It Was Just A Paper Bag...

Mark bought us tickets to the Fiona Apple concert at the Palladium last Sunday as a birthday gift to himself. Even though I was somewhat obsessed with When the Pawn... back in college, I wasn't really all that excited beforehand because I hadn't really listened to her new album. I suppose really though it was hard thinking about how much I used to associate with her lyrics, being so beautiful but so deeply sad, and thinking about how sad I used to be. The show was good though.

And yeah, I may have nearly shed a tear or two when she started singing "Paper Bag." As a total nerd with extreme bouts of self-loathing and insecurity, it was totally my constantly repeating on the iPod self-defeating anthem that stated more beautifully than I could express all of my feelings at the time-how I would never find anyone who would love me with all my inner craziness and fun thoughts like that. What can I say-I used to really like wallowing in my unhappiness. Of course, now I know that we're all crazy and it's just about finding someone whose weirdness and quirks can tolerate and love your own. Still, even if the words of the song don't match how I feel anymore, remembering how much they meant to me then was moving enough and made me quite happy not to feel that way anymore.

Mrawr

Francois Verkirk photographed by Hassan Havier. 

Mini Road Trip

Thierry Lasry, you slay me.

Almost there...passing Palm Springs. 

Welcome to the bizarre, mystical, amazing, and depressing Salton Sea. Smells like death as you walk on thousands of fish bones, crushed barnacles, and random debris.

We stopped by the Cabazon Dinosaurs on the way home. 

One Semester Away!

...from getting my Master's degree. I can't say this has been the toughest semester of school, but it sure has been the most stressful and I'd be lying if I didn't say I am just so glad I only have one more course to go. I have no idea how I did grades-wise but sometimes, when you are like me and going through a bit of a quarter-life crisis, you just have to say fuck it, I don't really care (even though I really do). Hurray! Time to enjoy the remnants of what has been a stormy year and celebrate that it's almost over.

Fall Is Here!

Today marks the official start of Fall. I cannot wait to bust out my giant clear umbrella from Japan and dance around rain puddles!


Image found here.

The New Girl's Already Sucked Me In

I just finished watching the pilot episode of 'The New Girl,' the Zooey Deschanel show that'll air on Fox later this month but which is already available to view online here now. I have a serious girl crush on Ms. D. Ugh, I mean how can someone look so cute and gamine all the time while making it look like it's all so easy? I did once look at pictures of her when she was just starting out and man, did girl have an ugly shoe collection. So it's nice to know she is human, after all.

Still, I only have bangs because of her and when someone once told me I looked like her (surely on a night I wore enough eyeliner and mascara to resemble a kewpie doll) it was probably about the most attractive I've ever felt. So even though the first trailer for the show and all of the print work looks like garbage (hence why you're looking at pics of Zooey and not the promo materials), I gave it a shot anyway. And actually, I love it! Jess (Zooey's character) is totally a nerd and totally relatable with her random dancing, goofy faces, and life fails. Plus, if you hate Zooey, the show is a little less girly than she seems to be, and definitely less glam-a Zooey if she wasn't rich and famous, if you will. I'm guessing that her stardom should buy the show some time to find its footing and I'm certainly hoping so, because tv needs more girl nerd heroes and I'm more than willing to make Jess mine.

Dreams of Floating Away

Don't mind me, I'm just having a moment. One where all I want to do is run away to Big Sur all alone, dig my toes into wet sand before diving into the cold, dark Pacific and dance with forest fairies while listening to Stevie Nicks, Kate Bush, and Bat for Lashes.

