xx.
handsome moves.
new band obsession of the week:: the peach kings. her voice + vibe is a little grace potter-y–so clearly, i’m into it. the whole album, handsome moves, is good but the song that sold me was like a stone–listen. seriously. it’s amazing. and better yet:: they’re playing this friday (and every friday in january) downtown and you can bet your bottom dolla that i’ll be there.
orchid.
i’m pretty much of fan of anything patti smith related. and that obviously includes robert mapplethorpe. yesterday, i spent the afternoon perusing the galleries of LACMA and mapplethorple’s XYZ definitely took the cake. in the late 70′s/early 80′s, mapplethorpe created three portfolios:: homosexual sadomasochistic imagery (X); floral still lifes (Y); and nude portraits of african-american men (Z). his theory:: when displayed together, the three portfolios would represent the purest, inhibited form.
the exhibit was beautiful (and beyond graphic). my favorite part, however, was patti smith’s forward to (Y) and i could’t help but jot down this excerpt on the trinity of the orchid. love.
i saved you a caramel.
I discovered steve powers when i went to see art in the streets two years ago (seriously, that was two years ago?!). powers is a street artist turned professional artist–his works still hold on to his street art roots and he continues to use buildings as his medium.
i love his bright colors, flawless typography and lovingly witty sentiments.
part of his love letters collection painted on the buildings of philly.
fabulous, right?
next time he releases a “everything is shit” print, i promise you that i will buy one.
illuminate your eyes.
since i’ve taken a little sabbatical-if you will-from blogging, i have a lot of catching up to do. over the past few months, i’ve discovered tons of amazing new music. i fell in love with u.s. royalty the second that i heard them. they have the perfect combination of a classic rock twang and modern indie vibe and the fact that their sound reminds me of fleetwood mac makes it all even better.
yah, i’m in–and there’s a lot more where this came from.
come now. follow your heart, young american soul.
who shot rock&roll.
a few months ago, i went to the annenberg space for photography to see who shot rock & roll–an exhibit on rock photography. exhibits at the annenberg are always good, so i had very high expectations and well, they were surpassed. the exhibit focused on classic rock and the underground punk scene of the 70′s and 80′s with smattering of musicians from the 90′s and 00′s. with rare photographs of some of my favorites, i was in heaven.
these are just a few of my faves::
philip townsend–the rolling stones, australia pub, london, 1963. // godlis–patti smith, outside cbgb, new york city, 1976. // david gahr–janis joplin, 1978.
unfortunately, the exhibit is no longer touring but i highly suggest the book.
& above all…
i used this quote in one of the very first posts that i ever wrote, and two years later it is still one of my favorites. i find myself on a constant search for magic and beauty–and i began the life beautiful as a place to reflect on and share these findings. the past couple months, i’ve taken a break from blogging in order to spend less time glued to the computer. sadly, however, i don’t think my “screen time” (as the family i babysit for calls it) has decreased but i have found that i have not been as active in my search.
so clearly, that did not work out in my favor. alas.
i’m not really one to make resolutions, but here we go:: i’m getting back to the grind.
here’s to finding lots of magic in 2013.
on the road.
forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair.
-kahlil gibran.
for the next 10 days, the best and i will driving up the coast to seattle en route to doe bay fest.
venice.
san luis obisbo.
big sur.
calistoga (wine&spa!).
fort bragg.
eureka.
ashland.
klamath falls.
crater lake.
eugene.
portland.
seattle (to celebrate p’s birthday).
orcas islands.
it is through living that we discover ourselves at the same time as we discover the world around us.
-henri cartier-bresson.
a much needed vacay for sure.
follow me on instagram for what i’m sure will be an overload of pictures.
when she dreams in colors.
having studied the history of art, i tend to find myself focusing on artists of the past however, i love finding inspiring contemporary painters. i came across the work of tzviatko kinchev the other day and was instantly drawn to it. i love his use of color and the dreamlike quality to his works.
sweet dreams (are made of this). // killing silence.
vivian’s passions. // the color of sin. // allegra.
when i get over you. // diana’s look – words tear us apart.
lost in you. // evening rain.
kinchev’s women reminded me of leonid afremov’s cityscapes–and then sure enough, i found some of kinchev’s cities. both artists use the most amazing color palettes–playing with light as color.
blurryeyedworries.
if you’ve had any interaction with me over the past week, you already know that i am completely obsessed with bronze radio return. shake! shake! shake! is the perfect summer album and i cannot stop listening. i have to admit, lyrically, i’m unimpressed but chris henderson’s voice is perfectly twangy and the melodies are infectious. i don’t know if i can pick a favorite song on the album, but blurry eyed worries was the song that originally got me hooked.
enjoy.
