Katy Perry’s Artistic Touch

Thursday, February 10th, 2011

Can you guess which hand belongs to the Visual Artist and which one belongs to the Recording Artist?

In case it’s not obvious, the first hand  belongs to Katy Perry, who loves to tweet photos of her amazing manicures which are essentially “nail art.”  Likewise, I indulge in my status as a trendsetter, which is certainly evident by my elegant and chic manicure.

Here’s how to get this look yourself — Mine, not Katy’s :)

1. Remove all nail polish and file nails as short as possible.

2. Purchase several colors of oil paint. The more colors embedded in the grooves of the nails, the more authentic the look. BLACK is an essential color.

3. Set up a canvas and easel and begin painting. Really go at it. To ensure that the paint does in fact end up on the nails, paint as long as possible, a minimum of 10 hours. Sure, you could cheat and apply the paint directly to your nails, but that wouldn’t be fun.

Voila! That’s how you get an authentic Artist’s manicure.  Ladies, this is always a real winner with the guys. ;)

Seriously though, I do ♥♥♥♥ Katy’s manicures. I also ♥ her music and the fact that she truly does appreciate Fine Art, as I’m sure most of you know by now. She commissioned oil painter and Work of Art guest judge Will Cotton to paint a portrait of her for her Teenage Dream album cover. She also hired him to direct her “California Gurls” video.

↓ More of Katy’s nail art. ↓ Various portraits of her hubby Russell Brand. I love this!

Itunes Running Mix

Sunday, February 6th, 2011

I decided it would be fun to share the current itunes playlist I listen to while running. Fitness is a huge part of my life.  It has to be — considering the sheer amount of toxins I come in contact with while oil painting. The other day I was practicing bikram yoga after a particularly long day  at the art studio and I could literally smell solvents seeping out of my pores. For those of you not familiar with Bikram, it is a series of 26 postures (asanas) that are performed over the course of 90 minutes in a room heated to about 105 degrees. You wear next to nothing and sweat the equivalent of a liter of water.  And the poses are intense, requiring a great deal of strength and flexibility. I’ve been practicing Bikram for a year now and it has become an important part of my life, but I will write about my love of this yoga practice another time. It deserves its own entry :)

Other ways I stay fit are:

1. By not owning a car and biking everywhere (although it has been a brutal winter in New York this year so my bike has been collecting dust).

2. Moderate weight training — I used to swear by weight training till I discovered Bikram, which completely tones your muscles and  lengthening them simultaneously. Weight training gives you quick bulk, but you must stretch properly after to avoid tight muscles.

3. Painting! Building canvases, carrying heavy supplies, and generally just being on my feet all day. The only time I’m sitting is if I’m blogging or emailing.

4. Running. I love running so much. My blood isn’t thick enough to run outdoors in the dead of winter so I’ve been confined to the treadmill, which just doesn’t compare to Central Park. I run a lot and I run pretty fast. Yesterday I ran 9 miles, mostly at level 6.0 mph on the treadmill with a few sprinting intervals up to 10.0 mph.

This particular selection is faster paced but cools down a bit at the end. This list has been tweeked over the course of years and reveals my eclectic musical taste which is one part Art School, one part Miami club-scene, and one part top chart hits. It should suffice for at least a five mile run!

1. Modern Love, David Bowie

2. F**k You, Cee Lo Green

3. Only Girl (In the World), Rihanna

4. Bad Romance, Lady Gaga

5. I’m In Love, Alex Gaudino

6. Meet Me Halfway, Black Eyed Peas

7. Don’t Change, INXS

8. Firework, Katy Perry

9. OMG, Usher

10. Break The Ice, Britney Spears ft. Fabolous

11. Valerie, Mark Ronson ft. Amy Winehouse

12. Walking on Sunshine, Katrina and the Waves

13. Call On Me, Eric Pryz

14. Raise Your Glass, Pink

15. Sex on Fire, Kings of Leon

16. Love At First Sight, Kylie Minogue

17. SOS, Rihanna

18. Womanizer, Britney Spears

19. If We Ever Meet Again, Timbaland ft. Katy Perry

20. I Like It, Enrique Iglesias

21. God Knows, Mando Diao

22. The Hand That Feeds, Nine Inch Nails

23. Little Bird, Annie Lenox

24. Empire State of Mind, Jay-Z ft. Alicia Keys