Studio Notes

Transformative Arts exhibition, I Have Paid a Price for My Commitment
elizabeth catlett

Transformative Arts: I Have Paid a Price for My Commitment

A group exhibition at Transformative Arts honoring Elizabeth Catlett's influence on artists working in visual language as world-building praxis.

art storyCarracolendas art print by Michael Vargas

Carracolendas: Faces, Empathy, and the Space Between Us

Every face in this piece is carrying its own story. Here's how a single word turned into a canvas full of them.

eventsGrand Park Easy Mornings Arts Festival

Grand Park Easy Mornings Arts Festival Recap

Leading community art workshops at the Grand Park Easy Mornings Arts Festival in Downtown Los Angeles.

art storyEcho Chambers art print by Michael Vargas

Echo Chambers: When One Face Isn't Enough

Echo Chambers didn't start as one face. It started as four or five, all fighting for the same square foot of canvas, and me refusing to pick just one.I kept layering them, overlapping the eyes of o...

art storyCalypso wood print art by Michael Vargas

Calypso: Finding a Face in the Wood Grain

Some pieces start with an idea. Calypso started with the wood.I'd been staring at a sheet of birch panel for longer than I probably needed to, thinking about how much of the grain I wanted to keep ...

art storyVooDoo Guey art print by Michael Vargas

VooDoo Guey: A Love Letter to the Dance Floor

VooDoo Guey exists because of one song, played at the right volume, at the right time, on a night I still think about.The title's a play on "Voodoo Ray," the A Guy Called Gerald track that's been a...