Pinup #2

So here is number 2. It was a very limited picture so I over-embellished it because I was having fun w/ my sharpie...LOL. Also, my scanner is on the blink so the picture is a bit dark because I had to take a digital photo in order to post it.

More ArT...LowBrOw and otherwise...

I thought I'd also devote a post to a couple of great artists that get little recognition since I guess they could be said to belong to the 'lowbrow' art world and only make an appearance here and there.

Above, is a piece by Casey Weldon whom I met at the Rockabilly Rod Reunion in Las Vegas. He had a booth set up and I loved his art/humor so much that I bought two of his prints right on the spot. I bought this one because I knew that Johnson would love it and it speaks to my heart as well...it's called 'At-At the Park'. His web address is http://www.caseyweldon.com/home/paintings.htm











And this is one of the BEAUTIFUL creations of Amy Sol, with whom I am currently most enamoured. Her paintings are all in muted tones on natural grain wood and they are all like a childhood dream. The grain of the wood shows through so perfectly on every piece and somehow always fits the flow and story she is telling. Soooo lovely.
Her fantastic website is www.amysol.com and there is a link to her blog so that you can see her new work as she creates it.

The Art of the Pinup

Ahhh, the art of the pinup. I'd thought I'd devote just a bit of blog-dom to my favorite pinup artists and what is currently serving as my inspiration and the catalyst for my present 'activity' in the world of charcoals, oils, and such.

The nurse is by the great Gil Elvgren. Painting is titled 'Now Don't Ask Me What's Cookin' from 1948



The blonde in the white dress is by Earl Moran. It wasnt accompanied by the customary title and date









'Time to Get Up!' by Peter Dribben 1950








Alberto Vargas, December 1943 (?)









Edward Runci, 'Put Up Job' 1948 (Runci is my favorite. I think it's his 'disney-esque' faces. I also love the sunkissed skin of his happy ladies and the fact that they are doing wallpaper jobs in heels!)









And finally, here's a lovely lady by George Petty, year unknown. Besides Vargas, he is probably the most famous of the cheesecake artists.


Aren't they precious?

Pinup #1

And so I've decided to try my hand at pinup art. I'm shooting for a crazy hodgepodge of realism, cartoonism, and illustration art. My favorite pin up artist was Edward Runci and I adore the Disney-esque-ness of the faces on his girls.

The picture to the left is the first in what is hopefully a long line of gals. However, let me say first that I completely aware that it...well...sucks. The medium was entirely wrong for my subject and my style. Watercolor pencils are great for some things but I'm not too thrilled with them for this. I think it's because I feel a little limited in my ability to fine tune and add depth thru use of layers. I prefer plain ol' pencils or oils for this project, I believe.

So why did I post it? I think it's because I'd like to take you guys along w/ me on my journey. I've made the brash decision to post every finished piece on this page whatever the final results. I'd like to eventually be satisfied with something that I do.

I can say I am pretty happy with the extra 15-20 pounds I added to the model, however. She was a stick!

'Tear It Down!'

Saturday night we saw Old Crow Medicine Show for the first time. It was feee-nom-en-al! Maybe it was the great venue of The New Daisy Theater on Beale (one of my favorite places to see live music...I've seen everything there from Leo Khotke to KMFDM to Clutch to Sarah Mclachlan and it's always great) or maybe it was just the fact that these guys are so incredibly talented, but I'll venture to say it was one of the best live shows I've ever seen. The music is 'old timey', as I've said before, and I guess the best way to describe it would be to just suggest that you watch O Brother Where Art Thou and if you like the music, you'll love Old Crow. They have such a full, rich sound and all four of the singers have great voices that blend perfectly together when they harmonize.

They performed just about everything I would have wished except the great little Ballad 'Caroline' that my two year old likes so much. But I'm more than happy to catch them again to make up for it! Their stage presence is really exciting as well since they jibe off of each other and the audience alike. My favorite tracks they did Saturday night were probably a little ditty called 'Let it Alone' and of course, their wonderful rendition of Bob Dylan's Wagon Wheel. They also did some AMAZING instrumental pieces that made wish for the first time that I knew how to do some buckdancing! And how can I forget that great cover of Alabama's Dixieland Delight which made the original seem pale in comparison??

As far as the audience goes, I don't think I've ever seen memphis so gracious to a band before. The audience was WILD with appreciation and by Sunday morning I had NO voice left due to the screaming of the night before. The New Daisy was packed by the time the band began and between each song the applause was uproarious. Old Crow really seemed to appreciate it and repeatedly thanked us for being 'a great audience' and making the last night of their North American tour so memorable.

