LOTERIA II! Group Show
March 12 - April 2
Opening Reception: Saturday, March 12, 2016 * 6p-9p

Cactus Gallery is pleased to present our first exhibit of 2016 -- LOTERIA II!

La Loteria is a game of chance played like Bingo, only with pictures instead of numbers. The Loteria deck uses 54 images, including characters, instruments, flora, animalia, and objects which have become iconic and synonymous with Mexican culture.

Our LOTERIA II! exhibit will feature 54 paintings and mixed media works by 52 artists who used their assigned card as a springboard for their modern interpretation and the results are delightful. For context, displayed alongside the interpretations, will be the most commonly recognized standard deck by Pasatiempos Gallo, S.A.

Please join us for this charming show and play La Loteria with us during the reception for a chance to win a signed original from one of the participating artists and other prizes!

The complete exhibit will be online on Friday, March 11 at 12p at www.cactusgalleryla.com 

Here are the 54 LOTERIA cards and the artists depicting them; such an awesome group! The art is going to be wonderful!

1 El gallo ("the rooster") Douglas Alvarez
2 El diablito ("the Devil") Kathie Olivas
3 La dama ("the lady") Tammy Mae Moon
4 El catrín ("the dandy") Walt Hall
5 El paraguas ("the umbrella") Rasa Jadzeviciene
6 La sirena ("the mermaid")Ulla Anobile
7 La escalera ("the ladder") Consu Tolosa
8 La botella ("the bottle") Vera Paras
9 El barril ("the barrel") Lalo Alcaraz
10 El árbol ("the tree") Gabriela Malinalxochitl Zapata
11 El melón ("the melon") Nichol Norman
12 El valiente ("the brave man") Patricia Krebs
13 El gorrito ("the bonnet") Janet Olenik
14 La muerte ("Death") Roger Art Trivinos
15 La pera ("the pear") Christina Forster- Ramos
16 La bandera ("the flag") Jamie Chavez
17 El bandolón ("the mandolin") Lea Barozzi
18 El violoncello ("the cello") Edgar Humberto Alvarez
19 La garza ("the heron") Jorge Bernal
20 El pájaro ("the bird") Jaxie Jax
21 La mano ("the hand") Jerry Montoya
22 La bota ("the boot") Terri Berman
23 La luna ("the moon") Ruth Barrera
24 El cotorro ("the parrot") Denise Bledsoe
25 El borracho ("the drunkard") Lalo Alcaraz
26 El negrito ("the Negro") Brooke Kent
27 El corazón ("the heart") Brenda Paola Gómez
28 La sandía ("the watermelon") Joe Alvarez
29 El tambor ("the drum") Bobby Rojas
30 El camarón ("the shrimp") Holly Wood
31 Las jaras ("the arrows") Lena Sayadian
32 El músico ("the musician") Simona Candini
33 La araña ("the spider") Cenya Eichengreen
34 El soldado ("the soldier") Ronald J. Llanos
35 La estrella ("the star") Ann Lim
36 El cazo ("the billycan") Angela Maria Ortiz S
37 El mundo ("the world") Gregory P. Rodriguez
38 El apache ("the Apache") Alea Ahwahnee Bone
39 El nopal ("the prickly pear cactus") Joe Alvarez
40 El alacrán ("the scorpion") Sarah Rose
41 La rosa ("the rose") Catherine Bursill Moore
42 La calavera ("the skull") Jaclyn Alderete
43 La campana ("the bell") Rosie Garcia Artist
44 El cantarito ("the water pitcher") Eden Folwell
45 El venado ("the deer") Johnny Quintanilla
46 El Sol ("the sun") Candace McKay
47 La corona ("the crown") Valency Elise Genis
48 La chalupa ("the canoe") Julie Zarate
49 El pino ("the pine tree") Lacey Bryant
50 El pescado ("the fish") Mavis Leahy
51 La palma ("the palm tree") Bill Wheeler
52 La maceta ("the flowerpot") Miriam Diaz Martinez
53 El arpa ("the harp") Andrea Bogdan
54 La rana ("the frog") Joshua Coffy

Also:
Loteria inspired bottle cap magnets and pendants by Beth Penalty
Loteria themed aprons and hand towels by Los Lover Dovers

Email Sandra at semastroianni70@yahoo.com or 323.801.8669 for pre-sale information.

"The Song of the Birds" - BIRD themed group show OPENS June 14th

Cactus Gallery is pleased to present THE SONG OF THE BIRDS, our 6th annual bird themed group show.

Show Runs: June 14 - July 8, 2014

Opening Reception: Saturday, June 14, 2014 - 3p-7p

Held in conjunction with NELAart.org's Second Saturday Gallery Night

Gallery hours: Saturday and Sunday 11a-5p and by appointment.

People have always been fascinated by animals. Birds, in particular, seem to have sacred and secular meanings, which can be positive and negative, and their use is evident in religion, music, mythological tales, and visual art. These feathered creatures can convey emotion or even comment on society. Please join us to celebrate their powerful symbolism as seen through the eyes of 40+ artists.

This show features an eclectic collection of media: oil and acrylic on canvas and wood, mixed media on canvas and wood, textile, paper mache, ceramic, linocut prints, pencil, pen, and ink on paper, prismacolor, chalk pastel and colored pencil on paper and mylar, polymer clay and paper clay sculptures, hand stitched felt and mixed media sculpture.

We are very pleased to also be working with River Of Wings (ROW) and will be exhibiting a few of their kinetic, avian inspired sculptures during the reception. The birds are being reimagined and personalized by members of the community. During this year's Frogtown Art Walk, the “flock” of 60 will be installed along a half mile section of the bike path of the L.A. River!! They will then travel to other destinations. For more information: http://www.riverofwings.com/

For purchase information or additional images, contact: Sandra Mastroianni at semastroianni70@yahoo.com

Walt Hall :: Fenceposts for a Better Tomorrow

About three years ago, Cactus Gallery put on a "$100 Show." We have always believed art should be accessible to everyone and we thought it to be a good way to attract new collectors. During the run of this show, we got to know a guy named Walt Hall; he was down with the idea of ART FOR THE PEOPLE.

Since then, we have been able to reach a hundred or so collectors, new and old, who love the idea of collecting Walt's "panels." The price of each panel has gone up since the first few he did, and rightly so, as the quality of work has grown by leaps and bounds and his popularity and recognition has also.

Having seen hundreds of panels by now, I am still impressed with the panels, the way Walt transports them and carefully hangs his wall to "tell a story." The placement of the multilingual newsprint, the birds, the hats, the nostalgia that much of it invokes gets better and better.

What's with the hierarchy of the hats? The bird walkers? The bird riders? The too infrequent appearance of the robots? The barren trees? What does it all mean? I can't make sense of it all. I don't want to. With each new batch of fenceposts that grace the Cactus walls, I am humbled by the sheer number of works that Walt has created in such a short period of time. Hat's off to you, Walt Hall, no pun intended. 

Come see why everybody loves Walt Hall. "Fenceposts for a Better Tomorrow" always available at Cactus Gallery. 

To see Walt' s work :: http://www.thesappystudio.com/

www.myspace.com/waltghall