They didn’t end how they started. (sketchbook-cleaning)

March 22, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Sometimes sketches help make a painting. Sometimes they stop a painting from happening. Sometimes, they should have been a painting.  Sometimes they just…are.  Yes, this is a sketchbook post.

Today I made a sketch of Marilyn and her dog Maf while trying to ditch some anxiety.  Marilyn doesn’t look like Marilyn, and I lost interest in the dog, but I love this sketch for all of these reasons.  When I am anxious again, I may just start doing sketches of iconic leading ladies posed with pets…..and stay unconcerned about drawing the pet or the proper likeness of the lady.

3-21-12

I was bored and detached here. Can you tell?

Beach day is the best day.

 

I am particularly fond of these tragic but semi-interesting 90210 studies that I got…frustrated with in 2010.  I accidentally ended it with the Walsh twins looking like zombies.

and Kelly Taylor looking like ghost.

and to end it…pooooooor Little J

Filed Under: 90210, drawings, Gossip Girl, Inside the Studio, marilyn monroe, Old Hollywood, Teen TV, Television Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Gigi??! Gossip Girl!! Audrey??

November 18, 2011 By 2 Comments

If you’re a fan of Gossip Girl , then it’s love of the golden age of Hollywood will not come as a surprise.   These homages come through in the show on several levels.   We have Blair Waldorf’s repeated Old Hollywood dream sequences; she is usually Audrey BUT there was that time in a nightmare when she was Bette Davis.  Gossip Girl also have episodes titled such as “Hi, Society”, “The Wild Brunch” “New Haven Can Wait” “Southern Gentlemen Prefer Blondes”, “It Girl Happened One Night” etc etc etc.  These are all fabulous and nerdy fun, but my favorite homages are the ones woven into the fabric of the show…the ones that slip by unless you are of a certain audience paying attention.

Blair’s most recent dream sequence, from “The Big Sleep No More”

There’s little things…like Blair Waldorf’s eyebrows in season 5.  Blair, always the Audrey Hepburn wannabe..is having her fairytale somewhat coming true by being engaged to a prince (A Grimali of course. ‘sup Princess Grace)..to coincide with her Audrey character transformation, her eyebrows have followed suit.

Season 1 vs Season 5

Audrey Hepburn in "Sabrina"

Speaking of Grimaldi…recently I saw Gigi , after recently seeing it on the big screen I couldn’t help but see some blatant similarities between Gossip Girl’s French prince Louis Grimaldi (Hugo Becker) and the French wealthy playboy  Gaston Lachaille (Louis Jordan).

Gossip Girl's Louis Grimaldi and Gigi's Gaston Lachaille

Louis & Blair, Gigi & Gaston

and just because this post is somewhat gratuitous , here’s a video of Louis Jourdan in Gigi…because…why not?

Gigi – It’s A Bore

Filed Under: Gossip Girl, Old Hollywood, Teen TV, Television Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Transient Teens

May 20, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Exiled….ostracized…put on a bus…shamed……dead. Gone.

These sum up my current fascination with characters in teen television…how we deal with loss, goodbyes, change, closure, and death…through the vehicle of teen television programming.

More to come…


Filed Under: drawings, Gossip Girl, Inside the Studio, Teen TV, Teen Tv Cry Faces!! Tagged With: , , ,

Poor Jenny Humphrey, 10×10

February 18, 2011 By 2 Comments

Here’s my second painting in my  freshly started ‘Poor Little J’ series.  If you want to see it in person, it will be on display at “Go Small” at the Distillery Gallery this thursday in South Boston.

Poor Jenny Humphrey, Acrylic and Ink on Panel, 2011

Filed Under: Gossip Girl, Teen TV, Teen Tv Cry Faces!! Tagged With: , , , , ,

Jenny Humphrey is giving Brenda Walsh and run for her money.

February 5, 2011 By 1 Comment

If you  have followed my blog for any length at time,  it’s probably been brought to your attention that both Shannen Doherty as Brenda Walsh is a master on-screen-teen-crying…and that this is something I am fascinated by. Well Brenda, I think someone has taken the reigns for the next generation. It is none other than Taylor Momsen as Jenny Humphrey from Gossip Girl.

Taylor Momsen has every right to take the reigns from Shannen Doherty.  Like Shannen Doherty her personal like ‘drama’,..or more so..being young and snarky in the public eye, overshadows her tv drama.  Its been 20 years since Brenda Walsh first graced our televisions with her red-eyes/snotty-nosed/wet-cheeked presence.  Jenny Humphrey, or  affectionately/hatefully called “Little J” ,  brings in teen tv crying into the next century with style & bite.  She is not just crying for us about break-ups from high school loves…her priorities and successes/failures lie elsewhere  . She is crying for utter social destruction, for losing her virginity to an asshole (not her boyfriend/or exboyfriend), for falling from the social graces of NYC elite circles…and for her flaws being flaunted across the internet via gossip blogs.  To top it off, she does all this with some damn awesome runny-eyeliner creating a racoon-eyed teen cry tragedy.   Could we really ask for anything more?

Jenny Humphrey/Taylor Momsen…you truly deserve to take over the reigns of Teen Queen of TV Tears…and I thank you for that.  Please enjoy the following examples.



‘

While Little J may currently be on hiatus from Gossip Girl, I expect that when she comes back it will be with a vengeance of tears….just how I like it.

‘xoxo’

Filed Under: 90210, Gossip Girl, Teen TV, Teen Tv Cry Faces!!, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Poor Little J-Revised

December 15, 2010 By 1 Comment

Revised version of “Poor Little J”.


"Poor Little J", Elizabeth Grammaticas, 2010

More frequent actual updates & writing to come soon!

