Speed of Life

by Gregg Chadwick The Lady , a new film by director Luc Besson inspired by the life of Burma's courageous Aung San Suu Kyi and her husband Michael Aris, opens for a limited release this week at Laemmle's Music Hall Theatre in Beverly Hills. This engagement will run from December 2 - December 8, 2011. The film stars Malaysian actress Michelle Yeoh as Suu Kyi and David Thewlis as her husband Michael Aris. The Los Angeles Times explains that the film is "a timely political drama" about the volatile political events in Burma as well as "a love story about the uncommon bond that existed between Suu Kyi and her late husband, Michael Aris ... an Oxford University scholar and Asian specialist, Aris took charge of raising the couple's two sons in England while his wife was held captive in her homeland, and he worked tirelessly to raise Western awareness of his wife's fight for democracy." The Lady was shot mainly in Thailand using Burmese refugee...

by Gregg Chadwick In this Nov. 18 photo, UC Davis officer John Pike uses pepper spray on unarmed and non-threatening protesters. (AP Photo/The Enterprise, Wayne Tilcock, File) Miley Cyrus Releases Video in Support of the #Occupy Movement: The clip pairs a remix of Cyrus' 2010 song Liberty Walk with footage from the global #Occupy protests. The video begins with an overlay indicating that the clip is "dedicated to the thousands of people who are standing up for what they believe in." Cyrus' video features powerful images of police crack downs on citizens taking a stand against economic inequity wedded to an infectious beat. Rolling Stone writes,"It's a bold move for the singer – while most of the artists who have thrown their support behind Occupy Wall Street are pretty much the usual lefty rocker suspects, Cyrus is reaching out to an audience who are likely to be either apolitical or outright hostile to her message." As an artist, I know w...

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Thich Nhat Hanh at UCLA photo by Gregg Chadwick “We like the idea of being thankful to the cosmos, to everything that offers itself to us as food. That is why in Plum Village we organize a Thanksgiving Day, and we address our thanks to four objects: first of all to our father and our mother, who gave us life; to our teacher who gave us spiritual life and helped us know how to live in the here and now; we thank our friends who support us, especially in difficult moments, and we thank every being in the animal, vegetable and mineral world for our support and maintenance. So the Buddhists also celebrate Thanksgiving, with that kind of insight. And while we celebrate Thanksgiving, we relate to everyone who is there, and this is a very good practice so that we don’t cut ourselves off from reality. The feeling of gratitude can help us to remember and to cultivate the element of compassion and loving kindness in us.” Thich Nhat Hanh, Plum Village, 27th July, 1998

  Show Me The Place by leonardcohen Leonard Cohen's Haunting New Song: Show Me the Place

A tribute to the great Shakespearean actor John Neville, who died this week, and the magical  Terry Gilliam film, The Adventures Of Baron Munchausen , which stars John Neville, Eric Idle, Jonathan Pryce, Winston Dennis, Jack Purvis, a very young Sarah Polley, a teenage Uma Thurman, Oliver Reed, Robin Williams, Valentina Cortese, Sting, and a universe of all-star talent. John Neville as Richard II photo by Angus McBean, via Hurok Attractions The Adventures Of Baron Munchausen is the fantastic fable of an 18th century German aristocrat, his talented henchmen and a little girl in their efforts to save a town from defeat by the Turks. Their thrilling adventures include a trip in the gullet of a a giant sea-monster, a voyage to the moon, a dance with Venus who arrives on a half shell and an escape from death himself . A marvelous, under-appreciated film. Featuring music from the Michael Kamen score: The Munchausen Waltz . Thanks to    the screen siren  f...

The Airborne Toxic Event - Missy·I'm On Fire·I Fought The Law·Medley [HD] LIVE Nice medley from Los Angeles' Airborne Toxic Event

by Gregg Chadwick Santa Monica College's KCRW is a national treasure. The list of emerging talent that has appeared live on the station is remarkable. I first heard Peter Himmelman on KCRW'S compilation disc Rare on Air 1 in San Francisco in the early Nineties. This month I wrote a song with him. (More on that in an upcoming post.) The latest newcomer to KCRW is Australia's Gotye performing Somebody That I Used To Know . You can hear Gotye's full set on KCRW. Gotye will be playing a Feb 2nd show at the El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles. Tickets are on sale now at: Gotye at the El Rey Theatre Making Making Mirrors - a short documentary from Gotye on Vimeo . A short documentary about the recording of the Gotye record Making Mirrors. Directed by James Bryans and Wally De Backer Filmed and edited by James Bryans between January 2010 and July 2011, on the Mornington Peninsula, VIC, Australia More at: Gotye's Website Gotye's Full Set on KCRW

