my favorite color and now another favorite pair!
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Earring Cards
I haven't been able to make any jewelry pieces so far this week, but I'm happy to say I've been doing other things. Monday, after thinking about it real hard, i decided to make my own Earring cards to support my pieces.
I got some chip board (for free) cut to size and drilled at Kinkos. Then I drove over to Michaels and bought one stamp, and two dye pads. At home, I dry brushed some white acrylic paint unto the board, stamped it, then vuala! I'm happy with the results!
Everything cost me about $10 for over 1,000, done it myself and proud, earring cards!
I got some chip board (for free) cut to size and drilled at Kinkos. Then I drove over to Michaels and bought one stamp, and two dye pads. At home, I dry brushed some white acrylic paint unto the board, stamped it, then vuala! I'm happy with the results!
Everything cost me about $10 for over 1,000, done it myself and proud, earring cards!
Friday, May 11, 2007
Thursday, May 10, 2007
ME
Music by: Baaba Maal
I made this piece using photos of myself (taken almost sequentially), plus vector images (including my hand written declarations about myself)
I made this piece using photos of myself (taken almost sequentially), plus vector images (including my hand written declarations about myself)
City of God ! (I need you to know how good this movie is)
After studying architecture, and graphic design, I came upon a movie that change my life and made me fall in love with film making. The movie was City of God. The best movie ever made! After watching this movie I declared that I have to learn Portuguese and I have to go to Brazil. Today, about 2 or 3 years later, I have studied Portuguese and have been to Brazil. I just need to meet Fernando Meirelles, the director of the said movie. Anyhoo… the following written piece explains how I felt after watching this movie. (I'm no writer so ...)
Title: I Heard Knives and I was Hooked
I heard knives sharpening against stones. Saw these knives shred the skin of carrots, slice green limes into halves and then effortlessly removed the head of a chicken. Its headless body, dipped into a steaming pot of water, de-feathered, organs removed and its pink flesh rubbed with green leaves and salts, all in preparation for an exotic meal. Hovering over the sounds of the knives and the desperate clucks of nearby chickens, bounded by rope and waiting in line for their boiling fate, I heard the strings of a banjo. Then the faint but growing hum of a cuica, next the feverish shakes of a pandeiro, the shimmering threads of a ganza, and the beat of an atabaque and crisp reco-reco drums blended with the chorus of friends and neighbors singing in Brazilian Portuguese. There were other sounds too, sounds that could be considered distracting but made the atmosphere unique and real. They were the sounds of gunshots, the siren of a police car in the distance, a barking dog, the chopping sound of knives striking wood, knives crushing limes in glasses, and glasses clinging against concrete floors, the strike of a match and the hum of inaudible chatter and laughter around. They were the sounds of a favela.
On the flat concrete roof, another chicken was killed; its dark blood poured into ceramic white a plate. Its black and white feathers flew into the air and landed, near empty used glasses that glistened in the sun. Among these abandoned glasses stood their coffee and honey toned masters, men and women, teenagers and children in tattered but clean clothes of reds, rusts, grays and blues. The women preparing a feast, wiped sweat from their brows. Young boys, acting like men, drank rum from small glasses, while the men played their instruments and girls moved their feet, ready to dance.
I felt like I was apart of their world. I imagined my self sitting amongst them surrounded by dirt stained, blood stained, unsuccessfully graffitied concrete walls. I felt the heat of the sun on my back and saw the glare of its rays upon young dancers moving instinctively to the music. Even the sun had to peak in on them and admire their fiesta. Poor but happy was the theme.
“Lh a galinha fugiu!” comes the shout from one of the boys.
The music stopped and was replaced by the sounds of wooden chairs moving, slippered feet dragging, running, and slapping the concrete floor. A chicken escaped. It flew off the roof and ran down an alley headed for the streets. In pursuit, young boys, with their guns in hand ran through alleyways, shooting the shadow of the evading fowl, shouting in chant to Pedestrians walking by, “Pega a galinha!” ‘Catch the chicken!’ . It’s a chase that emits another theme of life in the favelas: “if you run away, they get you and if you stay they get you too”.
