Rochelle and Sandy / 1980 / acrylic on board, mounted on panel / 20.75 x 30.5 inches

I met Sandy and Rochelle when X played at Self-Help Graphics in Boyle Heights. I painted them in front of the wall of Brave Dog, a post-punk club that was next to The Atomic Cafe in LittleTokyo. They reminded me of people in the crowd when I saw The Ramones play in London for the first time at The Roundhouse in 1976.

Collection of The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles

Gregory and Giselle / 1980 / acrylic on board, mounted on panel / 37 x 30 ⅝ inches framed

Gregory Poe by his family’s pool in Brentwood with Giselle, who is wearing one of Gregory’s clear plastic raincoats with fish floating in the pockets. Gregory’s clothes were sold in shops in LA such as Maxfield and Fiorucci and in a chain of boutiques in Japan. In 1985 British Vogue’s Jill Spalding described Gregory as “the most talented designer on the West Coast” using materials such as astroturf and nylon leopard skin “long before Melrose Avenue caught up with him.”

Gregory and Giselle / detail

Looking North From Downtown / 1982 / acrylic on paper / 30 x 22 ¼ inches

Diana / 1980 / acrylic on board, mounted on panel / 23 x 24 inches framed

Diana Perez was the singer in the band Fender Buddies and had a day job at Tiffany’s on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills. I painted her in the cactus garden on the other side of Santa Monica Boulevard from the upscale jewelry store because I liked the visual contrast between the untamed vegetation and the sleekly designed shops nearby.

Fender Buddies / 1980 / watercolour and gouache on board, mounted on panel / 20 ¾ x 20.5 inches framed

Fender Buddies in front of a religious artifacts store in downtown LA. I met the band originally when they played in a warehouse with Party Boys. They also played at Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions with Suburban Lawns and were included on the “Rodney on the ROQ” album that had a photograph by Jules Bates on the cover.

Collection of The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles

Ruffle
Profile
Grace
Brooke
All: 1980 / oil pastel / 12” x 9”

Guy
Rain
Veil
Phyllis
All: 1980 / oil pastel / 12” x 9”

Eye / 1980 / oil pastel / 12” X 9”

Jules / 1980 / acrylic on board, mounted on panel / 20.5 x 28.5 inches

Jules Bates with one of the Nash Metropolitans that he had carefully restored. Jules made iconic photographs of bands such as Devo, The Go Gos and The Weirdos. He often photographed his subjects within sets that he painted himself that became three dimensional paintings. He worked on many record covers with Artrouble, the design collective he formed with make-up artist Phyllis Cohen and graphic designer David Allen.

Stuart Kusher Art Director ABC Records / 1979 / coloured pencil on board / 26” X 40”

Hollywood Film Producer in his Office / 1979 / watercolour and gouache on board / 26” X 40”

Gillean / 1980 / acrylic on board, mounted on panel / 23 1/4” x 23 inches

Gillean McLeod in the loft on Spring Street that she lived in with her band Party Boys. The band played in downtown lofts and bars such as Jacarandas and Brave Dog. They built the stage at Al’s Bar and were one of the first bands to play at what became a gathering spot for the downtown art and music scene.