David Hockney: Bigger & Closer (not smaller & further away)

  

David Hockney - BIGGER And CLOSER - a massive, technically ground-breaking, immersive art exhibition at the newly opened LIGHTROOM Artspace  located in London's recently revitalized King's Cross Arts-District

 

        

My friend, the artist David Hockney invited me to London to see and photograph the final rehearsals of his newest, technically complex and simply breathtaking, exhibition, "Bigger And Closer."   Certainly a most fortunate and profound honored for me. Here are a few of my pictures of this incredible, and hands down, completely unique from all others, immersive art presentation from David Hockney.  

 

 "Bigger And Closer" includes motion, films, photographs, animation and the most exceptional asset, his own personal narration. Hockney's ongoing narration creates an atmosphere that makes this huge exhibition feel far more like an intimate studio visit with an old friend.  As David guides us through his lifetime of work, he explains the ideas which continue to inspire his art for over 60 years.  Now 85, David is up early each morning, working away, with paintings, drawings, photography and now the newer art creating digital technologies.

All the floors and walls, every possible surface is full of art, an equally exciting event for children as well

In his Los Angeles studio, 1970s 

Growing up in the rural country side of Yorkshire, David is deeply moved by nature and landscape; currently much of his time is spent living and making art at his farm in Normandie, France.

 

Hockney Paints the Stage - Early opera inspired works from the 1960s & 70s

DH adding just a few final touches as the hours tick down before the big reveal. "What is he up to now?" Something not to be missed. 

Feb. 22 Through Oct. 1

LIGHTROOM

12 Lewis Cubitt Square
London, N1C 4DY

 

 

Deep in the Hood, Windsor Square - 26"x19"

 

A group exhibition of 16 artists considering Los Angeles through painting,photography, textiles and ceramics.  

On view July 21 - August 21- 2022 

Meegan Barnes  Nils Benson  Edward Cushenberry  

Jake Fagundo  Konstantin Kakanias  Annie Kelly  Sheila Klein  

Karl Ljungquist   Jim McHugh    Evan Mendel 

Ed Ruscha  Jake Sheiner, Sarah Stitt  Akiko Stehrenberger  

Nick Taggart & Senon Williams

Please join us

Opening Reception Thursday July 28
5PM - 8PM 
Celebrating with Gallery Association Los Angeles  

GALA Weekend 

            The Lodge Gallery - 1024 N Western Avenue LA CA 90029  

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                            Please contact the studio for information on this or other prints  323 304 2945                                                                               www.jimmchughphotographs.com 

Photographing flowers with my Deardorff 8x10

A beautiful hand crafted wooden1930s Deardorff camera complete with the factory offered "extended bellows" feature - A gift from my dear friend, Wally Seawell, one of Hollywood's magnificent Golden Era photographers. Every iconic artist of the Silver Screen from Mary Pickford to Betty Davis, Gregory Peck, John Wayne and Elizabeth Taylor has played a starring role in front of this camera, appearing upside down and backwards on it's shimmering ground glass. That history never fails to tap on my shoulder every time I slide under the dark cloth. 

 

“The single most important component of a camera is the twelve inches behind it!”
― Ansel Adams

FALL FORWARD - AN EXPRESSION OF LANGUAGE AND LIGHT: The Newest Exhibition from YARGER PROJECTS -

"Included in this group show is the newest exhibition of photographs by Jim McHugh featuring his very unique view of Los Angeles as well as an entire wall of David Hockney pictures that McHugh has made of the great artist over the last 40 years.   

