Tag Archives: photography

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Model Derangement Syndrome

Hi there Museworthy friends. Hope you all had a splendid week. Before I get to model derangement syndrome I’d like to share my congratulations and tremendous happiness for my friend Daniel Maidman. Daniel currently has a solo art show at Dacia Gallery where his stunning “Blue Leah” series is on display. I attended the opening last night and it was fantastic. The best opening I’ve ever been to and I’m not just saying that because Daniel is my pal. It really was the best :-)

As for model derangement syndrome, I have entered the 2 – 3 week phase of overbooked, overworked, jammed, no day off, mid-semester modeling mania that leaves me pretty much incapacitated when it’s all finished. Honestly, when I look at my calender book and see all the jobs written in back-to-back and on top of each other,  in all different locations, I feel a little frightened. I wonder “How the hell am I gonna do all this?” :shock:

I will try to post on the blog if I can but if I don’t, don’t worry. I’m not dead, I’m just in the midst of good old model derangement syndrome. Be well gang!

Photo by Fred Hatt

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Happy 5th Birthday Museworthy!!

It’s been five years friends. Five years of Museworthy. I’m actually at a loss for words, which as most of you know is quite rare for me! I could repeat what I’ve said every year on these birthday posts; that I never expected this blog to have such longevity, or that it would accumulate over 150 subscribers, and receive 1,000 visitors a day from all around the globe. Or that I’d have enough topics to discuss, artwork and anecdotes to share, and spirited, illuminating discussions in the comments. All these things amaze me still, after five splendid years.

I was thinking about last year’s post and the concerns I raised about continuing to model on a full time basis. But after a fantastic, very busy year of work – and by some miracle NOT having fallen apart physically which was my fear – I look back and wonder, what the hell was I thinking? Of course I will continue art modeling! And blogging. You guys can’t get rid of me just yet ;-)

So Fred Hatt and I collaborated again in his studio and have decided on an image to share for Museworthy’s fifth. A rose-tinted photograph to match my rose-colored glasses perhaps? No. Rose-colored glasses imply unrealistic optimism. I think my optimism level is perfectly real and true and delusion-free. I am a thankful, fortunate gal.

Our music this year comes courtesy of the Beatles. Not one of their more famous songs, but a good one, recorded on the very brink of their breakup. Listen with me to “I’ve Got a Feeling”. John Lennon comes in at 2:05 and sounds adorable. Peace, love, and infinite gratitude to all of you in the Museworthy world . Thanks for reading, supporting, and sustaining this artistic little corner of the Internet.

Your muse,
Claudia  xxoo

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Seasonal Shift

Hello? Anybody? Yoo hoo! Who runs this blog? Is there a blogger in the house?!

:lol: Howdy gang. I’m back! Martha’s Vineyard was wonderful as I knew it would be. In fact, I probably should have stayed up there since I came home to a pipe flooding basement situation in my house. What a lovely welcome home. But it’s being taken care of as my life transitions from a week of beaches, jeeps, reading, and shell collecting to home repairs, dentist appointments and, of course, art modeling.

So the September groove begins. Whether or not I’m ready for it, it’s here. And my modeling calendar is written up with FIT, Spring Studio, the New York Academy of Art, private sessions, and many other bookings. Yes, it’s here. Later this month we will also see the commemoration of Museworthy’s fifth year. Last year’s fourth was a special one. My god, how the time flies!

I’ve uploaded my Martha’s Vineyard photos on Flickr. Here is one of those photos, a picture of the clay cliffs at Gay Head, located at the westernmost end of the island. They are a sight to behold.

Happy Labor Day everyone! I really missed you guys, and this blog, while I was away. I hope you all stick around for fresh new blogging, new art, thoughts, and ideas here on Museworthy. Oh, and nudity. Don’t forget the nudity ;-)

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Three Ukuleles

Okay. Yeah. I’m totally ready for the family vacation on Martha’s Vineyard. Enough is enough. This summer is starting to have a tiresome, lackluster, malaise-like feeling and I’m not digging it at all. Lots of art modeling work – for which I should be grateful given that it’s the summer – is becoming tedious. The money is great, but my back hurts, it’s too humid, and my brain feels like a purée. I’m at the point where I really, really just want to lay out on the beach in my bikini, listen to the swooshing surf of the Atlantic, stare at seagulls, bounce a volleyball around with my niece, scavenge for seashells, and take a bike ride into Edgartown.

