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Artist Spotlight
Xavier Cortada
by James Cubby on September 01, 2010
Name: Xavier Cortada
City: Miami
Birthplace: Albany, New York
Artistic Medium: Installations, Paintings, Works on Paper, Digital Art, Eco-art
How did you get started?
As a child, I watched my father paint in our home studio. In time, I, too, began mixing paints and creating art. That childhood passion for painting came in handy when I was in Soweto, South Africa back in 1994, five months after apartheid was lifted. I was an attorney and UM faculty member sent by the State Department to teach homeless children. The kids couldn’t communicate with me, and I couldn’t communicate with them. So I started doing what my father taught me, which is sketching and drawing. And that’s what they did. Before you knew it, there was this powerful communication going on back and forth. And I realized, art was a powerful, universal language. I used art as a vehicle to have these kids open up and express themselves in ways that they would not otherwise.
Who or what are your influences?
Joseph Beuys.
What inspires your work?
Science is my muse.
How does Miami/South Florida influence your work?
My parents left chilly upstate New York when I was three. Miami is the only place I've ever called home. All I am and create has been influenced by my community.
How would you describe your work?
My work aims to challenge us to find deeper meaning in our present lives by exploring the paths of those who came before us and our relationship to the natural world. In 2006, I created Absence of Place, a photo installation at the Miami Art Museum. In it, 180 present-day images of absent Miami structures were printed on yellow-card stock and hung in plastic bags. On the wall, beneath each photo I wrote a caption of a memory generated at that site. I did so to give context to the new building at the site -- and to give the now absent building life in our collective memory.
Other works have explored our ability to coexist with nature: In 2007, as an Antarctic Artist and Writers program award recipient, I used the moving ice sheet that blankets the South Pole as an instrument to mark time: Juxtaposing Antarctica’s geological time frames ("The 150,000-year Journey” of a mangrove seedling I planted on the moving ice 1500 Km from the shoreline) with human time frames ("The Markers,” which uses flags along 500 meters to mark the past 50 years, when humans first inhabited the South Pole), the work reaffirms the notion that we are simply custodians of the planet who should learn to live in harmony with nature.
I am currently focused on creating an evolving body of work that uses genetic data to explore how nature influenced human migration and history. The interdisciplinary work explores the ancestral journeys of this Hemisphere's current inhabitants. In their blood they capture evidence of the routes their deep ancestors took from their original journey out of Africa 60,000 years ago. By marking the appearance and frequency of genetic markers in modern humans, we can determine when and where ancient humans moved around the world.
As in earlier work, I am engaged in the process of mapping and chronicling to make a point. In this case it has sociological importance: Perceived differences among people has often allowed for exploitation, marginalization, segregation and alienation. Inside our DNA we carry genetic markers that prove that we share the same ancestors and are one human family. Today, the biggest threat we face is a lack of connection to one another and to our natural world. We have the capacity to liberate ourselves from this alienation. All humans have the capacity to free their minds of prejudices and practices that are destroying our societies and our planet. Factions, whether based on nationalism, race, class or ethnicity, have created distance between people who are genetically the same. Using DNA from a diverse group of individuals, I am creating work that will challenge the way we see one another and to liberate ourselves from false notions of who we are-- or aren’t.
Moreover, by depicting the migrations of our ancestors over the past 60,000 years, we can see how they settled the planet in response to changes in environmental conditions: For our ancestors, the natural world was the only world. They navigated through it —slowly moving where nature provided them with better opportunities to hunt and gather.
Our early ancestors found a way to become a part of natural balance as they populated the planet. Today, we are destroying that balance by overpopulation and by our attempt to use and control nature for our benefit.
What has been the most unusual reaction to your work from the public?
The planting of 8 acres of mangrove seedlings on Biscayne Bay (since 2006). Obviously, this is unusual in a very good way. More at www.reclamationproject.net.
What would you like to achieve as an artist?
To engage audiences, remain relevant.
Current shows:
80.15 W
Xavier Cortada's current exhibit at his ArtCenter/South Florida studio is 80.15 W, which refers to the longitude of Biscayne National Park where numerous species are fighting for survival. It is a dramatic spotlight on 17 threatened and endangered animals seeking shelter in the Miami Beach area. In 80.15 W, drawings are shown on carbon paper to emphasize the importance of decreasing mankind's carbon footprint.
