Self-promotion

as the director of youth programing and his staff finalize the winter and spring semesters at the worcester art museum, i'm pleased to confirm as of this posting two classes i'll be teaching!

starting january 11, 2011, FUNdamentals of Sculpture, 11-13 years old - students and i will start with basic sculpting materials and tools to produce individual pieces of art inspired by various works exhibited at the museum. as the semester progresses so will the creativity! surprises are in store for all involved as this learning experience expands a child's imagination and basic understanding of the fundamentals of sculpture!

starting march 19th, 2011, Painting Intensive, 14-17 years old - for the serious artist looking to perfect his/her skills and hone their talent in ways to prepare them for college, art school, and beyond. using my own personal and professional experiences as a student and artist, as well as historic stories of artists highlighted in the museum galleries, i will begin to introduce the career of the artist with its challenges and great rewards. a regular sketchbook will be kept, weekly critiques conducted, and work outside class will be assigned. a variety of techniques, tools, and materials will be used before each student begins one final piece to be shown in the musuem student show in mid spring.

also, starting as of february 1st, i'll be taking on new clients for private art lessons in anything studio art related or tutoring in art history. more on that later in the week!

Top 12 dating tips

these dating/meeting men tips have been gathered through various experiences, personal and those of close friends and family. dating can and should be FUN, but always be safe and insure you're totally comfortable in any given situation (nervousness or butterflies aside). half the men i've gone on dates with proved worth my while for the stories alone!

1. be confident! focus on all the positives you can bring to the date or a relationship. if you don't love yourself, then you're hardly in a position to be looking for love elsewhere.

2. this ties into #1, be yourself. trying to be someone you're not is stupid, plain and simple.

3. let HIM come to YOU. brief eye contact and a smile will be an invite for him to pursue you. playing hard to get helps to show that you're worth effort so long as you don't pretend to be unattainable.

4. if you're not interested in someone's advances and he won't take subtle hints, tell him you're a lesbian. i'm kidding! explain to him he doesn't stand a chance, but you'll take the drink he's offering nonetheless and walk away as you say, "thank you."

5. dress for success and according to your size. i'm a big advocate of self expression through fashion, embrace your curves or lack of. that being said, i'm an even bigger advocate of --

6. being healthy! you don't have to be ripped with muscle to show that you take care of yourself. smoking and heavy drinking are big turn offs. following a moderate diet with daily exercise can do wonders for your self esteem.

7. a first date should be held in a location where conversation can flow with little distraction. that is, unless the date begins with an activity and you make time for more personal time afterward.

8. if #3 isn't happening, then casually approach him. SOME people think shy is sexy. Not me ...

9. never base attraction on pure physical characteristics. sexual attraction is essential, but consider his level of intelligence, humor, and heart.

10. absolutely do not sleep with him on the first date. you don't want a reputation for being easy.

11. moisturize regularly - elephant skin is so not sexy.

12. too much cologne kills a good thing and find a signature scent (or two) that you can stick with, but nothing cheap.

Confidence and bullying, oh and art class

the issue of bullying seems to be the "it" topic in the media. hopefully this means drastic measures will finally be taken by everyone to end this form of particular abuse. what i've found most frightening is reading stories of youth and teen suicides as a result of constant bullying. no child should be made to feel less than anyone else -- no matter what. when i was a kid i was very shy and eccentric and despite my parents efforts to quell my unique creative outlets (through fashion, drawing, painting, dancing, etc.), I had other members of my family and teachers who embraced my unique outlook on life and what's more, encouraged me to be different. sure older or bigger kids (i was always the shortest and for a time, the fattest, in every grade of elementary school, plus you add jesus freaks for parents and well --), but i didn't let anyone talk down to me. and i'd be damned if i let anyone do it to someone else (too many comic books, i had to be everyone's hero). it's mainly because of my aunt and my grandmother i am who i am today and i can be confident and proud that i'm different. i embrace my individuality and strive to teach that in my students during art class. i am a confident, happy person because i like myself. i want my students to feel the same way. there is absolutely no bullying or anything of the sort in my classroom/studio and i make it a point to explain why at the end of a long project we have a constructive round-table critique with the entire class. art class should be a place of unity where the geek, the jock, the shy one, the popular one can all coexist together in harmony. sue me, i grew up watching the breakfast club over and over again.