But our trip isn’t for another three weeks! Dammit. I’m sure I’ll survive until then. So, how about three images of famous people playing ukuleles for Music Monday? Why, you ask? Well, why the hell not? :lol:

Here’s Great Garbo, looking NOT into it at all, as if she’s thinking “Vy do zey make me do zese silly tings?”

George Harrison, looking very much the cool, serious musician that he was:

And pinup queen Bettie Page, sexing up the ukulele with a corset and garter belt. Eh, what’s the big deal? I’ve done that ;-)  <—— not really.

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Photos at 44

So it seems that I started a minor shitstorm with my last post. Oops. Well, whatever. I’m not going to think about it today. It’s my birthday. And what a gorgeous day it is! I plan not to breathe any indoor air until the sun goes down. I modeled yesterday, then afterwards my family took me out to dinner to my favorite vegan restaurant because they’re awesome like that.

When I came home from our lovely evening I found myself in a strange mood. Maybe it was the wine ;-) Anyway, people often tell me that I don’t post enough pictures of myself on this blog. So last night, in a somewhat bored, tired, and tipsy state, I took a few in front of my laptop. I’m so lazy I made no effort whatsoever to create a real photograph of artistic value, or even ensure that I was fully in frame! All I did was lay down and click the button. Then I messed around with the pictures in iPhoto to give them an abstract look – and by “abstract” I mean gauzy, blurry, and distorted enough to camouflage my disheveled, bedraggled self. All kidding aside, these pictures are a fairly accurate self-portrait, believe it or not, in terms of my current state of mind and self-perception. Take from that what you will.

A rosy/orange tint to conclude my birthday series.

I know there are many comments on the Disclosure post, and I will respond to every one of them I promise. A discussion has developed and, as the blogger, I must participate. Also, thanks to everyone who sent me an email. I will reply to those as well. But I’ll do it tonight, hopefully, if that’s alright with everyone. Right now I’m just going to enjoy the day. Hope you enjoy your Sunday too! Catch you all later.

Love, Claudia :-)

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The Photographic Nude

I had the great pleasure of hanging out with a fellow blogger yesterday. Dave Levingston, photographer of Exposed for the Shadows, was in town visiting. He and I were lucky to find a few mutually convenient hours to meet at the Met on a positively gorgeous New York afternoon. Dave was most interested to see the “Naked before the Camera” exhibition and I was delighted to see it with him. The show explores the history of photographic nudes, from the earliest examples of the 1800s to the present.

I’ve learned that it’s advantageous to see a photography exhibit with a photographer. They share with you their passion and enthusiasm, and provide opinions and insights that not even the informative wall texts can offer. Dave was no exception. The man knows his stuff.

Because all the photographs belonged to the Met’s own collection we were allowed to take pictures, which I did. But as I prepared this blog post I found that the images on the exhibition page were really amazing. So the choice was between my crappy pics with glares and glass reflections all over the place, or the superb resolutions on the museum site. Kind of a no brainer. I’ve chosen just a few which I admired for various reasons, but do visit the selected works as there is much more to see.

[Seated Female Nude]  Eugene Durieu

Albumen silver print from glass negative, 1853-54

[Two Standing Female Nudes]  Felix-Jacques-Antoine Moulin

Daguerreotype, ca. 1850

[Thomas Eakins and John Laurie Wallace on a Beach]  Thomas Eakins

Platinum print, ca. 1883

Nude No. 57,  Irving Penn

Gelatin silver print, 1949-50

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Jessie and the Moon

Ehhh . . . grrr . . . moods. Perturbation. Agitation. Disquietude. Anxiety. Unease. Confusion. Bewilderment. Angst. Yes, it’s been a bothersome 36 hours. Mind cluttered, thoughts preoccupied, a little tense, a little sad, worries that are both real and (possibly) imagined. In other words, I don’t know what the fuck is going on. That pretty much sums it up in a nutshell.

But we pass through these things. Always. It’s important to know that. And the passing process can be facilitated by some strategically made choices. In my case, those choices usually involve receding in some way. I am a Cancer, which means we are crabs who will retreat into our shells if circumstances require it. We hide, and we like it dammit!

So on Tuesday I had only a morning job at FIT and promptly left Manhattan right afterwards. No shopping, no lunch, no walking around, no museum visits. I just hightailed it back to Queens, fleeing the noise, the chaos, the throngs of people, and the infernal police/fire sirens of midtown. Sure I still moped when I got home but at least I was moping in peace, and in private.

In the early evening I stepped outside to get some air, looked up and noticed the moon – a white half pearl nestled in the blue sky, underlined with a wisp of clouds. Pretty! So I went back inside, got my camera and took a picture with my Canon Powershot:

A short while later I checked on the moon again as the night started to fall. This time I had my good camera. The serious camera. My big Nikon. As I stood on the steps outside my kitchen door and prepped my settings for the picture, I suddenly felt warm, affectionate rubbing on my legs. It was my girl, the goddess, Jessie the cat, trying to divert my attention. And it worked. I knelt down and snapped her picture:

Yes, I’m wearing grey sweatpants, the official uniform of a depressed, leave-me-alone mood. Not very attractive or stylish. But at least we have beautiful Jessie. Here she’s thinking, “Can we go inside? I’m hungry. Open the door.”:

So because I have a Dr. Dolittle complex I spoke to Jessie and told her, “Just a minute, baby. Let me photograph the moon then we’ll give you food.” The clouds had long drifted away, the blue had gotten deeper, the moon was a lonely dot:

Jessie wouldn’t leave me alone for a minute. She kept purring and pacing, slinking, and rubbing all over me. This picture, well, just had to be posted :-)

“Come on, man, I’m hungry! Where’s the food?”.

I’m sure many of you know what it’s like to deal with a hungry cat. They are tenacious. But I just needed one last shot of the moon. Why? I mentioned earlier about my zodiac sign of Cancer and how we are prone to moodiness. Well, most astrological signs have a planet as a ruling force. Cancers don’t. We are ruled by the moon. The moody moon. We are moonchildren. No wonder I was so drawn to it at that moment.

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No Ordinary Day

Is there such a thing as an “ordinary day”? People use that expression all the time, myself included. But as I grow fonder and fonder of the life I’ve made for myself, of the city that’s been my home for all my 43 years, and of the friends, colleagues, and acquaintances I’ve made along the way, I realize that “ordinary” is a term rarely applicable. Rather, it minimizes and cheapens, and deprives the much-maligned “daily life” of its subtle, unique soul.

Tuesday morning I modeled for a small life drawing class at the New York Film Academy. Never thought my art modeling career would bring me there but, alas, it did. And it was fun. Nothing ordinary about doing nude poses in the “Billy Wilder” room, which, by the way, is next door to the “Jonathan Demme” room. Sure, I did come within an inch of getting accidentally clocked in the head with a tripod on a mad dash for the ladies’ room. But hey, it’s always something, right? An easel in art school, a tripod in film school. In any case, concussion averted.

When that job ended at 12:00, I walked out of the film academy building, crossed the street, inhaled a deep breath of fresh air, and enjoyed a leisurely stroll through Union Square Park. It was a bright, sunny, buzzing New York afternoon. At the northwest corner of the park, I noticed the sitting area resplendent with bright green garden chairs and blue umbrellas. I found the crisp, clean colors and their chromatic effect quite pleasing. So I took a few pictures. This one is not an ordinary scene if you consider the colors, the perspective, the curving flowerbed border edging in the bottom right and the tilted birdhouse in the tree in the upper left:

So I made my way to my 2:00 job, but stopped first for a quick lunch at Loving Hut on Seventh Avenue. There, I had the best veggie burger ever, anywhere, in the annals of veggie burgerdom! It was perfect and delicious. So NOT ordinary. Yum :-)

Less than hour later, I was posing for the students in Vincent Arcilesi‘s class on the 6th floor at FIT. During the fast pose warm ups, Vincent sat down to sketch the model along with the rest of the class, which he often does. I took an active standing pose and Vincent did what all good artists should do in that instance – captured the gesture. I was standing still of course, but the forward stepping movement and arm/leg extension is strong in Vincent’s quick sketch. Loose, spontaneous, a one-of-a-kind Arcilesi. Not ordinary at all.

Things are only ordinary if we, through own our jaded disinterest, choose to dismiss them as such. But for some of us, a life as a professional artist’s model, working in a big, lively city, where shapes, colors, sounds, encounters and experiences can be found literally everywhere around us, nothing should be regarded as “ordinary”. Every day is unique. Every day is a blessing to be valued and appreciated. Thank you for allowing me to share my “extraordinary” day with you :-)

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Watercolor in the Works

It’s just a late November tree on a street corner in Queens, NY, a few blocks from my house. Though it will be completely leafless imminently, it was still hanging on to its remaining leaves as of two days ago. I was on my way to work but had to stop and take of picture of it. My plan is to do a watercolor :-)

I think what inspires me here is that even though the leaves are sparse, they are still gorgeous and vibrantly colored. That’s one of the many intriguing occurrences of autumn – trees entering a stage of winter slumber, but going out with dazzling brilliance right up until the very last minute, until the final leaf has fallen to the ground. Autumn is sometimes misconstrued as a time of shriveling and withering, but it’s not. The transition from autumn to winter is vigorous, active, and dynamic. Nothing moribund about it at all.

So here’s the deal; I have Alizarin Crimson, Permanent Rose, Cadmium Yellow, Sap Green, Yellow Ochre, Burnt Sienna, and a few others. What I’m not sure about is how to approach this. Should I sketch it first then do colored details, block it in, diagram it, or just wing it from the get-go and let loose and see what happens? I welcome all suggestions!

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America in Five Minutes

Hellooo my dahlings! How is everyone? I haven’t posted since last Thursday, sorry about that. I have come to the end of my final blast of work before the Thanksgiving break. In fact, the job I had booked for tomorrow has been cancelled, which means my holiday break kicks off a day early. Yay!! So now I have five whole days, instead of four, to get my weary art model’s spine back into alignment. For that I use a very sophisticated technique. It’s called “laying on the couch in a near comatose state while wearing sweatpants”. Works like a charm :-)

I will post again on Thanksgiving morning. Until then here’s a video I think is pretty cool. I’m a sucker for time lapse film projects. This one is from freelance photographer Brian DeFrees. He took a two month, 12,000 mile road trip across America, starting in his hometown of Syracuse, NY, with his Canon digital camera mounted on his dashboard and programmed to take a picture every five seconds. I first came across this video via Laughing Squid.

So here, condensed into five minutes, is Brian’s journey through our vast, incredible country, in which we travel through small towns and big cities, flat open plains and rugged mountains, golden canyons and deserts, through tunnels and across bridges, under blue skies and rolling clouds. Look for the rainbow and, my favorite, the hot springs of Yellowstone. Wyoming looks amazing. I’ve always wanted to go there.

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Sunday in the Park with John

Hellooo everyone!! Greetings and salutations! Before I get to Music Monday, I want to thank those of you who have already submitted your works to the Museworthy Art Show. They’re great! And it’s really exciting to see them in my email inbox :-) To everyone else, you still have plenty of time to submit. The deadline in November 1st, so no worries.

This weekend here in NYC was – and still is! – the most magnificent October weekend on record. The weather has been positively sublime, with clear blue skies and unseasonably warm temperatures. Gorgeous, wonderful. I was on the Upper West Side all day yesterday doing various things, but my main destination was to Strawberry Fields in Central Park where the annual commemoration  for John Lennon’s birthday (October 9th) was taking place. I’ve been attending this gathering for years and years. Musicians set up around the Imagine circle, play Beatles’ songs and lead the crowd in a sing-a-long. I managed to maneuver my way to an empty spot on a bench where I could stand up and take some pictures.

One of my favorite John Lennon post-Beatles songs, and one of the best for the Strawberry Fields sing-a-long, this is the excellent “Watching the Wheels”, digitally remastered. Great lyrics, great vocals by John. Enjoy :-)


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Happy 4th Birthday Museworthy!!