Window Into Ourselves

I love portrait and street photography; those images of everyday people that give us a glimpse into a world that may be wildly unlike our own, and which have the capacity to inspire, depress, or otherwise move us as much as those using carefully crafted sets, makeup, or set lighting. The way the camera, person, and environment can combine to turn the mundane into a powerful image that conveys facets of a personality or human condition, imagined or real, fascinates me. Relating to the humanity in people, who may be wildly different from me or exist with wholly alternative realities, is a beautiful reminder of what exactly it is to be human. Working at the Getty was when I first learned to appreciate photography as a medium; I would spend hours poking through art books and the photography ones tended to be those that blew my mind and contain images that continue to stay with me. Here are a few of my favorite portrait photographs, which incidentally happened to all be in black and white:

Blue Cloud Wright, a slaughterhouse worker photographed by Richard Avedon for In the American West.

From Milton Rogovin's The Mining Photographs, which shows miners from around the world at work and at home. The contrasts and surprises make this an amazing study.

Qahatika Child by Edward Curtis, whose photos of Native Americans helped to preserve images of a shrinking race but also bring up issues of doctoring photos to create a desired look that may not mirror reality.

Weegee's photos are as whimsical as his pseudonym.

Underwater Swimmer by Andre Kertesz.

Trowel Applied Makeup Goes Mainstream

I can't say that MAC always makes the smartest decisions (you can read about the 'Juarez' controversy here), but there can't be too many people who won't at least chuckle at the upcoming Cindy Sherman-inspired makeup collection. It's genius-use an artist who is famous for exploring female imagery in our culture by pushing those representations to the extreme through caricatures that call into question just what we expect women to look like to sell us the makeup that perpetuates our idea of women as "perfect" painted ladies. It evokes the same sort of poking fun at one's self that Sherman is all about (especially since the characters don't look all that different from most of the makeup artists you see at MAC counters in malls across America). And it just so happens to allow them to sell us that makeup while being "in on the joke," and therefore not morally culpable for encouraging us to cover up our imperfections.

Even if I can't help feeling like the joke's really on us, I've got to say that I love my makeup and that this collaboration smartly uses the same saturated tones of Sherman's artwork. Plus, they get major points for actually putting out an ad campaign so true to Sherman's work aesthetic, knowing it's going to send so many customers who don't get it running in the opposite direction.

Website Love

I have to say, I kind of hate Tumblr. Nobody posts image sources, which as a library student studying the importance of things like attribution just makes me go bonkers. It's a nice place to see what is essentially other people's mood boards in an exploded format, but at the end of the day I like my inspiration a little bit more toothsome. Still, The Glitter Guide Tumblr site is one I couldn't help but fall in love with, even though their actual website is a lot more satisfying when you have the time to take it in. A fun mix of images of sparkly things, bright colors, stunning editorials, and inspiring style-all without the typical pretension and try-hard attitude that tends to (or at least seems to) dominate the blogging platform.

Rouge

I just re-watched Red, the third film in Krzysztof Kieslowski's Trois Couleurs trilogy and my personal favorite. If you have never seen them, you ought to; they are all beautiful to look at if nothing else about them grabs you. The cinematography in Red is particularly gorgeous, and is helped by how beautiful and fragile Irene Jacob is as lonely model Valentine. The Geneva setting, too, is rendered both romantic and charming enough to make me want to move there and live a simple, good life. It's also the kind of quietly emotional story that makes you feel connected to the human condition with its subtleties and the vulnerabilities of the characters trying to deal with heartache.

I love the variety of perspective used in filming; sometimes we are right behind Valentine seeing what she sees, sometimes on the outside looking in on her life from a distance.

Nearly every scene in the film is permeated with pops of red.

Rosson Crow

I've just discovered Rosson Crow, a young artist who takes pop culture and historical imagery and gives them a color saturated, almost graffiti-like treatment while maintaining a style that pays homage to traditional painting and the old masters. The result is raw and sumptuous, if not totally groundbreaking. I love the colors! Supposedly she's very popular with art speculators in the know, so who knows where I've been all this time, but I do find her work very appealing and approachable, despite the darker connotation many of her pieces suggest.

Buck Owen's Trophy Room, 2007

Flower Shop at the Ambassador, 2007

To Dine Each Night On A Carpet of Jewelry, 2009

Queens Butcher Shop 1910, 2009