Sunday, October 31, 2010

FREE DOWNLOAD : MALUCA "China Food Mixtape"

 I came upon New York-native MALUCA MALA's new track 'Hector' taken from her new release the 'China Food' Mixtape by accident on youtube, and it was a wrap. Beautiful and super talented, she deserves all the love she's been getting.  'Hector' is my new anthem..been on heavy rotation, it's my favorite of the album... 
DOWNLOAD 
Chinafood Mixtape 

i'm feeling... ::: Erik Rico & Marc Mac(4hero) 'DESTINY'


DESTINY from the Direct Soul EP



I'm loving the new project of my good friend, Erik Rico, who has taken a break from touring the world to join forces with another heavy hitter musician, Marc Mac of 4hero. The result is 'DIRECT SOUL' - a project that examplifies why soul music is called such...vibrations that go from heart to heart. The release has dropped on October 25th.



"When L.A. based Eric Rico and Marc Mac (4hero) hooked up in the studio this summer, the only guideline was not to let the boundaries of tempo & style limit the creation.  Marc's Afro-Latinic frame fused with Tech-Soul forms the bedding for Eric’s unique vocal style. A real modern day fusion elusive of genre and stretching our mental perception of SOUL."


Check out the whole EP on
directsoul.bandcamp.com
Erik Rico on web /  facebook  Marc Mac web / facebook

Monday, October 25, 2010

More Dyad WIP photos + pics from artwalk on NW 23rd

So i did some more work on my Dyad painting:
dyad Work in progress painting
...as you can see i have put down the first layers of acrylic paint to my outline. I am still in need of more layers, refining and polishing. So far i have only really worked on one wing and must to the other and then figure out what those strange claw/flower appendages are doing :P

On Thursday we went down to check out the first ever art walk on NW 23rd in the North Nobhill district of Portland Oregon. From now on every 3rd Thursday of the month the art community there is being given the use of vacant building to use as "pop up art galleries."
Wonderful idea no?
A couple photos from the event:
talking with Mark Marasco
Here i am deep in discussion with one of the featured artists, Mark Marasco. We had met before at a drum circle gathering and it was really wonderful to check out his art in person...his paintings were extremely inspiring and it was a wonderful thing to drift along and talk about each piece and much more with him. It was the first time any of his painting work had made its way out into the community and i was thrilled to be present to behold it! Check out the Mark Marasco website for more info and a closer look at his work.
The pop up gallery also featured America on 13cents & a bag of paint: Living Work by Julie Love Artist
Your Car Does Not Make U Invisible: Photography by Juleen Johnson
Live music by New Weavers including harp, dulcimer, & flute
Unique Handmade Hats by Elizabeth Rohloff Designs
Art Cards made of Flower Petals by Mike Mason
gratis wine bar
Vegan Chocolate tasting by Missionary Chocolates

...i cant wait for the next one!

And then just down a block at T.Ruth Artspace Gallery was a new art installation:

I had met the artist Dani during one of my live body painting session inside T.Ruth artspace so again it was very cool to finally see her artistic expression. I love that she is such a dainty/pixie girl yet she works with heavy metal sculpture.
Dani Richwine and I  with her art
A photo of us together hanging out with her metal sculpture work.

...so yes, it was a fun night!

Thats it for now. more comin soon.
Peace n Love,
-Chelsea Rose

Friday, October 22, 2010

The devine Dyad WIP and The Buddha Project

Busy Busy Busy.
....just started this new painting the other day:
Dyad- work in progress
...Been calling this one the Devine Dyad.
right now its color base is acrylic with India ink outlines. i have already started painting in the body so the color is pink and purple- very fleshy. This is different from my usual green or blue skinned goddess/fae creatures. I really do love painting my creatures colors like blue and green because this gives them a "raceless" foundation which I think helps the viewer see them as "other" then flesh and bone. However, here in this painting i think the pink does well to pop off of the cool colored background- I will post more process shots soon!

...And so the Buddha Project continues and culminates:
finished piece
hand made original ebru(Turkish paper marbling) and 3 color screen print by Danny.

and the process was something like this:
buddha project
1, 2, 3 !

...and another one with diff color combo!
Ebru Buddha
hand made original ebru(Turkish paper marbling) and 3 color screen print by Danny.


