Don’t Call It Cake & Easter

cake1So I’m going to be a bridesmaid in my friend’s wedding in May and one of my duties is to look for quirky wedding photos as examples to show the photographer. This of course required a new Pinterest board! Well the other day a photo wandered into my inbox that I thought would be perfect to add. Little did I know this would spark the beginning of a new artistic internet adventure. That photo led to another photo which led to even more wedding related photos, but I slowly found myself not paying attention to people anymore. Wedding cakes were stealing the show. Actually I felt wrong calling them cakes, they were works of art! Imaginative, beautifully handcrafted, ornate, luscious, over-the-top, spunky, vivacious, delicate, delectable… all of these descriptions were flowing through my mind.

At first I would just add them to my Artsy Stuff board, but increasing cake numbers demanded their own platform. So I present to you Not Your Average Cake! It’s not something I would have created normally, but now I think I’ll be taking “cake breaks” every now and again.
Note Your Average Cake on Pinterest

What do these stunning cakes have to do with Easter you ask? Absolutely nothing. Although I highly encourage the eating of cake on said day (or any day for that matter). Easter was last weekend and I wanted to share with you some moments from mine. My church White Chapel, had it’s third Easter Sunrise Service on the beach. It’s always such a beautiful and humbling affair and I’ve been honored to take pictures at each service. This one was particularly special because two family members were baptized. The water was surprisingly warm, but the waves weren’t what you would call baptism-friendly. Here’s a video of with pictures of the service. Most of them were taken by me.


To see images from the very first service check out What a Beachiful Easter!

Fun with Small Objects

Gumby to the Rescue! When graphic designer Castro-Yves Arboite got his first digital camera, to test it out he took photos of the bendable little toy. However these weren’t your standard portrait images. They were taken from Gumby’s perspective as he explores our very large world. Arboite’s first set of pictures received such a positive response from friends that Gumby became his constant companion and he looked for new scenarios to stage. Some of my favorites are included below, but you can see his full project here Gumby VS The World. Arboite is also another artist I follow on Behance.

If you’re looking for a new photography project, developing scenes with small objects could be an entertaining possibility. Terry Border created the now famous Bent Objects scenarios using everyday items and cheap wire. It’s a great way to express yourself and challenge yourself at the same time. Maybe you’ve already produced your own small object project, share a link in the comment section below!

The Return of Bent Objects

Surfscape Contemporary Dance Theatre

Some of the best surprises in life are free. On March 24, 2012 I got a visual treat from the Surfscape Contemporary Dance Theatre (SCDT) at the Deltona Library. They had a free show sponsored by Volusia County Libraries and the City of Deltona. To be honest, I had no idea what to expect, but I thought this would be a great event to attend and bring my teenage cousins. Simply put, it was thoroughly entertaining.  The dancers were graceful, powerful, and multidimensional. They performed to pieces of various styles and storylines and they fully committed to the plots, facial features and all.

There wasn’t a dance that I didn’t love but one of my favorites was actually performed to classical music.  The concept was quirky. A male and a female are riding in an elevator dressed for work (quite prim and proper), but when the elevator music comes on they transform into dancing machines. I found myself laughing out loud to music that’s usually very serious. Laughter could be heard throughout the entire show and then there were the moments of mesmerized silence viewing beauty in motion. I was torn between taking pictures and simply just sitting and watching. Below are some shots from that night  (I still need to work on how to capture motion). It was a great show. I loved it and so did my cousins. I would like to see them again. They have an upcoming show in Daytona in May. I’ll provide an update when I get more info.

Update: Surfscape is offering a performance called Tribute. There will be 3 showings.
May 4, 2012 at 7:30 pm
May 5, 2012 at 4:00 pm
May 5, 2012 at 7:30 pm
Mary Mcleod Bethune Performing Arts Center
Daytona Beach, Fl

I just got my ticket online from Ticketmaster. Prices range from $21 – $28. I’m excited!

