Art Destinations Arts/Culture My Photography

Banksy Expo: Genius or Vandal Exhibition… A Worthy Investment

In the last year, Bansky has been consistently in the news starting with the loss of a two-year court fight in September 2020 over the trademark rights of one of his iconic artworks known as the “Flower Thrower”. In October 2020, amid the pandemic, his “Show me the Monet” painting sold for 10 million. In March 2021 he auctioned “Game Changer” that sold for 22 million donating all the proceeds to a health care charity in response to the COVID crisis. This summer Banksy is back in the news with plenty of ads about an immersive exhibition on his life and art coming to major cities in the US slated for NYC from June- November 2021.

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Art Destinations Arts/Culture My Photography

Art Fairs are Slowly Making a Comeback Starting with Frieze

During the first week of May, the annual Frieze Art Fair was back in New York City with a lot less pomp than usual. The Frieze Art Fair in NYC happens to be one of my favorite shows. They also sponsor a show in Los Angeles, London and now Seoul. The Frieze Art Fair features an extensive list of local and international contemporary art galleries, and commissioned artists’ projects, as well as variety of art education forums and a magazine .  This year it was not held  at Randall’s Island since the number of galleries was down to about 1/3 and mostly US based. International galleries were missing and clearly the difference was apparent as much of the art work was not as diverse or excitingly. Restrictions to get in were…..

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Arts/Culture My Photography

Memories of My Mother’s Clotheslines

In my travels to Portugal and Cuba I was struck by the use of clotheslines hanging from apartment dwellings that immediately took me back to when I was a child living both in the US and in Puerto Rico seeing my mom hang our washed clothes and linen on clotheslines in the backyard. The first time I had this reaction was when I was in Cuba and immediately compelled me to take photos. To my surprise, when arriving in Portugal this practice was in abundance in cities such as Lisbon and Porto where hanging your clothes on your balcony or window for all the tourists to see was just priceless……

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Arts/Culture My Photography

Whoa…What’s Up With Those Funky Chalkboards?

We all know that messaging in advertising is powerful in influencing us to purchase something that we didn’t need until they told you must desperately have this. One type of messaging that has drawn my attention for some time and that I enjoy taking photos of is those quirky sidewalk chalkboards that we bump into when strolling thru a commercial area. Today, there are chalkboards everywhere, not quite cluttering the street, yet enough of them to notice how unique they are at engaging an audience. Signs are quick to read and are both funny and……

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Arts/Culture My Photography

The Allure of Escapism is Not Lost on Netflix’s Bridgerton

Over 80 million households have watched Netflix’s Bridgerton since December when it first aired.   The acclaimed Shonda Rhimes has proven that with a limitless budget and creative license she can deliver lavish storytelling that is both provocative and scintillating.   As someone who has always loved period stories, Bridgerton is a  weird combination of Jane Austen, Downtown Abby, and Dynasty. 

 So much elegance,  opulence,  backstabbing, gossiping, and let us not forget love-love-love. Ladies and gents looking for romance and marriage hoping that it brings them both status and happiness (especially status).   In a world of privilege, what could be more important than attending balls, parties, and events in search of the right marriage?  You get to experience the pressure and limitations imposed on these women to have their parents, and in this case, a brother decides…..

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My Photography Reinvent Yourself Serving Humanity

Looking Back at 2020…What’s Next?

Looking back,  I can’t remember a more turbulent and fearful time as this year has been.   You would have to be at least 115  years old to remember a worse time than 2020, whether it’s the 1918 Spanish flu, the 1940 great depression, or the fighting and rationing held during the two world wars.
What an incredible year … It seems so extraordinary as to seem impossible…..

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My Photography Wanderlust

Seaplanes, Rising Sea Levels and a Booming Real Estate Market

During my last trip to Miami before the recent peaks in COVID cases,  I took a flight on a seaplane with a couple of friends to explore the wonders of Miami’s spectacular coastline.  Emerald waters with sandy beaches and luxury high rises side by side offers the most captivating panorama landscape that will fill your eyes. The wow factor of taking off from the water into the sky where you can still smell the ocean as you are climbing up towards the clouds is indescribable.  My memories and photos will have me yearn to do this again…..

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My Photography Travel Tips Wanderlust

Exploring One’s Own Backyard…. at the Cape May Shore

If you are living in New Jersey, a significant portion of the state’s boundaries are touched by the Atlantic Ocean, where one can quickly arrive at the closest shore within an hour’s reach. The only issue is that the New Jersey coast is just not that attractive….  long strips of sandy beaches with not so blue waters.  There are several coastal communities that have a wonderful historic vibe or scenery worthy of visiting throughout most of the year (Atlantic City is not one of them unless you like to gamble). One that I love is the historic town of Cape May….

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Artist Spotlight Arts/Culture My Photography

Jean-Michel Basquiat….An Artist for Today’s Uncertain Times

In the spring of 2019, I obtained tickets for the Brant Foundation’s opening of its new space in East Village NY with an inaugural exhibition of Jean-Michel Basquiat works. The Peter Brant Foundation is part of this growing number of “private collection museums” by billionaires who are given huge tax breaks for” sharing” with the public their art collections but under limited terms set by the owners (another tax scam favoring the elite).

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