Photos Courtesy Dave Lovejoy
“There is a quiet glory [in] merely making things, then sharing those things with an open heart and no expectations.” ~Elizabeth Gilbert
Written by Betty Ann Brown In 2021, seasoned sculptor David Lovejoy partnered with bookartist Cathy Immordino and glass artist Cathi Milligan to found The Makery, an artist-run space involving exhibition galleries and artist studios. The venue also offers workshops, design consulting, and other events. As I write, “The Second Annual Spring Invitational” exhibition is on view in the main gallery. It features more than 65 artworks, created by those who have studios in the building–Lovejoy, Immordino, Milligan, Richard Chow, and Adeola Davies–as well as several other local artists. Simultaneously, The Makery’s SubTerra gallery is hosting “Fresh Take,” a show of contemporary photography.
David Lovejoy was born in Hollywood in 1962 and realized early on that he really enjoyed making things. He thinks of himself as a “thingmaker” rather than an artist (he’s never been comfortable with the societal concept of artist) or a craftsman (with its connotations of functionality rather than concept.) His preference for being considered simply as a “maker” inspired the name for his DTLA venue. Throughout high school and college, Lovejoy worked in ceramics, painting, and drawing, but soon found himself gravitating to assemblage, the art practice of grouping found, often aged and unrelated, objects. (Assemblage is a three-dimensional version of collage.) Lovejoy spent over ten years at Saddleback Community College, using their salt kiln and producing raku ceramics.
In 2008, he moved his workspace to the 1908 Spring Arts Tower. (Lovejoy’s late wife Vera, an engineer, had her office in the building and helped him secure the space.) Ten years ago, Josh Spencer opener the Last Bookstore in the building, selling new and used books. Lovejoy moved his studio to the mezzanine to join them. Thirteen years later, Lovejoy expanded his workspace to the Los Angeles Street building that now houses The Makery.
One of Lovejoy’s most recent projects is an expansive installation in the Hollywood restaurant Meteora, run by 2-Michelin Star chef Jordan Kahn. The entrance to the Melrose Avenue site is veiled in a net-like composition of interwoven twigs, framed by clusters of arching branches that seem to embrace the doorway. Clients are invited to walk into a magical world, like a surreal wooden cave or a hobbit house. Pillars inside the restaurant space are wrapped in twigs. An extension of the wooden veil undulates over the bar. (It reminds me of the sculpture on top of the Tapies Museum in Barcelona, although the Tapies piece is wire, not wood.)
Lovejoy secured the Meteora commission from his friend and mentor Patrick Dougherty, an Oklahoma-born artist who uses his carpentry skills to work with environmental materials. Dougherty is known for his stick structures–huts, homes, and other forms–that have been created for sites across the US and internationally.
Viewers of Lovejoy’s installation at Meteora might think of British artist Andy Goldsworthy’s work in forests. Or Ruth Asawa’s eccentric hanging sculptures. But Lovejoy’s work is uniquely his own. He is attracted to the sculptural possibilities of wood, yes, but in addition to his architectural installations, he also makes assemblage work using vintage detritus from photographs to window frames, cameras to tin teapots. Lovejoy writes that he likes the craftsmanship, design and “patina of use” seen in objects from the 1930s and 40s. In this regard, his work fits comfortably alongside that of Georges Herms and Betye Saar.
Kudos to David Lovejoy for his work as a “thingmaker” and for his commitment to the art community. This writer has curated two exhibitions for The Makery and found working with David and the two ‘Catheez’ truly fulfilling.
