Graffiti Day

Mr. Smiley :) Put on a happy face! ♡

It's almost Friday! (Thank goodness.) We've been busy with several upcoming projects that I can't wait to share with you guys! I really haven't had the time to go and check out the new graffiti and street art in my neighborhood lately. I enjoy these city walkabouts, very much so, with my pooch, MaQ. We've been at this for a couple of years, running around the city and him posing in front of some seriously talented and amazing art! But this morning I had a little extra time so off we went! You can check out MaQ's Instagram feed for tons of New York City graffiti, videos and more! As you can see, he takes pride in his modeling work. It's tough being a stud muffin! :)

The first art piece MaQ posed with is Zukie's Art and these adorable lil' critters. According to the artist, "Zukies are mysterious creatures that do not talk. They communicate with thought bubbles and facial expressions. Zukies intend to generate emotions through their visual thoughts and that is how they create an emotional bond with us." - Miss Zukie

Bullseye! ◎

Happy Happy, Thank God it's almost Friday! Let's dance!

I can't seem to find the artist who did the mural with the bullseye in the background. If anyone by any chance knows, please get a hold of me! I always leave credit where credit is due. It drives me nuts when I can't find something I'm looking for! Can anyone else relate to this? :P

The photo to the left is me in front of Steve Zolin's mural. His graphic art is just simply amazing! It reminded me of Diego Rivera's work at the Detroit Institute of Arts. There's so much life and color in Mr. Zolin's piece even though when I look at the mural as a whole, it's very industrial-inspired. Lots of blue and purple tones, as if it's being vivacious with feelings of melancholy simultaneously.

Centre-fuge Public Art Project with Hissxx's kitty cats & MaQ!

Yay! Hiss Art has made yet another appearance at the well-known trailer that displays graffiti from different artists with the Centre-fuge Public Art Project. We photographed some of his older work as well a few months back on this graffiti blog post. Funny random fact about MaQ: he despises cats! When he was only an itty bitty puppy (a stocky 18-pounder at 10 weeks!) one of our friend's cat's scratched his nose in retaliation of MaQ trespassing onto his 'territory'. Poor bub, ever since then, the two don't mix. They're like oil and vinegar. You should see us with a New York City bodega cat. They really startle us when they're outside of the stores sometimes. Perhaps someone wants to play peek-a-boo and the other doesn't? Ha ha!

I'm with Batman, not Robin. ;) Graffiti by: Ramiro-Davaro Comas

Isn't this Batman & Robin piece so dope? I believe MaQ secretly thinks he's Batman. Eh, who am I kidding, I think everyone secretly WANTS to be Batman. Heck, I wish I was, don't you? :) Batman is my ultimate favorite superhero. Everything about him is just so bad-ass and the toys that he's got? Talk about cool. The artist behind this stunner is Ramiro-Davaro Comas and I can't wait to see what he'll do next! I'd love to see an artist do a mural of X-Men characters. I would be totally geeked up about it!

Look at me! Graffiti by: Billy the Artist

Lastly, I have Billy the Artist's new art up on E. 6th Street. (Between 1st and 2nd Ave.) We also covered a mural of his back in September in this blog post, see for yourself; he's all sorts of awesome! Thanks for stopping by! We hope you had fun looking through our batch of graffiti photos! Until next time... have a spectacular, vibrant day! ♥♥♥

PS Don't forget to check out MaQ's IG Page down below! :)

Love & xx's,

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Dreamy Visions of Couture

TGIF! Last night I had the pleasure of attending the opening reception of Cathleen Naundorf's exhibition here in New York at the Edwynn Houk Gallery. And wowzers! What an absolutely delightful evening filled with exquisite designer haute couture in fashion photography! Let me tell you more about the artist!

Opening reception with Cathleen Naundorf's photographs at Edwynn Houk Gallery.

Born in the small German town, Weisenfels, in 1968, Cathleen Naundorf began working as a photojournalist in the early 90's and photographed various groups around the world including the Yanomami in Amazonia, the Mongols and Kazakhstanis in the Altai Mountains, and the shamans in Yakutia, Sibiria. Her friendship with photographer Horst P. Horst, quickly grew her to be inspired by fashion photography.

"L'armore, 1", Valentino haute couture 1992 au château de Wideville © Cathleen Naundorf

In 1997 she began photographing backstage at Paris fashion shows for Condé Nast, and in 2000 she began working with her trademark polaroid and large format cameras. Her Polaroid photography resonates with magical, enchanting dream-like fantasies, and Naundorf's distinctive technique is not only inspired by her mentor Horst, but the images are so atmospheric, they present a surrealist world rich with intrigue that suggest a romantic aesthetic of a forgotten age. Paired with instant film's hazy saturation and the actual amount of time and effort that goes into making a couture garment, makes her images extremely fitting and quite unique.

Cathleen Naundorf, Valentino en Rose, Valentino – Haute Couture Winter 2007 - N°59, 2007, Gelatin silver print, 24 x 20 inches (60 x 50 cm)

Photographing the intricate haute-couture designs of fashion houses such as Dior, Elie Saab, Philip Treacy, and Valentino, clearly and continually reference an esteem for the antique and handmade. Plus the ethereal effect from the way Naundorf manipulates the inherent textures and color variations enhance everything in her prints. Just pure elegance, style and quality.

Cathleen Naundorf, An Ordinary Day, Valentino - Haute Couture Summer 2008 - N°20, 2008, Chromogenic print from original polaroid, 24 x 20 inches (60 x 50 cm)

From 2005 to 2011, she did the epic series Un rêve de mode for which the artist gained unprecedented access in the previously mentioned fashion houses. In 2012 Prestel published the series in the limited edition monograph, Haute Couture: The Polaroids of Cathleen Naundorf.

L to R: Gilles Decamps, Suzanne Spiegoski, Cathleen Naundorf, & M. Brendon MacInnis from in the Art world.

In the past five years, Naundorf has worked privately with Mr. Valentino Garavani on several projects including An Italian Story and the photo-documentation of Mr. Garavani’s collaboration with the New York City Ballet. Her work is consistently featured on the pages of Harper’s Bazaar and Condé Nast publications. She currently lives and works in London and Paris.

With the amazingly talented fashion photographer, Cathleen Naundorf at Edwynn Houk Gallery, New York City, NY.

Here are a few of my faves from the exhibition. Selected photographs by Cathleen Naundorf from the Haute Couture series will be exhibited at the Edwynn Houk Gallery from January 14th to February 27th, 2016.

L’arche de Noé XVIII, Dior haute couture summer 2012, 2012 © Cathleen Naundorf

Les liaisons dangereuses - The wedding meal, Dior Joaillerie, 2010 © Cathleen Naundorf

L'arche de Noé VIII, Dior/Philip Treacy, haute couture summer 2012, 2012 © Cathleen Naundorf

Love & xx's,