Thoughts behind Shells...

So I'm at Apache Cafe and Lounge and I am talking to some of the patrons about the portal and the types of images I think we should capture. Artistic...sexy...provocative, most of the things we say are typically used for almost every other venue that focuses on creating beautiful images of women. But no matter how sexy or revealing, there is some aspect to the content that has to be considered.

Now not all of what is posted to the portal will be for everyone's taste. And I personally feel that I walk a line when I consider what I want to create for the Garden. And this is the conversation I am having with the artists and patrons of the Lounge when I am looking at Shells...


Shells was born in Honduras and she worked in a circus before she ended up in Atlanta. She is currently working on a performance art piece and I hope to feature it in some way in the Garden. Her history is rich and textured and it is reflected in the poses she takes in the Lounge; relaxed, provocative, cool & dramatic, proud.


Her head is never down.

And that was it. Artistic...sexy...nude...provocative...proud. Glamourous, naughty, humorous, intense, dramatic and passionate...yes. Never degrading...never pornographic...never disrespectful.


Pangea's Garden is the place that celebrates the pride in the beauty that broadens the perspective and gives voice to the rich, textured, soulful environment that creates it.



My thoughts behind Shells is that her head is never down. And before I knew who she was and what she was doing, she was beautiful to me in that way.

Click.

a centennial moment to ponder...

Just taking a breath. This is my 101st entry and I was just reflecting on how this all came to me and what its about. It didn't start with the conversation on hair. It was before that and it was at this place. And this model, Xian, was one of the muses.

In a week or so, (ironing out a few technical kinks) the portal will go live and this blog will be a part of it. And it will be as the blog has been, a repository of images of the beauty, glamour & sensuality of EarthSistas, a haven for ideas on the influences of Afrocentricity in art, culture, sexuality, politics, music, family...life. And it will a place where we can, all express ourselves, creatively and admire the efforts of those who have.

Just taking a moment. Catching my breath. Waiting...

the artist model series - xian: moods and monochromes

Always the muse, Xian stands out because of her expressiveness. Working with the artsy environment at Apache Cafe & Lounge, she creates moods with each pose that constantly inspired artists and photographers alike.

the artist model series - xian: the first muse in locs & white

Xian was the first.



At Apache, she was the first model I created images of (first as sketches, later as photos). And while I loved the images I captured, there were so many quality concerns with the digital images that I was inspired to solve the problems and get it right. The solutions are technical, having to do with camera sensors and lighting techniques.







But I was inspired to go the next level. Create better images and new ideas. Grow.

I guess that is what a Muse does for you.

the artist model series - sonia: curves & locs part 1

As I've mentioned before... the vision for the images in Pangea's Garden all started with my captures at the Apache Cafe & Lounge. This pictorial is part of a short series of retrospectives of how what I've seen has influenced and inspired me.

The model goes by the stage name DarknCurvy and you can find her on MySpace.

Natural Curves...

I can't empower anyone, but myself.


As a traditional artist, I did a show at the Apache Cafe & Lounge with another photographer a couple of years ago. I titled my series of pastel works "Real Beauty Has Curves" and it was a companion set with the photographers images. On the night of the opening show, curvaceous models, representing the aesthetic of the show posed for the artists and photographers that attended and during the course of the evening we hosted an Artist's Talk about the works and it was quite provocative.


During the course of the discussion, the photographer made the statement that one of the reasons he produced his work was to empower the women whom he had focused his work on. And the question I had was 'who are we to empower anyone BUT ourselves?'


I didn't confront him on this. He did the work he did with the motivations that moved him and a confrontation doesn't change that. My motivations for my works were, in part, an act of homage; paying respect for alternative images of beauty. I wanted to create images that were based on what had inspired me, seduced me, taught me, shared with me and lived with me. And I continue to create works as an homage to this aesthetic, today.


But I believe empowerment comes from within. You can't give it to me and vice versa. Here in the Garden, I think we should know that. But I can...we can... pay homage; cultivate a space where the innate beauty of the Earth Sista, empowered, can be artfully, sensuously, romantically displayed and this alternative choice of beauty can be appreciated.

Are you empowered? Do you empower you?

it started on a night at the cafe...

It was Monday and I was already beat down.

It was a long workday, after a very taxing weekend and I was soooo sleepy, not tired, just sleepy.

My favorite joint was the Apache Cafe & Lounge on Art Monday nights. Harking back to the days of the beatnik era, the Apache Cafe, basically, is one of those joints where creatives of all types hang out in a eclectic, funky atmosphere. Poets, painters, musicians, singers, DJs, dancers, photographers and film makers all have a place here along with patrons, entourage and students. It seemed like each night of the week focused on a different art form. For example, Sundays it was Spoken Word and Wednesdays were Open Mic for singers and musicians. On Art Mondays, Apache would bring in a model or two and puts them on a model stand for painters, photographers, visual artists of all types to be inspired. And I got to tell you I went in there planning to having one drink, maybe two and calling it a night. I just wasn't feeling it, you know.



But I got there, had a shot of Grand Mariner and proceeded to find my Muse. And there she was. I was no longer tired. I was no longer sleepy. I pulled out my camera and grabbed a few shots of the scene.

I'm energized now; the music feels like my theme song and each image makes me want to shoot the next. I'm intoxicated by the Grand Mariner and the model's locs & curves. A couple of friends come over, we start laughing about dumb stuff. We talk a little about real jobs. I am enjoying the night. I take a couple more pics and order another shot.



The muse... the drink... the crew... the model... my captures...

I was in a moment and I was living...thriving... in it.

You feel me?