Thursday, July 31, 2008

Change of Pace

Next Wednesday I will hang the "Two-Faced!" show at the DC Center. That show will consist of Latin Pop images and some collaborative abstracts I painted a while back with my good friend, (and one of my favorite artists, don't tell him I said so) Mike Trovato.
I spent the last few weeks working on some new Latin Pop images for the show. Now I've got enough.
Next week (and possibly half a day tomorrow, if I can squeeze it in) will be an ALL ABSTRACTS week! I haven't worked abstractly (non-objective) for a while and I've got a pile of 10x10" and 12x12" canvases just begging to be laid out on a table and worked. (that almost sounded crude, but we're talking art supplies here, get your heads out of the gutter)

Mixed media play-time, yay!

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Kenley Rocks!

What a let-down week this has been on Project Runway.
I mean, with a great challenge (touring NYC and creating a "night on the town" look inspired by a photo taken by each designer), one would expect a lot more edge and chic on the runway.

It would take too long to comment on the fact that just because an object is located within a city's limits, it doesn't automatically embody the spirit of that city. A planter, for example, however architectural, does not necessarily say: The Big Apple. Well, what do you know? That didn't take long at all.

Misguided inspiration or not, thank gawd for Kenley!
My girl brings it, for the third week straight (and finally scores a win!).
Her 80's flashback was delicious and fun. I could easily see a hip young gallery-goer or artist rocking this at an opening.


This is how you re-interpret a fashion era gone wrong!

Tragedy of the Week:

It's a 3-way tie!!!

A few designers seemed hell-bent on injecting the 80's into their design, Emily being one of them. The ruffles on her sad dress seemed as if they'd been placed with a blindfolded "Pin the Tale on the Donkey" approach that made no sense at all.


I'm sorry I have to wear this dress.

Having found a wet and tethered, stepped-on magazine on the sidewalk, Keith was armed with one of the best inspiration photos for this challenge. It screamed NYC! Instead of picking out graphic fabrics (perhaps even with a text-print, I'm sure you can find that at Mood) and dyeing or staining or hell, even slapping some fabric paint on the bottom of his shoe and stepping on some of it, and creating a sleek mini or body hugging knee-length number...he chose to send his model down the runway like a quilting-square reject display.
Maybe he's too busy worrying about Mormons kidnapping him and dragging his ass back to Salt Lake City to concentrate on the task at hand.
I've been there, I'd be scared too.

Hey big boy! Wanna blow your nose on my dress?

And can someone tell me how Tanned Gay Cannibal (he threatened to eat Kenley this week, what the hell!) Blayne managed to be SAFE with this monstrosity???

Did someone order a Gay Pride Pinata?

PS.
Is it me, or is Stella always either lost or confused?
Did she just crawl out from under Keith Richards or something??
How many episodes till she forgets where she's at and pees herself on camera?

Strong


"Strong"
Acrylic on canvas/ 24x36"

Introducing Guy-liner and Man-scara!

Taxi Man, a new line of "Metrosexual makeup, just for men" has been introduced.

The company's director of trading Jeff Wemyss insists:
"These days you can be macho and wear make-up. If you look at people like Russell Brand and Robbie Williams, they both wear make-up and they are both very red-blooded men."

This Gay is here to tell you that, umm...no you can't be macho and wear make-up (with the exception of stage or film make-up).

Don't even get me started on what sorts of guy on guy scenarios I could easily see a guy like Robbie Williams slipping into under a drunken stupor (but enough about my fantasies).

Pictured below is aforementioned, Russell Brand:


NOT macho!
Me suspects this to be just Amy Winehouse sporting a "natural" look.

I know some of you might think I'd be overjoyed by the introduction of such products, but quite honestly, I miss the days when the gay/straight lines were just a little less blurred. Once you short-circuit gay folks' gay-dar, it's gone too far.

Damn you "Queer Eye"!

