Hope you all like the new format. Any comments, suggestions, etc. feel free to contact me at bellafbablog[at]gmail.com.

Thanks!

So here are 5 great hats that I wanted to share with you, my loverly readers.

Flapper Crochet hat - $35 melissahappystuff for etsy

 

THE hat you will not see me without in the winter months, warm, supercute and well-made.  I always get tons of compliments whenever I wear mine, and I have 4 different colors!

 

Freeform hat by Elasia's gifts prices vary www.elasiasgifts.com

I bought one of these from my friend Elasia, and it is just one of the coolest, funkiest hat I’ve ever seen. She uses no patterns, all hats and scarves are completely free form. Stop by her website for more details.

 

Freeform crochet beret – $90 woolmountain for etsy

I have yet to purchase from Woolmountain, but I love the design and the colors that will never go out of style.

 

wooden barnacle freeform crochet hat – $110 girlwithahook for etsy

Beautiful and one-of-a kind!

PHOTO by Paco Peregrin

Lovely readers, sometimes I have little things that I would like to share with you, odds and ends, that just don’t make for an entire article. So, I created the companion bloglet (just made up bloglet) called Ampersand on Tumblr. Check it out at www.bellaartsblog.tumblr.com  See ya there!

 Yoko Ono lights the Imagine Peace Tower in Reykjavik, Iceland every October. The tower remains lit until December 8th.

Nuno Felted Coat Tsarina by sheverdushka $940 (etsy.com)

Handmade felted moss coat $523.33 by ingermaikke (etsy.com)

Napoleon's Hat by lenkov $85 (etsy.com)

Nuno felted eco dress by vilte $539 (etsy.com)

White and golden felt fur free kimono $2499 by vilte (etsy.com)

Tori Amos

The fiery redhead is back with a hauntingly gorgeous new album titled “Night Of Hunters,” to be released September 20 on Decca Records. The album, classically and mythologically inspired, is not a departure for Amos, but more of a musical homecoming. Returning to her classical roots, as a child prodigy.

According to Amos, Night of Hunters explores “the hunter and the hunted and how both exist within us… [It's about] a woman who finds herself in the dying embers of a relationship.”

In addition to Night of Hunter’s Amos will premiering her first musical “The Light Princess” in 2012 in London, and will be a judge for the International Songwriting Competition this year.

She will  be touring Europe in support of the new album with British musician Mark Hole. The opener for the US dates is yet to be announced.

Watch a clip from the official video for ‘Carry’ below:

Tracklisting:

1 Shattering Sea
 2 SnowBlind
 3 Battle of Trees
 4 Fearlessness
 5 Cactus Practice
 6 Star Whisperer
 7 Job’s Coffin
 8 Nautical Twilight
 9 Your Ghost
10 Edge of the Moon
11 The Chase
12 Night of Hunters
13 Seven Sisters
 14 Carry

Artwork by Kimmy Bess

Self-portrait

Kimmy Bess is an incredibly gifted artist I met online a couple years ago. I would say her artwork is best described (to my ability) as psychedelic surrealism. She has made murals, jewelry, ink drawings, and paintings on canvas and guitar often inspired by the Beatles, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix.

I created a slideshow showcasing the step-by-step process of one of Kimmy’s works. She calls the process Evolution of a Painting. It’s beautiful, beyond words. Watch the video here, and then read below about Kimmy, her background and inspiration for the painting shown in the video.

Background: Did you study art in school, or are you completely  self-taught?

In her words: “I didn’t go to school for art. I started out as an art major, and took a bunch of art history classes first to get them out of the way. Then I switched to horticulture. Then I switched to history. So I ended up with majors in history and horticulture, with a minor in art history. Then I got my masters in history. Emphasis was recent American history, specifically the civil rights movement.

So, my background as far as art, I was just always interested in it. My favorite toys as a kid were always the art-related ones: crayons, markers, play-dough, blocks, etc. Took art in high school. Tried to run away from it in college because everybody kept telling me art couldn’t be a “real” job. After grad school, I ended up coming back to art because I realized I just have no choice in the matter. It’s the only thing I’ve ever been interested in doing with my life, and so now I’m playing the starving artist, trying to figure out a way to make money at it.

Bird

The painting: What inspired you to create this piece?

In her words:  “Not really sure what inspired it, these images usually just pop into my head in those lovely moments between wake and sleep. My state of mind probably manifested itself into this image. Birds are fascinating to me. Their bone structure, their size, the lovely colors, everything. I like how they don’t ever let you get too close to them. And, of course, I marvel at their ability to fly. It’s really incredible. But when I watch them, I always think, too, about Bob Dylan, who said something like, ‘No one is free. Even birds are chained to the sky.’

As wonderful as flight is, birds don’t have hands. They have to pick sh*t up with their mouths. That probably sucks. Anyway, I guess I just see them as incredibly beautiful, flawed creatures. A lot like humans. So I don’t know, maybe that’s where the parachutes come in. I’ve also been fascinated for quite a while now with the ways we try to protect our fragile bodies. Umbrellas, shoes, helmets, armor, etc. they’re all designed to give us some sense of security, but really, you’re just one malfunction away from being completely f*cked. The illusion of security, the illusion of control. So, I guess, birds with parachutes is just a commentary on the ridiculousness of that. We look at birds with parachutes and think it’s utterly ridiculous. But the things we believe will protect us are just as silly. 

A little poem popped into my head some time before this painting, and I think it’s related:

The one and only Bob Dylan

childish illusion
control eludes me
elastic albatross
sculpts a rude me
umbrella factory
covers it all
permeable armor
afraid to fall

So I guess that’s been sort of the theme of my work for quite a few years now. But I don’t mean to be all debbie-downer about it. There is a certain peace that comes with accepting the fact that the universe, not you, is in control. So I wanted this painting to have a very tranquil feeling. I hope I accomplished that.”

And she certainly did.

Feel free to comment about the Evolution of a Painting video here on the blog. To me it is fascinating to see, how a simple line drawing becomes a detailed, lifelike piece.

All artwork featured in this article is by Kimmy Bess. If you would like to send Kimmy a message regarding her work, contact bellafbablog[at]gmail.com, and I will pass the message along.

Everyone who personally knows me is aware of my love for the Foo, which is a spin-off of my past and present love for Nirvana. I recently purchased a copy of ‘Wasting Light’  that included a clipping of the original analog tape used to record the album in lead singer/guitarist Dave Grohl’s garage. I have heard some people threw it out, not knowing what it was. Nerd that I am, I kept it. 

Recently, the Foo had a This Video Sucks contest online where fans could submit their video reels for a chance to direct a Foo Fighters music video in NYC.  There were 11 winning videos that have been posted on the Foo’s official Youtube page.

I wanted to share my favorite  fan video here on Bella with all of you. Which one do you like best? Feel free to discuss in the comment section of this blog.

White Limo- This Video Sucks Contest: Director Randy Scott Slavin