Underway

A little somethin' somethin' happening in my studio...

Cheers.

Click Play

I love this and Scott Schuman's work.
I watch this from time to time so I thought I'd share.
'Cause I can.


Enjoy.



Cheers my dears.

Newbury Street Cred

Dapper Dude

Ya know that Rothko shirt wearin' guy from here?

Well, meet him below...

This is Paul.

He's also an artist.
And a stylish one, at that.


Cheers my dears.

Volume Turned Right

What do you get when you combine a Richard Avedon photo and a shit-ton of flocked paint?

Well, ya get something that looks like this...

Volume Turned Right  

2011 

acrylic, flock, glitter on canvas 

60" x 36"

I fell hard for Avedon's work when I saw his beauteous exhibit at the MFA here in Boston. 

I especially loved his photos from the late 60's and 70's. 

I sourced a Penelope Tree portrait from 1967 for this piece. 

Her 'fro is out of control. And hilarious. And I love it.

I poured and squeezed paint to get fecal tendril like shapes and then flocked each section. (See that little detail below)

(Detail)

And there ya have it. 

1 Avedon image + Me = agrosshotmessofhair on canvas

Cheers my dears.

Know Your Stripes

Street Cred

So we all know that painting and fashion are linked for me.

We should also know that old photographs spawned a genuine love for photography in me. 

And Photography + fashion = much logic.

So, naturally, when I see a rig I like, I'm going to snap a pic of it. And then I'll post it here.
But with no less words.

Now, I know I'm no Bill Cunningham or Scott Schuman, but I admire both a crazy amount. I respect their work and honestly, me taking street style photos is because I'm inspired most by what I see "out there" (and not because I'm trying to copy one of the said masters that precedes me).

Maybe, if I get any good at capturing it, you will be inspired too.





With all that said, welcome to the first installment...

Cheers my dears.

It All Started with Her

When I was about 11 years old I remember sitting with my grandmother looking through an old photo album of hers from her high school days. It was a chic black book containing beautifully curated images of her and her BFFs in retro swim suits, climbing trees and of her and my grandfather when they bought their first house. In one of the photos, my grandfather is kneeling in the grass (in a slick button down and classic trousers, very Don Draper) next to the "sold" sign in their new front yard and "Handsome Harold" was scribbled on the back of the picture.

This spurred my curiosity about my mom at those stages in her life, so I would ask to see photos of her and my dad.

What an impact they had.

One of the first ones I ever remember looking at was of my mom and her bestie in their late teens (17 or so). She was wearing these great wide-leg sailor pants and a simple scoop neck white tank. She paired her look with simple sandals and zero jewelry. So chic. So lovely.

This is when my love for clothing and fashion began. I wanted to emulate her effortless style and grew a deep appreciation for classic and nostalgic pieces.
This, paired with my deep desire to know what she was like in these photos, leaves an impact greater than just admiring her timeless look.
These photos are reason to make things. Reason to put thought into what I put on each day.

My mom (on the left) in Washington State.

My mom at the age of 15 or 16. I love her red patterned pants paired with a simple white tee.

My mom as a young wife. I love her camel hooded coat. I have one almost just like it (minus the hood) from this Fall.

Thanks, Mom, for showing me how to love garments. 

And for capturing your looks on 1970's polaroid film.

Cheers.

A Friend in Tweed

I promised painting.
And I promised fashion.

Well, since the two are not mutually exclusive in my book, I inject my enthusiasm for duds and for the industry into my paintings.
How do I do this?

With an odious aggressive amount of glitter.
And cosmetics.
And fibers.
And gloss.
And reading (huh?).
And clippings.
And
You get the idea.

My paintings are material heavy, which just means they have a lot of shiny and sometimes gross shit on them (you can read a little ditty about them right here). I select colors right out of the pages I so often peruse.
Those little ladies gracing the top of my page? Well they are the result of how I mash these things up into a mess to make an image.

The result: 

A Friend in Tweed. 2011 Acrylic, Glitter, Gouache, Pigment, Mascara, Flock and Charcoal on Canvas

The process:

My image source...

The lovely Irina Lazareanu in Marie Claire.

I just fell in love with this spread. The styling was ballin' and the images are stunning. I also love the rawr factor that Ms. Lazareanu exudes. 

And...my color source.

Carey Mulligan in Vogue back in October.

So, 

1 darling + an odious amount of materials = 1 abstracted ass figure (aka my Friend in Tweed)

Cheers all.

This Just Got Real

As an artist, my visual interests are quite varied and my appreciation is divided among the many forms this whole "creativity" thing takes shape in i.e. films, music, sculptures, stand-up and wacky street performers (to name a few).

That said, my allegiance does lie among two forms more than the rest, my friends, and that is in painting and fashion. The two inform each other in my tiny world and I will tell you all about it. 

Here I will build up my virtual street cred and show you a thing or two about some paintings and some clothes.
Now, you may not care yet, but hopefully you'll follow along and take an interest in these things as well. I'll be posting eye-candy, the occasional serious article and share events from both arenas right here for you. So, stick it out with me and maybe we can make something awesome here.

And because I'm a visual specimen (and because blogs = win with an abundance of photos), here is a little drawing I made.

Fash-Up. 2011. Acrylic, Glitter, Gouache, Flock,

Collage, Ink on Paper. 

Cheers.