Kevin - Stone Artist

Venice Beach, California - August 21, 2008
This is Kevin the Artist. He is an all-around genuine guy who is passionate about the piece of art he constructs four times each week. As my boss and I were strolling along the beach, taking pictures of various things, we happened upon what is termed the "Gilligan" boat - it's a beached boat with graffiti all over it.

As we headed toward the ocean, we noticed a couple rows of rock statues silhouetted in the descending sunlight. Of course, we had to go check it out and as we got closer we heard this voice call out from behind one of the statues on the end, "Photos are free, but I do accept donations!" He also gave us a heads up that the rocks were balanced and would fall on us if we bumped into them - be careful.

I introduced myself and the artist gave me his name, Kevin. He proceeded to tell me the story behind the statues: "These statues are the angels representing 89 lost souls on Venice Beach. Those souls were lost to senseless acts: drugs, drive-by's, violence.... Back in the day, we would gather here and have bonfires, hang out and just have a good time."

Here is what the statues looked like approaching into the sun.

Kevin had worked in the oil fields in Texas and Louisiana and now lives in Englewood, California. I didn't ask what he was doing now, but I'm sure that one of those things is keeping in shape - the guy was ripped. We talked for quite some time about how Venice has gone from a beautiful place into what it is today. He did say that it has improved and the community is trying to clean it up, but that it was nothing like it used to be.Kevin lamented that the police knock down his work every night so that people do not injure themselves on it, so he travels back to Venice and rebuilds it four times each week. Dedication at its best.

This picture gives an idea on what the piece looks like near completion.

I really enjoyed speaking with Kevin and hearing his story on this work. If any of you readers are ever in Venice Beach, ask where the Gilligan boat is (It's just NW of the grafitti wall) and walk toward the water. You'll come upon a ridge of rocks about 70 yards from the waterline at 5pm. Hopefully you can meet Kevin and give him my best.

You can see more pictures of Kevin's work at my website under the "People" category.