Even before the 2015 Lunar New Year Eve....

I am embarrassed that I have not kept up my blog for the Finding Chinatown project is always on my mind and recently, when I re-organized my studio and purchased more flat files, I had the opportunity to review my exhibition pics that are so lovely and were the subject of such good reviews in my solo show at Craig Krull Gallery in Santa Monica, now four years ago.

I have been thinking about this show as the Walt Disney Family Museum's retrospective - WATER TO PAPER: PAINT TO SKY - on my friend Tyrus Wong, now 104, travels to New York's Museum of Chinese in America, to open to the public on 25 March.  I will be there but best, so will Tyrus!  It is more than time that he is honored not only in California but throughout the nation for his beautiful paintings, sketches, ceramics and of course, his handmade kites!  It will be a good year.

On the eve of the Year of the Sheep/Ram/Goat, I realize that I made no post last year although again, I was out and about in the greater Los Angeles area photographing so many celebrants and temples not only on the eve but on the Saturday thereafter.  On the eve, we toured with Eugene Moy and his wife Susan to wander, our second year of adventuring together, and it was wonderful.  Eugene is the former chairman of the CHSSC (see below) and his knowledge is encyclopaedic but even he was in awe of the great diversity and wealth of presentations of the New Year celebration.  We are all joining together for 2015 again!

Here, quickly is a sampling from those photographs.  The locales vary from downtown's Chinese Historical Society of Southern California (CHSSC) where traditional flags were being readied to carry in the Chinatown parade, to temples in the San Gabriel Valley.  Everywhere there was excitement about the new year, welcoming celebrants and of course, good food!

More to come after the festivities and traditional events for the Year of the Sheep start getting underway!  Happy New Year!