Red Ampersand

Conté the days...

2011-11-10T16:32:00.001-08:00

Only 6 more figure drawing classes left in this semester and I feel a sense of mixed emotions. I feel sad to think that the time for my most intense drawing period and most tranquil of hobbies is coming to an end. I know that it won't be the end of me drawing, but I do know that I probably won't focus so much of my attention on drawing as I'm doing right now. I'm really happy with my progress in the class and especially in my most recent ability to handle conté. With just one month of school left, I feel as if I barely scratched the surface with drawing as well as discovering all the students' personalities within my drawing class. It also doesn't help that the holidays are around the corner, as well as my bday, and a whole new year. An end to certain things and a beginning to many others; I am saddened to leave my wonderful most year behind but also anxious to start a new chapter in my life.

Shading Shadows

2011-10-10T08:23:00.000-07:00

This has been a weird month, yet again. Though my life seems to be at a standstill right now with no real progress in job satisfaction or homelife or lovelife for that matter, there are surges of creativity and emotions that are rocking me overboard. My life with my sister has reached a point of equilibrium but only tenuously accomplished through a tight-rope walking act that I find myself tired of and left drained. Though I know we appreciate what we do for each other, I can't help but feel as if I'm being pushed out like toothpaste. Only when she is gone for work do I feel a sense of focus return to me and my level of productivity skyrockets. Even though there is a possibility we may live together in the future, and it will be invaluable time to spend with my sister that I love so, I secretly pray for a way out to breath. To be alone.
And that's when I run to my drawing. How much joy I get from drawing, I don't think anyone will know. A sense of calm comes over me and I feel peace. The hours pass by like minutes and I rarely remember feeling as if class is dragging. If anything, I pout that there was not enough time and will spend an extra hour or so cleaning up what I've drawn.
Last month, I spend quite a bit of time working on my gestures which have improved greatly. Now I'm working on value and shading which is quite difficult to do. Though these are the best shading examples I have so far, I am pretty sure I can do better. Already I see my figures and how they can be more life-life. How I want them to be life-like. In some ways, I've only just grasped the mechanics of general shading on the big muscles and now I must focus on the small subtle shades. I hope to produce more sophisticated work in the next few weeks.

Rebecca

2011-09-17T08:32:00.000-07:00

Fall is upon the trees here in Long Beach. I am in the second month of my figure drawing class and I love every moment of it. After a tumultuous few months of emotional entanglements, job-juggling, and a few physical injuries, I am starting to feel better in the flow in my life. And lo, I have hit a breakthrough with my drawings. Stilted figures, mismatched proportions and hazy scratches that were eeked out in 1-2 minute gestures are now more fluid, more comprehensive. I'm a much faster drawer now than I was a year ago.

We had a wonderful model. Each week, it's always someone different. Her name is Rebecca. The first time she posed, I froze. Normally, I don't really look at the model. But her clear blue eyes just went right through me. I've never had anyone stare at me so intently, and so nakedly before. I tried to keep composure, but noticed a few differences in her body. She was very muscular for a woman, which was great. Except her lower torso was extremely long, too long. Her neck, too wide. Her face and jaw, too square. Rebecca use to be a man. Within 10 seconds, I understood it all. I felt very lucky to draw such a unique person and fell right into work.

In the next few weeks, I hope to draw even faster to include the head. I hope to also show more tonal drawings. At this point, I am improving but not at a level where I can accept yet. I must look at the shapes more critically with dimensions. Breast is not oval but sphere so I can hit the shadow just right, etc. I am very happy with my progress and hopeful for more improvement as winter comes.

Beginning Drawing

2011-09-17T08:10:00.000-07:00

A brief hiatus from blogging. And as proof to what I spent all summer doing, here are some drawings that I am most proud of in my beginning drawing class. Albeit they are not the best drawings ever, but I am happy in my progress. I feel more at ease with drawing than before and have gained more confidence in my skills.

Somewhere I do know

2011-07-26T00:47:00.001-07:00

It's been awhile since I've written anything on this blog. Somewhat personal, other times observational, my blog is now somewhere between my life confessions and art visions. I go with what moves me. And lately, I've been in review while I look ahead.

It's been almost 9 months since I've been back in the US and every day is a curiosity for me. I wake up and I feel like a doll who is fascinated by the swing of her own limbs and the cause of her inner mechanics. A new type of consciousness. Coming back from Paris this time feels so different than coming back from England. I feel like this time I came back with a purpose, whereas before I was lost. My only center had drifted away from me and I was left wondering or perhaps in denial.

