house of jaz
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Artist @ He[art]:: Picture Perfect
August 9.10
How do you show two friends how much they mean to you? You paint portraits of them, that’s how. This weekend, I dedicated my art and focus to two of my close friends who are embarking on separate life journeys. I wish them the best, but will miss them with everything. This post is dedicated to one of the coolest brothas I know and to my pseudo sister with the heart of gold. Check out the gallery to see the process. Special shout out to Erika for helping me out with the details and finishing touches (her artwork will be posted soon)!
:: The Rebirth of Cool ::
:: Lion(ess) Heart ::
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Artist at He[art]:: Poet Through Experience:: [Music]lover Since Birth
July 23.10
Art inspired by music inspiring words. I love when this happens. The song featured can be found here.
::Dreamer::
His eyes sing lullabies to my heart
Sending me to sleep under trees birthed in due time
His smile echoes symphonies of sunshine
He is a beautiful song
I hummed him before we met
I sing along with my ears
He wipes away old tears
I listen to his touch
And dance in the memory
We store secrets in our lips
And tell them with a kiss
Never saying a word for they’ll be revealed
Lips sealed
Wounds healed
Time is bound whenever he’s around
Each minute is a gift
Wrapped in prayers
Tied with trying times
Says my ribbons add character
That scars are expected when being perfected (for him)
Kisses my forehead
Rubs the back of my neck
Tells me to keep dreaming
To keep humming
To keep loving
Until the sun sets.
Jazminia C. Griffith © 2010
All Rights Reserved.
OH SHOOT!:: Emperess Edition
July 16.10 — 1 Comment
I had the opportunity to try my hand with some photography for the homie Emperess. These are just a few outtakes from the shoot (did I mention these were taken at the REAL HOJ?). I would consider this sequence to be an abstract portrait of the dope femcee. All of these are the raw photos (not a smidge of Photoshop). What do you think? Is this something I should pursue?
ARTGASM:: Where The Wild Things Are…
June 28.10
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There’s something kind of cool about just walking down a street and running into this. I’m not sure who the artist is, but it definitely seems to have a bit of a Keith Haring influence. Compliments of Newark, NJ. I love running into art!
Double D’s [Daily Doodle]:: Hand Sketch
June 22.10 — 1 Comment
First sketch for the Daily Doodle (Double D’s).
Who’s next?
Hit me up at @Jazz0thcre8tiv @houseofjaz_dmv or email hojdmv@gmail.com
Please keep in mind, these are “quick” sketches. Nothing obscene, por favor. I’ll try my best to get it posted within the day. Let’s keep the cipher going!
A Doodle A Day Keeps the Cre8tiv Block Away…
June 17.10
Ok, so here’s the deal. I need you. Yes you…to help ME do this creative artsy thing more consistently. I need to go back to the basics, when all I had was my pencil and some paper (and maybe a few sharpies). For those who don’t know, I am a corporate creative consultant by day, and lately I’ve found myself to be a frustrated and tired free-spirited creative by night. Every time I go to paint something, I draw a blank. So I thought it would be cool to see what goes on in YOUR everyday. What objects surround you? What do YOU see?
Twit Pic Me and I’ll Sketch You Back…
I’d like to embark on some sketching exercises that involve my readers, my Twitter Followers and whomever is down for the cause. All I need is for you to Twit Pic me an object (a shoe, fire hydrant, ice cream cone, etc.) and I will draw it. The more momentum gained, the more I will experiment with more than just a pencil sketch. I may use sharpies, highlighters, ball-point pens (basically whatever’s at my desk). The goal is to have something by the end of the day. I’ll create a page or collage on the blog so we can see the progression.
If you’re on Twitter, you can follow me at @houseofjaz_dmv or @Jazz0thcre8tiv
If you’d prefer to email, please go to hojdmv@gmail.com.
GO!
05.05.10 DC Haps: Wednesday Night Verses feat. Jazz the Poet (That’s Me!)
May 2.10
Reminisce…
After graduating from JMU, I found myself living on the out-skirts of Richmond, VA missing the familiar ritual of attending/hosting an open mic night. That was until two dear friends of mine introduced me to the DOPENESS that is a little restaurant called Tropical Soul. Every Tuesday night, they’d host an event called Tuesday Night Verses. It immediately felt like home. Fresh art, a live band, food that had a West Indian/Southern Comfort feel, and a warm hostess who tied it all together. When I relocated to the DMV, I was excited for the new chapter in my life, but sad I would miss out on something that I loved so much.
Fast Forward
Like a long-lost love, I was reunited with the spirit of Verses. They started coming to D.C. for the Wednesday night spot. I’ve been given the opportunity to share my words in the form of the poetry feature this Wedesday, May 5th. If you’d like to hear some organic flowing, and little tinging (talk + singing) and some honesty, I invite you to come check me out! Did I mention this will be my FIRST gig?! Check the flyer for details.
*Besos*
Made You Look!: HOJ Housewarming Photoshoot
April 26.10 — 2 Comments
Last week, I had the honor of being the subject for my femcee/photographing homie Emperess. She took shots of me for something that I’ll be posting about in the near future, and I have to say she did her THING! With the help of my homegirl Vanessa (www.rockinthatbling.com) and her lovely jeweled wisdom, and Emperess’s eye for dope angles and use of props they turned this homebody into a picture-taking pro by the end of the night. Imagine that, all my DIY work turned my apartment into the perfect little studio. Below are some of our top picks (it was hard to choose). We had a little Photoshop fun with some of the shots. I present to you, Subjects: House of Jaz Pt. 1. (All use of images without permission of the owner is prohibited.)
