dearantler turns 3!

November 23, 2016

dearantler opened its virtual doors on December 15, 2013 and we're throwing a party (in real life, not virtual!) to celebrate 3 years of shenanigans and 10 art shows.

Come out and say hello, enjoy live music by holiday carolers and the Peanut Butter & Jellies,* go on a guided moonlight hike, sip a drink...and of course enjoy the artwork. Brand-new work and selections from all past shows will be on display, including work by the talented Diana Kohne. Check out the gallery and attic for a taste.

The event takes place at TreePeople's Coldwater Canyon Park, a beautiful refuge in the middle of LA. Extra points for anyone who can decode the symbols at the bottom of the poster (hint: each represents a past show title and a Hitchock film).

*The PB&Js are: Edith de Guzman, Laura Derby, Jessika Mitchell, Danny Carmichael and Rodney Rodriguez.

For the Birds

November 10, 2014

This month we shift our focus skyward, paying homage to our winged brethren. Our fine-feathered friends are the first to greet us with song in the morning, the first to warn us when a storm approaches, and the first to mark the changing of the seasons. Whether migratory or resident, raptor or forager, social or solitary, birds observe the cadences of life closely. It has been my experience that they have much to teach us.

That must be why birds figure so prominently in art and lore. After all, what would the night sky be without Cygnus the swan flying over the Northern Hemisphere? Can we imagine Edgar Allan Poe casting a weasel as the ever-present creature responding "Nevermore"? What would Sesame Street be without Big Bird?

We'll let you, our esteemed Jedheads, ponder these thought-provoking questions.

Rare Window

April 4, 2014

I'm thrilled that Rare Window - Three Views Into Los Angeles is introducing dearantler's first guest artist, Diana Kohne, whose artistic style and name I really like. Why name, you ask? Jolly. Edith. Diana. JED. It's meant to be. Yes, I am a buck who appreciates a nod of acknowledgment every now and then.

Rare Window is a collection of disparate insights into one of the world's most alluring cities, an iconic destination that has been mythologized endlessly in film and literature, a metropolis with a climate so desirable that it thrives year-round day and night, a place where world-class beaches are a half-day's drive from the driest deserts and the tallest mountains. Los Angeles is also one of the most ethnically diverse places on the planet, a city where wealth and poverty are separated by a few short miles, where imagination and dreams are juxtaposed against life's realities.

Los Angeles is a tough nut to crack. Many have tried - Raymond Chandler, John Fante, Ed Ruscha, David Hockney and Paul Thomas Anderson to name a few - and many more will use their creativity to try to interpret what makes it tick. This month's show adds to this discourse in its own small way.

Dial D for Drought

February 23, 2014

Dear Jedheads,

We’ve all heard the news. California is in a severe drought, the worst in recorded history and possibly in 500 years. As of the week of February 18th, 91 percent of the state was experiencing severe to exceptional drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. California’s “Golden State” moniker is gaining new meaning as hundreds of thousands of acres of cropland go fallow and our state’s role as the nation’s breadbasket is threatened.

Couldn’t we just pick up the phone and “dial D for drought” to alert government agencies to do something about it? In the face of a problem of such epic proportions, can individual action really amount to anything meaningful?

See all art posts

See all travel posts