What Was It You Said About Luck:

He’s a master at synthesizing the heck out of a beat, yet he has so much soul. I love that his music gives you room to get lost in his lyrics.  Here’s a live performance of another song I Never Learnt To Share. I had it on repeat for days. I wonder if his lyrics are meant to be interpreted literally? Or maybe the guy was just socially awkward, either way the man knows how to produce a song well. I’ll definitely catch him the next time he’s in New York.

Like everyone else that has a smartphone, I love mobile apps. It really amazes me how much they have become a part of my daily life.  And yes like everyone else,  I cannot see myself navigating around NYC (and other international apps that have come in handy while traveling) without them.  

Since we’re on the topic of traveling, the ride home from an airport in NYC  has always been a bitterweest one; part of me is happy to see the blue grey skyline of the City while riding down the expressway  and part of me harbors guilt for grabing a cab all to myself. A cab,  that is fully equipped to carry 2-3 other passengers (if you considered luggage and all).  Not only do I hear my carbon footprint tramping  loud and clear behind me, but it also gets quite costly. Especially, when there’s a long line of cab suiters eager to get home or whereever they’re headed to as well.

So, what’s a girl to do? Looks like there’s an app in development for that! Fellowcab ,  is a new venture that was founded by Stan Okounev and Nikita Pogonyaylo. The founders felt that it would be a great way to solve the congestion issues (in many aspects) that people like me have with taking cabs from the airport (not just NYC airports by the way).  As a result, they have been looking to drum up “support” AKA money in the tech world to develop the app further on multiple platforms like the iPhone, Android, Blackberry and Windows Phone.  So if you like the idea and can get past the fear of riding with a complete stranger, click away and be sure to “Like” their page on Facebook.

I have read numerous books written by Walter Mosley, the author who gained alot of notoriety as Bill Clinton’s favorite mystery writer. Funny thing is Walter’s style and voice has been cool way before Bill ever picked up a book (much less I was born). Walter Mosley’s characters embody what I call “The ill-fated man that still treads on” . Every time I buy a book, I’m dying to finish it to download the next one ( yes I’m a Kindle addict). Maybe it’s the fact that his main characters are not your typical protagonists I was expected to read in school. They consist of Black Men in America that are always making their own way through life, they’re defiant, educated and extremely street smart (sometimes too smart).

Character’s like Easy Rawlins and Leonid McGill, seem to have a soft spot for pretty women and good whiskey.  But it’s their newly found stances on morality that really draws you to them. They have no patience for injustices despite having caused many others misery in the “old days”.  I guess that’s what I love…the message of reforming oneself no matter how grim ones’ past may seem.

Yes, life always seems to throw curve balls and characters from our past we would rather not see again when we’re trying to change, move forward,  but it’s all about how we handle it. I love that Walter always finds a way to make his readers question all the shades of gray we seem to encounter as life gets more complicated. As technology filters (and un-filters) our access to information or as  one country’s  policies and actions are inevitable affecting every other.

Last, maybe it’s the fact that Walter’s characters remind me of my late Father, a dreamer who was smart enough to chase his dreams but had too big of a heart to see when someone was trying to take them away.   Sometimes he won, sometimes he lost, but through it all, his stories were always great.  Like the characters in Walter Mosley’s books, I was always rooting for him, hoping that he could climb another cloud and see live another day to tell me about it.  So I finish with this quote because it meant so much when I read it:

(From McGill’s Marxist father) ….“I learned when I was at sea,” he continued, that a black man don’t need to let his head hang down, he could have just as big dreams as any white man or Brahmin, Aztec Princess or Gypsy King. I gave my children the kind of dreams they could live by, but dreams are like oceans, Mr. McGill. If they’re worth a damn they’re bigger than the dreamer, and sometimes, when the dreaming wants to be as big as what they imagine, the wave pulls’em down”.

