Can't Wait to See This - Alice in Wonderland

The isle of Manhattan is all aflutter over Tim Burton these days. He currently has a very popular exhibit at MOMA, and I've also started seeing these posters for his take on Alice and Wonderland all over the city. These aren't just your ordinary paste-ups. They are actually lit from behind making them even more brilliant and attractive to passers-by.

Some other visual stunners I have lined up are Pan's Labyrinth and The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus. Stay tuned for subsequent reviews.

UPDATE: Last evening (2/27/10) I watched Pan's Labyrinth and didn't really care for it at all. This "fairytale for adults" was violent with horrific imagery; not the imagery I thought I saw during the trailer. My least favorite part was also the most visually interesting. The scene depicted a sumptuous banquet with a figure who put its eyeballs into the palms of its clawed hands to see. Let's hope the other film is better.

It's An Honor Just To Be Nominated...

That's right! Someone out there likes me....they really, really like me! Ok, I'll stop with the Oscar cliches'. But really, I am very happy to be part of this first-ever virtual award on the highly-esteemed Poppytalk Blog.

If you're reading this, and you like what you see in my artwork, please vote for me by going here.

Voting ends tomorrow, Wednesday, January 27th (midnight). Thank you in advance!

xoxo ♥

(January 27, 2010 10 p.m.)
UPDATE: With just two hours to go, I am currently in second place. Thanks to some good friends who have stood behind me on this project and have truly helped me by bothering everyone in their contact lists, Facebook pages, and Twitter accounts. I can only hope to be the winner when I wake up tomorrow. Then, during all the thank you's of my acceptance speech, I can say (sorry, just one more Oscar reference) "ohhhhhhh.....who else am I forgetting?" and then walk off the stage with my hands folded in a prayer-like fashion as I bow to the crowd full of my adoring fans.

...and now back to your regularly scheduled program.

Is It Fashion Week Already?

No, not quite. But yesterday, I had the pleasure of hosting a fashion photo shoot for Mimi (stylist) and Jmzs (photographer/dj) of Plaztik Mag in my art studio. They arrived with a mammoth suitcase of clothes and another giant duffle bag for lighting equipment. Then, the model, Apryl, and her mom arrived in a taxi. After a quick coffee run, the hair and makeup artist arrived too. Yes, my little Brooklyn apartment was a beehive of activity, and I could barely contain my excitement. For the shoot, Mimi pulled some incredible one-of-a-kind clothes from The Blonds. Everyone got right to work. The kitchen and bathroom was the styling and wardrobe area, and my art studio was the staging area for looks #1 and #2 (out of four).

Apryl is a rising star in the fashion industry who moves gracefully and almost without direction. In a couple of weeks, she'll be off to Tokyo. She was a quiet teenager (only 16!) from the Midwest who likes to paint and draw too, so the concept of today's photo shoot was an authentic one. Her mom showed us some of her work consisting of anime' characters, various portraits, and a twist on the usual painting of a still life- a bowl of rotting fruit. They were all quite good!

I met Mimi a few years ago when we were both standing in line hoping to crash a fashion show at Bryant Park. I'm accustomed to people of the art and gallery world who put on airs here in the big city, so I barely noticed it when I started meeting people and experiencing it in the fashion world. When I met Mimi several years ago, she wasn't like the others and was refreshingly down-to-earth. We've been friends ever since, and she even sends me on Fashion Week assignments to contribute photos to her blog.

The issues (or videos) that she and Jmzs have been doing lately are really incredible. Their artistic perspective and aesthetic brings back a grittines back to New York that has been missing since the Giuliani era. With chain stores now on every corner, I only mean that as the highest of compliments. These episodes evoke the feelings of the early 80's, and of being a teenager in my room looking at Interview Magazine. In those days, I really wanted to be in the New York of Andy Warhol and Keith Haring. Well, I'm here now, but all of that is gone.

Here's a sneak peek of their next "issue" which will be out in mid-February. Stay tuned! As for me, I can hardly wait to see the end result.

Missing Those Carefree Student Days

Now that the holidays are over, and we are back to the daily grind, the daily grind sometimes just feels like exactly that- a complete and total overly-scheduled grind. This past week, as I was waiting and waiting and waiting for the subway to come and whisk me home after a long day, I was lamenting not being a carefree student any longer. I miss the days of meeting new people, being around friends all the time, not having a regimented schedule, and studying abroad. Don't get me wrong, I do not miss the days of writing papers, the pressure of procrastination, and assignments that caused me to stay up all night.

During the summer just before my third and final year at graduate school (as a double major) I went on the most amazing program to Venice, Italy. I had already caught the travel bug many years before, so finishing up some needed credits was as great an excuse as any to get on a plane again. That summer, I met lifelong friends (both American and Italian), and got to know the labyrinthine city so very well. Even though the program was geared towards the study of art history, painting classes were also held in the Giudecca. I completed my assignments on site- some of the most incredible vistas that Europe has to offer. Here are some of my pieces from that magical summer of 1997.