If you've driven past the intersection of Altadena Drive and Lake Avenue, or visited Amy's Patio Cafe or another local merchant, you've probably seen the new sign going up in the former Alfie's Appliance storefront at 912 E. Altadena Dr. for The Echo Mountain Project.
The Echo Mountain Project is a new art studio and gallery for abstract painter Robert Kingston. Altadena resident Kingston has works hanging in several corporate offices, Las Vegas hotels, and in the private collections of such people as former Los Angeles Philharmonic director Esa-Pekka Salonen and pop singer George Michael, and has appeared in many shows around the country.
Kingston said that his original plans were to just use the storefront as a working space for his painting, but after the owner's renovations, he saw more possibilities; "It's mainly my working space, but I decided it was a good space to do some projects in ... art shows, and music, whatever -- I'm interested in jazz and other acts," Kingston said.
Kingston said that he's spent his career practicing his art and moving when the rents got too high. "It turns out it's always good for the real estate market when the arts move in," Kingston said.
After moving from Silver Lake and spending eight years in New York City and Brooklyn, Kingston wanted to get back to the Los Angeles area and "I noticed everybody was moving out to Altadena -- a lot of my friends from Silver Lake are here," Kingston said. "I've been in Altadena for about ten years."
Noting the resurgence of some of the businesses in the North Lake area such as Altadena Hardware and El Patron, Kingston says that he's happy to be part of life in that location.
