Back in 2015 I had a little conversation with Harry that was never published.

Here it is, flip-phone photos and all:

In the Zone: A conversation with Harry Blitzstein of the Blitzstein Museum of Art

By Nathan Ward

LACMA isn’t the only Los Angeles museum off of Fairfax I love to visit. My other favorite is the

Blitzstein Museum of Art, which for those who don’t know is owned by the artist Harry Blitzstein

and exclusively displays the work of artist Harry Blitzstein. Harry is originally from Los Angeles

and grew up in the once jewish enclave of Boyle Heights. Just like Canter’s Deli and many other

jewish businesses from Boyle Heights, Harry’s father’s shoe store relocated to the Fairfax area.

Harry closed the shoe shop in 1984 after his father’s passing and now uses the space to display

his large unique body of paintings.

Also being from the Fairfax area, I’ve been going to the museum since I was a teenager and

though I have met Harry before we’ve never had the chance to chat. The museum was closed

when I called Tuesday afternoon but Harry was kind enough to drive from his home and open it

up just so we could talk. We discussed Europe, our beloved rapidly changing neighborhood,

and how basketball and art go hand in hand.

You grew up in Los Angeles. Do you think that had any impact on you wanting to become

an artist?

My mother was an artist she just wanted to paint so thats where I get it from. I don’t think I’m an

artist because I’m in LA. I was bored with LA for a long time I wanted to be a European because

that’s where the artist’s I loved were from. I didn’t have a dresser I had a suitcase and I thought

one day I’m just going to shut the suitcase and go to Europe, but I never could get away. But

then I saw the art come alive in LA. I saw all these places being built, the old museum, LACMA,

and the others, you know I saw all of them as we became international and not provincial. Now

LA is an art center foremost with Paris and London, but were ahead of it with the movies and

fashion. LA’s become really big.

Did you ever have a chance to go to Europe?

Not enough, just visited a couple times. Unfortunately I had some responsibilities back here that

kept me from really going more, hopefully soon though. Now a friend of mine is going to run the

gallery because I would rather be in the studio or traveling. Thats the story with the gallery we

don't have any hours yet, we’ll set hours after the big opening [Harry had a Bird Themed Show

that opened July 19th, 2015]

If I wanted to paint here I could paint and in Europe I would have to start anew. And now it would

be totally different. When I went before we would go around to museums and bring my slides to

get into galleries and that was exciting. I mean I would love to go back with the purpose of having

shows but it looks like now I would just be a tourist unless something big starts happening.

It’s hard, it’s hard to get known.

That seems to be the case. No matter where you are I think.

Yeah it’s an interesting story because with Fairfax avenue in the 50’s, in the heyday there was

just little groceries stories and it looked like Montmartre in Paris and an art gallery would have

been so out of place and when I opened it up it was like that too. It was like “You don’t have an

art gallery on Fairfax”. I mean I’ve had shows on Beverly and La Brea and La Cienega and a

couple other places so it was even out of place then. Now there are a couple galleries around

here but the art they are showing is so different then mine I’m still out of place. Where ever I go

I’m out of place.

Yeah the street has changed so much even in my lifetime. I remember around when I was

a teenager you started to see a different thing begin to happen.

Yeah everyone’s buying caps and shirts that say slogans and I have absolutely no relationship

with that. Well… maybe not entirely.

But we’re going to do a bunch of themed shows, this is the birds show and then we’re going to

have one around halloween with all my crazy heads. We tried a basketball show where we just

filled it basketball paintings.

I remember years ago seeing a basketball painting with actual basketballs on it?

The balls. Oh yes yes.

Did you play?

Ya I love it, I played a little in college. I would have gone farther but I was pretty confused with

life and I gave it up for a matter of time. But I love it some much so I took it up again.

Do you work on one type of painting or subject at a time, like with the birds or the basketballs

do they all happen at once?

It depends. I’ll work on something for years and then some years not do it at all. But yeah they’ll

probably be a strong 3-5 year period of doing one theme more than others. With the birds the

real answer to your question is no, the birds come up from my very first drawings at LA high

chemistry class where I wouldn't understand the chemistry so I would doodle them in my notebook

and they were birds and every few years I’ll get into a bird thing. When I did the boards it

was more isolated, for a while I did wooden boards. As far as the birds go they go through out

the years and I won’t even know until I put them up and look at the dates.

Where do you feel like your ideas come from?

They just come to me. I might be painting them but I won’t feel it happen. Yeah usually I’m listening

to the news or somethings in the air I really feel I'm kind of a everyman. When I'm painting

my ideas are like everyman ideas. I don’t know if I’m explaining this well but I don't think

there’s anything so unique. When I start a painting I have no idea what I'm going to start painting.

Sometimes people ask me to paint something specific and I can’t do it.

I was always going for freedom instead of taking an assignment. All my life I was taking assignments.

Like in school I had to do the work first so I was free to paint. That’s what it was all about

actually to achieve some sort of freedom. If I could just do a couple things in life like shoot hoo..

You still shoot? [Harry was 76 at the time of this conversation.]

Oh yeah everyday

Wow that’s awesome. I play a lot of basketball too actually.

I found it to be a great cardiovascular exercise because I enjoy doing it so much, it just gets me

so pumped. I won’t get into a game but I want to so bad. I’m just dying for the day someones

like “we just need one more” but I breaking a bone would not be a good thing for me at this age.

Maybe just 3 on 3?

Oh no. When you're competitive you can get creamed. Though all these years I've played and

I’ve played a lot I’ve got no broken bones. But I’m still working at the game and I do see a relationship

between sports and painting.

I was just going to ask you about that.

If I would be playing at the park, and I played a lot, and I was playing well and then that same

day I was painting and have the same rhythm then I’m painting well too. It’s interesting, there

definitely is a correspondence there.

I totally agree, both with painting and basketball I feel like I can zone out and get really

present and in the moment.

That’s what it is! Honestly it’s the same thing. Its called “In the Zone”, in fact over time I paint

and try and get into that zone and I don’t make it because of this and that. But I live to be in the

zone where you’re hammering it out and its unconscious and too fast for you to think. It’s a nice

place to be.

Is there anything that helps you get in that zone?

There is and you have to work for it. Lets say your not feeling well but your working on something

in your game like strengthening your off hand or practicing your dribbling and you stay with

it even though your not feeling too tops all that work will come together because you worked at

it. You can’t be in the zone if you're just going to play once in the morning. It’s same with painting

you have to be ready to catch it, if you're debauching all the time or schmoozing as they say

with galleries. They would always tell me that, “you gotta go schmooze to get the shows” and I

thought by god I’m not going to go to New York and schmooze I've got my work to do. But I

should have probably gone to New York, in the 80’s.

But getting into the zone is the high, whether in basketball or with painting. Honestly I don’t

know which is better to me, it’s the same.