One of my favorite artists is Frida Kahlo. I even visited her exhibition in Philidelphia last year! Frida had a tragic life, but remained strong and confident nonethless. So, it’s no surprise I’m in love with this children’s book aptly called Frida
The book describes Frida’s life loosley, poetically, and non-didactically, but the most dashing aspect is the beautiful paintings by Ana Juan. I love her take on Frida as a child, and especially love Frida’s skull-stuffed doll (I wish they had that for sale!):
The book is by Jonah Winter, who has written a plethora of other children’s books
My mom always found a way to teach her children about famous artists in a way that would make sense to us and we would understand, and I think this is a great way to be introduced to one of the most famous female artists in the world. Of course, I’m not a child anymore, and have read much on the history of Frida, and still find it a wonderful book!
I know several of my readers (and writers. and self.) are unemployed, and have wondered what to do with their new found time (besides, of course, looking for nonexist jobs, completely changing their future plans, and/or questioning the meaning of life). Well, how is this for a new column: Unemployment Project of the Week.
This week’s project: make a portrait of a portrait. This especially good for those of you, like myself, who have limited artistic ability. A portrait is hard, but if a portrait has already been made, an artist has already showed you the portrait-sitter’s most prominent and important features.
I am no artistic genius, but you can see I had fun with the above Frida paintings, took artistic liberties, and still managed to get something that is identifiable as the artist herself. To make these, I looked at a portrait of Frida Kahlo (far left, by Frida herself) and made two very different versions, the one in the middle is about 8×10 and in acrylic, and the one on the right is a little moleskin notebook sketch with watercolor.
You also don’t have to make a painting of a painting, you can make a painting of a photo, or any-which-way you choose. As you can see, I ruined this little cartoonish-painting (I suppose I could try and fix that left side of his face) I did on a business card-sized artist trading card. Nonetheless, you can tell who it is because it’s a famous portrait, so I was still pretty satisfied (expectations are low for the unemployed, alas).
And, finally, one of the most fun ways to re-create a black and white portrait is by making a linoleum print (pictured here hanging on my bulletin board with a nice little sharpie covering it). I think these are very eye-catching. Check out my sort-of old, but-still-completely-relevant linoleum print tutorial here.
Have fun with your portraits!
Today I offer you a tour of the walls of my office cubicle. A cubicle is always an interesting amalgamation of quotes, articles, and postcards — usually little reminders of what life really means, of things you might enjoy if you weren’t at work, or your own personal version of motivational posters or cynicism.
A beautiful letterpress graduation card from Hello Lucky. (Love the typography!)
A Frida Kahlo card featuring the image above, from the Frida Kahlo ArtBox.
An Edward Gorey postcard (“Donald imagined things.”)
A 2008 Frida Kahlo wall calendar.
A postcard featuring the 2006 National Poetry Month poster design. Love the poetry & graphic design combo!
The “you’re-loved self-esteemizer” availible for download as high quality pdf from Time Out New York. (Another example of great design, and very funny!)
Need a pretty Mexican Restaurant to coincide with your visit to the Frida Kahlo exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art? Of course you do! Xochitl is the place to go (the picture above is actually from Time Out New York Online) — especially considering it currently has a special Frida Kahlo three course meal filled with all of Frida’s favorite dishes. (Unfortunately, it’s $35 per person!) If you can’t afford that, you can purchase a single appetizer, dessert, or meal that is also included in the Frida full-course meal. For example, I recommend the $7 Sopa Azteca (tortilla soup).
I know this is an art & design site, so it’s a bit out of my realm to advertise a soup, but this soup gets design & creativity points all its own. At Xochitl the soup portion of the dish was poured out of a jug over a bowl of tortilla strips, avocado, and cheese (which delightfully melted in the warm soup).
If you aren’t in Philadelphia, (more…)
Okay, I apologize for the obsessive alliteration in my title, but the Frida Kahlo exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art actually was fabulous and it’s only there until May 18th so you better run quick!
The paintings were, of course, spectacular (it was especially great to see Kahlo’s The Frame in real life because it has two layers — the painting and a frame of glass — that give the painting an effect and look impossible to see in these 2D renditions). But most exciting for me were the personal photographs of Frida Kahlo and her husband Mexican muralist Diego Rivera. The expression Frida makes in these photos — straight and stoic — is similar to the face she makes in most of her self-portraits.
“These photographs—several of which Kahlo inscribed with dedications, effaced with self-deprecating marks, or kissed, leaving a lipstick trace—pose fascinating questions about an artist who was both the consummate manufacturer of her own image and a captivating and willing photographic subject.”
The exhibit and museum aren’t cheap (you’ve got to buy tickets both to the museum & special timed tickets for the Frida exhibit itself), but if you do it right you can save a few bucks. Check out the Frida Kahlo ticketing page for information on (more…)
Check out the Frida-Inspired images above, and then dress yourself Kahlo-esque using this list of How To Dress Like Frida: (more…)
I’m so excited about my upcoming visit to the Frida Kahlo exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art (it’s there until May 18th, and it’s the exhibit’s only stop in the northeast!) that I’m devoting a few blog entries to Frida Kahlo fashion, merchandise, & general Frida-love. I have mixed feelings about a plague of merchandise created in honor of someone as cool as Frida. (Would Frida, communist at heart, would’ve even liked such a thing?) But, on the other hand, as far as branding goes, I would rather have FRIDA written on my shirt than ABERCROMBIE.
