Friends in The Arts Auction

Two of Moonlight and Mangos' paintings, Evolution and Paradise, are being auctioned on Highlighting Success Inc. The auction will end on Jan 2. 2014. Hurry!!! :P

Happy Birthday to Moonlight and Mangos

Wish Moonlight and Mangos a happy birthday by visiting her shop on Etsy and purchasing one of her artwork!
http://fanfantwins.blogspot.com/2013/10/moonlight-and-mangos-find-something-you.html

Busy... Busy...

Snapshot by Sabine Cherenfant

Dear readers,

Those past few weeks may have kept us away from the blog, but NattyTan and I had the chance to attend Luca Guardabascio's documentary screening in New York on November 21st. We had the chance to view this captivating documentary, and we definitely recommend others to find a way to view it as well. Although it is primarily a religious documentary (precisely catholic), others will still find it exquisite to say the least because of it's modern message and the provocative story of Angela Volpini.
The screening was followed by a heated discussion because the subjects covered in the documentary are indeed prone to generating debates.

Stay tuned for more info on how to view the documentary.

Luca Guardabascio: Dove Posarono i Suoi Piedi Trailer

Here's the link to the trailer of Luca Guardabascio's new documentary: 

http://www.youtube.com/v/HNJc6jkgu0w?autohide=1&version=3&autohide=1&feature=share&attribution_tag=anwL5RxUJOR032NN2j37-g&showinfo=1&autoplay=1

Luca Guardabascio

Luca Guardabascio began his tour in Detroit, where he had a very successful stay. On Oct. 27 he held a lecture on his new book, Padula-New York-Pittsburgh:Emigrazione Sangue Speranza - La storia di Joe Petrosino e del suo migliore amico Giovanni Esposito at the Laurel Manor Banquet and Conference Center in Michigan. The following day, Guardabascio held a screening of his documentary on Angela Volpini at Wayne State University. Click here for more information on those events. Both events were sponsored by the Italian Consulate in Detroit and the Italian Program in the Department of Classical and Modern Languages, Literatures, and Cultures at Wayne State University and hosted by the Dante Alighieri Society.
He fell in love with the city because of its sublime nature despite it being in decadence and the wonderful people he met there. He plans to put Detroit in the title on his book on Joe Petrosino and began shooting scenes in this city on Oct. 29.
"The city of detroit needs help to show her power to the world so I wish to help," said Guardabascio.
He will be in Pittsburgh from Nov. 1 to Nov. 14 for lectures and screenings at Robert Morris University and Chatham University. He will have a lecture on Italian Neorealism at Oberlin College on Nov. 19. The 21st, Guardabascio will present his documentary at the Italian American Museum in New York.
Dates for presentations in Philadelphia and Cleveland will soon be announced.

Moonlight and Mangos: The Artist

Photo by Sabine Cherenfant

"I finally know what I want to do when I grow up," the artist behind Moonlight and Mangos writes on her personal blog. "I want to color… Paint. Create… I am an artist…"

Her hair probably tied back or falling on the side, her sweats covered with a rainbow of paint colors, she leaves her garage door open to listen to the sound of the wind blowing through the entrance, the cars passing by and the birds singing their morning lullabies. She paints with no before-thought. She lets the brush take its own course because painting comes from within.

That's exactly what she tells her students from her art class at the 5 Star Sports and Entertainment Academy in New York. She refuses to dictate their drawings. Instead, she encourages them to let their feelings guide them.

The Artist, who prefers to remain nameless and refuses to be categorized, obtained her bachelor's degree in psychology and hopes to pursue a master's degree in art therapy.

"Painting is my therapy," she stated, and it was a part of her she kept private for a long time until a recent life transformation.

"Last year I fell in the street leaving SOBs," she recounted. "I broke my knee open. It was too wide to stitch and too deep to heal."

For six painful week, she was unable to work and stayed home while most of her loved ones turn their back on her.

"People don't understand how you could be so injured from a fall," she said. "They thought I was being a baby."

Confined to her home, painting was the only thing she could do. She never stopped painting from then on. She realized in life you can't rely on anyone. You have to take control of your life.

She hoarded all of her emotions in her paintings.

"I asked God 'why are you punishing me,'" she said. "[Then] I realized that it was not punishment rather something to make me stronger. I had to get up, get better and move on."

Looking back at the work she produced during that time, she remarks how different they are from her more recent work.

