Sunset Selfies

A trend that has been going viral for the last few years is to pass out a cardboard cutout or icon and have friends take social media photos of it as it tracks it way around the country - or the globe. I know my sister is doing this with an avatar of herself and tracking it for the students at her local library where she is the director.

I guess my take on it over the last decade is geocaching where we set trackables off into the world by hiding them in hidden caches along roadsides or in the woods. I see all of these as a way to find an audience far from home and get a glimpse into just how big the world is.

This is similar, but with a much more creative slant. The Mind Circle is great at featuring these off-the-beaten-path forays into art. Jon Marshall is a writer/ filmmaker, so it is no surprise that he bridges his creative skills into photography with a bit of magic as well. His "gig" is getting very clever with two dimensional cardboard and then uses the beauty of sunset lighting and a touch of Photoshop to make astonishing portraits of himself. Part of his creative writing comes into play as he captions the shots as well on his posts. His choice of perspective as well as setting is pretty spectacular. 

These are perfect for these Dog Days of Summer with seemingly endless heat and gorgeous sunsets when we are lucky enough to see them. Here are a handful of my favorites. His platform of choice continues to be Facebook where you can see his real face as well.

Jon Marshall: SunsetSelfies

 

Beefcake or Cheesecake?

I am pretty comfortable with the concept of Sexy - certainly how I see things. The idea of Beauty gets confusing for me. How it is marketed and how all of us collectively try to balance our image vs what others see of us. Where I get really lost, is on the concept of Beauty Pageants. You get a prize for how "pretty" you are. This is not limited to the female pageants, but also the array of everything from Bodybuilding to Drag Queens as well. This objectification of a perfect body by our Western standards of civilization totally messes with all our egos. It has created an enormous industry of beauty products that used to be exclusively for women - no more. And plastic surgery is now a common procedure even if not medically necessary.

And yet I am one of the first to tap into a handsome figure in a Pin-up Calendar of Firemen with puppies or the latest Marvel Universe adventure with a hunky Chris Evans. Thus, a dilemma which makes me a hypocrite.

So when I stumbled onto this studio series 2 years ago, it was something I could enjoy with a guilty pleasure of satire and parody. David Talaski took some of his favorite Super Heroes and reimagined them in drawings that are in the style of old 50's cheeky boudoir shots ala Vargas. He takes their magnified physical traits and a hint of their superpowers, then turns them tongue in cheek. You get both a giggle and a raised brow at the same time. I believe he made a killing with them in everything from Tee shirts to greeting cards. I am sure he targeted the gay market which ate them like hotcakes.

Here are my classics without apology. If you want to see more... 

David Talaski; Instagram

Captain America @ Chris Evans

Loki @ Tom Hiddleston

Green Lantern @ Ryan Reynolds

Thor @ Chris Hemsworth

The Incredible Hulk

Splashing in the Water

 

With our hot summer heat wave upon us, I am again thankful for our Twin Cities Lakes at my disposal. My ritual of early evening swims has returned. At dusk I head over to a side street, throw a towel on the sandy beach and dive in to cool down my body. It is low-brow, hardly a luxury pool. The neighborhood is diverse and the water is already tepid warm from the streak of hot days. Already there is a stench from the algae bloom and the water is barely clear. But I am grateful nonetheless - not there to impress.

Photographer Christy Lee Rogers elevates this same "dip into a pool" to highbrow art. Modern digital photography and photo manipulation continues to amaze me. She uses a lit swimming pool as her canvas and then plays with her subjects as free floating costumed figures. By shooting at night and a slow shutter speed, it creates almost psychedelic effects. This highlighted exhibit was called Muses. Christy states that she was attempting to portray something that resembled a Baroque painting and I think she succeeds in capturing something truly ethereal. Sometimes even the bright colored oils of a John Singer Sargent portrait, whom I love.

Here are just a few samples of the collection which premiered back in 2018. Click on the link to see a larger selection of the works.

Christy Lee Roger's: Muses

 

 

Mothers in the Animal Kingdom

In honor of Mother's Day: Here is a collection of mothers from the Animal Kingdom. No matter what the species, they are always the original caregiver. From Day One they offer food and warmth. And from there come all the other gifts of love, attention and nurturing among others.

 

These are a collage of images grabbed off a social media post. I am sure there are countless others which capture similar moments. I just find them unique in the immediate and intimate connections. It doesn't matter if gorillas, a baby elephant or a tender little owl. You can tell there is a bond.

