I would like to first say thank you to all of those who have continued to show their appreciation for the arts by purchasing artwork, especially in this economic climate, and to those that have shown their appreciation by simply going  to the exhibitions.

I have a few pieces that I would like to see go before the end of the year, so I have heavily discounted my work in hopes that someone might want to buy some early Christmas / Hanaka / Holiday presents for others or themselves

The prices include delivery if you are in the Los Angeles Metropolitan Area, otherwise a shipping charge may be added. You can pay with credit card, cash, paypal or check.

I hope everyone’s Thanksgiving Holiday went well and I look forward to see you at some more art shows.

Thanks,

Abram

Black Friday - Holiday Art Sale

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This picture was taken 30 minutes after a drunk driver hit my car and left the scene of the accident.

At approximately 2pm on a Saurtday, a man in his mid 30’s drove his new Ford Mustang head-on into the driver’s side corner of my old Volkswagen Cabrio. According to the the main witness, the man then backed up and casually drove away down a residential street hoping that none of the 5 witnesses that were near the accident noticed as he plowed into my car causing it to strike another car behind me. It gets better. As he was trying to flee the scene, two of the witnesses got into a SUV and started following him. The man getting away saw this and thought it would be fun to outrun his noble pursuers in his now badly-damaged new Ford Mustang. After running 3 stop signs and getting up to 70 mph the man ended up parking his car  100 yards from where the accident originally took place. His next clever move was to escape by foot. Trying to avoid suspicion, he walked casually down the street….to his house….3 blocks away. By this time, he had about 5 people following him about 1/2 block back giving the police a call. 5 minutes later the man was arrested with a .25 blood alcohol level. He also had a half-empty bottle of vodka in the front seat of his car and by some miracle he actually had full coverage insurance.

Meanwhile, at chez abram, my girlfriend was getting ready to do some laundry and needed the quarters out of my car. Reluctantly, I was volunteered to fetch them. My first thought as I saw the wreckage was, “that’s not my car, I was parked 10 feet ahead.”  Then, I screamed “What the F@*!?” The witnesses were still there and talked me through what happened while the cops were filling out the report where the man parked his car.

This isn’t even the bad part. The car belongs to a friend of mine who is traveling outside of the country for a few months. She left the car in my care because I was selling my Toyota Prius to support my business and to take care of  other debts. Thus, effectively leaving me without transportation and my friend having to deal with the remanence of the situation abroad.

In hind sight, I realized that this was a good ending considering the circumstances. The main witness was 15 feet from the collision raking her front lawn. If the car veered slightly more to the left, she would have been in the path of a high-speed Ford Mustang and so would her house.  Knocking my car 10 feet back onto the hood of the car behind me required a lot of force and velocity. The 5 pedestrians near the accident that followed him to his house walked away uninjured and no one was killed in the accident. The suspect was caught, arrested and insured. A lot worse could have happened and I am thankful for at least having a car the past few months while my friend was out of the country. She will be receiving a check as this car will undoubtedly be considered totaled beyond repair, which will ultimately extend her travels. I personally don’t think she’s coming back as she looks to be having a lot of fun

As for the driver, I feel bad for him. The fact that he was driving with a half-empty bottle of vodka in the car and wasted at 2pm is not a good indication of his mental state. It makes me wonder what sort of pain he was trying to drown out. Hopefully, he realizes the impact that this will have on his future and the community he momentarily ripped apart and in some ways brought together. I was astonished to hear that people were willing to risk their safety to chase him down. Studies have shown that witnesses to crimes more often do not help because they think the other witness might or that it is not their place. I am eternally grateful for their help as they have saved me and my friend from a total mess and for my renewed faith in samaritans.

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Invitation for next week's show

Unique Techniques

Come check out some of my latest pieces at next week’s art show. We are going to have a great DJ spinning that evening and we’ll be pouring some nice wines.  Art, wine and music — what makes for a better evening?

Opening Reception will be from 6:30pm – 10pm on Saturday October 24, 2009

The Whole 9
6101 Washington Blvd.
Culver City, CA  90232

Also Open: Monday through Friday, from 10am-5pm and by appointment. This show runs until November 21st.

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This approval comes at the heels of a bid that was approved for the LACCD two weeks ago that established LivingECHO as a supplier for the city of Los Angeles.

This also represents the first known supplier relationship between the city of Los Angeles and a green online-only retailer. This recent development is proving that LivingECHO’s B-2-B shopping portal will be a powerhouse in the online commerce community.

