I'M BACK
My BF and I made the drive up from the LBC to Oakland last Saturday. The next morning, my friend picked me up and we drove 4 hours to Mt. Shasta to attend a wedding in the woods. On Monday, I headed back to Oakland so after 14 hours or so on the road the entire Labor Day weekend, all I wanted to do was get off the road!

MT. SHASTA
It was such a nice day to head up there. My high school friends got married at a nice lil' resort. It was cute, like a lil' village of small houses where people stayed. The ceremony was outdoors and so was the reception. The only thing indoors was the cake cutting and eating. At night, we started campfires in a couple of the pits. I chilled with some high school and college friends as the music echoed in the woods. It was nice, peaceful and very relaxing!

PHOTO SHOWS
I just got in after a night checking out 2 photo shows in SF. My friends Dylan Maddux, Robyn Twomey and Ken Goto had a show at Upper Playground with a few other photographers showcasing portraits, street and documentary photography. From Mexican sceneries to E-40 to Nazi thugs, the work spoke with real grit and rawness, an ode to America's sub-cultures.

The second show I went to showcased the work of Dandelion Black. Most of the women in this group are friends of mine from school, just as Dylan, Robyn and Ken are. Tonight's theme was "Flesh." The venue, 111 Minna, is pretty well known in SF. They have large walls and so the ladies of DB were able to print BIG.

Each person interpreted "Flesh" in different ways.

Marianne's work has a surreal perspective. Two photos were of a couple drunk after drinking loads of wine. One image alluded to the Virgin Mary. A short series or say 3 or 4 images had people holding trout or some other kind of fish.

Linda presented two styles. The first showcased tattoos in black and white, documentary style photos. Her second presentation included color photos of people at the beach. They were so small relative the the sandy beach and the blue sky.

Angela's photos were of body parts with semi-revealing clothes or just socks or just nude panties. They had a warmth to them, like afternoon sun diffused through a sheer curtain.

Tonya showcased gruesome slides of stitches and other fleshy skin contortions projected on the male nude body.

Norma exhibited small and large photos with some sketches on canvas in a grid pattern. Red was a key color in most of the photos (i.e red shoes, red couch, red cord or red nipples) but a cyan blue also stood out.

Michelle's photos had a very late Spring, early summer feel to them. Her models were in summer gear in a prairie or near a lake. It was very reminiscent of a clothing campaign I would find with Urban Outfitters.

Amanda's work revolved around family portraits which I believe are her family members in Sacramento. They were shot with a 4x5 camera and printed very large in sepia tones.

The work was pretty inspiring! It's always good to go out and see what others are doing. I love to support my friends so if any of you are in SF this month, go to Upper Playground and 111 Minna!