THE ARTS : Remembering Shire

“HE WAS A GUY who had the ability of any commercial or fine artist, but he didn’t pursue a career; he pursued the art,” says artist Peter Shire about his father, Henry Shire, who died in 1985. Henry Shire was blacklisted in the ‘50s for his beliefs, which were espoused in his left-wing political cartoons. Later, Henry Shire made detailed woodcuts for books as well as striking sketches of downtown L.A. and the freeways that as a carpenter he helped construct. Peter and his brother, Billy, have mounted an exhibition of more than 170 pieces of their father’s work, spanning nearly 60 years; it will run through June 3.

La Luz de Jesus Gallery, 7400 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles; (213) 651-4875.