Welcome to Curious City

Blog Portfolio!

Posted on April 24, 2013 | Leave a comment

Civic Issue Blogs:

1. Boy Scout Update: https://sites.psu.edu/curiouscity/2013/02/06/civic-issues-boy-scout-update/

2. Gays & Adoption: https://sites.psu.edu/curiouscity/2013/03/14/civic-issue-gays-and-adoption/

3. Transsexualism in Iran: https://sites.psu.edu/curiouscity/2013/04/18/civic-issues-transsexualism-in-iran/

4. NEWS FLASH: FRANCE!: https://sites.psu.edu/curiouscity/2013/04/24/news-flash-france/

Passion Blogs:

Paint Me Like One of Your French Girls: After discovering this artist in a magazine, I was immediately entranced by her idea to (and ability to) reverse the traditional ideals of painting by painting ON people to make them look 2-dimensional! https://sites.psu.edu/curiouscity/2013/04/04/paint-me-like-one-of-your-french-girls/

A Patch Made in Heaven!: I believe this is a good post to include because, unlike many of the artists that I showcase, I have actually met this woman and created a quilted pillow with her help. This post also seemed to be a hit with my peer readers! https://sites.psu.edu/curiouscity/2013/03/27/430/

Made From Scratch: I have a lot of respect for street artists that can work on massive scales such building facades. Not only does this artist succeed in doing this, but his work is so tedious that it adds a whole new concept to this usually completely 2-D “graffiti” wall genre. https://sites.psu.edu/curiouscity/2013/03/21/416/

C’mon, Don’t Be Spineless!: I simply couldn’t believe the overall creativity and innovativeness of this guy’s mission to turn discarded books into worthwhile art–he inspires me to reuse and renew instead of to immediately recycle. https://sites.psu.edu/curiouscity/2013/03/13/cmon-dont-be-spineless/

Even If You Don’t UnderSAND Ukrainian: This artist does a lot of neat recordings with her “sand stories,” but I just thought the timing of posting this piece was truly impeccable (a short video for World Cancer Day in one of the final weeks before THON)! https://sites.psu.edu/curiouscity/2013/02/06/even-if-you-dont-undersand-ukrainian/#comments

Made in Manhattan: I generally found this artist’s project fascinatingly creative–he “tagged” the entire WIDTH of Manhattan, NY by spilling paint! Who even thinks of that?! https://sites.psu.edu/curiouscity/2013/01/10/made-in-manhattan/

Eye of the Beholder

Posted on April 24, 2013 | 2 comments

2 Comments

Posted in Passion

NEWS FLASH: FRANCE!

Posted on April 24, 2013 | 3 comments

Hey guys, have you heard the awesome news yet?? France just voted YES on gay marriage equality! This means that France will soon become the 14th nation in the world to offer full and equal marriage rights. Crazy, huh?! I excitedly discovered this today as I opened an email from the AllOut Campaign. They are currently petitioning in many regions, promoting advocacy for equality. The organization shares helpful updates on what’s happening in Cameroon, Uganda and Russia, some of the most dangerous places in the world for homosexuals.

Speaking of which… In Brazil, where many LGBT individuals are subjected to some of the largest counts of violence in the world, one of the nation’s most well-known pop celebrities, Daniela Mercury, recently “came out,” introducing her wife to the public. Individuals like Mercury who display such courage through the struggle are no-doubt the role models of today and the near future. It is because of strong individuals like her that are willing to take these sometimes dangerous risks that the fight for equality can move onward to create a better tomorrow!

So much has been happening in these past couple weeks– celebrity support and coming-outs, law passings, etc. Cannot wait to see what the near future holds. Let’s hope the United States in my next email!

Here’s a cool poster from the AllOut org:

3 Comments

Posted in CI

Tagged ci, equality, finally, france, oui, rcl1213, Yay

Coffee Break

Posted on April 18, 2013 | 1 comment

Nope, not the creamery ice-cream, but hopefully something visually delicious! Hehehe.

