The Views That Didn’t Make L.A. Famous

I Got to Know My City By Putting Its Underappreciated Landscapes on Canvas

As a native Angeleno, I’ve always felt that L.A. is rarely seen for all of its history, diversity, and character. Tourists only visit Venice Beach, Hollywood, and Universal City, maybe downtown, and call it a day. They miss out on all of the city’s interesting middle parts. It wasn’t until I started exploring the city for a series of paintings called 100 Not So Famous Views of L.A. that I realized how much I had to learn about the city.

I got the idea for the series in 2007 after …

by Barbara A. Thomason | March 16, 2015

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Every Monday, I Visit Prisoners at Heathrow

One of the World’s Largest Airports Is Also Home to Detained Immigrants Stuck in Limbo

by Jonathan Conlin | January 22, 2015

Every Monday, come 2 p.m. I’m usually ready in my seat in the Visitor’s Lock, unless there’s been a long wait to get fingerprinted and frisked. I then wait for …

Singing Harmony with Buck Owens

There’s Nothing Quite Like Taking the Stage at Bakersfield’s Crystal Palace

by Jennifer Keel Faughn | January 21, 2015

I have been singing ever since I can remember. Growing up in Bakersfield, I sang three times a week in church, and, at home, my dad would play the guitar …

My Supermarket Doesn’t Love Me

Grocery Stores Are in My Blood, Which Is Why I Was Crushed by the Changes at My Ralphs in Sherman Oaks

by Carol Gray | January 20, 2015

I have a life-long affinity for markets. Before I was born and then when I was a small child, mom-and-pop grocery stores supported all my relatives. My paternal grandfather owned …

A Nuclear Warhead in Suburban Orange County?

In the Hills Above Brea Lies a Spot That Could Have Started World War III

by Tyler Spicer | January 10, 2015

From here, atop a concrete tower in the Brea Hills, I have a commanding view of Southern California. Behind me, I can see, faintly, the top of the monumental skyscrapers …

Griffith Park Taught Me to Love Life in L.A.

Its Hills Are Plagued by Forest Fires. The Traffic on Weekends Is Brutal. And Forget Teaching Your Kid to Ride a Bike There. But Otherwise, It's Sublime.

by Jordan Wallens | January 7, 2015

If there’s anything in Los Angeles that remains inexpensive and underrated, it’s Griffith Park.

I’ve experienced a few area codes around here. After growing up in the 818, high schooling …

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How West L.A. Became a Haven for Japanese-Americans

Long Before It Was the Westside’s Ramen Epicenter, Sawtelle Boulevard Bustled with Japanese-Owned Nurseries and ‘Gardeners’ Colleges’

That Matisse in the Pantry? The Nazis Stole It.

Seventy Years after World War II, Europe is Grappling with History, Restitution and Thousands of Pieces of Nazi-Looted Art

What Diebenkorn and Matisse Taught Me About the Hard Work of Making Art

Timeless Creations Require Intensity, Vision, and Relentless Focus

The Portrait of the Artist’s Mother as an Old Woman

What James McNeill Whistler’s Iconic Painting, Now on Display at the Norton Simon Museum, Says About Its Subject and Her Son

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