Filed Under: drawings, Gossip Girl, Inside the Studio, Teen TV Tagged With: , , ,

Poor Little J-Work In Progress.

December 1, 2010 By 2 Comments

Current Gossip Girl study in progress….poor little J.

Filed Under: drawings, Gossip Girl, Inside the Studio, Teen TV Tagged With: , , ,

The Gossip Girl work is starting…

October 18, 2010 By 2 Comments

As many of you know, the CW show Gossip Girl is one of my recent pop culture obsessions.  I have written of my love for Chuck Bass and now finally…I am getting things rolling for a series of Gossip Girl.

Here is a peak of the first study I am working on….

Filed Under: drawings, Gossip Girl, Inside the Studio, Teen TV Tagged With: , ,

9.02.10 Teen TV Residue Gallery Opening: RECAP

September 11, 2010 By 1 Comment

9.02.10:Teen TV Residue opening at the Distillery Gallery in South Boston last week.  There was a good turn out, despite the near 100 degree weather, moving day for much of Boston, and the fact that this was my first post college/non-cafe gallery show….and of course, the usual last minute chaos.  In the hindsight, the show could have been bigger, better, gone more smoothly etc…but the bottom line is that it happened, and folks enjoyed it…..and it was good.

Among many things, including strong pieces, strong artists, and a strong turn out for the show, one of the things I am most proud of about the 9.02.10 show is that it started from something very personal and became thing universal.  The unfortunate part is I realized the unversitility late in the game, thus. lst minute.  Still, we delivered….from  Jessica Pollak’s shadobowboxes of the men of Buffy,

The Men of Buffy: Oz, Angel, Spike-by Jessica Pollak (courtesy the DistilleryGallery Flickr

to Mary Fay Holt‘s Virginity Lost Specimens..

"Last" By Mary Fay Holt. (Includes Alex P. Keaton, Spike Nelson, Brenda Walsh, Buffy Summers, & Blair Waldorf)

Independently we also had a Jordan Catalano (“Hunky Dreamboat”) by Tony Bevilacqua and an Angela Chase (..can like, narrate”) by Cassandra long.  Robert daVies tied it all together by painting the thought/speech bubbles

"My So Called Life Installation" by Tony Bevilacqua, Robert daVies, & Cassandra Long

We also had a collaborative project amongst studio 11, spearheaded by Nick Ward & Mary Fay Holt…an interactive teen bedroom.  You could write notes to your high school crushes, or to anyone, rummage through this fictional teens things, or just hang out and remember what it was like.

"Becca loves Zach" -Studio 11 Colloboration

Across from the teen room, Kelsey Jarboe’s piece “Makeup Takedown” contained a video loop of YouTube videos of female teens dressing up their straight male friends in drag.  Participants were allowed to sit down, and dress themselves up too

"Makeup Takedown" by Kelsey Jarboe

And of course…there was my 90210 pieces, Some crying Brendas, a stoic Branda, and of course…Donna Martin Graduates.

Brenda,Brandon,Brenda-Elizabeth Grammaticas

Brenda Walsh is Crying!-Elizabeth Grammaticas

Donna Martin Graduates!-Elizabeth Grammaticas

and of course, let’s not forget…our very own Peach Pit

Peach Pit at the Distillery

All and all, we put together an enjoyable, fun show….thank you everyone who participated…thank you everyone who came, and thank you everyone who’s interest we caught for future shows.  For a first show, I say we did a good job folks. More on the after party and studio 11 events to come….

Filed Under: 90210, drawings, Events, Gossip Girl, Teen TV, Teen Tv Cry Faces!! Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The 9.02.10:Teen TV Residue Gallery Opening is Coming…..

August 21, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Press Release:

The Distillery Gallery Presents:
“9.02.10: Teen TV Residue”
September 2 – October 7, 2010
Opening Reception: Thursday, Sept 2, 6 -9pm
free and open to the public
516 E 2nd St., first floor
contact: Scott Chasse, gallery director
(978) 270-1904 / scottchasse@gmail.com
http://www.gallery.distilleryboston.com
Gallery Hours: Mon-Sat, 9-5

9.02.10: Teen TV Residue

The hit television series Beverly Hills, 90210 premiered 20 years ago. To mark the anniversary of this cultural phenomenon, The Distillery Gallery presents 9.02.10: Teen TV Residue. The exhibit focuses not only on the impact of the 90210 sensations of past and present, but on the impact of teen television as a whole. Artists’ reactions to additional shows like My So-Called Life, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Gossip Girl invite the viewer to fathom the idea that you don’t have to still be a teenager to feel the impact of teen TV.

For a few overlapping generations in the U.S, it may be very difficult for someone not to have an opinion on Beverly Hills, 90210. The original version was the first U.S. soap opera specifically aimed at teens. It chronicled epically dramatic relationships and friendships of the cast while tackling topical teen issues. Any sort of problem or lesson tended to be solved in a single episode where, no matter what, these privileged teens prevailed against their trials and tribulations. The candy-coated nature of the show made difficult issues digestible by presenting the Beverly Hills, 90210 version of life’s difficulties, as ridiculous as those versions may have been. Luckily, the average viewer usually prefers the ridiculous and the colorful over the cruel and painful, as does the American public.

9.02.10: Teen TV Residue presents recent works and pieces created specifically for the exhibit by Elizabeth Grammaticas, Jessica Pollak, Kelsey Jarboe, Mary Fay Holt, Matt Bennett, Nick Ward, Robert daVies, Cassandra Long, and Tony Bevilacqua.

Please join us for the opening reception on September 2nd (9/02/10), from 6-9pm.

Filed Under: 90210, Events, Gossip Girl, Teen TV, Teen Tv Cry Faces!! Tagged With: , , , , ,
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