Posted in Artists, Movies, Recommendations, Reminder, Television, Video on February 9, 2025| Leave a Comment »
On February 13, the Netflix movie La Dolce Villa will debut online.
The movie follows successful businessman Eric (Scott Foley) as he travels to Italy to stop his daydreaming daughter Olivia from blowing her life savings on restoring a crumbling villa she purchased for $1. Italy, however, has different plans for him as it delivers on its legendary promise of beauty, magic, and romance.
Here is a trailer for La Dolce Villa:
Posted in Artists, Movies, Recommendations, Reminder, Television, Video on January 14, 2025| Leave a Comment »
On January 18, the Hallmark Channel movie My Argentine Heart will debut at 8 PM.
Abril (Julie Gonzalo) goes to Argentina to save her family ranch from being bought by her ex. But when outside forces threaten the ranch the pair must come together, rekindling their love in the process.
Juan Pablo Di Pace co-stars.
Here is a trailer for My Argentine Heart:
Posted in Artists, Awards, Movies, Music, Television, Year End Round Up on December 26, 2024| Leave a Comment »
Every year there are lots of awards shows, some important, some just fun and numerous just plain silly or nonsensical, but the following list is just some of the top winners over the course of this year:
GOLDEN GLOBES (January)
Best TV Drama – Succession
Best TV Comedy – The Bear
Best Actress, TV Drama – Sarah Snook, Succession
Best Actress, TV Comedy – Ayo Edebiri, The Bear
Best Actress, TV Limited Series – Ali Wong, BEEF
Best Picture, Box Office Drama – Oppenheimer
Best Cinematic and Box Office Achievement – Barbie
Best Actress Box Office Drama – Emma Stone, Poor Things
Best Supporting Actress, Motion Picture – Da’Vine Joy Randolph, The Holdovers
Best Support Actor, Motion Picture – Robert Downey Jr., Oppenheimer
Best Director, Motion Picture – Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer
Best Original Song, Motion Picture – “What Was I Made For?”, Barbie
CREATIVE ARTS EMMYS (January)
Guest Actress, Comedy – Judith Light, Poker Face
Host, Nonfiction Series – Stanley Tucci, Searching for Italy
Documentary Series – The 1619 Project
Music Composition for Documentary – Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie
Original Main Title Theme Music – Wednesday
Period Hairstyling – Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Movie
Period Costume, Limited Series – Daisy Jones & the Six
Stunt Coordination, Drama – The Boys
Stunt Performance – The Mandalorian
GOLD LIST WINNERS (January)
Best Picture – Past Lives
Best Director – Celine Song, Past Lives
Best Performance in a Supporting Role – Charles Melton, May December
Best Adapted Screenplay – Dave Callaham, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Best Original Song – “Can’t Catch Me Now,” Olivia Rodrigo, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes
Best Animated Feature – The Boy and The Heron
ASTRA TV AWARDS (formerly HCA TV Awards) (January)
Best Broadcast Network Drama Series – Will Trent
Best Actor in a Broadcast Network or Cable Drama Series – Pedro Pascal, The Last of Us
Best Broadcast Network or Cable Limited Series – A Small Light
Best TV Comedy – Abbott Elementary
Best Guest Actor, TV Drama – Nick Offerman, The Last of Us
STREAMING PROGRAM AWARDS (January):
Best Streaming Comedy – The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Best Supporting Actor, Streaming Comedy – James Marsden, Jury Duty
Best Supporting Actor, Limited or Streaming – Paul Walter Hauser, Black Bird
Best Streaming Drama – The Boys
Best Actress, Streaming Series – Keri Russell, The Diplomat
Best Supporting Actor, Streaming Drama – Jensen Ackles, The Boys
Best Supporting Actress, Streaming Drama – Elizabeth Debecki, The Crown and Jeri Ryan, Star Trek: Picard
Best Period Costumes – The Crown
EMMY AWARDS (January)
Comedy Series – The Bear
Lead Actor, Drama – Kieran Culking, Succession
Lead Actress, Comedy – Quinta Brunson, Abbott Elementary
Supporting Actress, Comedy – Ayo Edebiri, The Bear
Variety Special – Elton John Live: Farewell From Dodger Stadium
CRITICS CHOICE AWARDS (January)
Best Picture – Oppenheimer
Best Actor, Motion Picture – Paul Giamatti, The Holdovers
Best Actress, Motion Picture – Emma Stone, Poor Things
Best Supporting Actor, Motion Picture – Robert Downey Jr., Oppenheimer
Best Supporting Actress, Motion Picture – Da’Vine Joy Randolph, The Holdovers