by Gregg Chadwick Gregg Chadwick Road to Mandalay 40"x30" oil on linen 2011 “For decades Americans have been deeply concerned about the denial of basic human rights for the Burmese people. The persecution of democratic reformers, the brutality shown toward ethnic minorities and the concentration of power in the hands of a few military leaders has challenged our conscience and isolated Burma from the United States and much of the world. After years of darkness, we’ve seen flickers of progress in these last several weeks as the president and Parliament in Myanmar, which is also known as Burma, have taken steps toward reform. Of course there’s far more to be done." -President Barack Obama, November 2011 (Statement on Burma delivered at the 2011 Pacific Rim Meeting in Bali, Indonesia) Four years after the Saffron Revolution in Burma, enough progress towards a free Burma has been made that President Barack Obama is sending Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on a tr...

Full Video Captured From a Helicopter of Tonight's #OWS' Gigantic Bat Signals Projected onto the Verizon Building in Lower Manhattan (Thursday, November 17, 2011)

MAYOR VILLARAIGOSA ISSUES STATEMENT ON CALIFORNIA SUPREME COURT’S PROP. 8 RULING LOS ANGELES  – Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa issued the following statement today on the California Supreme Court’s decision to allow the sponsors of Proposition 8 to defend the ballot initiative in federal court: "Today's California Supreme Court ruling is the latest step in guaranteeing that all gay and lesbian Americans have the fundamental right to marry the person they love.  The Court's ruling that proponents of Proposition 8 may defend the initiative before the 9th U.S Circuit Court of Appeals gives the federal court the opportunity to right this injustice. I am confident that the 9th Circuit Court will affirm marriage equality and right the damage Prop. 8 has done to our fellow Californians and their families.  I look forward to the day when all Americans enjoy the freedom to marry." More at: Villaraigosa on Prop 8 Ruling

  Deep in the tranquility of a Japanese woodland, the movement of a wooden ball plays Bach on a gravity marimba. The ball gently rolls down an elevated wooden incline striking a series of wooden bars each  tuned to play a single note of the 10th movement of Bach’s Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben, BWV 147 , commonly known in English as, Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring.  A rare example of an advertisement that evokes wonder. Enjoy! Hat tip to Makezine.

by Gregg Chadwick I am often asked by fellow artists and gallerists about shipping art locally and internationally. As of today due to UPS' gross negligence in a guaranteed, i.e. expensive,  delivery, I will no longer use their services and I recommend that others shift their services elsewhere.  I am heartbroken that my donation will most likely not be at   The 9th Annual Oak Grove Golf Classic 2011  & SO-CAL Chef Open   to benefit the Oak Grove Center for Education, Treatment and the Arts.  When a company no longer guarantees their guarantee the little guy loses out.  We need to stand together. #OccupyUPS anyone? Please read the  Open Letter to UPS CEO Scott Davis: Dear Scott Davis, On November 11, 2011 while you were chatting on the radio how UPS works on a day when the USPS is closed, I found that because of a shortage of UPS workers my Guaranteed package was not delivered as promised to the Oak Grove Center for Educati...

President Barack Obama's Veterans Day Message

by Gregg Chadwick Gregg Chadwick Memory Wall: My Father at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial 24”x18” oil on linen 2011 At the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam last October on my birthday, I was able to visit the painting I first remember: Rembrandt's iconic group portrait The Sampling Officials of the Amsterdam Drapers Guild . As a six year old, I stood before the painting and recognized it as the same image on the Dutch Masters' cigar box, my father's go-to brand. The connection was phenomenal; I was hooked. My dad had just finished his tour in the Vietnam War, where he had been serving as a JAG officer in the United States Marine Corps, and we were traveling around Europe. To this day, I recall most everything about that European family reunion. A lifelong love of Rembrandt ensued. Rembrandt's intellect and courage allowed him to move beyond a search for a mere likeness. Instead, Rembrandt pushed deep into the work to seek the inner selves of his sitters. I thank m...

FREE SUNDAYS November 6, 2011 - January 8, 2012 Starting this Sunday, November 6, the Hammer will offer free museum admission for all exhibitions every Sunday until the closing of the exhibition  Now Dig This! Art and Black Los Angeles 1960-1980  on Sunday, January 8, 2012. Admission is ALWAYS FREE for Museum members, students with ID, UCLA faculty and staff, military personnel, veterans, and visitors 17 and under accompanied by an adult. Free on Thursdays for all visitors. For hours, location, and parking information,  click here .

I am pleased to announce that the catalog for my exhibition Theater of Memory at Monterey Peninsula College is now available in a digital format in the iTunes Bookstore. Please click on the iBookstore Logo for more info.

Gregg Chadwick Los Sueños del Río 38"x76" oil on linen 2011