Here is a picture of my dear friend Audrey in VA.
Today was very nice - I got to sculpt some and ride my new bike (which is a very nice white vintage man's bike) and drink coffee and wear my military jacket and the sky was nice and blue.
Thanks to all you wonderful people on lookbook who hyped and commented and all.
I have some invites so if you would like to join lookbook send me your email and I will send you an invite.
Have a nice day!

Little Confederate Soldier

That is just what I feel like when I wear this. Four dollars at the costume sale. It is very silly of me but I wish it was winter for a little longer so that I could wear it ever day. With my vintage slip and combat boots.
Today I was in a fashion show for the Vintage store and I did not fall on my face.
Also got to sculpt from life the whole morning, when my piece dries I will take a picture of it for you. The model was quite beautiful and rubenesque.
Now I have to go make brownies.

EDIT - For those of you who would like such a jacket they are from west point. some one form west point told me "THE JACKET: If any of you want that jacket, I have one, but it won't be for sale until after May 23.. when I graduate. They are quite expensive, but if you are intersted, feel free to email me: jrniel@gmail.com "
So now you can have a nice jacket of your own with big gold baubles!

Dad

I apologize for the lack of meaty posts of late. I have been lazy when it comes to taking outfit pictures (but there will be some on my dad's next roll of film).

Here is my dad in the late 80's, he is very awesome.

Do you ever develop irrational fear that by going to concerts and standing by the speakers you will loose hearing? Because I just spent 4 hours at a metal concert and I have that fear.

Childhood and Music

Often I think of when I was little. One's childhood is something that is a treasure, a dream and inspiration to turn to and think of in times of alone-ness, so said Rilke.
You all really MUST read his letters to a young poet.
Yesterday was quite nice. Nashville was windy and the art exhibit "Paint Made Flesh" was not as good as I had hoped but it had some beautiful pieces by Lucian Freud.
Clare and I hope to have our Etsy set up in a month or so, we have quite a lot of work to begin on!
Today was rainy, but not too sad because I got to break out my beautiful vintage raincoat with blue polka-dots on white and white polka-dots on blue! It was quite exciting.
One of you asked about music suggestions, so here is a list. Basically what I listen to can be categorized to fit three general moods, those being

Head-banging
-The mars Volta - not exactly easy listening, but genius and beautiful and addictive art
- Coheed and Cambria
- Showbread
- Dropkick Murphys - Irish Punk

Happy jumping-up-and-down music
-MGMT
-Beatles (of course.... even though I am reading about them and my respect for them as people is about at 0 right now).
-Animal Collective (previously known as Panda Bear)
- The Ark
- Crystal Castles
- The Knife
- Gorillaz
- Vampire Weekends

Mellow somewhat-sad-and-somber music + Folk What I am listening to at the moment
- Elliot Smith
- Peter and the Wolf
- Explosions in the Sky
- Margot and the Nuclear So & So's
- Iron and Wine
- Andrew Bird - his new CD is amazing
- Beach House- very psychedelic and beautiful
- Belle and Sebastian - Sebastian is, in my opinion, the most beautiful name in all the world.
- Bob Dylan
- Coconut Records
- Fleet Foxes
- Niel Young
- Page France
- Ra Ra Riot
- She and Him
- The Shins
- Sigur Ros
- Sufjan Stevens

Also are
- Arcade Fire
- Arctic Monkeys
- The Kooks
- Lafee (german version of Evanescence)

Ok, I have been avoiding writing a paper for a long time but it is due tomorrow so I better stop procrastinating. Sorry I really don't have as good a taste in music as I would like but maybe you will like some of what I am listening to now.

This is a super quick post because I am going to Nashville this morning with my family....
Ok so here is an old picture form my grandmothers old family albums which I could look at forever.
I am going to change my header because at the moment it is very narcissistic.
Tonight is life drawing.
I am working on plans to set up an Etsy shop with Clare, a dear friend of mine. It is quite exciting. Any suggestions on names?
Hummmm..... you ask for music suggestions..... really deserves a whole post of it's own, or maybe a whole then poasts of it's own, so I will plan on that but at the moment I will say look up Beach house and The Knife.

Prancing about in the nude when I'm talking to you

Margot and the Nuclear So & So are taking over my brain.

Isn't it rather ironic that I begin this blog as a fashion blog and here I am posting drawings of people with out there clothes.
Oh well, here is the one drawing that I am pleased with form life drawing on Tuesday.

I am scanning all these pictures of my family form the 80's and 90's, so look forward to seeing some of those.

This morning when I awoke I rememberd there was a costume sale so I rushed to the theater center, when i founds 12 dresses (not keeeping them all) and the most dreamy military jacket. When I get to taking some pictures of it you will see. It is gray with tons of huge gold bobbles and gold and black piping and a TAIL!!

Lately I have been amassing a nice collection of vintage formal collum dresses, and was wondering how wierd it would be if I wore them with flats and a grandpa cardi and maybe a scarf on a normal, non formal day. We will see.

Well... the hot weather is on it's way.
Sadface.
I can't find my blue sunglasses.
Running on two hours of sleep at the moment.
Went to the vintage store.... bad idea, who am I trying to kid about not being broke? I have decided to go to prom simply because I found the dreamiest piece to wear (and the music will be exciting)..... it looks like a dress but it gathers around the ankles in nice little cuffs with buttons. Ok whatever everyone I tell about it rolls their eyes.
Well, hope you all have a nice day.
I think now is the time to get a wink or two of sleep.