Best Original Screenplay, Motion Picture – Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach, Barbie
Best Costume Design, Motion Picture – Jacqueline Durran, Barbie
Best Animated Feature, Motion Picture – Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Best Origial Song, Motion Picture – “I’m Just Ken,” Barbie
Best Supporting Actor, TV Drama – Billy Crudup, The Morning Show
Best Actor, TV Comedy – Jeremy Allen White, The Bear
Best Supporting Actress, TV Comedy – Meryl Streep, Only Murders in the Building
Best Made for TV Movie – Quiz Lady
Best Supporting Actor, Limited Series – Jonathan Bailey, Fellow Travelers
AARP MOVIES FOR GROWNUPS AWARDS (January)
Best Picture – Killers of the Flower Moon
Best Actress – Anette Bening, Nyad
Best Actor – Colman Domingo, Rustin
Best Supporting Actress – Jodie Foster, Nyad
Best Director – Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer
Best Ensemble – The Color Purple
Best Foreign Film – The Zone of Interest
GRAMMY AWARDS (February)
Record of the Year – Miley Cyrus, “Flowers”
Album of the Year – Taylor Swift, “Midnights”
Song of the Year – Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell, “What Was I Made For?,” Barbie
Best Rock Album – Paramore, “This Is Why”
Best Rock Song – Boygenius, “Not Strong Enough”
Best R&B Song – SZA, “Snooze”
Best Country Solo Performance – Chris Stapleton, “White Horse”
Best Folk Album – Joni Mitchell, “Joni Mitchell at Newport [Live]”
Best Audio Book – Michelle Obama, “The Light We Carry: Overcoming In Uncertain Times”
Best Immersive Audio Album – Alicia Keys, “The Diary of Alicia Keys”
BAFTA (February)
Leading Actor – Cillian Murphy, Oppenheimer
Rising Star Award – Mia McKenna -Bruce
Original Screenplay – Justine Triet and Arthur Harai, Anatomy of a Fall
Animated Film – The Boy and the Heron
Casting – The Holdovers
Costume Design – Holly Waddington, Poor Things
PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARDS (February)
Action Movie of the Year – The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes
Comedy Movie of the Year – Barbie
Male Movie Star of the Year – Ryan Gosling, Barbie
Female Movie Star of the Year – Margot Robbie, Barbie
Action Movie Star of the Year – Rachel Zegler, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes
Movie Performance of the Year – America Ferrera, Barbie
TV Show of the Year – Grey’s Anatomy
Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV Show of the Year – Loki
TV Drama Star of the Year – Jennifer Aniston, The Morning Show
Daytime Talk Show of the Year – The Kelly Clarkson Show
Male Country Singer of the Year – Jelly Rool
Male Latin Artist of the Year – Bad Bunny
Song of the Year – Olivia Rodrigo, “Vampire”
SAG AWARDS (February)
Female TV Actor, Drama – Elizabeth Debicki, The Crown
Male TV Actor, Drama – Pedro Pascal, The Last of Us
Female Film Actress – Lily Gladstone, Killers of the Flower Moon
Stunt Ensemble – Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning, Part 1
SPIRIT AWARDS (February)
Best Lead Performance – Jeffrey Wright, American Fiction
Best Director – Celine Song, Past Livers
Best Breakthrough Performance – Dominic Sessa, The Holdovers
Best First Screenplay – Samy Burch and Alex Mechanik, May December
PRODUCERS GUILD AWARDS (February)
Outstanding Producer of Episodic TV, Comedy – The Bear
Outstanding Children’s Program – Sesame Street
RAZZIE AWARDS (March)
Worst Picture – Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey
Worst Actor – Jon Voight, Mercy
Actress – Megan Fox, Johnny & Clyde
Supporting Actor – Sylvester Stallone, Expend4ables
OSCARS (March)
Best Picture – Oppenheimer
Adapted Screenplay – Cord Jefferson, American Fiction
Costume Design – Holly Waddington, Poor Things
NAACP IMAGE AWARDS (March)
Outstanding Actor, TV Comedy – Mike Epps, The Upshaws
Outstanding Supporting Actor, TV Comedy – William Stanford Davis, Abbott Elementary
Outstanding TV Drama – Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story
Outstanding Actress, TV Drama – India Ria Amarteifio, Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story
Outstanding Supporting Actor, Limited Series – Don Cheadle, Secret Invasion
Outstanding Talk Series – The Jennifer Hudson Show
Outstanding Motion Picture – The Color Purple
Outstanding Actress, Motion Picture – Fantasia Barrino, The Color Purple
Outstanding Director, Motion Picture – Ava DuVernay, Origin
Outstanding New Artist – Victoria Monet
Outstanding Female Artist – H.E.R.
