#kenttwitchell

Iconic pair of works by the legendary Kent Twitchell on two sides of the California Theatre of the Performing Arts in San Bernardino, where Rogers gave his final public performance. Painted in 1998-1999.

For 19 years a towering 70-foot-tall portrait of American painter Edward Ruscha loomed over Downtown LA from S. Hill St., and when the mural was painted over in 2006 Twitchell received the largest settlement granted under federal and state protections of certain public works. In 2015 he announced that work was underway to create an updated portrait of Ruscha for the American Hotel at Traction Ave. and Hewitt St. in the LA Arts District. Twitchell calls his work “simple and old fashioned” but achieving his end result is anything but simple. His typical process involves photographing the subject, sketching many studies of mural details, and creating a model of the building, before then hand drawing the entire mural in graphite, hand mixing all the paints, and then painting the final work in his studio on 3’ x 4’ panels of polytab fabric. Twitchell’s Instagram indicates he still plans to add a drop-shadow surrounding the two windows to the right of the figure.  @kenttwitchell  @american_hotel   @arts_district_la 

‘Dr. J’ A towering portrait of Julius Erving by Kent Twitchell in Philadelphia. Painted in 1989.

‘Six Los Angeles Artists’ Classic Kent Twitchell mural in Torrance, painted in 1979. Intended as an homage to six prominent Los Angeles artists of the era: Marta Chafee Stang, Alonzo Davis, Paul Czirban, Oliver Nowlin, Eloy Torrez and Wayanna Kato. And because the mural is painted on the side of an unemployment office, the artwork and its title are also a play on the employability of artists.

‘Ed Ruscha Monument’ by Kent Twitchell. Arts District, Los Angeles.

'The Word' by Kent Twitchell. Painted in 1990, restored in 2011. La Mirada, CA.

'Ed Ruscha Monument' by Kent Twitchell. Arts District, Los Angeles.

Born in Michigan, Twitchell moved to Los Angeles in the mid-60s where he became one of the city’s most honored muralists. He is the creator of many prominent walls seen by millions, including the massive paintings of the LA Chamber Orchestra overlooking the freeway in downtown, and he was one of several participants in a project painting murals along the Harbor Freeway for the 1984 Olympic Games. This 70’ x 70’ wall on the back of the Victor Clothing Company building is on the opposite side from Eloy Torrez’s famous “Pope of Broadway” portrait of Anthony Quinn. The 5-story work was commissioned by Carlos Ortiz, owner of a bridal shop in the building, and Ortiz and a friend modeled for the work. Twitchell completed the work in 1976, taking 3 years to finish the mural while working toward his MFA from Otis Art Institute.  @kenttwitchell