the young curator

anddd i'm back! (with updates, part 1!)

2011-06-12T03:42:00.000-04:00

hey guys! sorry to have been MIA for an entire month. the past few weeks have been really crazy with the end of yet another semester at school, my birthday (!), and SO much traveling between philly, baltimore, dc, nyc, and upstate ny. on top of all of that, when i moved into my new apartment in the city at the beginning of june, i didn't have internet for a whole week.

needless to say, i'm a bit behind on what everyone has been doing. i can't wait to catch up on what you've all been up to lately, and i'm really excited to share what i've been up to!

here's part 1: my-super-sweaty-super-hot-one-day-trip-to-dc-in-a-car-that-insists-on-pumping-out-heat-24/7-on-a-104-degree-day.

despite the scorching hot weather that day, an emergency trip to radio shack for a lost memory card replacement, and a $100 parking ticket (AGHHH), dave and i had a lot of fun on our day trip.

our first stop was the national zoo!

while at the zoo, of course we had to check out the pandas!

one of the pandas, mei xiang, was closed off so she could have a stress-free pregnancy

no matter, though! we stopped to chat with this lil cutie on our way out from the panda exhibit

we also saw one red panda, who insisted on being too cool to look at the camera

we also saw zebras...

a very tired ape...

an orangutan cozied up in her snuggie while chatting with her buddy on the right...

a very ferocious lion who roared for about 10 minutes straight...

a tiger snoozing in the shade...

a camera-shy groundhog (who knew the national zoo had groundhogs?)...

an alligator (crocodile?)...

and a VERY chill iguana.

then it was off to the national museum of national history!

dinosaurs and ice-age behemoths are awesome, but we all know the real "gem" of the nmnh ;]

the hope diamond!!! this was about as close as i could get to trying it on

we also checked out the washington monument...

the world war II memorial...

various washington dc ducks...

and the lincoln memorial.

all in all, a very fun day. my favorite part of our day trip, hands down, was when dave surprised me with this little fella when we were walking out of the gift shop at the zoo.

his name is ralphie, he loves singing classic show tunes and disney songs, and he's keeping me company while i work in nyc and dave does research in baltimore.

update part 2 (which isn't nearly as image-heavy) is coming soon!

interview with devon sioui!

2011-05-11T02:27:00.000-04:00

spring's happiness is downright infectious.

kind of like the happiness i feel when i look at devon sioui's bright, vivid paintings. her use of color is amazing.

"colour of purpose (the quilt i started at ten but only got to five squares)"

"where i can't see"

"work in progress"

"you should end this here"

"color of guill"

and thanks to devon, who granted me a short interview to share with you all!

1. When and how did you start painting?

I actually can't recall a time when I didn't feel inclined to paint. For most of my life, however, I felt very frustrated with it because while I knew I loved painting and creating art, I felt I could never fully portray what I wanted, I just knew I had an urge to do it. I've always had a really strong sense of colour and while I always loved drawing and did a lot of it growing up, it never satisfied me I think because I was striving for something tangible, realistic. That was never something I was good at, but I wanted to be - I just didn't have the patience. I am such a casual painter. I need my stuff set up and have minimal clean up otherwise I'll lose my motivation to do it. This may have been a reason that I gave up the paintbrush and picked up a knife and began experimenting with different textures and colours leading to my feeling I'd finally found my niche.

2. Where do you find inspiration for your paintings?

I am inspired by lots of things every day. For me, less inspiring are the things I can see and touch but more thoughts and feelings and reactions. I am inspired by improvised music. There is something so beautiful to me about the spontaneity, the originality of it, knowing it can never be created again. A recorded moment. I like to think of my work sometimes as "Improvised Paintings". I don't like to think too much about them and the only thing I am striving for is a flow. I'd be lying if I said that when I approach a blank canvas, that I have any sort of visual idea in mind. I feel most inspired when I find myself fully immersed in what's in front of me. If I am listening to music, I will be greatly influenced in what my ears are hearing, but if there is silence, I am still listening to the painting come to life; hearing its dialogue.

