I wish I had more photos and things to share but we have been so busy there hasn't been much time for documenting all the happenings. But! I did manage to scan a new drawing of mine: "Mistress and the Orb" original pen and ink drawing by Chelsea Rose
and then I have some exciting news! Danny and I went to the closing night of the Portland Love Show and were thrilled when we realized that his Ganesha piece sold! Here he is standing with his sold art piece: Ganesha two layer Ebru(Turkish paper marbling) silkscreen mono print We were lucky enough to meet the purchasers and they were very kind, sweet people. The support is very inspiring :)
In other news, we are busily preparing for the SE art walk coming up this weekend! We will be in The GalleryHomeland building along with 30+ artists. We are sharing the space, some of us downstairs, some in the lobby, we are in the upstairs area( so far as i know.) I was up until about 1:30am last night doing a mock vending booth setup in our living room so we would know what our plan of attack is, what is still needed...stuff like that. We still have some printing/packaging that needs to be done but I THINK thats about it. I am very excited to participate in this- its my first time. More updates on all this soon.
How was your weekend? Keepin busy? Much love, -Chelsea Rose
I've been waiting to see Andy's new film, RELENTLESS, currently in festival circuits in Europe and Africa. Here is a video from the soundtrack by Bantu featuring Nneka who is also starring in the movie. Click on the image to watch.
Check out the new body painting section on my official art website: Danny was kind enough to flesh out and add in this much needed section to my website. I really love how the black and white +the line work in the photos compliment the design of the page. check it out here and flick on the icons :)
And check out the new wire wrapping job on my quarts crystal:
close Up: I have had this crystal for years. But awhile ago the old copper wrapping had broken off and i had almost lost my crystal. Since then it sat upon my lil home alter waiting for someone to re wrap her. I'm horrible at wire wrapping so when my dear etsy friend Spiraling Elements offered to do it for a trade i was ecstatic. I am in love with the added fluorite. which is perhaps the perfect stone to compliment my crystal( how did she know!?) because its been known to strengthen the healing and spiritual properties of other stones its paired with, it also helps to ground energy, aids in channeling work and inter dimensional communications! I feel so much more balance now that i am wearing my crystal again. Check out more of Spiraling Elements Gemstone and AMAZING wire wrapping treasures: www.spiralingelements.com She also is a creativity coach: http://thecreativityrebellion.com/
In other news, I actually bought a calendar over the weekend because it seems the amount of dates i have to remember are stacking up! This year we are going to be trying a bunch of new art fairs. Coming up super quick we are participating in the SE Portland area Art walk on March 5th and 6th. We will have our art set up in the Land Mark Ford building along with 30+ artists. "Over 180 artists, many in 'native environments' will be showing their works and meeting art lovers over the first weekend of March. What a wonderful way to spend a day...wandering around Southeast Portland, experiencing sculpture, painting, jewelry, pottery, photography, encaustic, print-making, textile...almost every conceivable medium for expression. The 2010 event grossed over $80,000 for artists!"- SEAAW Check out the art walk map here. We also applied for this year's CraftyWonderland - a huge art and craft show done annually in the convention center. We wont hear back until march wether or not we made the cut so keep your fingers crossed. We also intend on doing a bunch of the art fairs during the summer. And we totally scored this weekend! An art vending friend is moving to NY so she gave us ALL of her art vending equipment including a canopy( ours was on its last two legs), a bunch of grid wall for displaying art, tables and more. Amazing!!! We are all set. Bring on the art walks! Is it spring yet? its getting lighter earlier! How was your weekend? Have any important art fairs you are awaiting?
Nice lil' 'get-into-the-groove' joint from the lab of the homie, MELO-X...this is fiya! I've been somewhat slow on the music reviews, but Melo's latest mixtape More Merch EPis on my list of to-do's. Also stay tuned for my first anniversary mixtape for the blog that MeLo is mixing and putting the finishing touches on!
