First Painting Class

After searching for two weeks for an art studio that offered painting classes to fit my schedule, I finally found one. Today was my first class.

When the art teacher finally called me back to discuss classes she mentioned that she taught oils, acrylics and water colors. Being relatively inexperienced I decided on acrylics. She informed that this was a six week class that met Tuesday evenings and since I had missed the first class I would only be charged for five plus an additional fee if I used her supplies, which she advised so in case I changed mediums I wouldn't be stuck with things I may not use. This worked out well for me because art supplies are not cheap and I was unsure about acrylics. My art experience was limited to basic classes in elementary and high school, where the teachers paid little attention to those who did not display much talent. I am the type of person who thrives with one on one teaching. This class seemed like a good fit for me.

Upon arriving to class I was not sure what to expect, seeing as I missed the first class. Everyone else there was much older than me and they had been painting for several years, about eight or so. Like anything this takes practice and patience and I am determined to stick with this. To start with my teacher showed me pictures of nature landscapes in order to explain light, shadow, warm and cool colors. She said that warm and cool colors can coexist due to light and shadow. Then we went over the basics: primary and secondary colors and how the opposites on the color wheel are complimentary. After this she let me know that in her class we mix our own black since black does not occur naturally and she also taught me that black is the absence of color. So for the duration of the class I learned how to use colors to make black. First she had me mix ultramarine blue and burnt sienna. This I found to be hard since it kept coming out muddy. Next I mixed crimson and emerald green, which I found was easier and the black came naturally. Throughout this I discovered that acrylics dry pretty quickly so you can not really dawdle. After class I discussed this with her we decided that my first assignment would be acrylics and if I then decided I did not like, I could switch to oils, which takes longer to dry out.

Sadly next week there is not class. Just as I was getting into it. However, I learned that my first assignment will be drawing pears. This is seen as a right of passage. Luckily for me my mom has some fake pears lying around so I will be getting a jump start on this and will be displaying my progress on here from the start to the finished product.

The Search Begins

Okay so I started looking for art studios that offer classes and I found two so I will be calling them to see which ones offer classes that fit my schedule. I was also informed by a co-worker that some craft stores sell beginner's kits. I am really excited about getting started. Trying new things can be good. Once I get started I will be posting my art on here and on occasion I will be writing short essays on some of my favorite artists. But first to start off here is an article I wrote on a local photographer.


Seeing the World in Black and White
By: Jenn Schurga

While most people would ignore a crack in the road or a garden hose left lying in the front yard, Pamela Connolly finds beauty in everyday little things.
On March 1 Lot 84’s newest exhibit will feature work from local photographer Pamela Landau Connolly. The exhibit is called ‘here + there’ and will be open until June 30. Connolly, who has been a black and white photographer for 30 years, has the ability to transform something as insignificant as a cracked side walk into something beautiful. Her work features the modest beauty in every day life. She was recently awarded 2nd place at the Soho Photo Gallery for “Cracked Path,” which is part of her series of works entitled Archaeology of the Ordinary. “I am interested in how things break down, how they are repaired, and how the layers of each together create something new,” she explains.
While color photography shows off the vibrancy of life, Connolly still prefers to use traditional black and white, “I love the way black and white renders light, shadow, and form. I find that it reveals a certain essence in my subject.” Her interest in pursuing photography began with the purchasing of her first real camera when she was a senior in high school. “My first roll of film was black and white,” Connolly explains, “I went to a local park in my town and photographed these wild little kids playing on the swings and the monkey bars. They played with complete abandon.” Her ability to capture children in their element is astounding as well as her talent for finding beauty in the most unlikely of places such as in cracked pavement. Connolly is able to transform a simple landscape into something much more, as seen in “Inkblot Landscape.”
Aside from being a photographer Connolly has also been a middle school photography teacher for the past ten years. Connolly taught at various institutions such as Northern Westchester Center for the Arts, The Point Community Center in the South Bronx and The Horace Mann School in Riverdale, NY. She credits most of her inspiration from the work of her former students, “Their fresh take on the world never ceases to surprise me.” She has even done some philanthropy work with children affected by Hurricane Katrina. The two day workshop took place in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and was called “Kids with Cameras,” in which Connolly, along with Mark Teiwes, a local photographer, taught them how to use the cameras. The children were then able to go out and take photographs of their environment. Connolly then coordinated an exhibit at Louisiana State University that featured the children’s art.
The owner of lot84, Rossana Fiore, opened up the boutique in August 2007. Fiore formerly owned Vintage Home in Chappaqua, New York. She decided on the name lot84 because she often buys from auctions, where items are listed as a ‘lot’and 84 is in reference to the street address. Fiore’s love of the mixing vintage and modern provides a unique atmosphere which makes this an ideal location for local artists to display their work.

Broken Flowers

Here is the first film review I have ever written. Enjoy!

“Sometimes life brings some strange surprises.”

I went into this movie not really knowing too much about it. But I had a very open mind. I figured well this movie has Bill Murray in it, so let’s give it a try. And let me tell you, I was rather impressed. This movie is about a man named Don Johnston (Murray) who has a series of bad relationships and he has just been dumped by his girlfriend Sherry, who is played by Julie Delpy. He then receives a letter in the mail from an unidentified former love, in a pink envelop written on pink paper with pink ink. The letter states that Don has a 19 year old son who is on a “kind of road trip” looking for him. In reading this it forces Don to reflect on the past. He is encouraged by his friend Winston (Jeffrey Wright), who is a Sherlock Holmes wannabe, to assess his past relationships in order to find out who sent him the letter. Don reluctantly goes on a cross-country trip to visit his four old girlfriends (Sharon Stone, Francis Conroy, Jessica Lange, and Tilda Swinton) and try and find clues as to who is the mother of his supposed son.

