Category Archives: The Artz

by | 21 January 2013 · 4:23 pm

Some Drawings That Came Out of the Closet

Dear Diary,

I have these neighbors that live upstairs and sometimes my boyfriend and I sneak up to their deck to water their plants, luxuriate in the sun, and pretend we live there (they live in the penthouse right above us so this is very convenient). Yesterday, after a major succulent repotting session, we wandered into their apartment (invited in, sort of) and snooped around in their closets. I’m not a nosy person. Actually, scratch that, yes I am and I love looking at other people’s closets. This particular closet snoop was particularly fruitful because I found a bag filled with drawings I made  in 2010. This made sense because I’d lived in that apartment for a short stint while looking for my current apartment. Finding the drawings was exciting because I kind of forgot they existed so I thought I’d share them with you. So, here you go. Some illustrations of beheaded boys and men with moustaches. Happy Monday!

Scan 1

Ink and gouache on paper.

Scan 4

Ink on paper.

Scan 7

Graphite and gouache on paper.

Scan 16

Graphite on paper.

Scan 2

Ink and gouache on paper.

Scan

Graphite and gouache on paper.

All drawings are 11″ x 14.”

If I learned anything this weekend it was that snooping in other people’s closets is the best use of a Sunday. Who knows, maybe you’ll find some weird drawings of men that you can post on the internet!

Love,
Orlando

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4 Comments

Filed under The Artz

by | 16 October 2012 · 3:25 pm

A Pop Of Color Inspired By Pop Art

Dear Diary,

Do you ever have trouble figuring out what color to paint something? For example, I purchased this great coffee table for a client recently. It was red when I bought it. But sadly red wasn’t in the color palette, so I had to paint it another color. But what color?

Sometimes I like to use art as an inspiration for color. This is because artists know more than regular people about what color things should be. Because the home I’m working on has a lot of quirky elements and bright colors, I decided to use Roy Lichtenstein as my inspiration for a pop of color on the coffee table. For those of you who’ve forgotten, Lichtenstein is that artist that made all the pop art that looks like comic books. His work features a lot of rich reds, blues, and yellows.

For the coffee table, I went with a bright yellow. I needed something that would pop like the red did to accentuate the clean, graphic lines of the table.

I’m happy with the way the table turned out and now I want to incorporate even more pop elements into the project.

Love,
Orlando

6 Comments

Filed under Around The Apartment, Clients, D.I. Why?, Design, Do It Yourself!, The Artz

by | 19 September 2012 · 5:44 pm

Whut Glamour: My Painting In A Beautiful Chicago Residence!

Dear MJ Lanphier Interior Design,

Thanks for commissioning this painting from me. It looks great in the dining room of this Chicago residence, flanked by two lovely chairs. Glamour.

Love,
Orlando

5 Comments

Filed under D.I. Why?, Interiors, The Artz

by | 25 July 2012 · 6:30 pm

RIP: Rest In Paintings

Dear My Bed,

I love you,  but you need a headboard. Right now, you look like this:

So depressing I may as well be in prison. Okay, so my bed has striped sheets, pillows, and a blanket on it. But it’s still missing something. It’s in desperate need of a headboard. And what better for a headboard than a giant piece of art? I love the idea of sleeping with a huge piece of art looming over my head. I mean, who wouldn’t want an enormous egg floating above the bed?

This one is pretty and minimal, the white laundry speaks to the stark white of the room.

This isn’t necessarily my style but I think it’s very pretty. And the addition of tall, built-in bookshelves makes the space even more inviting.

Not sure if I love this framed photo, but look how well the color goes with the knit blanket.

This graphic piece is awesome. Also, if this person lives in an earthquake zone they are probably going to be cut in half during the next earthquake. Hanging glass over the bed can be dangerous. I have a rule about hanging art over my bed: If the piece can fall off the wall and accidentally chop my head off, I try not to hang it directly over where I’m sleeping. That is the Californian way.

That being said, I might risk having my head chopped off to have this delightful piece hanging above me as I slumber.

Ugh, Marilyn Minter. Why does your stupid art have to cost so many millions? I want all of it.

This is a great idea for a DIY painting-headboard. It’s not as fancy as having a Minter hanging above your bed, but on the upside it’s just canvas so it won’t decapitate you in the event of an earthquake.

This is painted directly onto the wall, totally great idea for a child’s room. Or for someone too, like, poverty-stricken to afford an actual headboard. Like me.

Look at these awesome drawings-as-headboards. Accented by decorative moulding! Get in my bed!

This big, bold, graphic piece is the perfect addition to this totally, like, minimal and boring room.

And finally, my favorite. I think I’m going to go for this vibe with my headboard. I love the simplified landscape and that gorgeous color palette. How could you not have sweet dreams under that?

In conclusion, I want all of these headboards.

Love,
Orlando

12 Comments

Filed under Around The Apartment, California, D.I. Why?, The Artz

by | 12 July 2012 · 4:00 pm

Wallpaper/Dollpaper

Dear Keith Haring,

Thank you for the wonderful body of work you left behind in your too-short life. I’ve always been captivated by the playful, graphic nature of your work. This is why I was attracted to the wall stickers inspired by one of your installations. When it came time to add wallpaper (or, rather, Dollpaper) to my dollhouse, I decided to add some Haring flare. Below are the images of the newly papered dining room. I can’t wait to move into my own falling down barn so I can put up the full-size version of this paper.

In other news, yes the dollhouse was supposed to be done, like, ages ago. New projected date of completion: May 24, 2017. The final product, however, will be nothing short of delightful.