Jackson Pollack said it best, "I have no fear of making changes, destroying the image, etc., because the painting has a life of its own. I try to let it come through. It is only when I lose contact with the painting that the result is a mess." (1956)

3. What is your favorite painting of yours to date?

This may sound silly, but I find it so difficult to choose as I am so ridiculously attached to each one. Each one is a story, a piece of me. Parting with them is like saying goodbye to a lover.

"Big Painting" (2009) will always have a special place in my heart as I felt it was the first time I really allowed myself to just let go. It was also the first time I'd ever used a painting knife (though I did use a paintbrush too) and I felt I discovered a huge part of what it is I liked to do whilst creating that.

"Things I Should Have Said (To My Father)" (2010) is another notable, as I remember it felt so easy. I was painting it on my porch in the sunshine last Spring and everything about creating it felt so joyous. Also, it was a gift for my dad and he always cries when I give him artwork. So there's that.

"Colour of Guill" (2011) is a very recent one and I like it because it was kind of a fluke. I was ridding my pallet of excess paint on an already-painted canvas and the fluorescent pink just burst out - it seemed so intentional. I barely touched it after that.

4. What is your favorite painting by another artist?

I could never pick one. If I even tried to list a few I wouldn't be able to stop. And then I would read this later and kick myself. Lets just say: Paintings That You Can Hear.

5. Do you have any last advice or words of wisdom for aspiring artists?

Stop thinking.

if you love devon's work (and who wouldn't?), you can find her on flickr, tumblr, twitter, and/or her blog.

readers, which of her paintings do you find yourself most drawn to?

the new moleskine travel collection

2011-05-02T17:34:00.000-04:00

stop-motion.
moleskine.
the new travel collection.
YES.

Moleskine Bags in Hyper Stop Motion from Moleskine ® on Vimeo

what do you think of this video? is it brilliant or is it brilliant?

pencil vs. camera

2011-05-02T05:16:00.001-04:00

via ben heine's flickr

pencil vs. camera is a series by ben heine. he drew every single sketch, took every single photo, and edited every single piece.

brilliant. absolutely brilliant!

which one of these is your favorite?

interview with rachel brown!

2011-04-25T21:56:00.000-04:00

remember when i blogged about rachel brown a few weeks ago? i compared her to a "caramel cupcake with a cardamom vanilla buttercream frosting, topped with bits of candied ginger and a light dusting of cinnamon...sweet with a little kick."

well she was so kind as to answer a few questions for me to share with you all!

how did you get started with writing and performing your own music?

I used to write all sorts of wacky songs when I was younger, but started taking it seriously at 18, when I graduated high school and took a gap year to travel before starting college. I bought a guitar and started teaching myself how to play while writing songs. I was very secretive about it until the end of sophomore year of college when I performed for the first time publicly. After that, I started playing open mics regularly to work out nerves and then began booking my own shows.

who are your biggest influences?

I find I'm influenced by different songs and artists here and there - sometimes I'll hear a clever lyric that will inspire me to push my writing further, or a melody or groove that really hits me. Musicians and lyricists I admire include Bob Marley, Jack Johnson, Smokey Robinson...

what song do your friends and fans like to hear the most?

I find that different people connect with different songs depending on their personal experiences. People have come up to me after shows and told me that certain songs describe exactly what they have been through or are going through right now. It floors me every time someone tells me they relate to my songs in that way. For a songwriter, it's an incredible thing to hear.

how would you say your music has changed from the time you started playing to now?

The more I write, the more I learn - about how to express myself, about the way I structure songs, about the music I want to share. In the beginning, I was just writing what came to mind, what felt good. I still do that, but now I try to take more risks and push myself a bit more.

what do you like to do when you're not playing music?

