Beautiful Decay - Isn't that just what it is?

Peace Goddess, Shepard Fairey

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JR in LA - "Wrinkles of the City"

216 S Alameda St

216 S Alameda St

216 S Alameda St

216 S Alameda St

Is that you, JR?  Hat, glasses, AXE, cheeky grin...yeah, we thought so!  

287 N Alameda St

287 N Alameda St

287 N Alameda St

287 N Alameda St

287 N Alameda St

JR, the French street artist is in Los Angeles at the moment causing quite a stir.  Wait, did I just say "quite a stir"?  Well, I shit you not, he really is stirring things up around here. JR's in LA to accept the 2011 TED PRIZE, and is currently installing the LA edition of his project “The Wrinkles of the City”.  The man is on a mission.  Black and white 28 mm portraits of LA locals are going up on 20 different sites all over town, sometimes two and three a day. And baby, you should see the sheer size of these things!  The LA Weekly is following him and posting as new portraits go up each day. Fascinating! 

As much as I consider myself a free-spirited, spontaneous photo-gypsy, I can't exactly take a week off work to chase a french man - or any man for that matter.  Hear that Jeffrey Dean Morgan? You'll just have to come to me!  Ahhh, ok, but I digress...  So, when my phone buzzed half-way through the work day Monday it only took me about 5 minutes to find coverage (thanks Cheryl, I so owe you) and hit the road with my bff.  Eight hours, 97,000 belly laughs and one fabulous, cooked-by-yours-truly Korean BBQ later (thanks Alexa and Jeremy) we were on our way back home having experienced three of JR's works, possibly/probably JR himself, a multitude of other street artists (will post those pix soon), a hot dog place we didn't eat in pronounced "worst cooch", and a very successful wallet-busting trip to Urban Outfitters.  Best day EVER!

I wanna be a street artist when I grow up!

More pix on my flickr

UPDATE 2/24/11:  My absolute fave so far JR Self-Portrait

Stand Up Paddling, Suggestivism and Soul Food; does it get any better than this?

Last Sunday I went to the beach in the morning and to CSUF Grand Central Art Center and Memphis Cafe in the afternoon. Ain't nothin' bettah than a great day with friends topped off with 2-for-1 Bloody Marys and Down Home Gumbo. Sometimes I really love my life ♥

Suggests that Mark has a huuuuuuge brain

Artist and curator Nathan Spoor describes the art seen in suggestivism as avoiding "didactic narratives" which gives the viewer "ample opportunity to interpret meaning" into the art.

CSUF Grand Central Art Center

125 N. Broadway

Santa Ana, CA. 92701 

714-567-7233

www.grandcentralartcenter.com

Thumbs Up

Wee Sandy Toes

Amelia Antiqued

This is one of those standard effects in iPhoto. Mostly I use Photoshop to edit my portraits but I liked this shot of Amelia pretty much as it was, just wanted to soften it a little, and the iPhoto effects are good for that.  It's not all that 'antique' in my mind but she does look like the quintessential Cali golden girl. Not bad for 2 years old.

Venice - Round 2

Think with your heart

The Awareness Geezers

theartofchase.com

What would Anne Frank do?

Leba

LebaXX10's Flickr

Dog Town

Authentic 

Focus

Tools of the trade

Venice Beach is insane. It's dirty, kinda stinky, flat out dark side of the moon. Oh, but it is so alive! I was in LA again recently and made a wrong turn out of LAX, heading north on Sepulveda when I shoulda been heading south. I think it was fate. It was a windy chilly Sunday but, oh man, the place was jumping. The cage at Muscle Beach was empty but everyone else was out in force: taggers at the wall, skaters airborne, the musicians, homeless, artists and medical marijuana peddlers all out hustling. The light was soft and sweet afternoon haze, perfectly diffused and delicious. If crazy ain't yo thang, don't go to Venice. But me? I love this town!

P.S.  If any of y'all can tell me anything about the first picture in this post, the heart in head decal, I'd be most grateful. Loves it.

San Juan Capistrano Train Station

Taylor

Bows

Margarita

Pocket

Tay

Tonight was the Winter Formal at our local high school.  My sister-friend Susan invited me to ride along and take pictures of her daughter Taylor and friends.  SO fun!  There's so much to see at the Train Station and Los Rios District.  I've been there lots of times but not with camera in hand.  Lots of local photogs use the spot as a regular backdrop for wedding/engagement/family portraits.  The trick IMHO is to find a new and unusual view.  Game on.  I am so going back.

I'm still editing your pics, Tay, more to come...

Mama goes to Hollywood

Hollywood, Baby

Apple

Roosevelt

And a couple in color...

'snow' globes

soldiers