The Last Bookstore Los Angeles is known for its aesthetic galleries of books and perfect photo opportunities. As one walks through the various displays of literary works, they will begin to inch closer to the real “hidden secrets” of the bookstore; the artists.
“We’ve always been kind of a dirty secret,” said Liz Huston, an artist at the bookstore for over a decade, “we’re this mysterious thing people stumble upon.”
While social media and the internet can extend the reach of artwork far beyond what the naked eye can see, it can also lead to the loss of the name of the piece and the artist who dedicated themselves to the creation.
From crosses filled with prescriptions to customized journals and matchbooks, there is not a style of art missing from the galleries and studio storefronts. These artists are just steps away from the displays of books that people travel from all over the world to see.
Tourists are drawn to The Last Bookstore for this aesthetic appeal, an appeal that the artists play a large part in creating, upkeeping, and curating to the seasons and styles of all creative admirers. In the rise of the Kindle age, the self-titled “Last Bookstore” seized the opportunity to create a global tourist attraction rather than subject themselves to irrelevance as their impertinent peers did.
While The Last Bookstore prides itself in displaying art from local artists all over Los Angeles, only a few create and sell daily in their own decorated oasis just parallel to the bookstore Labyrinth.
Through the curated book tunnel, past the literary peephole, and just beyond the one-dollar thrifted book wall features the work of artists from all different walks of life. Although cherishing their admiration for their work, these artists continue to create and showcase the art that draws these crowds without much recognition for their efforts.
However, the artists don’t care about the lack of publicity, they only care about having their work admired.
“I think art is only complete when someone actually sees it, you know, even better buys it.” Stephen Holman, artist of Dove Biscuit Studio in the bookstore said, “if someone steals one of my images, that’s their problem, not mine.”
Holman works out of the first shop along with artists at the bookstore alongside gallery founder Robin McGeough. McGeough fell so deeply in love with the space that he decided to invite artists from The Spring Street Collective in Downtown Los Angeles to join him in doing the same.
Andrea Bogdan has been one of these artists since 2012, working on a style of art that she calls “freestyle.” Bogdan describes her work as “It’s unconventional, improvised and spontaneous.” Without a preconceived image or notion in mind, Bogdan will take anywhere from three days to six years to complete a piece, always entirely by hand.
From windchimes to canvases to hats, Bogdan expresses her creativity on various mediums- all on display almost seven days a week.
Directly next to Bogden’s neon oasis one can find the works of Liz Hudson, who combines her love for spirituality and art to create the mystical realm present right in the center of the artist annex.
Hudson aims to create “complex imagery that seems to bridge the worlds, creating not just art, but medicine for the human spirit.”
The row of artists concludes with a vintage camera shop also owned by Robin McGeough.
Artists like Hudson, Bogden, and McGeough meet hundreds of new people every day who wander in from the book labyrinth excited to talk to them about their work and residency in the bookstore and take photographs of their work and newly acquired knick knacks for Instagram- often without receiving a tag or mention in the post.
“As long as I can make a living and as long as people can find me, I have to accept that there’s a certain amount of plagiarism that’s going to happen,” said Liz Huston.
Even if these artists do not seem to care about the lack of credit for their work, they should still be recognized for the hard work they put into making The Last Bookstore the literary oasis it now is.
The work of these artists helps create the atmosphere of one of the “most Instagrammable bookstores” in Los Angeles but is rarely accredited for doing so.
If you’re planning a photoshoot in Dove Biscuit Studios, make sure to grab the artist’s handles off the wall so you can tag them
