Artist Laureate Drawing Sessions

Love My Neighbor - Culver City

Live Portrait Sessions with Artist Laureate Alexey Steele

Alexey Steele’s Love My Neighbor – Culver City project is an expansion of his Love My Neighbor project originally launched in Carson, CA. The portraits celebrate the community spirit of Culver City by highlighting a few special neighbors who play an active role in the community.

Drawing Process

On multiple dates, Alexey streamed remote portrait sessions with his subjects, who remain in self-isolation. The subject maintains visual contact with Steele via video conference that is transmitted onto a TV screen in the artists' studio in Long Beach. Each drawing session and his interaction with his model is then broadcast live via Facebook Live. Viewers are able to watch the portrait come to life, listen to Alexey’s commentary about his work and his conversations with his subject, and even ask questions. The sessions are recorded and remain available for viewing. While Alexey hopes to soon return to in-person interaction with his models, he will continue to live stream future sessions to make the activity widely accessible. 

Learn More about Culver City Artist Laureate Alexey Steele

 

Portrait #1

For his first portrait, Alexey chose long time Culver City resident, poet, teacher, and Honorary Poet Laureate for Culver City, Dr. Janet Cameron Hoult.  

In October 2020, in celebration of National Arts and Humanities Month, Alexey launched the Love My Neighbor Culver City project with the broadcast of a series of live portrait sessions with Dr. Hoult. The drawing was unveiled at an event at the Culver City bookstore Village Well. 

 

 

Portrait #2

For his second, Alexey chose Rich Yamashita.

“For 10 years Rich led our own Culver City Cub Scout Pack 79, based out of the Hongwanji Buddhist Temple. His style is a remarkable mixture of understated calm and experienced confidence. Rich displayed critical leadership during the crisis of last year spending countless hours after his hard work at UCLA to keep the pack viable and active for kids and parents, even expanding it, and overseeing inclusion of girls into the pack.  He provided me with his energetic support in rallying kids staying at home to produce art for our Emergency Art Relief project. So it is particularly heartening right now to recognize Rich and the contributions of our awesome Asian American community to the rich and diverse fabric of our Culver City life.”  Alexey Steele, 08/2021

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Portrait #3 

George Kahn

George Kahn is an award-winning pianist and composer who has released ten self-produced CDs. Kahn also raises funds for PATH Ventures, a nonprofit that supports  families and individuals experiencing homelessness.

"George is the perfect example of a local quiet hero that the Love My Neighbor project celebrates. He is my next door neighbor in the Blanco Park neighborhood of Culver City.  Along with his wife Diana, an esteemed singer herself, he put his art in the service of our neighbors during the most uncertain and fearful months of the Covid pandemic. In a remarkable socially-distanced Singing Rudman project, together, we were able to help lift spirits of our neighbors in the darkest hour with the essential and healing power of art,"  says Alexey Steele.

Watch the Live Portrait Session on Facebook

 

 

 

Portrait #1: Dr. Janet Cameron Hoult

View live portrait session on October 6, 2020 

View live portrait session on October 8, 2020

View live portrait session on October 10, 2020

 

Portrait #2: Rich Yamashita

View live portrait session on August 27, 2021

View live portrait session on August 28, 2021