shoddy excuse for a collage. more like cut n paste. bummed these boots turned out to be about a size to big. need to find very meaty insoles. this dress' pattern is cats and owls!
::2011:: a meager list.
did fewer paintings.
committed myself to learning the healing art of herbalism
got let go for a month before asked back and promoted with a chunky raise and SALARY!
bought a sewing machine
adopted a stray rabbit
had the energy to start reading again
So I guess what I'm trying to say is, I'm departing from visual art and concentrating on herbalism for a while.
i am not a poser. trying to make shapes with my body is like a rabbit eating peanut butter.
i wore this to play pool and drink dang strong mai tai's at Johnny's Saloon in Huntington Beach. Some rockabilly place with "no hippies allowed" signs. i forgot to put on the matching belt for this photo. oops!
i just went photoshop collage-crazy so i'll post one outfit every day. i picked this dress up at buffalo exchange for $15. i feel like a faerie in it. i pretend i'm wearing rose petals. it has fantastic twirl. this IS an H&M dress (boo!! BORING) that i triumphantly procured at a mere fraction of the original price tag.
sorry my face is so sad and serious. seriously, i'm sorry. okay strangers on the street? don't ask me to cheer up, or give you a smile, or tell me life isn't so bad. it's JUST the way MY FACE LOOKS.
did you guys hear that spiderweb is the strongest natural material?
i want this to have under 150,000 miles, come with a pink slip, not have a radiator leak, not exhaust blue smoke, and to be mine within 2 weeks.
not too much to ask for, right?
i started this painting months ago. it's inspired by RTX. this was way before anyone had any idea they'd change their name to Black Bananas! YEP. creepy coincidences abound--hath re-inspired me to continue onward. i have since darkened the banana and detailed the peyote plants and painted the skulls. much more intricate detailing to come. but for now i thought i'd share the beginning with y'all:
I'm starting to feel that this is a square format piece. i think i'll still paint it like it's not and later end up cropping it. i'm brainstorming about a background. i want something very simple or perhaps nothing at all. my brainstorming reminded me of this piece i did as part of a triad of Emily back in freshman or sophomore year at MassArt.
not wanting to paint bigger than 9"x11" hasn't changed a bit, but i HAVE since figured out how to not completely muddy a good face...
i'm looking at these types of high horizon photos for a guide on possible backgrounds. i'm attracted to yellow or cerulean washes. maybe a tree line, i don't know yet. maybe just shadows of palms--against the "sunlight." for a very Southern Californian feel. feel free to inputtt put
for any of you who may have dreamed of owning a piece of mine, i just set up an etsy shop yesterday! it's a still a pink infant raisin, and will probably go through many changes, but i threw together a banner and am working on adding personal touches here and there. For now there's only 1 piece for sale--the Gogol Bordello portrait I did nearly 2 years ago for the Far West Almanac, but Wednesday you can expect 2 more pieces.
i'm pretty excited about this!
To set up a shop Etsy runs a $1.01 credit card/bank account check thing, charges $0.20 per listing and takes a 3.5% sales fee. I chose Etsy over Ebay because Ebay stresses me out! I like the community on Etsy.
in go-go related news, check out this baby!
hopefully they'll take me up on my offer to be a regular go-go girl for them. Alex's Bar has a nice stage.
new poster for the Psychedelia Beaters!
heavily digitally edited because of time constraints. i like it okay, though i think i'll take the whole concept further in the next few weeks. working off of Zuni symbolism
Owls are associated with medicine of sorcery, magical transformation, link between the dark, unseen world and the world of light, communication between spiritual & physical realms, comfort w/the shadow self. they're pulling the girl's hair, guiding her further down the path she has chosen to take.