One of the best moments of this past summer were spent in the sun-soaked desert city of Albuquerque, New Mexico, where I had a chance to connect with some of the dopest artists of the city, such as Jaque Fragua, Cloudface, Randy Boogie, Saba, Vanessa Wilde representing the solar art force of the Pueblo creative massive. One of my hosts was the lovely Marie-Michele Jasmin-Belisle, an award-winning film director originally from Montreal. Marie-Michele's work range from avant-garde nouveau cinema, music videos & commercial media, visual poetry, to documentary projects. Aimed to push forward the boundaries of what she terms 'digital bohemia', her work deal with interconnectivity, the human & natural landscapes, peace & culture. Her new collaborators and projects for 2011 include Japanese performer, Kirilola, and Navajo/Hopi Hip Hop instrumentalist, painter and dancer, CloudFace. 8h51 is Marie-Michele’s film company, set to create dance films, music videos, documentaries, video loops and event projections; creative pieces for stunt men, textile artists and dance theater groups alike.
Currently in festival circuits, Wonder Chamber no 1 is a visual poem, sort of like a video haiku inspired by the Buddhist mantra, NAM-MYOHO-RENGE-KYO, resonating the interconnectedness of all living beings through sound and vision. As the mantra is practiced as a means to reestablish one's connection to one's inner Buddha nature, her short film is a meditation on beauty, devotion, creativity, transience and enlightenment. Read more on the meaning of Nam Myoho Renge Kyo here.
My good friend, Marka 27's The Azteca Minigod Dunny AP's in Fuchsia and Green are finally out and are available here! Each limited Minigod Dunny AP comes signed, numbered and includes a super limited poster only available during the NY Azteca release. So visit the M27 Mercado and get them quick folks because there are only 20 of each.
Also if you are in LA, be the first to worship your beats on the long-awaited a 15" and 5.5" Asia Minigod this Saturday, February 19th from 6-9pm as Marka celebrates the release in one of downtown LA's newest hotspot boutiques, SixHundredLA (600 Spring St. Los Angeles). Check my earlier post on the newest of the minigods.
amazing new video by Mikael Colombu, whose work I've been watching since I saw his collaborations with Bilal (Robots, Move On). Check out more of his work here.
video for Cee Lo Green's Bodies motion picture by Mikael Colombu Films. Featuring Cee Lo Green, Kerry Washington, Bilal, Janelle Monae, and Karl Lagerfeld.
During the relaxing part i drew this and watched movies: (pen and ink drawing by Chelsea Rose)
and the exciting part of the weekend was The Portland Love Show 2011 !!! Here are some photos from the opening night: My mermaid painting and I flexing our third eyes at the opening party. There was so much art to behold!
Here I am admiring the placement of our Goddess In All Of Us body painting photograph. Danny and I put it in as a collaboration under our company name Lucid Optic Lab. I painted the model from head to toe with waterbased body paint. He did the amazingly seamless photo composite/retouching as well as directed the model in her arm posing as i took photos. The finished work of art is a true labor of love and artistic collaboration between the two of us. I feel we got one of the best placements in the show so we are just thrilled and inspired by it all.
Here is Danny standing in front of his Ganesha Ebru mono print/silkscreen print piece. He had a great spot too, right above the artwork that was on this year's show flier. It really stood out!
The opening night was packed! People were everywhere and it was an eclectic mix of souls.
I urge you to check out the show! Its at Gallery Homeland. They keep regular business hours. For more info go here
For those who are far far away and cant make it or perhaps want a taste before treckin on over Danny took a video "walk through" tour of the entire show for your viewing pleasure:
The glyphster of pHantaJa, artist / creative director / curator / founder of Creative Native / visionary Mega Max is about to launch his full website YoMegaDopePop.com (i.e. the portal to some of the dopest planets of the galaxy)...pretty excited about that! Mega is also the co-founder of KONOGOmix, the NY artist collective co-founded by fellow ninjas Quan Luv, Lou Diamond and myself (for those in the know, they were the pillars of NY's underground collective/movement, A.L.I.E.N). One of my fav artists, definitely one to watch
Been vibing and getting ready for a phantastic year of the Rabbit with my crew, the KONOGOmix, an art collective founded by Quan Luv, Mega, Lou Diamond and myself. We are about to turn up the heat, so stay tuned for the LOVERS UNDERGROUND.
