Art I'm Diggin'... from the CAC!

I mentioned before that Prospect 2 just kicked off here in New Orleans, with many galleries participating. One of which is the Contemporary Art Center. The Hubs and I were lucky enough to get invited to an educator's party (Hubs teaches art at a local college) so we got a tour of the museum...

I wanted to show y'all some of my favorite exhibits and I hate to say it, I didn't get ANY of the artists names!!! SORRY!

This first exhibit is pretty much completely made from fabric, and looks like she painted some on the fabric to give more depth.

The detail on each piece was unbelievable - this exhibit must of taken FOREVER to make!

She sewed synthetic hair onto the heads...

The artist below painted these in the early 50's...

I loved the colors in this one.

These knights were super cool - they are pencil drawings and are over 10 feet tall! The artist was interested in armor and the idea of how it was used as protection and also the fact that this "protection" is now obsolete.

The detail was amazing - and he just used pencil!!

The exhibit below was my favorite at the CAC. It was simple but I loved the concept.

The piece below is the hood of a fire bird that the artist sprayed and put his version of the famous eagle found on dollar bills. It's called "American Muscle" and I LOVE the title! It looks so Republican to me ;) - We shoot guns, have the fear of God and like to shop dangit! (notice the bar code on his chest) Anyway, I think this was my favorite of all.

(Side note: The Hubs thinks he was influenced by Richard Prince who did a whole series of car hoods)

He also took rubbings from symbols on light posts on Rampart Street (right along the French Quarter) and scanned them and blew them up - so simple yet very cool!

It's kinda crazy these plaques are up - I am dying to go look at them myself now! "Domination"?! I can't believe they say that!

He also stitched this flag made from T-Shirts that at-risk and homeless youth had on when they entered a shelter. I'm thinking the idea is America is this powerful and extremely wealthy nation and yet we still have so many issues...

This car was actually some one's home right after Katrina and he sprayed it all one color and built a "stoop" as if it were a real home. To me, this is raising the question of being failed by government, feeling helpless, and what is truly a home? Simple, yet powerful. (at least to me!)

And there ya have it! Hope you enjoyed the art post!  

Chair Re-Do...

Sorry this week has been slow on posts... they're all swimming around in my head but not coming out of my fingertips to the keyboard! and I'm tired... and working a lot... BUT I have been wanting to show ya what I might be doing to my Queens trash find Asian Chippendale...

Sorry the crappy quality of photo!

A couple of years ago I painted it a flat black and gold leafed the grooves of the bamboo - also reupholstered the seat with a hot pink suede type fabric. ( when I ordered the fabric - which wasn't cheap!- I was expecting a more lively color but it's been OK for now...)

BUT I came across this image and love the way the chair looks in gold!! It's not on my immediate to do list... just something I'm considering...

Image source?? SORRY!!

What do ya think? Black or gold?! (now I have "black and gold to the superbowl!" song in my head! - if you're from NOLA, you know the song!)

OK.. OK... Another Bust Post!...

My aunt just sent me this picture of a bust she saw at an estate sale - I'm tempted... VERY tempted to get this sucker!

Yes, he's totally gross and funky now, but he may be the PERFECT candidate for my crazy bust project!

This is what I'd do to him:

Something similar to this guy:

Can ya see my vision here people?! I'm sure most of you are cringing... but this is going to be AWESOME!!

P.S. I can't help but think of this commercial when thinking of glittering him!

My Hide is in!!....

My cowhide just came in and I LOVE it!! Yay for Overstock! It's super soft - it almost feels like silk. I am very pleased with my purchase!

Here's a quick before shot of the living room with my mom's zebra hide:

And here's a shot of it today with the neutral hide:

Please excuse to super lumpy sofa - that's a whole other issue! But I do love how light and airy the room feels with all the white and camel colors throughout.

 I could go for a larger sisal - like an 8 x 10 but this one I already own so it will do for now!



NOLA Art Scene...

This is a great time to be in New Orleans... the weather is perfect and if you are into the Arts at all, there are so many things going on around town that we might just might rival New York City! 