Okay… so last week I showed you an artist who paints with her lipstick (and lips!), and this week I have something similar.. Well not really, but these artists use another abstract medium–coffee! Angel & Andy, a couple, has been painting with coffee for nearly a decade and although this is nothing new in the world of art, they introduced hue shading using different blends and amounts of coffee. They’ve been exhibited around the world and have even been featured on the food network! Their stuff ranges from coffee shop fab (whatever that is, I just made that up.. like the fancy stuff hanging on shop walls) to totally adorable and witty. I think I’m gonna call it a night… I really NEED some coffee to go on at this point and we have that advocacy fair tomorrow (can’t be late 😉 )… See ya!

King of Coffee

With a Wink

Coffee Break

Kukkia

Awaiting Fulfillment

Kaffe Telemark

Costanza

Double Coffee Score

If you’re interested, here’s their website: http://www.justcoffeeart.com/index.html

1 Comment

Posted in Passion

Tagged andy, angel, coffee, painting, Passion, rcl1213

Civic Issues: Transsexualism in Iran

Posted on April 18, 2013 | 2 comments

Alright, we all are probably pretty up-to-date on the fight for marriage equality in the United States since it has been dominating much of the media of late. So instead I wanted to share with you guys something we recently discussed in my Anthropology course (Evolution of Human Sexuality) to switch it up a little. This is pretty fascinating and relevant enough to our topic that I believe you’ll really be interested.

In class, we watched a documentary (inserted below) about Transsexualism in Iran. Did you know that Iran is #2 in the world for Transgendered surgeries (#1 is Thailand)? This is because, by law, nearly half of the cost of each procedure is covered by government payments. Transsexuals are completely accepted by their surrounding society and the change even results in an altered birth certificate. Because the religion of this region dictates the law, the Koran is rule and it does not state any wrongdoing associated with changing one’s biological sex… however, it does specifically dub homosexuality as a sin. This is where it gets hairy… Of course there are many gender non-conforming men and women who desire this surgery more than anything, but a large number of the participants experience the harsh pressures of their society (or their significant other) and feel the procedure is the only option to relieve the torture they often endure while in public as homosexuals. In the documentary, one man awaiting the surgery states his tragic situation and fantasizes of living in “The West,” where gays are more widely accepted–ironic right? The dynamics of this occurrence are incredible. On one side you have this openness and almost total acceptance with transsexual individuals (partial cost, legally new gender, can easily marry, no harassment, etc.), but then again you have this severe, and disheartening, double standard for homosexuals. So the nation is only progressive to an extent… Anyway, thought this was an interesting view into the advances and struggles of other places around the world.

So what do you think? Will things ever change? I suppose it will be hard since the government is at the discretion of the Koran… But hopefully things will change someday (for both of our nations)!

If you have any free time this weekend, I strongly suggest that you check this out:

2 Comments

Posted in CI

Tagged ci, equal rights, iran, rcl1213, transsexualism, week 22

Kiss Her, She’s Irish!

Posted on April 10, 2013 | 3 comments

Hello there! I won’t be in class tomorrow due to some family issues, but please enjoy this post all the same! This week’s artist is super cool so I hope you think her work is as awesome as I do…

Natalie Irish uses a medium I’ve never seen before–lipstick! It’s totally CRAY! She said she got into thumbprint paintings in high school, but had originally gotten the idea from other artists. She had wanted to think of something innovative and original, but couldn’t come up with anything right away. Then one day while casually blotting her lipstick, she had an epiphany–lip prints. She soon decided Marilyn Monroe would be the best candidate for the portraiture project. And just as you can imagine, she repetitively kisses the canvas to build up the medium on the surface. A friend recorded the process and the video was uploaded to Youtube. Since then, she has created a handful of other kissing works, including Jimi Hendrix. Obviously, this medium is pretty tasking on the “painter,” requiring a LOT of time and effort, so she does a lot more regular drawing and painting (of which she is also incredible!).

Check it out:

Talk about a passion blog! Hehehe.

P.S. Accidentally missed blogging last week. See below for more cool art!

3 Comments

Posted in Passion

Tagged kisses, lipstick, Passion, portrait, rcl1213

Paint Me Like One of Your French Girls.

Posted on April 4, 2013 | 3 comments

Rewind. Sorry, initially missed this week’s passion post. But here it is… Hopefully it was worth the wait.

