I Am Actually Good - Christine & The Queens Bring French Pop to You

One of the best French things to take from my trip, I actually picked up in a fab flat in Chelsea. Ever on the pulse of things, Hugh & Fred hooked me up with this little gem burning up the French art landscape.  Christine and The Queens are giving us infectious French pop with a little early-stage Michael Jackson style in a mix of performance, art videos, drawings and photography. The video for Christine or Tilted, the English version, is one of the coolest videos I've seen in ages. 

Oh! Would that I could pull of Christine's (real name Héloïse) tomboy look! Good god, I love a loafer! Perhaps I should dig mine out of whatever abyss they've made their way to. Or, perhaps instead, I shall just practice her dance moves and jam out in my new prius with a seven year old. It's kid-approved!

More from my trip that isn't music soon. I promise.  

In the meantime, check out more of Christine & The Queens here. 

500 Years of Female Portraits

During my nearly two year long quest for the perfect painting for my bedroom wall, I really really wanted to find a powerful female. Every time I was nearly there, something wasn't quite right. So, I ended up with The Skating Minister, which I love in every way except that it's not a powerful female (say, dressed in flowing tartan and on a horse) but is instead a whimsical in body, dour in face man. 

Even though I didn't get my chick portrait, I can (and so can you) experience 500 years of female portraits in 3 minutes thanks to this lovely vid. 

Even though it's all white ladies, (it is only Western Art) it's nice to think of all the diversity in beauty of women over the centuries. 

Which is your favorite? I like the Sir Joshua Reynolds paintings-- esp. Jane Countess of Harrington, Vignee-Le Brun's self portrait and especially the Rubens painting-- A Lady In Waiting for Infanta Isabella. For the full list of portraits featured check out here. 

Raeburn's Skating Minister

Today is brought to you by classic Scottish painting, The Skating Minister, by Sir Henry Raeburn. I just bought an oil on canvas replica for my room. It's always been one of my favorites and I've been coveting an affordable, high quality replica for some time now. 

I love the mix of the dreary and bright, buttoned up and playful. It's a pretty good example of the great Scottish paradox and why I love that place so much. 

It was actually quite obscure until 1949, and since then it's become an icon of Scottish art for absolutely good reason. There's even a book written about the painting. 

Henry Raeburn is one of Scotland's most beloved painters. In person, at the National Gallery in Edinburgh, it is so rich and texturous. It's full title is The Reverend Robert Walker Skating on Duddingston Loch. Walker was a minister in the Church of Scotland who lived during the height of Scotland's enlightenment period-- one of the most influential periods of human history. (In case you don't want to take my word for it, I highly recommend this book.) If I could have lived in any other era, I think it would be Scotland during the enlightenment. Oh, the ideas!

En Puntas - Javier Perez - Knife Ballerina

You guys. I am reading a disturbing book at the moment and feeling a lot of feelings. So is Amelie Segarra in this amazing performance En Puntas. Certainly, it is the point of art to provoke feelings, and to illicit a kind of visceral reaction. But with our level on inundation, how often does that really happen? Rarely. Even for me. And I'm ripe for the picking. I'm basically standing, waving my arms up and down and begging for you to manipulate my emotions!

Which is why it's so nice to see something that actually blows my hair back... or in this case, makes me gasp and clutch at my throat. No reaction I thought I would have from what I assumed was nothing more than a visual statement. OH NO, my friends. That is a sore underestimation. 

Watch for yourself Spanish artist Javier Perez's beautiful, arresting video. And his others. 

Javier Pérez - EN PUNTAS (extracts) from Javier Pérez on Vimeo.

Keep.Com Friday Links

This was a week of rebalancing for me, and it felt good. I normalized some routines, switched some up, made chili and baked an almond apple whisky crumble for friends and neighbors that was delicious, got locked out of my apartment and hung out with my neighbor Camellia who turned me on to some new music, decided to seriously shake up my bedroom (turns out it's gonna be like zero work,) deleted my okcupid profile (again) and started to allow myself to get excited about the workshop of Nicholas & Alexandra later this month. Huzzah!