A special highlight of this Yarger Projects presentation is a spectacular multi-media print " Bail Bonds. " For this work McHugh  collaborated with a Getty collected LA graffiti artist Jose Reza aka "PRIME" - together they've fashioned an unforgettable street level portrait of the city. Definitely a show to see. "   The Sunday Times - Weekender

David Hockney regarding Van Gogh's portrait of his mother at the Norton Simon Museum, Pasadena, CA. 2002 -- David sketching in his garden - London, 2006 - "Motel on 8th Street" 50" x 40" - "Bail Bonds, Hollywood Division" 40" x 30" in collaboration with artist Jose Reza aka "PRIME"  All photographs © Jim McHugh

Timothy Yarger Fine Art 

3645 Tenth Avenue LA CA 90018 - 310-278-4400      

info@yargerfineart.com    

For more information please contact 

The Jim McHugh Studio: Studio: 323 466 2890 - Mobile: 323 304 2945 - Jim@Jimmchugh.com  

www.jimmchughphotographs.com  

 

Andy Ruiz Heavy Weight Champion of the World - Training at Wildcard Boxing in 2009 - 18 years old

ANDERSONVILLE - Photographing the Civil War in Georgia

 

From John Frankenheimer's Civil War docudrama "ANDERSONVILLE." A platoon of Georgia Civil War re-enactors

 I was reminded of a great photographic adventure in Georgia; photographing John Frankenheimer's Emmy winning, Civil War epic Andersonville; The story of the Union Army's notorious prison camp for Confederate soldiers. A challenging, period stylish project for my friend, legendary director John Frankenheimer; and commissioned by a creatively open  minded Barbara Griffin, Director of Photography for TNT. 

Everything was shot with Polaroid T55 pos/neg film to produce a Civil War era style photograph.  The only possible camera had to be hand held because of all the action with horses and soldiers; that was when I became familiar with the Speed Grafix press camera, a 4x5" camera from the 1940s with range-finder focus. The Polaroid T55 was a pos/neg film developed by Ansel Adams and Dr. Land in the 1940s. This amazing film is no longer manufactured, causing much sadness to a distinct group of photographers. The negatives had to be pealed away and processed in a bucket immediately, on the spot. Producer Connie Conway kept our little photo train on track.  

Director John Frankenheimer - T55 Polaroid, silver gelatin print

The pictures looked so authentically period. Subsequently two large public exhibitions of the photographs were presented, one at the Director's Guild in Hollywood and another at TNT in Atlanta. 

A Union company engaging - T55 Polaroid, silver gelatin print

 #photography #civilwar #Polaroid #film #Onassignment #fineartphotography #Branding #largeformat

The Fontenoy

The glamorous Fortenoy Apts. beneath Whitley Heights overlooking Hollywood Blvd. mid-1920s

Angelino Heights, one of LA's earliest upper middle-class neighborhoods dating from the late 1800s

Mid-Wilshire, K-Town and below is the final resting place for much of what remains of pre-WWII Los Angeles. Whole neighborhoods of the central city were abandoned after the war.  Families bought new cars and headed the the Westside, purchasing acres of GI Bill funded Case Study style, smaller, modern nuclear family homes. Clean and lean; post war living was designed for mother, father and two children; no extra nooks and crannies for aunts, grandmothers and spinster sisters. The general population, modern home was designed to satisfy a massive housing shortage by building multiple units quickly at a reasonable price with the newest, labor saving construction materials like economical plywood, dry wall and plate glass.

 Now traffic and prices are pulling everyone back to an earlier 1930s population footprint.  This creates it's own push back challenges in Boyle Heights, Pico Union and other neighborhoods discarded years ago to immigrants and the help. On the grand urban history timeline the LA's contribution began a very short while ago. Unlike New York, or an ancient city such as Rome, we can almost reach back and touch LA's beginnings, a few four of five generations ago.

 

Pacific Theater - Hollywood Blvd. from a T55 Polaroid negative ©1998 Jim McHugh

The Pacific Theater, where the first "Talkie" debuted in Hollywood, was originally a Warner's theater. Looking closely one can see the old Warner's letters still remain on the inside of the tower. Economics perhaps, cheaper to add letters to the backside of the previous sign than

fabricating a new one. 

https://www.yargerfinearts.com/jim-mchu

Photographing ROW DTLA: The Southern Pacific Architectural Landmark

 DesignLA the Los Angeles Times new Sunday magazine, created by Michael Wollaeger, former  managing editor of Architectural Digest.  Michael possesses a great knowledge of architecture, interior design, the art community,  and our shared endless curiosity about things LA. 

