Its been a really amazing year of firsts for me, and I thought today was typically fitting to write about them, and acknowledge the things (besides the particular events over the past year) that I am truly thankful for and the people responsible for those things so here we go....this is probably going to be all over the place-
mostly, i am grateful for my family, its very small but loving. last year i wasnt really even focused on the holidays because my NYC debut was 2 weeks after thanksgiving...so instead of paying attention to how special sharing moments like today are, i was bugging out about my show. My gradfather is very old and sick and I am really pumped to spend today with him, and was given the opportunity to get in another thanksgiving hang with him.
and i have these friends, that i seperate into two different groups: the creatives and the corporates, both have been really lovely and supportive of me, and its amazing the advice and perspective that comes from each group of homies. since my family is so small, i take my friendships very seriously...i am well aware of how high maintenance i am, but mostly its for one reason...and that being, the people whom i let in, really really let in fill that void of not having a big family...and i am just really into treating those close to me how i wish to be treated, and well i have high expectations so....thats the deal there and i take it very seriously.
in this past year, my artsy fartsy friends have really taken time to help me understand how lots of shit goes down, and how to deal with things, both good and bad...listening to their experiences and sharing mine, having them by my side along the way, has made lots of things easier...instead of going into this whole process blinded and uneducated, i have these group of great guys reminding me how it should be done, not to jump the gun, and if i did and got fucked....helped me through that too (which happened.)
collaborations. i am really grateful for the artists who have joined up with me to make shit. also, those who have supported the projects by playing at events...mostly, because i have learned a bunch from being around them and watching them work. theyve kinda kept an eye out which has warded away lots of unwanted bullshit... and after floating around the music scene for 3 years post graduation, getting periodic jobs here and there, thinking i was wasting my time; ultimately prooved that all of that time spent totally had a purpose.
assholes. i am really thankful for the few assholes that have graced my presence over the past year. the ones who latched on, took advantage, and i dropped once i finally got a clue of their true motives. you taught me first and fore most, how never to treat people - personally and professionally. you made me notice that i shouldnt just trust everyone, and to be more careful. and mostly, when the people close to me offer advice, i will take it, instead of defending what truly isnt.
baltimore. i have never been a fan. i am a new york city girl by heart, and have been since i was little. coming back here this past year, setting up shop...getting a great job, and making new friends has really changed my perspective on this shithole. i enjoy being here, concentrating and focusing on my art, and getting shit done, even if a periodic margarita madness hinders the process a little bit....i will always be a city girl first, but for the moment Baltimore has totally embraced me, which has been really fun.
lastly, my mom. my mom is really a special person who has continued to support and help make my dreams come true. its been amazing to share this year with her every step of the way, and she has been insanely helpful. i really lucked out there, for whatever reason, but shes definitely the most remarkable person i know and will ever know...they totally broke the mold when they made my mom, and the love i have for her is just really unmeasurable.
so im gona make some shoutouts and acknowledge those people who really went above and beyond, in my opinion, to do something special for me...help me out...and completely held up their part of the deal. i am thankful for you.
my mom, and my gradparents, lester bangs, kathleen donnelly, kathleen madigan, brian riccardi, judy kurjan and stephen frank, jay day, matthew wheelwright, wes rizzo, chip gates, the faust family, nicholas fitandis, jen schrader, tim buck, brian friesen and ray tan, the studio at 810, ken schneidmen, renee and rocko, scott metzger, michael weintrob, bobby haight, tommy hamilton, jim hamilton, chris harford, jason kibler, howie schnee, eric mcfadden, eric bolivar, jason crosby, ryan thorton, kevin kendrick, jonathon goldberger, max blackman, jeff gaines, peter costello, victoria vox.
thank you for making 2010 a really wonderful year, ill look back and totally think of you folks.
love, Jess!
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Gen Arts Resurrection Benefit
So I wake up to a late night missed phone call from a mister Michael Weintrob and out of curiosity call him back on my way into work, MW is in Louisiana at the moment shooting rockers in New Orleans...and was asleep...
and in his murmur he informs me that he needs a Ray Charles painted, if I wanted to, to show at the Gen Arts Benefit in 10 days...in New York City to about 900 people...and he will call me later to explain...i hang up, and immediately FREAK.OUT.
So if you are unaware of what Gen Arts is, they were a company that was responsible for discovering the likes of Edward Norton, Adrien Grenier, Zac Possen and many many others. Their focus was launching careers of up and comers in film and fashion and later branched into the visual arts. They were a self sufficient company for decades due to private donors and support until the economy fell to shit and their benefactors dwindled. So, sadly, Gen Arts is now bankrupt and are up for sale, however their motive has not changed and hopefully whomever purchases the company keeps their vision alive...so before the lights go out at Gen Arts they wanted to have one last party to rage out the greatness that was and will always be Gen Arts, a New York City legend...