Xavier Cortada's Studio
ArtCenter/South Florida
924 Lincoln Road, Studio #201
Miami Beach, FL 33139
(through September 30, 2010)
Additionally:
Biennial of the Americas
Museo de las Americas
Denver, CO
(through 9/26/2010)
North and South Pole
(90 N /90 S) Installations
Miami Science Museum
Miami, FL
(through 12/31/2010)
Upcoming shows:
"Ancestral Journeys"
5th New Media Festival
Hardcore Art Contemporary Space
Wynwood Arts District
Miami, FL
(opens 9/11/2010)
"Sequentia"
a solo exhibit at
Frost Art Museum
Miami, FL
(opens 10/13/2010)
Where is your work available?
Xavier Cortada Studio
ArtCenter/South Florida
924 Lincoln Road, Suite 201
Miami Beach, FL 33139
305.858.1323
www.cortada.com | www.artcentersf.org
HARDCORE ART CONTEMPORARY SPACE
3326 N. MIAMI AVE.
MIAMI, FLORIDA 33127
Contact: Rochi Llaneza
Rochi@hardcoreartmiami.com
305.576.1645
Fax: 305-576-1645
http://www.hardcoreartmiami.com
Cortada
"80.15 W: Hawksbill Sea Turtle"
archival ink on paper
signed, numbered, limited edition (edition of 5)
44” x 36”
2010
.jpg "Animal Tiled1")
Animal Tiled1:
Xavier Cortada
"80.15 W"
archival ink on paper
signed, numbered, limited edition (edition of 5)
44” x 72”
2010
Acropora1:
Xavier Cortada
"80.15 W: Elkhorn Coral"
archival ink on paper
signed, numbered, limited edition (edition of 5)
44” x 36”
2010
These came about from carbon paper drawings that Cortada made featuring the 17 threatened and endangered animals that make Biscayne Bay their home. You can see them in the image of the flowing sheets of carbon paper. Like the works, they are fading away as a consequence of our collective carbon footprint.
Cortada created the 17 "fading carbon drawings" on free flowing stands of carbon paper (see five of them hanging in his studio in the attached photo). He then scanned these drawings to create the digital prints (including the "tiled" one.)
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PermalinkMarguerite Espinosa-Gil
by James Cubby on August 14, 2010
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Artist Spotlight
Name: Marguerite Espinosa-Gil
City: presently living in MiamiBirthplace: Paris, France
Artistic Medium: painting, ceramics, fabrics, wood, paper, etc.
How did you get started? Couldn't help it. I won my first drawing "competition" in 3rd grade. Won a scholarship (special arts classes) to Columbia University (NY) when I was 16 and started teaching art in Paris, France when I was 25. I can't seem to stop producing art. I'm always taking my thoughts and ideas and transforming them into tangible works. I've been painting, sculpting and teaching the arts for most of my life. I had an art gallery in the Design District for 2 years until Judy Drucker made me artist-in-residence at Temple Beth Sholom on Miami Beach and interestingly, I produced much of the Judaica at the Temple for ages and I'm not even Jewish. My biggest piece is on the outside wall of the Temple (Chase Ave and 41st St.) and it's 17 feet high. I also produced most of the big money raising sculptures inside the Temple during my 7-year stay. I've won loads of competitions including prizes for my African Masks series, (I'm not African either). I make everything including: furniture, Japanese shoes, lampshade coverings with my handpainted silks, cushions, ceramics/sculptures, purses out of cigar boxes, I weave clothing and make many of the tops that I wear, etc.
Who or what are your influences? Everything influences me. Art books, vegetation, cloth, wooden boxes, works by other artists. etc. I'm always making things.
What inspires your work? I can't pinpoint it. It could be music or silence or a dream or boredom or just wonderings.
How does Miami/South Florida influence your work? When I first moved here 30 years ago, the faces of all of the people living here influenced me tremendously. I started creating Maya heads and African masks. Then it evolved into Asian faces.
How would you describe your work? Eclectic and abundant.
What has been the most unusual reaction to your work from the public? My nudes (women) use to create havoc years ago when I was an exhibiting artist at the Coconut Grove Arts Festival and the Festival of the Arts in Miami Beach.
What would you like to achieve as an artist? There in, is the problem. I don't know. I just want to create but I don't seem to have a goal except to achieve satisfying finished works of art that make me happy.