Built in the era of the streetcars - now across the street from where the buses sleep

Graffiti mural by my friends, RETNA and figurative artist Ricardo Estrada

Looking up towards downtown Los Angeles from Alameda, across Central Ave, from the old railroad produce yards

Massive buildings, millions of square feet - impossible to imagine until you are standing there

Young and happening, great energy - dogs to work.

Previously home to American Apparel

New shops, furniture, fashion and design. New media - game design, video companies

Photographing LA Artists - DesignLA - New LA Times Sunday Magazine

 The New Noir  by  Rodrigo Ribera D'Ebre - features Jim McHugh's work and collaborations with the renown LA artists Big Sleeps and Prime and the world of Graffiti art. 

There is no city more noir than Los Angeles. We wrote the book on it and we shot the film. One such documentarian of this phenomenon is Jim McHugh, photographer of noir landscapes and renowned artists like Ed Ruscha, Robert Graham, and David Hockney. Currently, McHugh spends time photographing avant-garde artists of the underground. It is a dark world that intersects fine art, street gangs, graffiti, tattoos, murals, and urban street wear. 

Two agents of change unfolding in this cinematic drama are David ‘Big Sleeps’ Cavazos and Jose ‘Prime’ Reza. Born and raised on the seedy streets of Pico Union near Downtown L.A.Their work is straight up Los Angeles – grimy, in-your-face, and unapologetic. Simultaneously, it is contemporary and stunning.

McHugh who maintains that, “Big Sleeps and Prime have been my passport to a whole other Los Angeles. A world of remarkable artists who have existed in a culturally separate parallel universe.” 

 

The Historic Masonic Temple - Glendale

Photographed from pool deck of The Excelsior courtesy of Caruso Affiliated

Brand Blvd. Glendale, CA in the early part of the century

A 1920s poured concrete construction, the Masonic Temple in Glendale, CA. was restored in 2015 - 2016 by Caruso Affiliated. A landmark building with joining historic store front shops located across from the Americana at Brand this remarkable renovation represents the city's most ambitious integration of vintage and new construction to date.

The Masonic Temple on Brand Blvd. shortly after it's opening in the 1920s.

Photographed with a Wista 4x5 camera, Polaroid T55 film, printed on INNOVA Fabriano paper

LA Neighborhoods

On a rainy morning last week, a favorite LA postcard, a little corner market.

On Temple... The 'Lofts' are coming!

I've been watching this little market for a year, certain that it was a colorful dusk shot, but in the end, it was a very wet 6:00am moment. T55 positive / Speedgraphic 270mm

LA Art Show 2017 - Special Exhibit

A special exhibit for LA Art Show 2017 / VIP Lounge - "Los - Radio Tower on Mulholland " 40"x 32" Innova Fabriano rag & "Washington and Cimarron / Aftermath" 44" x 106" Innova matte canvas

"Not to be missed this year are the photographs by Jim McHugh working with two LA graffiti artists. Selected for the LA ART SHOW 2017 as a special exhibition these exceptional images are quite appropriately installed in the art fair's newest VIP Lounge in situ environment.  McHugh titles them fusion prints because of the multiple skills employed.

Photographer McHugh has joined with two legendary artists, real LA street lettering masters,  Joe “Prime” Reza and David Cavazos aka "Big Sleeps," to create these raw, authentic representations of a secret, hidden LA.  This unique display of fresh work combining LA urban landscape and graffiti hand-styles is curated by Timothy Yarger of Timothy Yarger Fine Art for the newly designed Art Show VIP Lounge. FYI, the lounge by Paul Lester of The Agency is a welcome oasis for pause amidst a very busy 2017 art fair, "

                                                                                                      Downtown Art District News

"Portrait of Prime" - 55" x 44"  Innova matte canvas - Impossible Project

Opening night with my friends, artists David Cavazo "Big Sleeps" and Joe Reza "Prime"

"The Orpheum Theatre"  43" x 32" ed.of 10 - archival pigment -Innova fiba cotton- T79 Polaroid capture

"Mulholland Drive Radio Tower - LOS"  this is the original 42" x 32" image with Prime's beautiful LA lettering.