that brings me to the present as i begin building a new program of art classes with a basis of building confidence in students as, yes artists, but also as human beings. i often try to find images or music to help set the scene or create a probable environment in the studio based on every lesson. it's these subtle touches that can sometimes make all the difference. unfortunately i've come across more or less of the same thing, with beauty not in the eye of the beholder, rather the continuation of a very fake and plastic society. it's sending the wrong messages to kids and undermining everything i'm trying to build (and i just can't have that)! for example, bruno mars' new video for his song, just the way you are. a wonderful song that talks about loving a person for themselves and nothing else, yet in the video the singer is professing his love through his song to a drop dead gorgeous woman of paragon virtues -- why wouldn't he love her when she's so gorgeous to behold? i would have loved to have seen mars use a beautiful woman who doesn't have the ideal figure to show young men and women his words are true, "-- you're amazing just the way you are." i will continue to applaud christina aguilera for her song/video titled, beautiful. aguilera uses real people to show we're all different, but that we're, "beautiful, no what they say--." why can't we see more of this in popular culture? hopefully with people paying more attention to the effects of bullying, we'll see more positivity and confidence building in our music, television programming, movie watching, and celebrity publicity.

there is one event i hope that all who read this will participate in. on october 20th, in memory of those who have taken their life due to abuse because of their homosexuality, everyone will wear something purple. this brutality has to stop and we need to stand and speak out against it -- TOGETHER.

for more information on how to prevent bullying please go to, http://stopbullyingnow.hrsa.gov/kids/.










this post is dedicated to aunt sis who let me be me (a unicorn/wonder woman/cher loving boy unashamed to speak his mind).

Latest comic book reviews

i'm slowly catching up on my comic book reviews, check them out via the this link.

Comic Book Reviews on ComicVine

Upcoming outreach events

the worcester art museum is starting to fill up my calendar with local events to attend as i host a table to entertain/educate attendees with mini-art lessons and fun projects. the goal of my presence is to draw more people into coming to visit this wonderful museum that offers so many various programs suited for everyone from in and around the worcester, ma area. see my current list of events and check back regularly as it's sure to grow in the coming weeks!

September 11th, Blackstone Canal Fest
September 19th, stART on the Street
September 25h, Main South Summer Neighborhood Festival
October 17th, Boys & Girls Club: Arts In the Afternoon

Community event announcement

worcester, ma has become a third home to me with all of the community outreach work i do as an instructor with the worcester art museum and i'm eager to see the city grow and prosper as a community of its size should (its the second biggest city in new england). through my work at WAM i've seen the best, and definitely the worst that is offered by worcester. unfortunately racism is still a strong factor in the city and threatens to undermine many of the chances of fulfilling the dreams that my students deserve. but thankfully there are like minded individuals who want to see that change. dr. ravi perry of clark university and other community leaders are coming together to formulate a plan based on affirmative action in an effort to organize the city's people. on september 9th, i'll be there at this roundtable event as a representative of the worcester art museum, but also as a concerned patron of the city i now consider a home away from home.

for more information on the Race In the Woo: A community roundtable, click on this link.

Holding nothing back

a key point in the process of a painting for me is the initial jump start, usually inspired by a song or image that germinate an idea for a stellar piece of art all my own. often times it's several songs and the music videos that correlate with each that become a play list for a series of several pieces that come together in my studio. this past weekend was intense in the regards that i've learned a lot about who i am as i've begun putting myself out in the world again after several weeks of breaking up with my ex-partner of three years. what follows is how i divided up my weekend into music. some songs absolutely describe what was pouring out of my brain or heart, others are more for the mood that can be used to describe an experience, and some songs are used for the narrative of others who were participants of my friday to sunday excursion. i'm curious to see what develops in my sketchbook and on blank canvases as i continue to listen to this weekend play list. the list is still a work in progress, but for now, this is what has developed.