Monday, July 28, 2008

No disrespect meant towards Estelle Getty...

but what is wrong with people??!



If the title of this post scared you...press 1

If you think I'm just being mean...press 2

I swear, I'm a REALLY nice person.

Monday

I picked up some 24x36" canvases over the weekend. I was originally looking for some 30x40"s and then decided on some 36x48" diptychs.

I have acrobats and businessmen on the brain so let's see where all of this takes me.

I need to get a few new pieces completed by mid-week next week, when I have to hang the "Two-Faced!" show at The Center in DC.

On Wednesday I won't get any studio time, as I need to take down the "SueƱitos" show and take some of the remaining paintings (along with some new ones) over to my new gallery affiliation in Alexandria.

We're having a small dinner party on Saturday afternoon so I have to get things ready for that. It's going to be casual, but that means Friday I might not make it into the studio either.

Why am I typing? There should be a brush in my hand!

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Pueblo Dormido

It means "Sleeping Town".


"Pueblo Dormido"
Acrylic on canvas/24x30"

That Painting

I worked on that painting till I thought I'd go blind.
That painting.
The one I've finished, wiped clean, restarted, put down, picked up
and put down again...
That one!
I liked the direction it took, but I reached a point where (as much as I wanted to keep at it) I had to step away from it,
if just for the night.

I walked into my studio this morning and got excited about it all over again.
I can't wait to get back to it this afternoon.
Hope I can get it finished today.

Sometimes painting is very much like reading a good book.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

"Curvy girls don't want fins..."

"coming off their butts."
This is what less-orange-this-season Bottom, Michale Kors uttered during Korto's critique on tonight's Project Runway. Korto ran off stage looking like a crying poodle.
I'm not sure where she got that "fins" would convey her African-chic theme, but the result was a mess.

My fave on this week's runway:


Once again, Kenley delivers. Super-chic!
Perhaps not "young" enough for the judges.

This week's winner was Suede, who obnoxiously talks about himself in the third person.
A purse fell out of his mouth tonight while declaring his bisexthuality. The purse was later added to the Bluefly Accessory wall for use in a later challenge.


Apparently guest judge, Natalie Portman is eager to look like a Mummy Ballerina caught in the crossfire.

Tragedy of the Week:


Hi! I charge by the hour and have saggy tits!

Jerell needs to start bringing some fierce fashion if he's gonna keep running his mouth like he's got something to say.

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

John-Michel Gasquiat???

Another rendering of me as a famous artist by my twisted friend Mike.

I love him so.

Today's Painting:

There was a power outage in our neighborhood today from about 8 am till 5 pm. I sat in my "painting corner" all day trying to move as little as possible. It was not pleasant but me and the pups survived. LOL!



"Green Lounge"
Acrylic on canvas/16x20"

Monday, July 21, 2008

It's About Time!

Sarah Jessica Parker lands show at Bravo
Mon Jul 21, 1:29 AM ET
Reuters/Hollywood Reporter


LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Sarah Jessica Parker's art-competition reality show has found a home at Bravo.

The network has picked up "American Artist," a "Project Runway"-style series that takes on the art world.

Aspiring artists compete to produce various styles of artwork (painting, sculpting, etc.), which is then judged by a panel of experts. Parker's Pretty Matches production company is helping develop the project.

If ordered to series, the show would give Bravo another skill-driven reality show to its lineup, along with "Top Chef" and "Top Design."

Further evidence of Sarah Jessica Parker's awesome coolness!
Thanks for the heads up Purple Trekkie!

Eleven

11 years ago today I met the most wonderful man.

I couldn't have predicted the incredible ways in which he'd fill my life with such meaning and purpose. Not in a million years. Or the adventures we'd embark on.

The ups, the downs and in-betweens of this wonderful life together.

I couldn't have predicted any of it.

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Why Dogs Suck

Because they're such incredible loving loyal companions, that's why.

