Somewhere in the woods near Antwerp, Belgium – June 2008

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Beijing, China – November 2009

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Warsaw, Poland – July 2009

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That’s Me

After Julie Bennett conquered the industry of graphic design in high-end music magazines like NME, she found a new niche in painting where she could get her hands dirty. A few years ago, when she exhibited her work in the Saatchi Online Gallery, The Independent labelled her one of “Saatchi’s new stars”. Her unique style has also gained her attention from The Evening Standard, The Sunday Times and Artists and Illustrators Magazine. She’s exhibited her paintings all around London from Notting Heaven to the Sassoon Gallery to the Sartorial Gallery.

Catch her latest work in the “Girls at Gold” show at The Gallery, Goldsmiths Student Union which features eight female artists – four from Camberwell, where Julie is currently studying, and four from Goldsmiths. The show opens on Monday 23 November and runs until 11 December. More info here.

A native Londoner, Julie gives us a bit of insight into how the city influences her work, talks about her failed attempt at becoming a rock star and her infatuation with Boy George.

Andrea

LLO: How has living in London influenced your painting?
JB: I was born in London so London is obviously a massive part of my life. Even though I’ve travelled around, London is still my favourite place. I absolutely love the diversity of people. It’s great for portraits. I’m always so inspired by walking the street and people watching on the tube. I want to take photos of people sometimes, but obviously I can’t.

Girl with Feather Earring

LLO: Your background is in graphic design for some big magazines like NME and Q. What made you turn to painting, and do you find your design experience inspires your current work?
JB: I achieved all my dreams in graphic design – to work in music, at NME and Q. I worked at nearly every music magazine London holds – Kerrang!, Classic Rock. I even worked for a bit on the UK launch of Rolling Stone magazine. I needed a new dream, so I decided to become a rock star. I enrolled on a guitar course at Goldsmiths for two years, but I was really, really bad and had no talent to write my own music. So I decided to try painting. I enrolled on a painting course at Slade. It was brilliant, exactly what I needed. I was excited to use paint and get messy. You don’t get messy with graphic design. My graphics experience comes into painting in that I’m so interested in magazines and popular culture.

Come Back to Camden

LLO: Many of the characters you paint have an androgynous look about them and your signature style is also quite layered with a dripping effect slightly distorting the faces. Can you tell us a bit about your style?
JB: It’s a celebration of paint. I allow the paint to be free. Representation isn’t really important to me. It’s more about the materials. Allowing paint to drip shows it’s still paint. Sometimes it still looks wet. Graphics is so flat, shiny and perfect. My painting is about the material, about the paint. The androgynous look is not something I go about doing on purpose. It just comes out because I’m pretty open and interested in androgynous people. I grew up a massive fan of Boy George and K. D. Lang.

Izzy After Camden

LLO: What do you think is the role of painting today and where does your work fit in?
JB: Painting is a form of entertainment. Its role is really to give us something beautiful to look at and I hope my work does that.

TVs

 Thanks Julie!

I´ve made this video as a selection of some of my favorite photos taken during my first year living in Japan . Most of the photos were taken with canon eos 5d and ricoh grd3.
A very similar edition of this video will be shown at ” Sestao Photo 2010 ” as a part of the activities programmed on these photographic journeys.

I hope you like it !

This is Nalini Radhakrishnan, a multi faceted personality. Involved in Event Management, Golfer, Rotarian, Brings theatre to the city and many more.

This photo was taken when she’d organised a Treasure Hunt Car event for the Mahindra World City.

Copenhagen, Denmark – November 2009

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Amager, Denmark – January 2008

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Money hats. That’s all I can really say about this.

[via]

Copenhagen, Denmark – August 2009

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Joan, Worplesdon, England – September 2007

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It’s quite petrifying to think anyone would have anything Westlife related tattooed on themselves. But when people tattoo Westlife’s FACES on themselves, you begin to worry for the fate of the human race.

I decided to collect some pictures of Westlife-related tattoos, starting with the real crazies and slowly working our way to “only fairly insane”.

In 2004, The Sun, my favorite tabloid, ran this story of the frau Beth Evans, that had Westlife’s faces (minus Brian) tattooed on her back.

THERE’S no going back for Westlife fan Beth Evans – she’s got tattoos of all of them.

The mum, 32, planned to have a tiger until a pal suggested the tribute to her favourite band.

So she spent TEN hours and £200 having the lads – Kian Egan, Mark Feehily, Nicky Byrne and Shane Filan – inked on.

Beth said: “I couldn’t choose between them so I had them all. I was in agony but it proves to the world I am their most dedicated fan. I’m the only woman who takes Westlife to bed every night.”

Divorced Beth, from Swansea, can’t see the tattoo without mirrors but kids Nikki, ten, Lizzie, four, and Joseph, three, think it’s cool.

Last night singer Nicky, 26, told The Sun the band want a peek. He joked: “We could sign her back and she could have that tattooed on!”

The petrifying thing is she thinks this makes her the most dedicated fan. No wonder her husband divorced her!

This created a dangerous precedent and in 2008, Vicky Jones, another demented frau from Abercwmboi in the Cynon Valley, had Westlife’s faces (minus Brian again) tattooed on her back for her 40th birthday. They even signed it.

3am ran the story. Slow news day, The Mirror?

