The Night of 5/19 at the Bossanova Ballroom...

Traffic on 26, start, stop, start, stop...
Bright reflections from the colorful metal...
Burnside Bridge.

Darkened ballroom with hardwood floors,
The smell reminds me of a tattoo shop,
Will my cables work to hold the work?  Hoisting with a "Heave Ho!"
Slipping to the ground, crooked paintings...
Genius boyfriend with roll of masking tape...Thank you!

Is the coffee shop open? 
Time to change clothes,
Magenta tights and the big hair,
Now I feel at home.

Interview - "just be yourself, Krystal"...
what did I just say?  "Moving Mountains?...Unicorns and Ponies?" hahaha!
Meeting up with new found friends,
Comraderie,
The doors open.

Voices and footsteps,
People entering in at a steady pace,
Ballroom once with rehearsals, now with the performances about to take place.

Meeting people - good grief, what GREAT people!
Laughing, talking, spilt beer, and now it's officially started.

New familiar faces - thank God you're here!
So amazing to meet you!

A Shirley Temple- I'm going to behave!

A short film, love between macaroni & cheese and marshmallows,
but it's more complicated than that...smoking and prostitution.  Oh my!

A hula-hoop lady and black light - what is this all about?!...earthy music quickens...
She's amazing - cirque du soleil craziness!  Applause and "Woots"!

Guitar playing, good music, great atmosphere,
with every strum the people seem to come more alive

Talking,
Laughing,
Looking,
Discussing,
Everyone fully engaged.

Fashion show - Steam Punk - amazing, fun!
Loved the little red hat and the goggles too!

The night winding down, though the conversations are in full swing.
Saying goodbye to new friends,
Bad music over the intercom as a sign for all to go home,
Unhooking the works,
Driving with directions in hand,
Elated about the fun time,
Recalling the night's fun
with feet aching,
open highway in a full moon sky,
fresh air flying through our hair.

Quote of the night: "Where does one get an outfit like that?" - Mara

Shouting Praises to RAW:PDX and Amazing Oregonians

It has been almost 24 hours since the RAW:PDX "Incite" art show ended.  I owe a big thanks to Mike Surber and RAW for inviting me to show along with the other amazing and talented artists who exhibited and performed.  Thank you so much for everyone who came out to support the artists and this event - I am so grateful for all the interesting and great people I met through this experience!  This was the most fun I have ever had at any opening I have been a part of - I honestly can't say enough!  I didn't have a single dull moment and I believe that, true to form, I laughed or smiled the entire time.  My face definitely hurt after I left - the people I met were THAT amazing and sincerely nice.

Thank you to all for coming out to support all of us, and I hope you all had as great of time as Matthew and I did!

What Not To Wear

This is the day before my Portland debute- "The Tribute Gallery" group show themed "Transition" is tomorrow night from 6-9pm. After watching quality programming such as "America's Next Top Model" and "Plain Jane", my mind is swarming around my wardrobe with the frantic question of what I am going to wear tomorrow night. It seems so shallow to be honestly consumed by this. Of all the things to be thinking about, I am concerned with what I will look like. Part of me has the disdainful attitude of Janeane Garofalo by equating my clothes with tea party members and not giving a damn, while the other half is feeling like some sort of fashionista trying to convince me that my image is everything. Sell my image, and then I'll sell my art. What crap.

But honestly, I am well versed on books for emerging artists and I am always surprised to find the topic of what to wear to openings in them. They always seem to say the same thing- look the part. Want to be taken seriously in the art world? Then look like an artist- be outrageous if necessary. Stand out from the onlookers. Do not look like "Joe Public" but instead create an image for yourself as "The Artist".

So, when I read this- someone who does not have much fashion sense since I have never really thought it to be of extreme importance- I see "wear clown shoes, a scarf, red lipstick for eyeshadow, and a tutu. Look as senile as possible. The crazier the better. Be as loud as Chuck Connelly is drunk with your wardrobe. Let's buy into the stereotype that all artists are crazy, unstable, and socially dysfunctional."

Anyway, I find this advice lame and dishonest. It seems fraudulent, and disgusting. I want people to look at my art, not me, and I want to be approachable- not a freak of nature. All fashion is a projection of image to present to others. Every piece of cloth we put on our bodies is a costume. A disguise. An advertisement. Though I want to be myself and honest in who I am to the public, I do not want to show up naked and have my 15 minutes of fame (one of which was spent already by my appearance on Happy's Place) spent behind bars for public indecency. So again, I ask myself, what am I going to wear?