A little about the company: Surfscape is a non-profit professional modern dance company founded in 2005 by Rachael Leonard and Kristin Polizzi. Both Art Directors, they work together to choreograph all the innovative dances. SCDT is based in Volusia County, but tour nationally. Their dancers are from all over the United States and are paid for all performances, rehearsals, and community outreach work. They put on full scale concert events and offer demonstrations, master classes, open rehearsals, intensives, and more. SCDT aims to bring dance to the masses through performance and education, regardless of age, race, or economic status. Learn more about Surfscape Dance Theatre: visit their official site.

Want even more of SCDT? Check out their photos on facebook.
One song they danced to that I loved was Nina Simone’s Sea Lion Woman. Although, I was more familiar with the version by Feist.

Silly me, I just missed it: Ten Collection Artist Elroy

What’s life if you can’t laugh and learn from your mistakes? Fotolia, the stock imaging site, hosts the Ten Collection for which they’ve asked 10 French artists to create a unique high quality piece using images found on their site. Their Photoshop File is available to download free for the first 24 hours (regular price $9) and I just missed it. I was actually on the site in time, but I mistakenly thought the clock was counting down the time until the file was available, however it was really telling me the time I had left. Oh well, I sense a purchase in my future. Enough about me now, check out the artist Damien Vignaux a.k.a Elroy. He’s my favorite so far.

Elroy is a freelancer that got his start creating artwork for friends (posters, cd covers, etc.) which eventually grew into a full-time enterprise. Now living in Berlin, his clients are from all over the globe. His creativity extends to not only print, but to photography, film, music, and motion graphics. Add VJing into the mix, I’m not really sure when he has time to sleep. Elroy is also the co-founder of the Play Collective and Studio Incog. In his interview he states that he loves constantly pushing himself to be better, fresh, different and diverse. Watch the interview and see examples of his work below. He gives some good advice to other designers.

 

Elroy Motion Graphics click to watch

Click here to watch.

“TEN Collection – a unique educational and community outreach initiative, showcasing digital art unlike any other.”

Fell Off the Blogging Bandwagon

Yes that’s right, the dates speak for themselves. I fell off the blogging bandwagon. I don’t suppose there’s a PostAYear challenge (just kidding)? Now, I can either beat myself up about this for a really long time or kick myself once and just tell you what I’ve been up to (in a series of posts). Obviously though, I need to figure out how to make blogging like an addiction; if I miss a week, I do what’s necessary to get my fix. How do all of you daily/weekly bloggers do it?

Needless to say, it has been a pretty busy past couple of months for me, juggling my jobs, volunteer activities, and always learning stuff. I even made a discovery, but we’ll save that for another day. One event in particular that encompassed a week was Student Life Camp at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach. Even though our church (White Chapel) is in South Daytona, we decided to make it like a real trip for the Youth. Church members/Parents graciously hosted kids at their homes and I was a chaperone at someone else’s home. It was a great week. I got to know some of the kids better and I think they got closer with each other as well.

Student Life had morning and evening sessions while we did things in between, like volunteer and have a photo scavenger hunt. However, I’m going to share a few photos related to the times spent at the Ocean Center, most of which have been included in My Behance Portfolio.

Student Life 2011 Theme: Devoted

Worship Leader: Chris Tomlin

Supported Charity: Compassion International

Bellarive: Student Life Guest Performers

Youth At Student Life

Suggested Links to Check Out:

Student Life: www.studentlife.com Their mission: “Student Life’s mission is to help teenagers know Christ through His Word. We accomplish our mission through partnership with local churches. We exist to help youth pastors, youth ministry leaders, youth workers and parents of teenagers by providing quality events and solid biblically based resources for ministry.”

Chris Tomlin – Dynamic award winning artist: www.christomlin.com (gives a powerful live performance)

Compassion International  www.compassion.com : changing the lives of children in poverty all across the globe through sponsorship. Touch the life of a child and yours as well.

Bellarive www.bellarive.com : composed of 6 friends from Orlando Florida, Bellarive is a worship band with an atmospheric sound. I don’t normally talk about music here, but below is one of my favorite songs by them called “Shine On.”

 

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