....more coming soon!

Much love,
-Chelsea Rose
Lucid Optic Lab

GALAKTIKAT presents: WEZN & LICHIBAN is LUX27

a shoot I did with WEZN back in the summer for my GALAKTIKAT show. we called the project LUX27. 
light painting photography by WEZN :: top & earrings by Mari J Brooklyn :: creative direction by Lichiban
manifest
BODDHI is welcomed on Planet Earth by I-CHI, the young Fire Liogon. He is in a state of excitement...yeeeeeeeee
top by Mari J Brooklyn // crocheted boots by House of Nassat

Thursday, October 21, 2010

FUTURE FROM THE PAST: WAAJEED: TETRIS [FREE DOWNLOAD]

TETRIS (2007) by WAAJEED
the ultimate landing on the hidden sun soundtrack. one of my favs. i think this was way ahead of its time.   

Monday, October 18, 2010

NEW WORK: "WE ARE LUMINOUS BEINGS" hitting the streets next month :: Prints are coming in November!

"WE Are Luminous Beings"-YODA Blessings prints coming next month!
My Jaguar Goddess is also from the YODA clan. She is the Mother Matrix that manifest the LOTUS catships through mental projection

New Drawing, tie dye, Buddha Project work in porgress photos

I am pleased to introduce you to Her Imperil Majesty, Elephantress:
Elephantress
Original pen and ink drawing
by Chelsea Rose

.....I have always though Elephants held an air of majestic and regal grace so honestly putting one in a fancy court dress wasn't to big of a stretch for my imagination. Also, Elephants are my cousin Allie's fave animal as well as my boyfriends....so i had to try my hand at them at least once. I like her fancy trunk glove/sock or cozy..whatever you want to call it :P

...so yes, as you can see i did a bit of drawing over the weekend. I also prepped some painting surfaces for new works in progress. This is what my art table looked like over the weekend:
work bench
...the art room got a lot of use in the last couple days.

Danny has been quite busy working on his Ebru( Turkish marbling) and silkscreen Buddha project. He has finished the marbling portion and moved on to silk screening his 3 color Buddha prints onto the marbled sheets.

Here some shots i took when he was "Dropping Paint, Not Bombs" :
drop paint not bombs

...and then the screen printing madness over the weekend:

buddha project
....getting the line up right.

buddha project...
...taking a deep breath before putting down the first layer.

buddha project
pushing the paint for the first layer- note the ridiculous HUGE squeegee!

buddha project
...pulling the second color. The final color went on as a light lime green for the Buddha's highlights. I have no posted pictures of that yet but i imagine they will be up soon for viewing.
Neat huh?

In other news i had rather nostalgic moment this weekend when digging around in various boxes in the art room i came across news articles that my mom must have saved for me from the West side Weekly- one of which a photo of me participating in a sculpting class at age 7 is shown on the front cover followed by a quote in the article saying "I love doing the painting, you can make anything you want. What I love most of all is getting the paint on myself."
The photo below the main photo was taken of me at age 7 also in one of the Arts Mecca's painting classes:
Venice Arts Mecca
( to read the snip it of article just click on this thumbnail and view large.)
...the Venice Arts Mecca was an amazing gift. their classes were more like free-for alls where freedom of expression reigned supreme before rules of technique. The program was given freely to the "underprivileged" youths of Venice, CA. I took many classes there ranging from photography, dark room, Polaroid transfer, painting, clay work, creative writing and more.
I wish that more programs like this existed today, throughout the world- they really do make a huge difference. http://www.venice-arts.org/

...and Lastly:
Saying goodbye to summer
I know summer is long gone but its just begun to really feel that way. The wind is cold, first frost approaches, my morning glory vines have died out including my other potted wildflower garden. This weekend i took down the wasted vines, flowers...consolidated the left of soil and stacked empty pots. My patio is now bare save for my basil, chamomile and Chile plants which i will be bringing inside very soon in hopes of keeping them alive for winter. while i am sad to watch the "abundance" of summer come to a close i am elated at the changes in the air, the glow of fall in the trees...the inevitable "rest" of winter.
....but its photos like this, taken in summer's height that will help get through the coming months of getting up in the dark chill( but i really do love winter!!)...and spring is such a miracle- to watch the green roll back in with such force! i cant wait to have my morning glory vines growing and flowering again. this time i will start the seeds indoors as soon as spring hits. should be good.