De La Soul “Stakes is High”

Just about every De La Soul song I can think is so fitting for summer strolling, but this one stands out, so good, so classic…

 Strategy  ” Running on Empty”

Paul Dickow has been coined as a laptop savant  and his instrumental work on “Future Rock” proves it. He ranges from synthy, pyschadelic, electro pop to dub (I even get an afro beat influence). Classifying his sound is probably impossible and furthermore needless. I don’t know if this was his “strategy”  but he always makes me want to listen to more…

You can preview & buy this song here:

 http://www.last.fm/music/Strategy/_/Running+on+Empty

 Raheem DeVaughn “Mo Better”

Raheem is definitely underrated in the R&B realm, but definitely not unnoticed. His music gives me that seratonin, feel good, lazy Sunday feeling.

Trentemoeller  ”Miss You”

This song transports me somewhere, hands down one of my favorite “chill out” songs ever. For some reason it also reminds me a bit of Bjork’s song, perhaps it’s that they have the same titles? Perhaps it’s because they both remind me of  ”The Possibility” (Love Jones reference, points if you know what I’m mean) 

Well, that’s it for now, but I might just get inspired to include more…and if you have any suggestions, feel free to comment about them here, I could go for some new tunes!

So she is here! Summer, yes, yes it’s officially July 4^th weekend, and I am sooo excited because this weekend makes it official. Summer in NYC is like a roller coaster ride: by the time you get a chance to really enjoy the feeling, it’s over. Many cityslickers  flock to the Hamptons, Jersey Shore and other outskirts of the city like Fire Island, but I take this time of year to enjoy as far as a monthly Metrocard and comfortable kicks can take me. There is so much to do that doesn’t involve sand and large masses of water. Don’t get me wrong, I’m as much of a beach lover as the next gal (or guy) but there’s just something extra special about seeing NYC without shuffling through the streets in a down coat and snow boots.  And most of the time,  the events are FREE!

To name a few, there are free concert series like Celebrate Brooklyn (Talib Kweli & Fidel will be here this year!) & Central Park SummerStage. I can brush up on my salsa moves and dance the sunsets away at South Street Seaport, and well who doesn’t love the Bryant Park Film Festival after work? (Oldies but goodies like  Rosemary’s Baby & Bonnie & Clyde are playing in August).

Then there is the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art’s  P.S.1 Warm up in Long Island City. I have been attending these sessions for a few years now and at the end it’s always somewhat of a blurred mix of art, music, beer, dance and of course fun!

So let’s see what the Summer season brings this year. Whatever it is, it can only be good, as she has yet to let me down.

Lady-Like prints remixed: flowers, polka-dots and geometric shapes

Great pieces that work separately but rock together

Light fabrics & metallics, I do adore you

This post could have went on foreverrrrr (I literally spent 3 hours scanning through images and enjoyed every minute of it!) and I am sure I missed more than one piece that was worth the mention. The Good News? I’ll have more posts during the week on some of my favorite picks, if not respect for the amazing garments these designers put togetther. In the words of Christian Siriano, simply FIERCE!

 But then there are also artists that are not totally accessible like my co-worker and buddy Patrick Keefer ( a.k.a “Totally Awesome”).  He is an extremely talented Graphic Designer who I love working with everyday but I had no idea how much of an artist he truly is.  So after seeing  Patrick’s work,  I shamelessly poked and badgered him to tell me more about why he does what he does:

When did you realize that you wanted to be an artist?
Ever since I was a little kid. I have always been interested in art, design and architecture. I was always drawing characters, painting on things I was not supposed to and taking apart everything I could get my hands on. My mother was a huge influence in allowing me to follow my creative mind down whatever path it led me. For instance, instead of stopping me from painting on my bedroom walls, she told me to just clean up after myself and let me go.
 
You went to school at SUNY, New Paltz, how did you like it and how did it influence your style?
New Paltz was a great school to go to for a kid trying to find out what path to take. A school is only what you make of it, I was always told. It is completely true.  I put in long hours, took more class than required.  I was a Teacher’s Assistant even though I got zero credits for it.  In a school environment, you are surrounded by talented people from all different disciplines; each person gives and takes from one another.  I was fortunate enough, to be enrolled in graphic design, painting, photography and advanced sculpture courses while at New Paltz.  My Professors were always willing to allow projects to cross disciplines, never stunting a student’s creative idea.  Professor Rachel Heinold in particular helped me hone in on my painting skills, constantly demanding me to be better than before.  This push was what I was looking for.  I then demanded the same drive in my peers. 

