Recently, I've made a decision to partner up with long time friend Omzahara. You know the whole two heads are better than one thing. Not only is she a long time BFF....she is an incredible multimedia artist. The wondrous thing about our friendship is that we are so in sync esthetically. If we are out and about and see something amazing...you'd be prone to hear a scream in unison "I LOVE THAT!"
Our styles are completely different but at the same time they totally compliment each other.
Kelis in her visually tasty treat and it ain't a "Milkshake"
My friend Joe went to NYC in December to take in some theatre and do a little shopping. He sent me pictures ofBergie's windows....the composition and detail is off the friggin' chain! Their budget must have been outrageous. I use to dress windows for a store on Newbury Street in Boston (Newbury Street is the equivilent to New York's Fifth Ave in terms of shopping), so I have a deep appreciation for the art of visual merchandising. I don't know if I could have even fathom anything like this!!
I first heard Rokia Traore in my car listening to NPR.
She sang a rendition of "The Man I Love"...the old Billie Holiday/Peggy Lee standard. Her version sent a chill up my back and brought a tear to my eye. I hurried home and immediately downloaded the song from Itunes. Her voice is compelling..."slinky and breathy". In her current album "Tchamantche" she uses traditional African instruments along with acoustic and electric guitar, giving her sound a unique appeal.
I haven't had a sale on Etsy all month (boo-hoo, sniff, sniff)...thank goodness I particpated in a craft show earlier this month or I could be very discouraged. Anyways...I thought I do a little self promotion. I made this collage with Picasa 3 of some of my very favorite pieces.
For a limited time, I'm offering Free Shipping on all purchases.
Going through my "favorites" at Etsy, I realized I have this "thing" for women artists. I'd say 95% of the art that moves me is created by women. Lucy Calhoun is among those women artists that has a definite point of view of which I share. Her paintings are endowed with tenderness, movement, a sense of joy, and a connection to the earth.
I asked Lucy to describe her paintings:
"For me these paintings are a way to create a tangible vision of what I would like to see in the world. I believe in the Law of Attraction, so I'm putting a lot of love out there in my art, since what we focus on becomes our reality. "I Assume the Produce is Organic" is a sort of playful piece that has an undercurrent of body awareness, acceptance, and joy. Most of my work includes embrace and affection of some kind, and I pay close attention to colors, using combinations that really sing to me."
I love using Picasa to enhance my digital photos! It's so user-friendly and better yet- it's FREE. Well, I just downloaded and installed the latest version. While playing with all the new enhancements, I discovered you can make movies with Picasa and use the application interface to upload your movies to YouTube. Heres' my first attempt at movie-making with Picasa 3!! It's a little blurry - but you get the jist.
One of my dearest friends is an incredible painter, sculptor, and poet. A Renaissance woman in the truest sense. Her work is rich, thoughtful, and dream-like. The colors are vivid, yet earthy. She says of her paintings, "My paintings depict moist, rich dirt, cracked, dry clay, and sand. Hummingbirds flutter, opening soundless dreams. I am dancing in the sacred circle of life."
My obsession with earrings goes way back. It started in 1973, when my hair stylist mom suggested that I let her cut my hair. I had a head full of uncontrollable, unkempt curly hair. So, apprehensively I let her cut my curly locks. And she cut.... and cut and kept cutting. I ended up with a close cropped curly pixie hair-do that I wear til this day. It was cute, manageable and low maintenance. But, I have to say I was lookin' kinda boyish...since I had no figure to speak. I was 5'5" weighing all of 98 pounds-looking like an adolescent lad. Huge earrings were the answer to my androgenousness. That where my obsession began. When I discovered I had the talent and skill to create my own fabulously huge earrings - It was ON!
I was introduced to Lark's works on the "Etsy Artists of Color" website. Ya' know how you are just drawn to certain artists? - their work not only touches you, but grabs you emotionally. That's how I am with Lark's portraits. They draw me in. This series of portraits are based on Lark's grandmother, Julia and her journey from Guatemala to the U.S. in 1940. Lark has written a wonderful narrative describing Julia's journey and the people she encounters. If you'd like to see more - go to www.calderon-gomez.com/ or http://www.larkcalderongomez.etsy.com/