lunch + art, part 2.

Saturday I met my friend Kim for lunch in Studio City. It's becoming a regular weekend event, and I like it. We decided to try the Artisan Cheese Gallery on Ventura, just east of Laurel Canyon. Another friend, Jennifer, had admonished me for never visiting here, even though I live less than a mile away.

And she was right to chastise me. This place is fantastic. Again, another little gourmet deli where you can purchase fancy cheese platters, plus delightful sandwiches and salads. The walls are lined top to bottom with wine bottles, and you order from the counter and sit at long communal tables. I had probably the best tuna melt I've ever eaten--full of capers and artichokes and topped with delicious gouda--plus an Asian pear salad. And though I generally don't like salads with candied nuts, especially when it's mixed with fruit, I had no problem polishing this off.


Then it was off to the Timothy Yeager Gallery in Beverly Hills, a place I generally try to avoid, especially on the weekends (not the gallery, but BH). But it was worth it to see the exhibit of photographs by Jim McHugh.

A few years ago, I was leafing through Los Angeles magazine, and this article on McHugh's photos, mostly of apartment building neon signs, just blew my mind.


From the November 2008 issue, "Twilight Zones: The Photography of Jim McHugh":

"Photographer Jim McHugh captures a landscape where Robert Mitchum still
stumbles out the front door, fog envelops everything, and the skies buzz with a
neon glow. Shot on Polaroid film with a four-by-five view camera, McHugh's
images of Los Angeles' buildings are ghostly silhouettes against even the blackest
skies."

And here it is. As mentioned, his photos are all blown-up Polaroids with little-to-no retouching or any kind of manipulation. This is the L.A. I always dreamed of when I dreamed of moving here. The exhibit is worth trying to find a parking space for and shuffling though all the people who actually shop at Barney's and Saks and Neiman's.

McHugh also has a book featuring his photographs, Let's Get Lost, its title inspired by the Chet Baker song, and he has a nice little blog, too.

(All images via Jim McHugh)