Week 7: Entry 3: Terry Richardson

Terry Richardson is An American Photographer that ventures into every aspect that photography leads to. He is known as the most outrageous fashion photographer in the industry and his lifestyle is certainly the most controversial.

Richardson was born in 1965 in New York, NY but was raised in Hollywood California. He spent most of his adolescence years skateboarding and playing in various punk bands. His experience with photography came natural to him since he is the son of fashion photographer Bob Richardson, who is credited for using street aesthetic and visuals in his photographs. He began to take interest in photography after his band broke up. Realizing the impact his father had on the fashion industry he decided to take the same path but instead of conforming he created images with feeling.

He has the ability to make a photo tragic, brutal, humorous and most of all real. He has created different genres for himself and has lent his abilities to magazines such as Vogue, Harper Bazaar, i-D, and GQ among others. He has also collaborated with celebrities and influential leaders such as Pharell Williams, Kanye West, Tom Ford, Leonardo DiCaprio and most of all Barak Obama.

Week 7: Entry 2: Kim Kardashian

Kim Kardashian is an American socialite and model. She is also the daughter of Robert Kardashian, who was OJ Simpson’s defense attorney during the big murder trial in 1997. Kardashian's rise to fame emerged after a tape of her and her then significant other, performing sexual acts, surfaced. The controversy should have destroyed her career but it ended up benefiting her and her family in the long run.

Kim Kardashian was born on October 21, 1980 in Los Angeles, California. She has been around fame and luxury her entire life. After her parent’s divorce, Kardashian’s mother later married 1976 Olympic Games gold medalist, Bruce Jenner. The increase of the family had no effect on Kim, her motivation to succeed was still prominent and at a young age she invested in clothing stores and apparel. With the success of her family store DASH, she began working on her modeling career and is increasingly becoming successful with clothing lines, fragrances, reality shows, workout tapes, and many more endorsements.

The main reason to her success is her abnormally curvaceous body and her eye-catching looks. Disregarding her stunning Armenian features, her abilities to have become overratedly successful, even after enduring such public humiliation is ridiculous. She has provided more income for her entire family and her audience appeal shows no signs of decreasing.

Week 7: Entry 1: David LaChapelle

David LaChapelle is an American photographer and director that’s well known for his creative and unique sense of style in the art industry. LaChapelle was born in Fairfield, Connecticut on March 11, 1963 and during his childhood he was intrigued by extreme photography. The ability for a photograph to have a characteristic fascinated him and he now emulates that in all his photos.

After high school LaChapelle attended the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and also attended the School of Visual Arts in New York City. During his stay in New York he worked at Studio 54 as an in house photographer and was given the opportunity of a life time when he later met Andy Warhol. Warhol was so impressed with his work that he gave him a photography job for Interview Magazine. After that LaChapelle’s career skyrocketed. He has now worked for Rolling Stone, Vogue, GQ, i-D Magazine, and Vanity Fair. He also has collaborated with the world’s most recognizable faces, including Tupac Shakur, Madonna, Diddy, Elton John, Angelina Jolie, Lady Gaga and many more.

LaChapelle is an incredible photographer and his method of alluring an audience is so creative, it can never be duplicated. You can really notice his passion in his work and his motives in every photograph. He once was quoted as saying “I feel that we are living in a very precarious time, with the environmental devastation, economic instability, religious wars waged… I have always used photography as a means to try to understand the world and the paradox that is my life.”

Week 6: Entry 3: Lindsay Lohan

Lindsay Lohan is an American actress and model. Many may be familiar with her roles in films like Freaky Friday, Mean Girls and The Parent Trap but she is widely known for her partying ways and erratic behavior.

Lindsay Lohan was born in New York City on July 2, 1986 and grew up in Long Island, New York. Her mother was a Broadway dancer and her father was a Wall Street trader. Lohan gained fame at the age of three as a model for Calvin Klein Kids, Abercrombie Kids and she also appeared in over 100 television commercials, including a Jell-O commercial with Bill Cosby. Then in 1998 she was given the starring role in the movie The Parent Trap, in which she played twins that try to reunite their divorced parents. The movie became successful worldwide and won her the Young Artist Award for best performance.

