The OC Art Blog was created in 2004 as a way to build community and promote the marginalized but dynamic Orange County art scene.

I was supposed to write about the OC Music Awards that I attended last Saturday for my next blog, but instead I have chosen to write about a Swedish Satanic metal band called Ghost. I might say that I have chosen to write about the lesser of two evils, but Ghost revels in being pretty comically evil. Never fear, I will write about a few bands worth mentioning from the OC Music Awards, but I need some time to process. While at the awards ceremony, I...

07 March, 2012 /

Los Angeles, CA  At the 100th Annual CAA Conference in downtown Los Angeles, I got a chance to sit and listen to a panel of women that could impress even the most haughty of elite art folks with their hard work, dedication, and professional experience. Among these women, Carrie Yury knocked my socks off with her helpful advice and personal experience in the art world. Carrie Yury, a professor at CSUF, an occasional writer for Artillery Magazine, and a creative photographer, and art world professional--Yury is...

06 March, 2012 /

[caption id="attachment_3407" align="aligncenter" width="545" caption="Pacific Building Interior, Studio 213 (photos by Sherwood Souzankari)"]   Sometimes I can be a European-elitist, chiming into many political debates about health care, homelessness, college tuition costs, or funding for the arts with sentences that start with "Well, in Europe…" Truth is there are plenty of things that the United States can learn from Europe. My excuse for saying so is that I am actually European. I am first generation Irish to be raised in the US, and I spent much of...

01 March, 2012 /

Located in the glass jungle of Century City the Annenberg Space for Photography hosts one outstanding exhibit at a time based on a distinct theme.  The current installation, Digital Darkroom consists of 17 photographers from the US, UK and France who create surreal and impossible scenes using digital and/or darkroom manipulation. The Annenberg is modern yet welcoming; the main gallery is circular with the display walls surrounding a central screening room showing an entertaining behind-the-scenes film. The Annenberg exhibits are always accompanied by a film narrated...

22 February, 2012 /

[caption id="attachment_3167" align="aligncenter" width="545" caption="Steve Carson from Echo Echo"][/caption] by Joy Shannon On Thursday February 9th, I was invited to attend a "Backstage" concert filming at DPS Productions in Irvine. I found myself in a dark industrial complex near John Wayne Airport and wondered where the concert could be amongst the rows of identical office buildings closed for the night. Yet, just around a corner I discovered a crowded and lively studio that looked like it was airlifted from a Los Angeles film lot. I have previously...

14 February, 2012 /

[caption id="attachment_3121" align="alignnone" width="545" caption="Joy Shannon and the Beauty Marks performing in 2011. From left: Joy Shannon on harp, Andy Zacharias on bass, Sean Wallace on guitar, and Graham Spillman on drums. (photo by Matt Frantz.)"][/caption] I have never separated the arts into sections. The music I make sounds like how my visual art looks and vice versa. For my bachelors degree, I created a specialized major which included visual art, theatre, and music because I could not choose just one of the arts to focus...

13 February, 2012 /

On First Saturday, the exhibit Gothic opened at the Orange County Center for Contemporary Art in Santa Ana, featuring 56 artists from around the world working in a variety of different mediums, all within the genre of “Goth.” During opening night, the warehouse turned art co-op was transformed into a New Wave nightclub with artists and attendees dressed in their most morbid and theatrical attire. It was a dark and dapper atmosphere which began in full force when exhibition curator Amy V. Grimm arrived by coffin...

12 February, 2012 /

Tonight's opening of Photo + Plus at the Coastline Community College Art Gallery brought out many Orange County's best and brightest photographers. The OC curatorial community was also well represented at the solid photo based show curated by David Michael Lee. The show runs till March 8th so make the trip to HB. Some of the beautiful people:                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    ...

10 February, 2012 /

For the last several months the Los Angeles art world’s attention has been captured by the blockbuster Pacific Standard Time exhibitions happening throughout southern California. In the midst of this dominant viewing of the past art of Los Angeles there has been a few brave souls staging exhibitions that sit outside of this particular lens. One of these shows is the quiet survey of current Los Angeles painting that recently opened at the Torrance Art Museum titled To Live and Paint in LA curated by...

07 February, 2012 /

Chris Hoff started the OC Art Blog in 2004 as a way to build community and promote the marginalized but dynamic Orange County art scene. Chris has made and shown art work here and abroad, curated shows, most recently the Hidden Treasures exhibition at the John Wayne Airport, and is also responsible for the Hoff Foundation, a private arts foundation formed in 2008 with a commitment to and passion for the arts. As of January 2012 the Hoff Foundation has distributed over 30k in grants...

06 February, 2012 /

Although unplanned, the combination of the Cacophony Society opening at Grand Central Art Center and the Gothic show at OCCCA brought out some great people watching at the always fun Santa Ana Artists Village Art Walk. Enjoy:                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            ...

05 February, 2012 /

Fullerton, CA    Sculptor, S.A. Hawkins had his MFA thesis exhibition open this past saturday at Cal State Fullerton and rocked it! Alongside the large and impressive Faculty exhibit, S.A. took both of the other galleries (The East Gallery and the West Gallery) on the CSUF campus and dominated the night. His abstract and hypnotic glass and metal artworks are surprising and comforting, compelling narratives involving abstract life forms made of glass, metal, rust, found objects, and brightly colored silicone creating interesting non-verbal conversations within...

30 January, 2012 /

The Huntington Beach Art Center currently has an open call for Artists in Residence. This residency will utilize three continuous galleries as studio space for up to three individual artists, teams or collectives. We invite applications from all creative disciplines, including visual, performance and interdisciplinary arts. This rare and exceptional residency will take place from March 3 – March 31, 2012. Each residency artist, team, or collective will receive $500.00. Payment will be issued at the conclusion of the residency. Residencies will be based on...

20 December, 2011 /

Santa Ana based artist David Michael Lee is going to be teaching art history for a month in Guangzhou China in a few weeks and is trying to raise some funds for the trip. In return for your kind sponsorship he will wear your name and/or brand as he travels through the population of 30 mil+. What an opportunity! Take a look: ...

28 November, 2011 /