L.A. River Cat

Product Description

Description: 9″ x 9″
Mixed Media

Current Exhibition at Flower Pepper Gallery:
- Group Show: Minuscule from May 3rd to June 6th, 2014

Previous Exhibitions at Flower Pepper Gallery:
- Group Show: 3rd Year Anniversary Show from December 6th, 2014 to January 6th, 2015
- Solo Show: Fleeting Moments – The Art of Randy Hage from October 5th to November 15th, 2013
- Solo Show: NYC Store Fronts by Randy Hage from May 19th to June 21st, 2012

Future Exhibition at Flower Pepper Gallery:
- Solo Show: October 10th – November 18th, 2015, Opening: Saturday, October 10th, 2015

Artist Statement:
When I was a child, riding in the car on long, boring trips, I always looked forward to the Los Angeles River Cats. The Los Angeles River drainage culverts have these steel doors that open with the force of flowing drain water. They are round and have triangular hinge support plates. They look like cats. In the early 60′s, artists began to paint cat faces on them. Later, an artist named Leo Limon, took it upon himself to care for the cats and keep them in good condition as well as create some of his own designs for the culvert covers. In the 80′s, Caltrans put up higher fences and shrubs to cover the view from the 5 freeway. This was done to reduce accidents caused by drivers trying to catch a glimpse of the beloved cats. One of the wonderful fleeting moments from my childhood. Esoteric perhaps, but definitely meaningful. My River Cats` pieces are an homage to the many river cats artists and to Leo Limon who is their selfless caretaker.
- R. Hage

Artist Biography:
Visual artist, Randy Hage, has always been fascinated by the character and often overlooked beauty of aging structures. In the late 90s, he began photographing the cast iron facades in the SoHo area of New York as possible subjects for future art projects (The cast iron and brick structure on this site is a product of that original research). His interest soon moved to the unique street level Mom & Pop storefronts with their hand painted signs, layers of architecture, wonderful patinas and intriguing history.

As he continued to photograph these storefronts, it became clear to him that this was becoming more than an art project; it was becoming a documentary project as well. These neighborhood storefronts were closing at an alarming rate, falling victim to large-scale redevelopment that was exceeding a normal pace for neighborhood change.

Hage’s work not only seeks to preserve a vision of the past, but also to call attention to the loss of established and diverse neighborhoods as urban renewal and gentrification displace the store owners and the area residents who make up the tapestry of these communities. Over the past 12 years, Hage has photographed more than 450 storefronts and in that time, more than 60% of those have closed or have been torn down.

Hage’s storefront project reflects a love for these iconic structures, as well as a passionate interest in the communities that they serve. His sculptures represent more than fading facades, they honor the very soul of the city, its people.

Randy Hage has been creating sets, models, and props for the TV/Film and small-scale hobby industries for over 25 years. He is a former instructor at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles, where he taught set and prop fabrication.

Artist website:

http://www.newyorkstorefronts.com

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mindseyeminiatures/

The New York Times: Microeconomics: A City in Miniature by John Leland (It’s featured on The New York Times’ Sunday, Sep 29th, 2013 issue):

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2013/09/29/nyregion/album-storefronts.html?_r=2&

Interview by David Ono at ABC Channel 7 (Broadcasted on TV Friday, October 4th, 2013):

http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/local/los_angeles&id=9275290

Additional Information