South Park Walkabout reminder..

And because after all I'm a girl, I sometimes like to talk about girly things like shopping. I had planned to go off in this entry about my $13 worth of blissful haul that I got at the Asian Market last night, and my little Ram trinket box from etsy.com (thanks to Jasmine for the recommendation on that little guy) but instead I'd like to talk some Junc.

Fashion junkie that I am, I still like to create my own looks on an individual level. So I often combine vintage thrift shop finds with custom made or newly bought boutique and designer items. Do I still wish GAMMA GAMMA, the now-defunct TUK UK , Plasticland and my pal Laura's old place The Assembly were still here in SD? Sure. But luckily we have great shops like The Crypt, and JUNC to uphold that tradition and keep my fashion needs satiated. Yay! That said, when I do buy new, I'm fussy. And not only do I like to support local shops, I prefer a unique neighborhood store to a shopping mall outlet any day! I LOVE a good sales event too!

I nabbed some killer Quipid® Victorian styled boots in black at the last one, and a wonderful Decmember Diamonds® Aquatini Mermaid as a gift for a buddy of mine over the holidays. The joint has everything! Virtually something for everyone and it truly is one of the most unique retail stores and gallery venues left in San Diego. No surprise it was Voted best retail store role model in City Beat 2009.
The shop owner Jeffrey Parish hand selects the most fantastic clothing and accessories with an eye for detail and a sharp focus on not only the well-known design house names, but the independent Designer and local Artist as well. The inventory is always fresh, with ever changing creative displays and new merchandise. As is the case with all the best small-sized retail shops and galleries, they sometimes carry just one of each size.Therefore, with such limited quantities, they really do feature items you just don't see plastered on everyone else. So that way you never walk out of there worrying that you'll see your recent fashion purchase coming and going on another person.The staff is great, super friendly and knowledgeable.

lt takes me right back home to the small Philadelphia shops and design house boutiques in Old City and on South Street. The look of the shop is eclectic and definitely all it's own, but the feel celebrates the original vibe present in the East Villiage boutiques of NY.
PLUS!! There's local ART on the walls from some of my friends as well as some of my own! (Squeeek!) I couldn't feel more at home there if I tried. You should totally check out both the sale and the South Park Walkabout as well as the Midnight Dreary Show at JUNC on March 27th.

Big News on the local front..

congratulate |kənˈgra ch əˌlāt; -ˈgrajə-|
verb [ trans. ] To give (someone) one's good wishes when something special or pleasant has happened to them . ORIGIN mid 16th cent.: from Latin congratulat- ‘congratulated,’ from the verb congratulari, from con- ‘with’ + gratulari ‘show joy’ (from gratus ‘pleasing’ ).

I was going to blog today about current projects, upcoming March shows and include a bit about some great fun I had over the weekend. But later for that. Today's biggest and best news spotlight belongs to my dear friend, and student of Performance Studies at UCSD/Performance Artist Helaine !

It's nice when the world sees what you have to offer and takes an interest. But, I also feel a great sense of balance and order in the world when it happens to notice one of my friends and their artistic visions. Helaine has been accepted into the 2010 EMERGENYC program at NYU!

I am proud to have been privy thus far and to bear witness to her creative journey. And I am elated to report that after seemingly endless studies, much toiling and endurance, that all her hard work and dedication to her craft has paid off.

I will miss knowing she's just around the corner from me. And on a local-level, the San Diego local art scene is surely going to miss her. However, I am quite certain NYC is never going to be the same after her visit. Please join me in congratulating and wishing her well on her artistic journey.


(Inset photo above: Helaine and I at JUNC - 11/2009)

On a personal note of Kudos: "Helaine, may your art always be larger than life and your appetite to create insatiable! Oh - and if you run into Yoko tell her I love her. Or maybe, just tear up some grapefruit in front of her or something."
"In La Noia we trust...K~"

xoxo

Pics from Saturday's Show.

A very special heart-felt thanks to my friend and fellow Artist Jasmine Worth for displaying her fine art and handiwork alongside me at the UN*IT*Y fundraiser show at The Flame on Saturday. It was a very full attendance event (over 400 people) and it got so HOT in there that someone's hair even caught on fire! (I know this is true, because we smelled the burning!) Art for a good cause!