In her dearest painting, Mother Nature, a tear trickles on the right cheek of a mournful face.

"[Looking at it] I always go back the emotions I felt when I painted it," she confessed. This painting to her is an emotional photograph of her mindset during a painful time period.

As her emotion changed, her paintings became more vibrant, and as she became more confident in her work, she began to make it less private.

"There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you," she said quoting Maya Angelou. Aside from the paintings depicting the pain, she also wrote a poem, posted on her blog to remind her how far she has come.

Six months ago, she quit her job of 16 years as a lab technician to find more time doing what truly fulfills her as a person. Furthermore, this has allowed her to spend more time with her kids.

"you will never find happiness living someone else's life," she declared. "If something makes you miserable, get rid of it."

Optimism and the quest for happiness are her intents in life. This optimistic goal is unintentionally shown in her paintings almost never drawn with sharp edges and colored frequently with glitter. It is her way of making her paintings less threatening and bringing a little bit of optimism to the complex, dark emotions.

There seems to also be a correlation among the circular lines in her work, the name of her company and her personality.

"I can see the moon from my bedroom," said The Artist, who is a nocturnal woman.

In addition to paintings, she also has a collection of bottles, titled bottled emotions. She is also an interior, landscape and graphic designer, making promotion and invitation flyers. As a writer, she published two informational pieces on relationship on a blog and occasionally posts poems in her personal blog.

She is an innovative thinker and forward-minded artist, who stopped watching TV because of the vicious coverage of Haiti after the earthquake. Her free time is dedicated to her kids and her artistry.

"Sometimes, desperation is the best inspiration," she said regarding her ability to create art from nothing. Art crafts are expensive. Thus, she creates 3D art or mixed-media art from tiles, wood, glass, nail polish, hand sanitizer, stones, ink or anything else she could find around her.

Some of her paintings and bottles are sold on Etsy [click here to be directed to her shop]. On december 7th, she will have an art opening in NYC. Location and time are to be announced.

Her blog is filled with quotes from respected figures, such as Alice Walker, Pablo Neruda and Bob Ross. In fact, Bob Ross's quote, "whatever makes you happy, you put in your life," is her life mantra.
Sh strives to expand her knowledge of the world.

"What is the opposite of 'ignorance is bliss?'" She asked to explained the importance and effect of knowledge in our life.

Everything she does is to inspire emotional freedom, empowerment and strength.

"[In Haitian paintings], even if a woman is sad, her chin is always up," she pointed out. In her own painting, she emphasizes the strength of women. Eyes, which are the windows to the soul, are also an important aspect in her paintings.

She wants to transform her brand into a household name, while bringing other innovative Haitians together.

"Something I noticed is that Haitians are proud," she said. "[Moreover] our generation is our future."

Tanguy Exume: "My work is a reflection of who I am and who I want to be"

Photo provided by Tanguy Exume

"I like to see writing as a mirror... and as a writer I believe I am a mirror," revealed Tanguy Exume, a young and passionate Haitian writer with a fierce voice diffused through postcasts accompanied with soft melodies on his blog. "I absorb conversations, sounds and feelings. That's what I try to depict in my writings."
He becomes highly critical of his surroundings, fetching for bits and pieces that he stores for future creative work.
This love for writing mellowed while he lived in Montreal. Far from the homeland, conversations about Haiti erupted among Exume, his friends and his elders.
"...But when you're a kid, you are not heard," he explained, so he began to put his thoughts into papers transforming writing into his voice and bearing his multi-performed piece, Haiti Parle (Haiti Speaks). Yet this very love for writing started much earlier than that with teenage love letters to girls.
"You listen to songs," he divulged with a chuckle. "We didn't have internet back then, so you write lyrics and you start familiarizing yourself with how beautiful those lyrics are. But, more precisely, my love for writing comes from my father."
He described his father as a heavy reader and quoted, "I've never known my father without a book. He used to joke: 'When he's dead, the only thing that he would leave us is a bookshelf.'"
Through books, Exume noticed the important of literature in conveying messages. His goal is to send messages marked mostly by the political landscape and the strong sense of community and family in Haiti.
In the midst of the interview Exume remembered his earliest, most vivid memory as a 4-year old child on a troubled January 1986. His father and mother, then pregnant with Exume's younger brother, led him to a demonstration against Duvalier.
"I remember the day Jean-Claude Duvalier left," he related. "We were living on Rue Capois then, not too far from Palais National. We went out in the streets and chanted."
A song came to mind, and Exume began to sing: "Se nan riyel vayan ohhh! Yo tiye neg vanyan ohhh!"
This song, depicting the massacre of November 29, 1987, resounded in his mind as if it were yesterday.
In his household, the political and social situations in Haiti were the main topics. Under a sweltering sun, his brother and he, grey or brown from the soil, played soccer in the large backyard while the parents and friends from the balcony, discussed the political situation of Haiti.  Furthermore, outside was where most of his cherished and vibrant memories took place.
This desire to be outdoor stayed with him. Unable to write at home, he finds inspiration when he is outdoor.
Outside, little ideas pique his interest and develop into bigger ideas. Writing for Exume is a slow and meticulous task that takes time.