LivingECHO will release its B-2-B shopping portal to the public in the fall of 2009 making it the first true comparison shopping website that businesses and governments can use to source their sustainable products to support their projects, events and resale needs.

This recent development is proving that LivingECHO’s B-2-B shopping portal will be a powerhouse in the online commerce community. This also represents the first known supplier relationship between the city of Los Angeles and a green online-only retailer.

LivingECHO.com will release its B-2-B shopping portal to the public in the fall of 2009 making it the first true comparison shopping website that businesses and governments can use to source their sustainable products to support their projects, events and resale needs.

Opening Reception will be from 6pm – 10pm on Friday July 31st.

Lanaca Gallery
1827 South Main Street
Los Angeles, CA  90015
Just South of Staples Center and near LA Mart, at Washington

Also Open: Thursday thru Saturday, from 10am-9pm and by appointment. This show runs until August 11th.

Lanaca Gallery is a brand new gallery in Downtown LA.  Located on the ground floor of a beautifully restored 1930s Art Deco building that is just South of the Staples Center and next to the LA Mart.  There is lots of room to fill in this 1800 square foot gallery.  Shows will rotate every two weeks, with two receptions per show (one week on a Friday night, and one on the following week on a Saturday).  Receptions will have a donation bar, music, hors-d’oeuvres (snacks), and good times.  The next show will be on July 31st!

Water Lilies #14

A Desert Night Above Picture Rocks Mountain

A Fire In The Sky Above San Francisco

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I have some art pieces that I’m trying to get off my hands. I’m trying to make some new pieces for some upcoming shows and I need the extra space to paint. These prices are all reduced from the gallery prices. Enlarged images are available upon request.

Thank you,

Abram Santa Cruz

Summer Art Sale

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I have a couple of new pieces that I’ll be showing off.

I also have two more shows in the next two weeks that you can make it to.

RSVP for this Event @ MySpace | @ Facebook

MySpace Profile | Facebook Page | Map & Directions
Join our Elist to get better discounts!
LADEAD: LOS ANGELES
DARKSIDE
www.LADEAD.com

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This is my last resort in trying to sell the land that I have in Las Vegas without the use of an agent. I’ve posted my ad on Craigslist.org and several other free classified listing services, so now it’s come to reaching out to my friends and contacts on Facebook.

Here it goes – if you or anyone you know is looking for land in Las Vegas, please have them call Abram at 310.612.7926

PLOT OF LAND – 5200 SQUARE FEET – LAS VEGAS – $49,000

This Lot is located steps from Fitzgerald Elementary School. GREAT SAFE NEIGHBORHOOD in an expensive area!!! Great for building a second vacation home. Click Here for the Address and Location of the Area

This land is Zoned for “R-1” (Single-Family Residential) / Two Story House.

Water, electricity, sewage, cable all about in close proximity of the land. 150 ft from the plot of land.

Lots 32 & 33 in Block 22 of Vegas view tracks, as shown by map thereof on file in book 1 of plats, page 56, in the office of the county recorder of Clark County, NV.

Parcel ID: 139-16-710-074

Please Contact Abram at: 310.612.7926 in you are interested in purchasing this lot.

Click Here for the Address and Location of the Area

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Height: 6′0″   Weight: 187   Run: 18 miles   Bike: 0 miles    Swim: 1 miles  Total Hours: 6

I let me body rest a little this week because of the triathlon I did last Saturday. I concentrated on strengthening and lots of rest as I am heading into some heavy training for the 2 next weeks. My goal is to do a Half-Ironman distance triathlon by the end of this week or next week.

Sunday: Rest

Monday: 12 Mile Run. I did this with my roommate Ben. He rode alongside me on his bike while I ran. It always helps to have someone help motivate you to that extra mile. Without him, I could have easily turned around at mile 3 and been fine with a six mile run, especially after doing a triathlon on Saturday. After I got over the initial exhaustion and committed to a 12 mile run, I got a second wind and kept a steady pace. My goal was to finish, and I finished just short of 2 hours. The pace was pathetic by my own standards, but it was a great moral boost to have done nearly a half marathon with little training at all.

Tuesday: 1 Mile Swim.

Wednesday: Weight Training  – Back and Biceps

Thursday: 6 Mile run at a 7:30 mile pace. This was a little quicker than usual. I think I could have done this run a little quicker, but again, I don’t want to push myself too hard and create any premature injuries this early in the training.

Friday: Weight Training – Chest and triceps

Saturday: Rest