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Let me run my fingers through your...

 

July's portrait of the month.

 

This time it's Tenille, a talented singer from North Carolina originally from Brooklyn. 

Since Tenille was going through a transformation in her life, like many women, she needed a small reminder of her value and grace despite feeling ungraceful. I engineered this artistic transformational glamour piece as a reminder of both her inner & outer beauty. 

Outer:

I really exaggerated her naturally curly locks to express the quote “The higher the hair the closer to God” and to give her a majestic regal vibe. The pose and the jewelry push a glamorous look that offsets the nudity in a tasteful way. It’s a glamour technique I’ve learned to deploy while living in Las Vegas and observing the stunning showgirls, specifically from the extravaganza ‘Jubilee” at Ballys. From the 1950’s to the 1990s each major casino had their own spectacular showgirl showcase. Sadly Jubilee was the very last of it’s kind until they closed a few months ago. The space is making room for yet another Circe De Soliel / EDM club thus forever erasing the showgirl culture from Las Vegas Strip. 

Inner:

I also created an “Anahata” heart chakra flower hair piece. Anahata translates to “unhurt, unstruck, and unbeaten" in Sanskrit and is the 4th primary green chakra.  It’s considered the wellspring of self-nurturing, love, warmth, compassion, joy and is located in the center of the chest at the heart level.  In addition, I repeated the Anahata behind her in a hypnotic fashion. It fades away in a 1920s zig-zagging Art Deco flower pattern. It was my attempt to represent the importance being present, meditating, and how one zones out during a focused breathing session. Lastly, her curly mane is shaped like a giant heart to push the self love concept as strongly as possible for the days when it’s harder to embrace oneself.

In the end this commission was a cultural gumbo mix of pinup, showgirl, Vegas, 1920s jazz-age, and Eastern spirituality with a sparkly twist of self love and reflection. The title for this particular art piece is “Anahata” or the more fun and corny choice “Let my run my fingers through your heart chakra.”
Enjoy.

-Santi-

Desirée Portrait: Creator of Pinuplifestyle.com

Portrait of the great Desirée, creator of the hottest pinup social network Pinuplifestyle.com. It's the fastest growing social network/community for models, photographers and fans of all things pin up, so sign up asap. This was commissioned as a Valentine's Day gift for her man Daddy Cool.

-S-

 

 

Vintage pin up underdog Pete Hawley

Jantzen is a swimwear company that dates back to the 1910's. They were able to stay ahead of their competition by employing  cream of the crop in pin up artists. Petty, Barclay, Whitcomb, Vargas were the masters that left their imprint on the label, however today I wanted to focus on a little known but equally talented illustrator.

I am a huge fan of the underdog, rooting for the artists of equal talent yet lacking in press and praise. Pete Hawley, who had a 17 year long relationship (mid 1940's-50's) with Jantzen, had a knack for creating compositions of bold playful beautiful women exuding innocent sexuality through their poses and expressiveness. This winning formula paved the foundations and visual cliches now used in the "modern retro" pin up scene. Pete later went to work under a different name and painted amazingly hilarious child birthday cards for Hallmark throughout the 1960's.

I am a new fan. You can see more here.


 



Vintage Illustrated Paperback book covers

It is so strange to see just how many publications were hand painted during the early to mid century. This generation of artists were almost wiped out when photography became in fashion. Unfortunately I do not have the illustrators' names for these covers. I can't imagine how little these artists were paid for such cheaply sold material. Look at those prices.


 

 

 

Scarce retro Mexican Pin up magazine "JA-JA" cover art

Look at what I stumble on. These are some really obscure Mexican pinup artworks. I don't have much info on them but can assume they were for the 1949 version of the Maxim magazines of it's day. It's such a shame that painted covers are no longer a common practice. I know, I know. The typical latina look is not there but keep in mind, Mexican culture, like many cultures, showcase the european/ american look rather than celebrating their country's distinct ethnicity but the white, red hared Mexicanas are just as beautiful a the brown ones. Published in Mexico 1949-1950 by Editora Excelsior. Art by Al Moore, Fritz Willis and Freyre.

 

 

I work in whatever medium likes me at the moment.- Marc Chagall

Creation has a way of making you feel like a mighty proud king after finishing a piece. Other times it makes you feel like a bummy loser incapable of anything artistic. I cannot begn to tell you the amount of tears, frustration, depression, and wasted time I spent on revising images... badly. They were never good enough. My mind was stuck in a ditch, too stubborn to try something new. However when my pride was put aside, applying a new inspired avenue, my work came to life. If it's not "coming out right", let it go. It's not meant to be born to you.

Art by Mexican poster extraordinaire: Ernesto Garcia Cabral

 

"If I create from the heart, nearly everything works; if from the head, almost nothing." - Marc Chagall

As the late comedy legend Bill Hicks says. "Play from your F***ing heart!"

Over the last 100 years thousands of artists have tried copy the distinct style of Art Nouveau master Alphonse Mucha, yet they shortchanged themselves shutting their own uniqueness off and creating from the head.