Entertainer of the Year – Usher
GLAAD AWARDS (March)
Outstanding TV Drama – Yellowjackets
Outstanding Limited Series – Fellow Travelers
CRITICS CHOICE SUPER AWARDS (April)
Best Action Movie – John Wick: Chapter 4
Superhero Movie – Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Action TV Series – Reacher
Action TV Series, Best Actress – Zoe Saldana, Special Ops: Lioness
ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS (May)
Entertainer of the Year – Lainey Wilson
Duo of the Year – Dan + Shay
Single of the Year – Luke Combs, “Fast Car”
Music Event of the Year – Jelly Roll with Lainey Wilson, “Save Me”
GOTHAM TV AWARDS (June)
Breakthrough Comedy Series – Colin From Accounts
Breakthrough Limited Series – Baby Reindeer
Outstanding Performance in TV Drama – Zine Tseng, 3 Body Problem
Outstanding Performance in Limited Seies – Andrew Scott, Ripley
TONY AWARDS (June)
Best Musical – The Outsiders
Leading Actor in a Musical – Jonathan Groff, Merrily We Roll Along
Leading Actress in a Play – Sarah Paulson, Appropriate
Featured Actor in a Musical – Daniel Radcliffe, Merrily We Roll Along
TELEVISION CRITICS ASSOCIATION AWARDS (July)
Achievement in Drama – Anna Sawai, Shogun
Achievement in Comedy – Jean Smart, Hacks
Achievement in Family Programming – Doctor Who
Career Achievement Honoree – Andre Braugher
Heritage Award – Twin Peaks
MTV VIDEO MUSIC AWARDS (September)
Video of the Year – Taylor Swift featuring Post Malone, “Fortnight”
Best New Artist – Chappell Roan
Most Iconic Performance – Katy Perry, “Roar”
Song of the Year – Sabrina Carpenter, “Espresso”
Best Alternative – Benson Boone, “Beautiful Things”
Best Rock – Lenny Kravitz, “Human”
EMMY AWARDS (September)
Drama Series – Shogun
Comedy Series – Hacks
Lead Actor, Drama – Hiroyuki Sanada, Shogun
Lead Actress, Drama – Anna Sawai, Shogun
Lead Actress, Limited Series – Jodie Foster, True Detective: Night Country
Supporting Actress, TV Drama – Elizabeth Debicki, The Crown
CMA AWARDS (November)
Entertainer of the Year – Morgan Wallen
Song of the Year – Chris Stapelton and Dan Wilson, “White Horse”
New Artist of the Year – Megan Moroney
Female Vocalist of the Year – Lainey Wilson
Vocal Group of the Year – Old Dominion
Vocal Duo of the Year – Brooks & Bunn
GOTHAM FILM AWARDS (December)
Best Feature – A Different Man
Outstanding Lead Performance – Colman Domingo, Sing Sing
Outstanding Supporting Performance – Clarence Maclin, Sing Sing
Best International Feature – All We Imagine as Light
Best Screenplay – Azazel Jacobs, His Three Daughters
Breakthrough Director – Vera Drew, The People’s Joker
Breakthrough Performer – Brandon Wilson, Nickel Boys
NEW YORK FILM CRITICS (December)
Best Film – The Brutalist
Director – RaMell Ross, Nickel Boys
Actor – Adrien Brody, The Brutalist
Actress – Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Hard Truths
Supporting Actor – Kieran Culkin, A Real Pain
Supporting Actress – Carol Kane, Between the Temples
Screenplay – Sean Baker, Anora
Animated Film – Flow
Congratulations to all of the above winners (and the countless others who won awards) this year. Are any of the above your favorites? Do you think there was an actor or actress who was overlooked this year? Please share your thoughts.
