Guerin Swing

Guerin Swing at his studio in North Hollywood

GUERIN SWING

At Guerin Design & Development
7527 Ethel Ave. B, North Hollywood

“I’ve been doing art my whole life, since I was a little kid, and street art for 20-plus years. I grew up with people like RISK [Kelly Graval] and Estevan [Oriol]. I did art with Skate, who died when he was hit by a train, and other friends who were more into graffiti while I would take cans of paint and splash them onto walls in an alley like abstract paintings,” says artist Guerin Swing. “For me, I’ve always kind of been in the street art community, but I never really even considered myself a street artist. I just do fun stuff.” 

“I’ve had over 100 employees that are artists work for me over the years, and they would say, ‘You have to see Exit Through the Gift Shop, but I only just recently watched it. The funniest thing of all is I actually know Theirry [Guetta, “Mr. Brainwash”] from when I was 18 in Hollywood. He worked down the street; we used to party together,” he continues. “I’ve done shows with Shepard Fairey, gone over to Retna’s studio – I’m pretty involved in the street art community without realizing it. ”

The L.A. native has worked hard to be at a place where he can create street art pieces for fun while balancing orders for commissioned art pieces and jobs for his incredibly successful interior design business. It’s no wonder that when I arrive at his studio, which is housed in the headquarters for Guerin Design & Development in North Hollywood, Guerin is sipping on an energy drink. Aside from fulfilling design jobs, he is also preparing for an upcoming solo art show at Lab Art, but takes some time to give me a tour of the studio, explain some of his pieces and share some insight into his artistic beginnings.

“When I was in junior high, I wanted to be an animator. My uncle was an animator, doing cool things like the Pillsbury Doughboy, so I was really into claymation and stop motion. I won all kinds of awards at student film festivals and had a great time doing it, so that was the direction I was going,” he recalls. “When you’re young, your career counselor isn’t asking, ‘Would you like to be an artist?’ It just wasn’t put out there. So if I was going to be an artist, I guess my ‘career’ would be graphic artist.”

While Guerin had dropped out of school to pursue his dream of being an Olympic cyclist, he eventually ended up going to commercial art school when he was 17. Shortly after, he got his first job at Screamer Magazine, based on the Sunset Strip, and Guerin moved from his hometown in the San Fernando Valley to Hollywood. When computers became the main tool for graphic designers, Guerin again had to switch gears into something more fulfilling and lucrative.

“My mother, father, brother, grandmother are all in the interior design business. My dad suggested I go into decorative painting, so I did. That eventually put me into the movie business, commercials, music videos and celebrity homes. Then I started doing commissioned paintings for people like Tommy Lee and Slash, and I’ve been doing commissioned pieces for the last 20 years.”

Most design firms have at least one vision board dotting desks in their offices, but Guerin’s is actually an entire wall covered in press clippings and photos of past art pieces he has done for clients such as Halle Berry, Tommy Lee, Britney Spears, Nikki Sixx, Paul Stanley and Slash. His design work can also be seen at L.A. hot spots like Palmilla, Katana, Javier’s Cantina, Estrella, the Roxbury and Red O as well as on various E!, MTV and HGTV shows.

After I stare at this wall for a few minutes, Guerin leads me back to the lobby where one of his gorgeous Ganesh paintings is propped up on the couch.

“Back around 1995 I did these Ganesh pieces for Brent Bolthouse’s Opium Den, which had this whole Eastern vibe. I started doing these Ganeshes around town because it was a fun thing to wheatpaste and stencil them all over, and then everyone loved them, had a great response to them,” he says. “I’ve had Aerosmith hire me to put them on their road boxes, and a friend in the TV/film business had me put them on his equipment boxes, too.”

We move into a hallway where two more Ganesh pieces hang.

“Then I started doing things with tar. These are all tar, silver leaf and gold leaf – no paint’s involved. I live in Malibu and with all the things happening with the environment and the beach, and then tar is also natural element from the earth. You have tar, and you think about the dinosaurs and mammoths. It’s a natural resource that now fuels our entire world,” he explains. “I’ve done these masks in tar and worked with different kinds of tar for 25 years. It all goes back to when movie studios would use tar in nicotine wash on set walls to age them and make them look old.”

Guerin moves on to two pieces that are in his show happening Feb. 24 from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Lab Art: a customized makeup chair finished using live metal and upholstered with real Louis Vuitton leather, and a bicycle that he welded and customized with the same Louis Vuitton material.

“The name of the show is Gold Digger since I’ve been working with gold and silver leaf and have been doing this fun Louis Vuitton thing. I use all this couture stuff (Hermès, Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent) and other brands like Aston Martin (who are sponsoring the show) and Coca-Cola,” he tells. “I’m taking ‘Men at Work’ traffic signs, turn turn the man into a woman, affix gold foil to the end of her shovel, and now she’s a gold digger. I did one in Beverly Hills and am going to put one up on PCH in Santa Monica near the California Incline construction.” 