The shouts and the chase push me against the cushion of my seat. I am not there in Rio. I’m not there on the roof tops of the favela houses. I cannot feel the sun, I cannot join in the chorus, or dance or speak without hesitation the language of these people. I am at home recovering from a sever dose of hypnosis. A story told too well.
It was the cinematography of every scene, the music and the sounds of the language had placed me into a world I did not want to leave. I was hooked. The movie had only just started and I thought I was apart of it. Experiencing their world, in dark hues of blues, greens, rust, browns and concrete grays. Experiencing the pulsing passion, and the sweat of such a life. Experiencing it on the strings of a banjo and on the beat of drums that moved my feet to join, only to realize I am spectator, an audience member reading the subtitles, and wishing, if only for a while , if only for real , I could be in “Cidade de Deus”.
*** Quotes taken from the Movie Cidade De Deus
Heres the trailer:
Title: I Heard Knives and I was Hooked
I heard knives sharpening against stones. Saw these knives shred the skin of carrots, slice green limes into halves and then effortlessly removed the head of a chicken. Its headless body, dipped into a steaming pot of water, de-feathered, organs removed and its pink flesh rubbed with green leaves and salts, all in preparation for an exotic meal. Hovering over the sounds of the knives and the desperate clucks of nearby chickens, bounded by rope and waiting in line for their boiling fate, I heard the strings of a banjo. Then the faint but growing hum of a cuica, next the feverish shakes of a pandeiro, the shimmering threads of a ganza, and the beat of an atabaque and crisp reco-reco drums blended with the chorus of friends and neighbors singing in Brazilian Portuguese. There were other sounds too, sounds that could be considered distracting but made the atmosphere unique and real. They were the sounds of gunshots, the siren of a police car in the distance, a barking dog, the chopping sound of knives striking wood, knives crushing limes in glasses, and glasses clinging against concrete floors, the strike of a match and the hum of inaudible chatter and laughter around. They were the sounds of a favela.
On the flat concrete roof, another chicken was killed; its dark blood poured into ceramic white a plate. Its black and white feathers flew into the air and landed, near empty used glasses that glistened in the sun. Among these abandoned glasses stood their coffee and honey toned masters, men and women, teenagers and children in tattered but clean clothes of reds, rusts, grays and blues. The women preparing a feast, wiped sweat from their brows. Young boys, acting like men, drank rum from small glasses, while the men played their instruments and girls moved their feet, ready to dance.
I felt like I was apart of their world. I imagined my self sitting amongst them surrounded by dirt stained, blood stained, unsuccessfully graffitied concrete walls. I felt the heat of the sun on my back and saw the glare of its rays upon young dancers moving instinctively to the music. Even the sun had to peak in on them and admire their fiesta. Poor but happy was the theme.
“Lh a galinha fugiu!” comes the shout from one of the boys.
The music stopped and was replaced by the sounds of wooden chairs moving, slippered feet dragging, running, and slapping the concrete floor. A chicken escaped. It flew off the roof and ran down an alley headed for the streets. In pursuit, young boys, with their guns in hand ran through alleyways, shooting the shadow of the evading fowl, shouting in chant to Pedestrians walking by, “Pega a galinha!” ‘Catch the chicken!’ . It’s a chase that emits another theme of life in the favelas: “if you run away, they get you and if you stay they get you too”.
The shouts and the chase push me against the cushion of my seat. I am not there in Rio. I’m not there on the roof tops of the favela houses. I cannot feel the sun, I cannot join in the chorus, or dance or speak without hesitation the language of these people. I am at home recovering from a sever dose of hypnosis. A story told too well.
It was the cinematography of every scene, the music and the sounds of the language had placed me into a world I did not want to leave. I was hooked. The movie had only just started and I thought I was apart of it. Experiencing their world, in dark hues of blues, greens, rust, browns and concrete grays. Experiencing the pulsing passion, and the sweat of such a life. Experiencing it on the strings of a banjo and on the beat of drums that moved my feet to join, only to realize I am spectator, an audience member reading the subtitles, and wishing, if only for a while , if only for real , I could be in “Cidade de Deus”.
*** Quotes taken from the Movie Cidade De Deus
Heres the trailer:
Eu, Tu, Eles
Another video from my old portfolio I'd like to share! Its a tribute to a truly good movie i watched once! Eu, Tu, Eles - Me, You, Them
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
cholitos chain
cholito doll necklace made around 2am this morning.
for sale at www.theartleemakes.etsy.com
Another video back in the day!
MTV promo video....my first creation in after effects. My brother Jason is it too!
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Kelly 's Never Again
My new favourite song!
Sing Along:
Kelly Clarkson Never Again Lyrics
I hope the ring you gave to her
Turns her finger green
I hope when you’re in bed with her
you think of me
I would never wish bad things
But I don’t wish you well
Could you tell
By the flames that burned your words
I never read your letter
Cause I knew what you’d say
Give me that Sunday school answer
Try make it all okay
Does it hurt
To know I'll never be there
bet it sucks
to see my face everywhere
It was you
Who chose to end it like you did
I was the last to know
you knew
exactly what you would do
Don’t say
You simply lost your way
She may believe you
But I never will
Never again
If she really knows the truth
She deserves you
A trophy wife Oh, how cute
Ignorance is bliss
But when your day comes
And he’s through with you
And he’ll be through with you
You’ll die together, but alone
You wrote me in a letter
You couldn’t say it right to my face
Well, give me that Sunday school answer
Repent yourself away
Does it hurt
To know I'll never be there
bet it sucks to see my face everywhere
It was you
Who chose to end it like you did
I was the last to know
you knew
exactly what you would do
Don't say
You simply lost your way
They may believe you
But I never will
Never again
Never again will I hear you
Never again will I miss you
Never again will I fall to you
Never
Never again will I kiss you
Never again will I want to
Never again will I love you
Never!
Does it hurt
To know I'll never be there
Bet it sucks
To see my face everywhere
It was you
Who chose to end it like you did
I was the last to know
you knew
exactly what you would do
Don’t say
You simply lost your way
They may believe you
But I never will
I Never Will
I never will
Never again
Sing Along:
Kelly Clarkson Never Again Lyrics
I hope the ring you gave to her
Turns her finger green
I hope when you’re in bed with her
you think of me
I would never wish bad things
But I don’t wish you well
Could you tell
By the flames that burned your words
I never read your letter
Cause I knew what you’d say
Give me that Sunday school answer
Try make it all okay
Does it hurt
To know I'll never be there
bet it sucks
to see my face everywhere
It was you
Who chose to end it like you did
I was the last to know
you knew
exactly what you would do
Don’t say
You simply lost your way
She may believe you
But I never will
Never again
If she really knows the truth
She deserves you
A trophy wife Oh, how cute
Ignorance is bliss
But when your day comes
And he’s through with you
And he’ll be through with you
You’ll die together, but alone
You wrote me in a letter
You couldn’t say it right to my face
Well, give me that Sunday school answer
Repent yourself away
Does it hurt
To know I'll never be there
bet it sucks to see my face everywhere
It was you
Who chose to end it like you did
I was the last to know
you knew
exactly what you would do
Don't say
You simply lost your way
They may believe you
But I never will
Never again
Never again will I hear you
Never again will I miss you
Never again will I fall to you
Never
Never again will I kiss you
Never again will I want to
Never again will I love you
Never!
Does it hurt
To know I'll never be there
Bet it sucks
To see my face everywhere
It was you
Who chose to end it like you did
I was the last to know
you knew
exactly what you would do
Don’t say
You simply lost your way
They may believe you
But I never will
I Never Will
I never will
Never again
Trying Out You Tube
A video i did a couple years ago for school highlighting the Jamaican group Toots & the Maytals. Really Basic stuff but you know.....i need to find time and get back into this!
Its so easy being green!
After a day filled with errands I come home and create more earrings! My newest pair that can be twisted around and to show the textured design on one side and a smooth one color surface on the other. Some times i fall in love with these earrings, I wish i could have them all!
This is my only pair! You can get them at my store www.theartleemakes.etsy.com
see more pics here!
After a day filled with errands I come home and create more earrings! My newest pair that can be twisted around and to show the textured design on one side and a smooth one color surface on the other. Some times i fall in love with these earrings, I wish i could have them all!
This is my only pair! You can get them at my store www.theartleemakes.etsy.com
see more pics here!
feather earrings sold !
ust minutes after posting and making this pair has already been sold! Im a proud mama :)
will be making similar ones soon!
www.theartleemakes.etsy.com
Monday, May 07, 2007
Sunday, May 06, 2007
Straight from Peru!