Upcoming shows: I'm presently hanging artworks by artists who I admire at the radio station (W-DNA) where my husband and I hosted the longest running French-American Radio program (24 years) in the USA. I'm not sure but maybe I'll show some of my works there soon.
Where is your work available? I'm in the process of putting photos of my works on my website www.famae.org. in the gallery section.
.JPG "#2")
Fritz Ange Leip
Fritz the Artist
by James Cubby on August 02, 2010
Name: Fritz Ange Leip
City: Hollywood, FL
Birthplace: Englewood, New Jersey… but I consider myself from Hermann, Missouri.
Artistic Medium: Sculpture made from natural and found materials and photography.
How did you get started? While in college, getting my Physics degree, I took an Art History course. The professor, James Bogan, was very inspiring. He had a unique policy that his students had to propose an art project and produce the art before they could get an A grade. This was something completely new for me. I spent a good amount of time thinking about the project and I hit on the idea of transformation. I wanted to transform normal items into art by transforming them from their original form into one that could be considered art. I got the A by painting a rock with aluminum paint giving it a cast metal feel and putting 1/16 inch squares of tape on a disposable lighter to get a checker board pattern. This was in 1981 when lighters were only available in monochrome. I was so inspired by this activity that later, as an engineer, I continued to make art. It helped me to balance the analytical demands of my job with sanity. Almost 30 years later, I am still at it.
Who or what are your influences? I have been influenced by Andy Goldsworthy, Salvador Dali, and August Rodin.
What inspires your work? Nature. animals, trees, fire, light, life. I may happen upon a rock or a log on someone’s green pile and I will see a shape in it. That leads to me dragging the log home, adding a base and some additional rocks, and coming up with a new piece of art. That is how I made “Don’t Tase Me Bro,” my most recent work. I also photograph fire. I get some interesting results from that. In fa, I have one picture that looks like “The Devil on a Bicycle.”
How does Miami/South Florida influence your work? The light is fantastic, so when I photograph a sculpture I like to get outside and photograph the piece in a natural setting. There are many opportunities here in South Florida to accentuate my art; the Everglades, mangroves, storms and sunsets. I load my canoe up with sculptures and paddle out to a picturesque location. I take as many pictures as I can before the mosquitoes drain my blood.
How would you describe your work? Since I use mostly natural materials, my work has a living quality to it. I start with raw material that already has some energy and then I build on that energy by adding to that starting point. I consciously choose to minimize the amount of modifications I make to the raw material. I like to leave the weathering and patina on the raw material. Rather than chiseling into a rock to look like a face, I like to find a rock that suggests a face. This makes the piece look much more natural and less contrived.
What has been the most unusual reaction to your work from the public? At the grand opening of the Hollywood Arts Park, I had a booth set up and one of the prints was of a sculpture taken in silhouette. When I picked this image I had always imagined it to be a figure on the prow of a boat. A woman was so taken by it that she immediately bought a copy of the print. As I was completing the transaction, she said that she had seen the image of Jesus in the print. I had never looked at it that way, but after ringing up her purchase, I exclaimed Hallelujah!
What would you like to achieve as an artist? To get people to look outside of their everyday world and realize that there is beauty to be found everywhere. To get more pieces out into galleries and collections.
Upcoming shows: Words and Symbols at the Windisch-Hunt Fine Art Gallery at 2911 Grand Ave., Coconut Grove.
Where is your work available? My work is available online at www.FritzTheArtist.com. I have pieces in the Windisch-Hunt Fine Art Gallery (2911 Grand Ave., Coconut Grove) and at the Art and Design Café at (2724 East Commercial Dr., Fort Lauderdale).
.JPG "Dont Tase Me Bro")
Sheila Elias
by James Cubby on July 18, 2010
Artist Spotlight
Name: Sheila Elias
City: Miami, Florida
Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois
Artistic Medium: Mixed Media
How did you get started?
My mother took me to the Art Institute of Chicago at eight years old. I saw a Matisse and my heart stopped. It was then that I decided to become an artist.
Who or what are your influences?
As a child, Matisse and Picasso filled my head. As an adult, Ansem Kiefer.
What inspires your work?
American sensibilities have influenced my work, along with international travel. I like to bring an awareness of new directions and individual inventiveness.
How does Miami/South Florida influence your work?