Whenever I think of my past, I'm left befuddled. I try to sift through the memories but I grasp through it like sand and come up empty-handed. For years, I've felt lost in a forest. But I've been looking now with a very old map and did not realize that the scenery has changed. There are roads and bridges that can make my travels easier and more clear to guide through. The pain that I've held on to, that I've tried to deny for so long, I realize now I must face. True strength comes from letting in my emotions and extending myself out when I'm hurt, not to shut down my feelings and pretend I don't exist. I realize now how I've changed, and have become more compassionate or at least try to be. In doing so, I feel like I can now approach my past. It's just hard trying to understand my past now bc I have tried to forget it so well. Now that the edges have softened with time, I'm not sure what was real or not. The only way I can verify anything for sure is to dig up my ghosts and see them in daylight.

But I know in reality I'm not ready to be digging up ghosts. So I look ahead instead. I just have to focus on my future as a I glance behind me now and then. Somewhere I do know, but things take time. I can't rush what was meant to be.

Butterfly Ball Effect

2011-05-24T04:13:00.000-07:00

School is now over and I feel restless. My hands are idle now that I have finished up art class and I miss the exhaustion. I miss my mates. I miss making stuff. But I have enjoyed the downtime so I can take photos of my final projects.

This project was extremely interesting to do. I took modular origami (a butterfly ball) and made the squares from photos of objects, sorta like a mash-up. I had so many ideas of what objects to make that it was a bit overwhelming. Some objects that I thought would be successful came out a bit lackluster (the stairs and silver machine, and stop sign). Some others that were just spontaneous thoughts were to be my best (the word parking, car, fire hydrant).

The most interesting thing about the project itself was also unexpected. I found myself more connected to the process of making those objects rather than the end product themselves. It was all so intimate. I took the photos, decided which parts I would extract into squares, and also how to place them so as to create spatial order/dynamic through their placement against one another.

I had to make myself objective in order to see these 3D objects as 2D surface planes and yet pay attention to their 3D life as well-crafted objects. The creation of each ball was at least 3 hours long. It took awhile because I had to make sure each object was correctly balanced. A bit like flower-arranging, I had to make there was good negative space, enough distribution of color, good connective lines. So much thought into each placement, I thought I was going to blow my mind off.

After each object was made. I also found myself asking about presentation. How would I show these products to my fellow art students. I thought it would be cool to make a huge see through butterfly ball and then smash it like a pinata so all the other balls would come out. I went with that idea but it was probably not the best idea. The execution of it was clumsy as I was running out of time. I the transparent paper was very hard to manipulate and was essentially see through so that you really couldn't get to see the form of it. It just looked awkward to me.

I wish I could have done something different like posted these balls throughout the school campus and see what people thought. Or choose one of the objects and make a bigger object out of it (like the fire hydrant). I would push it even more and take of photo of the hydrant in a real world situation like with a dog sniffing it. Or I could have just simply taken the photos and presented that to the class. I felt so strange to work from 2D to 3D back to 2D again. My work felt so strange to me as photos, so flat when they were round, and yet so clear when they originally muddled. Now I can't help looking at 2D objects as 3D and 3D objects in 2D.

Busy, busy, busy, Design, busy, busy, busy....

2011-03-31T20:20:00.001-07:00

I really hate spring. Rainy days are followed by showers of pollen and I inherit monster allergies, the kind that literally cripples me in bed. Today was a really bad day as the first day of summer had come after days of heavy rain. I needed two allergy pills, and I still feel stuffed up and a bit cloudy.
Besides the weather, I have been busy (surprise, surprise) with school. My sculpture class is certainly very intimidating and stressful for me, and I will be very glad once this class is over. However, I have lately been producing good work in that class and will admit that it does make me a better artist. My computer art class is much more my style. I cannot show further work in case of copyright infringement as I do use several photos or sources that are not necessarily for public viewing and have only been borrowed as my own educational means.
After all is said and done, I cannot wait for my classes to be over and to enjoy the warm summer. My first in California for quite awhile!

Italian Movie/Fashion Fixation Weekend

2011-02-27T08:02:00.000-08:00

The one thing I do love about the U.S. is Netflix. I missed Paris a lot, mainly for the fashion. So I became inspired by these movies that I saw over the weekend.