Last weekend we took our boy Orion, who turns 9 in a few weeks, to the vet because of a limp that kept coming and going. Being a senior dog, we assumed "old age" was setting in and increased his glucosamine intake, but wanted him checked out anyway. The doctor informed us it was very likely that we were dealing with an aggressive bone cancer.
Today this was confirmed by a specialist.
The prognosis: 4 months or until either pain management ceases to be effective or his bone breaks (the cancer has already thinned it out). By the time this type of cancer (common in large breeds and prevalent in giant breeds) is detected, it has already spread throughout the animal.

Any of the available options are strictly pain management options.
At his age, having lived a fairly long (for a dog his size) and very happy life, we cannot imagine putting him through a leg amputation or extreme radiation treatments. This would be selfish on our part and not change the prognosis in any way.

The plan for now is to keep him on pain medication and spoil him rotten for a few weeks.
Then allow him to exit in the dignified manner he deserves...before unmanageable pain sets in.

Like with the other pets we've had to "put down" in the past, I just can't imagine him gone.
He's the last man standing from our original pack (his mother Bella, our recently deceased St. Bernard Roxy and his brother Amadeus).

I seems only yesterday he was born in the bathroom of our first home.


Orion: 2 months old

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Make it Work!

Project Runway is back! Yay!
Yes, I'm just a sucker for Tim Gunn and Nina Garcia! Even that designing orange, Michael Kors, but mostly for a reality show competition that actually focuses on creativity rather than who can play the biggest skank.

Gristedes Grocery Challenge:



My favorite challenge look came from Kenley. I thought it was the most wearable, while still using unconventional materials. And the one that looked to me the most like a "real" garment.

Jerry being sent home was dead-on. When asked who would wear his outfit and when, he said it was for a "night out on the town".
On a date with Jeffrey Dahmer, perhaps!


Hi I'm here to dismember you!


Early Favorites
Designers: Daniel and Kotor
Models: Shannone, Alex and Katrina

Elizabeth Dole: Crazy Bitch!



Sen. Elizabeth Dole proposes renaming the the current AIDS relief bill after Jesse Helms.

Crazy Bitch!

I'm sorry, but she must be either or both to even make such a suggestion.

Joe My God blog provides a lovely flashback quote-montage of some of Mr. Helms most notable words on Aids relief. Cue the In Memoriam music:

Jesse Helms, the man who in 1988 vigorously opposed AIDS prevention literature as "so obscene, so revolting, I may throw up."

Jesse Helms, the man who in 1988 vigorously opposed the Kennedy-Hatch AIDS research bill, saying, "There is not one single case of AIDS in this country that cannot be traced in origin to sodomy."

Jesse Helms, the man who in 1995 said (in opposition to refunding the Ryan White Act) that the government should spend less on people with AIDS because they got sick due to their "deliberate, disgusting, revolting conduct."

Jesse Helms, the man who in 2002 announced that he'd changed his mind about AIDS funding for Africa, but not for American gays, because homosexuality "is the primary cause of the doubling and redoubling of AIDS cases in the United States."

Thank you Freckles for forwarding this info!

The Company I Keep

This the oh-so-inspiring view I enjoy everyday from my easel.



And if you were to visit me, you'd get this side:

Street Art

We had dinner with friends yesterday at Capitol City Brewing Co. next to Union Station in DC. Out front, a street artist had set up a display and was feverishly drawing one jazz/urban caricature after another in pastels.
I, of course, had to go over and talk to the man. I'm always in awe of on-the-go artists who set up on street corners and sidewalks to create and sell their work.

I picked up this cool chick (amazingly, for the last $9 I had left in my wallet!).



She's painted on a scrap of foam board (approx. 6x25"). I love the crude edges, where he ripped it from the rest of the sheet.

Monday, July 14, 2008

Something's gotta give!