The demolition of the old architecture has definitely defined an entire series of work. Miami, where multi-cultural history and the future clash on a daily basis, is a luminous kaleidoscope of raw, sincere emotions and harsh realities; urban tension mixed with profound beauty, compassion and optimism.
How would you describe your work?
A combination of both optimism and destruction. I like to portray a perception of urban tension, raw emotions and harsh realities tempered with gentle optimism and beauty, countering an American dream that has gone a bit astray.
What has been the most unusual reaction to your work from the public?
When I exhibited the 911 series, some people thought the figures resembled ballet dancers, when they were actually people falling from windows.
What would you like to achieve as an artist?
I'd like to influence young artists. One of my goals has always been to have a solo exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City.
Upcoming shows:
Solo Exhibition
November 30th, 2010 thru January 11, 2011
Nova Southeastern University Alvin Sherman Library
3100 Ray Ferrero Jr. Blvd., Ft. Lauderdale
800.541.6682
THE WALL Exhibition-Pre-Basel Studio Show
Currently up for view by appointment
Sheila Elias Studio
1510 NE 30th St.
North Miami, FL 33161
305.892.9198
Solo Exhibition
Summer 2010
Ludlow Bailey
London, England
Where is your work available?
Sheila Elias Studio
1510 NE 30th St.
North Miami, Florida
305.892.9198 or www.sheilaelias.com
Silvana Facchini
silvana@facchinigallery.com
www.facchinigallery.com
Michelle Rosenfeld
rose076@aol.com
Evelyn Aimis
eaimis@aol.com
Ludlow Bailey
ludlowebailey@gmail.com
Alex Garcia
by James Cubby on July 06, 2010
Name: Alex Garcia
City: Between Miami & Lima, Peru.
Birthplace: Miami, Florida.
Type of Designs: Modern Menswear
How did you get started? In Art Apparel, silk screening artwork on T-shirts.
Who or what are your influences? Music, Art, Pantone Guides & Pop Culture.
What inspires your work? Traveling & Art
Describe your fashions? Basics infused with modern detailing from unexpected pleats to asymmetrical buttons on hoodies.
How does Miami/South Florida influence your work? The vibrant kaleidoscope of colors!
How would you describe your work? We like to promote individualism through our own unique vision of what we consider modern menswear by incorporating modern detailing into everyday basics as well as creating eccentric styles that are easily wearable and allow men to create their own artistic style and make a strong personal statement.
What has been the most unusual reaction to your work from the public? The "must have" reaction where people buy every item in every color! It's definitely not a bad thing!
What would you like to achieve as a designer? Insatiable creativity.
Upcoming fashion shows: Philadelphia Fashion Week, October 6-9, 2010
Where are your fashions sold? Base On Miami Beach
Shop address: BASE on 939 Lincoln Road Miami Beach,FL 33139
Links: www.adifferentfur.com
Howard Austin Feld
by James Cubby on June 21, 2010
Name: Howard Austin Feld
City: Miami
Birthplace: Miami Beach, Florida
Artistic Medium: Photography
How did you get started?
I started photography in 1970. My cousin was the advertising director for Revlon Cosmetics in New York. I was inspired by looking at all the great photographers who shot for him and the amount of money they were paid.
Who or what are your influences?
Some of the photographers who inspired me are Richard Avedon, James Moore, David Vance, Helmut Newton and Tony Ward to name a few. I am influences by beauty. People, Places, Wildlife.
What inspires your work?
Creating something new. A new model, a new place. Wildlife. Since most of my work is about the human form, I experiment with different light and new computer techniques. Currently I'm working on a new series called "Rain"... When I come up with something new I am inspired to create it. I get on a mission and don't stop till I'm finished.
How does Miami/South Florida influence your work?
The people, the lighting, the climate, I use a combination of natural light and strobe lighting for my people portraits. For my art work I use dimensional light with carefully placed shadows. We can shoot 12 months a year without many weather issues. (Even if I need rain.)
How would you describe your work?
From the Demure to the Erotic. My work is comprised of many types of photography. I shoot art for art's sake which is sold as such. I shoot custom portraits. I shoot landscapes, wildlife.
I shoot simple images of people that prefer not to have a nude image but mostly I shoot more towards the erotic side. Most of my clients would prefer that I shoot more of an erotic portrait. Not pornographic just something more sexy then normal. My B&W images tend to be more erotic then the color.
