of another through the gifts you give? There are a thousand ways to express our love if our
love is rooted in understanding.

We are how we hold each other and we become how we are held by those that love us.
This Valentine’s day, remember that some of the greatest gifts can only be felt by the heart.
Touch their hearts with art!

In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, Create:Fixate will celebrate a decade of loving Los Angeles with Art, Music, and all things Creative with a themed show titled “I Art You.” We encourage all to make a piece of art expressing your love for those who are special in your lives.

Concept by Michelle Berc / Written by Jessica Viola

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OPTICAL LOUNGE
ART : PHOTOGRAPHY : SCULPTURE : MULTIMEDIA : INSTALLATION : LIVE PAINTING
Annie Terrazzo : Art Weeks : Brian Robertson : Curtis Brooks : Donna Trousdale : Emily White
Erik Abel : Gus Harper : Isabelle Alford-Lago : Jeff Klarin : Jeremy Crabtree : JK Wasson
John Park : Jon Measures : Kat Shoa : L. Croskey  : Luis Sanchez : Michelle Nielsen
Mike Russek : Neil Russell : Saul Escobar : Sebastian Halmagean : Sean Chango Chaffey
Stephanie Han : Zig Gron

LIVE VIDEO MIXING
Tari Karkanen

FASHION/JEWELRY/CRAFTS
Delevo Designs : Irene LAVA Jewels: Jenneration Fix
Luv Warrior : Pink Pianos:  (soy’-ka) designs : Viola Living Jewels

STUDENT ART WORK FROM OUR COMMUNITY PARTNER
A Place Called Home

FEATURING THE LOVE CAR ART COMPETITION
A LIVE PAINTING FACE-OFF ON A 2003 NISSAN SENTRA
John Park : Christina Angelina : Max Neutra : Michael Pukac

THE ART OF ROMANCE – SINGLES & COUPLES MINGLE – 9 – 10 PM
GUIDED BY RELATIONSHIP & PASSION CONSULTANT Barry Selby

VALENTINE’S DAY CARD MAKING STATION OPEN ALL NIGHT LONG (Adult Friendly)!

Plus more to be announced!
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AUDIO LAB
ELECTRONIC : EXPERIMENTAL : WORLD RHYTHMS : JAZZ : LIVE MUSIC

LAB .01
Silver Pesos Live : Valida KCRW : Aimé Aimemusic ltd
Mr. NumberOnederful Cannibal Flower : Dj Sebiseb SD Mixmasters

LAB.02
John Tejada Palette : HouseMates Venice : Christos Kedras Kapa Music/SOAK Brasil
Santana TruthSeekers Radio | KPFK : Theory Abstract Deep Funk Records : Charles Guilterre Fallen Fronds

CURATOR & PRODUCER Michelle Berc MUSIC COORDINATOR Andrea Graham

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Saturday, February 11, 2012 : 7pm – 2am

GALLERY PREVIEW 4-7pm
*Kids Kreativity Zone During Preview*

Premiere Events Center
613 Imperial St., Los Angeles, 90021
$15 Admission before 9pm / $20 after : Gallery Preview $5 Donation

A limited number of PreSale tickets are now available
until February 9th at 9pm unless we sell out sooner!
$15 Pre-Sale Tickets include VIP entrance all night long!
Click Here to Purchase PreSale Tickets Now

Our Gourmet tacos and burgers will be served all night long! (and is vegetarian friendly)

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*JOIN CREATE:FIXATE’S PATRON PROGRAM AND RECEIVE
SPECIAL DISCOUNTS AND PERKS AT ALL OUR EVENTS!

A VERY SPECIAL THANK YOU TO
C:F Board Members, Staff, Volunteers.& the amazing artistic
talent for their contributions to the C:F community!

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Special Thank You to our Contributing Partners:

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We are happy to announce that C:F was voted
LA Weekly “Best Art You Can Dance To – 2011″

“Liberate Your Perception”

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