Lean Malibu

Too long of being landlocked in smoggy downtown leaves anyone begging for some fresh air, so, today, I finally made it all the way down the 10 to PCH. Driving past the usual landmarks is so soothing - it's like the adrenaline of rushing down to Zuma in high school all over again. The perfect latte from Coffee Bean and a run into Planet Blue later, I thought it might be nice to see what was on the other side of the sandbox [literally] of the country mart. I vaguely remembered an art space once being there; I think I ran into it by accident while looking for the mail stop a few years ago. Well, the space turned out to be McLean Gallery, and I was very pleasantly surprised.

The current exhibit is called Quiet Spaces, a sublimely perfect fit for my afternoon away. Galleries in commercial spaces usually terrify me with their cheesy and painfully cliched landscapes, but David Skinner has landscaped California into something fantastic. Very early Thomas Hart Benton. The gallery attendants may be a little pushier than usual with trying to sell the work, but it's Malibu, so nothing can really be too pressing. It'll be open until April Fool's Day, and if you end up not being into it, there's always Nobu, Madison, James Perse or Ben & Jerry's right over the bridge to fall back on.