glamorous life

This is one of the finals of the proofs I uploaded a while back ... I turned in a colored version but after rediscovering the work of Aubrey Beardsley and other Art Nouveau artists in my history of graphic design course, I decided I missed the simplicity of black/white despite the fact that color is all over most of my work. I couldn't do without a little bit of it, so the red lips had to stay ;).

I've been really very inspired lately and have sold a few handmade portfolio tote bags so I'm going to hit up Adorama tomorrow and finally get a new lens with the bokeh I've been craving in my photos (portraits, particularly). Hellooooo Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II!

My photostyling group and I have come up with some TO DIE FOR concepts for our accessories shoot. The relevance of the caps will be revealed very soon. Brainstorming was so on today.

In addition to being inspired by a combo of art nouveau and art deco illustrations, I also site the notorio-kitschy Sheila E. lyrics for the concept.

She wears a long fur coat of mink
Even in the summer time
Everybody knows from the coy little wink
The girl's got a lot on her mind
She's got big thoughts, big dreams
And a big brown Mercedes sedan
What I think this girl
She really wants
Is to be in love with a man
She wants to lead the Glamorous Life
She don't need a man's touch
She wants to lead the Glamorous Life
Without love
It ain't much
She saw him standing in the section marked
If you have to ask you can't afford it lingerie
She threw him bread and said make me scream
In the dark what could he say
Boys with small talk and small minds
Really don't impress me in bed
She said, I need a man's man, baby
Diamonds and furs
Love would only conquer my head
They made haste in the brown sedan
They drove to 55 Secret street
They made love and by the seventh wave
She knew she had a problem
She thought real love is real scary
Money only pays the rent
Love is forever
That's all your life
Love is heaven sent
It's glamorous

Tina Kalivas

Beautiful designs by Tina Kalivas via one of my favorite internet publications, Dossier Journal. Love, love, love the structure and colors of these pieces. If shooting these, I think I'd do it on location in a remote desert in the Southwest somewhere. Loveliness.

sunny bazaars :)

[click for the rest of the set]

I couldn't have been happier to be traipsing through the city's flea markets this past weekend - one on 25th and 5th and the other the always hopping Hell's Kitchen Flea Market on 39th between 9th and 10th avenues. I didn't really purchase much of anything (although I desperately yearn to own giant head statues and a crapload of old lamps, my space isn't exactly conducive to excessive accumulation).

But really, there is so much loveliness in old junk. The way things are haphazardly piled atop of each other to create these colorful sculptures, the stories that almost emanate from vintage jewelry, the myriad feelings of past decades all piled into one parking lot. It's total chaos ... and something I'm utterly attracted to.

I love sifting, it's like this urban treasure hunt - I'm picky and always expecting to come across that perfect object - a pair of oversized chandelier art deco earrings or a worn-enough backpack. And the prices are never bad. Though I didn't come out with a physical object, I have a bunch of images of the good times had. I highly suggest you go to these things if you haven't!

welcome, nyc spring!

One of my favorite things to do ever ever ever is wander around the city aimlessly discovering this and that and experiencing the randomness that is our fellow New Yorkers (and our tourists, of course). My trips around the city have been more productive due to the fact that I've been making it a point to shoot a lot more with my DLSR - I've caught some pretty awesome moments. Here's a sampling of my lot from this weekend :)

present fit lobby

Our school lobby is absolutely breathtaking right now - mannequins are creatively dressed to represent various companies. Every time I've walked in or out of FIT, there's always a crowd of awestruck viewers peeking in through the windows to admire the display. My roommate is a Visual Presentation and Exhibition design student, so she contributed to the exhibition as well - her company was Polaroid and her mannequin pure awesomeness (and pictured in the first photo on here).

It's always amazing to see what materializes from the creative brainpower this school has so, so much of :)

green & free

blueprints of the designs to be executed

[photos by me]

Starbucks was promoting their green initiative last week near Madison Square Park by using recycled coffee cups to assemble a giant art installation intended for use in a commercial.

We headed over there for lunch, because a few of my classmates wanted to try Shake Shack, and we ended up snagging free reusable coffee mugs in exchange for the materials they needed for the installation - paper cups. I've been all over the reusable mug thing - haha, so much so that I've been lugging around three different ones containing tea, water and coffee all over town. Needless to say, I was a bit overly excited about my mug.

A friend of mine designed some inserts for hers - gotta love us overzealous art students :) haha, but they're amazing and I think she should submit them to Starbucks.

And if you don't already have refillable mugs, Starbucks gives you a discount if you fill yours instead of one of their cups. The average person discards over 1500 pounds of trash a year! I can't say I'm a saint when it comes to the environment, but I do what I can.

More info about the event here

fast forward

[photo: costa rica summer 2009]

This gorgeous weather I should be out frolicking in right now rather than updating this thing has successfully lured me to state of pure excitement about the glorious months of freedom and sweat ahead we call summer. Usually, I would opt to leave the city as the weaving-wafting smells of poop and weekends of city-desertion aren't the most appealing elements of the season, but having travelled other parts of this hemisphere for a large portion of last summer, I've developed a fresh wanderlust for a summer in the city. Summer concerts, art shows, warm weather, weekends at the beach, and most of all, artistic freedom ... can't wait! I plan to get a part-time job, attempt to sell my art in Union Square, photograph, paint in the park, visit museums and galleries with more frequency than I'm presently allowed, coordinate many a picnic, hang out in the Cloisters, run around in muu-muus at the beach, and revel in the free-spiritedness that summer brings to life.

I plan to also carry on the traditional cross-country trek to the lovely San Francisco Bay Area to see my family and experience a different sort of city life, but this year, my mother wants us to visit my little brother in San Diego as well, which will be fun since SD is in fact my place of birth and I haven't been there since age 10. SHE is going on a trip to Australia with her high school friends this summer and I am quite envious, but also so extremely happy that she got this opportunity she very much deserves. I've been fortunate to have travelled to Europe, the Philippines, Costa Rica, the Bahamas and Mexico in these past several years, but I don't believe my mother has been out of this continent since leaving the Philippines around my age.

With that, I'm out to library hop and read and draw in the sun! Hope everyone is enjoying the beautiful weather while it lasts :)

Still Life

Once upon a time, perhaps in the early part of the 20th century, there lived a bipolar ballerina. Our still life narrative tells her story.

... photography by Tamara Jerardo and Emma Goldstein

... styling by Tamara Jerardo, Melody Costas, Linda Chow and Emma Goldstein

Samantha Lamb


Bela Borsodi


Tim at www.ttdesign.com


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