Saturday, September 20: “Havana Before Castro” booksigning with author Peter Moruzzi at La Luz de Jesus Gallery

LA LUZ DE JESUS GALLERY
4633 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles CA 90027, 323-666-7667 Fax: 323-663-0243

“Havana Before Castro” booksigning with author Peter Moruzzi
Saturday, September 20, 2008, 6 – 8 pm
La Luz de Jesus
4633 Hollywood Bl.
Los Angeles California 90027
(323) 666-7667
 
http://laluzdejesus.com
 

“Havana Before Castro” richly illustrates Cuba’s astonishing pre-Castro history

Through vintage and contemporary photographs, brochures, and artifacts evocative of time and place, Havana Before Castro: When Cuba Was a Tropical Playground (Gibbs Smith, $30.00, Paperback with Flaps, August 2008) by Peter Moruzzi, tells the story of the city that was the most popular exotic destination for Americans during the forty years between World War I and Castro’s revolution. With the resignation of Fidel Castro as Cuba’s leader in February, the world is turning its attention to the former “Paris of the Caribbean” with increasing curiosity towards it amazing pre-revolutionary past. Havana Before Castro satisfies this curiosity through 256 pages and more than 500 color and black & white images. In addition to illustrating Havana’s mid-century history, the book gloriously depicts – through “then and now” photographs – what still remains for rediscovery in the 21st century. Witness how Havana evolved from America’s Prohibition haven to a heady blend of nightclubs, outrageous cabarets, all-night bars, and backstreet brothels. Visit the seamy Shanghai Theatre as well as the glamorous Tropicana, Montmartre, and Sans Souci nightclubs. Celebrate Cuban music’s influence on American popular culture and explore the city’s little known mid-century Modern architectural heritage.

Born in Concord, Massachusetts in 1961 and raised in Hawaii, Peter Moruzzi graduated from the University of California at Berkeley and later attended the American Film Institute in Los Angeles. An architectural historian by profession, Moruzzi is a writer and lecturer who is an acknowledged expert on mid-century Modern architecture and design. Moruzzi resides in the Silver Lake district of Los Angeles and in Palm Springs, California. He has been obsessed with the history of Cuba since 1987.

Founded in 1969, Gibbs Smith specializes in beautifully illustrated lifestyle books covering topics such as interior design, architecture, cooking, children’s, home, green/sustainable and many more. Additional books from Gibbs Smith include the Leisure Architecture of Wayne McAllister and Picturing Los Angeles. Contact: Jennifer King Publicist 801-927-2171 jking@gibbs-smith.com, www.HavanaBeforeCastro.comRum, Rumba and Roulette

La Luz de Jesus is located at the Soap Plant/Wacko building, in Los Feliz at 4633 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90027. Gallery hours are Monday – Wednesday: 11am – 7pm, Thursday – Saturday: 11am – 9pm and Sunday 12-6pm.  For high resolution jpegs, interview requests and more information contact: Lee Joseph Publicity, 359 E. Magnolia, Suite F., Burbank, CA 91502, leejemail@gmail.com, p (818) 848-2698  f (818) 848-2699.

Friday, August 22: Robert Drasnin and Heather Watts sign a special limited “Voodoo” 7″ picture disc at La Luz de Jesus Gallery

Music legend Robert Drasnin signs “Voodoo,” “Voodoo II” and a special limited  “Voodoo” 7” picture disc with artist Heather Watts at La Luz de Jesus.

Friday, Aug. 22, 2008, 6 pm – 8 pm.
La Luz de Jesus
4633 Hollywood Bl.
Los Angeles California 90027
(323) 666-7667
 
http://laluzdejesus.com
 
Robert Drasnin deserves a solid spot in the history of exotica for his 1959 album “Voodoo” (also released with a different cover as “Percussion Exotique”), which exemplifies the genre as well as the best of Martin Denny or Les Baxter. Following its release, in fact, he was hired to arrange Denny’s “Latin Village” album. Raised in Los Angeles, Drasnin started as an alto sax player, working with Tommy Dorsey, Les Brown, and other big bands. He later switched to flute and performed with small combos, including Red Norvo’s. After the early 1950s, he worked primarily as a studio musician and arranger. He did graduate work in composition at UCLA in the mid-1950s and became an associate conductor of the UCLA Symphony. He eventually became musical director for CBS television, where he scored such shows as “Lost in Space” and “The Wild, Wild West.” He and Gerald Fried handled most of the scoring work on “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” after Lalo Schifrin left. Drasnin also scored the films “The Hot Angel,” “Picture Mommy Dead,” “Ride the Whirlwind,” and “The Kremlin Letter.” He currently teaches film music composition at UCLA and has been rediscovered with the new revival of exotica.

