Art In The Hood

When Tatjana was five months old, Keith Haring offered to come paint her nursery in London. We were on the road at the time; Keith, Tatjana and I were sharing a limo from LA to Irvine to see Duran Duran live. Sadly it never happened, but It was one of those “it’s the thought that counts” moments – of course it would have been spectacular, but my heart is still warmed by his wanting to do it.

That’s why viewing his art with Tatjana is so special to me. I feel like I’m re-introducing her to a friend. What I didn’t bargain for was her introducing me to the next generation of graffiti artists in the process. Well, I did know we were going to the Art in the Streets exhibition at the Geffen Comtemporary at MOCA (still going on until August 18th, 2011, and I highly recommend it), but I didn’t expect to be so enamoured with what I saw.

But wait – it gets better! My daily walks are turning into one gigantic street art treasure hunt after another, so in a weird way I’m still getting that graffiti mural – well my hood is, that is. This installation by Snyderabove, one of his “urban garden projects,” is one of my fav’s.

About a month ago I mentioned happening upon some taggers as I was walking Daisy in the neighborhood, and how I was quite taken by their work. I considered inviting them back to my place and offering up my garden wall (little did I know how steep the price tag might be).

It seems my hood has become the place for serious street artists to tag. Check it out – Mr. Brainwash above.

I’m still trying to decipher the rest of the monikers to know who did what – maybe you can help enlighten me?

I couldn’t find many specifics about SCOM other than a flickr page with more photos of his work – busy indeed.

Not that it even really matters – the art gives me such pleasure to view. I think it brightens up the less desirable attributes of the neighborhood, and makes me smile. I love the “scan this entire ad with google glasses….”

Or maybe it isn’t humor, but in fact a legitimate (or quasi-legitimate since street art is still considered outside the law) advertising campaign. In my quest to learn more about the artists behind the work here, I found this: “You’re looking for a graffiti or street-art artist?

FatCap can help you find the right team of professional graffiti artists for: a corporate event, a decorating project, a product / brand launch, a marketing campaign, a movie / television shooting, or a custom canvas. Fill this form, and our Agency team will get back to you quickly with a free quote.”

Whether in the hood, in or on a museum – street art does lift my spirits immensely, with inspiration spilling over into the kitchen.

Here is my latest attempt at painting with flavor for a dinner party – I love this flower like presentation. It definitely received squeals of delight from my dinner party guests. The beets and cheese can be quite filling, so be careful to keep the following course(s) on the lighter side, or the salad would make a fabulous lunch on it’s own.

The secret is in finding the real mozzarella fresca (don’t use that highly processed rubbery stuff). You want the mild, soft, creamy consistency of the cheese to go with the contrasting stronger flavor of the beets, coupled with the cool crunch of the champagne vinaigrette dressed lettuce, and crisp toasted pine nuts.

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

Dressing

 
 3 tablespoons Champagne or Sherry vinegar
 
 1 tablespoon grainy Dijon mustard
 
 1 small shallot minced
 
 1 teaspoon sugar
 
 salt and pepper to taste
 
 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Salad

 
 4 large beets, outer skin peeled
 
 1 tablespoon olive oil
 
 1 teaspoon kosher salt
 
 black pepper to taste
 
 1/2 head iceberg lettuce, thinly shredded
 
 8 ounces mozzarella fresca
 
 4 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted

Directions:

1). Preheat the oven to 400 ° F. Toss the beets with olive oil and place in an even layer on a sheet pan. Season with the kosher salt, and roast until just tender (not soft), about 40-45 minutes. Let cool completely.

2). In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, mustard, shallot, sugar and season to taste with salt and pepper. Slowly, so the vinegar and oil emulsify, whisk in the olive oil; set aside.

3). For thin even slices use a mandolin or food processor (you can also carefully use a sharp chefs knife), slice the beets into thin rounds, and arrange on the center of the plate into a flower shape.

4). Using 3/4 of the dressing, reserving a little to drizzle later, toss the lettuce in the dressing and place in little bunches in the center of each beet flower.

5). Top each mound of lettuce with one mozzarella, and drizzle with remaining dressing. Sprinkle with toasted pine nuts and serve.