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...

sugar cane

History takes me back to the basement of our culture

I can’t hide myself anymore

Beneath this so-called of civilized men

The sands of time is what I’ve been made with

The hand of the past may help to lay back relax

If we check it now.

And what you’ve got to do is just take care of

That inner black beauty that shines through

Your melanine tone

And take care of everything you got visible or invisible.

For not so long ago they didn’t love none of us –

At all.

I’d like to tell you something

It’s all about my own thing

Now I know what is sweet

I know what is sweet as sugar cane

And the promises they made at these times

Of struggle and fight must provide change in your mind.

For life is for lore

All praises are for the Lords.

So the souls descending from the

Tribe of Atkaptah will have to

Reminisce and unified on strong.

So don’t go dreamin’ on the edge of their land

Oh no ! No ! You’ll go flyin’ high, you’ll go too high

And now for the rest, let’s remind the pledge :

Each time you’ll taste the fruit of the cane

Don’t forget the whip, the field, their sweat.

(So this heritage will be as sweet as sugar cane…)

I’d like to tell you something

It’s all about my own thing

Now I know what is sweet

I know what is sweet as sugar cane

Les NubiansIISugar Cane

Jacky Gotin aka Kija...

Born in 1980, Jacky Gotin entered the world of photography immortalizing pieces of lives that staged friends and members of his family. This pastime progressively turned into a passion and became a reality during a journey in Paris, in the course of which he met photographers that were fascinated, just like he was, by the Parisian soul scene and its representatives of the moment. Influenced by his afro-caribbean origins, his photographies are doors opened on the world and the beauties that emanate from it under its most varied forms.

You can see more of his work here and here.

Beautiful Witherspoon...at Mas Camp...

I organized a workshop for a few models and photographers. A designer brought in some crochet fashions for a little color and texture but the focus was on form and figure. As the organizer, I didn't get to shoot much but I got a few good captures and Beautiful Witherspoon provided a few of my inspired images. She models in her spare time and you can find more of her images here. I hope to learn more about her and shoot her again in the future.

Dorlis on SHE...

These images of Kareen are from the works of Dorlis, a photographer in France and a member of the Organic SOUL CREW. They are part of his set of images called SHE. And you see more of his works here.

While I love his works I know very little about him. The photographer transgress says it best in this testimonial he made about Dorlis and his captures...
"a beautiful soul that generates an equal amount of soulful portraits that speaks more than any music or words would do. through his world of beauty and strength I feel like a stronger person, being reminded of everyday soulness and beauty. his artistic genius is about pride and righteousness. like a shooting star that sits in the sky sharing so much love and respect with us all, giving us hope for the future. an amazing artist you are. thanks for being you and for sharing your soulful beautiful world."

To true.

epiphanies aren't always cool...

I read some verse from Muze and it was deep & poetically insightful. It opened my own eyes. Sometimes you really don't know what you are missing until...


loved, once...

i was in love once...

my thoughts, chaotic, ran in circles
leaving her but always coming back

i was not alone

its over now. as over as it can be.


but every now and then
a word might be said
or a gesture made
or the light strikes her in just the right way...

and i'm in love again.

and that's when it hurts.
'cause it over.
fini

afrocentric sensuality is a movement...

I'm taking a quick break to check out some of the media out there and I am excited by what I see. Specifically, I happened upon a couple of recent entries posted by a couple of my favorite bloggers. I've attached what I liked as well links to their original posts. If you haven't checked out Kiss My Black Ads and Naturally Leslie out for yourselves, you do not know what you've been missing.

The Coil Review

The Coil Review Re Launch from Tricia (T. Mezz) Messeroux on Vimeo.

Naturally Leslie's original post


Design Inspiration: Karcarah
Kiss My Black Ads' original post

The Alchemy of You...

While I was working on this second and final tribute to E.M.P.ress' lost locs, my favorite poet was busy creating verse for one image that had inspired her from a previous posting that just happened to be a part of this set. Coincidence? Fate? I don't know. But it made for an interesting entry.


This lifetime you've warmed
no one's feet but idly tend
your tresses, instead of rice.
Yours is the patois
of cowboy and cowry.
You cast yourself from
swings with the planter's
daughter. Later taught her the
letters and sounds. A thing
of light and shadow
you are what the Lady
dreams, in spite of herself.


Kansas straw crowns
a head fit only, some
would have claimed,
for the noose. Yet
that gold Cape, that
outpost of haints is ever
in your rear, if only in a
peeling motif of mud, the
skin of a rail-burdened wall.



Those rails stretch then
pull, stretch and pull
like irons hitching con
to coolie to coon. Like
you, each had his own
passage. Like you, none
allowed his lead body to
plumb Atlantic's abyss, but
crossed. And the alchemy
of that crossing is the
alchemy of you.

LeiCole

cool jazz with lois lane...

We were in a living room that felt like a cool jazz set when I took these shots. I was trying to get a feel for a shoot I wanted to do in the future that focused on this fascinating aspect of LL's character.



You see, she's a jazz bassist, whose secret identity is that of a med student. To say she is busy is an understatement. But we kicked back and talked. Relaxed and came up with a couple of ideas for shoots. I've Already shown you one of them here. This is the other.




The names on the shots are Jazz Musicians she admires. I think I want to incorporate their music in the set we do for the portal. What do you think?

inspired verse...

That window, even screened,
allows lady beetles.
Luck sprinkles the ceiling.
Magazines and perm rollers
litter your flat like
so many sweets
beaten from a donkey.

But right now, little matters
except butter. Butter, you hope,
will armor you: against
the city's parasitic grit,
against your bus mate's
accosting grin. The coarsest of
sentiments slipping
past manilla teeth.

Morning breathes her last. Your
metronome quickens as the wind
hijacks Adhan,
presses traces of worship
against your hips, and
trails you to the door.

crazy busy!!!!!

It's been a minute since I updated the blog. The interest in building a web portal is growing and the labor to put the vision together is intensive. There's a lot to do, not the least of which are shoots and presentations. I'll go into more detail as things progress. These captures are looks at the behind-the-scenes of the first shoot we did for the site. This is exciting!

Khade...a revisit in pink

Khade in a west end butta aftershoot

Headshots...locs & ideas...

As I've worked on my images, I have been tossing around the idea of building a portal for the images and the influences...something that reflects the beauty and sensuality of the aesthetic and the cultural influences that it affects and that, in turn, affect it.


It would be a place for forums, maybe some interviews, beautiful photos and art. It could feature gear and products that are important to the look. I've talked to a few friends who are excited about what we could do with it. Some want to really push the envelope a bit more on the images and I have to admit I am interested in that myself. Others are really full of ideas on who we could interview for the site and some of the models, here, really want their products included in the gear talked about. I am interested creating forums for discussion too.


But what about you? Do you have any ideas on what you might want to see? Any ideas on what you might want to see in the blog, here?


I am also looking for more models. For the portal and the blog; Earth Sistas who are natural and sensual. Are you interested? Or do you know a woman who might be?