I've always been interested in making things - whether it's music, painting, writing, etcetera. I majored in filmmaking in college, so that's certainly another passion of mine.

if rachel sounds like the kind of girl you would want to grab a box of macarons and explore the city with (and doesn't she just?), then find her on twitter, facebook, youtube, itunes, or her website.

she's also playing a show tomorrow night in brooklyn at the cameo gallery for dope. if you're in the neighborhood, go check her out!

Cameo Gallery @ the Lovin’ Cup

April 26th, 2011 @ 9pm

93 North 6th Street

Brooklyn, NY (Williamsburg)

thanks for the interview rachel :]

the wedding of a century

2011-04-20T14:02:00.000-04:00

yesterday marked the 55th anniversary of grace kelly and prince rainier III's wedding, often called the "wedding of the century." what better time to show some rare and previously unpublished photos of the couple!

via life.com

and don't think i forgot about the next "wedding of the century" ;]

in the latest news about kate and william's upcoming nuptials, sophie cranston of libélula has been rumored to be kate's wedding dress designer. the dress design is still tightly under wraps, and that's a good thing. i want to be surprised when i finally see pictures of kate at the altar!

via washington post

le sigh. spring and love is in the air!

a touch of whimsy -- homes with slides!

2011-04-16T20:03:00.000-04:00

homes with secret doors.

nothing could get better than that, right?

well, maybe not. how about homes...with slides??

the older half of the house i grew up in had an extensive laundry chute system that connected to several bedroom drop locations and even one in the hallway. i would fantasize about popping open the 1 ft. x 1 ft. chute doors and shimmying in myself, sliding down in complete darkness (picking up the occasional lost sock) and surprising my mother in the laundry room.

but, of course, before i ever got up the nerve, i grew too large to fit into the chute.

but now, seeing these inspirational homes with slides, i can still fulfill my childhood dream of having a slide in my house!

via ab rogers

via carbon poker

via dornob

via gizmodo

readers, what about you? what's one childhood architecture fantasy that you're dying to live out in your home?

what i'm listening to right now

2011-04-08T11:11:00.000-04:00

going to spend a lovely weekend with my boyfriend who has come up to visit me :]. even on rainy days like today, hearing this song in the morning always puts me in a good mood. reminds me to take a step back, slow down, and enjoy myself every once in a while.

also, the music video is really really cool! stop motion is always a win in my book. especially if it also incorporates superheroes.

if you're curious on how they executed the music video and where their inspiration for it came from, check out motionographer's interview with shynola's chris harding (shynola is the group that created the video for coldplay)

Coldplay - Strawberry Swing from Hatem Zekri on Vimeo.

they were sitting, they were sitting in the strawberry swing
every moment was so precious

they were sitting, they were talking in the strawberry swing
everybody was for fighting
wouldn't wanna waste a thing

cold, cold water, bring me round
now my feet won't touch the ground
cold, cold water, what'd ya say?

it's such, it's such a perfect day
it's such a perfect day

i remember we were walking up to strawberry swing
i can't wait 'til the morning
wouldn't wanna change a thing
people moving all the time
inside a perfectly straight line
don't you wanna just curve away?
when it's such, when it's such a perfect day
it's such a perfect day

now the sky could be blue, i don't mind
without you it's a waste of time

now the sky could be blue, i don't mind
without you it's a waste of time

now the sky could be blue, could be grey
without you I'm just miles away

now the sky could be blue, i don't mind
without you it's a waste of time

secret rooms to hide and relive your childhood in

2011-04-07T03:44:00.001-04:00

growing up, i loved to hide in the closet under the basement stairs. the room itself was only about 2 feet tall and 5 feet wide, getting shorter and shorter as the staircase above got closer and closer to the ground. even as a child, i had to duck to walk in. the door had no handle and you could only open it by pulling your fingernails along one of the grooves in the wood panelling that camouflaged the door.

i brought some of my favorite dolls and toys to play with into that secret room, and i loved eating snacks where my mother wouldn't catch me spoiling my dinner. it was my #1 hiding spot for playing hide-and-seek with newbies in my house ;]

via turquoise shed

i especially love this secret room hidden behind an armoire. makes me think i'm about to discover narnia :]

via apartment therapy

via hidden passageway

via stash vault

via tumblr

readers, did you have a favorite secret spot that was all your own growing up?

yoga dogs!

