For two weekends of the year, the Beverly Hills Art Show transforms Beverly Gardens Park into a place where different versions of the world can exist at the same time. Each booth is a portal through an artist’s lens, showcasing how different people, scenes or emotions look from an individual’s perspective. The first show of 2024 showcased hundreds of artists on May 18 and 19, before revealing prize winners at the end of the weekend.
Many of the artists had a message that they wanted to portray through their work. Kenneth Gatewood is inspired by children and his works at the show mostly featured a child subject with his own text or news headlines. His piece entitled “Life Choices” features a young child looking inquisitively at a list of choices. On one side, it lists things like gangs, drugs and guns above the words “No Future” in bold red and on the other side, it lists things like education, hard work and respect above the words “Bright Future.” This is one of many watercolors Gatewood has painted with the hopes of changing a common cycle for children in low-income neighborhoods.
Another artist, David Stewart Klein, is similarly interested in making a cultural impact through his paintings. Klein told the Courier that he has always loved portraying human subjects. After feeling isolated by the pandemic, he’s been inspired to remind others that they’re not alone. His painting, “Covid John from Ralph’s” portrays a man whom he met in a supermarket during the pandemic.
Another exhibiting artist, Guillermo Zuniga, is both a painter and a digital photographer. The South Bay artist was born in Peru but has lived in the United States for most of his life, so he chooses to photograph parts of Los Angeles that feel most like home. At the show, he displayed collections from Santa Monica, Venice, Manhattan Beach and Redondo Beach.
Some artists at the show told the Courier that they simply paint because they’re inspired. It’s their way of sharing their creative process with the world. Jennifer Rae Ochs finds inspiration in cities around the world and her contemporary style combines various layers of acrylic paint to portray the eccentricity of each place. At the show, she displayed pieces in black, white and gold that, to her, are reminiscent of the glam rock of the 1980s.
An expressionist artist, Robin Walker, is inspired by music. He paints scenes based on how they felt rather than how they may have actually looked. A big part of this process, for him, involves music, as it instantly influences the people in a room. Sometimes, he just puts music on and paints exactly what he feels. He confessed to the Courier that one of his favorite sources of inspiration is listening to Albert Hammond Jr. play guitar for The Strokes, which played a large role in creating his piece titled “Life of the Party.”
Glass artist Gustavo Santana took home the award for Best of Show. His vibrant mouth-blown and sandblasted pieces have caught the attention of many, including former President Bill Clinton a few years ago. Santana likes to work in his garden, so oftentimes his pieces are inspired by flowers or animals such as hummingbirds, bees and other garden creatures. As an animal lover, he explained, he’s been working on a few beehive-inspired pieces to support the endangered species. But as an artist, he can’t help but be inspired by everything around him. “You know, sometimes I could be watching TV, and I see something, and it gets in my mind, and then I draw it, and then I put it on [my art],” he told the Courier. What makes Santana’s work so special is that each piece is one of a kind. Because of the extensive process it takes to create just one of his perfume bottles, vases, or paperweights, no two pieces are ever the same.
The Mayor’s Purchase Award went to Larry Sterling, for his piece, “Our Colorful Country.” Additional winners included Shawn Waco (Most Original); Matt Vacca (Best Display) and Alex Paul (Best New Artist).
For those who weren’t able to attend the May art show, artists will return to Beverly Gardens Park in October.