Each changing of the seasons is a dual re-set, renew. Both normalizing and radicalizing, if necessary. Duality is good. 

Here are your links.

- The Painted Ladies of LA
- Even more reasons to love it here: Taco Day!
- I'm a fan of almost all of these 20' slang terms. "Bank's Closed, Guys!"
- This chair.
- Bullfighting in France
- Did I already post this? It's the scariest thing I've ever read about being a mother in the US
- Scottish children portraits! (I'm kind of tempted to buy these??)
- Writers on failure.
- Subscribe to this amazing Vimeo channel
- This is amazing. How Rhett Butler was the original Silver Lake Hipster.

- This has been making the rounds. And I super agree. Hocus Pocus is the best! And I'm not just saying that because I'm going to Vinessa's house later. Hey, girl!

- Keep.com. I love it! It's like pinterest, but with a built in purchasing mechanism like luvocracy. My bank account might not love it as much as my brain does. 

Nils Frahm: Live in concert from Louisiana Channel on Vimeo.

Finding Vivian Maier

Here's a film I'd like to see. Uncovering the story behind one of my favorite photographers. The Mary Poppins of photography. A hoarder. A spy. The inventor of street photography. She never even developed many of her photos. They only came to light when someone unknowingly purchased them in an auction. 

Finding Vivian Maier. That's a story if I ever heard one.

Also, today is my dear McC's 30th birthday! If I were rich, I'd buy her a Vivian Maier. But alas, I'll just use my words. Here's how wonderful I think McC is. 

Vinessa Shaw for International Committee of Artists For Peace

For the past few days I've been editing footage of the beautiful memorial services for sweet Muzzy. Sharing the grief and joyful remembrances of my dear friends' mother/grandmother has been an honor. The Damante/Shaw family has been such an important part of my life, my faith, and my belief in myself. 

And so I feel like it's appropriate to share this wonderful video of Vinessa Shaw discussing overcoming her obstacles around belief in herself for ICAPeace. Founded by Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter & Patrick Duffy, the organization uses artistic influence for the purposes of peace and applies principles of Buddhism to art. 

Other fun videos include Steven Sater & Wayne Shorter talking about how awesome women are. 

In addition to always being amazed by Vinessa's beauty, humble nature, determination, etc, I'm glad that this video reminded me how fierce her fur suit was in Eyes Wide Shut. Get it, girl!

A Surrogate Trip to Italy By Way of the Getty Villa

One of the first fun activities Brie and I got up to on the coast was a trip to Malibu's Getty Villa. It was like a quick trip to a small coastal Italian village. In fact, if you ever miss Italy, you should make the trip out to Malibu. And while there's not actually all that much to see in the way of interesting antiquities, tickets to the Getty Villa are free and there's some truly epic jewelry. That alone is worth the effort of the trip. I wouldn't have minded bringing a good book and parking on one of the benches for a few hours with huge shades and a sunhat.

Want to See - Summer in February

Cornwall. Summer 1913. Just before the whole world goes to shit. I'm pretty plugged into this time period, both from Downton Abbey (duh) and of course Nicholas & Alexandra. And speaking of Downton, Matthew Crawley has been resurrected as Gilbert Evans, friend to artist Alfred Munnings in a Cornish Bohemian art colony. 

I've never read the Jonathan Smith book of the same name, but I've been assured its wonderful. Based on a book, based on a true story....and it's a love triangle! Released June 14 in Britain. How long do you think we'll have to wait for it in the US? Get on it. 

Shaping Sound's Jaimie Goodwin & Derek Hough on DWTS

A lot of my work with Shaping Sound has been focused on the four co-director boys, but it's time I give a shout out to at least one of the ladies. They are all beautiful and amazingly talented. Last night provides an apt opportunity to show off the leading lady of Shaping Sound, Jaimie Goodwin. The entire tour show is based on the idea of Jaimie's dream. But last night, she danced in a crazy, topsy-turvy world with Derek Hough on Dancing With the Stars to Kerli's song, "Walking on Air."