Photo provided by Tanguy Exume

His poem, Petit Pays, posted on his blog on July 29, 2013, engendered from a regular day of him listening to Cezaria Evora's song, Petit Pays. In this poem, he opines on the inequality between Creole and French and the complicated political situation in the country.
"Petit pays, petit pays, je t’aime beaucoup," he concludes in the poem because as he stated, "despite all this, you can't deny the love you have for this country."

Amid his purpose to describe the crude reality of Haiti, he recounts in Nan Fon Ke'm the pride of Haiti, the pride of being among the descendants of "those who helped Bolivia, nurtured minds like Guevara and Lumumba" ["Men tankou sa-a yo ki te ede Boliva,/ Ki te bwode lide Guevara ak Lumumba]. 

Yet, Exume, who is a multilayered writer, embraces diverse topics aside from Haiti. Questions, such as are we practicing what we preach?, are we happy? and can we believe we will not exist one day? are addressed in his works. 

In two of his poems, Perdu and Nan Yon Kafou, he invites his readers to travel inward and discover the different avenues of their mind. He uses the dilemmas that he faces and present them in his work.
His poem, C’était comme ça dans le temps, was triggered by a twofold question asked by one of his student: What is the difference between abortion and suicide? Isn't it the same thing? [the student gave him permission to write a poem based on the question]

Exume currently has two projects ready for publication. The first is a collection of 31 poems, titled Sur Mon 31, he wrote in 31 days for his 31st birthday. He will also produce a CD version with 12 or 13 of the poems. He intends to have a rap collaboration with Justin Mizzy Mejia on one of the poems. Exume previously recited a poem as the intro track of Mizzy's album, ComMiZZerate Your Soul (CYS).
The second project is a novel about a mathematician who, unable to find a pertinent job, worked at a call center and discovered another side of society. The title of the novel is, Le Centre, and the novel was revised by Gilbert Mirambeau Jr.
Soon, he will posting some of his performances on Youtube not for visual purposes but rather to give his audience a chance to see how he is on stage.
Exume is also venturing into Spanish while finding inspiration from the Chilean poet,  Pablo Neruda because of his ability to condense emotions and send it out to the world in the form of concise, powerful poems. However, his favorite poet remains Michel Welbeck. 

A note from the writers

Dear readers,

It is that time in your life when you feel like every single part of your body, spirit, energy and so forth is yearning to set foot in that next step staring at you. Positive events start to align in front of you, and you realize there is nothing standing between you and your dream to just make it happen.
With that being said, positive changes will come to this blog. Hell! It might soon become more than just a blog. As we are both ready to revamp "the blog" (as we affectionally call it), we will disregard all the difficulties that may come our way. The changes might be short or long. Who knows? We just know there will be changes.
We also want to take this time to thank all of you, readers (lurkers and participants alike) for your loyal support. Here comes the cheesy part: Without you, none of these would have been possible. Those small gestures, whether it was a like, comment, share, retweet, follow or +1, had given us strength in more ways than you can imagine.
We are very grateful to every single one of our artists who sacrificed a bit of their busy time to help us explore their creative mind. Writing about them has inspired us to strive for our own dreams because of their devotion to their work and their journey to success.
Lastly, we want to send thousands of thank-you(s) sealed with kisses to our manager @NattyTan (twitter) who convinced us to start this blog and became our biggest support from then on.
To you all, we say a heartfelt thank you!