The thing that makes Bill Murray such a good actor is his facial expressions. Without even saying a word, you can tell what he is thinking. It’s all about the non verbal. They say that actions speak louder than words, and oh how true it is. If you see someone walking around with there nose up in the air, you are most likely going to say to yourself, “That person either is very confident or they have a great big stick up their ass.” But anyways, getting back to my point, there isn’t much dialog in this movie which is ok because you can tell what the characters are thinking just by how they act and the gestures that they make.

I really enjoyed this movie, everything about it was wonderful. As with anything it had it’s ups and downs, good and bad. Overall it is a very well acted movie.

“The Girl with the Peek-a-boo Bang"

Bette Davis once said that Veronica Lake was, “the most beautiful person who ever came to Hollywood.” Her sultry beauty and her infamous long, wavy platinum blonde hair with her trademark peek-a-boo bang made her an icon of the 1940s and beyond. In the 1940s most Hollywood actresses such as Rita Hayworth and Judy Garland wore their hair short with a permanent and then Veronica Lake came onto the scene with her unprecedented long, wavy hair. The men loved her and women wanted to be her; according to the Internet Movie Database many women lost their hair trying to imitate her platinum blonde color. Also her look was much more modern then most actresses during this time and she could easily star in films today.

Born Constance Frances Marie Ockleman, in 1941 she changed her name to Veronica Lake and created a new femme fatal persona. While she was typically cast as the seductive, vampy woman, such as in the film noir classics This Gun for Hire (1942) she also did some comedy such as Sullivan’s Travels (1941), I Married a Witch (1942) and Hold that Blonde (1945). One of her most memorable performances was her role as “The Girl” in Sullivan’s Travels. Her character was not even given a name which worked for the role since she had such a presence onscreen. When she first appears she is sitting in a diner dressed in very glamorous attire and she offers to buy McCrea, who is working on a social experiment and only has ten cents, ham and eggs. This is arguably the best scene in the movie. Lake delivers each line with such sharp wit, deadpan and cynicism. Also the banter between Lake and McCrea is wonderful. Some of the best lines of the film come from this scene such as, “You know the best thing about buying food for a man, is that you don’t have to laugh at his jokes,” which is ironic since she says this right after lauhing at McCrea’s comment about wanting to give her all she needs. Lake then sarcastically explains why she feels at ease talking to him in a rather straightforward way:

“Just think, if you were some big shot like a casting director or something I'd be staring into your bridgework saying, 'Yes Mr. Smearkase, No Mr. Smearkase, Not Really Mr. Smearkase! Oh Mr. Smearkase, that's my knee!”

This is a great example of dramatic irony, since the audience knows the true identity of McCrea and he is in fact a “big shot.” It was very easy to see why Lake was such a popular actress during this time since you cannot help but fall in love with her. In this role she was able to show audiences that not only could she be a sex symbol but also funny and charming. Even in the scenes where she is dressed up like a young boy she is still gorgeous.

Apart from being breathtakingly beautiful, Lake was also very short; she was barely five feet tall and a platform would often need to be built for her in close-up scenes to make up for the height difference since many of the actors were much taller. But once she began working with Alan Ladd, who was also short, this was no longer an issue. They made four films together (This Gun for Hire, The Blue Dahlia, The Glass Key and Saigon). Rob Winning writes that the pairing of Ladd and Lake was one of the best romantic duos of the ‘40s. Not only were the a hit at the box office but that they also created the style of the vamp and the tough guy paving the way for actors like Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart.

Despite a short-lived career, Lake still has a big influence on Hollywood today. One of the most unforgettable was Kim Basinger’s Academy Award winning performance in the film L.A. Confidential, where she plays a high class prostitute who is supposed to look like Lake. She is even referenced in a song by Peter Hammill entitled “Like Veronica.” Her influence does not end there. In the 1988 film Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Roger’s girlfriend Jessica was modeled after Lake and she even wears her hair in Lake’s trademark “peek-a-boo” style. Her hairstyle has also made a comeback and many popular female actresses and singers have been seen sporting her look such as Christina Aguilera, Kate Winslet, Amy Adams and Cate Blanchett. A recent article in The New York Times titled “Working Toward Veronica Lake” explains how to achieve her signature look and there are many other how-to videos and websites that elucidate this as well. This look has also been spotted on the runways such as on Gucci models. Lake became the epitome of classic Hollywood glamour.

What makes someone an icon? There are many factors that are included in this such as being able to withstand the test of time and not just being popular during a specific time period. Also someone who breaks a certain mold by creating a look that is fresh and different. They should be able to appeal not only to an older audience but also be appreciated by younger generations. Icons are people who define a generation and who live on long after they are deceased. Actresses such as Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe are icons and actors such as Humphrey Bogart, James Dean and Marlon Brando are also iconic. Veronica Lake with her very modern, sultry look and her unforgettable “peek-a-boo” hairstyle definitely makes this former leading lady an icon. Even though she is no longer alive she continues to inspire films and celebrities alike. She has this appeal and way about her that allowed her to withstand that test of time and her look was something that had never been seen before, it was somewhat rebellious. Lake once said, “I was always a rebel and probably could have got much farther had I changed my attitude. But when you think about it, I got pretty far without changing attitudes. I’m happier with that.” Younger generations have come to appreciate this starlet by attempting to recreate her look and by watching her films. She was with out a doubt beyond her time and much more modern then her fellow actors and actresses. The film Sullivan’s Travels, which was not only a comedy but also a film with a message: sometimes all people have is there sense of humor, fits in so well with movies from this era. Not only was she gorgeous, but she was also very talented and her films are still classics to this day. Contrariwise to her self-deprecating take on her talent, if one were to put it all in there left eye they would most certainly go blind.