My style grew out of my love for graffiti and urban culture. The techniques I used were rather unorthodox to most my peers and also my professors.  Constructive criticism and an eager willingness to learn allowed my painting and design to go to new levels.  Photography was a big influence to me also.  My stencils were cut from photographs I took over the years.  Photography is based on composition, a technique I than adapted into my work. Layout and color are essential in a great piece of art.

Eiffel Tower

What other artists have you been influenced by and why?
M.C. Escher is a big influence of mine.  I grew up looking at books of his work.  He was a man with a vision, which he brought to life through art.  His attention to detail along with his ability to defy the norm by combined math and art as one; always amazed me.  I admire everything about his work.

Dave Kinsey  is another artist I respect highly in today’s contemporary art scene. Kinsey is a writer, who specializes in characters. His compositions are so appealing to the eye with his color palette choice and his interesting brush strokes.  I share a lot of the same ideas and techniques as he does.  He is a painter and a founder of his own design firm.  If life was the way I wanted to be, that’s what I would do too. 
 
What draws you to mixed media?
The biggest draw to it is the possibilities are endless when deal with mixed media.  It allows the artist to step away from the 2D realm and bring their imagery out into the viewers’ plane.  I see my stencil work taking a turn in this direction; afew projects I have done are examples of this transition.
 
 
I noticed that a lot of your subjects are people, if there was one person that you could capture and recreate who would that be (past or present)?
I can not put my finger on one person I would love to capture in a photo and paint.  My paintings come from a personal connection I have made.  It would be interesting to meet anyone famous and have the chance to shoot photos of them and turn it into a painting.

Justin

 
One off the wall question, if you could have one super power, what would that be?
What a hard question to answer.  If I had to choose one, I would have to say the ability to stop time.  Time is one of the most valuable things to me.  With that power I would Stop time and accomplish project after project, I have always wanted to do but have not had time. 

The Dock

As an artist, what part do you enjoy more, the process or the final product?
The process which stenciling takes to create is not for the impatient person.  I love everything about my process: take a photo of a particular subject, bring that into the computer and using Adobe Illustrator create vectors on the images, print out the layers on paper, with an X-Acto knife sit for hours cutting the tiniest of details, build canvas and prepare if for paint, spray each layer a certain color chosen prior to painting, spray the final layer and step back and see what you have created.  The process for me is so relaxing.  I get engulfed in being so focused, I loose track of time.  The more time you put into a stencil, the more detail and clarity of the final image will have.

One Hundred Faces-Mixed Media

Pat is always willing to do paintings by commission. Contact him for prices at patrick@thinkmoreink.com.

The ride was great, it was a hot scorching day, but the water breeze made the short trip (10 minutes at most) and city views quite refreshing.

Ferry View

Since then the government has opened and closed access to the island for military use but in 2003, New York Legislators felt that it was time to reclaim the island and bought it from the government for $1!  Since then, the Island has been open to the public for recreational purposes.

The Fort

 One of main attractions about this 172 acre land is the bike path. You can bring a bike with you on the ferry and then go on your way to 5.5 miles of car free riding. On Fridays, a rental company called Bike and Roll offers free rentals for up to one hour.  I was pretty disappointed that I didn’t learn about the bike path earlier and decided to just hang around the picnic area that overlooks the river (which was probably a smarter choice being in a dress and all).

The Picnic area is perfect for a party of 2 or for a party of 20. It was really scenic and nice to see families and couples alike sprawled out on the lawns, chowing down on baguettes and fruits, conversing about the latest hip-hop tune that hit the air (or not so melodic MC) but who’s judging anyway?  I scooped a spot on one of the many picnic tables across the field and enjoyed what was left of the day with a diet coke and a smile on my face. 

  Governor’s Island  was a great experience, I definitely recommend a trip out there before it closes on October 11Th for the 2009 season.  The good thing is that there are still many events to take advantage of before then!

My View from the lawns