SPARKLE QUEEN

CRAWL INTO CREATIVITY - WATCH ART 21 ON PBS.

2009-04-26T07:58:00.000-07:00

Our left brain needs a creative workout regularly. By doing so, we release stress and tension and are opened up to the beauty of life and the freedom and intimacy of creativity. You actually begin to see, experience and even breathe differently in the world; thereby stimulating fresh ideas which can be applied to right AND left brain activities and at the same time, build a more balanced life.

I watch Art 21 regularly on my local PBS station. Themes such as equality, play, romance, ecology and more are covered within the viewpoint of an artist. These hour-long programs literally allow me to 'crawl into creativity' and view artists at work on an experiential level. I learn about the cutting edge of art, the mind and thought processes of contemporary artists and view the actual creation of their work in-studio or as an installation in situ. It's fascinating!

Being creative is a meditation; one enters an interior serenity deep within while creating the art. It is a space in which you can truly experience your soul, heart and mind on a purely personal and intimate level. At times, the intimacy may be unsettling and uncomfortable, but in the end it is always rewarding. -----SweetKali

I encourage all 'left brainers' to watch Art 21. You can also see full episodes online here.

Your right brain will be grateful and reward you generously.

Art21: Season 4 - Romance
Artists explore the roles that intuition, emotion, fantasy, and escapism play in contemporary art.

THE SCENT OF COBALT BLUE

2008-11-20T13:31:00.000-08:00

I am a subscriber to the parfumer Lucky Scent's email newsletter and today, I received the most interesting information from them about a new scent from Boudicca. The newsletter was as follows:

"Wode, the revolutionary Art Fragrance from BOUDICCA explores further the myth around Queen Boudicea. Legend has it she and her tribe wore cobalt blue war 'paint' on their skin that gave them a ferocious and mythical look when advancing into battle. When finally defeated by the Romans, Queen Boadicea killed herself by swallowing hemlock, an extract of which is included in Wode.

When Wode is sprayed, a vibrant cobalt blue mist appears and settles on the skin or clothing. Whether touched or not, the 'Wode Paint' begins to fade within seconds-- or minutes-- and disappears completely, leaving simply the scent behind.

Wode opens with spices and green - coriander, cardamom, clary sage and juniper berries. There is clean earth and a hint of flowers and ocean and it all seems quite brisk and pleasant, until the black hemlock kicks in, bitter and unsettling and hopelessly attractive. A dark and ethereal swirl of resins and animalic notes dances around a heart of leather and musk and there is an intriguing undercurrent of something raw and untamed, softened by a soft whisper of sweetly narcotic tuberose.

The overall impression is not heavy - but airy and elemental, like the landscape after a fierce and cleansing storm.

Created by iconoclast perfumer Geza Schoen (of Escentric Molecules fame). The inspiration is ancient, but the scent itself is very modern-unusual, intriguing, and subtle enough to make it easy to wear, for both men and women.

Wode is packaged in a classic spray paint can and available in both PAINT and SCENT (without blue paint) versions."

Isn't that interesting? I am jazzed over the mythic history of it all and I want to be Cobalt Blue (at least temporarily)!!

Southern California residents (and tourists) can visit the Hollywood store of Lucky Scent or visit this website: Luckyscent.com

THE SWEET, STRONG MEMORY OF ROSA PARKS, HUMANITARIAN

2005-10-25T05:54:00.000-07:00

ROSA PARKS, A NATIONAL TREASURE

Rosa Parks passed away on October 24, 2005 at the age of 92 in Detroit, Michigan of natural causes.

Let's take some time to consider Rosa Parks, our contemporary Harriet Tubman, who single-handledly forced this country to look closely at its poor treatment of blacks.

As a child in Tuskegee, Alabama, Parks spent many nights listening to the activities of the local Ku Klux Klan, while they ran down, beat and lynched black citizens.

As an adult, she refused to give up her seat and move to the back of a Montgomery, Alabama bus, while, at the same time, withstanding the threats, insults and abuse from her fellow passengers, Parks took up the banner long held by Jackie Robinson, and refused to further tolerate discrimination and Jim Crow, as a private citizen and individual. She was absolutely fearless in her actions on that day, December 1, 1955. Parks was immediately arrested and by December 5th, the Montgomery Bus Boycott began, with Dr. Martin Luther King as its leader.