I was very impressed with Woody Allen while watching "Interiors." Now I understand why Ingmar Bergman is his favorite director because you can call this an ode to the director. The timing, the subject matter, and even the look of the film was classic Bergman. I was obsessed with Diane Keaton's watch in the movie and was gladly appreciative of the continuation of her style and how she mixed articles like in Annie Hall. To me, she is up there with Katherine Hepburn as one of my favorite female icons.

"The Duchess" was itself a decently good movie. But what knocked me out was the costumes and how Kiera Knightly looked like a portrait from a gallery. I was absolutely in love with her hair mounds of curly hair. I have the same glint in my eye similar to when I wanted to have Jenny Shimizu's hair cut. What struck me most was the attention to proportion that had to be given to her hair and her clothes so that it will work. If I do plan to go ahead and curl my hair, I am going to have to transition my clothes to make it more proportion-friendly to the new "do." So many women forget that when they do something drastic with their hair.

An Italian gem is "Swept Away." I loved the actress Mariangela Melato, who looks exactly like Monica Vitti from Michelangelo Antonioni's L'Avventura. The 70s style hair and make-up is so classic that I feel like this "rich bitch" could have walked down Milano and no one would have blinked. I loved the head kerchiefs and the black turtleneck sweater. What was even better, I loved the story and how much it swept me away. One of those movies that I wished would play on forever.

The next movie I saw was "I am Love." I adore Tilda Swinton, ever since her days of Orlando, which is another fashion icon film. This movie kinda kicked off my Italian film binge and I just marvel at how well the color-blocking serves to create this very luxe, refined and yet artistic style of dress that is very Italian. I saw these pants and immediately ran through all the color combinations I could do with a good pair of pants in the right, fresh color. Again, great Italian style.

Blogging about blogging

2011-01-28T21:20:00.000-08:00

I am loath to create another blog, but since it's mandatory for part of my grade, well... you see how one can be coerced into these things. http://petitagneaunoir.typepad.com/blog/

Admittedly, continuing my education has kept my hands full. The complete exhaustion I feel almost every day has been... great. My classes give me so much that the physical fatigue is nothing compared to how I feel every day I wake up. I consider myself a very lucky girl right now.

Birthdays are...

2010-12-29T09:39:00.000-08:00

I spent December 28 turning 28 ... sober, babysitting, and in my pink, polar bear pajamas (alliteration, not intended). Considering how I spent mine last year in Paris with my boyfriend eating my traditional chocolate cake and listening to the Rubber Soul soundtrack, I could have depressed. Like, REALLY.

But I liked it. To me, that's the sign of my own personal progress. Yes, I admit, there were twinges of feeling a bit left out. But I realized that I had the time of my life for 2010. Each day was a gift to myself. I learned a powerful lesson from my time in Europe and that is to take the risk.

Looking back at my family, I realized that I was born out of a risk. My family with a sick 2-year old got on a boat and set out for the Pacific. They weren't even going to take my sister because she was so sick, but my aunt told them "If you're going to die, then die together." My god. And that was the world I was born into.

As harrowing that experience was for my parents, who are now so fucked up with paranoia and general phobia, I try to take the opposite approach and be optimistic. I realize that, whether the outcome is good or bad, life is one huge risk. I looked back at my journals in 2008, when Jonathan had died, and none of what I had planned came true. Except one. Applying for work in Paris. Out of that one simple line in my notebook, out grew this amazing year for me where I feel stronger and smarter and more confident about who I am and what I want.

So what if my bday came and went without me stumbling into bushes and dark nightclubs. I realized that girl partied because she had nothing else going for her, or so she thought. I used to not put my bday on FB bc I thought no one would care. How wrong and gratifying it was when I saw all the well wishes. I see now more than ever that fear is what holds us back from taking risks, but without risks, we can never become the person we are meant to be. If I had to spend all day in my pajamas, just to get this "a-ha" moment, then I'm feeling pretty lucky right now. It's all about putting things into perspective.

Things are the same, But I am different

2010-12-17T22:34:00.000-08:00

Coming back to live in LA has been interesting. I laugh at how everything has not changed. I am still crashing at my sister's in Long Beach. My family is still crazy. And I am still struggling with practical career choices over passion and art. What would have potentially sent me (and did) into an emotional tailspin is now just a dip in the clouds.

What Paris and Europe taught me was just to relax and enjoy my life. Even if it is a hard life, it can be filled with beauty. Especially in Paris, when most people are poor, everyone managed to make their way of life into art. I appreciate that so much now that I am in the culture-void epicenter of LA. But I realize that LA has its own sense of culture as well, a kind of rough and tumbleweed, rock n' roll, perpetual summer cool that Parisian girls would kill to have.

