In honor of the upcoming E3 Expo, on June 15th, The Hive hosted B3, a video game-themed show that featured their 26 resident artists, 70 group show artists, and 10 performances. Being a slight video game nerd myself, I was particularly intrigued with the prospect of an entire exhibition dedicated to gaming’s pop cultural influence. I wasn’t disappointed; The Hive turned into a happening, game-friendly place, where underground art lovers and gaming nerds could mingle, drink, and play Mortal Kombat.

In honor of ForYourArt’s Public Art Party in Beverly Hills, Sprinkles was giving out free red velvet cupcakes to those in the know. And you were going to need that sugar rush if you wanted to explore this expansive art-fest to enjoy the public art of Beverly Hills, like Roxy Paine’s Erratic (also known as that giant steel boulder on Santa Monica), up close.

The corner of North Venice and Pacific was abuzz with art enthusiasts for the opening of “Alice Neel: Paintings” at LA Louver last Thursday, May 20th. I readily admit to my ignorance about Neel and her legacy, but her name is obviously a big draw in the sophisticated art community—the gallery echoed with intense intellectual discussion as throngs of art-lovers poured through the doors.

La Luz de Jesus Gallery looks like a store from the outside. That’s because it is. The gallery takes up two rooms in the back of a very cool, much hipper than me shop that sells a plethora of not only quirky books but bizarre and rare merchandise. I mean where else would one find a plastic goblet made to look like a vein-y eyeball than at this amazing, rather large store that is appropriately named Wacko? So too is it appropriate that Wacko should house La Luz de Jesus Gallery which in and of itself houses some not so run of the mill artwork. Max Grundy and Dennis Larkins are two artists whose work is seen in the first room, Gallery I, and who share quite similar Armageddon-like themes. In Gallery II there is some visually fascinating work that is produced by Scott Hove whose theme touches on those seen in Gallery I, but in a slightly different light.

The Happening Gallery certainly lived up to its name during its grand opening celebration on Saturday night, March 27th. The little gallery located on Lincoln Blvd in Marina del Rey was packed full of wide eyed spectators, each with a hankering for some fine, fine art. Thankfully, they were in luck as there was no shortage of amazing art work happening at The Happening Gallery.