So that's it for now, more coming soon as always.

...and remember kids, Drop Paint, Not Bombs.
-Chelsea Rose
Lucid Optic Lab

Sunday, October 17, 2010

CMJ PICKS : ONRA

I'm checking some of the acts at this years CMJ. The kick-off day will feature a midnite DJ set by Dam-Funk at the BROOKLYN BOWL on the 19th, as well as a live Chico Mann show at the Red Bull Space.

Also checking out ONRA, who is doing a few cameos as part of his North American tour as well. ONRA's recently released album 'Long Distance has been getting stellar reviews from the industry and the press alike...there is a good reason for all the buzz. Check out my recent interview with him and podcast link I posted earlier.
Onra || High Hopes ft Reggie B. ||  (Courtesy Of PitchforkDOWNLOAD
ONRA_TOUCHÉ_23_09_2010_Madrid from MEGABEATS on Vimeo.

Onra - The One feat. T3 from Slum Village from Onra on Vimeo.

You can buy & listen to a single release of this track that includes Waajeed's remix on Turntable Lab.

LIGHTTRAVELS: RUCKAZOID & DIAMOND ZOIDAL

LA-based producer/vocalist RUCKAZOID and his consort and partner-in-crime, the lovely DIAMOND ZOIDAL have finally released their debut project Diamond Studded Mothaship not so long ago, along with a huge collection of heavy-hitter tracks. On DSM, Diamond is bringing her sexy feline-powered space-electro-queen vocals to Ruckazoid's retro-synth melodies that will haunt you for days...she is fierce! I've been a fan of their music for a couple of years (see my previous feature), so I was pretty psyched to find out that they were releasing all their music on their own site LISTENCOMPUTE. I must say that going through the 200+ tracks was like opening up a sonic floodgate, it was kind of a crazy mindblow...a lot to digest (The best artists I know are always years ahead of the game...way before people get ready for their work). People may have heard his production and remixes for Drake, M.I.A., Maluca (Fluorescent Beige, El Tigeraso rmx), Jesse Boykins, III or Theophilus London (Cold Pillow-one of the best songs of 2009 acc. to Gilles Peterson, No Answers). I always give it up to artists I respect, and when it comes to production, only the bests compare to Ruckazoid. Whether you call it electro, post funk, post pop, this is simply music at its best. You can have access to their music by becoming a member on listencompute, which I highly recommend. Here are some my favs of the site.
This EP represents Ruckazoid's move from producer to vocalist.
These songs were produced in 2005 under various monikers. 
Ultimately, this 6 track EP is released as Ruckazoid entitled POP: 
a collection of homemade songs
. All songs were recorded 2 track, 
there's a fragile sound to each song. Vocals on That Is Your Life
were recorded on headphones, & Think Of You was salvaged from 
an old found tape. That Is Your Life has been played on BBC1 for years. 
(2005-2007) Check it.

Ruckazoid re-edited "Airbus Baby" by D.I.M, formatted for Diamond Zoidal. 
Mixtape material. FREE DOWNLOAD with membership.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, RAYE 6!

a throwback.  
her highly-anticipated album UNIVERSAL LOVER dropping on Nov 6th. she is coming out with 6 different covers for 6 different markets. i'm doing the one for germany (will drop teaser soon:). one of the most powerful female voices & sexiest performers out there today. don't sleep! 
facebook::  website :: download the single UNIVERSAL LOVER on itunes

help her to represent Brooklyn in Japan at the Japan Music Week by donating for the cause! 

Saturday, October 16, 2010

PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE MONTH: MIKE SCHREIBER + TRUE HIP-HOP : photography & book release


NY-based photographer, MIKE SCHREIBER is releasing TRUE HIP-HOP, his much-anticipated collection of iconic photography documenting some of hip-hop's biggest legends. The book features a collection of hip-hop photos Mike has taken over the years (1998-2009), with accompanying behind-the-scenes stories about some of the photos. I've been a friend and a fan of Mike's work which extend beyond his more well-known photos of pop figures; some of my favorites are his photo essays from Cuba, Brasil and Jamaica. Mike has an amazing eye for capturing portraits and using natural light and shadow as if he was painting. I can't wait to get my own copy! The book drops on October 26th, but you can pre-order it now on Amazon. 