So I originally came across this artist in one of the many magazines my brother sends me from the discarded mail bin at his work (believe it was a NYLON). Anyway, I was immediately infatuated with her work and am super excited I can actually used RCL blogging as a gateway to actually sit down and research something awesome…

Alexa Meade is more than your average oil painter. Get this–she doesn’t paint people… She paints ON people. Legit! She paints on and around her models to create a picturesque scene, then snaps a photograph. The results are incredible. One would never guess by first impression that the images are actually OF her models. It’s only when you look deeply into the painted figure’s eyes that something seems to be up. It’s such a crazy process, I still don’t completely comprehend how she does it. Instead of making her painting look lifelike, she makes life look painting-like! 3D literally becomes 2D!

^Self Portrait^

Blueprint

Concealed

Nocturne

Power Exchange

Transit

Sorry these images are a bit small, but check out her website for larger photos and other cool works: http://alexameade.com/portfolio.html

3 Comments

Posted in Passion

Tagged Art, oil, Passion, portrait, rcl1213

A Patch Made in Heaven!

Posted on March 27, 2013 | 4 comments

This week, since it’s still kind of chilly, all I want to do it roll up in a blanket and sleep on a cool, dry Old Main lawn. Because of this I decided to to choose an artist who I’ve actually met and works with quilts! How cozy!

Although her quilts aren’t for practical use, they are extraordinarily lovely and a make incredibly tapestries. Like I said I had the pleasure of working with Tina briefly through an AIU internship I had in high school visiting various artists in the Pittsburgh area… and legitimately she is awesome! She uses cloth from all over the world (almost every piece has a history) and she used them to create unique flowing scenes unlike any quilt you’ve probably ever seen. She picks each fabric from her collection with care and designs a wonderful composition that tells a colorful, new story. She even occasionally superimposes photographs onto her works!

As for Tina herself, she’s a gem. So humble and willing to help anyone interested in such crafts. The AIU group of students I went with were allowed access to multiple bins of her own fabric–she let me use a snip from a trip to Africa! In addition she helped students add to and finalize original ideas and taught us new sewing techniques. She even gave us ample supplies to take home to either finish or begin another project… She was an avid believer on creating things that mean something to the artist personally, regardless of an audience. In case you’re wondering, the session I attended made pillows and I made a depiction of my hometown–Pittsburgh!

But anyway, here’s Tina Brewer:

Unfortunately, many of her image are copyright protected, but you can view them on her official website: http://tinawilliamsbrewer.com/quilts-2/

Thanks for reading!

4 Comments

Posted in Passion

Tagged Passion, quilts, rcl1213, tina, week 21

WIP: Persuasive Essay

Posted on March 21, 2013 | Leave a comment

Still don’t understand the 6th paragraph method in the least bit… But here I go:

Although the installment of such programs seems a bit superfluous economically and socially, my experiences in my own hometown and more recently during my studies at Penn State University have only strengthened my enthusiasm for this project. After conversing with many forced exiles, as well as those who travel to America in search of academic opportunities and/or lifestyle pursuits, I often confront the same issue—that many of these immigrants and internationals feel disconnected from native peers. They confide the struggles of mingling into their current environment, where socio-cultural aspects of everyday life reflect stark contrasts of their upbringing. During my public school career, I have witnessed the segregation of those marked “ESL” and rarely have seen true, continuous attempts to reach out. In fact, an alarming portion of the native student body harshly stereotypes and criticizes many of these minority students. Because of these and other inhibiting factors, I strongly advocate the consideration of installing integrating curriculum as I believe numerous communal benefits would sprout from our example.

Made from Scratch

Posted on March 21, 2013 | 3 comments

Still have to compose my paragraphs for the WIP blog so I’m going to jump right in and be brief:

Vhrils is tag name of Portuguese graffiti/street artist Alexandre Farto. Although he experiences with a lot of different mixed media, the young artist’s most famous project was his 2009 Scratching the Surface in London. In these works, Vhils took old, mostly abandoned building façades and transformed them, using industrial drills and other tools, into incredible portraiture by chipping away layers in a technique/style similar to sgraffito. Likewise, his sketchbook includes built up surfaces (mostly magazines, ads, paper, paint, etc) that are then stripped away in layers to reveal an image. One source claims his overall mission is to focus on the human condition of so often sacrificing our needs for our desires. The outcome? Complex pieces with nearly poetic meaning. You can see the impressive emotions expressed in these works, specifically. His mastering of this large-scale carving technique is incredible. Take a gander!