Portraits of Hope: "Shaping LA"

PORTRAITS OF HOPE : “SHAPING L.A.”

Little did I know the scope of their project involved wrapping Ed’s signature art style around the LA Convention Center. I was intriqued so I planned to meet with Ed at their temprorary headquarters in West Los Angeles.

A few months ago I checked in with Ed Massey, the wellknown public artist that we profiled last summer. He told me he was working on an exciting project called “Shaping LA and I may want to take a look at what he and his partner, brother Bernie Massey were scheduled to do. How could I resist?

On a very rainy night rolls of primed canvas were trucked into the Westside Pavillion space that was donated to Bernie and Ed to complete their project. I arrived at the pavillion just as several supporters gathered to bring the rolls into the dry space. Young and old worked together to set this marvelous project in motion. I set my camera equiptment down and pitched in, and for the next hour roll after roll was brought in to the huge space and stored by the front counters that lined the entrance. After some further setting up the space was ready for the next step... the kids and adults who were going to play their part in this huge project. I spoke with Ed briefly at the end of the night and he was excited to get started. He laid out the timetable for me and invited me to come back the following week when the painting was going to start. I was pumped to see how he was going to orchestrate how to create a painting that was approximately 20 high by more than a thousand feet long!

Painting Mixing

Photography: Lon Levin

Go to www.portraitsofhope.org for more about Ed and BernieMassey’s Portraits of Hope Programs

The next time I saw Ed and Bernie the floor of the pavillion was covered with large half-painted sections of canvas. Bernie was conducting a seminar for some of the kids and adults who volunteered to paint and Ed was going over paint mixing and floor logistics with some of his volunteer staff members. Within minutes the helpers spread out across the floor with painting tools, small rollers and paint in plastic bowls. Each designed area had a paint color assigned to it. The room was buzzing with activity as music floated over the gathering. It was truly a paint party. One of the young women painted herself into a circle of unpainted canvas. Once she realized what she had done she started to laaugh and dance to the music. Other painters hooted and hollared their approval. The atmosphere was joyous as the process played out.

Detail work

Photography: Lon Levin

Design vision for convention center

Art by Ed Massey

Happy group of kids ready to start painting

Courtesy of Ed Massey/Portraits of Hope

Photography: Lon Levin

Photography: Lon Levin

I made several visits to the paint area over the next week or so until the work was finally done. The entire month was a a productive house party and I didn’t see one person including mentally and physically challenged crew members who were not joyful about the part they played in creating such a monumental piece of art. It really hit home to me as an artist that it’s the process not the end product that is a joy to experience.

However, anyone who now passes Ed Massey’s art that hugs the convention center can’t help but smile when they experience the colorful joy and good feeling it inspires.