r u LA? malibu

r u LA?
Entering into an art opening in LA can be daunting when you are a lone female with no friends waiting.Even more so when you are wearing chrome platform shoes on cobblestone.

Open-toe Jessica Simpsons in gun metal grey with a strap running thru a gash in the heel. They are like a little work of art themselves which is unexpected coming from JS .

I topped it off with a subtle top, black slacks and a muted silver, soft, broken leather boho bag which I carry everywhere and surprisingly matches almost all my looks.

It was a little challenging traversing the cobblestones, but like a moth, was driven towards the light of the gallery. I love a well- lit show.

Tracy Park Gallery lies nestled in the heart of Malibu just off PCH on Cross Creek road which becomes a spread out mall with islands of commerce to explore here and there. Quaint , cool, natural with sweet shopping potentials and too many cafes without action. The smell and night sky alone is worth the drive from Downtown LA.

Paul Sorvino was the exhibiting artist. The artwork consisted of simple figure studies and larger bronze sculptures. Its a fair amount of work. Full size human figures lying, standing, busts, legs, torsos, the works. He's got the basics down (which is alot considering scale and proportion) and one can even perceive bits of personality coming thru. The crudely shaped eyes that give a strangely piercing awkwardness and the bits of evidenced clay left unsmooth. He's got an understanding of the aesthetic and aspires to Rodin. Ok, I'd say Rodin 101 graduate. The Degas idea of models lying in a floating bowl is something I newly discovered so it was kinda cool to see him use that with a full figure.

Will he give them out as Christmas gifts to his closest friends or executive studio heads?

It was not a pretentious opening in the least. One got the sense of friends and family coming out to see and support like any beginning artist before the politics and publicity turn it all into a zombie standard. I am not familiar with Paul Sorvino's work. I do not know exactly how long he has been doing these sculptures. I am merely writing my opinion from what I evidenced and what I know, which when it comes to art is second to Sister Wendy.If you don't know, google, I can't educate everyone on all points.

The crowd turned out to be fairly harmless, fashionable and nice. A few industry wanna b- take my picture types but they proved useful as evidenced by the following pics. The artwork set a nice backdrop and I quickly acclimated to my cell camera capturing compositions and directing victims into frame of composition. They were willing and fun but I still felt like I was crashing someones party. Drinks, cigarettes no...Ok pics and play with people. I'm good at both.

My picture taking style caught the insecurity of the hired commercial photographers and the intrigue of a few guests, including Mr. Sorvino who went by said hi and I congratulated him.

"Thank you" he responds and I couldn't resist.. "Wheres Mira?" , like we were neighbors or something. "In New York!" he says emphatically sounding like every womans father who's daughter is in another state. Or more particularly like an Italian or Greek would. Its very similar. It's a mediterranean thing.

After briefly meeting Tracy Park, I was heartened to watch her carry out the garbage and handle guests in high heels with shimmering short dress and faux diamond baguette. Appropriately glamorous.

The garbage bag actually looked fashionable and I wished I had a better camera .

I'm going to save the idea for a fashion editorial. High heeled , made up models with diamonds and trash bags like purses. It has an environmental savvy to it. Even if someone swoops it up , they can't do it as well as me. This is small consolation and I fleetingly wish I did more photography professionally. This was before directing Sorvino for a shot under the three row spotlights that lined the outdoor wall of the gallery. As anticipated, they came out cool.This is the stuff that those agency photographers can't even think of. Edgy, poetic, real and cinematic with my shitty little Blackberry wannabe Blitz phone. Shutup, I'm waiting for the Droid.

The Gallery closed down and I headed over to Tony's Taverna for familiar faces and Greek music. It was off the hook and after making conversation with a Persian girl who spoke Greek, Sorvino and his party joined the scene taking table outside while we headed in. I was greeted like a long lost friend by Sotiri the keyboardist and proceeded to hit the dance floor and join the melee. There was not much room to dance and when a lady broke a plate it was cleaned up too soon and with too many apologies from her husband to make it authentically Greek. Its the kind of thing that makes me wonder about LA. Is it laid back or simply late?

It all ended too soon for a saturday night with the place closing at 12:30. No more drinks, nothing. Props to the bartender for putting my malibu drink in an exotic cocktail glass tho. I hate those short $10 drinks in cheap glasses.

A new standard created by the cheap, greedy and classless. Anyway, good drinks, (great food) great music, exempting the bands version of Bombalaya or whatever by the Gypsy Kings. But why o why does LA close down so early? And why o why is it so hard to find real authentic aliveness and fun in a city of so many actors?

You would think everyone would be playing sitcom improv all night but no , there is like this nervous insecurity that fills the air that disallows for any fun. When you get your own show then you can have fun like Ellen.

Damn, so even tho I had a good time and a great drive back carefully absorbing the look of the headlights in my rearview mirror, I am once again left wondering, whats up with LA ? Why is it not a 24hr city. Why is it a rarety to have a genuine conversation? Why are there so many useless laws and ordinances? Why do we obey so easily? Greece and LA are on the same latitude line giving us similar weather and fire challenges but the party starts in Greece when the party ends in LA and the goal of the evening is to be dancing on tables till dawn, then go out for coffee and relax the next day. People really cut loose unapolagetically and anarchy is a popular custom. I think about going back to Greece but would I miss the english language? The popular culture? the contemporary art? the tattoed guys who ride vintage bikes, the veggie burgers and yoga.

Its confusing and once again I find myself asking myself r u LA?

Thats what this is about . Finding out what is LA and showing it to you thru me, the artist Kali.

Feel free to tell me, invite me, show me, write me in my quest to represent.

I am a LadyOctopie@yahoo.com.

Till then , swoosh onto the next wave of thought.