"Sparking the modern civil rights movement in the United States by refusing to give up her bus seat to a white passenger. Rosa Parks's arrest for breaking Montgomery segregation laws started a boycott of the city bus line that lasted 381 days. This eventually led to the 1956 Supreme Court ruling declaring segregation illegal on public buses."

Recently, she and her spouse facilitated the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self-Development, which was created to foster positive achievement for youth.

For youthful readers, she wrote the book, Rosa Parks: How I Fought For Civil Rights and also a autobiography entitled Quiet Strength.

"The only thing that bothered me,
was that we waited so long to make
this protest." --- Rosa Parks

Rosa Parks IS a National Treasure and deserves to be honored as such. In 1996, President Clinton awarded Rosa Parks with the Medal of Freedom Award. In my opinion, for her bravery and foresight, she deserves the Congressional Medal as well.

Known as the Mother of the Modern Day Civil Rights Movement, Parks' strength and sheer determination to fight for the rights of black Americans was righteous and fierce, then and now.

WRITE FOR WHAT IS RIGHT
Write or email your Senator and request a Medal for our National Treasure Rosa Parks posthumously. You can research your state representatives at this link.

RESOURCES FOR YOU TO CHECK OUT:

ACADEMY OF ACHIEVEMENT: ROSA PARKS

JIM CROW MUSEUM OF RACIST MEMORABILIA

CORRESPONDENCE FOR THE LATE MRS. PARKS:
Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self-Development
65 Cadillac Square, Suite 2200 Detroit, MI 48226

SEEING IS BELIEVING - THE FACES OF METH

2005-08-14T14:09:00.000-07:00

Images Courtesy of OregonLive.com

This country is in trouble. We are losing our best potential and our brightest future to the drug Methamphetamine. Today, it is becoming an epidemic in America; with a significant increase of 71 percent between the first half of 1996 and the second half of 1996 (from 4,000 to 6,800). Take note:

Methamphetamine (also known as Speed, Meth, Crystal, Crank, Ice, etc.) is instantly addictive.

Meth is distributed at club and party venues like candy, creating hundreds of new victims a week.

Once the habit has been established, it is almost impossible to break.

Meth labs can be found on any suburban street, apartment, farm, motel or hotel; creating severe environmental problems in those areas.

Meth ingredients may include battery acid, anti-freeze, lye, acetone, lighter fluid and drain cleaner.

Meth labs may give off an odor similar to cat urine or ammonia.

Children from homes containing meth labs are now considered child abuse victims because of the toxic danger of Meth.

Your co-worker may be an addict.

Your boss may be an addict.

Your doctor may be an addict.

Your teen daughter may be an addict.

Your postman may be an addict....it crosses all racial and socio-economical barriers.

Meth SHRINKS the brain.

Meth rots and breaks off teeth.

Meth ages and scars the skin.

Meth causes seizures and brain damage.

Meth is lethal.

The images above are from the website Oregon Live.com, which has a post entitled Faces of Meth. This site features mugshots of people at the beginning of meth usage and once again when they are deep into the addiction.

You'll be shocked at the visual changes Meth creates in its victims. View the images here.

For resources and information about Methamphetamine, visit the links below:

InfoFacts - Methamphetamine

National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information at 800-729-6686.

White House Office of National Drug Control Policy

Drug Rehabs.org

Medical Effects of Methamphetamine on Children

Addictive Effects of HIV and Chronic Methamphetamine Use

The Effects of Methamphetamine on the Brain

SPAGO'S SIBERIA - a Personal Experience

2005-02-15T11:22:00.000-08:00

Essex House Restaurant Drops The Ball

We all have horror stories about dining out....Stephan Pollard writes about his experience dining at Chef Alain Ducasse's Essex House Restaurant....evidently it was an $890.00 disaster.

My Own Personal Experience At Spago's West Hollywood

Ah, yes, Stephen Pollard's experience reminds me of my birthday dinner at the now defunct Spago Restaurant run under the tutelege of Chef Wolfgang Puck in West Hollywood, California.

At the time, Spago, which was situated above Sunset Boulevard was THE restaurant to dine in. My sister's friend wanted to treat us to a special birthday dinner and had made reservations for a window table THREE months in advance. When we arrived, we were seated in the plastic tent at the rear of the restaurant, i.e. Spago's Siberia..despite our reservations.