The trick is, how to employ my Parisian sensibilities with LA chic and have it be sensible? In Paris, I lived in huge coats and swaddled myself in cardigans bc it was so cold most of the year. But you can forget any type of outerwear in LA. A hoodie or flannel shirt will do for most year-round warm nights. For me, the answer was in layering.

I don't care if you are in Siberia or Hawaii, strange weather is happening everywhere and that is why layering is so important. Parisians are masters at layering, and in LA, the layering effect can take you from day to night easily. I usually would layer two summer coats into one as can be seen with my gap blue peacoat and my flannel Laeken jacket. Both can be worn separately throughout the day, but combined together, they make beautiful fashion symphony, especially during the chilly Santa Ana nights.

I also fell in love with the lightweight knits here in SoCal! My god, Parisians would kill for my black light-knit sweater. Not to mention how cheap it was!!! I have decided never to talk smack about LA fashion (or lack thereof) bc I can appreciate the choice of individuality here for people to dress however they want to, and that's just fine with me.

Final Days

2010-11-21T13:07:00.000-08:00

It's funny being back in Los Angeles. Blogging was impossible when you are travelling. Each second felt intense with urgency to see, feel, and touch as much as possible from the senses in each city.

As I try to think of how to approach living back in the city, I also think about what this blog means to me as well. I've been trying to review my photos from all my travels these past 14 months in order to find the answer, but I am left with an amorphous cloud around me. I am not sure what or where I am supposed to be going, but that's ok.

For now, I am posting the photos I am most proud of at this point. I tried really hard to work on composition and realized that the key is timing, color and shapes. I would like to improve even more and take photos that have a message. I want it to say something about human nature or our social interactions and hope Los Angeles will inspire me with its' urban landscape.

Sisters in Paris

2010-05-23T05:35:00.001-07:00

L'édition française continue...

Je ne sais pas pourquoi mais je trouve qu'il y a beaucoup de soeurs ici à Paris! Mais, peut-être je suis prejugée parce que la semaine dernière ma soeur m'a rendu une visite et c'était merveilleuse!!!

Comme d'hab, ma soeur et moi, on combattais constamment et après on faisais du shopping et mangeais comme si rien se passé pas. Mdr! Ma soeur adore manger la cuisine parisienne et pour ça on a exploré les loisirs gourmands comme le film Julie/Julia avec Meryl Streep. Oh la la! De foie gras à steak tartare, on a mangé tous! Moi, j'ai goûté le plus exquis foie gras de canard dans ma vie. Bien que je n'aime pas manger beaucoup de la viande, c'étais une expérience fantastique surtout avec ma soeur.

C'est complique, la relation entre les soeurs. Il y a trop d'histoire et souvenirs que je me trouve stressée quand elle était ici. Mais maintenant, je pense qu'on se connait plus mieux que jamais. En fin, j'étais trés heureuse que je peux partager ma vie à Paris avec ma soeur et lui montre comment j'y vit. Alors, j'éspère qu'elle est partie hier avec le coeur léger!

Louvre Chasse de Photo!

2010-05-15T08:54:00.000-07:00

I've decided to have a French edition of my blog, my own special dedication to Paris!

Alors, ça fait un bail que j'ai écrit à ce blog. Mais maintenant, il me ne faut pas travailler! Mon contrat pour être un prof d'anglais est fini. Whoopee! Malgrès j'ai plus de temps pour faire de la photographie, le météo horrible à Paris me fait rester dédans chez moi et me protéger de la pluie. Aussi, j'essaie de chercher un autre travail à Paris mais ça prouve être dificile que je croyais parce que je ne sais pas que mon visa de travail ne marche pas après avril. Ai ai ai!

Mais, je vais courir avec tous. Je suis encore à Paris et j'ai envie de profiter du temps ici pour faire la belle experience. Pour exemple, j'ai participé dans ma propre chasse de photo chez Louvre. Il est pris 2 jours mais enfin j'ai fini d'explorer tous les photos sur ma brochure de carte. Et voilà, ceux-ci sont mes favoris!

Carnavalet

2010-04-05T01:42:00.000-07:00

Too much work and not enough fun! I am not sure why, but I feel like I have been holding my breath in Paris now for weeks. Now it's time to exhale and relax and that means taking more pictures and blogging them!