Westlife fan Vicky Jones shows she really backs the boy band – with this tattoo.

The mum-of-four spent 16 hours having their faces etched on her back for her 40th birthday.

Jobless Vicky, who has seen 300 Westlife gigs, said: “The kids reckon I’m crazy but the tattoos are fabulous. All my money goes on Westlife – about £4,000 a year. I must be their biggest fan.”

Singers Shane Filan, Nicky Byrne, Mark Feehily and Kian Egan added their autographs two months ago, which she then had inked over.

Daughter Stacey, 18, said: “Mum’s too obsessed if you ask me.” Vicky, of Aberdare, South Wales, said of long-suffering husband Colin, 42: “He can’t abide Westlife but he doesn’t say a lot.”

Here’s another picture because you can never have enough of this shit.

In her RateMyInk page she writes:

Im a massive westlife fan i have seen them over 200 times i have their names tattooed on my arm westlife written on the bottom of my back and in the process of having their faces on the top of my back.I love going to concerts playing music travelling i am married with children.People thinks im nuts for the money i spend on westlife expecially now i am having their faces on my back and my god it hurt but worth it.

Some less insane yet nevertheless disturbing tattoos.

Westlife covered the song “Butterfly Kisses” on their “The Love Album”…

A tard had THIS done because Kian has this on his ankle. The fact he totally regretted having this done matters not to her.

I have no words left.

In South Africa, the lives of thousands of HIV-positive people are at risk because the government has not provided life-prolonging antiretroviral (ARV) drugs to many of those who need them. South Africa is one of the countries most affected by HIV/AIDS, with more than five-and-a half-million people living with the virus and at least two-and-a-half million killed by AIDS-related illnesses. The worst shortages of ARVs are in the central Free State province…. From VOA. Full story

This site may contain information about: virus. The blog is also related to: virus.

Face the music

Eight months ago I had the privilege of sitting about twenty feet away from Ian McLagan and The Bump Band when they rocked the house in my town (review here). Last night I got to sit even closer as Ian kicked off his Fall solo tour with accompaniment from newest Bump member Jon Notarthomas on acoustic, electric and bass. Where the Bump Band shows featured several Faces and Small Faces classics, Mac’s current tour is centered upon material from his solo albums, and the result is a warm, funny and intimate show.

Mac will tell you that music is about love, and the set list is peppered with songs that back that up. The smaller setting gives Mac an opportunity to set the stage for each song with a background story or a wry joke; few musicians exude such an approachable and impish vibe. He makes it a point to play Ronnie Lane’s music at every concert so “Ronnie is in the house tonight”. But there are also those moments when you can feel the pain of loss he has endured. Although I thought “Where Angels Hide” was written after and about the loss of his wife Kim, finding out it was initially written to console a friend who had lost his wife makes it no less poignant or powerful.

No Hammond on this tour –  Mac is traveling with an electric piano - but it’s perfect for those songs and that voice. Notarthomas steps in frequently to add flavor with guitars, bass and perfect harmony vocals; the show floats from heart-tugging ballad to barrelhouse rocker and back with ease. Although the set list spans his long career, quite a few are from the most recent album. Here’s my capsule review of Mac’s most recent album, Never Say Never, which ran last year:

Mac is a little mellower than usual on this one, but there aren’t too many bigger hearts making records nowadays. Surrounded as always by great musicians, Mac’s soulful raspy vocals and expressive playing are framed by heartfelt songs, many obvious love notes to his late wife Kim. Ronnie Lane fans will like the organic feel of “Killing Me With Love” while Faces fans will delight in the barrel-house rocker “I’m Hot, You’re Cool”. The Bump Band is on tour where Mac’s material shines brightest, and I’ll wager some alternate arrangements pop up in the set-list.

It’s no accident that Ian McLagan got to be a member of two of the greatest groups of all time, but his solo efforts are proof that an untapped well of songs could have made both those bands even better. Thankfully Mac still has the fire and the drive so we can continue to savor his gift.

The last leg of this tour concludes before Thanksgiving, so catch him if you can:

11/18, Bop Shop, Rochester, NY
11/19, Beachland, Cleveland, OH
11/20, Martyrs, Chicago, IL
11/21, Magic Bag, Detroit, MI
11/22, Shank Hall, Milwaukee, WI
11/24, Euclid Records, St. Louis MO
11/24, Off Broadway, St. Louis, MO

Mac’s website.

Mac on Letterman.

Michael, Worplesdon, England – September 2009

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Michael, Worplesdon, England – September 2009

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Beijing, China – November 2009

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Para quem ainda não conhece as novas embalagens translúcidas de Natura Faces ZIP, veja acima o anúncio veiculado na Revista Gloss deste mês de novembro.

As embalagens são exclusivas para colecionar e presentear e estarão disponíveis até o ciclo 02 de 2010! Os 5 batons possuem embalagens e sabores diferentes: caramelo, acerola, amora, framboesa e agora também tutti frutti!. Natura Faces ZIP, o mínimo que é o máximo.

The opening for the FACES exhibit at MH Art Gallery on 9 W. 20th St. in NYC was this past sat. night, 11/21, and it was a success! Here are the 2 pieces I have in this show which runs until 1/2/10.

Warsaw, Poland – July 2009

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