Tann Starr Sketchbook Chronicles: Angelina Jolie Portraits

Today we start the mixed media paintings of one of my fave people, Angelina Jolie. Previously, I sketched a few graphites and inked a couple of pages trying to figure out what type of expression I'd like to capture for AJ's portrait. I spent the entire day on lock-down having another Angelina Jolie movie marathon while my neighbors were kind enough to feed me (Nydia does that a lot when I start obsessing over my drawings - LOL).

We're going to start another digital film for the mixed media paintings and do a bit of time lapse photography so you can see the next three Angelina's being created. I promised I'd let you guys see what I do when I play in my paint so stay tuned for a sneak peek at what's coming to the summer salon at Ward Nasse.

This YouTube gives you a brief behind the scenes peek at creating one of the sketches selected for the Women In Art 2011 Exhibition. We're still framing pages from my sketchbooks so I may be swapping out a couple of pieces during the interim of the exhibit because I'm having a bit of fun meeting new people who love Angelina's work and I thank you all for the kind e-mails. ;-)  

Ward Nasse Gallery: Women In Art 2011 Exhibition (Rain Party Saturday March 5th)

International Curator: Leda Maria: E-mail: ledaarte@gmail.com

Ward Nasse Gallery

178 Prince Street New York NY (212) 925 - 6951

Opening Reception: March 5th 7 to 10 PM

Remember this conversation, the one where I got my hiney handed to me? Being fussed at inspired me to pick up the phone and call my art representatives. Guess what? The curator approved adding some of the pages from my sketchbook to the show. I stated the other day that I might give one of my Angelina Jolie portraits to the gallery based on a request from a fan who has been hounding me about being mad stingy with the Angelina eye candy.

Your wish is my command...

Being one of those Brazen Careerist converts who is totally into taking the business advice of Penelope Trunk, I dropped an AJ portrait off last night so they could make an informed decision regarding the caliber of my latest creations. I'll be bringing five more mystery selections later this evening (yes, it's true - no one knows exactly what's in store for them until I get there - LOL).

I bet you'd love to see the digital film on them. I confess to hoarding the eye candy and shall tease you with some of it later because I know everyone can't come on such short notice.

Normally one does not join an exhibit already in progress so I would like to publically thank the curator and gallery owner for not only embracing my art but also for allowing me to throw a Rain Party at the reception with my friends. I have some lovely portraits to share with you so stay tuned for the YouTubes later this evening. I promise you will not be disappointed. My friends are picking over them and I'll have the finalists by lunch time.  

Come hang out with a bunch of international and American artists. Besides the fact that we're mad fun, you may actually make a new creative friend who can cover your walls with just about anything that can be imagined. There will be wine... There will be food... There will be me doing a CD signing.

My favorite brick and mortars will be mingling with Rainers so if you want to meet some of your favorite bloggers while discovering cool new works of art this is your free ticket to an Active Rain get together in New York City.

Did I mention that women from nearly every continent will be represented with works in painting, sculpture and photography in celebration of International Women's Day at the Ward-Nasse Gallery in New York City?  

For those of you who don't know what that is, here's a when, where, what and why quote:

When:  Tuesday 8 March 2011
Where: Everywhere
What:   International Women's Day (8 March) is a global day celebrating the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future. In some places like China, Russia, Vietnam and Bulgaria, International Women's Day is a national holiday.
Why:  Suffragettes campaigned for women's right to vote. The word 'Suffragette' is derived from the word "suffrage" meaning the right to vote. International Women's Day honours the work of the Suffragettes, celebrates women's success, and reminds of inequities still to be redressed.   http://www.internationalwomensday.com

The exhibit "Women in Art 2011" is set to run from March 1st to March 31st, 2011

 
Participating artists:

Carolyn Tann-Starr (USA), Andrea Pandolfi (Brazil), Ann Nyberg (USA), Carla Stancati (Brazil), Drica Queiroz (Brazil), Flory Menezes (Brazil), Gabriela Henkel (Mexico), Joanne Savoie (Canada), Leda Maria (Brazil), Lerou ( Canada), Maggie Verón (Argentina), Mahin Noormah (Iran), Michele Bruniera (USA), Negareh Ayat (Iran), Samantha Lu (Taiwan), Suzanna Schlemm (Brazil), Tais Melillo (USA).