New collabo project from good friend, producer WAAJEED (PPP, Bling47) & photographer TONE who teamed up with 101 Apparel (the project is set to come out in the summer). Check out more of TONE's photos here. Plus in the name of Dilla month, here are a couple of goodies from WAAJEED, a Detroit native and close friend of the late Dilla and Baatin of Slum Village. jeedo remix: Shotgun (Waajeeds Plinky Remix) by jeedo47 jeedo mix: The Eternal Mixtape (RIP Baatin) by jeedo47
Just listed some new items in my online shop! Yellow Maiden 4" x 12" x 1" ink illustration over acrylic painted canvas, gloss varnished by Chelsea Rose Origianl art peice selling for $30. see the sale listinghere.
I also released two more of my limited eiditing Goddess prints: Goddess In All of Us body art photograph Fetal Blissful Hope By Chelsea Rose 4" x 6" First Edition fine art print on photo paper, sealed in a crystal clear archival envelope. signed by the artist, Chelsea Rose selling for $10 here.
Goddess In All of Us body art photograph Meditation Love Thy Self By Chelsea Rose 4" x 6" First Edition fine art print on photo paper, sealed in a crystal clear archival envelope. signed by the artist, Chelsea Rose selling for $10 here.
Originally hailing from Cleveland, Ohio but now based out of L.A., producer / drummer / DJ J1 aka 'The Deer' has being making waves as one-third of the group, Master Blazter, alongside Dam-Funk and Computer Jay, as well as the drummer for TaRaach & Blu’s C.R.A.C. project, while finding time to work on new solo productions with a group of vocalists, some of which are set to drop in the spring. I first met Jay at the debut Master Blazter gig at the Bowery Ballroom, NY, and as many could attest, they really blasted out with some crazy heart-hitting energy...they definitely turned out the crowd...probably was one of my favorite live shows ever. I've had a chance to build with him a few times, and finally I was able to publish our interview from a few months ago after a hiatus I'd taken to focus on some new projects. It's going to be the first interview of the Year of the Rabbit. Here comes the Deer for inspiration... LICHIBAN: Did you always wanted to be a musician? What was your first music project that you can remember of?
J1: My first project was a rap group I was in with my cousin and he rhymed and I made the beats...
L1: What's the story about your name "The Deer"?
J1: THE DEER.....is my ANIMAL KINGDOM name....
L1: Tell me some of your inspirations to becoming a drummer?
J1: My initial inspirations were Clyde Stubblefield and Jab Starks...I'm a big James Brown fan and those were the first records I used to study and try to get that heavy style like Clyde and that Gospel Jazz thang that Jabo got... Besides them ?uestlove was a huge influence, just seein somebody from a hip-hop angle really rock live on the kit. Also John Bohnam is a big influence on me...But there's too many to name...
L1:You were born in Cleveland, OH and moved to LA a few years ago, right? What drew you to LA?
J1: My first move I came to Cali, I moved to SF and lived there for about two years, played in a couple of projects and I was lucky enuff to get the chance to come down to LA a couple times and feel out the vibe, connect with some good people, so I just decided to make the move...
L1: What’s the spirit of the music scene in LA like, it looks like some of the dopest new music is actually coming out of LA these days?
J1: The scene is so crazy that was a definite reason for the move I mean all the homies are serious creators and they aint afraid to take it out there. So when you see that it helps you become more fearless with your art and the bar is set so high you already know that you gotta come with some real shit... Its also hella supportive you always see everyone out at each others gig it is a family vibe down here 4sho.
L1: You are 1/3rd of a group called Master Blazter with Dâm Funk & keyboardist Computer Jay, also have your solo projects going on. How did you guys link up?
J1: The Master Blazter connection was at first just a jam session set up at HVW8 Gallery out here in LA by the homie TyG.. he asked us all to get together we did it got recorded and the response from it was crazy so it just made sense to make the project work, and we were lucky enuff where Dam-Funk already had a release so it gave us a chance to come together, learn his tunes, play together and just build on our vibe as a group while bein out live in front of the people hittin em with that FUNK....
L1: You've been touring extensively with Dâm Funk as the drummer on board. Do you like to tour? What were some of your favorite moments on the tour?
J1: I love tourin fa real...I just love flyin off top.. I think thats cool..and I love gettin the chance to experience new things and hopefully get better from all the things. My favorite moments on tour were the crowds I met so many dope people in all the countries and they showed us so much love it was crazy... Besides that seein Roy Ayers live and The Cinematic Orchestra were big time highlights... Also SUPER HIGHLIGHT was djin on a boat Jay Dam myself...and the homies from Manchester the HOYAY HOYA crew...that was a brilliant gig...
