Coolness Captured

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I received this birthday card from my cousin and I think it’s really funny, and blingy too!

Here’s a larger version of the guitar artwork I created for a bit of fun.Check out  DIY Joe’s House of Horrors for more details.

Love the advertising campaign for LL Cool J’s range of clothing for Sears. The photos feature his kids and wife too. Nothing like keeping it in the family. What I love about LL is that he is a real family man, and been on the scene for a long time now and is still cool. I’d like to think I’m like that too. Well I try anyway.

Check out these shoes made of chocolate. Mini works of art. Would you eat them?

Robert Frank (born November 9, 1924), born in Zürich, Switzerland, is an important figure in American photography and film. His most notable work, the 1958 photographic book titled simply The Americans, was heavily influential in the post-war period, and earned Frank comparisons to a modern-day de Tocqueville for his fresh and skeptical outsider’s view of American society.

With the aid of his major artistic influence, the photographer
Walker Evans, Frank secured a grant from the John Simon John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation in 1955 to travel across the United States and photograph its society at all strata. Cities he visited included Detroit and Dearborn, Michigan; Savannah, Georgia; Miami Beach and St. Petersburg, Florida; New Orleans, Louisiana; Houston, Texas; Los Angeles, California; Reno, Nevada; Salt Lake City, Utah; Butte, Montana; and Chicago, Illinois. He took his family along with him for part of his series of road trips over the next two years, during which time he took 28,000 shots. Only 83 of those were finally selected by him for publication in “The Americans”.
Here are some of them.
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On the last day of our holiday in the States we went to the The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York where there was an exhibition of his amazing photographs.

I just can’t get over just how much the Biker guy from the 50’s looks like George Michael from his “Faith” time period. The resemblance is kind of eerie don’t you think?

Everyone is talking about the New Boyz. What do you mean, who are they? Apparently they are big in the States and partly because of their unusual style of clothing. Hip Hop is well known for being big and baggy, so, apparently their skinny jeans are completely unique. According to the press.

Erm, I think you’ll fiind that Lil Wayne and Pharrell have been rockin’, or should I say hip-hopping, the skinny jeans for a long time now.

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Then there’s UK’s Master Shortie.

and what about Lady Soverign? She’s definitely been wearing skinny jeans for many years too.

So I actually think that the New Boyz look, isn’t that new at all. I do like their single “I’m A Jerk” though. I personally would never wear skinny jeans but that belt that Lil Wayne is wearing I want!

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While we were in Miami I re-discovered the amazing artwork of Charles Fazzino.

Charles Fazzino is an American pop artist. An innovator in the 3D pop art style, his work is exhibited in hundreds of fine art galleries worldwide. A premiere events artist, he has commemorated nine Super Bowls for National Football League, and has been an official artist for the GRAMMY Awards, Country Music Awards, Major League Baseball All-Star Game, Indianapolis 500, The United States Olympic Team, National Hockey League All-Star Game, Daytime Emmy Awards, and more.

I’ve included the slightly poor photo of the Elvis picture so that you can get more of an idea of the 3D effect that he creates. I saw one of his pictures in the hotel we were staying and a massive work of art in New York airport.

His work is truly amazing. (I’ve included the Disney artwork for you Cindy, if you swing by this blog anymore. )

On our last day in New York City we went to the Guggenheim Museum. Completed in 1959 and created by Frank Lloyd Wright, the fame of his design rests on it’s unconventional rotuna shape and sloping spiral ramp that curves around the building’s interior. This circular conception enables the continuous and unimpeded viewing of artworks.

That concept was particularly interesting because our 15 year old daughter has spacial awarness problems and never realised that she was walking up through many floors and assumed she’d walked around in one large circle viewing the work. It was only when she reached the top floor and looked down that she had any notion the she’d gradually been walking up a continuous slope.

My partner bought me the above photo taken by Solomon G, which has been turned into a Christmas card with flashing Led lights that twinkle and the two Christmas tree lights change colours several times.