This was taken about a month ago with a friend of mine from Paris, David. We decided to go to Carnavalet for their new exhibition in the heart of Le Marais, in English called "the swamp." After finding out it wasn't free, we decided to see the permanent collection instead. I was pleasantly surprised that 19th century artifacts could be interesting, if you're not looking at what you're supposed to!

Bonne Année Chinois (en retard!)

2010-03-03T10:08:00.000-08:00

So I've been MIA for quite a while due to a sprained ankle tendon and a very nasty cold. It's kept me indoors for weeks! And the only time I have truly gone out was to see the Chinese New Year défilé in Paris, the 13ème arrondisement. I've been backlogged with photos for weeks, but only now have had some time to upload my favorites.

I really like the 13th district. I go there once a week for my painting class, which is hilariously situated in a honest-to-god Asian mall called the Oslo gallerie! Very strange mélange of hodge podge stores, the food around this neighborhood is 100% authentic with a range of products and cuisine you can find in Orange County, CA, good ol' USA.

If you want real pho, and not the kind they pass off to tourists, go to Pho #14, rue de Choissy. If you want real bánh mì, go across the street from Tang Freres from the Oslo gallerie. Pretty good bbq duck, too. The McDo there is also a curiosity, tailored in Chinese décor. I've been told that's how normal McDonalds look like in China. Definitely check it out.

Art Portfolio

2010-01-12T22:41:00.000-08:00

It's taken approximately 1 month, but I'm done with all of my grad school applications!! My art portfolio has been finalized and put on the web at www.marydang.carbonmade.com.

I'm quite pleased with my font-book specimen. I was so disappointed with my prior font-book specimen. Everything from the word I chose, "Oblique," to the black and white theme, my last book failed to create that action that I saw in my peers' work. So, I decided to do everything from scratch again. It took 2 weeks to finalize the whole book, with concepts forming quickly, as soon as I hit upon the word "Isotope." I liked how abstract it sounded, nothing too cliché or commonplace of a word for people to develop prior ideas about. I liked the two "o's" that provided this sense of balance in the word. Once I checked out the definition, how "Iso" means equal and "tope" means places from the word "topos," I became inspired about the theme of balance.

To me, I think good design is all about the art of balance (in colors, lines, forms, shapes), but also keeping it active. I really pushed and played around with colors, keeping them simple but also retro, like old chemistry books, with weird funky colors. To me, this is the summation of what I can really do at this point. Now time to find some French classes!

A is for Apeloig

2009-12-27T23:46:00.000-08:00

I have a new hero and his name is Philippe Apeloig.

While recently researching new graphic designers in preparation for graduate school, I came across Apeloig's site and was blown away. I think he is the quintessential graphic designer. His sense of design and fonts are amazing, but what I really like is how he sees graphic design. You can check out his website at www.apeloig.com. I've read some of his articles that are linked to his website and he always comes off poised, direct, and even charming with his answers.

Above is a picture with me and one his most renowned works, for the Théâtre du Châtelet. It won the 2009 ISTD International TypoGraphic Award. I was lucky enough to pass by it on my way out of Bólivar metro station. Someone also seems to be a fan; since this poster is about a year old, I'd say someone had to rip out a lot posters to find this.

Lookbook Luv

2009-12-09T10:22:00.000-08:00

I know my posts are about once a month but's hard to feel creative when you're stressed about teaching kids all the time. However, I've found a new inspiration website besides thesartorialist and garancedoré blogs. It's www.lookbook.nu and it's filled with an interminable amount of fashion-worthy photos. This website is quality and quantity rolled in one.

Still, the great inspiration is Paris. It's helped me realized how shitty Los Angeles is in comparison to the way the young folks dress here. It's casual and arty without being pretentious at all. They are the true hipsters. I suppose it helps that everyone is so thin and the weather is always cold so you can layer up in sumptuous knits. Even I slimmed down on the Paris diet which seems to be run around all day and forget to eat all the time.

Still, I've found some great and cheap (for Paris) places to shop. My first foray was Sympa and Tati. It's the Ross and Marshall's of Paris. Scored a black and white knit top because I'm obsessed with stripes; it seems so is all of France. I've also found my favorite vintage shop. It's called Fripe Star and it's hands-down awesome. Near Le Marais, all the cool kids, or gay kids, or gay and cool kids hang out there. I got my hands on the cutest brown boots for 20 euros. A steal, even in the U.S. Recently, I went to the biggest flea market in Paris, St. Ouen near Metro Porte de Clignancourt. If you want cheap sneakers, that's the place to go. Got some Victoria shoes for 25 euros. Again, 10 euros cheaper at any regular store. I'm rockin' them with my skinny jeans.