Years later she starred in countless films, some good and some bad, became a recording artist and launched a clothing line. But all her success has been shined away by her personal life. In the year 2007, Lohan was arrested twice for driving under the influence and for possession of cocaine. She then entered numerous rehabilitation facilities and has yet to regain success form her latest films. On July 6, 2010 she was sentenced to 90 days in jail and was ordered to check into an inpatient rehab program for three months.

Lohan is a tremendous talent and hopefully this is a wakeup call. The world is anticipating a comeback and with any luck, after serving her time, it will be a successful one.

Week 6: Entry 2: Andy Warhol

Andy Warhol was an American painter that led the visual art movement which created pop art, he is widely known for his contributions in the art industry and his iconic paintings of the world’s influential people such as Che Guevara, Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor and many more.

Warhol was born on August 6, 1928 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His parents were working-class immigrants from Slovakia. They left the country to provide a better life for their children after Warhol’s grandparents passed away. During Warhol’s childhood he was diagnosed with chorea, which is an abnormal involuntary moment disorder, this resulted in him spending most of his childhood at home and in his room. He then became an outcast among his classmates so the solution to his happiness was to draw, listen to the radio and collect pictures of celebrities.

Warhol studied at the School of Fine Arts at Carnegie Institute of Technology then in 1949 he moved to New York to begin his career in illustration and advertising. During his stay he became very popular for his ink drawings for a shoe advertisement, which gave him great motivation to continue on with his love of art. It was during the 1960s when Warhol started the highly recognizable paintings of the Campbell’s Soup Cans, Marilyn Monroe, Muhammad Ali, and many more.

On February 22, 1987 Warhol died in his sleep after recovering from a gallbladder operation, it has been noted that he delayed having his problems checked and was afraid to enter hospitals and see doctors. More than 20 years after his death he is still an iconic figure in the art industry and in 1994 The Andy Warhol Museum was built in Pittsburgh.

Week 6: Entry 1: Todd Goldman

Todd Goldman is an American painter/entrepreneur and founder of David and Goliath clothing and merchandising company. Goldman started painting during his high school years and thought nothing of it; he just pursued it as a hobby not a career. During his senior year he decided to attend the University of Florida and major in accounting. After graduating he worked as a CPA for six years; realizing that he had built great hatred for the job, he quit.

After quitting his job everything took a dramatic turn and with all the frustration built up he decided to paint again, just as he did when he was younger, in addition to the paintings he inserted quotes as jokes at the world. He then worked at various jobs and saved up enough artwork to start the David and Goliath clothing line. All that hard work paid off and in 2004 Wall Street Journal stated that the sales volume of David and Goliath was $90 million.

Goldman’s work is great to view at anytime, it reminds me of a comic strip and every painting is laughable but rational. Goldman was accused of plagiarism in 2007 over his “Please Make Everyone Die” painting and the debate still continues. But overall Goldman’s creativity is greatly appreciated, his artwork is exhibited and collected all over the world. You may be able to view them first hand due he has numerous art shows every year.

Week 5: Entry 3: Cassie

Cassie Ventura is an American model, singer, and actress. She is from New England, Connecticut and has always been in the entertainment industry. During her youth she attended a preparatory arts school where she advanced her abilities to act, sing and dance. She later found that all that hard work she endured helped her in her future career.

Cassie hit big in 2007 with her single “Me & U” but she had already built a name for herself prior to her music career. At the age of 16 she signed with one of the largest modeling agency, Wilhelmina, and had been in many billboards and ad campaigns. She then met a producer by the name of Ryan Leslie and after that her life changed.

To me Cassie is a beautiful woman, I enjoy everything she does. Her exotic looks and pleasant personality is always a plus. Beauty and all, she has the ability to further her career and I am hoping to see a lot more of her in the near future

Week 5: Entry 2: Tim McGurr

Tim McGurr is a humble New York naïve who has traveled all around the world and captured many amazing photos. He began at the age of 18, when he was vacating in Tokyo. During his stay he decided he needed a way to display the adventures and attempt to capture his life through the lens of a camera, where he then created the nickname 13thWitness and launched his website.

McGurr can’t compare to any other amateur photographer because he is the son of Futura aka Lenny McGurr, a very popular artist. During his childhood he was exposed to many different environments and has been able to observe his father at work, which has led to a very close relationship between the two.