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You know I couldn’t just have you looking at photos. Chill out to the sounds of the homie Porsche Smith.
Phenomenal women INDEED!
Designed by Jazzo! Grass Guru Re-branding
March 10.10
I recently (as in yesterday) finished re-branding a logo for a lawn service business. The client was so pleased with the finished product, I thought I’d share the “before” and after as well as my thought process for the actual development of the logo.
Many people are unaware of the amount of time, thought, and energy involved in creating the identity of a business. In essence, designing a brand is a great responsibility as a graphic designer. It requires one to pull from personal experience, knowledge of various subjects, understanding of the basic principles of art, as well as the ability to execute a message that accurately conveys the nature of the business in question. If you factor in the budget, deadline, as well as the client’s likes and dislikes, you quickly find yourself in a delicate balance between the infinite world of possibilities for the final outcome, and the reality that something must be complete.
With that being said, I invite you to take a peek into the design world of Jazzo!
Before
This is the logo that was in need of a redesign. The client is the owner of a business that provides various services revolving around lawn and highway maintenance. After a consultation (learning the history of the established design, business and goals, giving an analysis and a few recommendations), I started the design process.
Some things to consider when branding: It’s very important to have an identity that contains elements that are for the most part timeless (not relying on design trends for “ooh” factor), flexible (looks good whether placed on a magnet or a billboard), and are attractive as a whole (most people see your logo before they see your work). For self-run businesses, it’s also very important to have a look that is official.
“Jazz” it up
I decided that the best plan of action would be to completely revamp everything that was present in the old logo. From color scheme, to font, I wanted to approach the redesign from a simple and clean direction. After color swatches were picked, I did research and began rounds of thumbnail sketches, I decided to take it to the computer to play around with some potential options. Here’s my digital “drawing board”. I usually start out really scattered and jumbled and then streamline once some ideas start to form.
The main questions I asked myself were:
- Should it stay green (only)? If not, what other colors should I introduce?
- Although the name of the business is Grass Guru, do I want to introduce other elements into the overall look and feel (state tree, street symbols, etc.)?
- If I do represent grass, should it be figurative or literal?
- How complex should the mark be?
- How would this logo look when paired with the client’s clients (in this case certified by the Virginia Department of Transportation)?
- How will this look on the client’s equipment?
After my digital doodling, I felt that I found a few options worth presenting. (This is an abbreviated version of some of the comps I came up with.)
After
The client was pleased with the options. After selecting a look and finalizing the content, I prepared the rest of the files. This is the look that was selected.
Those are blades of grass, get it?
What do you think? Was it a success?
All Black[Face] Everything?
February 27.10
I was perusing my Twitter timeline and noticed a tweet by one of my favorite Tweeters, @phontigallo (Phonte from the Foreign Exchange). He posted the link to the behind the scenes footage for Estelle’s, Freak. I haven’ t really seen or heard much from Estelle lately (with the exception of her “meh” performance at the Soul Train awards), but after a quick introduction, I immediately saw what Phonte was tweeting about.
For those who may not have noticed, one of the first scenes was a shot of Estelle, face painted in a glammed-up version of makeup reminiscent of blackface. Did she say it was blackface? No. Was she “shuckin’ and jivin”? No. I tried to make the connection between the song and the imagery, but found no legit correlation.
Black[Face] is in the Eye of the Beholder?
Although I may be premature in understanding what Estelle was going for (because the finished video hasn’t been released, and the fact that she acknowledged everything except for the initial makeup shot), it seemed like the main focus was on her cleavage, and subtle advertising of her freaky nature. What really perplexed me was that there was NO mention or allusion to her choice of makeup for the initial shot which quite honestly reminded me of what is considered “darkie iconography”. Maybe my sensitivity was heightened because Black History Month is coming to a close. I’m not sure, but she definitely gets an eyebrow raised which leads to my question(s).
Is this considered black-face?
Does there seem to be a resurgence of black-face disguised as artistic expression (or has it become more subtle with the occasional “in your face” application)?
Is there a difference?
Can it ever just be art?
Is it acceptable if a person of color does it? Does this nullify the right to be offended or have questions?
Is it still that deep?
What are your thoughts?
**I definitely plan to post the video once it’s completed to see what’s placed in the backdrop of the shot in question. I’m curious to see…
Black Maybe…
In the world of fashion, there have been some questionable choices to paint non-African/American/diaspora individuals to present African/diaspora-themed beauty:
::found on:: Bossip
::found on:: Kanye West's Blog
::found on:: Kanye West's Blog
::found on:: Kanye West's Blog
As an artist, I can honestly say that the execution and finished pieces are stunning in their own right. I actually did a double-take at the second set of images when I first saw the spread. Aesthetics aside, I was perplexed by the angle and intention of this method of execution. Is this merely cultural juxtaposition (these models seem to be of Asian descent), or a means to not employ darker models of color? At what point are artists/musicians/models responsible for being represented in such a manner? Would you consider this to be high-end artistic exploitation of any person of African descent, or is it simply hot fashion?