Agency 2.8 was in charge of curating the event and asked 5 photographers to display one piece each, and MW chose one of our Pop Rock Posters...
So I got to work, and printed a black and white hi rez ray charles and set out on a paint shopping spree dropping 300 bucks on new paints, sprays, wood and glitters.
and then went back to my studyo! and started to build the frame, which did not work out too well until my studyo! mate LaQuann informed me that staple gun was the only way to go...fuck nails and hammers man...impossible!
So I got to painting...with new paints, different than those from the summer...and the turn out was alot different:
I let it dry, and the next morning attempted to put this 8 foot ray charles in my car, which is a hatch back...that did not happen...so my lovely mom managed to squeeze it into her SUV, and dropped it off at my office...where I boxed it up and over nighted it to Agency 2.8 and Gen Arts in NYC.
The UPS guy was crazy pissed because the box was so large, and my pick up was in the late afternoon...meaning he had no room, so he had to empty the truck and come back, so it really wasn't a big surprised when the guys opened it up in New York and the frame was broken, slitting the canvas and damaging the painting. But MW is a solid guy and fixed it as best he could, which was really good actually..hes so artsy!
and in his murmur he informs me that he needs a Ray Charles painted, if I wanted to, to show at the Gen Arts Benefit in 10 days...in New York City to about 900 people...and he will call me later to explain...i hang up, and immediately FREAK.OUT.
So if you are unaware of what Gen Arts is, they were a company that was responsible for discovering the likes of Edward Norton, Adrien Grenier, Zac Possen and many many others. Their focus was launching careers of up and comers in film and fashion and later branched into the visual arts. They were a self sufficient company for decades due to private donors and support until the economy fell to shit and their benefactors dwindled. So, sadly, Gen Arts is now bankrupt and are up for sale, however their motive has not changed and hopefully whomever purchases the company keeps their vision alive...so before the lights go out at Gen Arts they wanted to have one last party to rage out the greatness that was and will always be Gen Arts, a New York City legend...
Agency 2.8 was in charge of curating the event and asked 5 photographers to display one piece each, and MW chose one of our Pop Rock Posters...
So I got to work, and printed a black and white hi rez ray charles and set out on a paint shopping spree dropping 300 bucks on new paints, sprays, wood and glitters.
and then went back to my studyo! and started to build the frame, which did not work out too well until my studyo! mate LaQuann informed me that staple gun was the only way to go...fuck nails and hammers man...impossible!
So I got to painting...with new paints, different than those from the summer...and the turn out was alot different:
Then i made a trip down to Fells Point and went to this crazy vintage record store that's through this locked gate and down this shady fucking alley in the storage shed of some walk up...totally weird, but I got vintage Ray Charles vinyl for 2 bucks each that actually still had the original Paramount record sleeves.
I ripped them apart on an angle and kept the edges rough and framed out ray's body. I finished off the sleeves with a tri-tone spray paint job, neon pink and orange and a semi gloss red.
...lastly, i sealed the painting with spray glitter and signed and numbered the Ray.
and this is when the story gets really good...
and this is when the story gets really good...
The UPS guy was crazy pissed because the box was so large, and my pick up was in the late afternoon...meaning he had no room, so he had to empty the truck and come back, so it really wasn't a big surprised when the guys opened it up in New York and the frame was broken, slitting the canvas and damaging the painting. But MW is a solid guy and fixed it as best he could, which was really good actually..hes so artsy!
So, I attempt to make my way up to NYC, taking the MegaBus because they were the only form of transportation offering a 4 o'clock take off...what a fucking joke, we didn't leave until 5:30, landing me in New York City at 9:30 thanks to a lovely jackass who didn't exceed 45mph on the NJTP.
In the pouring rain, I finally arrive at the Hudson Hotel, soaked and exhausted and thirsty as all hell. There is a line around the block to get into the opening, however i get recognized and escorted into the show...up into VIP to collect myself. I grabbed a ginger cranberry cocktail and take a load off before taking pictures with the painting in honor of Gen Arts' final hour.
This was one of the first pictures taken...which i think expresses the day prior to my arrival pretty well....
The party ended at 11, but kept kickin until 12 in VIP...and then I split down to Houston and 1st to catch Spin Doctor Chris Barron play with the Time Bandits. I walk into National Underground to find John Popper from Blues Traveler ripping the harp and the place to be packed with a bunch of cats whom i just adore! I stayed for a few cocktails and one song request...then went and crashed. I was fucking spent.
