Modern Art Monday Present: Marc Chagall, Anywhere Out Of The World

May25

anywhere out of the world marc chagall photo by gail worley
Photo By Gail

This painting, entitled Anywhere Out of the World (1915 – 19) may be a self portrait. Mark Chagall (1887 – 1985) bisected the head of the figure because, as he explained it, it “needed a bank space right there“ to strengthen the composition. The pictorial strategy, which appears in some of his earlier paintings, could be a rendition of the “luftmensch,“ a Yiddish term used to describe a person who is concerned with intellectual pursuits rather than with the practicalities of life. The sideways cityscape adds tension to the scene. The painting’s overall geometrization is reminiscent of El Lissitzky’s Proun paintings — abstract compositions meant to be looked at from various vantage points. 

Photographed in the Jewish Museum in Manhattan.

Pink Thing of The Day: Andy Warhol Barbie with Pink Fur Stole

May22

andy warhol barbie photo
Photo By Gail

In March of 2019, I attended a fun event-thing called the Barbie 60th Anniversary Pop-Up Experience, which was just insane. Imagine being wedged into a crowded labyrinth of bright lights, neon colors, and every type of Barbie-branded doll in the universe, including Gender-Nonconforming Barbie and Dad-Bod Ken. Now, add little kids with their parents, and millennial Instagram-whores, and you’re got an idea of the scenario that I consider myself lucky to have survived with my sanity intact. Still: super fun!

While I saw literally hundreds of Barbies that day, the one that I will surely never forget is this Pink Mink Stole-draped plastic goddess known as the Andy Warhol Barbie. Here’s why: this Barbie (the third doll produced in collaboration with The Andy Warhol Foundation) is the definitive celebration of Warhol, drawing inspiration from the original Warhol Barbie portrait created by the artist in 1986. Barbie’s strapless gown features a sweetheart neckline and an overall print of the Warhol Barbie Portrait (you can see a few details of Barbie’s face on the dress if you look closely at the above photo). Beyond the fabulous Pink faux fur stole with blue lining, the doll’s accessories also include blue pumps accented with glitter inspired by Warhol’s technique of “diamond dust” crushed glass on canvas, earrings, necklace, ring and doll stand. Rad.

andy warhol barbie backdrop photo by gail worley

Sadly I could not capture details of the glittery shoes, as Andy Warhol Barbie was encased in a vitrine, to protect her from molestation.  The statement to the left of Barbie’s face in the above photo reads as follows:

Andy Warhol made his mark by creating images of American icons. Barbie was added to the list when Warhol painted her in 1986. The first Barbie portrait was reportedly inspired by Warhol’s muse, Billy Boy, a jewelry designer and member of new York downtown scene in the 1980s, who owned a vast collection of Barbie dolls.

barbie neon sign photo by gail worley

Fearless Girl Masks-Up!

May21

defiant girl in mask photo by gail worley
Photo By Gail

This week I went on an adventure! I had to make a trip down to Wall Street for the first time since our work-from-home directive went down in mid-March, because I had dermatologist appointment. Wee! After braving my masked-up, socially distanced subway ride, I had about 30 minutes to kill before my appointment time, and I enjoyed walking about in the financial district in relative solitude. It was awesome.  And what a fun surprise to see artist Arturo Di Modica’s now-iconic bronze statue, Fearless Girl, rocking a face mask to reflect the Covid Life we live in. Inspiring! If you happen to be in that area, you can find her on Broad Street standing across from the NYSE.

Eye on Design: Accessible Icon By Tim Ferguson Sauder

May20

accessible icon photo by gail worley
Photos By Gail

The original International Symbol of Access (image below) was designed in 1969 by Susanne Koefoed. Enlarged above is the Accessible Icon, a recent redesign that portrays a person in forward motion, propelling through space. Surrounded by small images that depict various iterations, the new symbol represents people in wheelchairs as dynamic, rather than static bodies. The Accessible Icon Project began as a social intervention with the goal of making cities more inclusive. Its symbol is open source and available in a multitude of formats and sizes. This image was designed by Tim Ferguson Sauder, Brian Glenney and Sara Hendren between 2009 and 2011.

wheelchair accessible symbol

Photographed in the Cooper Hewitt Design Museum in Manhattan.

East Village Life: Photos of Social Distancing From My Neighborhood Walks!

May19

Cure Covid Meme
Brilliant Cure Covid Meme: Origin Unknown. All Other Non-Meme Images By Gail

Hello and welcome to week four of My Covid East Village Life! This week we are checking in with the act of Social Distancing, Masking-up, and related Covid Memes! Fun!  Let’s get to isolating!

Mask Instructions Meme

First off, if you’re not wearing a fucking mask every time you leave your house, I have ZERO sympathy for you if you get the virus.

trader joes mascot beary

A Trader Joe’s market opened in my immediate neighborhood earlier this year and shopping there for delicious food has allowed me to keep my shit together. Like most stores, TJ‘s began requiring customers to wear face masks a week or so into lockdown; which I have no problem complying with, because I am not a selfish cunt. Even Beary, the store’s mascot, is masked-up, as we all should be.

delphine in fancy mask photo by gail

This mask with Red Rringe — worn by my very fashionable neighbor, Delphine — is definitely the fanciest face-covering I’ve seen.

dog in a mask photo by gail worley

Tiny dog, which I was told is a Miniature Pinscher, in a mask, spotted in the East River Park. He is saying: “Mask-up, Bitches!”

mask graffiti photo by gail worley

Mask graffiti on the LES.

Attn Runners Flyer Photo By Gail

Flyer seen in my neighborhood. Zero sympathy for the Chads and Karens as well.

wear a mask sign at duane reade photo by gail

Rules like this make me feel safer. Thank you, NYC, for giving a shit!

Covid Traffic Warning Photo By Gail Worley

There is literally no excuse for not knowing the rules.

This Post Is Observing Social Distancing! More Photos After the Jump!

Continue reading →

Bantam Bagels Offers a Gift For Graduating Seniors!

May18

Bantam Pretzel Bagels

Being a bit of a foodie, but also someone who is not very experimental when it comes to my own cooking, the thing I miss most since NYC went into lockdown is eating a variety of foods. Fortunately, there are many tasty frozen food options (especially when you are looking for breakfast foods that are different, tasty, and also convenient) and one of my favorite discoveries is Bantam Bagels stuffed bagel bites. I was first turned-on to  Bantam Bagels delicious mini stuffed-bagels at the Summer Fancy Food Show in 2018, where I was blown away by the innovative taste of oven- toasted bagels stuffed with scrambled eggs and cheese. Two thumbs up, for sure!

bantam bagel bites photos by gail worley
Bantam Bagel Bites Booth Display from SFFS18

If you’d like to give Bantam Bagels a try, and happen to be among the Graduating Class of 2020, check this out: through May 22nd, Bantam Bagels is running a campaign for graduating seniors. To celebrate graduation, and the stuffed Bantam Pretzel Bagel (pictured above), the company is giving three (3) Graduating Seniors a chance to win a year’s supply of Mini Stuffed Bagels!

Here’s How To Enter:

  1. Post your Senior Picture — or nominate a friend with their photo — on Instagram
  2. Tag @bantambagels and use hashtag #bantamsforayear
  3. Tell us why you/they deserve to win this reward in the caption!

This Pretzel Bagel stuffed with Cheddar Dijon Cream Cheese is Oprah’s personal favorite, so you know it must be good. Please share this post with any graduates you know, and wish them good luck!

Modern Art Monday Presents: Florine Stettheimer, Family Portrait I

May18

family portrait I photo fs by gail worley
Photo By Gail

In Florine Stettheimer’s frequent group portraits, her family and friends are not only clearly identifiable, but represented in attitudes that express their inner selves — an idea with roots in Symbolist painting of the late nineteenth century.  In Family Portrait I (1915), she shares an elegant afternoon outdoors wither sisters and mother. Ettie, at left with a Japanese parasol is turned away, conversing with Carrie, who gazes at the viewer. Florine, too, looks outward, presiding over each bouquet of flowers and a dish of fruit that pays homage to the apples of Paul Cezanne. Their mother, Rosetta, the proper Victorian in black, is reading a novel by Ettie, the family intellectual.

Thick brushwork, deep jewel-tone colors, shallow perspective, and  wealth of surface pattern all suggest Stettheimer’s familiarity with Post-Impressionist painters such as Pierre Bonnard and Paul Gauguin, infused with her own brand of social perceptiveness

Photographed in the Jewish Museum in NYC.

Pink Thing of The Day: Villainess Neon Sign

May15

villainess neon sign photo by gail worley
Photo By Gail

Villainess, accord to their Instagram Page, is a “Secondhand designer black clothing store and events destination located in the East Village.” The exact address is 181 Avenue B, and they appear be temporarily shuttered due to the Covid Life. It seems appropriate then, that their glorious Pink Neon Sign glows on, behind bars, so to speak.

Shark Attack Folding Comb and Brush!

May14

sharks tooth folding comb and brush by fred photo by gail worley
Photos By Gail

Do you like being thought of as ‘edgy,’ while also maintaining impeccably-groomed hair? Then allow me to introduce you to the Sharks Tooth; the compact, foldable comb and brush that keeps you looking sharp! Just open up its tooth-filled jaws to quickly attack those tangles. The Sharks Tooth snaps shut, making an it easy-to-carry (in a purse or a pocket) grooming tool that goes anywhere. Expertly crafted by Fred, you can purchase the Sharks Tooth for yourself at This Link!

Photographed at the NY Now Winter 2020 Gift Show in NYC

sharks tooth folding comb and brush photo by gail

Shark Attack In Your Hair!