Our creative spirit is screaming to be set free from it's predictable patterns. It's full of explosive chaos, ideas, unpredictability and get bored easily. Yet we cage that precious energy to fit in, gain acceptance or something worse. As history has shown us, the creative rebels we look up to were the one's bold enough to stay true their unique voice, even in the face of harsh criticism externally or even worse... internally. Sadly, the urge for acceptance is so strong that we numb what our heart is quietly roaring, and listen to the logical mind steering us into the wrong place every single time. Everything we enjoy, Slam Poetry, Wildstyle Graffiti Art, a Tchaikovsky composition, 1950s Knoll furniture design, they were products of the soul, the raw human emotional spirit, not logic. Yes they may have seemed strange and shunned at first, but over time were embraced tightly assimilating into the collective conscious. We get frustrated wih "mistakes" while creating, yet those are the very things that will boldly individualizes us with new styles and patterns of though. MISTAKES ARE YOUR FRIEND! They are actually the raw human experience trying to explode from it's lonely self imposed prison.

Speaking from experience those who enjoy my art are actually looking a collection of mistakes that I embraced over the years making my style more distinct. Yes I often get mad because something is not right and I am not getting my way, but then I stop and ask "My heart is bored and wants to play a new game. What new place is it trying to take me?" So far the answers have never disappointed.

Imagine if Alphonse Mucha tried to be like someone else. Imagine if you tried to be like someone else. We wouldn't have him and we wouldn't have you. There is only one you.

Play from your f***ing heart.

Art: Alphonse Mucha "Princezna Hyacinta"

There is nothing new except what has been forgotten. -Marie Antoinette

The cream of the crop of all artforms often comes from the underdog, the underground, the little guy, and the forgotten who deserved more praise than whoever had the fame. Many times fame with lesser talent has more to do with better public relations than a good invention. As the saying goes, "Credit goes the the exploiter of the invention, not the inventor. Sadly the publlc does not care to know the difference.

This is why I scream "ARTISTS INVENTORS AND CREATIVES OF ALL TYPES! Exploit your artistic inventions before someone expliots you!" Now that the internet age is here. We are no longer at the mercy of the gatekeepers of studios, art galleries, museums, artistic cities or other creative politics that once hid the creative class from the public. There is no excuse for any artist to fall into obscurity if he or she can truly help it. Oh yeah, and it's FREE.

One of Mexico's most obscure artist/muralist A.X.Peña leaves us with a classic Mexican Tourist poster in the 1950's for the Mexican Tourist Association. There are only a handful of his works around.

Random vintage artists

Today's posting celebrates the works of some lesser known illustrators of the 1930's and 40's who knew how to paint hotties of their time. They deserve some shine.

 

Edward Runci

I wish I knew who made this chocolate ad. Only 2 colors used. Red and black on white.

Bradshaw Crandell

Unknown :(

Andrew Loomis

Andrew Loomis

George Gross

Clarence Underwood

Arthur William Brown illustration of Greta Garbo

John Lagatta-"Why Don't You Call Him" romance story illustration.

 

Special thanks to Sheepback Cabin for the history.

 

 

 

 

Random "Dirty" Magazine covers.

Dirty magazines?

Wow! The tables have turned so drastically. What was considered "dirty", taboo, and underground in 1950's "wholesome" society has now crept up into the mainstream, a new movement that cherishes  pinup cover art and culture as good clean fun. Culture has a funny way of captivating the younger generation who fall in love with the past and what the old has abandoned. 

Man!!!! As an artist, how great it would be to transport back in time to the 40s and 50's seeing countless of these magazines on newstands in TImes Square. Yeah I guess I would seem like super pervert man peering into the stacks, but I love art and happen to be passionately blessed in rendering the female form. This would've been heaven to me. Wonders what current underground taboo movements are occurring right under our noses to be made  mainstream in 30 years.

Would you have posed for these magazines back in the 50s or would your passion drown in what society thought was right?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vintage Mexican Cinema Actress Maria Felix

Enough about Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, Grace Kelly, Bettie Davis and the like. Sometimes I wonder why we think the world of vintage cinema revolves around Hollywood alone when there always an abundance of amazing talent worldwide. It is rare that you see or hear about actors and actresses from other countries unless they crossover to North America with an awful movie.

This post pays tribute to the "pinup worthy" icon of classic Mexican Cinema, Miss Maria Felix who starred in over 50 films, and muse to dozens of artists including Diego Rivera.

Mexican Cinema produced some of the best poster artwork worldwide and as you can see, she made illustration easy for the artist with her dark mane and expressive eyes. One of my own art works is a modern tribute to her movie "Doña Diabla. A Diego Rivera painting titled "Tehuana" which Maria classified as "muy malo" ("really bad") was originally intended to premiere in a retrospective on Rivera's work but Félix did not allow the painting to be displayed, as she never liked it.

 

Diego Rivera's muse.

 

and my modern Mexican/ Russian fusion version starring Russian model Maria Plaksina.