After all of the crazy bullshit and headaches, the evening ended up being really great and as my buddy says "ya gotta roll with the punches"...it all kinda made it more special and enjoyable in a really fucked up frustrating way...but even in the midst of all the madness i made sure to take time out to look over the balcony of the VIP to watch people over and over again gather in front of our piece of art to take pictures with friends and discuss with each other...which was pretty amazing. ;)
Please visit Gen Art to learn more and contribute in your own way, what they do for the artist community is really unbelievable, and hopefully their support will continue.
Love, Jess!
TRAGEDY
So in case you haven't heard there is an All Metal Tribute to the BeeGees out there and they are called TRAGEDY! The band is pretty rad, and by the time you leave one of their shows you are entirely covered in glitter and stage sweat...and maybe some semen, not kidding, shit gets real weird in the awesomest way.
Luckily, one of the Brothers Gibb digs my art work so I contacted him about making a poster for the tour...long story short, the poster ended up being a stage back drop and the project that I intended to only be 11"x17" became 8'x9'...here's how that happened.
After throwing around some ideas about how the tour poster would look, i mentioned that...ya know...i could make a stage back drop, and luckily for me, Tragedy left their last one in London and were in need of something new...
So i requested their hi rez images and got to work.
First, I created a file on my computer, took the color out of the photo, placed the logo and printed it out on satin paper to create a mock up which was requested by the band, this was the first time any work would be created for Tragedy that wasn't their vision or idea....which is a pretty big deal and an insane compliment, i think....
So, I futzed around with some ideas while listening to the band's album We Rock Sweet Balls and Can Do No Wrong and researching photos and interpreted everything into something that i felt would represent the Brothers Gibb into a visual art piece.
And sent it off...and was told to go for it...so i enlarged the image and printed it onto canvas on the highest quality the ion offers...it took 6 hours to print....and rolled that shit out on the floor of my studyo! its 8 feet wide by 9 feet long far too wide for my easel...
...and chopped all of the skulls in half, so they would lay flat and literally almost cut off my ring finger on my left hand, seriously it is still majorly fucked up.
I then sealed the entire drop with spray glitter, sewed it up the middle, turned it over and hammered the back side to reinstate the rhinestones.
...this is the finished product, minus a few rhinestones...
So, when the band announced that they were breaking up, again...it was a sad sad day...so I am sure you can understand my excitement when they decided to reunite and put together a Reunion/Last Show Ever tour this fall/winter.
Luckily, one of the Brothers Gibb digs my art work so I contacted him about making a poster for the tour...long story short, the poster ended up being a stage back drop and the project that I intended to only be 11"x17" became 8'x9'...here's how that happened.
So i requested their hi rez images and got to work.
First, I created a file on my computer, took the color out of the photo, placed the logo and printed it out on satin paper to create a mock up which was requested by the band, this was the first time any work would be created for Tragedy that wasn't their vision or idea....which is a pretty big deal and an insane compliment, i think....
Naturally, as a metal band, the drop needed to be glam and sparkle as much as possible, and HAD to have diamonds and glitter...so i started there...and cut up my entire Phish Collection and bought a bedazzler.
And started gluing and painting and building a 36 inch mock...
And sent it off...and was told to go for it...so i enlarged the image and printed it onto canvas on the highest quality the ion offers...it took 6 hours to print....and rolled that shit out on the floor of my studyo! its 8 feet wide by 9 feet long far too wide for my easel...
First, I painted in the TRAGEDY with RED, because red rules...and painted the rocks and skulls with some dayglo paints...and placed the skulls i found when i was out shopping for leather pants one day...
Then I began on the cds...and started gluing them down piece by piece...
...and made glasses...
next, i got to bedazzling...which ended up being me placing and hammering in each rhinestone by hand...like 1100 times...because, if you didn't realize this...bedazzlers aren't large enough for massive projects...just saying, in case...you ever give it a whirl, save yourself the time.
I then sealed the entire drop with spray glitter, sewed it up the middle, turned it over and hammered the back side to reinstate the rhinestones.
...this is the finished product, minus a few rhinestones...
then i packed it up and delivered it to one of the the greatest bands in the Tri-State Area...
Feel free to view this video and enjoy yourself some TRAGEDY: You Should be Dancing! and hopefully at the bigger venues you will see the backdrop...US and UK tour information can be found here!
Love, Jess!
PRS Guitar
About six months ago, my studyo! mate, Ryan Dumas (who also was chosen for this project because our studio rules), left some paper work on my desk explaining the details about designing a PRS Art Guitar for a charity called Music4More.org. The guitar would be sold at auction and the proceeds will be donated to provide public schools with instruments.
I was really excited when I read about this project as I had recently contacted some of my most favorite guitar playing nuts about awesome guitars of the past, the particular models they play and other guitarlike info I should know so i could replicate the guitars on a massive scale.