L1: Talking about Master Blazter, you guys are about to start recording your new album, right? The free MB release Blazt Off that came out on HVW8 wasn't really a joint album per se but more of a collection of tracks from the members. This one is going to be more of a collective effort, right?
J1: Yeah Master Blazter is hittin the studio real soon comin with a full length project...It will be a group effort with it bein a more live tracked out vibe with all three of us makin the tracks. We are all excited to hit the studio bein on the road so tuff. It really gave us the chance to gel and really learn how to talk to each other thru the music...The mixtape was just to give people a chance to see what kinds of style where exactly coming together because some people might have heard our music on a solo vibe but we felt like it would be cool for you to get a shot to hear our solo works all together on one piece.
L1: It looks like you've been busy working on a number of new music projects! I heard that you've got a 45 release comin out on Recordbreakin Records that you've produced with guest vocalists.
J1:Yeah got a solo release comin..it will be on a 45 thru Recordbreakin Records out of Philadelphia.... Its production by me with one of the joints is co-produced by the homie Devonwho... Also it features guest vocalist Coultrain...Ragen Fykes...&...Jimetta Rose...and that will be out in the spring....STAY TUNED!!!!
L1: And then there is the second year edition of your compilation STARSHIP 27 that I first saw on the homie, Kenny Fresh's site FRESHSELECTS last year. The first one featured all new/exclusives tracks from the likes of Black Spade, Proh Mic, Dam-Funk, Computer Jay, devonwho, Ras_G, Dibia$e, Snowman Jack, House Shoes and more...can you give us a teaser about the new one?
J1: Also we got the 2nd edition of Starship 27 comin this spring too. Thats the compilation featuring alot of the homies such as Ras G, Houseshoes, Jordan Rockswell, Dibia$e, J.Bizness, Dam-Funk myself it's pretty much the same cast as last year but this round I'm proud to announce that we were lucky to get a joint from Eric Lau out of Londontown and we got a joint from the BIG homie Flame Brown reppin (BLING47) so please be on the lookout for that this year. It will not only be a digital release but we're comin with it on vinyl... Shoutout 2 (in)sect records out of Austin TX.
L1: Tell me one thing that people normally don't know about you.
J1: One thing that people dont know about me is that I'm a neat freak hella much something I picked up from my moms but im not mad at it ladies dig it...
L1: You are also DJ...where can people find you in LA?
J1: I'm pretty much everywhere on the dj angle too. I love records so rockin parties is just a part of the whole vibe that we get down with... No residencies as of right now but we got some things in the work so just stay up with us for details...Please believe we got something comin for the people real soon!!!!!!
L1:: What would be your bucket list of 2010?
J1: Pretty much everything that cracked off in 2010 was on my bucket list, we got to see the planet met good people got projects set for release and got to swim in the Adriatic Sea, so I'm good with this year. For me without a doubt it was the best one yet.....2011 GET READY!!!!!!!!!!!!
L1: What would you say to others who are considering becoming professional musicians?
J1: For anybody wanting to get in this game the advice I have for you is to stay focused and never get caught up in your own hype. The people are what can make you or break you so don't ever lose focus on what's important. Not what the crtics think but the way you make the people feel... That's my advice...
L1: Shoutouts?
J1: Shoutout 2 Licsi....My moms my brotha my father....My brothers Dâm Funk and Computer Jay...Shoutout 2 the ANIMAL KINGDOM.....and biggup all the people all over the world who support that good music....LETS KEEP BANGIN..
The 6th annual Portland Love show is poppin up now that we are into February. Danny and I are excited to participate, this will be our 2nd year in the show.
"The show was initially a response to the annual deluge of heterosexist, consumerist, romance-centric advertising that Americans experience each year leading up to Valentine’s Day, but over the course of the last 5 years, it has evolved into a diverse and complicated multimedia art happening in the hands of the participating artists." ( taken from portlandloveshow.com )
This year we put in a collaboration piece under Lucid Optic Lab: This piece was a labor of love for both Danny and I. I painted and photographed the model. Danny directed the model in her arm poses and then created this magnificent many armed photo comp. Piece titled " The Goddess In All Of Us" she is a 24"x24" fine art laminated print on 1" thick gaterboard. We feel the piece fits well into the theme of "love", since its a visual respresenation of Divine cosmic energy- the voice of the universe which many philosophers have referred to as the Love vibration. Look for the Goddess in the Love show!