In addition, Guerin is turning a female mannequin into a well-dressed construction worker – complete with a copper Hermès helmet – holding a shovel with its handle wrapped in the Louis Vuitton leather for an installation to be placed in front of a luxury boutique in the city alongside some faux broken-up concrete with gold and fake jewels in the center and a pile of dirt next to it. If she doesn’t get stolen, you’ll be able to see her at the Gold Digger show next week.

Once I walk into Guerin’s studio area, I see more of his paintings that are part of the exhibit before he shows off two huge Snap-on tool chests that he has completely transformed.

“Snap-on is like the Rolls-Royce of tool boxes, so I wrapped one in Louis Vuitton and put an ebony top on it. I did one for Slash and Steven Tyler, and this one will be in the show with another one all wrapped in real python. The handles are chrome femur bones,” he describes.  

A painting of the Little Green Guy that Guerin is using in some of his street art pieces catches my eye, and Guerin shares that he’s testing out a process to patina the copper he has painted onto the canvas of the piece. He also offers some background on the little figure.

“That’s a new one that I’ve been playing with. It reminds me of my childhood. My grandma used to live in Venice, right where the Venice Pier is, and I remember being in fourth grade and finding these Little Green Guy stickers in a surf shop. I thought they were so cool,” he smiles. “They really remind me of West Coast, lowbrow culture.”

At this point in his career, what it all comes down to for Guerin is eliciting some kind of response from those who see his art. Whether it’s inside a chic Hollywood restaurant, on a cement wall in a Downtown alley or hanging in Lab Art during his Gold Digger show, it’s about what the art represents to the viewer. 

“I’ve worked really hard to get where I’m at as an artist. I want to show my art, and if I can sell it, god bless me and the person that buys it. That’s the cherry on top. If I can put my stuff on display, people come to see it and I get a good response, I’m happy.”

Gold Digger/Aston Martin Presents: The Art Show Featuring the Works of Guerin Swing is from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Lab Art (217 S. La Brea Ave., Los Angeles). For more information, visit guerindesign.com. 

Valarie Pettiford

Valarie Pettiford at Indexx

 

VALARIE PETTIFORD

At Indexx

5213 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood (818) 509-0705

Poise is the perfect word to describe Valarie Pettiford. The Tony-nominated actor/singer/dancer effortlessly exudes elegance. One would immediately attribute her graceful bearing to her years of dance training, but after speaking with her for a few moments, I realize that she is an inherently charming and talented individual.

"My mom and dad said that I came out dancing. By the time I was 2, I was doing a mean twist," she laughs. "I knew at 3 years old what I wanted to do: dance. From that, it evolved into acting and singing."

We sit down for a conversation at Valarie's favorite place to spend time in Los Angeles, a clothing boutique called Indexx, and her natural effervescence bubbles to the surface when she introduces me to the shop's owner, Joy Yassan, and recounts how they became friends.

"I'm a shopaholic. When I first moved to Los Angeles in 1996, Joy had one of her original stores across the street. I am a native New Yorker, so I was checking out my new neighborhood, trying to find my watering holes, my Starbucks, where I could go to the cleaners and to shop. She was one of the first shops I went into, and I've been going there ever since," she says. "At least 85-90 percent of the stuff that I own is from her shop. She makes jewelry, T-shirts – she's just amazing. As her customer and friend, I have some of her original artwork. She does oils and watercolors, and I have three of her paintings in my home."

It's true that Joy has a keen eye and impeccable taste. Indexx is a gorgeous boutique, and many of the pieces displayed are of Joy's own design. Watching the two chums laugh and interact, their genuine fondness for one another is apparent. Valarie has not only grown to love her friends in Los Angeles, but also the city itself.

Indexx's Joy Yassan with Valarie

"I [first] moved to Beachwood Canyon, right under the Hollywood Sign. It was beautiful. I was there for about a year, and then I got the Broadway show 'Fosse.' I went out of town for a year-and-a-half then bought a house in Studio City. I'm a Valley Girl now, and I love it," she confesses. "I love the Mexican restaurant Senor Fred because it's fun, and the people are so nice there. Right across the street is Stanley's. They're excellent. I love to go out to restaurants and to hear my friends perform. One place is called Show at Barre, actually they've changed the name to Rockwell: Table & Stage, in Los Feliz. They've expanded, made the stage bigger and the place is more conducive for shows and dinner as opposed to being two separate venues. Another place is Rolling Stone L.A. in Hollywood & Highland. It's amazing, so rock 'n' roll. There's a great stage with great sound, a bar with VIP bottle service, couches and a huge space where you can dance and listen to some incredible music."