To this day, I wonder if it was because we were all African-Americans? Normally, I would have thrown a major hissy-fit at the reservations desk, but as my twin and I were being given a birthday treat, I behaved myself and kept my temper down.

Perhaps I had missed the point of Spago...I must ask restaurant designer Barbara Lazaroff what on EARTH she was thinking. I certainly hope it was supposed to be the hoi polloi's way of 'slumming' with its California-style of pizzas because this dining experience at a trendoid restaurant became more and more ludicrous. The place had a marked lack of class, in my view. As a matter of fact, I didn't HAVE a view because we were seated in Spago's Siberia!

The wait staff was cold and imperious and treated us as if we were plantation servants given a night off from the fields to eat at Spago's.

For instance, in Spago's Siberia, prior to our meal, we were served French Bread...with no bread plates. The wait staff simply just tossed the bread basket on the table and left us to eat our bread with crumbs falling all over the table. Well, damn! Spago is supposed to be a popular foodateria, not a juke joint. The bread crumbs on the table began to really annoy me so I gestured to a waiter.

"Yes?"

"Excuse me, but may we have bread plates?"

The waiter sniffed at me, raised his nose higher in the air and retorted in a phony Continental accent, "We do not HAVE bread plates."

I almost fell out laughing that guy, who, at those prices, expected us to eat with French bread crumbs falling all over the place. I pointed to a Spago Siberian couple seated near us, enjoying a dessert at the end of their meal in the tent.

"See those dessert plates they are eating off off?"

"Sniff. Yes."

"I want one for each person at my table."

The waiter stormed off and returned with the plates for our bread. Then I politely told him to clean the bread crumbs off the table and he did. Quickly. I mean, really!

In Spago's Siberia, diners had a self-conscious way of eating their meal...as if they were ashamed to be seen dining in the plastic tent. It was a kind of shoulder hunching and furtive peering around that gave their feelings away.

Again, my companions and I began to find the phony pretensions of the staff and the restaurant funny. After a while, there was a lot of laughing at OUR table.

In Spago's Siberia, the floor was covered in sawdust. Strike 1. I HATE sawdust on a floor unless I'm eating at a BBQ or biker joint. It gets in your shoes and carries fleas. At Spago's prices and attitude, it wouldn't have hurt them to install and maintain a clean floor.

In Spago's Siberia, I noticed that diners who had ordered wine had their wine buckets filled with ice and placed directly on the sawdust covered floor. When I pointed that out to my fellow diners, we fell out laughing at the sheer ridiculousness of it all. We could just imagine sawdust and God knows what else falling into the bucket as the wait staff walked by. Nasty.

Luckily, I am a non-drinker (except for the occasional Cosmopolitian), because if MY wine bucket had been on that floor, I would have raised holy hell and told that staff to GET me a wine stand PRONTO. And if they didn't have any, SOMEBODY would have been sprinting down Sunset and LaCienega Boulevards to Williams and Sonoma at the Beverly Center to BUY one.

And the food? We found the pizzas to be unique and delicious (this was before the era of the popular California Pizza Company chain whch has branches all over the place ripping off Puck's California-style of pizza).

Even though we did enjoy our meal, it was the attitude, the ambience, the arrogance and the cheesy pretentions that we certainly could have done without.

I never did go back to Spago. Even though the West Hollywood branch above Sunset Boulevard is now closed (I wonder where all those fleas in the sawdust went), Puck has opened other branches of Spago in Beverly Hills and elsewhere (Las Vegas, Disney World...feeding the tourist hordes). I often wonder if the Beverly Hills branch has a Siberia?

However, I did eat at a Puck offshoot restaurant called the Wolfgang Puck Cafe at the Universal City Walk for lunch a couple of years ago (it wasn't MY idea, it was a working lunch sponsored by Warner Bros Studios, so I HAD to go). I ordered a pasta with a marinara sauce and was absolutely embarrassed for Wolfgang Puck.

The pasta was stale and barely warm with a thin flavorless sauce and the whole thing had obviously been sitting for some time and reheated in a microwave prior to serving. I would have done better heating up a can of Chef Boy-Ar-Dee ravioli and eating that instead.