Actually, I feel like I'm hitting my stride now with clothes. Perhaps a sign of maturity and knowing what I want or like, but probably because I lost like 7 pounds, I feel as if it's not hard to dress up anymore. For example, my "little house on the prairie" vintage dress (above) was unwearable until now. Cali-style flip flops couldn't hang with this. But pair on some boots, a cute knit top, and stylish patent leather bag and it's perfect for Paris.

Ma Chambre, Rue Edouard Pailleron

2009-11-17T22:47:00.000-08:00

My room has had an official Ikea make-over. The colors before in this room were originally red, orange, blue, teal (TEAL), and yellow. MacDonald throw-up. I almost cried when I saw my room. But for 100 euros a month and free visitors, I signed the check with a heavy gulp.

This was a true design challenge. I had to figure out what was wrong with my fuckin' room and that was the problem: it was everything! Everything was ugly or fucked up or had too much color. I couldn't rest my eyes anywhere and it was definitely depressing me. You can verify it http://www.flickr.com/photos/mnine/4059373232/, the former remnants of my room.

So, first it was a matter of editing. The curtain had to go and was replaced by Ikea curtains that rests all the way down to the floor. Stroke of luck that they were also the cheapest, but it heightened the ceiling and made my room like twice as tall. P.S. I love long curtains now. Best and cheapest way to make a room look trés chic.

Then it was the furniture. Teal, all teal!!! Painting was too much work, so I had to go with the next principle. Spread the ugly. Clumping ugly colors together just makes it uglier, so I had to move my furniture around. The closet moved next to the window and, presto¡, the feng shui of the room was starting to flow with movement and color. With teal being such a strong color, I knew I had to find another color as a complement but also accent. The pink chinese lantern was the key. Actually, it was the inspiration for the whole room. The minute I saw it, I knew I saw Paris, the lights, Eiffel tour, the feeling of what the whole room should be like.

After that, it was a matter of color for my duvet cover and chair. The duvet cover had to be neutral and almost graphic and abstract in nature. Brown was dark enough but warmer than a stark black. The choice of fabric for the chair was also its own separate challenge. Since my lantern was the accent, I couldn't go for a real strong color. I was shit out of luck with my first choice, but I did scour and found an acceptable second alternative. Again, I knew I had to keep the design abstract and also incorporate all the other colors in the room. The result, a true Paris studio!

Wlliam A. Laga, Bistrot Le Rousseau

2009-10-15T03:37:00.000-07:00

Many don't know about William Laga. Unless you happen to be a student at UCLA rushing from class to class, he is a schizophrenic homeless man who would always hang around Starbucks near the Fox theatre. I myself only knew after turning on the news to hear that he is successful in Paris and has some paintings on view at Le Rousseau, a restaurant near Place St. Michel.

I took some photos when I was there. The paintings are just amazing to look at in person! My photos don't do it all justice because of the warm-colored walls, but you can see all the paintings on his site www.williamalaga.com. There is one photo you can see in particular that I am sitting next to, my most favorite painting of all his paintings. A wonderful day in Paris indeed!

Centre Pompidou, Paris

2009-10-04T04:14:00.000-07:00

Finally in Paris! After all the sleep deprivation and 30 pounds of luggage, I'm trying to adjust to my new surroundings. After sleeping for 12 hours, I struck out for the Centre Pompidou and was not disappointed with the Inversion of Images exhibit. Excellent. The largest selection of surrealist works I've seen, surpassing the one at the Hammer I saw last year. Dora Maar, Man Ray, and a few other French/European surrealists that I wasn't familiar with with. I took a bunch of pictures but these are my favorites.

Funny Face

2009-09-09T16:39:00.000-07:00

I am finally making use of this blog! After a year in deep hibernation and much contemplation, I am ready to re-define my own goals and that means keeping this blog up-to-date and consistent. The rest of my goal is to focus on my portfolio, especially when I will be in Paris this fall. Indubitably a hard task, but I hope this blog will allow me points of explorations that will circle back to me, again.

I'm putting up my most recent work, and also my current favorite. It's hard to put surrealism and kitsch into the same phrase so I'm happy with the final treatment of the photo. It was extremely hard to blend out my model's face (sorry Megan!) because it felt like blasphemy. But, the final result lends for a darker mood, more mysterious and thus more likely for endless interpretations. ¡Me gusta!