I'm trying to catch up with everything going on (since I was in HAWAII for a week - awesome trip btw!!) and this post is a little late since some of these things we are smack in the middle of - but there's still time to check them out!
This week is the New Orleans Film Festival  and I'm hoping to check out American Teacher tonight if it's not sold out!

This week is also NOLA Fashion Week and it's a great platform for local designers to showcase their latest collections. Plus my lovely boss Shaun Smith designed the VIP lounge so that's fun!

This Saturday is the kick off party for the opening of Prospect 2. This is probably the event I am most looking forward to. It is one of the leading biennials of international contemporary art in the United States with 26 artists from around the world. The Hubs and I came down from NYC a couple of years ago for Prospect 1 and were completely blown away. The art exhibits are throughout the city and we just rode our bikes around to check out all of the exhibits. I HIGHLY recommend coming in town for this event!! It runs from October 22nd to January 29th, 2012.

Silly picture of me at one of the exhibits from 2009.

This Saturday, October 22nd is also our big fundraiser event for Clouet Gardens, our little neighborhood park right across the street from our house! We are having circus acts, fire throwers, tarot readings, Bollywood Bounce music and of course yummy food and drink! Please come by if you're a local!

Clouet Gardens!

Costumes encouraged in the monkey/Bollywood theme!

New Orleans Fringe Fest is November 16-20. The festival has over 70 performing groups from around the world! Most events are right in the Marigny/Bywater so it will be a lot of fun. And our block is participating in the Yard Art - we still have to come up with our "art" piece though!

Whew... I think I covered most of what is happening around town! Oh and of course the obvious, Halloween in New Orleans can't be rivaled! 

After this post I feel like I should work for the New Orleans Tourism Committee?!  

Aloha!...

I'm heading off to the beautiful state of HAWAII for my beautiful cousin's wedding!!

See ya next week!

My Hide Dreams Have Come True...

I have been on a search for a white hide rug for years now... and even with our Trade Discount at work, I still could never find a CHEAP hide that was big enough or the right coloring... until I stumbled upon this beaut...

Close up:

He was over at Overstock for $262 WITH shipping!! I've never seen them for under $300 so I ordered one and can't wait to see how it will look in the living room!

Here's an old picture of our living room - yes, I completely changed it around since this but you get the gist! The zebra hide was on loan from my mom and I think the black and white was too busy for the room. I'm going very neutral, with camel, white and black being the dominant colors throughout the house... so I think the white hide will look smashing dahling!

Coolest, Tiniest Street Ever!...

I realized I have not really done a "neighborhood" post in a while! And since it's absolutely BEAUTIFUL outside I went for a little walk to one of my most favorite streets in New Orleans to snap some pictures to share with y'all!

It's called Architect Street which makes it even cooler in my book.

Architect Street is a couple of blocks over, in the Fauburg Marigny Neighborhood.This street is TINY (maybe half a block long?) and it is mostly taken up by some big warehouses - I'm not even sure any house, or even the warehouses have an address on this street?! 

 

I love to walk down this little street because I always discover something new. Below are some shots of some little treasures I noticed today...

There is a mill shop and I love to see what they're making, today it was a massive amount of chairs...

I wonder if these logs are up for the taking?? I want to use some for an art project....

This building is super cool, the back narrow side used to be slave quarters and now they're super expensive and super tiny apartments!

Notice the wall on the left in this photo, there is a "movie screen" painted and they show movies randomly there.

After all the picture taking I worked up an appetite for the Cake Cafe! For you locals, GREAT place to eat lunch and breakfast, great people watching, and the food is fabulous! It's also only a couple blocks away from us which is very convenient!

Crab salad with ginger/wasabi dressing... YUM!!

And of course you gotta finish it off with a freshly baked cupcake!!

I hope you enjoyed a little slice of life in da Marigny!



Clients Condo - Professional Photos Done!

I mentioned this project HERE with my snapshots of the condo but here are the proffessional photos for your enjoyment! Be sure to click over to the Shaun Smith Home BLOG to see all of the pictures of the condo! Here's just a taste! ;)