What has been the most unusual reaction to your work from the public?
My Gallery on Lincoln Road was there for 12 years without any issues about the nudity. I moved to the Design District in Miami and within one month three vice officers came to the gallery and asked me to take down the nudes. I refused and it went to a judge who ruled that I do not have to remove any art. Honestly, I was hoping that they would have me remove it. I would have received more publicity about the work. NBC 6 did do a local story about it.
What would you like to achieve as an artist?
I'm still trying to figure that one out. My art is produced for the beauty of it. If someone likes it enough to hang in their home that's pretty good for me.
Where is your work available?
Artist Randy Burman
by James Cubby on June 08, 2010
Name: Randy Burman
City: Miami
Birthplace: Baltimore
Artistic Medium: Assemblages
How did you get started?
As a child in the 1950s I would stand transfixed at my parents bedroom window gazing out on a stretch of suburban Baltimore asphalt populated with hunks of four-wheeled iron that went by names like Chevrolet, DeSoto and Buick. The seductive power of their yearly design evolution was irresistible. Their sensuous form and bold colors, their mouth-like chrome grills accentuated by bullet bumpers and dual headlight treatments fascinated and captivated me. Each one embellished with unique sculptural details of portholes and fender skirts, sophisticated script typography, and their dramatic chrome swooshes trailing off into towering fins festooned with jeweled taillights. Filled with excitement, I would retreat to my room and create my own colored-pencil automotive sketches and tape them to my bedroom wall. I began to contemplate whether I shared a collective unconscious with some distant prehistoric cave-dwelling boy who had stood at the opening of his parent’s cave watching the wooly mammoths and bison rush by, and in his turn, withdrew into a deeper corner of his family’s domicile, ochre in hand, and painted what he had just seen.
My parents, of Jewish, Lithuanian and Polish origin, were in the wholesale and retail poultry business. As a kid, on weekends I worked with my two brothers at stalls in various city markets. With my artistic inclination, I was the go-to guy for making signs, drawn on brown Kraft bags, upside down, into which a strip of wood was inserted, broken off from the thin wood and wire crates the chickens and ice came packed in. The signs were neatly planted on each row of fresh chickens and chicken parts in the display cases. Fresh chicken wings 4 lbs. for $1. Fresh chicken legs 39¢ lb. Fresh chicken breasts 49¢ lb. Each row of poultry separated by fresh green kale. My rudimentary hands-on experience of typographic letterforms was accompanied by the seductive chemical aroma of Magic Marker.
Flash forward to the 60s. I majored in art at my high school Baltimore City College, and again at the just opened Baltimore Junior College were I studied painting and graphic design under the tutelage of Bennard B. Perlman, renowned artist and author. In 1967, a painting of mine was selected to be included in the Baltimore Museum of Art Regional Painting Competition. A scholarship to the Maryland Institute of Art did not deter me from dropping out after about a year. Soon I joined the staff of Baltimore's underground paper, Harry, where I met and worked with friend Alan Rose and writer P. J. O'Rourke. In the early 70s, John Waters asked Alan and myself to do the movie credits for Pink Flamingos and again for Female Trouble. Okay, fine, I also had a bit role in Pink Flamingos as the man at deli with hot dog pack. I founded an artists' and writers' newspaper collective to produce two editions of the Fells Point Telegraphé to support a legal challenge to block the DOT from demolishing the historic waterfront neighborhood.
Later in 70s, I worked with Alan and P.J. at National Lampoon. Moved to a Pennsylvania farm to learn organic farming, and in 1976, sold everything, and drove to Miami in my VW van. Once here, I did window washing, dish washing, auto repair (not very well), carpentry, silk screen printing and sign painting, and eventually and for the last 25 years worked as a graphic designer. Two years ago, I decided it was time to return to my "fine art" roots. I rented a space to organize the "stuff" I had collected and waited for the creative urge to manifest. It didn't take long.
Who or what are your influences?
All the above noted influences, as well as many too numerous to mention, and some that must be mentioned including Duchamp, Schwitters, Arp, Matisse, Klee, Miró, Torres-Garcia, Cornell, Saul Steinberg, Rauschenberg, Kienholz, Johns, Reinhardt, Stella, Basquiat and numerous outsider artists.
What inspires your work?