It was great to see "Washington Blvd" up and so perfect on the red wall. I am now photographing a series of these LA neighborhood landscapes with input from Sleeps and Prime who are then adding their individual hand-styles. There are a limited number of versions of each, a series of unique mono prints.

"Washington Blvd," was photographed over a period of several days, either very early in the morning or at night. The result is a Polaroid, Fuji instant film collage, after which there is a week of post time, like drawing really, and much time back and forth test printing. It's quite an elaborate process. Then Sleeps and Prime apply their lettering.

For the Washington image there are a number of smaller 15" x 44" versions on paper, with different tones and hand lettering. This is the largest version, on Innova matte canvas mounted on Dibond. Tim and Paul included one of my most favorite LA pictures, "The Orpheum Theatre" a "LA LA Land" like image I photographed in 2006. The "Portrait of Prime" was made at the The Container Yard last year for the Robert Graham Foundation's "AFTERMATH" exhibit in 2016.

                                                                                                                                            JM

LA Neighborhoods - Street legends

Left: " Los- Mulholland Radio Tower " Joe Prime Reza/Jim McHugh 24" x 20" signed and numbered- edition of 150 unframed.  Right:  "213- Washington and Crenshaw" David Cavazo Big Sleeps / Jim McHugh 24" x 20" signed and numbered- edition of 150 - Each print $150 + shipping

As shown above, Courtyard Editions is issuing two high quality, archival photographic prints, priced with the desire to make art works from the "LA Neighborhoods" project available to everyone. So many so people have asked about acquiring prints from the work that we have been doing together over the past few years. These are two very beautiful images that represent our unique look at LA.

A single section of the panorama used as the supporting layer of the collage for "213 - Washington Blvd."  Polaroid T55

A 9 ft. canvas of Washington Blvd. - hand styles by Sleeps and Prime - INNOVA Digital

Artists Joe "Prime" Reza and David Cavazo, aka "Big Sleeps," are such legends, born of this disappearing LA era. These prints are a true fusion of photographic imagery and territorial street hand-styles. The imagery investigates LA and the secret, hidden sub-culture of graffiti writing, hand styles. "213 Washington Blvd. and Crenshaw " reflects a neighborhood abandoned to immigrants and people of color in post WWII Los Angeles that is now rapidly gentrifying. For those unaware, 213 was the original and for a long time, only area code in LA.  

 

Prime at work in his downtown LA studio- ©2015 Jim McHugh

An early legend among street writers, now Joe "Prime" Reza is a painter who's works are held in the permanent collection of the Getty Museum and are exhibited in galleries world wide, Prime's newest works can be seen through Jan. 17, 2017 at the LA Louver Gallery, Venice, CA. in the exhibition "ROLLCALL" curated by Gajin Fujita.

 

Shooting in Prime's studio for the exhibition AFTERMATH - 2016 - photo: Patrick House

Big Sleeps signing "Washington and Crenshaw"

  Big Sleeps  is truly a survivor of the streets that nearly swallowed him whole, streets that remain bound by intricate, spray-painted letter styles which act as a true code of survival called "the placa."  Cavazo's paintings can also be viewed thru January 17 at LA Louver Gallery, Venice, CA. in their "Rollcall" exhibition.

Studio van near Central Ave. in South Central LA on the very rainy night when we signed our prints

Big Sleeps - Prime - Jim McHugh at Prime's studio, Dec. 14, 2016

 Purchase "213- Washington Blvd"  

 Purchase "LOS - Mulholland Drive- Radio Tower"

 The McHugh Studio  323 466 2890 - jim@jimmchugh.com

The LA Neighborhoods project has been developed with the support of INNOVA Digital Art, supplying the newest archival technologies and digital surfaces for maximum image integrity.