friday morning

1. 'Since You've Been Gone' - Kelly Clarkson
2. 'Spotlight'- Jennifer Hudson
3. 'Looking For a New Love' - Jody Watley

friday night

4. 'Can't Handle Me' - Flo Rida
5. 'Speak 'N Spell' - Elin Lanto
6. 'Not Myself Tonight' - Christina Aguilera

saturday morning

7. 'Can't Beat the Feeling' - Kylie Minogue
8. 'Upside Down' - Diana Ross

saturday night

9. 'Take Your Time' - SOS Band
10. 'Go Deep' -Janet Jackson
11. 'Cooler Than Me' - Mike Posner
12. 'Whatya Want from Me' - Adam Lambert

sunday morning

13. 'Love Don't Live Here' - Bananarama
14. 'I Hate You So Much Right Now' - Kelis
15. 'Behind Those Hazel Eyes' - Kelly Clarkson
16. 'We All Sleep Alone' - Cher



August Weekend Playlist '10

Album review: Jody Watley, "Flower"

i’ve been a fan of jody watley since my youth, when this amazing artist first struck out on her solo career from the popular, shalamar. my mom, my aunt, even my regular babysitter were all fans of watley which ensured that I kept up with her career through the ‘90s. But somehow, I never discovered watley’s album, “flower”, so imagine how surprised I was when I found it on itunes! After some digging i found that the album was meant to be a comeback for jody watley, but problems with the label prevented a states-side release and prompting watley to almost decide on a musical retirement! After getting the album downloaded onto my ipod, i can understand watley’s frustration – this is an AWESOME album.

i received this album at a perfect time in my life as i was just separating from my partner of three years and for the first time in a LONG time, striking out on my own. “flower” is almost an echo of my own personal journey from start to finish as watley soulfully sings of love, passion, unfortunate breakup, but later emancipation, and inner strength. the ballad, ‘just one more time’, is ripe with such strong emotion and beauty that I thought I would cry at first listen, and – whitney who? ‘if i’m not in love’ is yet another powerful love song to add to the lengthy list owned by jody watley. watley doesn’t shy away from her dance roots either, ‘off the hook’, and ‘baby tonight’, are sexy tunes one can’t help but want to get down to!

i’m VERY pleased i now own this album and what’s more, that watley continues to produce quality music to this day. “flower” is a definite step between jody’s “intimacy” of 1993 and 2001’s “saturday night experience” -- highlighting the evolution of this inspiring artist. It’s been several weeks since I first obtained, “flower”, and i continue to play the album on regular basis for whatever mood I may be in. it’s THAT good.

five out of five stars.

Album review: Jody Watley, "Intimacy"

i vaguely remember listening to this album in my youth – i think it was a CD owned by my babysitter, mary, who fueled my love of jody watley. not owning it personally now as an adult has always tugged at me since i lovingly own all of jody watley’s more current material. so finally, early one Saturday morning, i downloaded it from itunes. i instantly remembered two of the tracks through their music videos that had aired on tv, two classics of the ‘90s from my childhood, ‘when a man loves a woman’ and ‘your love keeps working on me’. i didn’t realize it at the age of nine or ten, but ‘when a man loves a woman’ is powerful poetry with a heartfelt message from watley herself to all men and women. I applaud the artist’s unique approach with this song in an era full of violence and obnoxious decadence. “intimacy” is slightly dated with its house club beats, but for the most part, this record is a sexy and playfully soulful journey from start to finish. the ten tracks were perfect for my leisurely saturday morning at my pool and will work for a more romantic setting some evening with a special someone.

three and a half out of five stars.

Album review: Kylie Minogue, "Aphrodite"

i’ve been anticipating kylie minogue’s new album for some time, ever since it was announced several months back. kylie made me a pop princess years ago with her debut album, “kylie”, and I’ve been a long-time fan ever since. minogue explained that “aphrodite” would be a full return to her pop/dance roots that have made her so famous. i found this an odd comment, because her last album, “x”, was more or less the same. although there’s a definite distinct disco flavor to her latest work, it’s fun and happy, much like the persona of the celebrity that kylie minogue portrays. i like it, but it’s all too much of the same – a little too routine – all one flavor. And some of the songs like, ‘closer’ and ‘looking for an angel’ seem very much like filler between more noticeable songs like ‘get outta my way’, ‘aphrodite’, ‘cupid boy’, and ‘can’t beat the feeling’. ultimately there’s more to like than not, so i’m pleased with “aphrodite” as a whole and will forever relate the summer of 2010 with it for giving me constant opportunities to dance!

four out of five stars.