As I was fooling around with this project, it became very clear that the information I compiled would be used for my Art Guitar and not my replicas...and so the mock ups began...
I printed out all of the pictures and information everyone had sent me, keeping each packet separated by specific rocker and explored who I wanted to include in this guitar, who I felt would physically correlate with each other, and how I would represent their guitar in my model.
I settled on four particular rockers for this project, Scott Metzger, Eric McFadden, Robbie Mangano and Jake Szufnarowski. Its was a decision based purely on the physicality of their guitars, and what I imagined a conversation would be like if these 4 cats were in a room together. As it stirred in my mind, I felt hilarity would ensue, and well...nothing is better than that.
So- Scott Metzger, when I met him was playing his Red Les Paul....that was before he became a Red Tele man...and got an SG...so to rep scotty, I used bright red strips of duck tape.
When I met Eric McFadden on a Rocks Off! concert cruise many years ago, he was playing a sawdust shell gibson of some sort, he told me it was a real cheap guitar but he loves the way it sounds...the back side of it is really rough and course, that's why i chose to represent him with Leather.
Jake Szufnarowski has this amazing Swarovski Crystaled Gibson Flying V. While the guitar itself is awesome, the fact that he, himself, glued those fuckers on there is just impressive. Naturally, I used rhinestones to represent Jake's guitar.
And Seahag, plays a super shiny Gibson E335, which is certainly one of my most favorite guitars to watch someone play. To include Seahag in the design, I smashed vintage Bruce Springsteen vinyl.
Many, many guys took time out of their nutty schedules to send me pictures, links and emails in answer to my questions, so while these four were the specific picks, all of the guys are part of this guitar...which I think is really cool, I was super grateful that they did that. So thanks everyone! A lot, a lot!
So i got to work...this is the day I received the guitar and smashed the first album...
I started with the front, I stenciled the circles onto the guitar and began layering the vinyl pieces. Then added the rhinestones, moved up the neck of the guitar and added the rhinestoned skull which Jake has on his Flying V and layered record pieces around the skull. I also included two Red Stars on the nobs which Jake has tattooed on his arms, and is part of the Rocks Off! logo.
Then, I flipped the guitar and covered the entire body with red duck tape, and then stenciled the zebra stripes onto the body, and drew same stripes onto a yard of leather, and cut them out and glued that shiz down.
The guitar was finished, just needed some cleaning up and it would be sent off on tour, showing at music festivals and shows around Maryland for the summer. Heineken Red Star got word of the guitar and became my corporate sponsor.
Press Photo...
Here we are at HFStival (where I kicked it with Billy Idol)...
And Virgin Fest Free Mobile Fest...
If you would like to attend the party you can get all the event info here. Hope you can make it!
Love,
Jess!
Friday, November 5, 2010
Artistic Influences
Artistic Influences:
(the following have inspired me to make shit)
Dawn Mattier
Andy Warhol
Alfred E. Neuman
The Velvet Underground
Ben Cohen
Hunter S. Thompson
Scott Metzger
Tim Burton
John Waters
Jim Hamilton
Chris Harford
Romero Britto
Keith Haring
M.C. Esher
Justin Kreutzmann
Ween
Parliament Funkadelic
Alfred Hitchcock
Nicholas Ziolkowski
The word “Fuck”
Betsey Johnson
Massiveness
Lester Bangs
Marlboro Lights
Chuck Taylor
The City of New York
Beetlejuice
Michael Weintrob
Doc Marten
David Byrne
Glitter
The writings of Pete Townshend
Paul Reed Smith
Shapes
Mr. Brigermen
Andy Capp
P.D. Eastman
Jake Szufnarowski
RED
Cocktails
Maurice Sendak
Myself
(the following have inspired me to make shit)
Dawn Mattier
Andy Warhol
Alfred E. Neuman
The Velvet Underground
Ben Cohen
Hunter S. Thompson
Scott Metzger
Tim Burton
John Waters
Jim Hamilton
Chris Harford
Romero Britto
Keith Haring
M.C. Esher
Justin Kreutzmann
Ween
Parliament Funkadelic
Alfred Hitchcock
Nicholas Ziolkowski
The word “Fuck”
Betsey Johnson
Massiveness
Lester Bangs
Marlboro Lights
Chuck Taylor
The City of New York
Beetlejuice
Michael Weintrob
Doc Marten
David Byrne
Glitter
The writings of Pete Townshend
Paul Reed Smith
Shapes
Mr. Brigermen
Andy Capp
P.D. Eastman
Jake Szufnarowski
RED
Cocktails
Maurice Sendak
Myself
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