![\"img_dropcap_Bibliophile_w.png\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1789126449_245_.png\")
<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
When I first moved to Los Angeles in 2018 as an arts journalist, people tried to explain to me the appeal of this city\u2019s sprawl, how it shaped the art that was made here. There was no fixed center \u2014 the museums, galleries and studios were scattered all over town \u2014 which resulted in more play and experimentation, less uniformity, they said. I was intrigued and overwhelmed as I tried to make sense of the multiple cities that somehow existed within L.A. I bought a map and framed it on my desk. As with any place I visit, I sought to get to know it through its artists. I remember turning to Shelley Holcomb<\/a>\u2019s Curate LA, an impressively comprehensive guide to openings and events beyond the obvious. Within my first year here, I also saw Guadalupe Rosales<\/a>\u2019 archival photos of fashionable Latina youth partying at the raves in East L.A., projected on the walls of the Vincent Price Museum. I remember clocking how the artists here weren\u2019t just based in L.A.; they were shaping and being shaped by it.<\/p>\n I know the city better now, but the artists within it have continued to steer my way. This is also how I see the Image Makers collected<\/a> in this issue: as guides of the culture here. To learn about them is to learn about a different corner of L.A., from ERL<\/a>\u2019s Venice and Becky G\u2019s Inglewood to Sage Elsesser\u2019s Mid-City and Kiko Kostadinov<\/a>\u2019s Melrose Hill.<\/p>\n They are a multigenerational group, and regardless of which phase of life they\u2019re at, many seem to share a desire, more than ever before, to be unapologetically themselves. Becky G<\/a> is making music that is uncompromising and defiant. Sage Elsesse<\/a>r is being \u201cintentional\u201d with his energy and where he puts it. Micaiah Carter<\/a> is ready to \u201cfreestyle\u201d more in his photography and just be \u201cin the present.\u201d To paraphrase stylist Bailey Rose Qui\u00f1ones<\/a>, they\u2019re ready to shed old selves. Or, as Rosales puts it: \u201cI just feel like I\u2019m more myself.\u201d<\/p>\n These Image Makers are shedding expectations and weeding out the noise. They are making work that, like L.A. itself, is expansive and multiple. I invite you to let the 2026 Image Makers be your guide to this city that refuses to be any one thing. <\/p>\n Becky G Cover<\/p>\n Photography Gizelle Hernandez Guadalupe Rosales Cover<\/p>\n Photography Sandy Kim ERL Cover<\/p>\n Photography Eli Russell Linnetz Collectors of Japanese Fashion Cover<\/p>\n Creative Direction Keyla Marquez Image Flag & Lettering<\/p>\n Keyla Marquez<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When I first moved to Los Angeles in 2018 as an arts journalist, people tried to explain to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":621354,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[263828,1484,307,304,305,306,53532,33513,263823,308,93,263829,263827,61,263826,119743,60,30926,263824,5399,263825,35168,15722],"class_list":["post-621353","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arts-and-design","tag-art-journalist","tag-artist","tag-arts","tag-arts-and-design","tag-artsanddesign","tag-artsdesign","tag-becky-g","tag-city","tag-comprehensive-guide","tag-design","tag-entertainment","tag-erl","tag-guadalupe-rosales","tag-ie","tag-image-makers","tag-inglewood","tag-ireland","tag-l-a","tag-l-a-culture","tag-los-angeles-times","tag-sage-elsesser","tag-venice","tag-way"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/621353","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=621353"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/621353\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/621354"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=621353"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=621353"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=621353"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Image](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1789126450_109_.png\")
<\/p>\n
Styling Keyla Marquez
Hair Tony Ibarra
Makeup Shanell Sorrells
Nails Patty Gomez
Styling Assistant Ronben
Production Design Daniel Luna
Videography Joey Barba, Joey Bueno Breese, DALI
Production Mere Studios
First Photography Assistant Mark Durling
Digital Tech David Maziarz
Second Photography Assistant Juan Roman
Set Assistant Cole Maxwell
Production Coordinator Victoria Kovios
Location EDGE Studios<\/p>\n
Styling Lyn Alyson
Hair Jocelyn Vega
Makeup Jaime Diaz
Videography Joey Barba, Joey Bueno Breese
Production Palma Villalobos
Market Stylist Emily Diddle
Hair Assistant Belen Gomez
Locations A&G Custom Motors, Estrada Courts<\/p>\n
Styling Eli Russell Linnetz
Production Hilary Leigh Linnetz, Bei Wang
Casting Natalie Hazzout<\/p>\n
Photography Dana Boulos
Featured Collectors Fiel, RiRia, Toreno Winn and Emilia Yin
Videography Quincy Bowie
Creative Assistant Matzi
Locations Collectors\u2019 homes in Newport Beach, Culver City and Sawtelle, Wild West Social House<\/p>\n