Artist, Gabe Gault spent his formative years in Venice Beach where creativity, popular culture, and its colorful residents made a lasting impression. A reading disability caused him to turn his full attention to art as a way to express himself and explore his identity as a Black American. His works often feature backgrounds with juxtaposing urban camouflage pattern and classical flora used as a story telling device. Gault’s notable works include murals for the legendary Grande Ballroom in Detroit, Complex magazine, Nike and Nike Air, and commissions for the NAACP, Will and Jada Smith Foundation, and UCLA’s Centennial “100 Years of Activism”.

Hunter Reynolds has his roots in Los Angeles.  As a runaway gay teenager, he escaped to LA in 1975 at the age of 15.  He experienced 1970s West Hollywood, attended the Fashion Institute Design and Merchandising, and graduated from the Otis Parsons School of Art and Design in 1984.

Reynolds notes, “I could not have survived that journey which as you can imagine was filled with difficult obstacles and amazing stories. It was the new Gay and Lesbian Services Center which had just opened and the many gay men I had met of the 70’s who helped to mentor me through that difficult time, and I owe them and their spirits eternal gratitude.”

His pieces, “Healing Hands Flying With Patina du Prey” and “Healing Hands on the Beach” represent that gratitude and is currently on display at The Artist Tree. (Gold hands photographed by George Lyter. Patina du Prey photographed by Michael Wakefield.)

Cody is mainly a painter of unconventional canvases. He believes that art can (and probably should) be everywhere. Cody takes the commonplace and gives it another life.

This exhibit showcases Cody’s collection of #PennyPopArt in which he either alters Abe’s appearance with acrylic paint using numerous methods, to turn him into iconic celebrities such as Leonardo di Caprio, Rihanna, or even Waldo, or he paints over Abe altogether, replacing him with whomever or whatever he feels inspired by (in this case, well known cannabis enthusiasts).

“I have always taken the roll of challenging the status quo, of making people think about things differently. When I was younger, I wasn’t aware this was a gift and it rarely worked out in my favor. I’ve learned from those experiences, and I’m now having nothing but fun with it!”