An old house in VA that audrey and I had to drive down scary roads to get to. Quite an adventure.
I have a lot to post about but not much time. Cleaning house because some kids are coming over and hanging out tonight, and have to rewrite a paper for school.
Went to a show last night at a punk house.
Hope my pictures turn out nicely.

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Yesterday I drew form life for 3 hours.
It was nice to work from life, but I have only ever sculpted from life, and all my drawings except for 2 turned out horribly. maybe I will post one of the better ones later.
This is a little study I did last summer.
Today people at school took pictures of my outfit. It makes me smile.
Now I have a lot of reading to do and I am going to draw a lot so that I improve and am no longer depressed about my art.

Johanna Burke is creating an amazing work of art for a store front out of paper....
so breathtaking. I think I am going to try something similar to this but much smaller and in white, of stars, to cover part of my window.
Today I took a pile of old leggings I never wear, wrapped them in rubber bands, and poured bleach on them. They turned out nicely. It might just be me, but leggings seem very much an outdated trend, unless they are patterned. Hurra so now I have bleach-y leggings. And I got B&W tights form AA!
Nashville was very nice and tiring.
Ok now I need to go because there is a lot that I have to do today.

Here is an old house in VA. I live in an old house, but it is not very charming. At least it has nice insulation, unlike this poor old shack.
Now I have to go pack.
I have two lookbook invitations, so if you would like to be invited then let me know.

Lips

This is the first thing I ever sculpted. They look more like my lips that the lips of Michelangelo's David, because one always tend to sculpt one's self.
Now I have to go take my little brother to music class.

Tonight there was going to be a good show by showbread, but it was canceled.
So instead I shall sit in my room and listen to the new renaissance record I found at the used music store
and update my blog
and read about American history, which is not very interesting
and read about Beatle's history, which is very interesting
and also, I might just look a little bit at UO and lomography, and drool just a little.
But this weekend will be very nice because some dear friends convinced me to go to Nashville, so that is the plan.

Here is Audrey and a tree in VA. I really wanted to find a tree at the top of a hill to shoot, but we couldn't find one, so had to make do.
Isn't it wonderful when, in one week, it changes form winter to spring?

Some double exposures from VA.

Odds & Ends

1) After thinking about it for a few months, I finally moved my families record player into my room, and have, as a result, spent the past few days discovering the old records that remain form my parents childhood. So far Renaissance has captured my attention most, and the artwork on the cover is amazing as well.




2) Here is the back of my car, which is a work of a collage of bumper stickers in progress. It is really rather a lame attempt though.




3)I am rather worried that if I keep on obtaining cameras at the rate I am going I shall quite soon have a collection that will resemble this one, which is just a shot of a few of 936 and can be seen here. I really only have 4 at the moment, but in my small room it takes up space.



4) You all must read "Letters to a Young Poet" by Rainer Marie Rilke, he verbalizes feelings and emotions which I never knew could be verbalized, and in the most beautiful moving way. I read this small book by him a while ago and received my own copy today, so i am rereading it. I would put a quote up but all of it is so good I would have a hard time deciding where to close the quotations. Maybe tomorrow.
I am also reading a book on the Beatles. Am on Ch. 3, so I don't have much to say about that yet.

American dream

In VA with Audrey we saw the most wonderful automobile. It is my dream car. It had a very nice professional paint job of an American flag, star curtains, a spattering of band stickers on the back, and a rainbow of beanie babies on the front dashboard. The most wonderful hippies live out in the middle of nowhere.
I really need to begin to take artistic license with my car.

Spent all summer on this study. No kidding.

This is a while ago when I was in FL.
I am debating attempting getting a job at the coffee shop I frequent. We shall see how that goes. I just hate it when when my net earnings are negative. Guess if I am going to be an artist I have to get used to that though.
Of course paying to go see Coraline in theaters this afternoon probably isn't the best idea, but it looks so beautiful. And 3D.

Riding the bus is very nice. You can watch the city go by and see a lot of interesting people.
Today I had a midterm, but now there is only one more class left before spring brake.

Playground

Playing on a playground is enjoyable. This is with Christina and Abby a few weeks ago when the sky was very blue and the weather warm. That was a nice time.
Some of you have been asking about the double exposures I have been posting. Most of the square pictures on here are taken with a Holga, which is a lomo camera. A Hholga is a toy camera, meaning it only has the most basic of settings and it is made entirely of plastic. It shoots professional film (120), so it is a rather expensive habit. With a Holga you do not have to advance your film if you don’t want to (or if you forget, which also happens), which means that you can get as many exposures on one image as you want. It is loads of fun. Other features of Holga pictures is the vignette (darker parts) around the edges, soft focus in the center, and saturated colors.
Ok hope that answers any questions.
Have a nice day.

Here are two studies I did a while ago working form life. I have a bunch of drawings I should scan, so they will be up sometimes soon hopefully.
Today the sky is blue, which is very nice. However getting dressed this morning I felt very generic. And guess what? I painted my nails red only to wake up and realize they were bright pink? Haha oh well, have a nice day.