Check out this inspiring interview with him about being in the game and working it successfully. You can also find him on twitter and on facebook.

iheART NYC: TRISTAN EATON for TRIBAL DDB

Polymorphic octopus-hummingbird-gazelle creature to celebrate Tribal DDB's triumphant 10 years in business by Tristan Easton. Inspiring stuff. Check out more of his work on www.tristaneaton.net
DD Beast from THUNDERDOG STUDIOS on Vimeo.

In Tristan's word, "Paying homage to the late illustrator Frank Frazetta, I decided to anthropomorphize the accomplishments and abilities of the agency into a majestic, mythical beast ascending an ever-growing branch of time and challenge. A notch in the tree reveals 10 rings / years of growth. The painting was executed on 49 square panels of birch formed into a grid reminiscent of the Tribal DDB logo. The imagery was created using wheat pasted paper, spray paint, acrylic paint and ink. I also created a signed and numbered limited edition poster for all Tribal DDB employees. The poster serves as a crest to represent this mythical beast and its triumphant journey. The treatment of graphics are reminiscent of a timeless coat of arms used for shields in battle and for pride of legacy."

PLANT A SEED: ST.EVENS International

I'm really looking forward to get involved with ST-EVENS, the new project of my BK fam, spearheaded by my artist comrade and long-time collaborator, QUAN LUV. ST-EVENS involves a new fashion-line and an eco- & community-oriented gardening and creative arts organization. I'm in full support of this. Stay tuned for more!

St. Evens Garden Group is a private non-profit urban gardening and creative arts organization. Our aim is to encourage community participation of neighborhood recreational programs in the arts & sciences. We invite local artists to stay active in their community to keep their environment clean, natural and artistic. From planting a seed in a local community garden to creating various art workshops, Always encouraging artists to take charge and get involved with community activities that will better aid their arts, neighborhood, and environment. Help plant a seed and get involved.
Limited number of HORAKU Jeans are available now on st-evens.com

i'm feeling....DOLPHIN "Missing Objects"

The first of a series of videos by Miguel Sabogal for Baltimore fam, DOLPHIN

Friday, October 15, 2010

RECYCLED LIFEFORMS: the art of Jeremy Mayer

Jeremy Mayer has been breaking apart old typewriters for more than ten years and reassembling them into new forms. 

ARTISTS TO WATCH:: MELO-X "The Rise of Merch" [FREE DOWNLOAD] + MACHINEDRUM x MELO-X 'Let It' [12" Release on STONESTHROW]]

It's been a prolific year for two of my favorite Brooklyn producers, Machinedrum & Melo-X. After dropping two EPs this year, the Love Pressure EP as part of Sepalcure and the LuckyMe-released Many Faces, Machinedrum aka Travis Stewart is releasing his new record called Let It, named after a track off of his 2009 album Want to 1 2 featuring vocal work from Melo-X.  Let It  features the title track, b-side "Flud," and remixes from Lazer Sword, edIT of The Glitch Mob, and digital bonus remix from Siriusmo. Super dope experimental electro-hip-hop genre bending gem, a definite trailblazer.

 The Let It EP will drop physically on November 2, but you can buy the release digitally via Stones Throw, here

Check out Machinedrum in action at his last show in Paris, featuring my Paris fam, photographer NOOR ONE (She & I did a collabo photo shoot & I previously featured her here). 



MACHINEDRUM LIVE IN PARIS from TONYTRUAND on Vimeo.

I've been so backed up that I didn't even had a chance to post MeLo's most recent release, MUSTAFA THE GODKING: RISE OF MERCH which represents the distillation of two years of his musical evolution since his first self-produced debut project MUSTAFA'S RENAISSANCE in 2008. MeLo is a beast when it comes to beats, he really went in and took his time to refine his craft, meanwhile hustling his way toward the top (you may have seen his cameo at the Highline Ballroom invited by the Roots or as Kid Sister's tour dj to mention only a few highlights). The EP features guest appearances from BK fam, Nikki NTU, Jesse Boykins III, Lil Friday and others. MeLo is the voice of the new generation of NY hip-hop, expect some heavy beat attacks & a Brooklyn-flavored lyrical lava...good times. "Quality over quantity" word!
Melo was also responsible for all aspects of the project from the production, mixing and mastering to the album photo and art work. Dayyum!
Please visit  his Website MeLoXtra.com and follow Twitter.com/MeLoXtra for the latest.


CMJ Dates
Oct 19, 2010 Melo-X & Nikki NTU +Old Money, Tigga Galore, Underground System Afrobeat at BACKSTAGE 152 Orchard St [] NYC 8PM-12AM [NOT TO BE MISSED, NY Underground in the house!]

Oct 23, 2010 Melo X w/ Mazzi & Soul Purpose, Onili, Mizz Metro @Hiro Ballroom


If you are not familiar with Nikki NTU, here is some earcandy from her latest EP that was released on Melo's label, GALAX  Nikki NTU Vs. Brainfeeder: Medulla Dinner 


Tuesday, October 12, 2010

BILAL: RESTART

Bilal just dropped the official video for 'Restart' from his new album Airtight's Revenge (Plug Research). This is definitely one of my favorite tracks off of the album

Monday, October 11, 2010

New painting, Rainbow Roots + giant Ebru marbling

It was an art-filled two days off, which always makes for the most refreshing of weekends.

I managed to finish a painting i have been working on:

rainbow roots
Rainbow Roots
14" x 14" stretched canvas
Original acrylic painting by Chelsea Rose

....I started this painting one night with the need to paint without plan or even thought. I let my subconscious come out and man the paintbrush and watched rather amused at the various shapes and creatures that came out.
I did change it up a lot after the initial out pour:

melting eye beam- work in progress
...if you compare that to the finished one above, you'll see what i mean about changes. But all in all, this painting was very fun to paint. I gave myself no rules or guidelines and just got to "play" and express. I hope to let myself do more of these spurr of the moment paintings- it was a nice break from my usual tight/planned out creations.

Meanwhile, my other half ( and often Better half) worked on a project that he has had up his sleeve for months now- a GIGANTIC Ebru( turkish paper marbling) project:
Making Ebru
This is just one snapshot i took of about a billion of him throughout the creation process. He built a huge container for this project out of wood which he then filled up with thickened water so that he could float acrylic paint on the surface, manipulate as seen in the photo above through "combing" and then take a single mono print of the effect via paper. Yesterday he made two such prints with different colors and designs. The thickened water should stay good for about a week so he has time to make a bunch more prints. In the meantime this huge container has taken over the dining room so we have been eating at the coffee table :)
....more info with photos on this will be posted as the project progresses!

And a couple snapshots of me bouncing around the artroom:

Artroom snapshot
I did some digging around and cleaning out in the art room which lead me to the discovery of a big stack of some of my very old art- some dating back to elementary school years! I posted some of my better old artwork finds on the art room closet couple with a few "inspiration" pieces from other artists. All this lead me to even go back and look at old sketch book journals- its really fascinating to look on old artwork and see how your style and technique has changed through the years. Its comforting to see my own creative evolution and realize that it shouldn't ever stop morphing. I am interested to see what my art will look like in a few more years!

...and a dready update in front of my art room inspiration wall:
Art room and dreadies
My dreadies have gotten a bit longer i think! My dreads are back to the same length my hair was before i dreaded the locks up. Shrinking is normal in the maturing stages of the dreading of ones hair so i am pleased that i have finally been able to get past all that and see a bit of growth, even if its only slight! The henna color I put in a month or so ago is almost completely gone and i am thinking about doing it again- it felt soooo good on my scalp and the red made me feel like a Celtic fiery maned huntress :P

Anyhoo....we harvested a bunch of the Basil we grew from seed on our patio:
Home grown Basil
isn't it purdy?
We made a pesto sauce out of it which we ate over cheese tortellini with roasted garlic cloves- yum!
...Looks like we should probably bring our edibles in from the patio today or very soon before the first frost catches!

And yes, i am already loving October with every bit of my soul.

Best wishes,
-Chelsea Rose