Art: KwangHo Shin

I like art- don't ge me wrong, but I rarely see a piece which makes me stop and really look at it.   The artist KwangHo Shin did make me stop, look and think. His work is the kind that makes me try and suss out the steps they took to create the art, but also what message they are trying to convey.

 I haven't been able to find out much about KwangHo apart from the fact that his work has featured in the Saatchi gallery; I guess that means he is big bollocks now?  Anyway here is a collection of his work of faceless people.

Although these pieces are absolutely beautiful and so striking to look at (in my opinion),   I can't quite decided whether I would hang one in my home (if I had one). There is something quite sinister about rubbing someone's face out.

Sunday in London

Sunday in London from Neels CASTILLON on Vimeo.

A romantic, honest and beautiful glimpse of London. 

Post Secret

I have been following post secret on and off for many years.  If you havent heard of the website, it blogs peoples secrets that they post.  The idea is that one's secret becomes art. The secrets are anonymous and treated with confidentiality. By expressing a secret, and sending it off to the post secret organisation, the burden of carrying a secret is alleviated.

What I love about the site is that unlike most or all blogs, this blog makes you feel more secure rather than insecure.  Sometimes I feel that the narcissism of blogging is damaging.  Most blogs feed on glamour.  The blogger has the wardrobe you want, has the cooking skills you want, or even has the hair, legs, bum and tum that you want. Post secret is the opposite of that because it doesn't reveal its subjects as commercialised models, chefs or people; with anonymity that facade is broken, and real secrets alongside human insecurity is revealed.  When I read post secret I remember that no one is perfect and we all share the same secrets.  Here are some recent secrets. 

Post Secret updates its blog every Sunday. 

Style File: Teddy in London

You may have met Teddy before, here.  Teddy is my old university friend. He is also incredibly stylish.  I caught up with Teddy in London last week, which was such a treat.  We did the cultured posh-totty thing we always talked about doing when we were in Leeds- visited the Saatchi gallery in Chelsea, Duke of York Square.   This is the same gallery I saw the Chanel Little Black Jacket exhibition.  The Saatchi gallery is fantastic; it's free, it's quirky and it's in a really nice part of London. 

Teddy adhere's to a quintessentilly British style: the Barbour-esque jacket, the tartan scarf, the Raybans and quirky old vintage shoes.

MS MR

Closet Visit: Allison Miller

Allison Miller is an actress who lives in Los Angeles. I shot her the day before she left for Australia for 5 months to shoot a new Fox show "Terra Nova". She's one of the stars in the show.

Describe your personal style. 
Classic tomboy vs. Southern lady

Who are your favorite designers?
Rachel Comey, EmersonMade, Wren, Alexander Wang, Margaret Howell, Isabel Marant,  Tibi, Jonathan Saunders, Nadinoo

What are your favorite places to shop?
Madewell, Zara, Steven Alan, Mohawk General Store, flea markets, Etsy

Who are your style icons?
The women in my family, Patsy Pulitzer , Katharine Hepburn, Rose Byrne, Carole Lombard, Patti Smith

Are there any key pieces you find yourself wearing constantly?
Oversized button downs, Zara and AG jeans, a silver Kentucky horseshoe nail necklace that was my mom's, Swedish Hasbeens, and a nearly fanatical amount of stripes. I also regularly steal my fiance's hats.

What is your most recent purchase?
I just had a blowout stripe experience at Zara. I'm getting a little angry with myself.

Do you have any stories about amazing deals you've gotten on awesome pieces?
My friend Alex found this insane 70's sherbet colored cocktail dress for me in Wisconsin for $12. It fits perfectly and comes with a veil. A veil!! I also found some great navy/gray ankle boots at Wasteland that look a lot like the Isabel Marant Dicker boots that I can't find anywhere in my size.

Which beauty products do you recommend? 
Jojoba oil for moisturizer, Dr. Bronners for my bod (yeah, my bod), and Bare Minerals make up. I really like Weleda Rosemary Hair Oil for split ends. Revlon makes a red lipstick I've been using since I first wore it in a high school production of 42nd Street!