2011-03-31T06:16:00.000-04:00

downward dog indeed! how adorable :]

via yogadogz

as if i needed another reason to want to move to an apartment that allows dogs!

readers, do have any pets? if so, do they do yoga with you? ;]

it's official! NYC here i come!!!

2011-03-30T06:33:00.000-04:00

it's finalized! my home for this summer will be a lovely little flat on the upper west side right by fairway market (which i hear has fantastic fresh produce every day). it even has a miniature balcony leading out from my bedroom with two adirondack lawn chairs, just waiting for my girl friends to come sip lemonade with me.

this will be my second summer living in the city, and i'm so excited to keep exploring. any suggestions on where to go and what to do?

watercolor by caitlin mcgauley via simply smitten

penn fashion week

2011-03-29T00:38:00.000-04:00

i'm so pumped for the penn fashion week spring show on saturday! there are going to be some really fantastic pieces from student designers and models on the runway. michael kors, ann taylor, and madewell apparel will also be at the show.

if i can score a VIP ticket on the walk this week, which will land me in the front row, i'll be sure to post some pictures!

now, to set the mood for the rest of penn fashion week, some delicious haute candy:

via beautiful life

these are real, edible lollipops that italian photographer massimo gammacurta made out of hard ball candy.

i could only dream of having these as drink stirrers at my garden party this weekend...

garden party inspiration

2011-03-28T03:12:00.002-04:00

my roommate and i are having a nighttime garden party this weekend in our tiny little apartment.

via caitlin mcgauley

we're looking for inspiration for the drinks and cupcakes menu.

any ideas? i'd love to hear all suggestions!

songs to play hooky in the city with your best friends and your favorite sunglasses on to

2011-03-27T21:00:00.003-04:00

the story of milk chocolate nutella cupcakes [made with a dash of love]

2011-03-25T16:35:00.000-04:00

super-moist milk chocolate cupcakes, stuffed with nutella, topped with cocoa buttercream and crumbled toasted hazelnuts

made with a dash of love from the kitchen of the young curator. enjoy!

and thanks to dave and tracy for helping me make the most delicious cupcakes in the world!

paris like you've never seen it before

2011-03-25T04:51:00.000-04:00

Le Flâneur (music by The XX) from Luke Shepard on Vimeo.

via mymodernmet

i am speechless. this is so beautiful.
as if i needed another reason to just pack up and move to paris already!

with love from russia: petite lap giraffes

2011-03-24T21:47:00.000-04:00

i love baby giraffes, so when i saw this, my heart just about melted

via everlane and petitelapgiraffe

size: adult is 76 centimeters, baby is 15 centimeters tall. weight is 4.5kg unless the giraffe is fat cow then 5.44kg

health problems: none. they are the best.

gestation: 420 days

living conditions: PLG’s love being indoors in filtered air conditioning. if they can listen to music of nikolai rimsky-korsakov it is dream

get on the waiting list to buy a petite lap giraffe here. i'm number 91,069 on the waiting list ;]

the trevor project

2011-03-23T22:40:00.001-04:00

last weekend, i had the pleasure of attending the spring social and volunteer fair for the philly chapter of the trevor project at the sofitel hotel in center city.

for those of you who may not know, the trevor project, a partner of the it gets better project, is a nonprofit with the mission of ending suicide among LGBTQ youth by providing free and confidential support resources nationwide 24/7 and advocacy/education programs to create a safe, supportive, and positive environment for people of all sexual orientations. the trevor help line -- (866) 4-U-TREVOR (488-7386) -- is the nation's only around-the-clock crisis intervention hotline for teens in need of counseling, advice, or just a friend with an open ear.

