Day 9...

Day #9, I am thankful for :

Artists/Art history/Museums!!!

Today I saw my all time absolute favorite artist, Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio! I was so excited! My heart was racing, my hands clasped together in anxiousness, my eyes huge, it was surreal for me! I'm absolutely serious when I say this, I almost cried. Literally, choked up when I stared at the brushstrokes. "His hands created this. Such a gift", is what I said in my mind. I was that museum go-er that shoved their way to the front of the crowd to get a better look, and honestly, I didn't even care! This is my rockstar, people! True, he was a murderer, a tough guy, but he was genius! Regarding his painting The Calling of St. Matthew, 

Caravaggio's solution is much simpler: Light indicates the touch of grace. It pours in behind Christ and falls full upon Matthew, while the rest of the painting is plunged into dreary shadow. Caravaggio pioneered this chiaroscuro style, which is characterized by extremes of light and shadow. -Secret Lives of Great Artists

G E N I U S.

Georges de La Tour, Magdalen with the Smoking Flame, circa 1638-1640

aka the painting in the Little Mermaid's secret cavern. 

My boys + Chris Burden's Urban Light, 2008

The little + Michael Heizer's Levitated Mass, 1969-2012

love.

RARW + Frankenweenie...

A fellow art historian I met at CSUF asked me if I'd be interested in contributing to Rogue Art Research & Writing Journal, aka RARW..."a not-for-profit online arts journal with roots in rogue zines. RARW specializes in California Contemporary Artists, Movements, Trends, and Awesomeness."

So I said, "uhhh, yes please!"

Here's the link to my article, an exhibition on Frankenweenie at Disney's California Adventure now until November 5th, 2012!

And if you, or someone you know, is interested in submitting an article to RARW,
contact rogueartresearchwriting@gmail.com and get writing for the November issue!

Oh yeah...I'm even on the contributors page! 

Eek!

Unique LA...

So waaaaaay back in May (you know, when I was preparing my mind for returning back to work after my glorious 3 months at home with James) Mitch took me to Unique LA as my mother's day gift. Time completely took over & deprived me of a chance to blog about it + the things we bought, so here we go!

Here's a quick description of the design show:

"UNIQUE is the destination for all things Made in America both in-person at our UNIQUE LA/NYC/SF shopping events and here online. Launched in December of 2008, the independent design show UNIQUE LA was created by community leader and designer Sonja Rasula as a way to bring local-made design and art to the masses while helping to grow and support the US economy and small businesses." 

Pretty cool, right?

My adorable husband of almost 5 years bought me a wallet from these guys, The Good Flock. Made with Pendleton wool, it's one of my fave gifts for 2 reasons:

 1) The Good Flock is based in Portland Oregon, which reminds me of our vacations we've taken/hopes of living there someday.

2) I thought he bought it for himself, until after he paid for it, he handed it to me and said, "Happy 1st Mother's day". You're crying, aren't you?

I also got a chance to meet Danni Hong, blogger/creative extraordinaire from Oh, Hello Friend. She announced on her blog that she'd be at Unique LA, which sparked my interest in the design show! So special shout out to Danni for being my Aladdin and showing me a "whole new world"! Plus, I got this super sweet necklace from her, because I'm livin' that thugg life and you never know when you need a knife handy...

Lastly, we were so happy to see Chad Eaton had a booth! The artist/designer of TIMBER! If you've ever been to our home you'd recognize his handiwork, "Beard Cabinet", hanging at the end of our hallway. So we bought a couple of his shirts. I mean, who could pass up bearded men on tees? Not I...

There you have it, and if you see anything you adore on this blogpost, I linked their sites to their names. So go buy a wallet, necklace, or tee & help support good ol' American designers! 

Annie...

photos from The Disney Blog

These recent photos Annie Leibovitz created for the Disney Dream portraits are so good! A huge smile spread across my face for a few reasons...I mean, who doesn't love comedians, Disney, The Haunted Mansion, Captain James Hook, or Annie's photography?!

Phillip Toledano...

This photographer has some serious skill. Maybe you've heard of his work before, one book in particular titled, "Days with my Father". 

To me, there's something equally captivating and creepy about these photos in Toledano's book, "A New Kind of Beauty". I came across a post by Babble on Toledano's work, which "tackles whether plastic surgery is poised to create a new paradigm of what we see as beautiful, and if beauty that never existed previously can be created artificially." Toledano photographed people that have had plastic surgery in a way an artist would paint a portrait, emphasizing beauty.

As I was scrolling through the photos, I thought that visually and conceptually, they had a unique quality to them. I also thought of the Romans, and wondered if plastic surgery would be a common practice for them, if the technology had been around. Maybe it would even be a ritualistic practice the way it is for so many in our culture today.

