I went out for an aimless stroll along the boardwalk and beach as the sun was going down a couple nights ago. Along the way I stopped by to watch Venice artist Rip Cronk work on the latest incarnation of his famed Venice Reconstituted (1989), which is a large-scale mural on the side of the building that is currently home to Danny’s Deli and the Venice Beach Cotel (no Mom, that’s not a typo). Prior to being reconstituted, it was known as Venice on the Half Shell (1980), an obvious mix of Venus on the Half Shell and scenes from Venice culture, most notably local boardwalk legend Harry Perry. Unlike the previous two versions, this one has been raised above the first floor level to cover the entire three story building. This not only makes it much more visible, but will help protect the majority of it from the relentless taggers that over time destroyed Reconstituted. While Venus on the Half Shell was Cronk’s first mural, he completed the majority of the murals that have become icons of Venice Beach during the late 80’s and 90’s, including the Jim Morrison mural on Speedway and the Homage to a Starry Knight (again not a typo) along Ocean Front Walk. Cool to be able to catch him in action! Check out his work at http://www.rcronk.com/.