With warm wishes,

Bee and Ba

Upcoming singer/songwriter Sahri Theodore talks about her first EP

Photo provided by Sahri

With her first EP out TODAY, Sahri Theodore's (artistically known as Sahri) love for singing started a long time ago when she was just a little girl. She made friends and family members her audience and her home her stage. In 2009, she recorded her first songs and started working on her first EP two year later.
"The dates have been pushed back a lot of time,"explains Sahri. "I wanted to make sure everything was perfect."
After going through several titles for the EP, Sahri decided to name it "Notes".
"Every song tells a true story, whether mine or someone else's," Sahri explains regarding the reason for choosing this title. She often writes notes on her phone after listening to friends' stories or overhearing others' stories.
"It starts as a subject and becomes a whole song," she explains.
In addition, "Notes" stand for musical notes.
It will contain songs ranging from Pop to R&B with a little bit of soul.
"I want it to have... [at most] 10 songs," explains Sahri. Among the songs that will be part of the EP are "All of You," "In Lve," "She Isn't Me" and "Would You."
Sahri does not put herself in any category as an artist.
"I sing a little bit of Pop... some R&B," she says. "It depends on how I feel about the song."
Growing up, Sahri listened to French and Spanish singers, her mother's favorites. She was only exposed to Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston as American singers because they were the only ones her mother listened to.
"It's really Whitney Houston who started it for me," she states.
As a kid, she often interpreted Houston's songs. With a much spikier voice then, it was easy for her to sing her songs.
Nowadays, Sahri's vocal range is high.
"I can hold a note for a long time," she explains. She displays this ability in "All of You."
Sahri's goal is to become a better singer than her idol Beyonce.
"Your goal should always be [to be]better than the person you look up to," she explains. "Therefore, I want to be better than [she is]."
"I want to have enough impact that I'll be remembered long after I'm gone."

The Fabulous Gunslingers Band Performs Today

Photo provided by Heather Pinson

Go see Heather Pinson perform with The Fabulous Gunslingers at 9 p.m. TODAY!
SEPTEMBER 14TH - SUNNY JIM’S
255 CAMP HORNE RD.

PITTSBURGH, PA 15202
412-761-6700
9PM - 1AM

New post by Marlie Decopain

Make sure to visit Marlie Decopains's newblog post on what inspired her to create her latest piece, "In the wing."

Make sure to also browse the blog to discover her journey as an artist and her pillow cover collection, "Anew," which is available on etsy.

Luca Guardabascio on Facciomo Pace

Photo provided by Luca Guardabascio

Click here to get a chance to see Luca Guardabascio guest starring in the first episode of Facciomo Pace! His segment roughly begins at 35 minutes.

Luca Guardabascio Set to Screen Documentary in The United States

Photo provided by Luca Guardabascio

Luca Guardabascio will be a guest star on the first episode of Facciamo Pace on Rai 2 (Second channel in Italy), a reality show about high school time. It airs TODAY!!!
He is currently working on a book on fairy tales, titled Le Stagioni Delal Fantasia (The Season of Imagination), which should be coming out very soon. He partnered with the visual artist, Eleonora Corrado, for this book.
His other book, Padula-New York-Pittsburgh, regarding the 1873-1980 Italian emigration will be published this Fall. The book is sponsored by Padula Coimart S. P. A., a big production company located in Padula.
This October, Guardabascio will be touring the United States to screen his documentary, Dove Posarono I Suoi Piedi, relating the story of Angela Volpini and the Virgin Mary. He will give lectures at Robert Morris University, Chatham University and Lake Eire College. He will be touring in Philadelphia, New York, Washington and possibly Richmond.

Makeda: The painter and her vivid flowers

Makeda, the Queen of Sheba, also known as Nakuti, Nicaule or Balqis means beauty in Amharic (One of Ethiopia's official languages).
Beauty manifests through the paintings of Christina Clodomir, artistically known as Makeda. With acrylic as her main paint, Makeda prefers lively flowers as her subjects.
Flowers speak to her. She summarizes their monologues in the titles of the paintings, such as "Majestic Bird", "Congo Trio" and "Find Me Taste Me".
According to her, flowers are a representation of the world.
"Inside flowers, there is a similarity with everything that is, whether [they are] human beings or nature," she explains. "It is a divine prototype."
Makeda enjoys burying herself in her paintings.
"I take pleasure in focusing," she says. "In art, hours don't matter anymore."

 ***

Today, Saturday, August 31, Makeda is hosting an exhibition for her paintings at the Art Center Wynwood in Miami, Florida from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. A reception will be held at 7:00 p.m. until the end of the exhibit.

Gilbert Mirambeau Jr: Ray of Sun

Photo provided by Gilbert Mirambeau

Please click here to be directed to Gilbert Mirambeau Jr's newest blog entry, "Ray of Sun," depicting a dialogue between a child soldier and his memory.
"I was dreaming all night and couldn't sleep," recollected Gilbert. "I was thinking about these kids, soldier children..."
As he wondered about those kids, he thought of them strolling and wanting to forget about "these monstrosities."
In an effort to understand how those children would surmount the challenge of forgetting their past, Gilbert created this piece.
"I'm always trying to find these impossible dialogues between a writer and his character,"  he explained. "Here I went beyond, where the child is talking to his memory."

Jerry Laraque: Every Rap Song Is A Page of A Diary

Photo provided by Jerry Laraque

Tall, calm with a keen knowledge of Hip Hop, Jerry Laraque (Jey) is a rapper with a mission. Through his raps that he deems "more like a hobby," he relates his life and the social life in Haiti.
"I rap about everything that strikes me," said Jey. He embarked in this journey in 2002 when his friend, The Maestro, also known as T-Ansyto Mercier, established his record studio. Soon after, Jey had turned the studio into his second home. Everyday after school and work, he would come in to work on new records. By 2013, Laraque had recorded more than 20 songs.
He released about six songs, including the hit song Konpran mwen, found in the Envazyon mixtape by The Maestro and Aton.
He later joined Trafik, a rap band founded by The Maestro and comprised of Kadafi, Sila and Mad-C. With them, he released another successful song, titled Ke Solid.
Nonetheless, because of personal issues, he had to stop rapping for a while.
"[Going to the studio after work] was a sacrifice,"explained Jey.
Moreover, his band, Trafik, dissolved after the 2012 Haiti earthquake. Many of them left the country.
Eventually, Jey returned to the music scene. He is now working on a project, titled JeyDay, with Freday, another rapper. They are working on an album together and already have five songs ready.
"Before, I only recorded with T-Ansyto," said Jey. "[T-Ansyto] is now working on multiple projects; therefore I now work with multiple producers, which is good for my style. My style is more of a party thing."
He has also been featured in five commercials in Haiti.
"I've done commercials for Access Haiti, Toro (an energy drink) and King Cola," said Jey.
"I want to thank everyone who supported me, especially my mom and brothers," he added.
As an advice for all aspiring rappers, he concluded they "must strive and rap with love."

Jasmine Tate performs tomorrow

Jasmine Tate peforming at 720 Cafe

After a successful concert at the Second Annual Rock All Night Tour (R.A.N.T.) on the 10th, Jasmine Tate will be performing again tomorrow at 7 p.m. in Grove City as an opening act for David Wade. Click here for more information on this event.
At the R.A.N.T. event last Saturday, she performed along with six other artists at the 720 Music, Clothing and Cafe venue. Overall, 50 bands were in attendance and performed in neighboring venues. Tate gave away t-shirts and CDs to the audience to help them connect with her music.
On August 31, Tate will be performing at the Wick'D Conference in a Navajo Reservation in New Mexico.
She will be in Grove City on Sept. 13 and 21 for respectively her EP/CD release and a fashion show.
Stay tuned for more info!

Successful Kickstarter Campaign

Photo provided by Jasmine Tate

Jasmine Tate successfully raised $20, 341 for her Kickstarter project. The eve, she held a successful pledge party at My Friends Bar, abounded with people. She raised $2, 800.
"I want to say a big thank you first and foremost [for all of the support]," she said. "I want [my supporters] to know they will get to see the fruit of their seed."
Tate explained that her team and she are currently in the preproduction stage of the album and the concert.
"We're just planning on nailing down studio times."
Stay tuned for more update!

Jasmine Tate Concert and Pledge Party

Photo provided by Jasmine Tate

Jasmine Tate will be performing at My Friends Bar in Westerville, Ohio tomorrow, the eve of the closure of the Life and Love project on Kickstarter. If you are in the area, please come celebrate with her and bring donations to help her reach the $20, 000 goal by 11:59 p.m. on Saturday, July 20. You will get a chance to see her perform live songs from her EP and the Life and Love album. Click here to be directed to the official Facebook event page.

Article on Aton

Click here to read a new article on Aton's superhero. He gives more insight into what pushed him into creating a superhero who shares his name and has a striking resemblance to him.