Burning Man

Photographed by AHS Photography

Portland, Oregon - October 2009

One more day then Burning Man. I have never been, but ready or not, here I come.

I will be without internet for a full week - a rarity in this day. Your emails will be returned as soon as I return with a new set of experiences and able to resume my work. I really appreciate your patience and look forward to all my upcoming shoots and adventures.

Weaving

Photographed by Emspace

Chicago, IL - June 2010

My week in the bay area went by incredibly fast. With shooting locations stretching from Carmel to Sausalito, and San Francisco to the east bay, I was all over the place. The trip just ended, but I am already looking forward to returning come the end of November.

Often us models travel our own courses, weaving in and out of each other's journeys with little overlap in regards to travel dates and locations. We know the same photographers, and are in the same network, and yet our time spent together is limited. The most common meeting ground seems to be NYC. I was fortunate enough to meet up with my model friend for a couple of days, which was a wonderful surprise. Her visit, coupled with a family visit, being in the city and working with some friends old and new, this has been a great trip.

Up to the thigh

Posing for a Dr. Sketchy last Valentine's day.

Photographed by Ed Schipul.

Houston, TX - 2010.

Adios Central Coast, hello Bay Area. I progress north, and return to a week of shooting after a restful few days.

My wardrobe bag is overflowing with new thigh highs, tights and items of that nature. Please, please, please shoot me in them.

Fly me away

Photographed by Mike Caffrey

NYC - May 2010

Today I would like to fly, fly away to NYC. Of all places to spend a few days collecting essential items for burning man (boots, hats, a parasol and sunscreen top the list) the central coast is not ideal. This morning's shopping was a fail. I never got the shopping gene along with my x chromosomes, so that is adding to my lack of motivation to wander through shops in search of what I need. Prison inmates are working on the path to "my" nude beach, so alas, I have no great land of sand for solace.

Pirate's cove

Photographed by Looknsee Photography

Portland, Oregon -2009

I got to be naked in public today! (A series of eye rolls is very much called for now.)

The novelty and excitement of spending a third of my summer hours at a nude beach when I was 19 has passed and my beach experience has become something of relaxation and normalcy. My afternoon was spent splayed out in the sun and sand with the friend who first pointed a camera at nude me years and years ago.

Amazing how one GWC and one "artist" whose vision of me included a sandstone boob job were my introductions to modeling for photos and other art. Oh how that feels like another world.

Did I tell you?

Simplifying to lines and curves.

Photo by Frank Santabarbara of Cleveland, Ohio.

My computer thinks I am on the east coast, my body thinks I am in Texas, and my mind knows I am in California.

Tomorrow has been deemed a day to get things done before going out to play. Too many places swarm in and out of my mind, and I have a big trip to think about.

I am going to Australia incredibly soon. You didn't know that? Well, photographers in Australia do not know this yet, either. I believe this must be changed.

Returning is good

Photo by Noel Marrero.

Returning to a city has many advantages. With each trip I grasp a better understanding of the transportation and am able to navigate (in often cases with public transportation) with much more ease. I am also able to continue working with friends and create stronger working relationships - I am convinced through ongoing collaborations work can and will continue to grow to new heights. Besides, both photographer and I know we like who we are signing up to work with.

Almost a year ago I shot with Noel Marrero in the Bay Area and just the other day we shot again. With him I feel shooting is a true collaboration. I was fixing my makeup when he was checking his lighting, and when I came back to join his light-test subject, we decided it would make for a great prop. Being in Texas for some time has taught me some appreciation for a good truck, even if I had to leave the boots behind.

I have arrived

Tights by American Apparel

Photos by MC Film

Fantastic friends and models - C-Fresh and KATLA

Hello west coast!

An easy day of flying and here I am in Oakland.

Just a little reminder of my shooting schedule in case anyone wants to shoot with me while on this coast:

August 11 - 12: Bay Area

August 16 - 20: Central coast of California (gorgeous places to shoot, come meet me here)

August 20 - 27: San Francisco and Bay Area

August 30 - Sept. 5: Burning man

September 7 - 14: Portland, Oregon

September 14 - 19: Seattle, Washington

September 26 - 27: Detroit, Michigan

September 28 - October 5: Houston and the South

October 9 - November 2: Australia

Maybe:

November 3 - 7: Los Angeles, CA

November 8 - 11: New Mexico

November 12 - 21: Texas (Houston, San Antonio, Dallas)

November 22 - 29: ?

November 29 - January 30: South America

(Yes, there are a few holes in this itinerary, but these are my booking dates.)