Love,
Orlando

8 Comments

Filed under D.I. Why?, Design, Gays, I'm A Giant Dollhouse Challenge, The Artz

by | 30 May 2012 · 4:15 pm

Whut Glamour: Boffo Show House

Dear Diary,

I was delighted to open my email this morning and find some images from the latest Boffo exhibition. Boffo is the culture/arts non-profit started by my close friends Faris and Gregory. Their most recent project is an art/design installation called “Show House” that features the work of dozens art artists and designers, each installed into uninhabited apartments on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. The show is open until June 4. So check it out if you’re in New York.

The exhibition space is located at 371 Madison Street and is open from 11 AM to 7 PM daily. More images of the show are available from the website of photographer Evan Joseph.

Love,
Orlando

5 Comments

Filed under Design, Interiors, New York, The Artz

by | 30 April 2012 · 4:32 pm

Oh My God Look At These Stupid Drawings

Dear Artists,
This weekend I decided to take Saturday off to make a drawing. All my friends fled to the beach to luxuriate in the golden California weather while I sat inside doing laundry and thinking of what to draw. Which was fine by me because that’s actually my favorite thing in the world to do. I had a little bit of artist’s block, so I decided to go through some of my old sketchbooks to get ideas. And when I looked through those sketchbooks I came to a shocking conclusion. I am an actual crazy person. Below is the evidence.
I Hate My Life, 15″ x 20,” Silkscreen and Collage (2007)
Blue Jay In Yosemite, 7″ x 10,” Ink on Paper (2001)
I’m Kate Moss I’m Pretty, 7″ x 10,” Ink on Paper (2001)
Uh Oh, 7″ x 10,” Ink on Paper (2001)
Legs, 7″ x 10,” Ink on Paper (2001)
Kids Of California, 7″ x 10,” Ink and collage (2001)
It’s Not What You Think, 7″ x 10,” Ink and Collage (2001)
Empty Buildings, 7″ x 10,” Ink and Collage (2001)
We’re Married, 7″ x 10,” Ink and Collage (2001)
I Just Want You To Be Happy, 20″ x 30,” Gouache and Graphite on Paper (2009)
This is what I made on Saturday. I’m not obsessed with it but it felt nice to make something. A word of advice: if you want to draw something but don’t know what you want to draw, just write “Los Angeles” on a piece of paper and paint it in with pink gouache. It will make you feel better.
Los Angeles, 20″ x 30,” Gouache and Graphite on Paper (2012)
So yeah, those are my drawings. I hope you liked them, hated them, or were indifferent to them. And I hope they inspire you to make your own lazily produced, semi-psychotic art.
Love,
Orlando

13 Comments

Filed under California, The Artz

by | 4 April 2012 · 4:21 pm

Whut Glamour – Carlo Van de Roer

Dear Carlo Van de Roer,

Firstly, I love your name. I’m hoping your last name is pronounced RAWR, like a lion roaring. Second, I was browsing 20×200, one of my favorite affordable art sites, when I came across some of your glamorous prints. They basically have everything I need: water, the color aqua, people in bikinis, and dots. There’s really nothing else in the world I care about. Some of your prints are available on 20×200 for as little as $60, which is a total barg if you ask me.

Check out Carlo’s 20×200 Store and buy something. I’m going to…

Love,
Orlando

1 Comment

Filed under Images I Love, The Artz

by | 14 February 2012 · 5:50 pm

Whut Glamour – Richard Haines Fashion Illustrations

Dear Artist & Illustrator Richard Haines,

I was perusing the style section of the NYT recently when I came across some of your fashion illustrations. They reminded me of how much I love your work and how much joy I get from looking at the drawings you create. Seeing them makes me want to be transported into a cartoon world where everything is as gorgeous and appealing as it is in your work. The line quality, the casual yet refined rendering style, the lovely washes of color. It all makes me so happy. Thanks for making such pretty illustrations. Thanks also for your delightful blog, What I Saw Today.

Love,
Orlando

3 Comments

Filed under Fashiontimez, Fashonz, The Artz, Whut Glamour!

by | 25 January 2012 · 4:16 pm

Going to LACMA: Such A Burden!

Dear Jennifer Love Hewitt,

I’ve been promising to tell you about what my favorite place in Los Angeles is and, well, here it is. I love LACMA (the Los Angeles County Museum of Art). There, I said it and I’m not ashamed. It’s my favorite place in this city. It gives me a sense of peace in a world full of chaos. I visited recently to check out the new Chris Burden installation (‘Metropolis II’) I was hearing so much about. It’s pretty amazing. But don’t take my word for it. Watch this mini documentary about it:

We went on a super crazy day, so the line to see ‘Metropolis II’ was out of control.

The piece is so large and overwhelming that it’s hard to do it justice in a photograph. But I tried anyway.

For some reason LACMA trapped a poor attendant inside the installation and never let him leave. They gave him earplugs. I suppose this was to keep him from going to totally insane because the sound definitely wasn’t loud enough to be dangerous.

Sidenote about Chris Burden. He got famous by doing a performance where someone, like, shot his arm off with a bazooka. Okay, it wasn’t a bazooka. But he did do a performance in the 70s where he had someone shoot his arm and the art world was all “oh my god” and then he got super famous and now he makes really happy installations like the lamp posts on Wilshire in front of LACMA.

This was another artist on view. Bruce Nauman. To be honest, I wasn’t really paying attention to this piece so I have no idea what it was about. Sometimes, it’s okay to go to museums and only really look at one piece. That way you can go back another day and look at other stuff. Stop judging me.

I kind of wanted to rip this Glenn Ligon off the wall and take it home with me.

So stop whatever you’re doing right now and run to LACMA to see the glorious Burden piece and everything else that luxurious museum has to offer. And while you’re there buy me something. I love presents from art museum gift shops.

Love,
Orlando

4 Comments

Filed under Hollywood Diary, I Love LA, The Artz