Menotti’s Coffee Shop, Venice Beach

March 5, 2014 by kwakualston

Venice is making way for a new coffee shop with a lot of history.  Although Menotti’s has just opened at 56 Windward, its Venice roots are strong-as is the head Barista’s, Christopher “nicely” Abel Alameda.  Alameda was a force working in Intelligentsia followed by Handsome Roasters, and has won the title Coffee Fest World Latte Art Champion three times.  His passion and love of coffee is apparent through not just his intense decisive pours, but also through his 4 tattoos […]

Categories: Venice • Tags: abbot kinney, coffee shop, kwaku alston, leica, leica m9, menottis, photography, venice, venice beach

Art of Studio featured by PDN

March 1, 2014 by kwakualston

Almost every photographer dreams of their own studio–a special private space to freely create and brainstorm, where inspiration and its precise execution is the only thing that matters.  A place where you walk in, and are warmly greeted by light as it splays across decorated walls, books new and old, and your unique tools of the trade.  At least, this was one of my many dreams: to own and operate my very own studio.  An artist’s studio is a reflection […]

Categories: Behind the Scenes, Features, Inspiration, Uncategorized, Venice • Tags: abbot kinney, american photo, art of studio, art of studio space, CA, kwaku alston, pdn, pdn february 2014, pdn magazine, pdn studio, venice, venice art gallery

Art of Studio open Today 11-6!

October 12, 2013 by kwakualston

Off the presses, fresh from Japan Art of Studio is open Saturdays 11-6, so stop by and check out our current exhibit on view, In Between & Outside,  fine art books on view, including special work by Japanese photographer Shingo Wakagi, Venice: A Village by the Sea, and #handadventures prints and books!  Find us at 1346 Abbot Kinney Blvd, Venice, CA 90291 Phone us 310 392 9957 ext 4

Categories: Venice • Tags: abbot kinney, art gallery, art of studio, fine art, fine art prints, gender, gender bender, handadventures, kwaku alston, Los Angeles, los angeles art opening, los angeles events, sara swaty, venice, venice art, venice art gallery, venice beach, venice california

In Between & Outside: Portraits by Sara Swaty Opening Reception @ Art of Studio Friday September 20th!

September 19, 2013 by kwakualston

Art of Studio is excited to present Sara Swaty’s 3rd solo show featuring her ongoing photographic social documentary, In Between & Outside. This portrait series examines different perceptions of gender and how it related to sexuality through exploring the human body and gender identity across a broad spectrum of individuals. Please come and show your support for a new rising star just hitting the Los Angeles photography scene.  Enjoy drinks and dialogue over this personal passion project!! To learn more […]

Categories: Events, Fellow Creatives • Tags: 1346 abbot kinney, abbot kinney, art of studio, behind the scenes, gender bender, gender identity, gender photography, in between and outside, kwaku alston, Los Angeles, photography, sara swaty, sara swaty photo, venice

Explore, Shoot, Critique: Venice Beach Street Photography Workshop – August 31st

August 19, 2013 by kwakualston

To end the summer with a bang, we are offering a 1-day Venice Beach Street Photography Workshop for $295 for all of you adventurous photographers– amateur, professional, and anything in between.  Register on Kwakushop to reserve your place today. The Venice Beach Street Photography Workshop is a fun and intensive 1-day workshop held in Venice Beach, California. I will personally guide you through the streets of Venice, where I have called home for over 10 years, and share my street […]

Categories: Events, Venice • Tags: abbot kinney, abbot kinney street photography, abbot kinney workshop, california, iphone, kwaku alston, Los Angeles, los angeles photo workshop, los angeles street photography, los angeles street photography workshop, photography, photography workshop, street photography, street photography workshop, venice, venice beach, venice beach photography workshop, venice beach street, venice beach street photography, venice beach workshop, Venice Los Angeles, workshop

Sungazing in The Sunset Room

August 15, 2013 by kwakualston

  If you stare into the sun for too long, you can go blind–but nothing is more addictive than sungazing or getting lost in the great golden globe.  I’ve always been drawn to water and sunsets, especially during the golden hour.  It’s easy to get lost watching the passage of time as the water softly and slowly rolls back and forth into the horizon.  Although sunsets are quiet and peaceful moments for me, I still feel invigorated by the electric […]

Categories: Behind the Scenes, Events, Venice • Tags: a village by the sea, abbot kinney, art of studio, art show, beautiful, Dan Flavin, golden hour, hawaii, iphone, kwaku alston, kwakushop, photography, sotheby's, Sungazing, sunsets, venice

Sabine Gebser of Sotheby’s International Realty presents Venice: A Village by the Sea

August 9, 2013 by kwakualston

Thank you to Sotheby’s and everyone who came out and supported the show- read more about it below.          In the last couple of months, I have had the fortune of collaborating with Sabine Gebser of Sotheby’s International Realty in her mission to combine both passions for art and architecture into one.  To celebrate this, we held an art opening and exclusive champagne reception featuring new work from my ongoing Venice project, A Village by the Sea.   In honor of the […]

Categories: Behind the Scenes, Events • Tags: abbot kinney, Sotheby, venice

#VENICE(UN)ENTITLED Show

July 2, 2013 by kwakualston

  Thank you to everyone who came out to see #VENICE(UN)ENTITLED, a collaborative installation with fellow artist Glen Wilson and I.  The night was a smashing success and a perfect way to ring in the Summer on Abbot Kinney. About the show: “From two distinct neighborhood vantages, artists Glen Wilson and Kwaku Alston have witnessed and documented the dramatic transformation of Venice Beach, where each has called home for 15 years. Their collaborative installation, #VENICE(UN)ENTITLED shares visual fragments of an […]

Categories: Behind the Scenes, Events • Tags: 1346 abbot kinney, abbot kinney, art, art of studio, behind the scenes, glen wilson, kwaku alston, photography, photography show, venice, Venice Los Angeles, veniceunentitled

Art of Studio: A Physical Place for a Virtual Space

May 24, 2013 by kwakualston

2008, Hong Kong –What is art of studio? We are many things… A physical place for a virtual space, A window into watching the creative process in action, A conceptual home to art, photography, ideas, inspiration, and much more. I am interested in seeing what happens when one creates a space for people to witness the process behind the product, whether it be a photograph, website, blog, or writing.  Art of Studio is a place to see, touch, and discuss […]

Categories: Uncategorized • Tags: 1346 abbot kinney, abbot kinney, art of studio, blog, california, Chongqing, creative process, hong kong, iconography, inspiration, kwaku alston, life, Nigel Holmes, photography, venice, venice beach, Virtual reality