Artists, Street Performers, Street Musicians
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.
I met a street artist when I was four or five years old and I knew painting was what I wanted to do; it’s one of my first major memories.
Brian Mylius has been associated with Venice Beach for over 12 years. He paints mainly with oil, but also does some acrylic work. As you can see, there is great variety to his themes.
You can see the influence of Greek-Italian Surrealist painter Giorgio de Chirico in his work.
De Miranda is an oil painter who was born and raised in Los Angeles. He started painting, he explains, “to escape.” You may find him painting on a wooden easel near The Waterfront Cafe.
Dutch oil painter Rembrandt (1606-1669) is his greatest inspiration.
I’m not trying to make a profit; I’m trying to turn the people into prophets.
Tony B. Conscious is an art activist, rapper and modern-day hip-hop renaissance man who’s been creating original works of art on Venice Beach for over nine years. Born in Seattle, Tony uses spray paint and handmade stencils to create what he’s named “Fly Dye Art” on wood as well as fine-art canvases.
In Tony’s art you can see the influence of American artist Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-1988) , a resident of Venice in the 80s who was known for incorporating words into his art which is dense with surface writng, collage and imagery. Tony is a spoken word artist who improvises rap lyrics in real time as he promotes his art:
For you, Mama, no drama.
I know you ain’t got a budget, but you gonna love it.
It’s mind over matter…if you don’t use your mind, it really don’t matter.
So cruise on down to the edge of Amerikkka and check out some fly dye!
En Plein Air is a French expression that means “in the open air.” Artist Daniel Regan has been inspired by the outdoors lifestyle in Venice since 1995. He likes being out in the clean air and, like most Plein Air artists, working with natural light and landscape themes.
Stop by and take a closer look at how Daniel “works the water.”
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.
