Art:LA 2007

 

So I missed the boat in telling you about Photo:LA, a show each year at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium that boasts about 70 photography galleries, dealers and bookstores displaying (and hawking) their wares. It took place this past weekend, and I went yesterday. Although I couldn't fully enjoy the various offerings, owing to the crutches that impeded my mobility and left me huffing and puffing, it was on par if not better than last year's show.

Fortunately, I can still fill you in on the companion piece to Photo:LA, which takes place next weekend at the aforementioned location. Art:LA will showcase galleries, dealers and booksellers that offer works in an array of media.

Some artists I dig, whose work has been shown in the past and will likely reappear this year, include Megan Whitmarsh, former Royal Art Lodger Jonathan Pylypchuk, Souther Salazar and Saelee Oh. There are also galleries from far-flung and strange lands such as Vancouver, Milan, Stockholm and Miami, so there should be ample new discoveries to behold as well.

Check it out if you have a chance. It's a bargain at $15 for a day pass (Photo:LA was $20).

FAIR LOCATION

Santa Monica Civic Auditorium
1855 Main Street
Santa Monica, CA 90401

FAIR HOURS

OPENING RECEPTION
Thursday, January 25th, 6 - 9pm

PUBLIC FAIR HOURS
Friday, January 26th , Noon - 8pm
Saturday, January 27th, Noon - 8pm
Sunday, January 28th, Noon - 6pm

Coming Soon: Domaine 547!

 

In addition to the holidays and an injury, the Dabbler has been semi-absent because she has been hard at work setting up a new internet-based wine club and retailer, Domaine 547. The good news is that the website is getting ready for its launch (so long as the California ABC approves the liquor license). The bad news is...well, there is no bad news at this point (assuming the ABC approves the liquor license).

The club and store are directed at anybody and everybody (disclaimer: of legal age) interested in drinking wine, learning about wine, talking about wine -- in a welcoming and unpretentious environment. If you're curious to know more about the club/store, just email me and I would be happy to answer any questions you may have. I would also love to offer DoD readers a special charter membership rate. For membership inquiries, please email info@domaine547.com.

Injured List

 

The dabbler apologizes for not having posted in a while, but she is currently recovering from (minor) surgery and, prior to that, a hectic holiday season. She should be off the injured list and back in business in a week or two. Thanks for your patience. Maybe Ivy Pinkerton can fill in for her in the meantime.

Wine of the Week

 

Holiday Edition

While I don't want to seem repetitive, I feel the need to recommend the latest vintage of a wine I profiled last year, as it is much improved and worthy of note. Additionally, it makes a great, reasonably priced holiday gift (okay, I'm a little late in the game to be recommending anything for the holidays) as well as a lovely fireside swill.

So here it is, the 2005 Orin Swift "Prisoner". I was skeptical, as last year (though still recommended) was a little flabby in the mouth and definitely fell apart sooner than it should have. But I tasted the new vintage and was happy to find a bit more tannin and acid to ground the wine with a nice backbone. Okay, I'm starting to sound like one of those wine snobs, so let me rephrase that. This year's "Prisoner" tastes more like adult wine and less like it should have come out of a juice box. It has less Zin in it, and the fruit is less ripe with more tempered extraction.

As usual, the bottle is very handsome, with the label featuring the Goya painting after which the blend is named. Available at many retailers for $32.

Pinkberry in the media

 

Click on the hypertext article title if you want to see Travel & Leisure's late arriving blurb on the oft-blogged-about yogurt emporium. My guess is that the Larchmont branch is doing close to the same numbers as Huntley, though the rent is undoubtedly higher. They have Baskin Robbins, two doors down, shaking in their boots as traffic to the ice cream shop has dropped drastically. Comparison photos to arrive here, soon.

This is not my beautiful house (finally): Photographic Edition

 

Okay, so here are the photographs. I may as well post them here since you're unlikely to ever see them on the TV. I am guessing unless RAINES does gangbusters in the ratings, NBC will just cut their losses further and air only the first few episodes, and bury the additional. If it turns out to be a surprise hit, our living room may just have its television debut after all. But that's an uphill battle at best.















The above shows you the 'blacking out' of our living room that they implemented on the 'set-up' day.














If you look closely, you'll see hordes of people shooting an exterior shot a couple houses up from ours. But mostly you'll see the roof of my car.



















Above, you see the interior of our living room, dressed to resemble a crazy forensics artist/comic book nerd's lair. Oh, a dead crazy forensics artist/comic book nerd's lair...

Should we be concerned that they kept a few personal effects of ours to dress the fireplace, including three photographs of us? And, no, I'm not referring to the more prominent, and very creepy drawings. Those I will have to credit the art department with.

Below: I'm ready for my close-up...



















And finally, at 5PM, they get to the scene at our house. Notice anything missing below? Like the black-out tent they set up the day before? Well, it was already dark, so no artificial movie magic needed. Plus, the grips got to wrap early.

You'll also note in the right photograph our driveway being used as a satellite craft services station as well as the sound guy's area. Nobody was munching on granola bars or pixie stix, however (except me), as the bulk of the crew was in our house, trying to get the day overwith. Plus, I was told that there was a truck around the corner with a much better array of foods.



















Well, in the end it doesn't look like our living room looks so different from the way it usually does, but for the addition of those odd drawings and some clutter. They kept our rug, our furniture, even our drapes. Should we be flattered, or reconsider either our design standards or careers? I hear the LAPD is looking for forensics artists.

Camera charge

 

Okay, so my camera is ALMOST done charging. I will post photos soon. But in the meantime it looks like Raines, the show that used our living room might be D.O.A., as it was announced in various publications this week that NBC has curtailed production as of episode seven (we were episode six).

 

This is not my beautiful house...today a network TV show is shooting a scene in our living room. It currently looks like the lair of a comic-book obsessed madman. Pictures to follow.

Design Within Reach Coupon Alert!

 

This might actually make DWR within reach for some of us whose wallets are stretched thin these days. For the next week or two, you can receive $50 off an order of $50 or more at DWR.com, when you enter code BB306 during checkout. That's right, $50 off a $50 order...the only catch is that shipping prices are steep on DWR, and that there are only a handful of items at that low a price. There's also a code for $250 off a $1000 order, but the Dabbler didn't pay much attention to that one for reasons already mentioned.

Enjoy!