Le Sigh. So good. Happy hump day. 

Scottish Ballet - Highland Fling

Now that I watch dancers all day, I feel like I'm extra tuned in to other dance stuff going on anywhere in my immediate or even peripheral vicinity. My friend from grad school, Tara, is working for the Scottish Ballet in Glasgow. I sure wish I were still in Scotland to see this crazy/intriguing Matthew Bourne production-- an update of a Danish piece La Syphide, but with "a wickedly wry Scottish twist." 

Reviews have been pretty stellar. It concludes its Glasgow run today and goes on tour. Doubtful they'll tour as far as Los Angeles though. ;)

Scottish Ballet: NEW! Highland Fling Trailer from Scottish Ballet on Vimeo.

French Sky Art

French artist, Thomas Lamadieu, is making amazing sky art with a combination of photography and sketching. I love the strange and skewed perspective. I love the mix of grand and comedic. It's so French. Just a little something for what's left of this beautiful Sunday. 

For more.

New, Rare John Keats Portrait Discovered

A previously unknown miniature of a young, chubby John Keats has been found by Bonham's... in America no less. Little is known of this history of this particular miniature, but those at Bonham's are working to uncover it prior to the piece going up for auction in London later this summer. 

If I had a spare 10-15,000 pounds, I'd sure try to scoop this up. Sigh.

Jay Shells - Rap Quotes Street Signs

New York artist Jay Shells (the man we can all thank for Subway Etiquette) is going around NYC posting fake street signs with the lyrics from rap songs calling out that particular spot. He doesn't expect the signs to be up too long. Either the city will take them down, or, more likely, rap enthusiasts will bring them home. 

In any case, it makes me smile thinking about them there. Maybe I'll find one or two when I'm back in NYC later this month.

And in case rap lyrics for some reason still elude you (and this makes me recall one of my favorite life memories-- that of Spellman translating/explaining the lyrics to "Regulate" to young Brit, Tom on the way to a Dodgers game) I'll throw in this bonus: Understand Rap. There's also a companion book. Enjoy. Happy Tuesday.

All The Buildings in New York

Australian artist/illustrator James Gulliver Hancock started this project while he was experiencing a nomadic period in his life I'm well familiar with. He lived in Vienna, Paris, London and started drawing the buildings as a way to become more intimate with the cities he was in and distance himself from the feeling of being a tourist. 

Now that he spends most of his time in New York-- a city he says we all romanticize in one way or another (preach.)-- his mission is to make his way through the boroughs drawing all the buildings in New York. You can sort by type, by neighborhood, by borough... just... AH!

It fulfills a deep part of me to both romanticize, fetishize, fixate and also to organize, to put something huge and complicated and beautiful into an artistic space feasible to wrap my brain around. That's one thing I've always liked about NYC anyhow... my ability to conceptualize its entirety because of its geographical size, prevalence of landmarks and organization into grids, boroughs and neighborhoods with relatively neat borders. (Same goes for Edinburgh. Not for London or for LA.)

I have to tell you,art projects like this turns me into a kid on a sugar high. I love it. I love it. Happy Monday. 

(Also, Happy April Fool's Day, if you're into that sort of thing. I don't really participate in that because feeling foolish is perhaps my least favorite feeling and I certainly don't wish it on anyone else.)

All the Buildings in New York from Marisa Guzman-Aloia on Vimeo.

Art in the Burn Off Friday Links

Isolation really makes me start to see things from the weirdest corners of my perspective. It's not untrue, it's just slanted and very very peripheral. Which is why I was so glad this week to stop depriving myself of the company of others as some kind of punishment for the things I've yet to figure out. 