Not really sure I can answer this one. Found objects and concepts continually approach me on the street and inquire if I can join them together in the holy matrimony of art. I have simply not learned, how to say no. Not so sure I'm "inspired". I fear it's a tad more compulsive than that, more like unbearable creative urges.
How does Miami/South Florida influence your work?
I drew a picture of an artist looking surprised after an alligator took a bite out of the canvas he was painting. Does that count?
How would you describe your work?
The bulk of my work is assemblages. I collect and fill my studio with objects that I find or am attracted to. When working in the studio the items suggest their own usage to me. Most recently, I have been using stacks of books and periodicals; gold-painted resin trophy angels; construction materials such as bricks, concrete blocks and wood; compressed aluminum cans; repurposed ceramics; string; assorted found objects; granite, resin surfacing materials and most curiously, wheels and casters. A lot of casters and wheels.
What has been the most unusual reaction to your work from the public?
The most usual response is an appreciation of the whimsy or humor. Secondly the apparent design aesthetic. Some appreciate the poetic nature. I guess the most unusual was one person who suggested, "I think you can get therapy or medication to control those thoughts."
What would you like to achieve as an artist?
Upcoming shows:
My current show at 12345 West Dixie Gallery in NOMI, closes on June 12. I've just been accepted as a member of Artformz - the Wynwood artists collective. Work will be available through the gallery.
Where is your work available?
Available to see at http://www.artslant.com/mia/artists/show/149033-randy-burman
.JPG "The Holy Mountain")
.JPG "If You Meet A Mirror On the Road Kill It")
Lucinda Linderman
by James Cubby on May 25, 2010
Name: Lucinda Linderman
City: Miami
Birthplace: Chattanooga, TN
Artistic Medium: Consumer packaging and reclaimed waste
How did you get started? After finishing a Biology degree, I decided to try being an artist and apprenticed with sculptor John Henry, going on to manage his fabrication studio. During the 5 years working at John's studio, I began making my own sculpture in steel and ceramics, creating sea creature-like forms inspired by my biology degree, and a year spent in Micronesia doing volunteer work along with many hours of snorkeling. While working with steel, I created large outdoor sculptures up to 20 ft tall.
Who or what are your influences? Park Quell by Antonio Gaudi, he tried to build an artist's utopia creating all the buildings, market place etc. on top of a mountain in Spain, such a magical place, from this experience, I try to create environments that people can enter and or interact with. Also, Nole Guilini, who makes sculptures out of Kombucha fungus that can be thrown out and will grow again. This helped me create a way of working that was cyclical, where the sculpture/product is part of a cycle and not necessarily the end. Because I do not use glue or fasteners in my work many of my sculptures can actually be recycled.
What inspires your work? The environment, nature, playing with materials. My work is extremely labor intensive, (several of my sculptures have taken more than 500 hours to complete). So before beginning a sculpture I find a new discarded item to work with and spend several weeks playing with the material, to see how it wants to transform itself in my hands. So my process/ work is inspired by playing with materials. I am always surprised to see how materials react to manual manipulation, often I end up with synthetic materials acting like natural materials, i.e. plastic curling up like tendrils from a climbing plant.
How does Miami/South Florida influence your work? I do a lot of dumpster diving in Miami, so I work with what the people here think of as waste, things that people don't bother to recycle. I think what people find value in varies from city to city, for example, I find lots of plastic pallet shrink wrap which is all recycled in the Midwest.
How would you describe your work? Many of my sculptures represent an abstracted digestive system, or earthworm: mouth, stomach, intestines. I also work with the labyrinth form to create a place of meditation for viewers, i.e. dry cleaning bag labyrinth made from around 700 dry cleaning bags that people can walk into, I created a 10 by 12 ft piece of paper from junk mail, laid trash on it in the form of a labyrinth and then had people walk on it to leave their footprints. Much of my work is abstract, and takes form depending on how the materials react to my manipulation.
What is the most unusual reaction to your work from the public? People crawling through the giant intestine sculpture always wanting to get their picture taken with their head poking out of the elastic sphincter. It makes me happy to see other people express the capability to laugh at themselves. Surprisingly, I don't get more of a reaction from creating prints using worm poop (castings) from my earthworm compost bed).
What would you like to achieve as an artist? I want to show people that we don't have to send trash to the landfill, that if we separate trash we can use it as a raw material for creating new products. I want to inspire others to find ways to eliminate their carbon footprints.
