Category Archive for Huffington Post + AOL Travel
Travel video: Art Deco Weekend 2013! The Betsy Hotel review, Miami restaurants & Ocean Drive.
Do the Charleston, the Charleston! I’m very happy with my latest travel video, about Miami’s Art Deco Weekend, now published on Huffington Post Travel.
This episode recounts my Miami adventures, from the Bettie Page fashion show to the flapper gala. Be sure to watch until the end, or you’ll miss the “jazz hands”!
I always appreciate your feedback about my work. If you’d like to see more alternative travel coverage, I’d be grateful if you can share my Huff Post article (or Like below):
Shout-out to my collaborators for sharing my passion. I’m wearing a fringe top by Peace Love World, and a striking scarf with a face by Pitsart.
My host, The Betsy Hotel, is consistently rated one of the top in Miami, and I quickly found out why. The staff genuinely cares about your comfort; there’s an atmosphere of home here.
All around the hotel, there were intimate portraits of the Rolling Stones and The Beatles. The rock and roll lounge lit up a reflective film ceiling.
The rooftop garden overlooks South Beach (right across the road). The Betsy’s on Ocean Drive, but a few minutes walk from the main strip, so you’re not surrounded by noisy revelers. It was a perfect stay; I’ll be back.
At night, Ocean Drive’s Art Deco hotels glow with neon.
Do you recognize The Carlyle? It’s where The Birdcage movie was filmed.
Miami’s a winter haven for many East Coast dwellers.
During Art Deco Weekend, there was live music all throughout the district.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the incredible seafood I had in Miami. Lantao Restaurant, located in the Kimpton Surfcomber Hotel, is inspired by Asian street food. I started with the “28 Days Later” cocktail: several types of rum (arr!) and house-made grenadine. Followed up with well-spiced tom yum soup, grilled paiche (South American tropical fish), and ended with pear cake — marvelous.
I mostly stayed in South Beach, but ventured to Coconut Grove to eat at Jaguar Ceviche. Six types of marinated raw fish on a spoon… mojitos… sangria… blue tortilla chips… grilled mahi mahi… is your mouth watering yet? Jaguar’s service and flavors were spot on, and the space is great for a big group.
Wynwood Village is also a must-visit (although be careful at night, and in certain parts). It’s an artsy district with colorful murals like this anime one.
I think this psychic would predict my imminent return to Miami… hopefully in December, for Art Basel!
Please take a minute to watch my Art Deco Weekend video. Did you laugh at the dancing scenes?
What are your favorite hang-outs and shops in Miami? Would you be interested in seeing me cover Art Basel?
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Art tutorial video! Anime pop printmaking with David Manje, Mesa Arts Center Arizona.
Why am I splattered in paint? Because I’m now contributing to Huffington Post Arts (in addition to Travel and Weird News). My debut piece is about my J-pop printmaking adventure.
During my Arizona trip, I took a colorful class at Mesa Arts Center. Watch my video (below and on HuffPost) to see the art-making in action.
Do you dig my new art focus? Please support by sharing the article and Liking it (below) so that I can keep the coverage coming.
Printmaking has come a long way since Hokusai’s “Great Wave.” At Mesa Arts Center (MAC), I rolled acid paint onto stencils and cranked out anime-pop prints.
David Manje is the kindest, most encouraging instructor imaginable. He’s a well-regarded printmaker, with multiple arts and education degrees from Arizona State University. Now retired, he teaches part-time at MAC.
My jaw dropped when I saw the stencils David made for me. He had cut out over 70 shapes representing my spooky-cute world, including my Scottish Fold cat, eyelashes, lips, hearts — and even a bagelhead!
Traditionally, pochoir involves inking or painting stencils for hard-edged prints. David’s unique, freestyle method creates neon layers that flow from pop art to abstract.
1. David set up three stations. Each had an inked Plexiglas plate, several paints, and a selection of stencils. Using a roller, he showed me how to color the stencils until they reached an orange-peel-like texture.
Rollin’ with my homies.
Basil Farrow looks angry because hasn’t been painted yet.
When you lift the stencils, they leave behind a bright outline.
2. We randomly layered the colored stencils onto the plates, with plenty of overlap.
The kawaii iPhone case is a present from Luxy Loli (see more photos here). Just got a new one from her; can’t wait to show you.
3. David covered each plate with dry paper, and I cranked it through the etching press. “A manual press lets the printer feel the variations in pressure exerted on the paper and plate,” he explains.
The first run, called a “generation-one print,” was starkly graphic, with bright colors and hard edges.
Drying the prints on the racks.
4. We removed the stencils, and switched them between the plates. Thanks to the overlap, they’re now marked with intriguing patterns.
