Annabelle exercises her aesthetic sensibilities with an art deco motif.
Monday, July 18, 2011
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Delayed Post- Little Red Studio
There's an alternative theater in Seattle called The Little Red Studio. Don't go there if you are afraid of the occassional naked performer and / or the word fuck. But if you like to be in an informal setting where you never know who in the audience is a performer or what kind of act is up next you will love this place.
The evening's performances included a young, gorgeous, eastern European opera singer who made me rethink opera. The song had something to do with the moon and she sang it all starry eyed with perfect, delicate gestures. She was a faerie-like being, a little too perfect to be human.
She was one of several very polished, professional acts that one could see in any good traditional theater. However, the Little Red Studio experience starts the moment you walk in the door. In the front room a nude man and woman were standing like statues and being painted by a very large woman who was actually a man and looked like a sinister version of the mother in Hairspray. The woman being painted looked like Magenta from Rocky Horror. Are you starting to see why I love this place?
Some of the other acts included A frizzy-haired woman reading bad poems she'd written. An elderly, disabled black man reading a very good poem he'd written, bringing us right into his life experience. An aerialist. A woman named Pei Pei who performed a classical Chinese ballet dance naked. A little too close to where I was sitting on the floor, but never mind.
Almost all of the acts had an unusually strong emotional subtext which is why I may have connected with this place so strongly. My very favorite performace of the night wasn't the opera singer, the arialist, or the interpretive dancers. It was the Pink Floyd song 'Hey You' performed by a woman who remained sitting on the floor with the rest of us, accompanied by just her ukelele. Hey You is one of many angst-ridden songs from The Wall, so I never paid much attention to it. But from the very first acapella note the energy in the room changed and the meaning of the song came to life. Seriously. Right from the first word of the song. It was amazingly good. I have never- seriously, never- heard anyone emote a song the way she did. She was so present that she burst into tears after she finished it. Oh, and she could really sing, which was nice.
The Little Red Studio is an actual artist's studio. The artist seems to hold the events sporadically. He said something about the next night not being until next fall or next year. If you google Little Red Studio it says it's closed. It's a quirky place for sure, but when they open again I'll be back.
The evening's performances included a young, gorgeous, eastern European opera singer who made me rethink opera. The song had something to do with the moon and she sang it all starry eyed with perfect, delicate gestures. She was a faerie-like being, a little too perfect to be human.
She was one of several very polished, professional acts that one could see in any good traditional theater. However, the Little Red Studio experience starts the moment you walk in the door. In the front room a nude man and woman were standing like statues and being painted by a very large woman who was actually a man and looked like a sinister version of the mother in Hairspray. The woman being painted looked like Magenta from Rocky Horror. Are you starting to see why I love this place?
Some of the other acts included A frizzy-haired woman reading bad poems she'd written. An elderly, disabled black man reading a very good poem he'd written, bringing us right into his life experience. An aerialist. A woman named Pei Pei who performed a classical Chinese ballet dance naked. A little too close to where I was sitting on the floor, but never mind.
Almost all of the acts had an unusually strong emotional subtext which is why I may have connected with this place so strongly. My very favorite performace of the night wasn't the opera singer, the arialist, or the interpretive dancers. It was the Pink Floyd song 'Hey You' performed by a woman who remained sitting on the floor with the rest of us, accompanied by just her ukelele. Hey You is one of many angst-ridden songs from The Wall, so I never paid much attention to it. But from the very first acapella note the energy in the room changed and the meaning of the song came to life. Seriously. Right from the first word of the song. It was amazingly good. I have never- seriously, never- heard anyone emote a song the way she did. She was so present that she burst into tears after she finished it. Oh, and she could really sing, which was nice.
The Little Red Studio is an actual artist's studio. The artist seems to hold the events sporadically. He said something about the next night not being until next fall or next year. If you google Little Red Studio it says it's closed. It's a quirky place for sure, but when they open again I'll be back.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Friday, July 01, 2011
Balance
My nephew's favorite color is grey. Most people who know him would guess red. He's an intellectual and physical powerhouse who is always busy. Grey makes sense. He needs it for balance.
My color cravings vary, and are often a counterpoint to my current state. I crave orange when I'm depressed and antisocial. I crave white when I want everything to be new. I crave pink all the time.
Our favorite colors are relevant.
