Archive for the ‘top articles’ Category
Roller derby is sweeping the country by storm and derby counterculture is in turn ballooning, creating an entire empire centered upon strong, sexy women. Armed with clever names and flashy outfits, these tough all-girl squads are kicking some serious butt.
Culture Vixen’s Gayle Wheatley tracked down Sandra Frame, storyboard and animation artist by day, who moonlights as the mighty Tara Armov of the LA Derby Dolls by night. In an exclusive in-depth interview, Tara shares insight into her two passions: skating and art.
Gayle Wheatley (GW): Which came first, art or roller derby, and how did you get your start in each? Which of these two passions is closer to your heart?
Tara Armov (TA): The art definitely came first! I’ve drawn for the majority of my life. Derby came along about seven years ago.
It’s hard to say which is closer to my heart as both have had a profound effect on me in different ways but sometimes over the same issues. Being insecure yet able to express myself through either art or derby are reoccurring thoughts and feelings in my life.
GW: What inspires you as an artist? How has roller derby played a part in your art?
TA: I think both art and derby let me express emotions and feelings that I can’t do any other way. I find inspiration in vibrant colors and dynamic compositions in art, usually figurative in one form or another. Derby just boosts what I already get inspired by to begin with.
: : : CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL INTERVIEW : : :
Conflict Kitchen is a restaurant in Pittsburgh that only serves food from countries the US is in conflict with. Started as a special project by John Peña, Jon Rubin, and Dawn Weleski, Conflict Kitchen serves take-out style food, and the entire restaurant identity changes every four months to highlight a new country. The first iteration of the project, Kubideh Kitchen, dishes up Iranian cuisine. For just $5, you can try a kubideh sandwich, a national dish in Iran consisting of spiced ground beef wrapped in homemade barbari bread with basil, mint, and onion. All this comes packaged in a custom wrapper with interviews from Iranians on a variety of subjects ranging from poetry to politics.
Celebrating Scandinavian Design in the Pacific Northwest
How do you make a splash in a city that oozes culture? Try playing Scandinavian design elements off Pacific Northwest ambiance utilizing two elements central to Seattle’s core: wood and water. What do you get? Iconic fish tanks filled with neon tetras and guest rooms accented in cobalt blues. A contemporary lobby outfitted in sleek, minimalist furniture that includes tangerine Arne Jacobsen chairs, natural wood tables, and high ceilings that show off floor to ceiling wood bookshelves and hanging twin lanterns. Add to the mix alpaca headboards, retro clocks, and FACE Stockholm bath products in all the guest rooms, then top it all off with an avant-garde celebrity chef restaurant that’s turning heads—and you know you’ve arrived at Hotel Andra.
Wild Yam Dreaming
I was absolutely awe-struck by the beautiful interplay of colors and sophisticated simplicity of brushwork in this amazing painting by Emily Kame Kngwarreye. One of the most prominent contemporary Australian aboriginal artists of all time, Emily started out working with batik and only got into painting much later in life when she was nearly 80 years old. Breaking from the predominant Aboriginal painting style of the time, her style changed several times over a short time span as she experimented with lines, dots, brushes, and color in new ways, paving her own unique path.
“Through this painting, we are transported to the center of Australia, to a flat, windswept settlement where outsiders might see only an expanse of red dirt. Our guide is an eighty-five-year-old woman whose eyes are full of observations and who has years of experience painting bodies for ceremonies. Emily Kame Kngwarreye discovered the lush fluidity of acrylics in 1988, launching her extraordinarily prolific career that is full of bravado in handling paint.” —Seattle Museum of Art
Photo by Gayle Wheatley
Looking for ideas to celebrate Halloween? New this year to Disneyland park’s Halloween Time celebration in Southern California is Mickey’s Halloween Party, a special event going on every Tuesday and Friday evening in October leading up to Halloween. Here are the highlights:
Costumed Fun
This is your chance to break out the halloween costumes! You’re sure to see plenty of amazing Halloween outfits as you wander between rides. There’s even a costume parade at the end of the night filled with innovative ensembles, favorite characters, and a sampling of hand-picked costumed partygoers. (Your very own Culture Vixen editors were randomly selected!)
