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| Posted by Peter v Schulberg at | | | |
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Old boat, old hardware, something's going to give. Yesterday it did. The company that was giving me 4 of the 5 bilboards is on the verge of taking them away. Too complicated to explain-- try four numbers and a letter-- the letter a small c. Got my congresswoman Diane Watson making calls to some place in Cincinatti. Not sure at all what will happen.
I feel terrible. For me-- been working on this for three years. But also for the artists. I can't face telling them their art won't be seen. Most have worked days, including Andrea who I finally had to almost physically pry off her painting after more than a week. Go Andrea. You don't know who's going to love or hate your piece but you want it just right. I had some, but a lot more respect for you now.
At this lowly point it looks like the only way I'll be able to get the four other billboards up is by forking over $20,000. Amazingly Beth actually thinks we should consider it.
I'm in the middle of a rather large lake. The main is blown. It's pouring rain...cold, early evening too, night soon. I don't think anyone from shore can even see me. The thunderstorm has taken all that's left of the wind so I can't use the jib. I'm just bobbing around on the waves, vulnerable, miserable. I've been here before, at the point where I say about something I love-- God I HATE sailing!
In movies help on the water comes from the Coast Guard, or a twin engine flying bridge charter... At first I can barely hear the faint buzz. Not impressive. Like a cicada insect every 7 years... faint, getting louder. But definately mechanical. Good sign. And slowly, through the fog... a small metal Duratech with an old Johnson 6 emerges. I can not make out the driver. I don't care. He throws me a line and I grab it-- not asking too many questions. I hope it's mutual.
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| Posted by Peter v Schulberg at | | | |
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The person in the small boat that gets me safely to shore is Mark Murray, director of the non-profit Californians Against Waste. Cawrecycles.org works to reduce waste in landfills. For me he took away my incredible anxiety. Because of him and the organization, and the ongoing enthusiasm for the project at CBS Outdoor, finally, on this Friday the 13th, we are back. My "renewable imagery" experiment lives. But more important, the art created by 11 hardworking artists will hit the skyline of Los Angeles next week.
The full scale billboard art pieces is the (large) icing on the cake, but OFF THE WALL 3 also has two dozen amazing smaller works that will be the gallery show. Those, plus the best of Off The Wall 1 & 2 should make for a memorable show. It's all finally happening. I guess I can show my face at the opening. |
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| Posted by Peter v Schulberg at | | | |
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First of all I'd be remiss in not thanking Teresa. She knows what she did. Not sure where we'd be without her quick thinking. On a little bit of a roll. Got Matt Adrian's 14 x 48 foot placed-- not where we conceived of the piece-- off the 5 freeway...!?#!?... but rather at the intersection of Mission and Ceasar Chavez. Here's a picture of it. Rather than being off the freeway it's over a junkyard. Kind of car related.
Matt was a good sport about it. It was my mistake. I'm trying to get it moved-- which will only ensure that my friends at CBS Outdoor will think that I'm not half, but a total idiot.
 
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| Posted by Peter v Schulberg at | | | |
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After the downer that was Matt Adrian's location I drove over tonight to see billboard #3. I was always worried about this one. The images seemed disjointed. Jason's "red sky" felt too intense and not varied enough. I kept at him to give highlights to the rays. I though he never did. But seing the whole thing out there over Beverly Blvd and Virgil (south facing for those art-questing) it all seemd perfect. Keri's Pete Seeger, with the pure water guitar makes me laugh. Jason's piece does have subtle variety. And Treiops'-- which I still don't understand and which he takes great pleasure in (my not understanding) is a visual knockout.
All in all it's a hip piece of urban something which 42,000 viewers daily are going to try to figure out. Makes me feel sure that this idea has legs, or as it's LA, wheels. 
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| Posted by Peter v Schulberg at | | | |
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Printed and framed the four shots of the big billboards and walked into the gallery at 6:15. There were already 60 people there. Like the billboards it kept going up. We figure over 600 came all told and I finally had to kick out the enthusiastic stragglers at 11:30 pm.
Great DJ music, food totally consumed-- no small amount of beer and wine also. Here are a few pictures of it all, including most of the artists and me (light bulb white jacket middle). Will report more tomorrow.
 
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| Posted by Peter v Schulberg at | | | |
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Cary Burglund of NBC local here in Los Angeles did a great spot on the gallery tonight. He filmed a piece, then did a live remote at 5:20 pm. Having now seen it... sobering to know that on camera I look like a cross between Tony Soprano and Karl Rove. At least he cut away quickly to the art. You can see a large quicktime on the PRESS page.
Here's a link to faster story but it's not as complete as the other one... http://video.nbc4.tv/player/?id=95415
There's also an Associated Press article and web video about the project. Here's the link to the AP story and I think you can connect to the video feed from there. http://asap.ap.org/stories/1395710.s
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| Posted by Peter v Schulberg at | | | |
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