Here are some pics of the two of us and our table on the main stage. The mirorred curtains kinda reminded me of a 70's themed Carrie-esque prom, but hey, that's just the way my horror-movie-reference-laden brain works.





The table view in part.. (My wares are to the left-hand side of the pic - Jasmine's to the right and in the pic below.)



A close-up shot of Jasmine's fantastic Art and handmade items on display...some currently availiable at her etsy store by the way. Her prints are amazing, and the necklaces truly unique and well-crafted. I also suggest one of the hand-held pocket mirrors featuring her art for the practical gal-on-the-go. (I simply adore mine!)



A special thanks to my Performance Artist pal Helaine and Martha from JUNC for stopping by to show their support of the local arts scene and donate to the benefit as well. Their presence and support was much appreciated.



I can't say thanks enough to each of you for coming out.

xoxo,

K~

UN*IT*Y ART SHOW & FUNDRAISER

I am pleased to announce that Jasmine Worth and I will be showing at the 1 year Anniversary Party and UN*IT*Y ART SHOW. This a live event with several local artists and vendors displaying their finery for sale. Stop by the table and say hello.



WHEN: SATURDAY FEBRUARY 20th, 2010
WHERE: @ The FLAME in San Diego.
TIME: 9PM - 2AM

Performing:
*RHYTHM AND THE METHOD
*LOVE COMPANY FASHION SHOW
*Resident DJ Dirty Kurty
*Plus - SVEDKA Vodka Hosted Bar !!

The UN*IT*Y fundraiser party for MaMa's Kitchen will include live Music, Art for sale, raffles, and a Fashion Show too.The event is sponsored by In2UEvents and the ticket Price is $10* - with proceeds from Artist tables and the door to benefit Ma Ma's Kitchen. Also, Mama's Pantry Food Bins will be available to collect canned or dry goods. *BRING IN 2 CANNED FOOD ITEMS and get 1/2 off the price of admission!

SVEDKA HOSTED BAR - 9-10pm.-seriously FREE for 1 HR!!

I think it's a great way to spend your Saturday night out. And while not only supporting a good cause, you can also enjoy a sampling of fantastic local art and music all under the same roof.

Hope to see you there,
K~

Mantis for a friend.

A couple days into the start of August I made
"White Mantis with Orchids" as a THANK YOU gift for my very talented pal Dr. Ann. The Kanji script within, to the best of my research translates to "healer" - or more specifically, referring to the physician's use of hands in the healing process, etc. It is said to be an honourable gesture to bestow this script to one who practices the healing arts or is a medical professional. And I highly recommend her services to all. You can view her website and even sign up for her email list/newsletter by visiting her Healing Orchid site.

This little one is taking a journey by air (via USPS) to her shortly so I hope the trip is smooth. I always worry quite a bit when I send something of mine like this out in the hands of the US mail. After the P.O. visit, I plan to camp out at the coffee shop and do a little sketching - anything outside of the noisy atmosphere created by my immediate neighbors will suffice. Besides, I awoke with the feeling that a productive day is about to begin - damned if I'll let anything stop that from being a reality.


K~

Completion of a labor of love.

Much magic went on during the last few weeks for me on a personal level and I poured the hand detail into this one while the events were unfolding. It was wonderful to have this as a sort of release or record of that experience. This is the BIOFORCE character illustration. (She's Hanna the Team healer and shape shifter from Joe Graham's Omni Universe) Joe is a writer and came up with a great contest for Artists to illustrate his characters. He always encourages Writers and Artists to network and connect.  Check it all out and ADD  him  here to view the entries and vote later on MAY 1st.

I could have done a bit better on the hands and the hawk but my own hands were running out of strength between breaks and I wanted to be fair and meet the deadline. That said, unless I wanted to spend my nights sleeping in my brace all week I took breaks instead of overdoing it and working straight through . My time was running short for the deadline and the animals bore the brunt of that visually. The night I was to submit, the scanner decided to act up on me, which sucked, as meeting the submission day was imperative to the process for me. That was the only bummer or stress really. It was actually so much fun to create her image visually and there is always great group networking on his page. (nudge -nudge- wink-wink- add him.)

If you like what you see, the specs for the teenage character are in Joe's blog under bioforce contest and on his Wikipedia entry for OMNI.

xoxo 

K~