In my opinion there are two kinds of art. The first is the kind of art you hang on the wall to maybe add some color to a room and then never really think about again. The second is the kind of art which forces you to contemplate it, to stare at it for hours, drawn like a moth to a flame, and in the end, to walk away, pondering what you just saw, talking about it with your friends, deeply affected.

While it seems some humans are dumping trash into Earth’s precious waters, others are recycling their unwanted goods and using them to create art. Others yet are painting pictures or taking photographs that capture the beauties of nature that have fortunately been able to remain untouched by mankind’s pestering paws. If you have respect for the glories and wonders of the planet we live on, then you share the sentiments of Tony Clark, founder and curator of Affinity Galleries in West Hollywood.

Never mind the fact that he was born some 600 years too late, Leigh J. McCloskey is every bit a Renaissance Man. Not someone stuck in the past, but someone part of what he calls an “emerging Renaissance.” An accomplished actor, McCloskey may best be known for his role as Mitch Cooper from the TV series Dallas. Through Julliard, to a career in TV/film spanning nearly 4 decades, McCloskey’s acting resume would seem creative enough for two lifetimes. After spending a day with him in the Hieroglyph of the Human Soul, however, you’d soon realize that McCloskey is concerned with much more than just playing a part. Indeed, spending time IN the Hieroglyph of the Human Soul. Entering the artist’s home only to see the room devoted to this craft of mixed media, brushstroke, and imagination, it would be easy to dismiss the Heiroglyph as a floor-to-ceiling, corner-to-corner rendition of archetypes in acrylic paint. However, after a few moments dissolving into the splendor of a work like this, objectivity takes a back seat. Add 3-D glasses with well-executed storytelling, and objectivity gets thrown out altogether. I thought I had come to hold an interview, but within minutes I realized the standard Q & A would not suffice: “Unscrew the locks from the door! / Unscrew the doors themselves from the jambs!” to quote Whitman, and this rallying cry provides the necessary architecture to describe a person who may very well be the last of the cave painters.

The Forth Collective will be out and about this weekend supporting some of the many amazing art events happening in our magical city of Lost Angles. Excuse me, I meant Los Angeles. Of course I did. Anyway, we hope to see you this weekend. Come out, wander about, enjoy some captivating art, and say hello before you go!
Downtown L.A. Art Walk
Date: Thursday October 8, 2009
Locations:
Crewest Gallery 110 Winston St. LA, 90013
The Hive Gallery 729 Spring St. LA, 90014
Loft Seven 219 West Seventh Street, LA 90014
Time: 6pm – 11pm