90026 Single Family Residences

1654 N DILLON ST $795,000
1654 N DILLON ST 795,000
1735 GOLDEN GATE AVE 613,000
1735 GOLDEN GATE AVE 613,000
1439 N CORONADO ST 580,000
1439 N CORONADO ST 580,000
2000 BAXTER ST 515,000
1597 ALTIVO WAY 415,000
1597 ALTIVO WAY 415,000
2127 OAK GLEN PL 375,000
2463 ECHO PARK AVE 375,000
2463 ECHO PARK AVE 375,000
1450 LAVETA TER 372,000
1450 LAVETA TER 372,000
2130 PRINCETON AVE 340,000
2130 PRINCETON AVE 340,000
2728 GLASSELL ST 330,000
2728 GLASSELL ST 330,000
1159 CORONADO TER 182,000
1159 CORONADO TER 182,000
138 DOUGLAS ST 180,000

90027 Condominiums

4411 LOS FELIZ BLVD 608 $502,000
4455 LOS FELIZ BLVD 1208 495,000
4353 CLAYTON AVE 2 485,000
4411 LOS FELIZ BLVD 1004 390,000
4440 FINLEY AVE 106 390,000
3320 GRIFFITH PARK BLVD 3 255,000
4507 FINLEY AVE 9 230,000

90027 Single Family Residences

2220 N BERENDO ST $2,820,000
2024 CUMMINGS DR 2,300,000
2616 GLENDOWER AVE 2,075,000
4525 COCKERHAM DR 1,565,000
3648 SHANNON RD 1,510,000
4941 AMBROSE AVE 1,400,000
2263 RONDA VISTA DR 1,100,000
2317 ST GEORGE ST 1,060,000
3711 MONON ST 661,500
2461 CLAREMONT AVE 580,000
3740 ARBOLADA RD 575,000

90039 Condominiums

2018 GRIFFITH PARK BLVD 314 $370,000
2018 GRIFFITH PARK BLVD 102 339,000
2354 FLETCHER DR 112 225,000

90039 Single Family Homes

2086 BALMER DR $1,040,000
2400 MORENO DR 990,000
2300 BAXTER ST 807,000
2300 BAXTER ST 807,000
2051 KENILWORTH AVE 680,000
2428 MEADOW VALLEY TER 645,000
3251 GARDEN AVE 535,000
3337 LA CLEDE AVE 530,000
2000 BAXTER ST 515,000
3155 LA CLEDE AVE 490,000
2127 OAK GLEN PL 375,000
2363 PERU ST 250,000

90068 Single Family Residences

3215 BONNIE HILL DR $975,000
6836 CAHUENGA PARK TRL 867,000
7792 SKYHILL DR 865,090
7342 PACIFIC VIEW DR 795,000
7185 WOODROW WILSON DR 577,000
7254 SYCAMORE TRL 410,000
2700 CAHUENGA BLVD E 1206 410000
3206 CANYON LAKE DR 1754500
3401 BARHAM BLVD 6 250000
3374 FLOYD TER 600000
3284 BARHAM BLVD 102 235000
3076 CAHUENGA BLVD E 400000
6240 ROCKCLIFF DR 660000
6218 ROCKCLIFF DR 700000
2769 WESTSHIRE DR 980000
2145 BEACHWOOD TER 610000

Sales are from the previous month.  Source: Great American Real Estate Solutions

Nancy Stanford, seated, with Josine Ianco-Starrels

LOS FELIZ—Artists with major reputations gathered at the Municipal Art Gallery Jan. 15th: men and women whose careers began at the MUNI during the 1970s and 1980s.

Don Bachardy, Betye Saar, Peter Alexander and Kent Twitchell were among artists and panelists before a large crowd, all gathered to hear the outspoken curator, Josine Ianco-Starrels, who launched the artists.

“The County Museum was much too fancy for local artists,” the Romanian born curator explained recalling her arrival to Barnsdall Park in 1975.  “I wanted the MUNI to represent local people paying local taxes.  I sought people who had work ready to show.  Anytime I saw good work, I became very greedy.  Many artists left hating my guts because,” she said, she painfully honest about their output.

The afternoon was a roast-love fest of Ianco-Starrels and her relationship with the city department that oversaw the MUNI, the then Municipal Arts Department.

Back then, Ianco-Starrels called City Hall “Civic Virtue headquarters,” and that is the name of the exhibit currently at the MUNI until Feb. 12th.

“I wanted to fill all 10,000 square feet with crashing wave paintings, the kind of art Laguna Beach produces,” she said.  “All the crashing waves, all the barns, all the sunsets—when you see them all together you would realize how awful they were, what the Germans call ‘kitsch.’”

Once, she said, a politician told her to ensemble a tribute to Martin Luther King with a show of black artists.

