Last Saturday, I, along with my LMU schoolmate Laura Robinson, attended the opening reception for the All Together Now: A Tribute to the Beatles art show over at Gallery Nucleus. I first heard about the show through Brigette Barrager’s blog, where she posted up “Fab Four,” her piece for the show. I was in love as soon as I saw it. Her depiction of the Beatles in her vintage Little Golden Books-esque style was both charming and adorable. Then again, everything she draws and paints is charming and adorable, which is why I’m such a faithful follower. Despite this, I wasn’t too crazy about attending the show because of it being in Alhambra, which is an area that I’m not too familiar with and far from where I live. But when Andy Ristaino, an artist whose blog I’ve been following since 2009, posted about his participation in the show, I was sold.
My visit to the gallery marked the second time I was there for such an event. The first was for the Sweet Streets art show in 2009, and just like that event, the gallery was obnoxiously crowded. Artworks that hung in the far left corner of the main floor were practically barred from view during the Hard Day’s Night concert, and there was a good chunk of time where I was struggling just to get to the second story because of the lines of people in my way.
Still, the hassle was worth it because I got to see Brigette and Andy’s works in person. I even got to talk to Andy and get a picture with him and his piece together. Man, he looks so placid in that photo. I should strive to be that relaxed at all times.
My absolute favorite was “Cellophane Flowers” by Lorena Alvarez Gómez. Just a gorgeous rainbow of colors that remind me of the things I used to draw in my teen years – my gosh, what happened to me!? If I wasn’t such a minimalist cheapskate, I would’ve shelled out the thirty bucks for the print.
There were quite a few surprises, too, such as a totally random visit from English actor SIR IAN MCKELLEN:
Yes, you read that right. His presence at the show was very brief, but still awesome.
I also ran into my friends Jessie Greenberg and John Banh, which was funny because I had thought about inviting them to come to the show with me. Jessie is a secretary at Disney TV Animation, and a classmate in Story Development for Animation at Concept Design Academy, while John is a co-worker and assistant director on “Family Guy.” I don’t call him John, though. I call him Banhy. It’s very amusing.
For more photos of All Together Now, go here.