Because snakes shed their skin, they are a powerful symbol for discarding old ways and transforming the negative into the positive. She's leading the way, the snake is in her reigns.
this is a bad draft of an attempt to update my old-school electric liquid go-go dancing videos. i can't answer why horizontal format didn't occur to me until i'd uploaded it and i also admit i have no fucking clue how to work with the newest version of imovie. how the HELL do you edit sound on there?! gawd, i wish it was 2005 again.
anyway, the song's "reverberation" by the 13th Floor Elevators.
this was supposed to be a present. dramatically entitled "stairway suicide," based on some dark visions i'd had doodle
my high school visions of the perfect future home: a pretty fuckin' good nebula painting and pretty fuckin' good pen drawing over it. for some band... i wanted to give this to the red hot chili peppers in person before i knew how to meet bands. did this as in my 1st year at MassArt. i had a thing for nebulas, okay? epic tribute to Wilfred Sätty i did in high school
i'm not much one for choreographed dancing. i've done it, quit it, and failed at it when my memory started going around my 16th birthday. i'm somewhat impressed by it, usually bored by it, and overcome with disturbing thoughts that mass synchronicity could strip my mind of creativity. sure, i watch old episodes of Hullabaloo, or Hollywood A Go-Go (Gazzarri girls) looking for tidbits of inspiration, but the dancers that really move me are on Soul Train or independently contracted go-go girls. So that's why i've never explored the "Pan's People" group. Because the founder, Flick Colby, just died, i've watched a few videos of Pan's People performing. Here's my favourite so far:
What I don't like about choreography is the ACTING aspect. I don't think lyrics should be the driving force in how to move your body. I've never had a penchant for singers, and I think singers and their lyrics are the most easily accessible aspect of music--the extent of the "simple-man's" grasp of music. I'm most interested in rhythm, but possess an ingrained partiality for melody thanks to Jimi Hendrix as the most intense influence on my personal musical upbringing. A sense of rhythm is by far the most important in dance. I'm interested in dancers who are acutely aware of their body and can isolate movements, anticipate changes in the music, and have the ability to interact with the music in terms of time signature, have a sense of playfulness, and ultimately aren't dancing for anyone or anything but their own shear enjoyment. in other words, i'm really fuckin' picky.
i mainly watch other dancers for hand and foot movements. hand positions and what to do with your arms is a long, hard road of experimenting and comfortableness. i've always concentrated primarily on working from my abdomen out, and generally believe you should keep the majority of movement close to your body because bigger movements should be reserved for only the most dramatic situations. Here's some of Flick's advice (taken directly from this post made by Miss. Peelpants: "When you're dancing, bypass your head, by-pass your mind and dance from your middle. The minute you start to concentrate on the effect you are making, you are not 'sent'. You look uptight and stiff." "It's essential to know what you look like," she says. "Once you know exactly what happens — when you move your arm in a particular movement, you will feel more confident. You can't make a fool of yourself." "Wear as little as possible. Remember it's hot dancing. If you've got good legs, wear a short, short skirt; if you've got a good midriff, wear it bare. Make the most of what you've got and wear something that flatters you. Fringes on things will accentuate your movement, and so will a belt with a big buckle hung on the hips. Don't wear something dark; try to swing in something light, or sequined, so you show up and don't just melt into the shadows. Shoes with a clumpy heel are good, but boots support your ankles. Listen to lots of pop. It helps if you know a record. You're prepared. You know what's going to happen next. You can relax land enjoy it." Above all, Flick says, "Don't fling your arms around. Keep it neat and tidy. Keep it close. You want to look good, not pretentious."
Agreed. I'll leave you with SONICS' "PSYCHO"
this is my personal favourite of all time.
DEE DEE SHARP'S "MASHED POTATO"
hear "Monster Mash," much? the mashed potato is impossible!
THE CASTAWAYS' "LIAR LIAR"
p.s. what, is the drummer, like, 14?! what's the worst lip-syncing YOU'VE ever watched?
Yes, the final finals to become postcards and posters. this project was right in my comfort zone. 60's poster art was my first and still is the strongest inspiration in my artwork. i'm excited for similar future opportunities! climbing back into the swing. these have also served as great exercises in "letting go." i don't know about abolishing perfectionism, but now i know how nice it feels to JUST FUCKIN DO IT ALREADY. and i think the less uptight approach is visually evident in my figures.
Psychedelia Beater Orlando thought the face of a silent movie star would be good, but I couldn't bring myself to follow instructions and instead created a collage of some 60sish faces. It felt more honest, instead of choosing a more arbitrary face I felt less of a connection with.
got all dressed up to see Lords of Altamont in downtown Long Beach a couple weeks ago. They cancelled last minute so I ended up at local blues bar Ashley's