 

If your mother is still alive, remember that same bond connects you. Years may temper the connection, but it was there and strong in the early years regardless of where life has taken you both since. Happy Mother's Day.

 

Best Drag names

We have been watching the last few episodes of POSE before the last and final season starts streaming. We were a bit late to the game and obviously a year behind. The show introduces me to a world I never even knew existed. It is not the fancy drag brunches that are now anywhere for mixed audiences. This was the land of the misfit toys in the underbelly of the Disco movement and brushed away in the trash of the AIDS scare.

Colorful characters for sure. But painted so carefully by Ryan Murphy and his team. An amazing feast of talent and stories.

But for my share, I am just throwing some fun shade on some real and fictional Drag Queens out there. Ever since Priscilla and To Wong Foo became hits, these Drag Queens were emboldened to create larger & larger personalities. With Ru Paul's Race - they are now steroid shockers. A true drag queen is about more than just lip syncing in a wig. There needs to be a whole diva character on display. And without a catchy name, they will fade into the wood paneling.

Attached is a feature from LOGO back in 2019 which is an extensive list of the Best of the Best. Here are a few of my favorites, but take a few minutes and read them all. Share your favorite in the comments! They are all a HOOT.

250 Best Drag Names

Amanda Reckonwith, Anita Procedure, Chaka Khanvict, Dixie Normous, Esther Gin, Ida Slapter, Lois Common Denominator, Wilma Titzgro, Angie O'Plasty, Anime Wong, Anya Marx, Della Katessen, Greta Spectations, Kitten Caboodle, Mabel Syrup.... The list goes on. All 250 of them!

Black Beauty

I'm trying to find some affirmation, positivity and support in the current turbulent times. Especially, as it centers on my world right here in the Twin Cities. I am saturated with images that are gruesome and wrenching.

These beautiful images of black skin are from a photographer James C Lewis. He is out of Atlanta and now has an entire Design Studio showcasing predominantly Black Visual Art called Noire3000. Some of his work is pure commercial and glitter with an attitude. Other media campaigns are crusades supporting Black Lives Matter. But for my blog post, I wanted to feature a huge exhibit he released in 2014 called Icons of the Bible.

For centuries, Christianity has literally whitewashed the images we see. In stained glass windows of church. In King James versions of the bible - I remember the wafer thin pages that had the drawings in between chapters of verse. But in reality, almost all of these real life figures would look nothing like they are usually painted. The Old Testament figures would reflect Israel, Jordan and Egypt among others. The New testament would move us into Turkey & Greece. The long haired Jesus Christ from Andrew Loyd Webber's Superstar is a conjured one at best.

James C Lewis used 70 gorgeous models from the Regions of the world. Their dark skin and bold physical traits are dynamic. His attention to detail in costume and jewelry is nothing short of exquisite. And his use of color is so bright it brings them to life in the now and present. Here are just a handful of my personal favorites. But please take a short 10 minutes out of your day to connect to the entire collection of this grand masterwork. Celebrate the beauty in these photos. Check out his political art campaigns on his Noire3000 page. We need some joy and beauty to shine through these dark spring days.

Icons of the Bible - Pinterest

James C Lewis/ Noire3000

 

 

 

Scrappy

This word came up last month with a good friend of mine, Tinia. We were talking about the hoops we have been jumping through the last year, and I loved that this is the term we both see ourselves as. 

I often refer to myself as Resilient. And this is true, I bounce back from whatever massive curve balls I am dealt. In many ways it is an instinct, almost an internal survival mode. But if I take some time to really examine myself; Scrappy seems the better term. Whereas resilience is a natural trait, scrappy to me implies that it is coming from a place of pure stubbornness and willing it to happen! It is not passive in the least, but involves moving mountains at times.

By definition, scrappy implies disheveled and disorganized. That certainly fits me in many cases. In common
usage it also means pugnacious and determined. I see it as digging in and doing what it takes in spite of adversity. Taking risks! Sometimes it is not pretty, and I can indeed get fierce & short when in the middle of the struggle. Not so much a temper, but just belligerent and will likely shove a bit to get someone out of my way. In the words of Scooby's little brother Scrappy Doo: "Lemme at 'em"

I wear the moniker with pride. It is my own David vs Goliath mantra. You figure it out and Get 'Er Done. It works for me. We all realize it has been a long haul these last 12 months. I hope everyone finds their way of weathering obstacles and we all come out the better for it. Scrappy works for me. What gets you through?