Everyone I've ever referred to this likes it. Try it: www.colorquiz.com
When I removed the color from the photo above I liked it much better. Sometimes a lack of color is a nice quiet place to be.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Sunday, May 01, 2011
Opportunity
No one likes finding a broken beer bottle on the sidewalk when they are out for a sunny, Sunday stroll. But it was there, so I made the best of it. I kind of like how this came out.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Saturday, April 09, 2011
Sunday, April 03, 2011
Six Reasons Why This is so Awesome
1. I overcame a 43 year-long prejudice against watching the movie 'Head', which this is from. When I was 8 years old I heard my beloved Monkees were in some yucky movie where they were all....weird..and I wanted nothing to do with it. At 51 I finally realized that a 1968 movie directed by Jack Nicholson featuring the members of The Monkees had to be pretty interesting. But I still had a moment of 'But it's that scary, yucky movie...' before ordering it from Netflix.
Of course I ended up liking it. But I wouldn't have in 1968.
2.Davy Jones was not 'my Monkee', but his charisma in this clip blows me away. If you are a woman between around mid 40s and late 50s you understand what it means to have had 'your' Monkee. My Monkee, just for the record, was Peter. As an adult I competely support that choice. My Beatle was Ringo. There are obvious similarities.
3.This is visually stunning. I love the cutaway shots, the costume changes from black and white to white and black, the editing, and the non-gratuitous strobe sequences.
4. Hello, that's Toni Basil dancing with Davy Jones. Seriously. A young, beautiful Toni Basil without that dreadful 'Hey Mickey' makeup spackled on her face.
5. Ok, yeah, there's Frank Zappa at the end, Frank Zappa with a cow, whatever, which some would say is the best part. I'm not a big Frank Zappa fan. For some reason, he reminds me of Yoko Ono, except I think Yoko Ono is more earnest (discuss). I do kind of like the snarky commentary though, and he's a vision in a suit. What a presence.
6. Although this is a cheesed up version, it's a poignant song written by Harry Nilsson. The lyrics to 'Daddy's Song' are worth reading.
Of course I ended up liking it. But I wouldn't have in 1968.
2.Davy Jones was not 'my Monkee', but his charisma in this clip blows me away. If you are a woman between around mid 40s and late 50s you understand what it means to have had 'your' Monkee. My Monkee, just for the record, was Peter. As an adult I competely support that choice. My Beatle was Ringo. There are obvious similarities.
3.This is visually stunning. I love the cutaway shots, the costume changes from black and white to white and black, the editing, and the non-gratuitous strobe sequences.
4. Hello, that's Toni Basil dancing with Davy Jones. Seriously. A young, beautiful Toni Basil without that dreadful 'Hey Mickey' makeup spackled on her face.
5. Ok, yeah, there's Frank Zappa at the end, Frank Zappa with a cow, whatever, which some would say is the best part. I'm not a big Frank Zappa fan. For some reason, he reminds me of Yoko Ono, except I think Yoko Ono is more earnest (discuss). I do kind of like the snarky commentary though, and he's a vision in a suit. What a presence.
6. Although this is a cheesed up version, it's a poignant song written by Harry Nilsson. The lyrics to 'Daddy's Song' are worth reading.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Fyrir hvað sem ástæða
The title is Icelandic for "For whatever reason". I'm now fluent in Icelandic! Isn't that exciting?
Just kidding. I ran the phrase through Google translate. Icelandic is basically Old Norse. It's what the vikings spoke. It's hard, ok?
For whatever reason, these are among my favorites of the photos I took in Iceland.
I've gotten a good response to this one. I like how I composed it. It's from inside a church that I should know the name of.
I love Scandinavian style decorating. Simple, pops of color, no bad motel art...
Classic Icelandic colors
Bus ride from Mjodd to whatever the name of the village is Vidar lives in. Unbelievable, lunar scenery but somehow more lush in its whiteness. There were streams here and there, and dogs happily bounding in front of their owners. It was the closest thing for heaven (for me) that I'd ever seen.
What's not to like about this?
Just kidding. I ran the phrase through Google translate. Icelandic is basically Old Norse. It's what the vikings spoke. It's hard, ok?
For whatever reason, these are among my favorites of the photos I took in Iceland.
I've gotten a good response to this one. I like how I composed it. It's from inside a church that I should know the name of.
I love Scandinavian style decorating. Simple, pops of color, no bad motel art...
Classic Icelandic colors
Bus ride from Mjodd to whatever the name of the village is Vidar lives in. Unbelievable, lunar scenery but somehow more lush in its whiteness. There were streams here and there, and dogs happily bounding in front of their owners. It was the closest thing for heaven (for me) that I'd ever seen.
What's not to like about this?
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Iceland
-I have this excuse for the hastily-filmed videos below: It was really cold. I got some good photos though and will post them soon.
I love Iceland even more after visiting it a second time. I think it is officially my favorite place on earth.
I love Iceland even more after visiting it a second time. I think it is officially my favorite place on earth.
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