Trick-or-Treating for All Ages
Best yet, each guest receives a trick-or-treat bag upon entry to fill up at various trick-or-treat stations spread out around the park throughout the night. Guests are treated to unlimited candy, and the normal rules don’t apply here—there are no age restrictions and everyone is perfectly welcome to trick or treat, no matter your age! Where else but Disneyland would this be possible?
Spooky Fireworks
Disneyland’s fireworks extravaganzas are known for their sophisticated pyrotechnics, and Mickey’s Halloween Party is no exception. The special Halloween Screams fireworks spectacular features Disney villains with flashy individually spinning pinwheel fireworks and sky crawling blasts of sparkles.
Extra Breathing Room
Perhaps the best part of this event is the crowds—or lack of them. There’s nothing like the exhilarating experience of hopping on and off rides with little or no wait time! (Dependent of course on the night you attend.)
READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT SUITE101 TO GET THE INSIDE SCOOP
Rune Guneriussen is a talented Norwegian artist who produces incredible installations composed of man-made objects placed outdoors all across Norway. Isolated in nature, most of Rune’s work is presented through photography, although he recently created a live installation for the Nuit Blanche nighttime art festival which took place in Paris last year. Rune’s photographs of decorative lamps softly illuminating isolated snow-blanketed landscapes are absolutely stunning. They evoke a feeling of serene silence and contemplation while casting a magical, storybook ambiance.
“As an artist he believes strongly that art itself should be questioning and bewildering as opposed to patronizing and restricting. As opposed to the current fashion he does not want to dictate a way to the understanding of his art, but rather indicate a path to understanding a story.”
—from runeguneriussen.no
[ via runeguneriussen.no ]
No trip to Iceland is complete without sampling one of Iceland’s most unusual culinary delicacies: hákarl (putrefied shark), washed down with a glass of Iceland’s signature firewater, Brennivín.
Hákarl is perhaps Iceland’s most infamous traditional delicacy. This eye-popping blast to the palate will drive tears to your eyes, and likely cause your gag reflex to flare up at first bite. Most commonly served with toothpicks as bite-sized cubes resembling cheese, these harmless looking babies reveal no hint of the overpowering aroma that awaits adventurous foodies.
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They Draw and Cook is a blog featuring inspired illustrated recipes and food art. Cooked up by professional illustrators Nate Padavick and Salli Swindell, the idea blossomed while the two were on a family vacation and Nate threw together a pasta dish based on a meal he once had in Berlin. Said dish included figs. Salli bought the figs. She began painting them. Food fused with art. From there the pair set out to create an illustrated recipe book, which also became a blog featuring yummy artwork by talented artists all around the world. A new delicious post is added daily and there’s now a separate Kids Draw and Cook blog for aspiring food lovin’ artists 16 and under. Bon Appétit!
[ via theydrawandcook.com ]
Matthew Sporzynski is a talented paper-craft artist whose imaginative creations have graced many a cover and interior page of Real Simple magazine. Matthew gracefully transforms a 2-dimensional medium into living 3-dimensional space through his flawless portrayal of food, fashion, travel, and lifestyle concepts. His art is cheerful, colorful, and often positively delicious—he makes his paper foods look so tempting! You know you’ve got something special when you can construct a paper ice cream cone so that it drips, or make paper curtains sway in the wind. Plus, his paper clouds, waves, bubbles, and chocolates are simply breathtaking as well!
[ via Matthew Sporzynski for Real Simple Magazine ]
Okay, I’m not usually one to talk about time spent in the bathroom. However, I just have to make an exception for the über-luxe guest bathrooms at the St. Regis hotel in Beijing. Alright, I’m not actually just talking about the bathrooms, although the designer bath and body products, fresh flowers, and flat screen television in the mirror are certainly nice. What I’m really dying to tell you about is the toilet!
