About The
'Are You Thinking What I'm Thinking?'
Art Challenge

One cold night in January 35 artists from around the South Bay gathered at the historic La Venta Inn in Palos Verdes, California to take part in a unique challenge, to create a work of art based on a randomly selected title. The challenge was the brainchild of Bondo Wyszpolski - arts writer for Easy Reader and Peninsula Magazine. We now are having 45 artists on board.

Photo by Tony LaBruno

Courtyard entry at La Venta Inn

Bondo framed.

Photo by Bernard Fallon

Bondo Wyszpolski -

“I wanted to see various local artists try their hand at something different, something they might not ordinarily do, and the title each artist received would, I hoped, push them along in that direction. A piece might be "successful" if somebody seeing it said: "Oh! I didn't know you did work like this" - referring to subject matter or style. I’m reminded of a quote by Karl Ove Knausgaard: "Art lives by transgressing boundaries, by going beyond what everyone has agreed to see and think." Would our selection of artists rise to the challenge and astonish us?”

Dan Dempster takes his turn at the wheel.

Photo by Tony LaBruno

Each artist stepped up to spin the Wheel of Fortune and receive their title. They then spent the next three months laboring to create a work of art that reflected the theme of the title they received. The results of this unique challenge can be seen here on our gallery page.

Bernard Fallon, artist and MC for the evening -

"Hit ‘pause’ on what you are known for. Many of us experiment in the studio and express things that we don’t reveal to others. Of course gallery owners don’t want you to change your style because they are pushing your brand. This is an opportunity to show your work from the back office filing cabinet."