However, Wolfie's been busy...Gayot's Restaurant Review writes about his restaurants at Downtown Disney and the Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida,

"In Puck’s burgeoning empire, Disney World is the place he chose for his dazzling Grand Café---a unique, four-in-one restaurant where hordes of tourists have four options: the Wolfgang Puck Café, Wolfgang Puck Express, B’s Sushi & Raw Bar and The Dining Room. The Express is for folks in a hurry to get to a nearby nightclub or to the movies across the street---or for those who don’t want to put up with the wait and higher prices in the café or upstairs dining room. The wood-fired pizzas, sandwiches, salads and soups are always reliable."

Well, there's a lot of profit in feeding the tourist appetite. As for myself, I avoid Wolfgang Puck restaurants completely. I've got my sights set on Govind Armstrong's Table 8 instead. You can read more about Table 8 and Armstrong over at Violets and Lemons's very first post.

Another Siberian Experience

I found this anonymous quote from a visitor who ate at Danny Ng's Restaurant in New York City. It made me laugh because the writer mentions being seated in Siberia as well.

"Often an ethnic restaurant preferred by the local people is a sign of quality, authentic cuisine. Not here. Our first clue was our seating in the restaurant Siberia, next to the waiter service center. Several empty tables in good locations were "reserved" but no one sat there while we were served. The waiters and manager proved curt and brusquely answered our questions, annoyed with our curiosity and interest. Our group appreciates Chinese cuisine and we have eaten at Chinese restaurants world-wide, including all the major Chinese cities. Our questions regarding menu claims were treated as an annoyance. For example, people who have eaten pepper steak in Szechuan expect heat from the dish, not the waiter serving this improperly bland dish. Also, this is the first place anyone has ever eaten where white rice is an a la carte item."

Reinforce Your Restaurant Expectations with Research

I like to visit certain websites which display personal restaurant reviews from visitors to a certain city. I often find the differing restaurant experiences entertaining to read and informative.

Virtual Tourist.com and We8There features personal reviews from the U.S. and all over the world. Read what was written about Spago at Virtual Tourist.com. here.

One Last Thought

Everyone's entitled to their opinion and experience and when eating out, one never knows what to expect when visiting a new restaurant, does one? Get styled up, hold tightly to your credit card, do your research and you'll be guaranteed to have a wonderful meal!

THE CONCEPT OF CONTEMPORARY CONCEPTUAL CLOTHING

2005-01-29T19:28:00.000-08:00

THE REALM OF CLOTHING: ON CONCEPTUAL CLOTHING EXHIBIT IN TOKYO

London's Tate Modern discusses the concept of Conceptual Art in this manner:

"As befits its title 'Conceptual Art' raises more questions than it answers. There is considerable debate as to when it began, who was involved, where it was made, and what constituted it. What is certain is that it challenged the notion of producing traditional objects to look at and thereby denied the viewer the opportunity for aesthetic contemplation. Simply stated, Conceptual art is art about ideas."

On Conceptual Clothing Exhibition Poster

The synthesis of art and clothing trends has become an on-going thesis in art venues worldwide, and will continue to garner even more interest in the near future; hence the recent exhibit, On Conceptual Clothing at the Musashino Art University in Tokyo, Japan.

Yasumasa Morimura

This ground-breaking group show, which closed last month, successfully continued to establish clothing as an unique art form and featured the works of participating artists and designers from all over the world such as Issey Miyake (Pleats Please!), Yasumasa Morimura and Marie-Ange Guilleminot.

Fumio Tachibana

You can see images of the On Conceptual Clothing Exhibition at this link. For further information, the Musashino Art University is located at 1-736 Ogawacho, Kodaira-shi, Tokyo 187-8505 and can ve reached at 042-342-6003.

JENNI DUTTON- A MODERN CONCEPTUAL CLOTHING ARTIST

Jenni Dutton is one of the most popular conceptual clothing artists today. Utilizing the very fabric of Gaia in the creation of her one of a kind conceptual clothing, Dutton has created pieces redolent with the history of the feminine and replete with rare and unique construction and decoration. Through her personal research with ancient clothing design techniques and forms, she is able to incorporate that knowledge in her art, classes and workshops.