TOMORROW: Condolences
Posted in Artists, Music, Year End Round Up on December 24, 2024| Leave a Comment »
I’ve shared for many years now how much music has played a key part in my life. As far back as I can remember, music was always playing in my childhood home. It all started when I was a little girl, listening to music while sitting in the middle of my big brothers’ shared bedroom on their old 1970’s turntable then listening to my big boom box and later the Walkman I had in the 1980’s all the way through to my iPod in the 2000’s to now with my Pandora and Spotify accounts.
I wake up to music every morning rather than a buzzing alarm; and then I go to bed with music. Music may not mean to everyone what it means to me, but it does play a crucial part in television, Broadway, theatre and the box office.
The following are just some of the top performers for 2024:
Most Moving Video (Prior to the Election) – “What Happens When a Woman Takes Power”
This song became the anthem for women all across the country during the Harris-Walz campaign with lots of different female groups recording their versions of the song. Admittedly, it was very disappointing for half of the population that we didn’t get the election result we were hoping for, but this song at least made a difference to a lot of us when we needed it most.
Best New Male Artist – Benson Boone
Benson auditioned for season 19 of American Idol in 2021 and made it into the Top 24, but he actually dropped out to consider his career. He obviously made the right decision because his first single “Beautiful Things,” which came out in January of this year, became the biggest song of the year, accurring 1.434 billion on-demand audio streams worldwide. The single topped various singles-focused charts including U.S. top digital song consumption and U.S. top song: on-demand streaming for both audio and audio plus video.
Best Song of the Year – Lady Gaga and Brun Mars, “Die With a Smile”
This soulful song was released in August of this year, featuring the singers in a duet that became an instant smash and a classic tune all at the same time. Their 70’s Nashville style video also helped launch the song into the stratosphere. It’s a tune that you simply can’t get out of your head once you’ve heard it, and the best kind of earworm.
Best New Female Artist – Chappell Roan
Chappell Roan is on a massive hot streak this year with her freshman album “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess,” which hit number 2 on the charts just behind Taylor Swift. While the album came out in 2023, it became a sleeper hit earlier this year, showcasing Roan’s “campy” style that is heavily influenced by drag queens, 1980s synth-pop and 2000s pop songs.
Earworm Hit – Sabrina Carpenter, “Feather”
This actress-singer has been working professionally for the past 13 years between television series and movies, but it was her 6th studio album “Short n’ Sweet” – which was released this summer – that had her hitting number one on the charts and making it the summer of Sabrina Carpenter.
A Most Welcome Return – Linkin Park
This rock band has been together since 1996, and has had a successful run in the music industry that is until the sad and untimely death by suicide of its lead singer Chester Bennington in 2017, causing the band to enter an indefinite hiatus. This year the band came back with a brand new studio album and a new lead singer in the form of female rocker Emily Armstrong.
Best New Duo – Royel Otis
While this Australian duo, comprised of Royel Maddell and Otis Pavlovic, has been together since 2019, and they’ve released three EPs, it was their first studio alum Pratts & Pain, which was released in February of this year that put them on the map. But it’s been their covers of “Murder on the Dancefloor” and “Linger” that have placed them on the top of the charts. The former single, original done in 2001 by Sophie Ellis-Bextor, has attained nearly 50 million streams on Spotify and first went big on TikTok with over 13 million views.
TV Star Turned Music Artist – Djo, “End of Beginning”
TV viewers will recognize Djo as Joe Keery from Netflix’s Stranger Things and the box office movie Free Guy, but acting isn’t his only hustle. In 2019, Djo released his debut album and in 2022 his second album was released. From that sophomore effort, albeit two years after its release, the single “End of Beginning” hit the airwaves, gaining popularity and becoming viral on social media.
Big Musical Announcement of the Year – Oasis Reunion
After 15 years of brotherly war, Oasis members Liam and Noel Gallagher announced a reunion tour. The announcement was made two days before the 30th anniversary of their debut album. The tour will get underway on July 4, 2025 and will end on November 23, 2025. Their single “Wonderwall” was released on October 30, 1995 and while it never actually made it to number one, it is their most popular single, and you can be assured that when the brothers perform this single, and all their other songs, at the reunion tour, fans are going to go crazy.