So I suppose that by now everyone in the planet (except possibly the one remote cannibal pygmy tribe Brangelina hasn't yet shopped for babies at) has received news that their precious twins officially arrived this past weekend at a seaside hospital on the French Riviera.

Congrats Brangelina! I don't want to be the one to bring anyone down on this wonderful event, but allow me to raise my glass hoping at least one of the babies is ugly...for the greater good of the universe. I love you and your perfect United Colors of Benetton Family but surely you must be throwing something cosmic off balance with all of your awesome collective beauty and humanitarian goodness!

Friday, July 11, 2008

And from the world of "Hustle & Flow"...

Woman stabbed with stiletto heel of her shoe

Seattle police are seeking a man who stabbed a woman with the stiletto heel of her own shoe, causing an infection that required emergency surgery.

By Christine Clarridge
Seattle Times staff reporter

Seattle police are seeking a man who stabbed a woman with the stiletto heel of her own shoe, causing an infection that required emergency surgery.

A 39-year-old Tukwila woman underwent emergency surgery on Saturday after contracting an "aggressive" bacterial infection, according to Seattle police. According to a police report, the woman was at a barbecue at a friend's house in the 7600 block of Rainier Avenue South in Seattle on June 29 when an acquaintance asked her to perform a sex act on him. When she refused, the man slapped her face, removed her boot and stabbed her in the left hand with the stiletto heel, police said.

The woman fled, police said.

Several days later the woman sought medical assistance from staff at Swedish Medical Center/Seattle after the wound became infected. Police said the woman was told by medical personnel that the aggressive bacterial infection would require immediate invasive surgery.

The woman's name was redacted from the police report and efforts to track her down were unsuccessful. Police said the woman described her assailant as a heavyset black man named Earl who possibly works at a business near Rainier Avenue South and South Henderson Street.

Seattle police said the investigation remains open.


Who wears stilletos to a damn BBQ???
Haay y'all I brought the potato salad and condoms!


Don't get mad at me, I'm just sayin'...

Thursday, July 10, 2008

The small painting dilemma continues...

I guess it's not really a dilemma at this point, but rather I'm just aching to work on some pieces I'm putting on hold at the moment (for my next show) in order to deliver these small paintings promptly. The result: "Painter's Block".

I did manage this one yesterday. It's a variation on a larger piece. I think it looks much better in person.


"Guitar and Flower"/Acrylic on canvas/11x14"

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Little Artists

I shared my studio today with three very distinguished guest artists.



Yep, you guessed it, Uncle John was on babysitting duty today.
After lunch it was time to hit the studio and get creative. I was quite pleased by the energy and enthusiasm with which these lil' van Gohgs worked.

I now proudly present to you the fruits of their labor (as titled by the artist and in no particular order):

KATHERINE
Quite the prolific artist, Katherine attacks the paper with her paints, taking no prisoners.
"Uncle John, can I have more paper???" was uttered once or twice...or four times.


Top Row (left to right:) "Hugs & Kisses to my Family", untitled, "Silly Clown", "Dog with Spots", "Golden Teeth Lady"
Bottom Row: "Dots with Line", "Monster Pig", "The Lollipop of Spongebob", "Flying Pig", untitled


Most of these remained untitled for the exception of "Blue Ninja" in the middle.


JOSEPH
Without a doubt the Surrealist of the group today. Joseph carefully chooses his subject, then lets his imagination place it in unexpected places.


Left to Right: "Ninja in Space", "Chocolate Bar in the Sky" and "Truck on Road"


SARAH
Sarah puts a lot of thought and energy into her little masterpieces. I find her attention to detail and composition is quite impressive.




Left to Right: "Blue Magic Unicorn" (for MiMi), "Cute Tiger by the River", "The Black Bear" and "Chocolate Sale"

Hi kids!!!!I know you're waiting to see yourselves and your artwork on here.