McGurr is a very creative artist, he captures his everyday life but its always something unique. He once said “Always make sure your memory stick is in the camera before you run out of the house. The best photo I ever took was the one I never took,” and I realized that I could have captured so many moments if I just took the time to record them.

The Set Up from 13thWitness™ on Vimeo.

Week 5: Entry 1: Mr. Brainwash

Thierry Guetta aka Mr. Brainwash aka MBW is a French videographer, pop artist and street artist that currently resides in Los Angeles. He began his fascination of street art in L.A by documenting street art of Obey back in 1999, He also started documenting his own pieces in the film “Exit Through The Gift Shop.”

“Exit Through The Gift Shop” follows Mr. Brainwash as an amateur videographer. The film also includes his family, friends and artist across the globe. In the film he explains how he came up with the nickname “Mr. Brainwash,” after being introduced to Banksy. The film is very inspiration, you view an amateur cameraman turn into a legitimate artist.

Mr. Brainwash style features many cultural icons like Michael Jackson, Madonna, Jackson Pollock and many more. The end results are very humorous and very provocative. Many critics can’t help but love his work, MBW recently landed the cover of Madonna’s greatest hits album and achieved the success of sold out shows in London and Los Angeles. The street artist vandalism to the art community has been greatly appreciated and it has his audience anticipating more.

Week 4: Entry 3: KAWS

Brian Donnelly also known as KAWS is a New York based artist that designs sculptures, toys, and clothing. He initiated his career as a graffiti artist in New Jersey then later moved to New York in 1990. While in New York he began to subvert images on billboards, bus shelters, and phone booth advertisements, abnormally the street art became very popular.

In the 90s he designed and produced limited edition vinyl toys and it became very successful, as the success grew the branch also grew and then clothing became the next addition. KAWS’s mind went into sculptures and painting and the images became universal.

Just yesterday KAWS showcased his first solo museum exhibition in Connecticut at the Aldrich Museum. It included his recent paintings, sculptures, and drawings as well as his iconic street art, clothing and graphic designs. KAWS is the only artist in my eyes that can do no wrong. His pieces bring character and humor and its always refreshing to view the progression of people you idolize.

KAWS @ The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum 6/27/10 Ridgefield, CT from OsirisOrion on Vimeo.

Week 4: Entry 2: Nick Knight

Nick Knight is a well known photographer in the fashion industry. His visions in art are beyond the cliché photographs in the fashion world. He has shot for clients such as Mercedes-Benz, Swarovski, Audi, Alexander McQueen, Christian Dior and many more.

In 1982 Knight published his first book of photographs called “Skinheads.” He was 24 years old at the time and was a photography student at Bournemouth and Poole College of Art and Design. His book then gained recognition from Terry Jones, the editor of i-D magazine. He was given a task to create a series of 100 portraits for the magazines fifth anniversary issue. The portraits were recognized by art director Marc Ascoli, which began his fashion photography career.

I really don’t enjoy fashion photography but Nick Knight has a very unique way of capturing a moment and also creating elaborate pieces. I sense a certain type of emotion in all his photos and every photo is very distinctive. By analyzing his photographs I always visualize a story. He is one of the most creative UK photographers I have reviewed.

Week 4: Entry 1: Chuck Close

Chuck Close is an American painter from Monroe, Washington. He started taking art lessons as a teen at the age of 14, at the time he was inspired by Jackson Pollock’s abstract paintings and would attempt to mimic the artist. Close later studied at the University of Washington School of Arts and also at Yale University School of Art and Architecture.

At the beginning of his career he painted large black and white portraits but what made them stand out were the detailing in all his pieces. Close made an effort to precisely insert all the flaws of a human face such as wrinkles, bloodshot eyes, and enlarged pores. He later began working with colors and painting portraits of the elite in the art industry. He developed a very unique technique for his “Fingerprint Series,” which involved him using his fingerprints to create an image. From afar the image is extremely clear but once you travel closer it’s just a cluster of finger prints.

In 1988, moments after delivering a speech at an art ceremony, he was rushed to hospital after he was experiencing severe chest pains. Moments later he suffered seizures which left him paralyzed from the neck down. They soon realized a blood clot in his spinal cord was the cause of his suffering. Months later after intense rehab treatments he regained slight movements in his arms and his legs. The moment he calls “the event” has not hindered his creative ability. He now has a new perspective in his artwork and it’s always amazing to see what he creates next.