“The black artists were tired of shows by black artists, so I let them ask artist friends from the community to participate as well,” and Ianco-Starrels. The result pleased both City Hall and the art community.

“At the County Museum, the establishment was scared,” Ianco-Starrels said near the end of the two-hour program.

She recalled a show at the MUNI called ‘Portraits 1979,’ including a portrait of the then well-known County Museum curator of modern art, who came to see his portrait.

“He asked me what I was doing next,” Ianco-Starrels recalled. Her answer was: “A show on Xeroxophy.” Perplexed, the man asked if Ianco-Starrels had a contract with Xerox.

The answer was, of course, that so many artists at that time were experimenting with the Xerox machine.

Ianco-Starrels recalled the man said, “So it is still about art and beauty for you isn’t it?  When will you see that it is about money?” To that she replied: “I will go to my grave poor before I make money the reason for putting together an art show.’”

When she left the MUNI in 1984, Ianco-Starrels worked at a Long Beach museum.  Now an independent curator, her MUNI papers have been given to the Smithsonian Archives of American Art.

The City of Los Angeles Dept. of Cultural Affairs’ “Civic Virtue: The Impact of the Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery and the Watts Towers Arts Center” at Barnsdall Park, 4800 Hollywood Blvd. until Feb. 12th.  A closing reception takes place on the 12th from 2 to 5 p.m.

In this election year when the economy and jobs are the main focus of our politicians, it seems hard for President Obama and lawmakers to prioritize the environment.

I cheered when I heard the recent news that Obama had rejected the Keystone XL pipeline. Yet such strong pro-environmental action by Obama has been rare. Like other recent presidents such as Bill Clinton—even with Al Gore as his VP—he hasn’t been able to turn the White House as green as some of us hoped.

How does he compare with earlier presidents?

A century ago, Theodore Roosevelt was a great pioneer of environmental stewardship, lobbying Congress for wilderness protection, setting aside 150 million acres of timberland as public domains, overseeing the creation of 50 wildlife refuges and five national parks, and establishing the U.S. Forest Service.

Richard Nixon was surprisingly green, signing the bills that established the Environmental Protection Agency, the Clean Air Act, the Coastal Zone Management Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Under him, the Endangered Species Act and Clean Drinking Water Act also passed.

Jimmy Carter was perhaps the most recent champion of the environment, creating the Dept. of Energy in 1977—to promote clean energy and alternative fuels— and mandating fuel-efficient cars.

With more encouragement, Obama might strengthen his stance in favor of energy efficiency, conservation and green jobs and go down in history not only as the country’s first black president, but the greenest too.

HILLHURST AVENUE—An opening reception showcasing the works of two artists will be held at Keller Williams/Los Feliz, 1660 Hillhurst Avenue, February 24th from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Daniela Kamp-Taylor’s photo collages and Lori Pond’s photographs will be featured. The exhibit will run through May.

Proceeds from the opening evening will benefit the Birthday Box Project, a volunteer non-profit organization that provides resources to homeless families to create memorable birthday parties for their children.

Information: (323) 300-1000 and www.kwLosFeliz.com

Afraid of color? Here are ten simple ways to infuse color into your home without changing the entire room.

In a neutral room, reupholster a chair in your favorite bright fabric. “Buttercup Yellow” pops but is also neutral enough to blend with almost anything else. Add a few pillows on the sofa in the same hue. Add bold colored lamps to replace the ones you have.  For impact, add a matching shade to add a bolt of energy to your room.

Are you tired of “all white” or “play it safe beige” but don’t want to reupholster?  Buy a bright colored area rug and your neutrals will float on a bed of color.

With neutral walls, paint your ceiling a beautiful color, like blue, tangerine or pale mustard.  The whole room will come alive.  Match that color somewhere in the room, with pillows, artwork or a vase.

Try adding color with some shine to reflect the light in the room by using silk pillows or taffeta draperies. The texture shimmers and adds depth to the color you’ve chosen.

Change your neutral draperies to color. For maximum impact, place the rods near the ceiling for maximum drama. This works for 8 to 9 foot ceilings. If ceilings are very high, place the rod 12 to 18 inches above the window.

Don’t want the expense of new drapes or lamps?  Add colored trim to existing draperies or lampshades. The trim can run vertical on the lead edges of your draperies or at the bottom. Break out the glue gun for your lampshades and add trim.

Paint your cabinetry, bookshelves or paneling. It adds color in an unexpected place.

Tired of your white closet?  Whether your closet is large or small, paint or wallpaper one wall.  It will be so inviting!

Wallpaper is a great way to add multiple colors. “Walnut on Beverly” has some interesting papers. Check out www.casartcoverings.com. These papers are press-on and are not permanent.  Genius!