Paul Garland couldn’t let yesterday’s events go unmarked – the sad news of the loss to the world of a true visionary and a person who has changed his life personally, along with the vast majority of the planet, but certainly all who work in the fields of design, photography and artwork.
See more work from Illustrator Paul Garland on Altpick and his website.
Premiered on MTV Hive August 17, 2011
article by Dan Solomon
The song: The lead single from Chesapeake, Rachael Yamagata’s first album since 2008’s Elephants… Teeth Sinking Into Hearts, “Starlight” cements her transformation from a hushed folky to a full-on rocker in the mold of PJ Harvey. That comparison is going to get tossed around a lot, with Yamagata playing up her whiskey-scratched voice over a driving bassline and moody keyboards.
The video: Using a lo-fi, Super-8 aesthetic to great effect, “Starlight” intercuts home video footage of weddings and circus performers and skydivers with images of Yamagata, run through a battered film-reel effect, crooning into the camera in front of a brightly-colored carousel. There’s a young man of her fancy in the picture as well and if the goal was to compliment “Starlight”’s moody tone with a clown-at-the-state-fair aesthetic, they pull it off like gangbusters. The whole thing implies that love is a game for Yamagata, and like most carnival attractions, this game’s fixed.
The director: “Starlight” was directed by Laura Crosta, a veteran of the Microsoft “Really?” campaign, who gets to show off her artier side here. She’s got an impressive portfolio of music-oriented still shots, as well, but it looks like “Starlight” is among her first forays into music video.
“Starlight” doesn’t go for a straight narrative video, which suits the song’s scattered, more frantic mood. All of the intercut footage — and there’s a lot of it, mostly old timey shots of crowds and vintage, circus-themed imagery that complements the scenes of Yamagata at the carnival. Most of those intercut shots are pretty neat, too, with tigers crawling out of cages, fire-breathers and classic airplanes taking off and landing. It doesn’t quite tell a story, but it doesn’t really need to – when it comes to setting a mood that matches “Starlight,” the video does a hell of a job.
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“I learned from early on to really pay attention to what came out naturally when I doodled on scraps of paper …” David paid attention.
With his distinctive and unforgettable illustrations, both big and bigger, he has left his ink. More recently at the Carlton Arms NYC, an artistic hotel loaded with creativity from its front desk to its walls.
David, I’m especially interested in the process of the series of wall paintings you did at the Carlton Arms Hotel. How did the project come about?
I actually painted at the Carlton Arms Hotel on two separate occasions. Photographers James and Karla Murray invited me to work on a project with them to promote their new book, “Store Front: The Disappearing Face of New York.” After I completed that project, the hotel management invited me back to paint my own room.
How long did it take?
I think each room took me about two solid weeks to finish. I often slept at the hotel, so I would paint until I couldn’t see anymore, take a nap, wake up, go to my 9 to 5 job, come back to the hotel and do it all over again. It was a surreal experience.
How did you come up with the theme?
For the “Store Front” room, the idea was for me to paint characters inspired by the book, which was filled with beautiful photographs of old New York store fronts, many of which are no longer existing. When creating the characters I tried to imagine the different types of people that may have walked into these iconic storefronts represented in the book. The music shop, the smoke shop and so on. The Murray’s also mounted actual photographs from the book on the walls surrounding my characters to ground the whole concept.
For the second room, which I painted on my own, I knew right away that I wanted to paint large haunting faces. That led me to the idea of creating mug shots. In preparing for the project I did a ton of research on old mug shots from the 1920’s and 1930’s. Every single person that appeared in these shots looked like serious characters. As I flipped through them I thought to my self, “what did this person do? What went wrong? How did they get caught?” I was amazed at how one single photo, in this case a mug shot, could spark so many specific kinds of questions. I wanted to create those same questions for someone else with my own characters. It was a very simple idea that I could execute rather quickly, so I went for it.
A quote from the hotel manager?
I was recently interviewed by a quite well known magazine. Much of the interview centered on the process of selecting artists. How do we find them, what are we looking for in an artist, types of work etc.
Along with talent, time constraints and vision we must be able to “get along”. The artist must “play well with others” including hotel staff, guests and other artists.
“David Cooper encompassed and exceeded all of our expectations of what a Carlton Arms artist should be. David is extremely talented in all areas related to art. He’s a fun and amazing visual artist, intelligent and engaging. He works very well with staff and other artists going beyond his duty of imposing his vision on our walls. His first project was doing a room with other artists, big egos can get crowded in a small room but charm, good humor and a willing and helpful hand go a long way. David also “gets” the hotel art project and continues to participate in our vision. I am very fond of David and his work and am proud to consider him a friend.” – John M Ogren, Manager, Carlton Arms Hotel
Do you know of anyone who stayed in one of your rooms?