Best Way to End 2024 – Wicked
The box office version of the immensely popular Broadway musical Wicked opened in theatres on November 22, starring Cynthia Erivo and Arianna Grande in the lead roles of Elphaba and Glinda, the earlier versions of the Wicked Witch of the West and the Good Witch of the North. The video clips above are just small snippets of the first part of this blockbuster that will have people humming these songs (and more) from the movie far beyond the holidays.
What singer or band has been your “go-to” music during the past year? Which singles were the stand-outs for you this year? What song did you get sick of hearing on the radio? What was the top album in your opinion? Please share your thoughts on the music of 2024 below.
TOMORROW: Hits (and Misses) at the Box Office
Posted in Artists, Movies, Recommendations, Reminder, Television, Video on December 17, 2024| Leave a Comment »
December 21, the Hallmark Channel movie Happy Howlidays will debut at 8 PM.
Mia (Jessica Lowndes), a meticulous webpage editor for the Seattle Tourism Board, finds herself unexpectedly navigating the holidays alone. As the only one working, she’s drawn into an unusual encounter when she encounters a stray dog. Unsure how to handle the situation, she crosses paths with Max (Finding Mr. Christmas winner Ezra Moreland), a dog shelter owner.
Mia agrees to let Max’s ailing dog find solace with her newfound companion, in exchange for Max showing her the hidden gems of Seattle. Through their journey together, they both step out of their comfort zones, discovering new perspectives and forming a meaningful connection.
Here is a trailer for Happy Howlidays:
Posted in Artists, Movies, Recommendations, Reminder, Television, Video on November 24, 2024| Leave a Comment »
On November 28, the final movie in the franchise of Hallmark+ holiday movies, Unwrapping Christmas: Olivia’s Reunion, will debut online.
Olivia (Cindy Busby), the gift-wrapping expert at All Wrapped Up, makes a delivery to a remote cabin only to find her ex-boyfriend Benjamin (Jake Epstein) on the other side of the door. After the pair have a minor spat, an unexpected storm traps them together. Neither of them is happy to be forced to spend time together.
However as talk turns to shared memories, old feelings and warmth begins to resurface and they are left wondering if it’s possible to get it right a second time.
Here is a trailer for the Unwrapping Christmas franchise:
Posted in Artists, Geekdom, News, Spotlight, WonderCon on April 11, 2013| Leave a Comment »
Jason Palmer’s Self-Portrait
On Easter weekend, while attending WonderCon 2013 in Anaheim, I had the opportunity to sit in on a panel spotlighting one of my favorite artists: Jason Palmer
During this one-hour panel Jason took the stage, sharing his back-story of growing up in California as an only child and revealing that he drew all the time with whatever he could find at hand. But, since that was during the days before the internet, he didn’t know anyone who was an artist, let alone knowing which way to go with his art.
After high school, he did odd jobs – including desk jobs – that eventually lead to him becoming a technical advisor for an electric company. In this job, he spent a lot of time talking to clients on the phone, and he would doodle on the desk pad on his desk throughout many of these conversations.
On one particular day, the President of the company called Jason into his office, asking why he was doodling all over the desk pad – thinking that Jason wasn’t doing the job for which he was hired. Jason explained that he was doing his job but also doodling while explaining out tech-speak to clients. He was instructed to discontinue his doodling and, as you can imagine, not that much later, he decided to give his notice with that employer; setting on the path of actually doing something more with his drawing.
He, in turn, got a job at a Hollywood art store, started taking college classes to hone his skill and, on somewhat of a lark he contacted his favorite artist, asking for advice. Now while in hindsight Jason freely admits this was probably not the best idea, this artist was kind enough to take time out of his own busy schedule to spend the day with Jason.
After getting some very sage advice from this artist, Jason was encouraged to come back “when he was better” and he felt an obligation to do the best he could from there on out; making himself a bit of a perfectionist in the process.
From that point on, he made several more return visit to the artist’s home; always coming away with more good advice. Gradually Jason began to meet other artists and started to create a “family” out of that.