The subjects in his book have been "dubbed the Botox Botticellis".  

Here is one of Toledano's photos from the book: Michael, 2008.

 And here is one of Botticelli's paintings: St. Sebastian, 1474. 

The photos are not digitally enhanced with photoshop. Just some amazing lighting. 

So what do you think? Is it beautiful? Or does the saying, "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" ring true?

Jeff Koons at LACMA...

Last Saturday, my museum buddy and I took a little trip out to LACMA (Los Angeles County Museum of Art). It was nice to use my membership and explore more of their collection.

This is Jeff Koons. He is the man when it comes to Neo-pop art!

"...Jeff Koons creates 'reliquaries' of vacuum cleaners, basketballs, and other store-bought products. His kitschy ceramic sculptures of religious and pop cultural icons-like Michael Jackson holding Bubbles, his pet chimpanzee-at once coyly satirize and fully embrace consumer culture."- LACMA wall label

 

A few years ago, Koons was invited to display his art at Versailles, the very same place Marie Antoinette and King Louis XVI were given the boot once the French Revolution was in full swing. Check out this video to see some of these artworks featured at Versailles.

Button Cool...

Have you been to DTF's art walk yet?

Next one: Dec. 3rd, 2010.

And can I just say we <3 photobooths?

Art-Filled Weekend...

Last weekend was art-tastic! Friday was amazing, a trip to LACMA was exactly what I needed...

 Francois Boucher , "Leda & the Swan", 1742

Elisabeth-Louise Vigee-Lebrun, "Portait of Marie Antoinette, Queen of France" 1783

Francesco Guardi, "The Ridotto at Palazzo Dandolo"  1750's

On Saturday night, we made a little trip out to Pomona for their art walk held on every 2nd Saturday of the month. The "Dia de los muertos (Day of the Dead) theme was rampant, especially at the American Museum of Ceramic Art...

"Tree of Life"

"Mother & Child", Dia De Los Muertos art

"Diego Rivera & Frida Kahlo", Dia De Los Muertos art

I <3 art.

Fullerton Art Walk...

Today marks one month since the last Fullerton art walk. It was so much fun! If you want to go to October's, click here for more info!

There was yummy gelato...

Yummy (free) cupcakes...

Cool "cave" artwork by little kids...

Mexican ceramic art...

& a photobooth!

A great week...

This past week has been so full. 

Full of blessings, thankfulness, laughter, excitement, pure joy, hope & wonder. 

Tuesday: I got a chance to meet up with a dear friend I respect & love. I even played Wii with her adorable son who giggled at everything I said!

In the evening, our life group met & we watched "The Goonies" & had a potluck. It was so much fun laughing with one another at familiar scenes & chatting afterwards about how God is moving in our lives & hopes.

Thursday: I had an interview for an internship here...& I GOT IT! I'll be helping with the curatorial & conservation of the artifacts. So thankful for this one.

Friday: I got a chance to go to Warner Bros. Studios & visit a friend that is interning there. We went on the tour & I got to see Central Perk! A lifelong dream fulfilled...

I also found this painting at a yard sale for $7! I live by this rule: only buy art if you can't imagine your life without it...

Jesus Only...

amazing poetry, beautiful craftsmanship, adored devotional.

"The whole creation can afford 
But some faint shadows of my Lord;
Nature, to make his beauties known,
Must mingle colors not her own.
Nor earth, nor seas, nor sun, nor stars,
Nor heaven his full resemblance bears;
His beauties we can never trace
Till we behold him face to face." 
-Watts

Natural History Museum & Art...

A few weeks back we took a little trip to The Natural History Museum to go see art by local L.A artist Amanda Visell.

It was exceptionally neat to see contemporary art in such an interesting setting.

After we took a look at the art, we were able to visit some of the halls featuring North American mammals, a ginormous set of whale bones & other neat things related to natural historical things.

This is what you see when you walk into the museum!

"Lion Snuggle" by Amanda Visell...

Another artwork by Amanda...

"Sea lion!" (Feist)

"Africa Unite..."

"Buffalo Bill won't you come out tonight, come out tonight, come out tonight..."

Us & the whale bones from a very giant whale...

The backside of the giant whale...

This band was there to accompany the art show & were extremely talented, take a listen...

This was not created by Amanda, but was actually a part of the museum's collection. The man on the right reminded me of Mitch...

There was a children learning section in the museum, & there were sheets of paper with reasons of what/how nature has influenced you. Here is what some people had to say...

This last one was written by Mitch & is so true it brought a smile to my face.