Unfortunately, I don’t. However, I do know that many people that stay at the Hotel are usually from places abroad, so hopefully my work is being spread slowly across the world by word of mouth. One can dream!
David, really striking illustrations. Whimsical facades with a decidedly tongue-in-cheek vibe. There are double entendres embedded within the “Uninvited Portrait”. Explain?
When I was a teenager I dabbled in graffiti. I remember this one incident when I was writing on a wall in a train station and this guy charged towards me out of nowhere pointing a gun in my face. Just as I thought I was being robbed he said, “Freeze, you’re under arrest!” Turns out he was a plain cloths detective. Needless to say I got arrested and I got put through the system. No fun at all. Anyway, I remember getting my mug shot taken. As I went through this experience I felt angry, ashamed, worried and scared. Looking back on the experience I thought how interesting that photograph must have looked because of all the emotions I was feeling at the moment the picture was snapped. During my research I wondered what everyone else was going through internally as they were going through their similar experiences. For me personally, I felt like this was a moment to be left alone, yet I was forced to have my picture taken. This became the inspiration for this group of paintings and the title of the show, “The Uninvited Portrait”.
Are these faces only a mother can love?
It would seem so. There’s no denying the fact that all of my characters are a bit awkward, odd and funny. I learned from early on to really pay attention to what came out naturally when I doodled on scraps of paper as I talked on the phone or in my notebooks in class when I was supposed to be taking notes. I decided to go with my strengths and to develop those fundamental ideas that would eventually lead me to my own unique voice, which is an absolutely freeing experience.
The female is all doe-eyed caught innocence. The males are stereotypical career criminals. Reasons for the obvious differences?
Honestly, I spend a lot of time drawing funny looking ugly men, which seems to come very natural to me. So, I decided to challenge my self and draw a beautiful woman in a somewhat bad situation. As I worked on these paintings I built stories in my head about what each criminal did to be in the position of getting their mug shot taken. I imagined the female criminal was the most dangerous of them all for some reason or another. Of course I never made these stories clear or obvious in the paintings because the idea was to give the viewer a little information and let their imaginations run wild with the rest.
Getting to the story, one character at a time.
See more of David’s work on Altpick and his website.
Warner Brothers purchased some of Eric Fennell’s photography for a new film directed by Gary Marshall. The film is called “New Year’s Eve” and it is scheduled for release in December 2011. The above photo is “Big Sound” by Eric Fennell.
See more of Eric’s work here.
New Year’s Eve Movie Trailer here.
Yesterday I attended the OMMA Global conference in NYC and I had the pleasure of sitting in on the keynote speaker Kim Kadlac, Worldwide Vice President at Johnson & Johnson, and case study seminars with HP, Zappos, HBO, Mullen, BBDO and Live Nation. All the sessions were informative, all were fascinating, all worth every minute.
Seminar after seminar the same important points were made and more importantly, reminders that although the business has changed more in the last 5 years then in the last 25 years, some things don’t change. Basic practices and etiquette principles just don’t go out of style:
.Be authentic.
.Be creative, be unique
.Be generous
.Be a good listener
.Create relationships
.Choose your words carefully
.Celebrate special moments
.Create an experience
.Be the first to apologize
.Don’t worry if they like you, make sure they love you
.Be a storyteller
We are all creative and being authentic is not hard, just like a muscle it needs to be used. Using all of these points will keep you on track. Be an authentic storyteller.
You know how.
–Maria Ragusa-Burfield | Founder | Alternative Pick | Altpick.com
The 45th edition of the Fiera del Riso is underway in Isola Della Scala, a town on the low plains south of Verona. Once again, we in Italy, have a reason to overeat. Feasting seems to be part of the landscape here, a pastoral landscape that lands in your plate. Each little village has a special or beloved crop that is of particular importance. And the harvest of each of these; peas, asparagus, cherries, wine grapes, etc., etc. is marked with a Fair for celebration and EATING.
One of the biggest and most attended is the Rice Fair. Right now the harvest is underway. This means it is time to celebrate and have fun. The theme here is rice, Risotto rules. We are talking about 26 days of risotto, from September 18th till October 9th. The supporting cast includes paella, polenta, pizza, a variety of desserts, and even the milk for your coffee, all are made from rice or rice products.
There are two huge eating arenas filled with long tables and benches, food stands line the walls. There is no table service. You buy tickets for your food, wait in line and tray firmly gripped, grab places squeezed in with enthusiastically eating strangers. The lines can snake back and forth, five or six rows deep. The strangers may have driven hours from Bergamo just to indulge in three or four plates of different risottos washed down with good local wines from Valpolicella, Suave, Custoza or Bardolino. And they come back year after year.