 Are you coming?

Come on... I throw cool parties with my friends and how can you not support women celebrating women from all over the world? Seriously... (LOL) ;-)

The Outside Blog Minion Report

Monday, February 23, 2009

Club Chaos Agents     Ward Nasse Gallery     TannStarr.com

A picture is worth a thousand words... but what do you do when you own thousands of photographs? My private collection may be an oxymoron (LOL). Most readers would assume this is a rhetorical question; however, I assure you it is not. When ever I go through the files I always feel as if I am about to have a Dr. Seuss moment for one could get lost playing in there if he or she is not very careful (and the fact of the matter is my friends frequently do).

We are so into eye candy, we can spend an entire day just hunting around for something beautiful to obsess over and capture for later use. I don't know how your friends feel about your photographs, but my friends go wild because I take very interesting pictures and they always want to know how my shots come out "like that" when theirs look so much different. We can talk about focal points, film, digital cameras and lens apertures for hours on end. Do you know why? It's because we are passionate about our photography. Talking about Photoshop is not something the average person in the street would want to hear about, but I do and frequently read text books on the subject. God wired artist differently on purpose, HE stamped our DNA with that extra wire that helps us see the world differently through our mind, will and emotions. We're "gifted." Our left and right side of the brain function very differently. We've got that switch we can flick to channel our creativity.

There are so many ways to define passion. Each definition has an intimate meaning for the person experiencing it, but it's an intangible quantification internalized that one may not always be able to articulate to another person who has no interest or appreciation for the gift set before them.

Every work of art is a gift of expression. If you don't have a meeting of the minds, you will not experience the meeting of the soul. You will risk missing the very quality that makes the work beautiful.

Artist are people who want you to see what they see how they see it, not necessarily how it really is. If realistic in the rendering, then it is the detail and point of view we obsess over, manipulating the colors, textures and contrasts as best we can to share a special moment in time that will never quite ever be exactly the same because time marches on and the moment has passed. The more unique the imagine, the happier we become. That's why I love creating paintings. I start with nothing and turn it into something and people are always amazed at what it is I am able to make them see.   

Part of my passion for creativity is enjoying the reaction of surprise when a patron observes a work of art for the very first time. To transform what people can define into something they can embrace and admire but not articulate makes the effort worth while. When I create a portrait I am trying to catch my subject's personality. I am looking for a quirk or expression that makes them unique and readily identified to anyone who knows what that look means. The ability to read people means one has the ability to recognize when a friend is smiling nicely or giving you a smirk or a secret, sly smile. Why do you think the Mona Lisa is so famous? It's because the artist captured the essence of her smile...

Will I publish my photography and painting collections? Maybe... maybe not. It depends upon the project and I will quite happily confess to being in Copyright Heaven because I have taken a photo, sketched and/or painted just about every category of item, person, cityscape, landscape, seascape, fauna as well as traveled to interesting geographical locations throughout the tri-state area. My sketch books are getting marked up by the two year old, so I think it's time for me to start preparing for another gallery show. I am way overdue and need to move some of this inventory because the little minions have already disposed of 22 paintings while "fixing" them (LOL). I am in the middle of 15 new paintings and I may be giving AR an exclusive sneak peak as I roll along with my projects. After all, a few of my blogging buddies are this years Gallery Guide victims (LMAO). Not everyone is going to be able to fly into New York for the show. :-)

My passion is art and I am always an artist. It colors how I think and everything that I do. It's a lovely gift from God and I think I am so passionate about it because when ever I create something out of nothing I always find myself thinking HE does that... I'm taking after my Daddy in Heaven... What a lovely feeling.  :-)