the philly ambassadors of the trevor project are just starting to bring this fantastic group to the 215. they hope to establish a vibrant presence in the philly area and leverage the community's unique history of diversity and forward-thinking legislative development. for more information on how to get involved, like their facebook page here, find them on twitter here, and/or send them an email at PhillyAmbassadors@TheTrevorProject.org

the volunteers working to bring the trevor project to the philly area are an incredible group of people. meeting them and hearing their personal stories of coming out, friends lost to the tragedy of suicide, and the hope for a better, safer future for LGBTQ youth was an extremely powerful and moving experience. i encourage you all to get involved with the trevor project on a local level, wherever you are, or on a national level.

to close things off, here is (in its entirety) the comedy/drama short film trevor, the academy award-winning short film that inspired its filmmakers to start the trevor project:

via dailymotion

watch it. it's REALLY good. it will make you laugh, so hard.

p.s. who wants to be diana ross with me next year for halloween?

pretty little things

2011-03-22T17:01:00.000-04:00

if you're as big of a fan of daily candy as i am, then the style of these illustrations will strike you as pretty familiar...

meet marie-klara gonzalez (alias miss caprichio), the illustrator behind the genius:

via exquisite banana, miss caprichio, miss caprichio's flickr

i wish i could draw. or paint. or...anything really i guess!

what i'm listening to right now

2011-03-22T11:34:00.001-04:00

sondre lerche & regina spektor - hell no

i know i was out of line

you were way out of your mind

wrapped up in my reveries

causing all this misery

but hear me out!

if ever there's a chance in heaven (or in hell!)

to slowly forget the past and abandon

be careful you fool, there are certain rules

even for a fellow like you.

but don't be alarmed, no one gets harmed

i will never go, babe, hell no

maybe i was in the dark

but why'd you have to steal my heart?

well, i didn't plan to go berserk

baby, you were such a jerk

well, just hear me out!

i can't believe the things i said (i know!)

i obviously was removed from my senses.

be careful you fool, there are certain rules

even for a fellow like you

but don't be alarmed, no one gets harmed.

i will never go, babe, hell no

now hear me out:

if ever you decieve me (if ever, ever?)

we're through!

you worry too much, i won't make you sorry

be careful you fool, there are certain rules

even for a fellow i know (i know. i know!)

but don't be alarmed, no one gets harmed

i will never go, babe, hell no

be careful you fool (but don't be alarmed)

there are certain rules (cause i know that)

i will never go, babe, hell no.

supermoon? i'll do you one better

2011-03-22T06:18:00.000-04:00

introducing...the "moon diamond" print!

via rhythm and daisies and the best part

beautiful, no? i'd love to see this framed with a large white mat and a plain, thin silver frame on the mango walls in my bedroom.

a beautiful family portrait

2011-03-21T11:22:00.000-04:00

via jpg mag

monday inspiration

2011-03-21T07:49:00.001-04:00

i'm loving these prints by julian bialowas, who layers quotes that he has seen/heard before on top of photographs he takes around the canadian rocky mountains, iceland, and the US. these prints are part of a project called 365q.

via mymodernmet and 365q

makes me want to go move mountains and make a difference in the world!

monday pick-me-up

2011-03-20T13:20:00.003-04:00

spring is officially here!!! but monday is going to have an 80% chance of rain in philly :[

in anticipation of dreary rainy monday blues (or regular why-is-the-weekend-over monday blues), here's a mix you can download to brighten up your morning routine. enjoy!

AMAZING.

2011-03-20T04:40:00.001-04:00

no other words for how good this song is.

post-rock psychedelic goodness for the ears. and the music video (directed by alan jensen) is out. of. this. world.

star slinger's website