Confections #18, 2006

Earlier this week I came across these photos by artist Amy Stevens. And in case you aren’t exactly sure what they are of… well they’re CAKE! YUMMY YUMMY YUMMY! Well I guess really the cake part is secondary to the fabulous decorating and backgrounds!

Check out More of Amy’s Confection photos.

Confections #26, 2007

Confections #42, 2007

Confections #54, 2007

Vertical Ethiopia

Yesterday in Raleigh, Great Outdoor Provision Company sponsored an event at the Lincoln Theatre. Majka Burhardt spoke and showed slides to introduce her book, Vertical Ethiopia, which is about a climbing expedition 4 women took in Ethiopia.

Not being a climber myself, I went mainly because I wanted to hear about Ethiopia, and see pictures of the landscapes. I was not disappointed. The photography by well known adventure photographer, Gabe Rogel, was absolutely stunning, so stunning in fact, that I now own the book. Beyond the pictures though, the overall story Majka told was entertaining and thought provoking. She was able to weave the thrill and danger of various climbs together with her introduction to Ethiopian culture.

First, a primer: SPARKcon is a festival celebrating and nurturing the local creativity of Raleigh and the Triangle region of NC. It’s 100% volunteer… everyone involved runs entirely on enthusiasm, passion and talent, with a bit of support from some wonderful sponsors! This past weekend was the third year for SPARKcon, and it showcased all sorts of talent communities, including breakdancers, yogis, craftspeople, spoken word artists, hoola hoopers, music of all kinds, art, film, fashion and more.

FashionSPARK is an outdoor runway show which featured 13 local fashion designers’ work, as well as fabulous hair and makeup by local stylists. The show was beautifully directed by Allison Beale.

fabulous hair by Jesse and Carla of Marigold Parlour, makeup also by Marigold, fashion by Domino

woodland nymph fashion by Domino

doggy designs by Montage

fashion by Lllavender, hair by Salon Blu

fashion by Metallic Spiral, styled by Marigold Parlour

fashion by Marie Cordella, styled by Atomic Salon

The SPARKcon website is in a constant state of being updated. Check it for more pictures, designer info and links.

Sigal de-Mayo photographs iconic signage in iconic locations like New York then prints them onto the ultimate fashion icons of purses clutches and other accessories for a brand called Insider’s NY. The material is actually leather, which won’t please the cruelty-free aspects in us, and I’m not too sure about the environmental aspects of the processes, but they are made in NY, and many of the messages are positive.

There’s a new book out that I’m gonna have to own called “H2O.” It’s photography of people underwater and the beauty and otherworldly weightlessness of being there. Check out the slide show from NY Times.

For $7 or $10 PicWash will retouch your photo, and no one will know the difference! Upload your photo, choose your plan, and you will receive your touched-up photo in only 48 hrs!

You must go to the site and click on the Cinemascope button to get the full effect. These pix can’t begin to compare to seeing it full screen and in motion.

The exhibition aims at actively contributing to the contemporary arts dialogue developing in Qatar. It poses the question: How do people in this culture, defined by strongly held beliefs and traditions yet also by rapid development and increasing wealth, perceive themselves.   

The individual pieces in the exhibit are quite interesting, and the collection as a whole gets you thinking about how each artist sees themselves, how we see them, and inevitably how we see ourselves. See more about the exhibit, as well as all of the pieces here.