Tulsa Kinney

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — The rainy season is over, and the verdant hills up the west central coast dazzle our eyes; the blue ocean sparkles in the high sun. It’s a straight shot up the 101 Freeway from my house in Echo Park, with only one turn: Madonna Road, the exit for the Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo. The famous kitschy motel with themed rooms, in all its pink glory, is where we’re staying to meet up with filmmaker/artists Annie Sprinkle and Beth Stephens; they booked the Swiss Chalet Room.

James Hayward in his painting studio in 2015 (photo by and courtesy William Turner) Abstract painter James Hayward died last week at the age of 82. It was a great fortune to know him, own one of his paintings, feast on his famous tri-tip, share a joint and a glass of good red wine (he was a connoisseur), and listen to his inexhaustible wellspring of anecdotes.

LOS ANGELES — R. Crumb has a new comic book! After a 23-year hiatus, Tales of Paranoia comes out this month, published by Fantagraphics, and the underground comic guru is exhibiting original drawings from the book at David Zwirner gallery. The exhibition comprises original illustrated panels included in the comic book along with a few other recent drawings and excerpts from his sketchbooks.