JASON POLAN & FRIENDS AND TACOS a memorial

Six years ago when my daughter Vivienne was about 7, she decided to sell some of her drawings to make some extra money. She knew about instagram, so she taped several small drawings up on the living room wall and began pricing each one, usually around $1.00 each. She asked me to post each one on to Instagram so my friends could buy them.

I was pretty reluctant, but I did as I was told. The first picture sold to a complete stranger named Mara who seemed nice, and agreed to come over the following day and pick up her artwork. She said she was going to bring an artist friend along who was visiting from New York. Jason Polan came with Mara that day.They went through a big pile of Vivienne’s artwork with her to see more because there weren’t many on the wall. Jason was super excited and bought 2 pieces ( one was a drawing of a hot dog and the othr was a Ketchup bottle with a face on it ). As they looked through the pile of drawings Vivienne said, ” I don’t like these at all”, to almost all the drawings. Jason responded to her as though he was speaking to one of his peers, ” I know it’s really hard to look at old work”. Which was hilarious to me

We didn’t know anything about Jason at the time, just that he was an artist and lived in New York, and that he was really nice. Im so sad because this week I learned that Jason is no longer with us. I came to love his work and followed it closely. Jason loved drawing, he loved New York and he loved making people happy with his artwork.

Along with taking on the impressive goal of drawing every person in New York, Jason also started The Taco Bell Drawing Club a weekly gathering for him and friends to draw at whichever Taco Bell he happened to be near. This week there are Taco Bell Drawing Clubs happening all over the country in Jason’s honor. His friends, and fans are gathering in his honor to celebrate his life, eat tacos and draw. I went to a Taco Bell Drawing Club in Glendale today and met a bunch of incredible artists, writers, and friends of Jason. Here are some photographs.

Taco bell drawing club, copyright Diana Koenigsberg

https://jacksjogren.com/ holding a drawing he made of Jason Polan.

Ken Garduno and JW & Melissa Buchanan drawing at Taco Bell in Glendale.

Artist Dave Kloc

Brandon Bird at the Taco Bell Drawing Club memorial with his custom Orbach1

From left Starlee Kine, Ken Garduno, JW & Melissa Buchanan, Jack Sjogren Jack Sjogren, Dave Kloc, Brandon Bird, Mike Henry, Mirium Schwartz andCarlye Wisel

PAINTED BY JASON – WORDS TO LIVE BY ” WORK HARDER AT BEING BETTER”

Recovering New Yorkers = Reluctant Angelenos

This time last year, native New Yorker Greg Garry & Michael Jorris relocated from Soho, New York to LA for work.

Moving from a small NYC apartment to a spacious Park Labrea 2 bedroom has meant that Greg and Mike can spread out a bit, add to their record collection, have a guest room and for the first time garden! Their place is a combination of vintage finds, artwork that Greg has collected over the years, and pieces that Mike has made like the cameos shown below.

Greg & Mike at home – artwork from Greg’s vintage collection, eye painting by Mark Gagnon

TV & entertainment essentials

The bar – Absolutely fabulous!

Mike in front of his newest hobby sewing. He also makes macrame, builds stuff & gardens.

When Greg & Mike moved to LA they had 1 crate of records…

A corner of the dining room – at left a portrait of Jennifer Saunders of Ab Fab – at right cameos of Greg, Lucifer and Mike made by Mike.

Michael Jorris and Greg Garry at home in LA

Mike and Greg in front of the cameos created by Mike.

Greg in a Mr. Turk dinner jacket.

Mike, Grey and Lucifer

LILYSARAHGRACE – LOVE

May 1st was the four annual LilySarahGrace craft fair in Hollywood, California.

Coming together again at Milk Studios, in a giant space filled with talented, generous and kind volunteers, beautifully fluffy clouds, and balloons dipped in glitter, was a day created by two friends, Jennifer Levy and Elizabeth Goetchius.

Jenny and Elizabeth, came together to create yet another amazing light filled day, supporting Children’s Public Art Education. The idea is simple, creating art, with children, for children. There is so much love in this event, and more specifically love for art, and respect for the importance of creating beauty in our lives. Shout out to all the artists, crafters, food makers, DJs, participants and, volunteers who made such a beautiful day possible.

LilySarahGrace_ArtFair, copyright Diana Koenigsberg 2015

Matthew Badger, founder & director of LSG with Jennifer Levy & her daughter Fanny Freeland

COLOR STUDY – PYRROLE ORANGE

1. Fanny – Christmas eve, 2. Cactus blossoms, 3. Kate Spade window, 4. Sunrise over Pasadena, 5. Girls in Paper dresses

COLOR STUDY – BLACK ( PLAYING IN THE DARK )

Lately I’ve been so inspired by the great, Irving Penn and his incredible Vogue covers from the better part of the last century, especially those which employed the silhouette.

So I set out to play in the dark with graphic shapes, beautiful faces, jewels and make something new.

