Finding Art
and finding a place to put it
Even though I’m out of bookshelf space and have no empty walls, I’m apparently unable to stop buying more books and prints. Here are 2025 highlights from Southern California’s local art community that I admired and a couple that I couldn’t resist.
Frank Romero
Frank Romero’s “Pleasantville” was offered by the Museum of Latin American Art (MOLAA) as a fund raiser. The original mural was created for the 1998 Academy Award nominated film of the same name, filmed in black and white, except for Romero’s mural.
In March, MOLAA invited Frank Romero to recreate the Pleasantville mural on one of their walls. We went a couple of times to watch him work and listen to him talk about his life. Romero is one of the “Los Four” early pioneers of the Chicana/o art movement that began in the 1970s and he’s got some stories.
I’m a longtime fan of Romero, especially the “Going to the 1984 Olympics” mural he painted on the north side of the Hollywood Freeway North between Alameda and San Pedro Streets.
I also love Romero’s “Arrest of the Paleteros” which is on the wall of the Cheech Museum in Riverside. The arrest of the paleteros, or ice cream vendors, occurred in Echo Park, Los Angeles, during early 1990s immigration raids.
Lalo Alcaraz
Romero’s painting might have inspired LA Times cartoonist Lalo Alcaraz, who offered prints of “Summer of Ice” as a tribute to all immigrants, but especially to Enrique the Paletero, an ice cream street vendor who was kidnapped by ICE in Culver City, California. On July 18, 2025, Lalo donated $2,000 towards Enrique’s defense thanks to folks who purchased the print.
Emigdio Vasquez
We have a print of this painting in our guest room. The original is currently on display at the Hilbert Museum in Orange, California as part of a 50-year retrospective of his work.
Emigdio Vasquez, aka the Godfather of Chicano art, lived and worked in North Orange County, California where he painted over 400 oil works and 32 murals.
Anger, Huerta, and Russo
My friend, author, and playwright Kate Anger sent me the cat portrait in the mail, and it is now part of my Cats on the Mantle collection.
The haunting blue self-portrait is by friend, artist, musician Ed Huerta and is on display now as part of the Golden West College Self/Not Selfie exhibit.
Dr. Stacy Russo’s art is currently on the black wall at LibroMobile. Stacy is a friend, publisher, English professor, author, and dog whisperer.
Laguna Beach Lit Fest January 10th
In other local community news, the first annual Laguna Beach Lit Fest is coming right up and the theme is literary community, specifically the power of California stories. Workshops, panels and presentations will address the craft of writing followed by a public celebration of authors and readers, where you can buy more books from local authors!
Friend/author/professor Lisa Alvarez is the keynote speaker. Friend/author/agitator Andrew Tonkovich is heading up the lunch time panel. I’m hosting a workshop on Character Development.
Andrew just did a great interview about the festival on KXFM radio. Listen in here. (Scroll down to find “Talking Litfest with Tonkovich.” I promise I didn’t pay him to say all those nice things about me.
Hope to see you at the festival. Tickets on sale now. Register here to attend.
Recently I described my novels to someone as “contemporary stories about complicated neighborhoods and dysfunctional families.” Their response: “Sounds exactly like my life. Why would I want to I read that?”
It’s a fair question. Life these days is overly complicated and often dysfunctional but maybe you simply need reassurance that you’re not a unicorn. You might find some people in my stories that you’ll love to hate. Or maybe you’ll realize that no matter who “those people” are you might still have something in common with them.
Available wherever you like to buy books and always on the shelf at LibroMobile.
Hoping you find some joy in music, art, books, and/or humanity this year and next.
Love your " complicated lives dysfunctional neighborhoods" description! Great newsletter, gorgeous art.
Honored by the shout out. That cool cat earned it. ;)
I
want to go to the OC museum you mentioned. Starts with an H? Hurbert? If I go back to check what you wrote, my comment will disappear, so I’m gonna go with the “something with an H museum.”
Love the photo taken in Santa Ana.