Colliding influences of Latin and American culture peppered with a dash of EurAsian spice are what makes Los Angeles, well, Los Angeles. Just go to any celeb-owned sushi fusion restaurant designed by a some British dude that boasts a tongue-twisting margarita list and you get the point.

So really, who better than a Romanian-born, Cal State-educated Pop Artist/High-Realist to create a collection drawn from Spanish American culture? (Would it be wishful thinking for him to use chopsticks as paintbrushes?)

Bogdan Dumitrica’s current collection, “Cabezas,” is all about first impressions. (For those out there who ill-fatededly chose French back in ninth grade, comme moi, that’s Spanish for Heads.)

Why Heads? I ask. “Because we see the face before we see the body. It’s about the initial subconscious reaction that occurs when we encounter someone or something for the first time. Fear, rejection, acceptance, uncertainty. It’s all in the face.”

Bogdan’s own face is a kind, trusting visage. But the mug on his muse? Well that’s a different story.

Meet Mingus. Not the jazz legend, the pit bull. My first reaction as he sprung at me, jawls to the walls, was fear -- No, sheer terror. But like the men behind the masks in “Cabezas,” the ominous façade hides a fragile spirit. Found bloody and beaten on the mean streets of southeast LA, Mingus was Cesar Millan’d into social decency and emerged victorious as art star and old soul. When you see the companionship between these two, you realize “Cabezas” isn’t just about first impressions, it’s also about lasting impressions. Yes, it’s about love.

Q & A:

What is the inspiration behind “Cabezas?” You seem to have an interest in masked men who like to fight…
As a child I was infatuated with gladiator movies, and I now spend a lot of time in Mexico, on the Yucatan Peninsula. So the Luchadores and the deep religious iconography were visuals that sparked many thoughts and ideas in my work.

LA is a long way from Romania. What brought you here?
I didn’t choose LA. LA chose me. Long story. I moved here thinking everywhere in America looked like Brooklyn. But then I come to LA and it’s this large village. I have come to love it. LA is like a big park full of flowers, and I love its quirkiness. And I really enjoy the beach culture.

Flowers everywhere, funky culture, the beach. Anything about LA you don’t like?
The violence. (Dumitrica has lost 3 students to gang activity).

If you could re-design one great architectural project in LA, what would it be?
BCAM. It visually annoys me. I was looking forward to Renzo Piano’s design because I am a fan of this work, like the MOMA in Paris. But the minimalism and big banners are boring. I would put video productions up. I have an idea. But it’s a secret.

You must miss some aspects of your homeland. What does Bucharest have on LA?
In Bucharest, the movement is very avante-garde and conceptual, whereas in LA these is this movement of art+design=expressionism. (A movement he resists with his bold, colorful very graphic art).

Is LA the ‘it girl’ of art today?
LA is progressive, but the real scene, the real prestige is at the moment in Beijing.

Name a movement of art that you don’t warm up to...
I don’t like the pieces that focus solely on the concept and lose the “objet d’art.” Concept is intriguing, but it is important that the visual does not vanish.

Many of your subjects are animals. If you got a call from Paris Hilton to do a portrait of one of her 18 dogs, for a million dollars, would you say Yes?
Silence. Laughter. More silence....

Bogdan Dumitrica’s work is currently on display the The Hive Gallery in downtown LA through the end of June.

Story by Jordan Whitley for LA2DAY

Works featured: "Amores Perros," "Luchadores," "New and Old Mythology," "62nd and LaBrea," " Pasha and Nicus."

Inquiries, Call DCA Fine Art 310 770 2525