Music has always held a special place in Valarie's life, from growing up in Queens, N.Y. to her years in musical theater, her 2004 solo debut album and the Oct. 9 release of a new album of original lullabies, Velvet Sky.

"Music was a huge part of our family upbringing; there was always singing," she remembers. "All types of music (jazz, classical, country, blues, R&B) were playing in our house. It was an amazing time."

Whether it was instilling an appreciation of music or taking her to dance class, Valarie's family has always provided her with a solid support system.

"My dad went out and got pointe shoes before I even took a ballet class. He just knew I loved the ballet," she recalls. "We would watch 'The Nutcracker' on television every year, movie musicals and a lot of ballet concerts on PBS."

Valarie went on to study at some of the most prominent schools in the country.

"I studied at the High School of Performing Arts; you don't get anymore showbiz than that," she laughs. "The dancing school I went to was called Bernice Johnson Theatre of the Performing Arts, and some of the greatest dancers came out of that school or went on to be great choreographers, like Michael Peters who choreographed a lot for Michael Jackson –  'Thriller' and all that. Some of the best choreographers for the concert world, modern dance and the ballet, a lot of them came out of Bernice Johnson."

At age 14 Valarie won her first film role, in the chorus of The Wiz, a musical that holds special significance to her.

"The turning point for me as far as making the transition from concert dancer – from really wanting to go to Alvin Ailey (I was still a ballet major and then changed to modern dance) – was when I saw my first Broadway show, 'The Wiz,' which changed everything," she says.

From there, the dynamic performer began amassing a list of credits that includes "Show Boat," "The Wild Party," "Sophisticated Ladies," "Chicago," "All That Jazz" and a Tony-nominated performance in "Fosse." But there is one role that remains the catalyst for Valarie striving to develop her acting skills and led her to become a real triple-threat.

"I was doing musical theater, but it wasn't until 'West Side Story' gave me chance to play the role of Anita – where I had to sing, dance and act – that there was a turning point in my career, as to being a leading lady on the Broadway stage," she says. "It changed the course for me, in terms of deciding to really sink my teeth into acting lessons and singing lessons because this is what I really want to do: act. I really wanted to study acting and get my singing chops together to be able to do those leading roles that Chita [Rivera], Liza [Minnelli] and all those great people created."

Roles in films like The Cotton Club, Stomp the Yard and Jumping the Broom, as well as TV turns on "Half and Half," "House of Payne," "CSI" and "Bones," are results of her dedication to the craft. She most recently worked on ABC Family's "Bunheads," a show about aspiring dancers.

"To work with Sutton Foster, Kelly Bishop and those delicious ballerinas – it was an incredible experience," she shares. "Amy Sherman-Palladino ["Gilmore Girls"], who created the show, is amazing. She's like a spitfire. She was a dancer, too, so she has that energy and language. It's just beautiful to watch her man the ship. There are a lot of strong women on that set, and they are amazing."

Valarie is also a recurring guest star on HBO's hit series "Treme," but she remains tightlipped about the role.

"I can't say too much, I had to sign a confidentiality agreement," she laughs. "She's a delicious character, though. I got the chance to work with Wendell Pierce who played my husband on 'House of Payne,' so that was awesome. To work with Khandi Alexander, whom my sister went to junior high school with, it was so extraordinary to work with that woman. Love those guys on 'Treme!'"

As far as Valarie's own guilty pleasures when it comes to TV-watching, she is a fan of "So You Think You Can Dance."

"I don't get to watch it as often as I would like to, but I do watch it. The dancers blow me away, and that show is bringing dance back into the forefront," she declares. "Shows are not as plentiful as when I was growing up, when every other show was a big dance show. With 'Glee' and 'Smash,' they're bringing it back so dancers can get work!"

Although she has garnered numerous acting accolades and praise for her vocal performances and releases, Valarie always considers herself a dancer first.

"Whether you continue on and make it your profession, there's nothing like a dancer's foundation and training. It will carry you through the rest of your life, that type of discipline," she says of the art form. "It's a work ethic, professionalism, giving your all and never settling – mediocrity is not part of one's vocabulary – always wanting to do the best and getting the best out of others. Dealing with all types of people from all facets of life, getting to travel and seeing how other people live opens so many doors that are just going to enrich your every-day life. Learning about respect for one's craft, and in turn respect for another human being, for what they do and bring to the table."

Dance has given so much to Valarie, and she, in turn, has blessed the entertainment world with her amazing talent. No matter where her career has taken her and what awards have been bestowed on her, there's one form of praise that remains most dear to her heart.

"I think the nicest compliment that I've received is that I have not changed. That means more to me than anything else in the world."

Velvet Sky is currently available. For more information, visit officialvalariepettiford.com.