The piece I am putting in under my name is this one: (acrylic painting by Chelsea Rose) for the love show i titled it " This Lucid Dream" 24"x24" original acrylic painting on canvas I have always loved mermaids..since i was a wee lil sprout. I have been drawing bare chested mermaids since age 5 so i guess i found my artistic style pretty earlie on :P Mermaids and their folklore have always been heavily steeped in love, passion, allure and lust so in a sense i feel they are an iconic symbol of love. Here my mermaid hugs herself, an innocent expression or self love or perhaps a gesture of rapt longing. Be on the lookout for this merlady, she will be at the show floating somewhere amidst the horde.
Danny's piece for the love show is awesome: original handmade two layer acrylic ebru(turkish paper marbling) mono-print with Ganesh screen print on kozo paper. 19" x 24"
I filmed Danny doing the 2nd layer of ebru for this piece. Check it out:
The Ebru creation process is pretty neat huh?
So yes, come check out The Portland Love show! This year there are over 300 participating artists. Opening Saturday, February 12th, 2011 7pm-12am Free! All-Ages!!
Check out the third clip from Bilal’s 2010 album, Airtight’s Revenge, for the song “Levels” ft. Erykah Badu, Thundercat, and Shafiq Husayn (who produced the track). The video was directed by none other than Steve Ellison (aka Flying Lotus). This song is one of my favorites of the album and it couldn't have gotten a better treatment.
FlyLo expanded on the visual theme of the video for his own track mmhmm, also created by Special Problems. “I originally wanted to keep visual themes with another video from my last LP called ‘mmhmm’ off of my last album,” says Ellison. “It featured Thundercat as an intergalactic bass player in a super strange world created by ‘Special Problems’. Since Thundercat was part of this song, I thought it could be fun to continue the visual style and feel of this space opera. In the end you have this crazy video made of so much mixed media, geek dreams and lots of love.”
in case, you haven't seen this interview, this is my fav I've seen of
One of the independent labels I've been following is the UK based Citinite, a record label launched in 2006 which specializes in electrofunk. Its artist roster is a mix of new artists, such as Jimmy Edgar's alterego Her Bad Habit, Miami's Gosub and Sweat.X, as well as older artists who helped pioneer the electrofunk genre, such as John Davis and Egyptian Lover. My latest favorite on the label is Give It To Me Hot, a four track EP covering some of the 80s funk group Sexual Harrassment's timeless spacefunk hits such as ‘I Need A Freak’ and ‘If I Gave You A Party’. The remix project featuresDâm-Funk, Lil’ Kenny, Sweat.X, Jimmy Edgar, G.rizo and Robert O’Dell. Funk is hands down still one the sexiest genres of music, and these re-electrofied joints didn't disappoint...say yes to 'I Need A Freak'! S E X U A L H A R R A S S M E N T 'Give It To Me Hot' [citinite] Give It To Me Hot EP preview by citinite
Check out some of the other artists on the roster
GOSUBWatchers from the Black Universe Miami's grandmaster of techno & electrofunk, GOSUB's got some killer joints on his latest Citinite release (originally released in 2007). Hailed as "the best electro album this year", Watchers from the Black Universe would be one of my choices for a soundtrack to astral traveling. “Brilliant. This is crystalline Drexciyan space-funk that’s so elegantly retro in places that you wonder how the genre is supposed to advance... Gosub’s slique disco number, ‘Strange City’, breaks the mould beautifully.” Vice DEZ DICKERSONModernaire (w/ Remixes) “A new release from the hottest label out there at the moment, Citinite. Produced for the soundtrack to the Prince film ‘Purple Rain’ in the ’80s, somehow the track was never released, until last week, when Citinite released it as a limited edition pressing of 777 copies on red vinyl. With an all-star cast on the writing and remix credits, this is an instant classic.” Future Tone HER BAD HABITI Don’t Know (What You’re Doing To Me) “Citinite’s latest release finds wiz kid Jimmy Edgar skating intrepid down the neon avenues of the synth boogie metropolis. An orange meltdown of funky synth basslines illuminating a geodesic dome under which chromed-up androids jack riotously. This is very, very fresh.” 20 Jazz Funk Greats