Since the boys live in Nashville, they will be performing at home in December and I'm sure I'll do all I can to be there. I hope any of you who can will do the same!

'If this gal had money, she'd go broke...'

Oh dear me. I just found the greatest site in the WORLD for my love of retro reproduction duds. This is me. This style is everything I want out of being a woman...grace, glamour, and class.

The site is www.whirlingturban.com and it is a doozy. The company consists of a group of ladies (and gents?) that construct clothing using actual vintage patterns from the forties and fifties. They have a variety of wonderful fabrics that are in keeping w/ the era and styles that were popular as well. The dress above is a reproduction of the Dream Shaheen dress that was popular in the mid fifties. It flatters just about any shape and beneath the bolero is a beautifully tailored halter strap that can be removed. The best thing is, they don't do 'sizes'. You send them your measurements and they custom fit your dress to your body. I have already sent for the info on the Shaheen dress w/ a bolero jacket because it's just darling.

How much? That's the biggie isnt it? The truth is, I recently got an email from the company and almost every dress is available for under 200.00! More than a JC Penny frock but definitely less than any seamstress in this country would charge you for the same work. I am inlove!

Aye Me.

'Chug Along-Chug Along--Chuggin' Right To Your Door!'

Yes, that's right Memphis. Old Crow Medicine Show is 'chuggin' right to your door' on November the 18th at the New Daisy Theater.

Do yourself a favor and git you there! Tickets are a measley 18.00. How can you go wrong?

See you locals there! And if we 'not-so-locals' can get to the show so can you!

Weeeehooooo!


take a lissen: http://www.badongo.net/file/1712603

To Ava's Mamma:

Heather,
I found this polaroid this morning and was dying to find an excuse to use it somewhere. Since Ava is new to the world, I thought it was a perfect opportunity!

Congratulations to you all! Here's hoping that this picture is amusing enough to relieve some of your post-baby ails!

Love and kisses
Me

The Often Overlooked Genius of Robbie Williams

So, am I a Robbie Williams fan? The answer is an unabashed yes! I first heard of him in the band Take That and the only thing I knew about him is that when the band was interviewed, he kind of stole the show. It's not that he is necessarily charming but his personality is so over the top that it's irresistable. His constant hilarious tongue-in-cheek stabs at fame are my favorite. If you've seen his two episodes of 'MTV Cribs', you know what I mean.

Musically, I really like his brand of 'british pop'. The first album I heard, The Ego Has Landed had a few really great tracks like Angel, Mellenium, and Let Me Entertain You-the latter two of which each had excellent videos. When I saw his much touted and controversial video to Rock DJ, in which he performs a disgustingly brilliant (and hysterically funny) striptease, I was a fan. The 2nd album, Sing While You're Winning was also a worthy pop contribution to his catalogue. But it was the 2001 release, Swing When You're Winning (which I recently extricated from my basement-thus the belated review), that really impressed me with his talent.

Swing While You're Winning is an album that consists principally of big band era classics that Williams has given his own style and sarcasm. The first track, "I Will Talk and Hollywood Will Listen' impresses on the listener not only his egotistical sense of humor but his abiding love for showbiz that can't help but shine through. It is the only 'pop'song on the album. The rest of songs alternate between solo reworkings of classic songs that may not have necessarily been of the swing era ('Mr Bojangles'), big band classics ('Ain't That a Kick in the Head'), and duets with some of Hollywood's biggest stars. A much publicized duet with Nicole Kidman (Frank and Nancy Sinatra's hit, 'Something Stupid') is actually one of the weaker songs of the album but duets with Rupert Everett, Jane Horrocks, Jon Lovitz, and especially rock-opera star Jonathan Wilkes are all immensely entertaining and skillfully delivered. 'Me and My Shadow' with Wilkes is probably my very favorite version of the song that I've heard. In addition, Williams adds something wonderful to Bobby Darin classics 'Mack the Knife' and 'Beyond the Sea'(featured at the end of Finding Nemo). The great 'Have You Met Miss Jones' from Bridget Jones Diary also makes an appearance on the album, the song which, I believe, served as the starting point for this endeavor.

Make no mistake, I LOVE this album! I have listened to it countless times since I got it and still get just as much enjoyment now. Little bits of dialogue captured in the recordings between he and his 'friends' make you feel as if you are present at a great party instead of just listening to a song. Though I haven't kept up faithfully with Williams's recent work, I feel that he will be around for a long time to come.