The choice of risotto differs from day to day. You will always find “ all’Isolana, the traditional and beloved, meat based, local dish on the menu. Other selections are chosen from a list of at least 29 alternatives. You might find choices of Pear and Gorgonzola, Mushrooms, Saffron and Leeks, Duck, Pumpkin or Radicchio. Local cheeses like Monte Veronese and Grana Padana contribute to the creaminess. Every town in this rice growing area has its own signature recipe to promote.
There are also cooking contests, eight of them. One is an event for the mayors of local towns. They are allowed the assistance of a chef they trust. The public can sample all five of the competing risottos plus beverage and dessert for a modest fee which goes to charity. This year a new competition for the “Chicco d’Oro” (Golden Grain) of the world took place opening night. The judges were seated and eating when the guests for the grand Gala Dinner arrived, walking behind the marching band that opened the fair. During an evening of delicious rice and wine, awards were given for outstanding local residents and at evening’s end, the judges’ choices were announced. An Italian from Puglia took first place with awards also going to Australian and Thai chefs. An American and a Chinese chef were also part of the five competing finalists. Chatting with one of the other cook-off spectators, I discovered she was the mother of, as well as interpreter, for the Australian Chef. She was delighted to be back in Italy, where she was born, for the first time able to watch her son professionally cooking, as opposed to what he does in her home kitchen.
Eating Risotto is the main attraction. But it can be challenging getting there. The fair ground eating pavilions are reached by means of a snaking pedestrian road jammed with hungry visitors and lined with stands of all sorts vying for your attention. Hair ornaments and massaging recliners call out to you. And then there is the food, sacks of rice and bottles of prize winning olive oil, huge brick like blocks of torrone or pure liquorice for making liqueurs at home, roasted nuts, breads and cheeses all want to be bought and nibbled before you arrive at your destination.
Before reaching this challenge you had to park and walk past the restaurants, many with outdoor seating, all serving their own risottos and special rice dishes. You begin to understand why people return different evenings to sample the abundance.
If you need a reason other than your taste buds to go, there are sports events, concerts, shop window competitions and more. After all, it is a Fair.
The Italian Touring Club produces a map of the ‘rice road’ for the rice called Vialone Nano Veronese I.G.P., the rice used for creamy risotto. More info go to: www.risovialonenanoveronese.it or www.fieradelriso.it
Written by our Italy Correspondent and Artist Carol Schultheiss in Cavallini
See and be seen.
The Eight Annual Altpick Awards. Call for Entries. Open now.
Calling you.
. designers
. creative directors
. art directors
. photographers
. illustrators
. new media artists
. you
Submit your best advertising campaigns, book covers, posters, photography, illustrations and moving image projects.
The judges will choose a 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners and 3 Honorable Mentions in each category.
Categories include design, illustration, new media and photography. And new this year, the “Mobile Device Fun Image” category. We know you are giddy.
Everyone loves prizes, so do we! This year we have some awesome stuff to hand out to the winners from our sponsors: Agency Access, Blick Art Materials, Big Visual Empty Wallet, Duggal, Moo.com, SmugMug, Wacom .
But wait. There’s more.
Better heed the call.
On October 13th 2011, The United Nations will unveil a series of postage stamps commemorating The International Year of Forests, created by Sergio Baradat. “I loved working on this project and am thrilled with the final product.”, says Baradat.
Save the date and join Sergio for the First Day Of Issue ceremony on the October 13th. Detailed information will be available as the date approaches. The United Nations Magazine, pictured below, explores the iconography of each image.
See more of Sergio’s work here.
“The Mother F***er With the Hat,” Stephen Adly Guirgis’s foul-mouthed play about addicts and adultery, has been a surprise hit since it opened in April. The reviews were mostly, and the positive presence of Chris Rock, in his Broadway debut, has attracted atypical theatergoers to Broadway. Three other ca postivest members – Bobby Cannavale, Elizabeth Rodriguez and Yul Vazquez – as well as Mr Guirgis, were nominated for Tonys. But even before the show opened, its title posed a major marketing problem (if not a buzz factor, too).
The New York Times asked several illustrators including Tim Gough and fellow Scott Hull Associates’ Andrea Eberbach, Mikey Burton, Andy Hayes and Von Glitschka to come up with their own poster art for the show, on the condition that they adher to the spirit of The Times’s own standard, which does away with the offending word in the title entirely. Click to read excerpts from interviews with the three of the artists. — ERIK PIEPENBURG, New York Times
At a loss for words, the NYT found a visual language that speaks loudly. And beautifully. No washing of mouth with soap required.
Artists’ Credits: Tim Gough, Andy Hayes, Andrea Eberbach
The Pick 
