"Drive"

There's a scene in "Drive" (2011) where Christina Hendricks awkwardly pours out of a pawn shop carrying a duffle bag; she's in unstable cheap heels, raggy hoodie, white trash L.A. jeans...so great. Burned in my memory. I hope to see her in more non-Joan roles like this. Its a huge relief to see an unconventional body shape in a new movie.

My Brightest Diamond

New video by My Brightest Diamond (aka Shara Worden). I was late to be introduced to this performer, why?

http://www.mybrightestdiamond.com/

Women in History Illustrated

VIVIENNE WESTWOOD (b.1941-_) British fashion designer and businesswoman.

"The only possible effect one can have on the world is through unpopular ideas." - Vivienne Westwood, designer

This is #9 in my series of illustrating 10 inspiring women in history.She is probably the most famous on the list, and is a continuous idol/source of creative inspiration.

I remember the mid-late 80's, in the working class midwest, when my friends and I would buy thrift store clothes (as much as you can stuff in a bag for a dollar), wear them in layers with tons of makeup and orange hair to school, and try to emulate her fashion. In reality, we probably looked more like goth bag ladies.

http://www.viviennewestwood.co.uk/

Fall Studio

Revolution Girl Style on NPR

New article on NPR.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/therecord/2011/09/20/140640502/revolution-girl-style-20-years-later

Also check out my friend the amazing and prolific Amy Klein's blog.

Gloria Jones

GLORIA JONES with the original "Tainted Love" from 1964. She was from Ohio, but considered part of the British northern soul music and dance movement of the 60's. Her story is sad - she survived the fatal car crash of boyfriend (and father of her child) Marc Bolan when he was killed in 1977.

Of course there's been other versions and remixes of her UK hit "Tainted Love," most of them...uh, not bad. I believe Soft Cell's version from 1981 is possibly just as great as hers, mainly because it is completely original in its own style and form.

* Super Nerd-Alert: according to the book I posted about last month "Perfecting Sound Forever" by Greg Miliner, the Synclavier is what makes that cool trademark GONG sound in Soft Cell's "Tainted Love," as well as in the intro to Michael Jackson's "Beat It." I've brought this up in casual conversations about recording before, usually getting blank stares back. Another post for another time. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synclavier

The Julie Ruin band photos

Band photoshoot! More to come: http://thejulieruin.com/ I feel like a tomboy 100% of the time but I look so girly in the pictures. Ying/yang, black/white, whatever....

(Kenny took this photo of the computer screen...)

Ut

Loving this band lately. Ut (circa 1978) from NYC was Nina Canal, Jacqui Ham, Sally Young, and briefly Karen Achenbach. Hard to find good videos and links to them. Google keeps giving me UT (Texas college...could you get any more opposite?).

Posting today, 9-11

Ten years later.

The Julie Ruin recording pictures

New website!: http://thejulieruin.com/

In the recording studio. September 9, 2011. Andre, the studio engineer, said my solo sounded like 2 aliens talking. Wow?

Women in History Illustrated

VICTORIA WOODHULL b.1838-1927 was a controversial leader in the women's suffrage movement as well as the first woman, along with her sister, to operate a firm on Wall Street. With the fortune they made, they were able to run a weekly newspaper addressing issues such as women's suffrage, labor politics, personal freedoms, marriage laws, legal and political rights, and social inequities. 50 years before women could vote, Woodhull ran for president of the United States, the first woman to do so. Her extreme ideas and reforms are still debated today. Illustration by me, in pen.

Women in History Illustrated

YAYOI KUSAMA 1929-_. Japanese artist and sculptor. Like her or not, (or fear her), Kusama is possibly the most important modern artist in Japanese history. Her work spans from 1950's conceptual paintings to environmental installations, usually characterized by the use of repeating patterns. In 2008, a work by Kusama sold for over $5million, the record for any living female artist. Yoko Ono has called her an early influence. My pen illustration is from a photo of her blending into her polka dotted wall circa 1968.

More information on Yayoi Kusama.

No. 2, oil on canvas, painted in 1959. Sold at Christies for record price.

Artist/Sculptor Miina Akkijyrkka

Finnish Sculptor Miina Akkijyrkka 1949-_ works in bronze, scrap metal, paint, and textiles. She is most known for her cow sculptures made from automobile parts.

http://www.akkijyrkka.com/en/works/

TOMBOY STYLE

While looking for something to wear for our band's first photo shoot, I came across this inspiring blog/website called Tomboy Style by Lizzie Garrett. Thanks Aidan!

http://tomboystyle.blogspot.com/

Here are few examples of tomboy style in history, from her blog.

Martha Gellhorn hunting with Ernest Hemingway, 1940/41.

Tina Weymouth, 1977.

Elspeth Beard after completing her solo ride around the world in 1984.

Greenwich Village, 1959.

Picture from a rodeo, 1948.

Revamped and Final Website up

Ack, that took awhile, but I did it. http://saralandeau.com

Mary Ford's Guitar

Is this a real Mary Ford signature guitar? If anyone deserved her own guitar, it's Mary Ford.

Women in History Illustrated

RUTH GRUBER (1911-_) From Brooklyn, Ruth Gruber was an international correspondent, photojournalist, and writer. In 1931, she was the youngest person to receive a doctorate degree. In 1935, she wrote a series for the New York Herald Tribune about women under fascism and communism. During World War II, she was sent on a special mission to bring refugees and wounded American soldiers from Italy back to the US. She has written dozens of books based on her work in the Soviet Union, Israel, Palestine, and more, and documented these missions with photographs now up at the ICP in NY. A documentary about Ruth Gruber called "Ahead of Time" was released this year. I did the drawing in pen based on a passport photo of her from JAN 31, 1946.

Photos by Ruth Gruber

Women in History Illustrated

MAISIE WILLIAMS, actress. 13 year old character of Arya Stark in "Game of Thrones"! This little girl is one of the most inspiring characters in television history. Arya is sword wielding, witty, and independent. She rejects the notion that she must marry for power and influence like her older siblings. I haven't read the books so I cannot say what happens to this amazing character beyond season 1. Guilty pleasure; yeah, whatever. She is #5 in my women in history illustrations series. I did this in pencil. Nevertheless, I found her difficult to draw, not sure why.

Women in History Illustrated

MARIA MITCHELL (1818-1889) was the first American woman to work as a professional astronomer and astronomy teacher. She discovered a comet known as "Miss Mitchell's Comet" and was the first female member of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences. Women are still outnumbered by men in the sciences (1 in 7 is the latest trustworthy statistic I read) so I wanted to look for an inspiring scientist to draw. This is #4 in my series of women in history, done in pen.