Models: Top images Giuliana, Bottom 2 Daniella – both from M Model Management

Jewelry on top three images from L Frank Jewelry, Venice, California

Hair: Diana Maria Salas

Makeup: Geoffrey Rodrigez

Styling: Julie Vogel

ART MEETS FUNCTION – THE PATTERNS OF PHILOMELA

Im excited to share with you the work of one of my favorite people. My aunt, Bonnie Saland, who after practicing for many years as a Jungian Analyst and raising 2 incredible adults, has turned her hands and eyes toward making art.

Bonnie’s created an impressive body of work consisting of painting, drawing, print making, and collage, that on it’s own is rich in color, texture, not to mention thought provoking. From this work, has come a really interesting line of house ware, textiles, and patterns, all derived from the shapes and images culled from her artwork, and then repeated in beautiful ways by friend and collaborator Margi Denton.

I shot Bonnie’s line of products last week at her home.

Her company is called PHILOMELA, please take a peak at a this little sample of Bonnie’s rich and inspiring collection, soon to be in stores and out in the world.

Wishing you a fantastic week!!

Diana

Bonnie Saland Fine art and Founder

Bonnie Saland is a practicing psychoanalyst and artist based in Los Angeles and The Sea Ranch, California. The interior and external journey provide subject and frame for her creative practice. Traversing an extensive archive of imagery from the personal and collective unconscious, she meanders through geographic, literary and spiritual references to provide an iconographic language with layers of meaning. A freely associated yet complexly organized body of work incorporates traditional patterning, abstraction, and the poetic use of color in an ongoing non-linear reconfiguration of journal, print, digitalized and textile format. Saland holds an M.F.A. (September 2012) from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design program at the Provincetown Work Center and is represented in Los Angeles by MB Abram Galleries.

THE INTERSECTION BETWEEN ART & FASHION – COLLABORATION WITH LARA SCHNITGER

At the end of last year Lara Schnitger, who is an established fine artist, and friend, finished her first line of clothing called Sister Of Arp.

Since meeting at our daughter’s preschool 4 years ago, we have collaborated on several projects including the documentation of The Wheel, a gorgeous piece of choreography by friend Kitty McNamee.

Shooting this collection, was fantastic and inspiring, as I’ve been able to watch the evolution of Lara as a designer, and so loved documenting the studio and the collection as it’s all come together over the course of the last year.

All of the clothing in Sister of Arp, is hand made by Lara in her studio in Los Angeles, and originally began as Lara made costumes for dancers in The Wheel, and then for her friend Flea to perform in on tour.

This collection shows at Lara’s gallery, Anton Kern in New York on February 8th.

FROM THE ARCHIVE – PERSONAL STYLE

Taking a moment today to think of some special people I’ve had the honor of photographing over the years, all of whom have passed away. Each one of them had the fiercest personal style and a vitality that was infectious.

Here’s to Jo Ann Taylor, Quentin Chrisp, William Richards and Doris Crown and so many others, who inspire me with their grace, beauty, brains, guts and hearts!!

COLOR STUDY – IRIDESCENT WHITE

Recently I rediscovered Beth Katz, a photo editor I had worked several years ago at Fit Pregnancy Magazine, when she popped up as I was searching for folks to follow on Instagram. Beth has a beautiful, refined sensibility, that is both elegant and calming.

I began following Beth, only to discover that she had begun making the most beautiful ceramics. Every time I saw her feed, I kept thinking, why hasn’t she been doing this forever, these are gorgeous?

But that’s not how things work, we do things how and when we do them. So now Beth has launched Mt Washington Pottery, and I made a visit to her home in Mount Washington, California to do a studio visit to get a closer look.

Beth’s work is almost all white, like her home, which is tucked up into a hillside, surrounded by trees. Thus, this COLOR STUDY, is devoted to her and her work. Enjoy!

Mount Washington Pottery 2013

COLOR STUDY – POTTER’S PINK

1) Rae’s apartment, Nolita, 2) Eloise Dolls, Plaza Hotel, New York, 3) Vivienne at the California Adventure, 4) Pink macaroon from Euro Pane, 5) Franki at home, 6 ) Jenny’s trash

DIANA KOENIGSBERG PHOTOGRAPHY

Posts from the Friends Category

Choose another category?

JASON POLAN & FRIENDS AND TACOS a memorial

Recovering New Yorkers = Reluctant Angelenos

LILYSARAHGRACE – LOVE

COLOR STUDY – PYRROLE ORANGE

COLOR STUDY – BLACK ( PLAYING IN THE DARK )

ART MEETS FUNCTION – THE PATTERNS OF PHILOMELA

THE INTERSECTION BETWEEN ART & FASHION – COLLABORATION WITH LARA SCHNITGER

FROM THE ARCHIVE – PERSONAL STYLE

COLOR STUDY – IRIDESCENT WHITE

COLOR STUDY – POTTER’S PINK

Posts from the Friends Category

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