Artists, Street Performers, Musicians
For over 15 years, Ra Superstar has painted in acrylics, stone and sand on Venice Beach. He told me this story:
One day I met an artist from NY called Pep while I was drumming and sleeping on the Brooklyn Bridge. Pep wanted to learn drumming so he gave me a meal at his home which was filled with art. It was then that I was first inspired to paint.
For over 12 years ArtByNonya has been showing her acrylic paintings on the Venice Boardwalk. Next time you’re near the Waterfront Cafe whimsy by.
Novik (Nakhapet Tcholokian) is an acrylic painter who’s been associated with the Venice Beach Boardwalk for over 16 years. He’s originally from Tbilisi, Georgia. In the eighties he had several exhibitions in Poland, Germany, Yugoslavia and Italy.
In addition to his website link above, you can also watch a slideshow of his work on YouTube.
We are here to be of service to one another…our planet…and all her creatures.
Riannon Marhi’s an acrylic painter who’s been exhibiting her art on Venice Beach for over three years.
Twenty-three years ago Sid Abel went to Yucatan, Mexico and discovered an underwater world of Carribean colors while snorkeling that has influenced her as an artist to this day. She’s an acrylic painter who’s been creating art in Venice for over 11 years while living on and off on Isla Mujeres (“Island of the Women”) in the gulf of Mexico–a small fishing village where she sold her first painting.
Juan Lopez (left) and Wilan Carrillo (right) are oil, acrylic and watercolor painters who have been showing their work on Venice Beach for about four months. Their theme is California. Juan is originally from Oaxaca, Mexico and Wilan was born and raised in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala. You can see more photos on Wilan’s MySpace page.
Damon Warren is an acrylic painter and actor originally from San Francisco. As a child he would paint on mediums as varied as scraps of wood, newspapers and even walls. (What would Stevie Wonder think!?) He specializes in landscapes and figures often with beach, Jazz and floral themes. He’s a self-described “old school” artist who’s been painting on the boardwalk since 1996.
His art sells all over the world and he can often be found near Windward Avenue—painting in the sun.
Influenced by the beauty of the trees, the ocean and the sun, Stacey Kai Young is both an oil and an acrylic painter who’s been in Venice for over eleven years. Originally from Texas, it was only until coming to California that Stacey began her “celebration of nature” as a painter.
As you stroll down the boardwalk, stop and say hello. You can usually find Stacey near Westminster Ave.
Zsuzsanna Krausz is a contemporary acrylic painter originally from Veszprem, Hungary. Her self-described style as a painter and jewelry-maker with semi-precious stones is “big and bold.” The colorful rolling hills and vibrant vineyards of her youth inspire Zsuzsanna to this day.
“I recreate my memories in acrylic paint on canvas. The texture of acrylic reminds me of the wet mud, the texture of the soil after a heavy rainy day. As a child I used to draw in the earth, making different figures and shapes. I still remember the smell of the soil. I like to use big strokes because it allows me to feel the shapes and the curves of my subjects.”
Zsuzsanna used to do healing work and has a “healing colors” philosophy. She’s studied art in Budapest, Austria, Vienna and Israel. She names Salvador Dali and Vincent Van Gogh as her biggest inspirations. You can often find Zsuzsanna near the Waterfront Cafe.
