Photos by Rich Schmitt/Staff Photographer
By MARIE TABELA | Contributing Writer
Filmmaker, photographer, pilot, surfer and Palisadian Dirk Braun has taken his talents to Malibu to open Dirk Braun Gallery.
The gallery, nestled in a row of eclectic local vendors on Malibu Road, is home to an array of photographs taken by Braun himself—“from the ground and up in the air,” he explained.
Braun said he developed his love of photography through filmmaking, professionally producing his photographs for just over 10 years. He spent years producing his soon-to-be-released documentary, “Flying Boat,” featuring an amphibious aircraft, the Grumman Albatross.
“The aircrafts speak to fantasy,” Braun explained, and that fantasy comes alive in his gallery in the images he took during the film’s production.
With the ability to take off and land on land or open waters, there is nowhere this aircraft can’t go. The fantasy element and diversity offered by the aircraft allowed Braun to capture images that would typically only be achievable by taking various modes of transportation.
A visit to Braun’s gallery evoked a sense of adventure, fantasy and freedom through the limitless possibilities. He drew parallels between surfing and flying, showing how the two require precision, skill and dedication while also being hosts to an active, moving meditation.
Both allow for the participant to feel that sense of floating through a medium, with every take off and every wave requiring an immediate decision as to whether or not to answer the call, be it of water or air.
When entering the gallery, the eye is drawn immediately to a piece by Braun, “Broke the Surface,” a 99-by-71-inch image of the Grumman Albatross taking off on water in the outer islands of the Bahamas.
When walking the rest of the gallery, it became immediately clear that Braun has a love of travel and adventure, but also of the sense of wonder and mystery found right here in Los Angeles.
Whether it is the Griffith Observatory tucked under the Hollywood sign, a classic Jaguar in Pacific Palisades or an aerial photograph of tennis courts glittering under the night sky in Studio City, Braun has an eye for beauty and a talent for capturing the images from a unique perspective.
“Everywhere you go in LA is like a different scene from a movie, and it extends all the way out to the desert,” Braun expanded. “There are just so many different enclaves.”
Both landscapes and cityscapes are included on his walls, with each locale appearing to jump out of the photo while also bringing the viewer closer. Braun’s travels take him all over the world, and the photographs that result are a feast for the eyes.
A taste of Hollywood can also be found sprinkled throughout the gallery, such as an image featuring Elvis’ abandoned airplane that, while baking under the desert sun, still winks at The King’s sense of glamour and style, even in its dilapidated state. On his website, visitors can take a peek inside Howard Hughes’ cockpit of his H-4 Hercules flying boat.
Braun’s gallery also featured an array of antiques, such as a set of 1930 nautical search lights from a search and rescue ship. To brighten up a space, he also has his neon pieces, such as his “go anywhere, do anything” piece, showcasing the affirmation that applies both to life and the Grumman Albatross.
With the gallery opening this past August, Braun is now share his passions with the community.
“I love to be a part of the community out here in the Palisades and Malibu,” Braun, who has nearly lifelong roots to the area, concluded. “The Palisades is just so unique for LA.”
Braun shared that he is excited to grow his connection with both Malibu and the Palisades, and hoped to bring even more beauty and art to this slice of coastal heaven.
For more information, visit dirkbraungallery.com.
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