La Cité des enfants perdus

Obscura and ice cream

Today I was in New York City and I found two new favorite businesses, both located in the East Village.

First, I found a store that I would be proud to own myself - "Obscura - Antiques & Oddities." Every object I laid eyes on made me want to dash home and start a new artwork! Bones, mummified items, old medicine bottles, taxidermy, and other such strange antiques were on the shelves. It is a small shop, but if you enjoy collecting unusual items such as these or are just a bit curious you should definitely stop by. Obscura is located at 280 East 10th Street (between 1st Avenue & Avenue A), New York, NY.

Next was "Stogo", a gormet organic dairy-free (kosher, gluten free, vegan...) ice cream place which, despite its alternative recipe, served the most delicious ice cream I've ever eaten. The staff is very personable, the location is great, and who can go wrong with dairyfreekosherglutenfreeveganicecream? Their address is: 159 2nd Avenue, New York, NY - the entrance is located on East 10th.

exhibit on the 29th!

Hi all,

As a studio art major at my college I have the privilege of exhibiting my work at the end of my senior year. I can't believe that this time is already here - the years passed very quickly.

My work, as well as the work of two other senior studio art majors, will be exhibited at the Trout Gallery from April 29th to May 22nd. I am working with a variety of mediums, but in general my body of work consists of charcoal drawings, small-scale sculptures, and a sculptural installation. I am most excited about the installation piece, having fallen in love with this kind of art recently, but I won't be reassured until everything is successfully installed.

Wish me luck!

Beautiful Films Part 1

A relatively old film, but that doesn't stop the cinematography from being striking. The entire film isn't screaming "I am a work of art" at every moment like many other films do, but the breathtaking moments scattered throughout combine to present an elegant sight. Just ignore the outdated soundtrack and you have a beautiful movie with a romantic plot.



It looks like Tim Burton has done it again - and he's working (!) with Disney again. The cinematography is absolutely delicious - the colors, shapes and compositions are breathtaking. The acting is exceptional too, despite the unfortunate screenplay. The storyline is a bit too simple, but the characters and the setting are extraordinary.



Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was the most beautiful of the Harry Potter films yet. The cinematography was beautiful but subtley so - not too bombastic. The special effects in this film were toned down so that the viewer could enjoy the story and not merely the fireworks. I highly reccomend it - both the storyline and the cinematography hit just the right note. It is like poetry.



Tragically breathtaking, Pan's Labyrinth is epic. If you've seen it I don't need to tell you this, and if you haven't... what are you waiting for? It's not a lighthearted fairytale by any means, so if you're not prepared for a heartbreaker I don't suggest watching it this evening, but it's powerful and beautiful in the way that Schindler's List is - you admire it for its artistry but aren't sure whether you enjoyed it or whether you were tossed through a horrible tragedy along with the characters.