It was 25 years ago that Jason attended his very first Comic Con, meeting many of his heroes – some who were really nice and others (who he of course did not name) that were less than pleasant. As the years past, though, he began to become discouraged. That all changed in 2003 when he meet Yelena (who has been his wife for the past 10 years). It was Yelena who became his strongest supporter, convincing to approach other artists at conventions and helped turn him around. He eventually got a table in artist’s alley and then one day he had a chance meeting with actor Nathan Fillion (of Firefly and Castle fame), who saw Jason’s artwork for the show.
As Jason explained it, there was a release party for the Firefly DVD and he did “a little piece for it” that was eventually seen by series creator Joss Whedon, who asked to meet Jason. During that meeting Joss unabashedly told him that Jason’s little piece was “the biggest compliment” he had ever gotten for the show. That quickly led to Jason being asked by Joss to do a full painting and from there he was asked to do more paintings for the show. Not that long later, of course, the rapid Browncoats (the very dedicated fans of Firefly) embrace Jason’s artwork, and his career really started to take off.
As time went on, he started to get more and more commercial work and last year he worked with HBO and Lucas Films on some big projects. But with that bigger and bigger commercial comes the challenge of meeting their requirements and being somewhat stifled by their restrictions. It is Jason’s goal now to do more of what the fans of his work want, what they request when he sees them in person. He does also do commission work, but – obviously – his wait list is quite long, but Jason does his best to complete the commissions as quickly as possible
To see just a small sample of Jason Palmer’s artwork and get more details about his studio, make sure to visit his official website here.
Posted in Artists, Convention/Event, Geekdom, News, Spotlight on August 12, 2011| Leave a Comment »
Do you like Star Wars? How about art? Those two types of interests may not sound like they work well together, but that certainly isn’t the case where the “Art from a Galaxy Far Far Away” exhibit is concerned.
Professional illustrator and painter Randy Martinez and Denise Vasquez will be showing their Star Wars-inspired work at Hold Up Art (located at 358 E. Second Street in Los Angeles) from August 20 through September 15.
Art from a Galaxy Far Far Away (Photo By: Hold Up Art)
The “Art from a Galaxy Far Far Away” is a celebration of the cultural phenomenon that is Star Wars through the showcasing of artwork inspired by the 1977 film, its sequels, prequels and the litany of auxiliary characters created by George Lucas.
“Star Wars became one of my earliest childhood obsessions, and to do a show now celebrating not only the film, but the art behind the scenes as well as the fantastic characters that make up the world of Star Wars, has me reverting to my 10 year old self again!” says Brian Lee, Hold Up Art curator. “The culture and fanaticism of Star Wars had not only permeated every aspect of pop culture today; from music to politics, but has forever left its mark on our expectations of science fiction, cinema and traditional narratives.”
Randy Martinez is one of the most renowned illustrators of his time. His work depicting Lucasfilms’ Star Wars characters launched him to the forefront of the genre, and can be seen in Star Wars Insider, Scholastic Books, Topps Trading Cards, and the Star Wars Celebrations II-V (Europe and Japan). In addition to his work on Star Wars, Randy is one of today’s premiere sketch card artists. He is a fixture for Topps Trading Cards. He began drawing for them in 2004 and garnered numerous accolades on titles such as Lord of the Rings, Heroes, Terminator, and Marvel Comics. Recently, Randy added the credit of author to his resume. He has published two titles with Impact Books, “Creature Features: Learn to Draw Monsters and Aliens” and “Sketch Card Mania”.
Denise Vasquez is an artist working in many mediums: actress, illustrator, author, custom toy designer and award-winning singer/songwriter/guitarist. She current creates custom vinyl toys for Ben Pot Toiz, and has worked with other companies such as DKE Toys, Topps and others. Denise’s vinyl dolls have been collected by Stan Lee and are featured on Conan O’Brien’s “COCO MoCa: Museum of Conan Art”.
Alongside the paintings and reproductions of Randy’s work, Denise will be featuring several original hand-crafted vinyl toys, including the unveiling of her Dia de Los Meurtos take on the Darth Vader helmet. This one of a kind helmet will be up for auction throughout the exhibition. Bids will be accepted online and over the phone. Interested bidders should contact Hold Up Art at (213) 221-4585 for further details.
There will be an opening reception on August 20, 2011 from 7 PM to 11 PM where a musical mash up of Randy and Denise’s favorite music will be featured along with selections from the Star Wars score and even favorite clips from the Star Wars films projected in the gallery
For more information about this and other exhibits, please visit Hold Up Art here.