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Today's Painting:



"Woman with Yellow Flower"
Acrylic on canvas/11x14"

Painting Music:

On today's playlist:



Upon the insistence (all the way from London) of a dear old friend I finally broke down and picked this up. I'm very glad I did! A very chic blend of musical styles.



A lovely trip.



Kate Bush's "The Red Shoes" is one of those albums I always forget I own. Then I come across it, play it and kick myself for not listening to it more often. "Why Should I Love You?" is quirky, fun and beautiful. "You're the One" puts a tear in my eye every time.

Thursday, July 3, 2008

Merry Independencemas!

My Dilemma About Small Paintings

I'm not feeling as strongly about "Women with Accents" as I did yesterday. I'm not sure if it's common practice for other artists, but I often will do some "rapid-fire" painting when I'm in between clear concepts. I'll do a number of quick paintings and feel strong about them for a day or two, then end up completely hating them and having to paint over them. LOL!

I still like the name "Women with Accents" for either a series or just a painting (which is what it might end up as).

Another struggle I'm having at the moment is the size of the paintings I'm working on. At one point I pretty much only painted in smaller sizes. As of late I am finding it difficult to paint smaller than 16x20". But I have to. For one, I have a shit-load of small canvases I need to use up.

Secondly, while I want to go bigger and bigger, there is something so great about finding and falling in love with a small painting! A small painting, you can stumble upon unexpectedly almost anywhere (not necessarily a gallery). You can pick it up and handle it as you study it. You know you'll have a spot for it at home because it won't take over a whole wall (and even if you had no wall space you could put it on a shelf). A small painting won't break the bank.

There's so much to say for small works! And I don't want to loose that, so it's back to the studio on this one...

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Women with Accents

I need to do a number of small (8x10 types) pieces for the guy who's gallery I'm going into next month. He wants some ahead of schedule...like NEXT WEEK!

I want to be in his gallery because its in an awesome location in a $$$ town! So I ain't gonna bitch, just paint my ass off and try to come up with as many "quick" paintings as I can so I have choices to narrow down from on what I will give him.

As I was thinking of doing quick face-paintings the thought occurred to me for another series: "Women with Accents".

These are 8x10" acrylic on canvas/with collaged paper in for texture.


"Punk Brassiere"


"The Hostess"

Favorite Paintings:


"Les Loisirs" by Fernand Leger always fills me with a sense of peace.
The beautiful colors, lovely subject matter and wonderful composition of this painting makes it one I love to re-visit. And I do quite often.
Without a doubt, Leger is one of my biggest and clearest artistic influences.

I can't get enough box!

NO! Not that!
I'm appalled, y'all are just filthy.

I did it again...last night.

It's my third or fourth time in a month.

I know you can't see me but I've bowed my head in shame for this post.

My friends are all making fun of me.

But I just can't get enough!


When was the last time you could eat till you were ready to puke for FIVE BUCKS???

I'm sure I've rotted half of my insides off with this crap.

I NEED AN INTERVENTION!

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Va-Va-Voom! Girls

As I mentioned I've been inspired by Fashion and Paper Dolls lately. Not necessarily the actual appearance of these dolls as we traditionally know them, but the concept of the same (or similar) body shape with interchangeable "looks". Out of this, the concept for the Va-Va-Voom! Girls was born.
The concept is fairly simple...but fun.
Paintings of similar sizes and compositions for create-your-own easy mix-n-match diptychs and triptychs (think Art Garanimals LOL!). Each Va-Va-Voom! Girl, much like a Bratz or Barbie comes with a name and back-story/line (starlet gowns, swim wear, fantasy wear...).

And of course, they are all full-figured and fabulous!

As I began to play with the concept, I stuck to basic body-hugging solid color gowns. I'm excited to see where this series takes me and how far I can take it.

The first four gals are each acrylic on canvas and 10x30" each.


"Veronica"


"Valerie"


"Vanessa"


"Victoria" (SOLD)

side by side: