Saturday, July 25, 2015

Summer Announcements



"Fleeting Perspectives: A Paper Ballet No. 13" will be exhibited in the Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery at historic Barnsdall Art Park as part of the 2015 Los Angeles Juried Exhibition. Presented by the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, this "pioneering biennial exhibition provides emerging artist from across Southern California with a competitive opportunity to exhibit their work". The exhibition runs from July 26 - September 20, 2015. The opening reception will be tomorrow Sunday, July 26th from 2-5pm.

Hope to see you there!

Barnsdall Park
4800 Hollywood Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90027



In other news, I have been invited by The Photographers Eye to give a lunchtime lecture on my photographic series "California County Fairs" at the Los Angeles Public Library Wednesday, August 26th from 12:15 -1pm.

The Photographer's Eye is a free lecture series presented by Photo Friends of the Los Angeles Public Library. Photo Friends is a nonprofit organization that supports the LAPL's photo collection from their History & Genealogy Department.

Bring your lunch and enjoy the Fair!

Los Angeles Public Library
630 Fifth Street LA CA 90071
Meeting Room A, Central Library

Parking Garage around the corner at:
524 S. Flower Street  LA, CA 90071




Last but certainly not least, I am proud to announce and excited to present to you a new series featuring Authors in August. Patterns and Tones will be presenting an author each week to give you a chance to sample some of the best writing out there!

I have woven several portraits of each author to link these 5 talented writers together. I am honored that each of these creatives agreed to provide us with a sample of their work throughout the month of August. Pick up a copy of their book for your summer reading pleasure, you wont be disappointed!

Julie Green
July 25, 2015












Saturday, July 18, 2015

Three Mystic Apes from The Mask Series

"Three Mystic Apes No. 1" from The Mask Series 

Three Mystic Apes, also known as Three Wise Monkeys called Mizaru, Kikazaru and Iwazaru represent the general principles and rules for behavior in Japanese culture. See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil is a Japanese proverb associated with being of good mind, speech and action. These three apes from Japan were a perfect foil for representing their ancestors lessons on etiquette, virtue, and self control in a barber shop. 

Three Mystic Apes is the 15th set of images from The Mask Series. As always, two limited edition prints are available to purchase through my Etsy store

Julie Green
July 18, 2015




"Three Mystic Apes No. 2" from The Mask Series 


"Three Mystic Apes No. 3" from The Mask Series 


"Three Mystic Apes No. 4" from The Mask Series 


"Three Mystic Apes No. 5" from The Mask Series 

Saturday, July 11, 2015

Capturing the Queen of the Quinns


Back in March, I began constructing a costume which I was creating for Joan Agajanian Quinn. You can read all about the process and construction of the garment here. A few weeks ago I photographed her in that costume. The moment we put the hat on it screamed baker but I knew the final results would elevate it to Queen Nefertiti's headdress!

With images of Joan shot by Hurrell, Mapplethorpe and Rolston in the back of my mind and elements of my recent Paper Ballet series draped on her shoulders, I approached how I wanted to craft my own image of Joan by tipping my hat to those who captured her likeness before me while at the same time conveying my own style and approach to portraiture.

When I went to go to visit Joan the other day she asked why it was taking so long to create the image. Part of it is due to working for Picassso full time and the other half is due to the process I chose to use. Hand "painting" the photograph took several weeks to complete but in the end I am please with the results.

Matt Tierney recently referred to her as a modern day Gertrude Stein. I would have to agree that Joan Quinn is indeed an essential element in our Southern California Art scene.

Julie Green
July 11, 2015





Saturday, July 4, 2015

Patriotic Paper: 4th of July Honeycomb



Hey Baby, it's the 4th of July and what could be more appropriate than digging out your patriotic paper to decorate and celebrate the birth of our country? To be honest, ephemera for the 4th of July is harder to find than most holidays. I've only seen one other patriotic Hallmark Plans-a-Party pack which was not a honeycomb at all but contained just a standard 8" American flag with a stand. 


Earlier this year I did come across a few patriotic honeycomb ornaments in the shape of eagles, cherries and a log with an axe in it but they were in such a sad state of deterioration I decided not to purchase them. But that is it! In the past 10 years I've been collecting these paper pleasures, I have only been able to russell up these 2 Hallmark centerpieces I have listed here today. 


We begin with none other than Uncle Sam's lovely red, white and blue stovepipe hat. This Hallmark Plans-a-party centerpiece titled "Patriotic" was originally listed for $1.50 which leads me to date this to a late 6T's early 7T's time period. To complete the star spangled look, they added a mighty golden blade eagle and 4 stars emblazoned upon the rim. The honeycomb is slightly faded but the embossing on the eagle and stars make them shine and sparkle from light reflecting off of them.


Patriotic decorating ideas on the back of the package suggest hanging red, white and blue streams above the centerpiece and adding additional matching paper products sold by Hallmark such as a paper table cover, cups and coaster to round out the overall look of the party. They don't seem to limit the "Patriotic" paper to just the 4th of July either. They list birthdays in July as well as February, Presidents Day, Labor Day, Veterans Day or even Election Parties as a reason to pull this little gem out to liven up the place.


But it's the suggestions for food preparation that always intrigues me and really dates each piece. For instance they suggest carrying out the patriotic theme by cutting out gelatin salads (ASPIC ANYONE?) and sandwiches with star cookie cutters. Or cutting up pimientos and green peppers with scissors to garnish the star spangled snacks! Their "Drum Cake" suggestion though is one I might actually try to replicate. Who could resist peppermint sticks with maraschino cherries at the end of each one?


Inside the pre-owned package was a left over addition to the patriotic celebration - a bicentennial cocktail pick. Finding extra ephemera tucked away in these little envelopes really is a treat and makes them even more special to me.


Next up in my patriotic collection is Hallmark's "Let Freedom Ring", a fine paper replication of the liberty bell, crack and all. Interestingly, this honeycomb is no longer listed as a centerpiece and has been downgraded from center stage to merely a home decoration. With the original price being $2.00 and the font being a bit more rounded at the corners like the Souvenir font created by the International Typeface Corporation back in 1977, I would say this is much later than Uncle Sam's hat.


Apart from the bright yellow wool yarn, there isn't much more than a grey bell found in this package along with cardboard cutouts for the base and stands. Freedom doesn't have much to ring about with this dye cut replica but I couldn't pass up owning at least one more Hallmark patriotic paper piece. 

Once again this decoration is not limited to celebrating the birth of our fine country. Their suggestions include bringing out this lovely home decoration for political receptions or an Election Returns Party surrounding it with campaign leaflets, buttons, hats and banners. Their only food suggestion is to create a "Spirit of 76" cake complete with instructions on how to mix food coloring into frosting!


I do hope in my hunt for Hallmark honeycomb centerpieces I will be able to dig up at least a few more red, white and blue items to round out my collection. For now, I've got my trusty hat and the liberty bell to remind me how proud I am to be a citizen of this county.

Happy Birthday America!

Julie Green
July 4, 2015