NEW Website for my Artwork

Portraits & Illustrations by Desiree

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CHAINSAWS, WHIP CREAM & MOHAWKS...OH MY!!!

To me, the first lady of punk has always been the indomitable Wendy O. Williams!

in·dom·i·ta·ble/inˈdämitəbəl/

Adjective:

Impossible to subdue; unable to be tamed

Adjective:

Impossible to subdue; unable to be tamed

Impossible to subdue; unable to be tamed

If you call yourself a punk fan, then you best know this lady's face!  Plasmatics front woman, Wendy O. Williams, aka "WOW", "The Queen of Punk" and "The Queen of Shock Rock" was one bad-ass bitch that proved she could hang with the boys ~ and kick their asses, if need be...

Onstage, Wendy O. Williams was a force to be reckoned with.  Besides sledgehammering TV's, she also enjoyed butchering guitars with a chainsaw and blowing up cars (yes, I said cars) onstage while performing - all while wearing little more than whip cream and a mohawk.  All this, combined with her aggressive and fearless vocal style, have cemented Miss Willam's place in history as a feminist pioneer, and one of punk's all-time greatest performers.

Petite, blonde with a gorgeous, tight bod - Miss Williams defied all stereotypes.  She turned the late 70's/early 80's punk scene on its ear, calling out even this subversive genre for its male-dominated hypocrisies.  Wendy, along with Yale graduate Rod Swenson, formed the Plasmatics in 1977, and remained it's only permanent members until its dissolution in 1983.  Her super-sexy, yet tough-as-nails look, combined with her dangerous & shocking onstage antics, created a larger than life persona - which unfortunately somewhat hid the very intelligent, passionate and progressive-thinking woman she truly was.

Wendy didn't just sledgehammer a TV onstage for shock value - it was symbolic of her abhorrence and frustration with greed & consumerism in modern society.  She didn't perform almost nude just to say "look at my tits" - but rather to scream "I am woman, hear me roar!"  Many do not realize that throughout her life, Wendy was a vegan, animal-rights activist, and natural foods advocate.  Throughout her career, Wendy was arrested several times, mostly for "indecency" charges - which further fueled her feminist attitudes regarding double-standards.  Though several of her male contemporaries had also been arrested during shows on indecency charges, none suffered this with more frequency than Miss Williams.  In the mug shot photo above, the injuries Wendy sustained were from the arresting officers, due to her  "resistance."  

Sadly, like many other gifted and dynamic performers, Wendy also had a lifelong struggle with depression, which was most likely due to an undiagnosed bipolar disorder.  In 1998, Wendy lost her battle with depression, and committed suicide with a self-inflicted gun shot wound.  She was 48.

Rest in Peace Wendy O. Williams, an indomitable free spirit and true pioneer!

For more info visit:

Wendy O Williams Official Site

Plasmatics Official Site

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Ahhh, simplicity...artist Marc Johns

best t-shirt ever?

a funny, handwritten line or two...a silly little drawing...and somehow the results are touching, introspective, beautiful and hilarious all at once!  that is the beauty of art...and of artist marc johns.

pipe-smoking rabbit

screw it, said the dryer

just be famous...

if i had arms...

for ALL THINGS MARC JOHNS, check out these links!

www.marcjohns.com

marc johns tee-shirts

shop.marcjohns.com/

CHARLES ROBINSON: Master of the Golden Age of Illustration

The Golden Age of Illustration was a period of unprecedented excellence in book and magazine illustration (1880's - 1920's). It developed from advances in technology permitting accurate and inexpensive reproduction of art, combined with a voracious public demand for new graphic art.  One of the most amazingly talented & prolific artists to come from this time is children's book illustrator, Charles Robinson.

Charles came from a family of artisans & illustrators - which enabled him to study and master his craft at a young age.  Throughout his life & career, the majority of Robinson's work was commissioned illustrations for faerie tales, fables and other children's stories.  His predilection for creating fluid lines, interesting "negative" shapes and beautiful, ethereal figures help to cement Robinson's place in Art Nouveau history.  His work epitomizes the balance between delicacy and boldness that characterizes the style.  Due to the fact that art historians seem to focus on "fine artists," it is unfortunate that today, masters such as Charles Robinson are not a household name...

Click here to read an online biography of Charles Robinson

Attack of the TODDLERPEDES!!

gross....sick....disturbing....genius!

I just adore these "toddlerpedes" by artist Jon Beinart!

Perhaps its because I know firsthand what horrible little monsters

toddlers can sometimes be, but I think these creepy creatures are

pretty hilarious and actually kinda cute...

artist Jon Beinart sits on one of his creations

THE ORIGINAL - Edward Hopper's "Nighthawks"

Nighthawks by Edward Hopper, 1942 - Art Institute of Chicago

What I have always loved about Edward Hopper's paintings is the mood he created.  In his images of melancholy figures set against lonely cityscapes, he describes the feeling of separation and detachment that modern life has created; he tells stories of people isolated as much by their busy lifestyles, as by the structures that surround them.  His most famous work, Nighthawks (pictured above) evokes this mood perfectly.

And then there are the parodies - the most famous of which is the ever-popular Boulevard of Broken Dreams, which replaces Hopper's everyday folks with famous dead film icons (James Dean, Humphrey Bogart, Marilyn Monroe, and Elvis Presley as the soda-jerk)!  Painted by Gottfried Helnwein in 1984, this print made its way from thousands of swap-meets and mall art galleries, into millions of hip bachelor pads and young couples' first apartments throughout the 80's and 90's.

Helnwein's famous parody

Due to the popularity of the Boulevard of Broken Dreams print (and the fact that pop-punk group Green Day put out a #1 hit by the same name), Hopper's original piece seems to have gotten buried by time and overriding popular culture.  More sad than the fact that most people I talk to believe the Helnwein parody to be the original work, is that the delicate subtlety and anonymity of the figures in Hopper's piece are totally removed - replaced by globally recognizable celebrities.

But let's not be too hard on ol' Helnwein.  Just check out his portfolio and you will see that there is nothing cheesy or clichéd about his work.  Boulevard of Broken Dreams seems to have been a bit of a departure for the German-born artist.  I suspect that his motivations were probably more intended to pay homage to the US-born Hopper and to American pop culture, rather than to eclipse this exquisite original.

article author: Desiree Guerrero

my personal favorite, "Nighthogs" by Matt Groening

NOTE: The Art Institute of Chicago acquired Nighthawks in 1942, where it has remained a part of it's permanent collection. Read more about this work on their website.