Walk In the Woods dress by Jenni Dutton

‘A Walk In The Woods’ is one of Jenni Dutton’s creations; a fragile dress made from nature, poetry and memories. She writes,

“...The silver quilting threads running up the dress refer to the webs, the blue on the hem to the river. One morning in January I found the brightest red fungus cups spread about the floor of the wood on moss and dead trees. Some are used on the dress, I am not sure if they will last. The dress is about the walks in this wood. Feathers, egg shells and dead spiders were collected and quilted into the dress...”

Dutton is currently participating in a touring exhibtion of Conceptual Clothing entitled: 'Footsteps', during which nine artists respond to a particular exhibit from a museum of their choice. This special exhibition will tour through September 2005. You can see more of her work and get more information on her upcoming exhbitions and workshops here.

THE MOST FAMOUS CONCEPTUAL ART CLOTHING PIECE IN THE WORLD

Back in 2000, New York City’s Whitney Museum of American Art welcomed home a touring exhibition known as The Warhol Look,which focused on the late artist Andy Warhol’s contributions to the world of fashion.

One of the pieces featured was Warhol’s infamous Campbell Soup Dress of 1966-1967. At the time it was introduced to the public, the paper dress (content: 80% cellulose, 20% cotton) was a nod towards Warhol’s seminal pop art print of the soup cans and, at the same time, a distinct tweaking to the disposable and rather self-centered mores which existed at the time.

Andy Warhol's Pop Art Souper Dress

Described by the Warhol camp as the ‘Pop Art Souper Dress’, it was sent to the lucky purchaser for the mere price of $11.00 and came packaged in its own plastic bag with a matching ‘Souper Hat’ and instructions for care. And today? Just recently, a Warhol Campbell Soup dress was sold by New York’s Sotheby’s Auction House for $6,900.

If you reside in Southern California, you can actually see a framed version at Wasteland, a popular vintage clothing store located at 1338 4th Street in Santa Monica, CA. Ph.:(310) 395-2620). Oh, sorry...the Dress is not for sale.

A FINAL NOTE
It is said that conceptual artists do not work with the traditional methodologies of art; thereby confusing their audiences with art which may be unfamiliar or unrecognizable; and in an alternative setting as well. I personally believe that is the true purpose of art, i.e. to shake us to the bone and allow us to think beyond the box. I'm looking forward to the future of Contemporary Conceptual Art and Clothing. My expectation is to be challenged, excited and even a little mystified...all in the name of Art.

FRESH THINKING ABOUT THE TSUNAMI TRAGEDY

2005-01-01T15:16:00.000-08:00

The sadness that has permeated the world due to the horrifying and unexpected Tsunami Disaster in the Indian Ocean (and U.S President Bush's Iraqi War, but that's another post) has uncovered a very interesting fact; not one animal was found dead amongst the hundreds of thousands of human beings who were killed in the disaster. Do animals have extrasensory abilities? Ed Stoddart writes about it for Reuters.

There's a dark side to the survival of animals in this catastrophe...if you have the stomach for this, visit Yahoo and read this news story.

Joe Shirley, Jr., President of the Navajo Nation, wrote a statement about the disaster at Indian Country Today. As a representative of his people, he writes in part,

"...We're told this is one of the worst underwater earthquakes in more than 40 years that led to this tsunami. It's being called the worst natural disaster in recent history. But we understand this is how nature has shaped our world since its beginning and is part of how things come into being.

When the forces of nature act, it impacts everything on the earth and in the earth, from the finned beings, the winged beings, the crawling beings to the five-fingered ones.

We can reshape the land and build on the earth but we remain no more than a part of it - small, humble and needing of protection and blessings from the Holy People...."...the rest can be read here.

I think its important that we take in Navajo Wisdom at a time like this and become grounded in what the present and the future holds for the planet and its inhabitants.

How Can I Help?
The death toll of the tsunami's victims at the time of this posting has now climbed above 100,000, and some pundits predict the final tally to be over 400,000 lost. Unfortunately, it hits close to home; a physician co-worker of mine was almost killed and lost his wife and daughter in the disaster and we on the job are praying for him on a daily basis.

“What else can we do besides pray? How can we reach out and send donations? What is needed? What can I DO?”

Answers to your questions can be found on the Internet (of course!). MSNBC's interactive website has a comprehensive listing of organizations who are accepting donations, and also includes contact information for those readers searching for missing U.S. Citizens in the area at the time of the disaster.

Amazon.com features an Honor System which allows you to donate to your favorite charities via the Web, such as the American Red Cross Disaster Relief. You can reach them thru Amazon.com or call 1‑800 HELP NOW or e-mail info@usa.redcross.org.

Robert over at Boiled Hot Dogs has also posted a wonderfully detailed listing of international relief organizations. More of the same can be found at USAID's website.

There's an interesting post at Blogueurs Sans Frontières. The article entitled Tsunami Outreach by Jonas M. Luster describes specific skill sets which are lacking in the Indian Ocean areas hardest hit by the tsunami to date. This blog is also running an ambitious donation program; check it out here.

Lost Remote points us towards a great interview at TVNewser about the media coverage of this disaster by CNNI Managing Director Chris Cramer. He says, ”Television can't begin to comprehend the suffering. The screen is not big enough." Read the balance of this insightful interview here.

For a unique, up-close viewpoint about the Tsunami Tragedy, pop over to Extra, Extra and take a look at Fred Robarts' posts from Jaffra, Sri Lanka. His writing is clear and true and his photos show Sri Lanka's present reality at its most jarring.

Last but most importantly, if you reside in the O.C. or the Southern California area, interested adults are encouraged to respectfully visit The Goddess Temple of Orange County for a Special Prayer Vigil and Ceremony for the Souls of South Asia. This event will take place on New Year's Eve, December 31st from 6 to 7:30pm. For more information, please call 949/ 651-0564.

Oh! What a way to begin the New Year...there is so much suffering at this time, with souls being wounded and losing their lives all around the world. I find it extremely painful to dwell on a HappyNew Year at the moment...all I can do is light a votive and be grateful for the safety of my co-workers, friends, loved ones and YOU!

LETTERS FROM EDINBURGH: A BULGARIAN RHAPSODY

2004-12-16T19:52:00.000-08:00

'PREDICTA' by SweetKali

The Morning News is an online magazine which features intimate yet precise writing. One of their most popular features is a series entitled 'Letters from Edinburgh: A Bulgarian Rhapsody'.

Written by Claire Miccio, who is an expatriate in Edinburgh, Scotland, the series consists of her experiences in Bulgaria. If you've never visited that country, here's your chance to immerse yourself in Miccio's intensely realistic writing.

Here's an example:

"From the airplane window I watch Bulgaria's hundreds of drab, Soviet-style tenements shrink into grids of computer chips. In a few hours it's nighttime and the plane passes over the Firth of Forth, descending into Edinburgh. Spangles of gold lights loop across the city like a necklace, and it is absolutely beautiful."

Visit The Morning News and Letters from Edinburgh: Bulgarian Rhapsody here.

THE SNOW SHOW OF 2004 – A PIVOTAL MOMENT IN ART HISTORY

2004-11-28T09:25:00.001-08:00

SNOW AS ARTISTIC METAPHOR AND MEDIA

A historical event in the world of art occurred during the Winter of 2004 in

Finland

. In tandem with Curator Lance Fung, a whole host of international creative talents designed and exhibited works of snow and ice in the Lapland towns of Rovaniemi and Kemi in an exhibition entitled The Snow Show.

Light glows through an icy construction by the team of
Hollimen, Reuter, Sandman and Barry.

The various forms of frozen water became an avant-garde material for architects open to utilizing unusual building materials. It was discovered that snow lends itself to creative building blocks while ice serves as a long-lasting binder and slush provides a flowing element for sculptural aspects.

Large free-standing “archetonic” forms were built by over 60 architects, designers and artists from around the world, who worked jointly as paired partners, such as Arata Isozaki and Yoko Ono, to design and create structures of environmental art.

Ice and snow is transformed into mystical geometry in the
work of Arata Isozaki and Yoko Ono.

Although the main elements of these structure-sculptures were ice and snow, many of the designs included mixed media, video, light, sound and other building materials as well. The end result demonstrated the ephemeral and ethereal nature of working with the elements of frozen water.

The chill of an Finlandic sky is highlighted against an
opaque structure built by Zaha Hadid and Cai Guo-Qiang.

Sponsored by New York’s Scandinavian-American Foundation, this unique historical exhibition of 2004 demonstrated how collaborative art can evolve in a natural but magical and creative direction which serves to fire the imagination and heart in a completely unique way.

Curator Fung is now in the process of organizing a new Snow Show for the Winter of 2006 in Turin, Italy.

THE SWEET BLISS THAT IS ORIGINS

2004-11-22T17:13:00.000-08:00

ORIGINS™ . Just the sight and sound of the word 'Origins' conjures up images of succulent lip tints and blushes, Zen-like scents and blissed-out soaps and scrubs; all focusing on the natural serenity of beauty. Today, there's even newer items making it on the beauty scene.

How many of us, male AND female alike have been soothed and conforted by Origins' wonderful product line? I mean, just the very names of the products send your imagination into Kundalini overdrive, such as ' Beautiful Skin', 'Peace Of Mind', 'Warm Reception', 'Calming Nature', and 'A Perfect World'. Sigh. White Tea, Lemon, Ginger, Bergamont and Tangerine are a few of the rich sensory ingredients found under the bumbershoot* of Origins.

For those who have not tried Origins' product line; a good way to begin is with 'A Perfect World', which is Origins' White Tea Skin Guardian. It has no harsh ingredients to inflame or stress my skin, but leaves it smooth, glowing, and protected from L.A.'s warm climate; garnering me regular compliments from people who want to know how I keep my skin so beautiful.

Now we can truly rejoice because Origins has a new line of Cocoa Therapy products! Oh yes, chocoholics can now indulge their skin with Cocoa-scented creams, cleansers, buffing scrubs and, in the near future, treat their tummies with Origins' new line of Sensory Therapy Chocolate Bars!

These bars possess herbal ingredients to soothe what ails ya....Chamomile for sleep, Black Pepper for energy or even Basil for a restful and blessed stomach. Until then, there's always Cocoa Therapy, Origins' "chocolate fix"!

Is not the world a better place because of Origins™ ?

*"Bumbershoot," is a fancy, whimsical, and seriously antiquated term for an umbrella.

DARING DRAPERIES - Wear edgy, riveting couture that reeks of good design.

2004-11-10T14:03:00.000-08:00

ROMERO BRYAN

Fashion Designer Romero Bryan at work.
(photo copyright BBC)

R & B star Usher was too clean at the recent 2004 American Music Awards, in a black suede jacket detailed with white satin-stitched words and symbols created by London designer Romero Bryan (see another version of the jacket at the Usher link above).

In 2002, the then 17 year old Bryan designed a revealing plunge-fronted dress for pop star Samantha Mumba which gained the attention of taut-bodied stylers all over the world.

Singer Samantha Mumba in THE striking Bryan gown.
(photo copyright BBC)

Since then, Bryan, considered one of Britain’s future young millionaires, has become THE fashion designer of today’s hiphop and R&B superstars, such as Mis-teeq, Louise Adams, Mya, Destiny’s Child, Honeyz, Mel B, June Sarpong, and Usher, as well as juggling courses at the London College of Fashion, working as a roving reporter during London’s Fashion Week and completing his Winter Collection 2005.

Check out Romero Bryan's rags at London’s The Closet. Tel: 01707 876 995 or Malapa, 41 Clerkenwell Road, London. Tel: 020-7490-5229, and get dressed!

YUKO YOSHITAKE

Yuko Yoshitake's Bubble and Squeak menswear design.
(photo copyright FutureMap)

Menswear fashionistas on all continents have their eyes trained on London College of Fashion’s Graduate Fashion Week’s participant and graduate Yuko Yoshitake, hoping to get their deliciously manicured hands on her graduate collection which has garnered much press and media attention.

Yuko Yoshitake won the LCF Gala Show 2004 Designer of The Year Award and the Menswear Award for her “collection that recycled second-hand fabrics for a 'directional' African -farm- worker- inspired look. This included sleeves striped with faded suede on a black wool duffel coat.”

Yoshitake’s designs will be manufactured by Topman Menswear Collection under her own name and will be available for purchase October 2005.

Contact Yuko Yoshitake at 39 Parnell Avenue, Streatham Street, London, UK WC1A 13B. Phone: 07984 434 641 or 020 7636 2955. Email: mailto:yoshitakeyuko@hotmail.com

SPARKLE QUEEN’S UNATTAINABLE ATTAINABLE

The fresh scent of winter air after a new snowfall. Close your eyes, imagine and breathe it in!