Photo LA Reviewed by Examiner.com

DNJ Gallery artist, Jane O'Neal, was spotlighted in Examiner.com's review of Photo LA 2010!


Jane O'Neal, Blue Pool, Orange County,
Cibachrome, 16 x 20 inches, 1976

The Santa Monica Civic Center was beaming with people crowding in to get a first look at this years' artists. In the crowd, I spotted people from all backgrounds, ages and worlds. From your avid fine art collector to your rebellious college student, there were even a few kids running around. Two little girls caught my eye more than anything, they must have been about 7 years old. They were complete opposites no matter how you looked at it, but what made me smile was how comfortably they fit in at Photo LA. As if they'd been there a million times before, seen all the art and all the people.

It goes to show that in the art world, there is room for all kinds of people. No matter how old or, as I learned today, how young.

Enough about the people, on to the art. The civic center was set-up with wall to wall photographs. Photos from the early years of photography dictating how far its come, to the modern technology used today. You could find a classic print on original photo paper or a vintage image printed onto fogged glass. Offering a truly diverse combination of creative photography.
Of the few pieces of art that I found profoundly intriguing were Blue Pool, Orange County from 1976 by Jane O'Neal, a print where you can see that it's vintage from the image but the boldness of the colors pop in such a modern way. Another was A Mad Day Out from 1968 by Stephen Goldblatt, from his days working with The Beatles. Goldblatt, known for his work as a Motion Picture Director of Photograph, is one of many artists that donated art to be sold by Fotovision-a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing documentary photography.

Whether it was the vast array of art, the complimentary hors d'oeuvres or just the open bar, Photo LA kicked off to a perfect opening night. At every turn, you could find someone deep in a creative exchange or admiring art on the wall or even just, sitting back and taking it all in. I over heard a woman commenting how the event was "so LA," a good thing I'm assuming.
All in all, after attending for the first time, I can't understand how anyone could start off the new year without attending even one night of Photo LA.