r.i.p. mister warren gauvin b.11/26/61: celebration of life this sunday
…now i didn’t know anything bout what had
become everything. all i did know is it was a big bad
and was behind me so i moved mighty fast forward.
i did not look back. that’s when i noticed my feet was wet.i didn’t knock nobody down, but i did push a few
forward, who by being in my way weren’t moving fast
enough and looked like they needed the only help i could
offer running for my life…a good push. yes i did jump
over a few but they was already down, didn’t look like
they were in a getting up way so i leapt over em. i
screamed to mattie may’s old man. the nice one never
did nothing to nobody. roll if you can’t run but get to coming…excerpt from “Damn Dam” by gauvin
gauvin
On Monday Oct 8, 2012 my friend gauvin passed away from Hodgkin’s Disease. He was nearly 51 years old.
I’m at a loss for words. Even posting this is difficult as it reinforces the truth that my friend is really gone for good: no more poems, no more paintings, no more performances, no more songs. We had been friends for nearly 20 years, and we were very very close friends for several of those years. We even traveled together to the Taos Poetry Circus where he lost the big slam due to a time penalty.
On Sunday October 14 at 11am, friends and family will gather for gauvin’s memorial and life celebration at the Bell Arts Factory 432 N. Ventura Ave. Ventura, CA 93001. The announcement read in part:
For gauvin, life and art were obviously one,
and all expression
was prayer.His performance art embodied his capacities for
improvisation, poetry and song.gauvin’s visual art is immediate,
dark, humorous, and powerful
in both its execution and impact.
All are welcome to the Memorial; gauvin’s paintings will be on display and available for sale. Donations are being solicited to help the family raise the funds to assist with transportation, funeral and burial expenses. Ted Mayr Funeral Home in Ventura is handling arrangements and is willing to accept donations on the part of the family. Donations may be made directly to the Ted Mayr Funeral Home, 3150 Loma Vista Road, Ventura, CA 93003 or by calling (805) 643-9977.
I have three mixed media paintings by gauvin in my collection and I intend to post them here soon. I will try to write more then as well.
art predator 
gonna miss u alot gauvin.thank you for your years of advice and inspriation…
I’m deeply saddened and can’t stop re-playing all the memories, I wrote my cousin from the age of 12 to 20 years old and I remember everything he told me. We had shared good memories when I visited him and he also was the only member who visited me in jail. I MISS U COUSIN!!!! IT HURTS THAT I CAN’T TALK TO U ANYMORE AND NO ONE CAN REPLACE U! #ALWAYSINMYHEART
Warren was a really great friend and loyal person. I met him in 1994, when he came to interview me at an inpatient psychiatric center for a sober living house in Ventura after a very difficult time. He may well have saved my life then, and that was probably not the only time he did so. He used to drive all of us at Tiber House to a weekly 12-step meeting. He also would take part in our weekly in-house meetings. He was a great mentor in recovery, I got so much from listening to his wisdom at those meetings. He even helped me move after my second stay there to Long Beach to attend the University there. I wasn’t able to stay sober back then, but eventually (in 2004), thanks to Christ’s intervention, I did find permanent recovery. A lot of that is due to the background that I got back then from Warren. I hope and pray that Warren in with the Lord and all persons of good will now and forever. He was definitely one them. Peace be with you, my good friend Warren!
Warren Gauvin can be seen at 46:30 in the film LA 92, a documentary about the events related to the riots that followed the Rodney King case. He is seen trying to calm the crowd and prevent violence at the protests that resulted after charges were dismissed. Link here:
Thank you for sharing your memories of Mr Gauvin.
I didn’t know this! Thank you for sharing.