Posted in Artists on September 27, 2010| Leave a Comment »
Faeline Faery by Misty Benson
Artist Spotlight: This month’s artist’s spotlight is on Misty Benson, who grew up on a dairy farm in Idaho, but at the age of 12 she moved with her family to Washington. She later lived in Colorado and, for a short time, in New York. Her travels have also taken her to Nepal, Thailand, Costa Rica, Spain, England, Wales, China, and South Africa. All roads have led her back to Idaho, though, which is where she resides now. One of her most wonderful memories of childhood is running wild and reading lots of books.
Misty loves all things sweet and spooky, sugar and sour, morbid and adorable; ergo, the name of her website Morbidly Adorable Creations by Misty Benson. Big eyes fit all those favorites and have influenced both her faery and what she calls “skelly” art. She first saw the big eye art of Gig as a child, as her grandmother had one of Gig’s famous “Pity Kitties” pieces on the wall. Besides Gig, a lot of her inspiration comes from big-eyed dolls such as Pullips and Dollfies. In addition, she has a love and respect for all life; including insects, which also inspires her artwork.
As mentioned, she grew up reading the Serendipity books and the ElfQuest novels being her favorites. Her love of faeries was deepened by the magickal world of Brian and Wendy Froud as well as the art style of Junko Mizuno. Her personal experiences and wonderful reading adventures have combined to reflect her art. Frido Kahlo is also a huge influence on the darker side of her art.
While her mom and aunt were the artists in the family when Misty was growing up, she took her first art history course (as well as an anthropology course) in college, ending up with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Cultural Anthropology and a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Studio Arts.
Today, she primarily paints in acrylics and sculpts in paperclay because of their ease and speed. For her Gossamerfaery Attic, she paints and sculpts dreamy, big-eyed faeries and delightful Day of the Dead skeletons. These creations have been featured in paintings, prints, one-of-a-kind sculptures, magnets, stickers and cards. Both her faeries and skellies have been publishes in the books “500 Fairy Motifs”, “Big Eye Art: Resurrected and Transformed” and her solo book “The Morbidly Adorable Skelly”.
Her featured piece is called Faeline Faery, which showcases a glowering girl with her smiley “skelly” cat. This piece is one of her most popular images that depict her favorite things.
If you would like to reach Misty, you can email her gossamerfaery@hotmail.com or visit her website.
Posted in Artists on September 6, 2010| Leave a Comment »
Fly Away by Margaret Organ-Kean
Artist’s Spotlight: Margaret Organ-Kean
When Margaret Organ-Kean was fifteen years old, a family friend sent her mother a postcard with a Kay Nielsen illustration from East of the Sun, West of the Moon on it. It was love at first sight.
Margaret had always drawn and painted – usually horses – but now her most important goal was to evoke a sense of magic on paper. A year later, she won a major prize in a national poster contest and, encouraged by her high school art teacher, soon began to sell her watercolors at local art fairs.
Her B.A. and subsequent work in art history from the University of Washington opened her to more influences, including (but not limited to) early Renaissance art, Nihonga, Greek sculpture, and much more. She developed an interest in how different cultures viewed a painting. For instance, some would see a painting as a window into a scene, while others considered a painting to be an array of symbols composed on a flat plane. Margaret began to consider formal problems in a painting at this time, such as color, pattern, and composition.
After college, she worked at clerical and computer jobs, and during this time, she started going to science fiction conventions and showing her work in the conventions’ art shows. This led to jobs working for magazines, gaming companies, and book publishers.
Lately, she has spent more time on her own work, especially her more whimsical watercolors of steampunk penguins, flying frogs, and slightly twisted nursery rhymes, and has begun developing an interest in Pop Surrealism.
Her featured piece is called Fly Away, which is based on the nursery rhyme “Ladybug, Ladybug, Fly Away Home”. Margaret wondered what a Lady Bug would look like and whimsy did the rest. The piece did move quite a distance from the poem, as wings transformed into skirts and the bugs became women. The masks are actually a recurring theme in her work; and in this instance, she wanted people to wonder what was behind the mask that completely hides the Lady Bug’s face.
You can contact at margaret@organ-kean.com or visit her website
Rueben's Ramblings 