Rant in horror

Photo by Leo Ticheli of Birmingham, Alabama.

I sit and stare in horror.

I understand everyone has their kinks, but some things I just cannot wrap my mind around.

I am very liberal with my ideas of what art is and can be, and open to a diverse sexuality, but this is just not right.

My goal with my life now is to travel and create art - experiencing the world with only commitments to my family and friends, self and all the artists who chose to invite me into their world. Earning a living helps to do this, as a gas tank will not fill itself and I cannot turn water into wine. By deeming myself an "art model" I do enjoy other modeling, but the goal of all my shoots is to create art. Thus so, I cross myself off from the long lists of paysites which I could earn income from. I do not judge those who are on these sites, and think it is a great part of life that we all have our own comfort zones, but my intentions with my modeling does not allow for this.

Why do I rant upon this topic? Although it sometimes difficult to stand by my grounds and turn down a shoot when even a favorite photographer has morphed his photo usage, sometimes saying no is incredibly easy. With the type of site I recently encountered, saying no was of zero issue. What kind of content do I speak of? Snuff porn. (For this particular site to call itself "the Progressive Art Project," is just wrong on so many levels.)

/end rant

Burning for the West

Photo by cx photography.

Model is Nomenclature.

Today I pack. This next month will be spent on the west coast, and I am working on convincing myself that sweaters and long pants are going to be of some use to me there - a task difficult to comprehend in sweltering 100 degree weather. I also am packing for Burning Man. There I plan on running around laden in a sunscreen bodysuit during the daylight hours, and in my version of funky outfits at night.

Yesterday I met the alt/fetish model Velocity at her photoshoot with my friend KMann Photography. She is a fantastic model and someone I hope to run into again when we are both at Burning Man and traveling around the country.

______

Photos by MartiniVision of Greensboro, North Carolina

When all else fails, write a blog. Or post some cool photos and keep your mouth shut.

Licking Videos

Photos by Art Tavee of NYC.

When I first told my mother about my art nude modeling, she proclaimed, "not licking videos!!?!" To this day I have not determined what exactly that means, but I am left pondering what sorts of things she watches online. This is my version of a "licking video," minus the video component, and any heightened sexual implications that I feel the phrase brings to mind. I almost feel compelled to do an entire series of said, "licking video" stills.

Timing

Photo by Tortured Artist Productions

"Timing. The quality of our lives is hinged on timing. Good or bad."

This is true in work and play.

Although not my quote, I second this sentiment expressed by a photographer I would have liked to have shot with on an upcoming trip. My flurry of travels allows me to work with a number of people I never would have had the opportunity to meet and collaborate with, but sometimes the fates have it that a trip while well intentioned is set at the wrong time. Things go wrong, perhaps less than ideal plans are made. I continually hope that as time progresses I will line up my schedule with the flow of cosmos. How wonderful it would be to feel I am in the right place at all moments, rather than feeling as though I planned incorrectly. Now would be a lovely time to be working in Colorado, or still on the east coast, and yet I find myself stagnant in Texas. I must just wait, and soon enough the clock with continue spinning and fly me to another place.

I am taking the plunge and doing a little bit of international travel. And timing has me wrong. Or I have timing wrong. Tickets have not been bought, and I watch each day as the price trickles higher. At this point I either jump or wait, crossing my fingers, for a travel deal to show on my umpteenth search.

Repose

Photo by Fred Link of Atlanta, Georgia.

Sometimes I am drawn to images which appear to break all sorts of rules. Typical "fine art nudes" rules say my left foot should be on toe to create a more elegant line, and perhaps my left hand should be resting on a limb rather than cupped openly. And yet I really do like the overarching feeling of this photo. It is relaxed and real. The portrait of a young woman in repose.

Back to reality

Photo by Michael White of Arkansas.

The tornado is over, I have been deposited back to a calmer reality. I have a to-do list that is taller than I and enough emails to sort out to make my fingers scream. Thank you everyone for your patience.

Last night I took a moment to feed some ducks and geese in a park after a bit of work. I felt as though I was 9 again for a few moments.

NYC...and Jersey

Thank you everyone in NYC for making this trip so fantastic. I will see ya'll in 2011!

I keep gushing about NYC, but no trip here is complete without at least a few shoots in New Jersey. My first time here I imagined traveling to New Jersey to be like a journey to a foreign land when in the city. Now I know that reaching New Jersey is really as simple as catching a bus or train, and really no different from heading to the Bronx or Staten Island in terms of time and difficulty. This is some of the art coming out of New Jersey. Photos by Michael Randazzo, Vincent Arthur and Michael Grapin.