In 2007, Drasnin collaborated with archivist and arranger Skip Heller and X drummer D.J. Bonebrake (on vibes) to record and release “Voodoo II.” Drasnin has been playing selections from both discs at various festivals around the country and in Europe with members of local symphony orchestras. He will be performing his exotic sounds live at the 8th annual Tiki Oasis festival in San Diego on August 15.

A special limited numbered 7” picture disc with tracks from both Drasnin CDs and artwork by Shag and Heather Watts will be on sale at this event. Canadian artist Watts will be on hand to sign the disc with Drasnin.

La Luz de Jesus is located at the Soap Plant/Wacko building, in Los Feliz at 4633 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90027. Gallery hours are Monday – Wednesday: 11am – 7pm, Thursday – Saturday: 11am – 9pm and Sunday 12-6pm.  For high resolution jpegs, interview requests and more information contact: Lee Joseph Publicity, 359 E. Magnolia, Suite F., Burbank, CA 91502, leejemail@gmail.com, p (818) 848-2698  f (818) 848-2699.

September 5, “Neofolk” by Anne Faith Nicholls, La Luz de Jesus Gallery

LA LUZ DE JESUS GALLERY
4633 Hollywood Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90027
323-666-7667 Fax: 323-663-0243

Anne Faith Nicholls
NEOFOLK.

Sept. 5 – Sept. 28, 2008
Artist Reception: Friday, Sept. 5, 8 – 11 pm
www.laluzdejesus.com
Online press release with images:
http://leejosephpublicity.com/show/annefaithnicholls
“Neofolk” is a new kind of folk art inspired by the narrative paintings of early colonial American and European folk art and the subconscious roots of Surrealism. “Neofolk” is the perfect way to describe multi-talented artist Anne Faith Nicholls’ current style. ”I like the way folk artists used paintings as a way to chronicle their day to day lives. So now, I am doing the same with my new experience in Los Angeles. It’s about change, relocation, growth, uncertainty, emotion, fear, love and perseverance. The show is unapologetically autobiographical and a great opportunity for a collector to obtain a deeply personal work,” states Nicholls, whose story is as colorful and unique as her art.

Nicholls’ life began in the provincial setting of Victoria, British Columbia in 1979 where she was born with a backwards heart. After open-heart surgery, she moved with her mother to Seattle where she was raised an only child. Nicholls credits these early experiences, as well as her upbringing, as the foundation and fuel that transformed her affinity for art into a necessity for expression. Themes of uncertainty, loneliness, urban chaos, flight, relocation, decay and growth can be identified by recurring images, symbolism, and characters within all of Nicholls’ work. Her highly personal messages are delivered in a whimsical, untraditional and often experimental painting style. Using a broad range of materials on each and every work, Nicholls often paints, sculpts, builds, designs and illustrates intuitively, allowing ideas to take form while in progress. Each one of her gallery exhibitions has featured site-specific installations relating back to her paintings. An avid antiques collector, animal lover, and art history junkie, she finds her inspiration in salvage yards, on walks in the city, and on walls of museums.

“Neofolk” consists of oil and acrylic paintings, drawings, installation and sculpture. The artist uses distressed wood and canvas for an antiquated look and feel that is part of her signature style. Drawings and supportive imagery will also be on display along with an installation that will give some insight to her creative process. Each work, true to her illustration background, has a story or mystery to it. Like a dreamscape, several different scenes appear to happen concurrently within one piece. Heavy with mood, her work is emotional and symbolic with her signature characters and imagery. “This will be my first major solo show in the Los Angeles area and I am excited to win over my new hometown. My goal is to make each and every work a lovely collector’s piece, with its own unique story that someone can relate to personally and hopefully pass down to loved ones in years to come, like a family heirloom,” states Nicholls.

http://www.annefaithnicholls.com
###
La Luz de Jesus is located at the Soap Plant/Wacko building, in Los Feliz at 4633 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90027. Gallery hours are Monday – Wednesday: 11am – 7pm, Thursday – Saturday: 11am – 9pm and Sunday 12-6pm.  For high resolution jpegs, interview requests and more information contact: Lee Joseph Publicity, 359 E. Magnolia, Suite F., Burbank, CA 91502, leejemail@gmail.com, p (818) 848-2698  f (818) 848-2699.