For subsequent runs, we used wet paper and greater pressure.
“The color and shape magic begins to happen as the stencils continue to be interchanged,” says David.
“Random patterns begin to occur on the tops and bottoms of each stencil that breakup recognizable imagery.”
I had a lively afternoon with David — one of the warmest teachers I’ve ever met — and got an arm workout to boot!
In total, we made four generations of prints, or twelve works. With each run, the clean cut-outs devolved further into soft-hued amalgams.
Here are more of David’s pochoir prints. You can take his class, as well as other visual and performance arts workshops, at the Mesa Arts Center.
Have you tried your hand at printmaking? Did you find my art video helpful? Please take a second to watch and share.
More Huffington Post articles and videos coming up; follow my author page to stay in the loop.
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Steve Haworth, Extreme Body Modification Artist: 3D subdermals, magnetic implants & metal Mohawks.
Split snake tongues, star-shaped subdermal implants… welcome to the visionary world of extreme body modifications. I had the honor of chatting with revered body mod artist, Steve Haworth, at his home in Phoneix AZ. The interview’s up on Huffington Post; please check it out! I’d love to hear what you think of my writing.
“Let me show you something,” says Steve Haworth. Grinning like a kid, he places a small magnetic ball on the tip of his right ring finger. He lets go and rotates his wrist. The ball sticks.
The force is with Steve, thanks to a neodymium magnet in his fingertip that attracts objects and detects fields — a feeling he describes as a sixth sense. When he turns on an electric can opener, the metal dances.
Intrigued? Please read the rest of the article on Huff Post. Your comments and social shares are always appreciated, and help me continue my subculture coverage. (Support with a Like below…)
Steve showed me his collection of animal skulls and oddities. (Speaking of, I’ll be appearing on Discovery’s Oddities TV show this year; will let you know the air date soon.)
His colleague/girlfriend Mandi and client/model Michelle joined our chat.
Mandi displays a technology Steve is working on, which lights up her chest subdermal. His goal is to have it pulse to the beat of music – can you imagine the effect on a club dance floor?
Steve has a small magnet under the skin of his fingertip, and it can pick up metal objects.
The implant lets him feel electromagnetic forces, a phenomenon he describes a “sixth sense.” When Steve holds his finger to an electric can opener, the embedded magnet vibrates.
Special thanks to my dear Wes for joining this adventure!
Steve manufactures his own silicone subdermal implants. Inserted under the skin, they come in a variety of shapes.
The extreme body mod community’s close-knit; Steve has been to Japan twice, teaming up with Keroppy and Asami of bagelheads fame. Here’s a photo I took during my French TV shoot, which featured forehead inflation. If you’re interested in Japanese bagel heads, contact La Carmina & The Pirates; we worked on multiple programs about this mod.
What’s your reaction to extreme body mods, like branding, scarification and forehead horns? To learn more, here’s my article about Steve Haworth. Thanks for keeping an open and understanding perspective.
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Hong Kong food video & travel tips: best interational restaurants. The Academics, Causeway Bay coffee shop.
If you enjoyed my Hungry in Hawaii travel video, then you’ll drool over my latest Huffington Post Travel episode — a foodie’s tour of Hong Kong!
“Travel TV host La Carmina eats her way through Hong Kong’s hippest international restaurants. With her friend John Skeleton, she visits Taboo, Boqueria, Cafe Habitu, Lily and Bloom, The Academics, and Socialito (in Lan Kwai Fong, Central, and Causeway Bay).”
Watch the new episode above and here on Huff Post Travel.
I loved The Academics so much that I came here twice. My yellow raincoat with angel wings is by Kusuri (now carried in Karmaloop’s Kasbah). Designer Lauren Bitar’s pop Japan jackets are major head-turners.
At this sister cafe to Habitu, the award-winning (and stylish) baristas take center stage. They hand-roast their own beans and pour it through a Chemex drip to maximize flavor.
An Americano goes well with macaroons, cupcakes, or a chocolate tart topped with walnut and gold.
I enjoyed the New York City feel of The Academics, with high exposed ceilings and brick walls.
The concept is influenced by the owner’s extensive travels. The apple strudel was as good as the one I had in Germany…
… and the small plates brought me back to Italy. The next time I’m shopping in Causeway Bay, I’ll be stopping here to refuel. (38 Yiu Wa Street, CWB, HK)
Please take a moment to read the article and watch the Hong Kong food tour video – I spent a long time on it for you!
Which restaurants and dishes excited your appetite? Here’s more of my Hong Kong travel tips and photos.
PS: Look who is Mr July in the Scottish Fold Rescue Calendar! Don’t forget to order one for 2013; all proceeds go to helping orphan Folds find good homes.
LA CARMINA