Thankful for more work coming my way, always for the hikes, for Latte, for friends and champions visiting from New York, for all the possibilities that remain open, the people who haven't yet told me no definitively. 

Also, it's my birthday next week. I'm not thrilled about the number, but I am excited for an excuse to celebrate in multiple cities, as is becoming my style.

Here are your links:

- Um, this whisky residue art is amazingly beautiful. Art + whisky. Perfect.
- What it was like to be a TGIF sitcom writer.
- Good interview with composer/lyricist of Matilda, Tim Minchin.
- Kate Makkai on prettiness
- Amanda Palmer at TED on the Art of Asking.
- I was cool with Les Miz, but this honest trailer is pretty great.
- The tunnels of the newest East Side NYC subway.
- Isolation or loneliness that shortens our lifespans?
- The UK Border Agency is being scrapped for parts? Do I rejoice or cower in fear?

- This is adorable. Though, you notice there are basically no dating books geared at men. Because they don't care. Hilarity. I wonder how terrible the book that goes with this is...

Someone Wrote That Song

This is an issue that's been going on for a while and I addressed it on this blog back in the day during that kerfuffle with Jason Robert Brown and the kids on his blog. Some say the economics have changed and writers can just go eff themselves, but I really think a lot of it is about education and attitude-- particularly indoctrinating young people. When you teach people that something and someone's work is valuable, they'll think it's valuable. When they see the through-line, they'll understand. I'd still rather give sheet music to someone who couldn't afford it than have it stolen. 

And that's why I'm so excited that Dramatists' Guild and a whole bunch of my friends made this video. Yay for purchasing sheet music and making it so writers can keep writing. 

Marcel Christ

I can't get the image of this beautiful photo by Marcel Christ out of my mind. Hope you're having a dreamy Sunday. For more on Marcel click here. 

Save The Byre

A St Andrews cultural hub is closing its doors today, but hopefully not for good. Though the Byre Theatre is home to St Andrews' annual poetry festival, StAnza, and many sold out theatrical performances, piano nights, and bar hang outs, it has faced financial difficulties for some time now. As of today, I'm told, the theatre will shut its doors to cut costs with a hoped-for reopening later in the year. 

I've seen so many wonderful things at the Byre. It is a beautiful space. My lone straight play was performed there in 2010 during the scary era of 10 X 10.

In the meantime, local patrons and devoted St Andreans are doing their best to spread awareness and activism on the issue. Even if you don't know the Byre and just love theatre, or the idea that there should be venues to host cultural events and dialogues, please consider signing this petition. There's also a facebook page devoted to keeping the space open, along with sustaining the jobs it provides students and locals. 

Happy Birthday Burns Friday Links

Tonight, I am having a Burns Night Supper at my house. In the grand tradition of almost all my parties, almost no one is coming. (At least I can always count on McC!) At least the weather is obligingly Scottish.  Nevertheless, I am making vegetarian haggis, neeps & tatties and cranachan. Sophie has even offered to skype in to sing us some "Auld Lang Syne" at midnight (8 AM Scottish time) but to be honest, I doubt we'll make it that long. 

In any case, I love this holiday. It's also my dad's birthday, Rob Shafer's birthday, and Kate Floyd's birthday. All lifetime favorites. 

Here are your links. 

- One of my favorite articles (from the D. Patz) on Burns
- Tartan picks for a stylish Burns Night. 
- I. Love. This. Song. I wish all bands sang with Scottish inflection. 
- My next read, Elena Ferrante's My Brilliant Friend. 
- 25 greatest unscripted movie scenes.
- Facts about the new Mad Men series. Oooh, so soon!
- This is hilarious!
- I always loved you, Jimmy Carter. 
- There's a part of me that agrees with this.
- But then, I do also love Andrew Sullivan. 
- Salon's guide to memoir writing
- Oooh, new Stephen Poliakoff film project
- Rice is going to have a CLASS ON DOWNTOWN ABBEY next semester!