Upcoming shows:
Currently showing (through June 9) at Art Rouge Gallery in an exhibition titled “FEMMEDOMANIA.”
Art Rouge Gallery,
46 Northwest 36th St., Miami.
305.448.2060
Where is your work available?
CANDO Arts Co-op
309 23rd St., Miami Beach.
305.772.5665.
Website: http://www.upcycledobject.com
.JPG "Dry Cleaning Bag Labryinth")
Joey Mugica a.k.a. The Color QUEEN
by James Cubby on May 10, 2010
Name: Joey Mugica a.k.a. The Color QUEEN
City: Miami
Birthplace: New Jersey
Artistic Medium: Art & Photography (Art-O-graphy)
How did you get started?
On Facebook with one photograph of a friend, which I colorized and gave a re-birth to in color........ I sent it to them ...covering events for local celebrities, Elaine Lancaster (huge inspiration to me), the Kardashians, Erin Newberg-Secrets of Aspen, VH1 Basketball Wives, among many others.
Who or what are your influences?
Warhol, Rauschenberg, David La Chapelle.
What inspires your work?
Love. The idea of transforming a photograph in living color. It reminds me that it's never too late to start over....
How does Miami/South Florida influence your work?
The diversity of our people, the climate, the culture, music, food, nightlife and the celebrity culture.
How would you describe your work?
Art-O-graphy. Joey Mugica. the color QUEEN, Celebrity Photographer, "art-O-graphist". POP ART Photography, events, commissioned pieces, shoots, booking info contact DONNY DOUGLAS at: donny@610mgmt.com /// your color'RAZZI' ----event PROMOTER in "COLOR"
What has been the most unusual reaction to your work from the public?
Someone once said my art was "LOUD". I asked them to speak up, couldn't hear them very well. " :).
What would you like to achieve as an artist?
"I consider myself the PEOPLE's Artist", "everyone's a SUPERSTAR". For everyone to know about my art and own a piece of their own.....to make people SMILE through my art form....to brighten people's lives through color and in an instant.....to continue my FACEBOOK "factory" of art. to be the color-RAZZI, the antithesis of PEREZ Hilton covering celebrity culture in color.
Where is your work available?
www.thecolorqueen.com (coming soon) for now, Facebook, request JOEY MUGICA as a friend...available for private photo shoots, and to cover photograph and promote events. Contact: thecolorqueen@ymail.com.
Joey Rolon: Funky Sexy Couture
by James Cubby on April 26, 2010
Fashion Designer/Stylist
Name: Joey Rolon
City: Miami
Birthplace: New York City
Type of Designs: I design everything, art designs, fashion, for shows, videos and for personal clients.
How did you get started? I started working with Patricia Fields in 1994. I've always created everything that I wore. I always restyled all my clothes from a very early age.
Who or what are your influences? I've always loved Bob Mackie who did all of Cher's costumes.
What inspires your work? Music. Different styles of music inspire different fashions.
Describe your fashions. Funky Sexy Couture, which is also the name of my shop in South Beach. Now I'm working with crystals. I can customize anything with crystals, from jewelry to tennis shoes, to phones and sunglasses. The sunglasses are very Lady Gaga. Snookie from Jersey Shore was recently in my shop and bought a pair of sunglasses that she's been photographed wearing in the tabloids.
How does Miami/South Florida influence your work? Miami doesn't really inspire me. I get inspired by traveling. Miami is the beautiful place where I live.
What has been the most unusual reaction to your work from the public? In 2001, I got a write up in People Magazine listing the 3 best dresses of the year. The designers were Valentino, Cantu & Castillo, and me. It was a dress that Sofia Veraga wore to an awards show.
What would you like to achieve as a designer? I'm currently in production for a new line. I want to design and mass produce a line. I've been thinking about doing an underwear line.
Upcoming fashion shows:
TBA: Lady Gaga sunglasses featuring Joey Rolon For Jimmy Crystals.
Where are your fashions sold? My fashions are sold in my shop in South Beach.
Funky Sexy Couture
900 Washington Ave., South Beach.
305.397.8366
My fashions are also sold in New York City.
L'Impasse Inc
29 West 8th St., NYC.
212.533.3255
You can SKYPE Joey Rolon (Miami) for virtual appt's and consultation
http://www.funkysexycouture.com new website launching May 1st
