House of Imaginary Hits

With graphic designer Sean Hartter, I've launched House of Imaginary Hits. Sean designed the "album" cover art for songs pulled from the Hugh archives. Check it out at http://www.hughhart.com/music/hits

Gehry in Las Vegas

Recovering from a wild night and day in Las Vegas courtesy of L.A. Weekly, which sent me there to review CityCenter, a new batch of futuristic hotel towers, and Frank Gehry's new building. Wildness not from gambling -- I brought four whole quarters into the casino only to find out they don't take actual coins -- but from the architecture.

I took this picture of the Gehry building, on behalf of Alzheimers patients a few miles north of the Strip, which was put together via GPS-embedded pieces maseter-minded via computer by engineers in Germany.

Had thanksgiving dinner tonight with cousins at an excellent at a Santa Monica restaurant called Cachettes: turkey, creamed corn, sausage and mushroom stuffing and pumpking pie

Fat Lady on a Bike. . .

Walking Huck this morning in Studio City I hear a high pitched. . . I don't know what . . . over my shoulder. I glance over my shoulder and see a fat lady wobbling down Dilling Street on a tiny 22-inch wheel kids bike. Behind her: three other bicyclists. Lead lady is singing opera, weaving in and out of harmonies with her soprano girlfriend, who's taking up the rear. They're carrying on like chirpy birds in a Disney cartoon from the forties.

Odd.

Arty Designers

Alot to like in the April Print and I'm not just saying that because the magazine ran a short piece of mine in the F.O.B. section.

There's an inspiring overview of young designers - - mostly from Brooklyn - - who are doing twitchy, personalized commercial work. (The image above is from Michael Perry). Also, a nifty article by L.A. writer/designer Alissa Walker describing how a revamped "American Crafts" trying to compete with D.I.Y.-flavored "Make" magazine. Hand-made - don't call it a comeback! Alissa blogs smartly at her gelatobaby.comabout the post-millenial free-lance everyman/woman, answering a New York Observer report on the decline of magazine writers and the miserable fate of freelance writers.

She argues: not that awful.

I'd have to agree.

Here's links to the artists in Print's round-up.

http://www.laurenzbrunner.com

http://www.ianallenworks.com

http://www.elenawen.com

http://www.hollygressley.com

http://www.midwestisbest.com

http://www.pushmepullyoudesign.com

http://www.welcometomywebpage.com

http://www.tedmcgrath.com

http://www.birthesteinbeck.de

http://www.loveworn.com

http://www.number27.org

http://www.iammintcondition.com

From Venice Beach: http://www.anabagayan.com

http://www.michaelfreimuth.com

Stephan Walter's http://www.radionacional.ch

http://www.topographics.com

http://www.lakerelax.com

http://www.jeffreydocherty.com

Too Big for the Block?

Eyesore or masterpiece? Lot of hubub lately over a gigantic house I walk by every morning in Studio City. Actually, two houses, connected with a walkway. The Redhead thinks it's the size of her elementary school. Residents outraged by coverage in the
Los Angeles Times story compared the structure to Whole Foods. The vertical slats do in fact look alot like the Magnolia Avenue / Coldwater Canyon Whole Foods store in the Valley.

Being a fan of minimalist architecture, I actually kind of like the clean lines. My problem is, it's do damned big. This housing complex - - two parents, two kids - - dwarves the nearby bungalows, blocks views, casts shadows and generally seems way out of scale.

I know, i know - - it's a capitslist society and whoever has the money to own the land can do pretty much whatever they want. Still, it's kind of sad to see the modest-is-okay sensibility give way to fortress mentality that's gobbling up one block after another around here.

photo credit: Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times

Graphic Design as Fine Art

Selling out is a non-issue for a new generation of talented visual artistes. I profiled a few of them in today's Los Angeles Times, describing how they pretty much obliterate the line between art for hire and personal expression.
The Times website does not have any pictures (the one posted here is by Geoff McFetridge).

However, visit hughhart.com/hoopla_auteurs to check out my links to a bunch of artists and graphic designers. They won me overwith quirky, fantastical, original visions,

link to Hugh's Los Angeles Times story