Here we are again, dearest friends. Commemorating  another Museworthy blog birthday :-) We have completed four marvelous years. Who would have thought that the life of an artist’s model could inspire enough material for steady blogging? I sure didn’t! Yet, here we are. Here I am, after all this time. It’s a minor wonder, but a wonder nonetheless.

In keeping with an awesome Museworthy tradition, we have a photo of yours truly taken by my friend Fred Hatt. Together we chose an image that reflects where I am right now personally – content, relaxed, fulfilled, breathing in life. Merci beaucoup Fred.

But will this next year – the fifth – be the last year for Museworthy? I can’t honestly say right now. What I do know is that full time art modeling is beginning to take its toll on me. I’ve been feeling it but trying to keep it to myself, until now. I want to be clear though; It’s NOT my spirit. It’s my body.

So a crossroads might be hovering on my horizon. I can either aggressively fend off the deterioration and fight for my right to remain on the art modeling platform with every fiber of my being, or maybe – possibly – think about my future and consider the necessity, the inevitability, of a new life. A different life for my “second half”.

Ah, we’ll see. Right now I can’t contemplate giving up something I absolutely love. Nope. Not today. Instead, let’s just enjoy the Museworthy milestone together as friends. I am still here. Thanks so very, very much, to each and every one of  you :-)

I’ve always liked this track from Bob Dylan. Listen with me to “New Morning”:

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The Cloisters in Bloom

I just spent a lovely afternoon at The Cloisters with my good friend Fred Hatt. It was a great day of looking at art, taking pictures and enjoying the woodland sanctuary found in the northernmost section of Manhattan island.

For those of you who are gardeners, like me, you know how even the most well-tended plants become ratty and worn looking toward the end of the summer and lose some of their earlier vitality and vigor. Well the gardening team at the Cloisters must know all the horticultural secrets because their perennials, herbs, and flowering shrubs are still looking pretty damn good in mid-August.

If it’s any shade of purple, I will photograph it. My favorite color! Deep purple, light purple, lavender or violet, bring it on :-)

I love these maidenhair ferns. They look wonderful in pots throughout the garden cafe:

This was my favorite plant of the day. It’s called Fuller’s Teasel. I actually like the thorny stems and prickly “flowers”. This plant is an unapologetic individualist. It knows who it is and proclaims it with confidence. Rock on Teasel!

By the way, I did take pictures of the medieval artwork at The Cloisters – yes, they have ART there too! – but those will come in future posts. Until then, this squirrel critter says, “Thank you for visiting Museworthy. Now give me a nut!”.

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Somewhere in the Atlantic

Museworthy friends!!!! Hello my darlings! I have returned! And I miss Nantucket already :cry: Our family vacation was absolutely, positively wonderful. One of the best ever, and much needed by all of us.

I took pictures, pictures, and more pictures. So for those of you who enjoy looking at vacation photos, mine are posted on my Flickr. I still have a few more to upload but there’s plenty to see. An abundance of cool beach scenes.

This post title, by the way, is taken from a t-shirt I bought just before we boarded the ferry to come home. So many Nantucket tees to choose from, but I really liked the one that read “Somewhere in the Atlantic . . . Nantucket”, with a little map of the island. That’s exactly how it feels to be there. The islanders and the visitors wouldn’t want it any other way. There are whales, sharks, seals, lobsters, cormorants, and the big blue undulating Atlantic, and then – almost incidentally – an island in their midst called Nantucket :-)

Here is a small slideshow that chronicles our first day. It’s called “Jeep Ride to Sconset Beach”. I’m not in any of these photos because I was behind the camera, so the main players are my brother Chris (handsome guy in the white shirt), my sister-in-law Gayle (great gal in purple shirt), my Mom (terrific woman in blue bathing suit, also known as “Grammy”), and the star of the show, my niece Olivia (adorable, cavorting 8 year-old who LOVES the camera). I would not fullscreen this, as the slide transitions become rough. So watch it here in the blog post. Images are cleaner. Or watch it on Flickr

I made two other slideshows: Biking and Beachcombing at the Jetties and Fun at the White Elephant

One of my favorite things to photograph is colorful beach umbrellas against the sky. Here’s one from beautiful Nantucket, “Umbrellas and Seagull”: