Dinomite!

In December, the awesome new Photo Editor of Los Angeles Magazine,  Amy Feitelberg,  asked me to shoot a portrait. I was so excited. I love being about and about connecting with people on a one to one basis. Shooting lots of weddings these days is great, but hard work and a long days... shooting action, emotion, and many people in many lighting situations. I love flying by the seat of my pants, but sometimes, it's great to have a quiet, controlled time to create a fun portrait.

When I found out that it was at the Natural History Museum, I was even more excited. I love the Mammal Hall! I'm not a fan of hunting, but do love stuffed animals for some strange reason.. and,  I am a fan of science. There's something so real and so surreal about those dioramas.

Every first Friday, a new band will play a show in the Mammal Hall at the Museum. I saw Wolfmother perform there last year while on a shoot. It's a cool vibe. Su Oh, the Program Director was a joy to photograph for this article. I can't wait to go back and visit.

Special Thanks to Amy for the call ;)

It's a great issue about all the fun things to do in LA! CLASSIC LA! Go pick up a copy :)

2VIE – Live, Silent, Art Auction & Exhibit Benefit Event July 9th

Please Save the Date as You’re Cordially Invited to:
2VIE – Live, Silent, Art Auction & Exhibit Benefit Event
Hosted by:  Leanna Lin’s Wonderland
5024 Eagle Rock Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA

http://www.leannalinswonderland.com/

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The event will be grand, with wine, raffle, vegan truffles, 2 food trucks parked in front of the gallery and… the gallery wall will be filled with art given from heart, as 2VIE – Live, Silent, Art Auction & Exhibit will help cover Vee Vitanza’s remaining medical bills from the brain tumor surgery. To Preview… Art and Services contributed for auction please go to: http://vartmuse.wordpress.com/
or our Facebook Art Preview Link:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=o.102211449868659
(Please check the links often, as new art submissions are incoming every day.)
We hope to see you at 2-V benefit event, and celebrate life, its endurance and friendships that help us go through it all!
So… please mark the date on your calendar, invite family and friends to attend and we’ll see you there!

For information on how to volunteer, donate artwork and spread the word about the event, email me, or Izabela   vartmuse@gmail.com
To see more of the artwork available at the auction…… http://vartmuse.wordpress.com/
Facebook Art Preview Link:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=o.102211449868659
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For information on how to submit your Art or Services donations to be auctioned off, on the silent auction during one day benefit event please go to: http://vartmuse.wordpress.com/2011/05/14/call-for-artists-2vie-art-auction-benefit-7-9-11/

Micah: Inquisitive About The Elevation

A few weeks ago, I was invited to photograph a mixed media project where Art Meets Fashion.  I had the pleasure of  working with the designers from  The Elevation when there original photographer team member was unable to make it to the final shoot.  It was madness, but a great shoot. I can't share the images till after the fashion show, but one image is going to run in San Diego Magazine next month and is also being displayed at the San Diego Airport. I'll share the image after it goes public :)

The Art Meets Fashion show is on the 28th April at the San Diego Airport. If you're in the area, check it out. I can't wait to see it all come together for these very talented designers and I'm honored that they asked me to contribute my talents to showcase their creativity.

Now, to the point of this particular story.... We were shooting the finished clothing on models in Valentine Viannay's  (my dear friend and collaborating designer) San Diegian sun drenched back yard when her neighbor's daughter came over the hill to investigate our madness and my strobe lights flashing away.  

Enter Micah: delicate, stealthy, peaceful.  Clutched under one arm, two hand made dolls. One a pigtailed girl dolly, one a frog wearing a dress. More impressively and unexpected, embraced tightly but not too tight in the other arm, a white chicken, with an aura only slightly less peaceful than Micah's. Of course it's not everyday that you see a gorgeously propitious little girl in a prairie dress walk up to you with a pet chicken under wraps, so my attention was momentarily removed from the art couture and redirected to the gracious little dove and her sidekicks.

 Portrait of Micah

Valentine Viannay: The Parisian truck driver and bug lover

I visited my friend Valentine recently and she was so excited about her new old GMC truck and VW Bug. I totally understood why. Some of my fondest memories were paling around Baja with my dad in his turquoise Chevy pick up truck. (like most of the kids in Mexico, I too was driving at 10. Just barely peeking over the steering wheel.)

Valentine moved to San Diego from Paris about 9 years ago and started her own business called Painter Genie. She had bug back then with her Painter Genie logo on the side. She'd buzz from project to project with paint cans crammed in the back and scaffolding tied to the roof rack. She does commercial and residential decorative wall finishes, artisan plaster finishes, murals, (she can paint just about anything) and now she also creates custom silk screened fabrics...which are very cool!

I don't know how she finds the time, but she continues to work on her personal work as well. Check out her fine art site. 

Valentine Viannay Fine Art

 

 

 

XO, Mon petite chou

Mary & Chris get hitched!

Congrats to Mary and Chris!

A backyard wedding: the perfect setting to share with close friends and family...and the added bonus of annoy a few neighbors with loud rock and roll. The day was all about love and keeping it real and close to the heart. Bravo!

RIP Scarface

Scarface
a lamb among lions. a peach of a dog. rest in peace

San Francisco....

Having fun with Gazelle in San Francisco