Cover Story Update April 9, 2009

So, I finished my 50 paintings based on book covers (see post below) and the show opened yesterday! The opening reception is Saturday from 6pm-9pm, and you all (i.e. my several readers, none of whom live in Sacramento, but oh well) are invited. 20th Street Art Gallery in Sacramento, on 20th St. between I and J. 

In celebration, here are pictures of a few more of my favorites (the sequence number is in parentheses). On the post below and the various links within it you can see others.

Lolita (1)

 

The Fortress of Solitude (14)

Dangerous Liaisons (21)

The Bell Jar (28)

The Great Gatsby (31)

The Corrections (43)

The Giver (49)

Cover Story March 14, 2009

Ok. So clearly I fell off the face of the earth for awhile. But I’ve been busy! With work and painting, which is the reason for this back-from-the-dead post.

Since January 30, I’ve been participating in the 50-50 show for 20th Street Art Gallery. The conceit: 0ver 70 artists each do one painting a day (on a 6″x6″ panel) for 50 days. My original thought–that each painting would take about 2 hours–underestimated my perfectionism, drying time, and all that jazz, and turns out that it’s really time consuming to do a painting every single day. (Friend on a Friday night: “You’re leaving the bar at 9:30?” Me: “Sorry, I have to go paint!”)

But it is also really fun, and as I ever-so-eloquently said to my mom the other day, “I’ve done a shit-ton of paintings!” (41, to be exact.) Each artist has to have a theme, and my paintings are all inspired by the covers of my favorite books.

Other people have written about the show/my paintings, so instead of being repetitive, I’ll send you over to the blog of my lovely co-worker Jon: click here.

And to a local online newspaper: click here.

And to the art gallery’s website about the show: click here.

So, anyone in the Sacramento (or Bay) area, you’re cordially invited to see the show. It will be up from April 8-May 30 (though in May it will just be what hasn’t sold from April), with the opening reception on April 11 from 6-9pm.

p.s. the paintings above are for One Hundred Years of Solitude, Bel Canto, and Killer Cronicas, respectively.

For a laugh October 14, 2008

Here is a picture of me with Shaq when I interviewed him at a fundraiser for Kevin Johnson’s St. Hope organization. Shaq was the keynote speaker, and came out in a Afro and lipsyncing to a Jackson 5 song before getting down to business. 

Knives, Cups, Buttons September 28, 2008

In my freshman year sculpture class, we had one assignment that was to build something out of repeated units of a single material. One girl built a snowboard out of plastic knives; I built a violin out of caramel corn and Bazooka bubble gum (okay, I cheated and used two materials).

 

As a far, far better example of an artist who transforms everyday materials, check out Tara Donovan. She just won a MacArthur award (genius grant–DFW, RIP, won one years ago). She works with media like styrofoam cups, plastic cups, plastic straws, scotch tape, buttons and pencils, and I think the results are stunning.

This is Styrofoam cups.

This is buttons.

I’m dying to see her work in person…

Paris Couture July 4, 2008

It was just couture week in Paris. Here are some of my favorite looks.

Armani Prive

Dior

First two Elie Saab, third Christian Lacroix

Skinny Boys redux June 15, 2008

This is a self-referential post, but:

I recently discovered the “blog stats” feature of wordpress, which tracks how many views you get, how many people click on links, etc. It also shows “search terms people used to find your blog.”

What cracks me up is that the by far most common post searchers end up reaching is this one about skinny boys, found by the search terms “skinny male,” “skinny buff model,” “I like skinny boys,” “shoes skinny” (?–what were they looking for?) and more.

So to not disappoint anyone who stumbles upon this new post, I thought I’d better post more pictures! Sorry boys/girls like my sister who like muscle-y people.

(Hilarious bow tie!)

By the way, all these models are with Red Model Management. I think I should work there.

Art Collector June 8, 2008

The other day I bought my first piece of art.

It feels sort of silly to buy art because A) I have no money and B) I do my own art. But clearly, other people do better art than me, so I just used some of my graduation money on a very small portrait.

20th St. Art, a local gallery, has a 50-50 show, where artists paint 50 paintings in 50 days. Most weren’t that impressive, but then I got to these gorgeous portraits. Turns out they’re by a 16 year old (15 when she painted them) named Sarah Croft, and she was the show’s top seller–she had sold 40 by the time I saw them. There was also an article about her in the Sacramento Bee.

I’ve done my fair share of painting and looking at painting, and can say that she’s damn good. This picture doesn’t really do it justice.

I was wishing she took commissions, so she could paint my portrait (vain, I know), but then I remembered that in my closet I actually have three portraits of myself from back from high school when I modeled a couple of times for a portrait-painting class. I don’t think they particularly look like me, but I like them!

Skinny boys February 7, 2008

Anyone who knows me knows my preferred physique for boys (see above). While my sister and most of my friends disagree and tease me, apparently the fashion world is totally on my side. There’s an interesting article today in The New York Times about how, while we’ve been caught up in a hooplah about female models being too thin, male models have been shrinking to total waifs. I personally love the aesthetic, but what about the poor handsome buff men who can’t get work?

Couture! January 28, 2008

Last week Paris hosted the couture fashion shows–where wearability doesn’t really enter into the equation, and where a single item of clothing can cost thousands and thousands of dollars. Ridiculous! But gorgeous. I especially love all the layered, ruffled gowns.

Chanel. It’s like figure-skater chic.

Christian Lacroix.

Valentino

Versace–surprisingly gorgeous and classy from the trash-tastic Donatella.

More Versace

Fashion week in NYC (ready-to-wear, not couture) starts on Feb. 1, so expect more pictures of things I want and can’t have.

Supermodel January 21, 2008

This is a delayed post, but…a couple of weeks ago while half-watching tv as I took off nail polish, I stumbled upon Bravo’s Make Me a Supermodel. Now, when I first saw the ads for the show, I thought, “Seriously? Another modeling show? As if ANTM, A Model’s Life, 8th and Ocean, Janice Dickenson Modeling Agency, etc, etc… aren’t enough? Hurry up writers’ strike and bring back real television!”

But then I saw that a girl from my painting class last semester, Stephanie, is on the show. (I’m trying to figure out the timing–it’s an American Idol-style “vote for your favorite” show, so she must have taken the semester off from Scripps to be filming right now.) I haven’t actually watched either of the episodes, but I’ve checked out her photos, diary entries, and videos online. I’m withholding real judgment on her skill and potential until I watch, although I’ll say now that I don’t know what the hell they did to her bangs, and also that I love her shoes.

Good luck to her!