Can you give us smart shopping advice?
I like to visit clothes. If you see something I love, don't buy it immediately. Give yourself a week to see if you can't live without it. That way you don't give in to any fast fading trends and if it vanishes from the store, you can usually track it down online. That said, I go absolutely crazy at sample sales and I don't think there's anything wrong with that!

What's the best thing about your job?

I joke that it's taking home the wardrobe afterwards, but being an actor is my dream job. I'm so grateful it verges on the absurd. Traveling, working in a supportive community of artists, creating new lives and storytelling...it's the tops. Oh, and free haircuts! 

5 things you can't live without. 
Family&friends, Adam (my fiance), black coffee, Thelonius (my dog), and the kind of laughter that makes it hard to stand up.

Closet Visit

Portrait by Greg Lourens

Introducing the Artist Greg Lourens.  I was lucky enough to meet, work with and become friends with Greg.  Greg's artwork is not just a striking portrait of his chosen subject.  His work reflects the person; their personality, mood, traits, their inner feelings.  How does he do this?  

From working with Greg and being one of his subjects I know that it is what Greg gives his subjects, that creates such unique and great pieces of work.  He gives you time, reassurance, confidence and forces you to understand yourself that much better. 

To create the portrait you see above, Greg and I did two photo-shoots.  The first photo-shoot commenced with Greg's explaining what drew him to me as a subject, in addition to his objectives for the drawing.  Greg pointed out the process of creating his art could be seen as a journey- a journey we would take together.  

The photo-shoot was different to my expectations and to anything else I had really done.  Because Greg's aim was to capture 'me' and not any facade, the shoot forced me to reflect on myself.  When I normally have a camera pointing at me my instant reaction would be to smile- to put up the facade of being happy. With no facade and just looking into the camera, I was forced to access my real feelings and mood. The only other parallel I can draw with the experience is meditating at the end of a yoga class- but meditate properly.  You go within yourself and time goes very quickly.  Throughout both photo-shoots Greg would ask me 'what are you feeling?' Both photo-shoots told me a lot about myself that I didn't really know.

After each photo-shoot Greg and I met up over coffee and discussed which ones we liked, wondered what was going through my head at the time of each shot.  Its strange to say but you think your pulling a blank face but actually there is a lot of emotion in each shot. 

The photo we both liked a lot was the one that Greg chose to draw,  A month later and the portrait was done.  It is a strange thing seeing your face blown up on a wall.  What strikes me about Greg's work is the amazing detail he renders, but ultimately it is how he captures the personality. I can see myself in that portrait.  I am so flattered and honoured to have worked with Greg.  Not only a wonderful artist but a wise and caring man. I believe he will go far.

More of Greg's work:

See more of Gregs work here

Cordelia Weston

Its amazing what goes into the editorial pages of Vogue or Dazed and Confused or any of the beautiful fashion magazines out there.  I always wonder how Tim Walker finds a house-size shoe or a car size real wool knitted jumper for his sets, or who even thinks of these wonderful creations.  Yes it is usually from the artist themselves but sometimes it is the set designers.  Seconds ago while browsing on tumblr, I found a piece of art by the London set designer Cordelia Weston.  Beautiful, bold, different and inspiring....

Are those light-sabers hanging from the ceiling  -yes!  and candy coloured pom poms just chilling on the floor? -yes. Weird and wonderful is always a great combination...

The Row's Nile Backpack meets Damien Hirst

I am seriously lusting after one of these "The Row meets Damien Hirst" Black Rucksack duffle bags. The original crocodile rucksack called the "Nile backpack" from the Row sold out immediately at the price tag of $35,000. -Yep that is one hefty price tag.  Now the rucksack has made a return with Damien Hirst's iconic quirky prescription pills and spot motif's attached.   Just look how pretty they are! 

Favourite!