:::Aaaah-mazing:::

Hero from Miguel Endara on Vimeo.

:::See:::viva zuri jean:::

my "niece", the fabulous miss zuri jean, turned 1 this week! for her birthday, she rocked the hoodie that i made for her (and might i say, she rocked it rather well)! i'm gonna be so sad when she can't wear this anymore, but it makes me so happy to see that it makes her happy! VIVA ZURI! :)

:::reine de tout et rien:::

sometimes you have to make your own crown and jewels to rock.

:::my latest artsy:::scarf necklace

this is my latest artsy fartsy project. i made a necklace scarf out of yarn, and i love it. when i was a little girl, my grandma used to crochet all of the time. then, last week, out of the blue i decided to buy some yarn and a hook. i wasn't even sure that i would remember how to do it, but i guess it is like riding a bike. :) more creations to come.

:::watch::: short films by khalil joseph

yesterday i saw that the good folks at frolab were showing the first of three short films by khalil joseph surrounding the singer seu jorge. in this segment, entitled "the model", we seem to walk with seu through his day which includes rehearsing, chilling with friends/family and thinking about a love interest (introduced in the final seconds of the film). this pieces is incredibly well shot, which is what is to be expected of khalil joseph's work. you may be familiar with his work from the sabazz palaces "belhaven meridian" video based on the films of charles burnett. what khalil does with black and white is magical. the moments feel so warm that you actually believe that they are saturated with color. and let's not even talk about how beautiful seu jorge's voice is. bonkers! i look forward to seeing and hearing more from the both of them as well as the subsequent installments of this series. enjoy this video and some other works by khalil joseph.

"the model"

"cheeba"

Cheeba feat. Bilal from Plug Research on Vimeo.

"belhaven meridian"

Shabazz Palaces - Belhaven Meridian from Sub Pop Records on Vimeo.

::: Yayoi Kusama::: artist you should know

Kusama has slipped under my radar until this moment. i am not sure how, but she is an incredibly fascinating artist who was at her height at the same time as Warhol. her story is an intricate weaving of mental illness and art. she allows herself to dangle on the precipice between genius and insanity for the sake of her calling. i look forward to seeing these documentaries when they are done. enjoy.

::: ABC's in 3D ::::

love it! this book won the Meggendorfer Prize this year for best movable book, and it is easy to see why! i have a weakness for pop-up books and this one is uber-fab! enjoy! :)

:::THE RADIANT CHILD:::

first of all, it is no secret that I love BASQUIAT! although his story is tragic, it is beautiful. it is almost as if his life was meant for one full glorious season. what amazed me as i watched this film is how much he was able to accomplish in his young life. i left the movie feeling inspired and rejuvenated. it is a must see should it come to a city near you. enjoy :)

:::my latest artsy:::

long time...no post :/ i know, i know...i'll do better. i promise! in the meantime...here is a sweatshirt that I made for my niece Zuri! It took me forever, but i think it turned out well. when i can i will post a pic of her it in! :)

:::Listen::: Miguel Atwood Ferguson

Miguel Atwood-Ferguson  "Magnolia" from The Qualities of Light on Vimeo.

How do you play a string quintet by yourself! Miguel Atwood-Ferguson is absolutely genius! I find myself in eternal awe of his creations. In addition, he is so humble which makes his gift all the more beautiful. enjoy!

:::listen:::Thalma de Freitas

Brasil with "s" - Thalma de Freitas from Dixo Lieff on Vimeo.

BUZZWORTHY ART!!! Floortje Fluitsma

i saw this on the paperforest blog and you know i love all things art and science :) enjoy. The full papercut body poem is here on designboom!

everything is art...just waiting to happen

i don't know who finds the time to do stuff like this, but I am glad they did. i shall never look at a toilet roll the same again. i wonder how long this took? i wish i knew the artist, i just found this blog surfing. anywho...enjoy!

Spike Jonze is Brillant! enJOY::: "I'M HERE"

I'M HERE

Kehinde Wiley vs. Michael Jackson

So, it is no secret that I love the artist Kehinde Wiley! I love everything thing he does. I just found this while poking around on the internet this morning. The story goes, that the King of Pop commissioned some portraits by Wiley. He contacted Wiley, and Wiley thought it was a joke, but looked into it and it turned out that MJ was really trying to reach him. He was in the middle of completing the piece when he heard of MJ's passing, but decided to finish it and display it. It is a most beautiful tribute to a fascinating man. Enjoy! Thanks racewire, for sharing :)

project # 2: The Little Pampalampa Hoodie

So, I am doing my best to stay with my new art campaign. This weekend, I decided to make this little creature hoodie for my good friend who is having a baby. I was inspired by Muppets, Sesame street and some blog pics I came across recently. It was made out of cotton material and felt and really only took about a day to complete. I really hope they enjoy it and that it is cute and not frightening. lol! Anyhow, thats all I will share for today. Love you all and thanks for the comments :)

Creativity is my new drug and weapon!

This is my first blog entry of 2010 (yeah yeah, I know I'm a little late :)

I have decided that my only resolution for 2010 is to put away my self-sabotaging ways and make creativity my new drug and weapon. Why not get high on creating beauty! I am currently finishing my new creativity corner in the studio in the back (photos to come) and I have finally completed my LOVE TREE which is essentially a ruby colored wisteria made out of tissue paper. I made each leaf with love and my husband and I stole some cut branches from the local park and stained them. I would just like to say that he is the best for letting me make things like this and hang them over the bed! Viva creativity and husbands who support it!

Ah....Black Love :)

this week i was inspired by art and love, and this is what came of it. I found recently discovered the blog called b.vikki vintage which documents all of these fabulous vintage photographs of African-Americans. A recent post on the Negro Romance Comics of the 1950s seemed to celebrate black love, which made me want to celebrate it too :) Enjoy!

Gorgeous film of Egypt and Lebanon...*sigh*

Egypt / Lebanon Montage from Khalid Mohtaseb on Vimeo.

This is a gorgeous piece of film shot with a camera that I will wish into my hand :) It captures the beauty of Egypt and Lebanon in the most simple and beautiful sense. Enjoy!

Kehinde Wiley is Bonkers with the Art!

So I have been following Kehinde Wiley since my boy Ali Evans, from the Studio Museum in Harlem, put me up on him. Up until last week, I had only seen his work online and in books. I've always appreciated the portrayal of young black men represented as renaissance royalty. Something about it warmed my heart and really captured the beauty and strength of my folks. Then last week, my artsy fartsy friends and I swooped in on the Roberts & Tilton Gallery (http://www.robertsandtilton.com/) in Culver City, CA to see Kehinde's art, up close and personal. First of all, not only is it even more stunning in person, but the pieces are massive. Like mural size! I wasn't ready for the scale of the art, but it only added to the grandiosity that is Kehinde and his work. This particular exhibit was entitled The World State, and in this third installment which has also covered West Africa and China) he plays artist/anthropologist and takes us with his to Brazil. The colors are incredible and if I win the lottery I am buying on of those pieces, for sure! If you are in LA, please don't miss a chance to check out his work before the end of May. Did I mention that he is originally from LA, maybe that is why he is so dope! (smiles)