Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Valérie Belin (Re-Post)

Valérie Belin was born in 1964 in Boulogne-Billancourt, France. She still lives in France, but is now working out of Paris. Her work often deals with identity and portraiture. And, of course, her work was featured in a show at a museum in Milwaukee, WI that just ended 3 days ago (why do I always find out about these things a week too late????) These images are from two, untitled series from 2006. She explores the world of the professional model in these images. I read somewhere, that while mannequins (the artificial people kind - not the french word for model) are becoming more and more human-looking, while professional models are becoming less and less human-looking. It's the vacant expressions that really make the photos. I really can't say for certain which ones are fake or real if any are fake or if any are real. The first image is the only one that I'm pretty sure is real, the others I can't tell... It's the questioning that makes these images so successful. Please visit her website HERE.

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Websites

I've been neglecting this blog in a major way for the past few months.

I'm hear to say that I've put up some stuff on my new ETSY! Yes, cute things for sale as well as art! :)

www.etsy.com/shop/kellyichinose


AND

I also have my own domain name, so my photos are up on my website:

www.kellyichinose.com/

I will be blogging more in a week or so :)

Friday, April 1, 2011

Black and White Night Presents...


Come join us on 4/20 for cool art, cheap drinks, dancing, and great people!


Come on people!

It’s just down the street from NEIU!



Featured Artist: Kelly Ichinose ("The Food Lady")




Music:

DJs Jujube and Dr. V play a delicious variety of 80s, new wave, alternative, and more!


The Hollywood

3301 W. Bryn Mawr Ave.

Chicago, IL 60625


This event is:

21+

No Cover

Cash Only

Dive Bar

Friday, March 18, 2011

Some Like It Hot

And some sweat when the heat is on...





Pepperoncini 2, 8"x10", Digital Pring, 2010.

I am still interested in reactions to food. The Pepperoncini set consists of 3 photos, similar to the Flamin' Hot Cheetos, and you can find the rest of my FLICKR (make sure to scroll through and see all three). Previously, all of my photos featured sweets but the Cheetos caught my interest. I shall keep working with the spicy and also delve into the sour and bitter rhelms as well! If only food allergies weren't so deadly...

Friday, March 4, 2011

Flamin' Hot

This week submissions were due for the NEIU Student Art Show. The theme of the shows are elemental, and this year the theme was "Fire." I was struggling for a while with what to portray that was related to fire and also related to my work, but with the help of my friend I comfortably landed on "Flamin' Hot Cheetos." How do you like that?

In general, I usually treat each subject in two ways: a really messy, macro shot that highlights all of the grossness of the act of mass consumption and a clean, portrait of the model that expresses a sort of horror or denial of the act of consumption itself.


Flamin' Hot Cheetos 1, Digital Print, 2011, 8"x10"

Thus, the gross / up-close image. I used the Cheetos because of the name (Flamin'---fire--yea you get it), but I also wanted to express the feeling of burning in one's mouth. For realism, the model ate spoonfuls of Thai chile paste... hence the snot. Yes, it was really that hot :O. Scotty is such a trooper!


Flamin' Hot Cheetos 2, Digital Print, 2011, 8"x10"

This image is representative of the "other half of the picture" when it comes to the act of eating. On the one had, there is the reality behind eating: what eating looks like, eating disorders, and the strange eating habits that people experience when in private. On the other hand, there is the commercial side of eating: the beautiful airbrushed people who are never actually eating but are shown as if they are. Admittedly, in my "Pies" series the work was more about the denying that one eats, while these "Flamin' Hot Cheetos" are more about the literal pain of eating spicy foods and the torturous effects that result, but the images are still very much related.

To see all of the "Flamin' Hot Cheetos" pictures please visit my FLICKR where you can also find all of my "Pies" series (under "People+Food" and "See Food").

More spiciness to come soon :)

Monday, February 28, 2011

Nagel Inspired

Okay, so I haven't posted in a very long time. Well, it's because I haven't been working on foodography so far this year. I wanted to take a break from it, and I wasn't sure if I should post about it on my blog (since the title...) but today I decided, "Yes, yes I will post on this blog!"

Anyways, the series is inspired by the print artist Patrick Nagel. You all might know him best for the Duran Duran "Rio" album art :)
There are two sets within the series, the first set being photographic recreations of Nagel's pieces. For example, the image below is a recreation of a Nagel print I have (it is also the first one I finished!)



The second set are images that are inspired by Nagel's style, but are my own creations, such as the one below.



I was interested in how his flat, idealized images of women translated when turned into photographs of real women painted to look the same. While I used photoshop for the backgrounds of the works and touch-ups, I actually painted the women to look the way that they do (right down to their hair).



To see the whole set (so far!) please visit my FLICKR

Also, look forward to some attempts at Roy Lichtenstein (wish me luck painting those!)

Friday, December 3, 2010

The Culling of the Mold

After much procrastination, refrigerator horrors, and a giant mess I present to you some finalized photographs of my Bizarre Jell-o molds!





Pickle Mold, Digital Print, 8"x10", 2010.







Pasta Mold, Digital Print, 8"x10", 2010.







Pasta Mold, Digital Print, 8"x10", 2010.



As predicted, my Green Bean Casserole mold didn't work out because I forgot to grease the mold. It also didn't set very well so it was much mooshier than the other molds. If I were to ever do it again (and I won't be!!!!), I would probably skip the bread crumbs because they all sunk to the bottom of the mold and perhaps is the reason the consistency was so weird. I haven't finished the Collard Greens molds yet, but hopefully I will have time to do it before they shrivel up :P

This weekend I'm going to be working on some collages using french fashion magazines from the 1960s and I will also be hosting a Candy Party. Anyone who knows me personally is welcome to come :D! We will be watching Willy Wonka, eating a lot of candy, playing Candy Land, and dressing up in bright candy colors or costumes! Hope to see you there, and if not, I will maybe post some pictures on Monday.