Here my newest additions to my jewelry store and line. Alpaca thread earrings!
I'll be adding different thread earrings of various shapes and designs soon. So look out for them at www.theartleemakes.etsy.com!
Here my newest additions to my jewelry store and line. Alpaca thread earrings!
I'll be adding different thread earrings of various shapes and designs soon. So look out for them at www.theartleemakes.etsy.com!
Thursday, May 03, 2007
Heres an article i found talking about an issue dear to me, social inequality in brazil. Very interesting, original article can be found here via
. I have posted this article, not trying to criticize another persons culture or country just higlighting a reality in one mans country that may also exist in places we refuse to believe that it could exist. The “Myth” of Racial Democracy in Brazil
Diego Toledo from São Paulo
Text sent to the group list Rede do 3° Setor in 11/18/2005
http://br.groups.yahoo.com/group/3setor
The United Nations has attacked the “myth” of racial democracy in Brazil. A report on human development in Brazil that the UN disclosed this Friday, gathering a series of social and economic indicators on the country, concluded that Afro-Brazilians as a group are at the bottom of the heap.
The report shows that inequality occurs in areas such as income, health and education. Besides this, the study makes comparisons to show that the situation has not changed in recent decades.
“The data only corroborate what the eyes of any observer can see: the higher up the hierarchies of power, the whiter Brazilian society becomes,” says the report from the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).
The study shows, for example, that the average monthly income Black Brazilians in 2000 was R$ 162.75, less than half the R$ 341.71 (in today’s values) Whites gained in 1980. Since then the gap between Blacks and Whites has hardly budged. The study states that 64.1% of poor Brazilians are Negroes and that the unemployment rate for Blacks was on average 23% higher than for Whites between 1992 and 2003.
The entity’s report says that Brazilian racial democracy is a myth” and supports a joint action of the government and society to fight racism in the country. The study adds that affirmative actions, including quotas, are necessary in Brazil because women, Blacks and indigenous peoples have been left “at a centuries-long disadvantage by Brazilian society.”
“Universal policies are and will always be indispensable. Treating the disadvantaged equally, however, can aggravate inequality instead of reducing it,” the report affirms.
Human development
The UNDP study uses the indicators to reveal another aspect of disparity between Whites and Blacks in Brazil. In 2002, Brazil was ranked in 73rd place in the UN’s Human Development Index (HDI). But the study calculates that if Whites and Blacks were divided into two countries, the ranking between them would be 61 positions.
The report says ‘White Brazil’ would be in 44th place in the ranking, alongside countries like Costa Rica and ahead of Croatia, for example. In contrast, ‘Black Brazil’, with the same index as would be in 105th place, with the same index as El Salvador and behind countries such as Paraguay.
The study also affirms that the racial inequalities combine with regional ones. A group formed only of Whites from the Southeast would rank 37th, with an index similar to Poland’s, while one of Northeastern Blacks would be in 115th place, indicating living conditions similar to Bolivia’s.
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
Public Display of Affection
and I just dont care, I love it!
Today's the first time i"m getting to see this video......John Legend "PDA (We Just Dont Care)" and i love it. Of course i love it because it was shot in brazil and i can sit and say "ive been there, thats Lapa!" as if anyone listening truly cares. But i also love it because its romantic, shot really well and John Legend can truly sing. Just hit play!
and I just dont care, I love it!
Today's the first time i"m getting to see this video......John Legend "PDA (We Just Dont Care)" and i love it. Of course i love it because it was shot in brazil and i can sit and say "ive been there, thats Lapa!" as if anyone listening truly cares. But i also love it because its romantic, shot really well and John Legend can truly sing. Just hit play!
I am Jackson Pollack day!
Heres a really cool site where you can be Jackson pollack for a minute creating your own master peice using your mouse. I call this piece "spring"...
and this one "flowering through" like it? I know i have too much time on my hands but check out the site http://www.jacksonpollock.org
Heres a really cool site where you can be Jackson pollack for a minute creating your own master peice using your mouse. I call this piece "spring"...
and this one "flowering through" like it? I know i have too much time on my hands but check out the site http://www.jacksonpollock.org
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