PORTFOLIO
GARY MOTLEY
LEON DALE
DEAN
PARDUE
OXOSSI THE HUMAN
FLAG
EXPRESS WITH OUT
SAYING
S YOURSELF A G WORD
PORTFOLIO Contributors Director Leon Dale
Art Direction Atu Nii-Owoo
Writers Sam Chup
LEONDALE.COM
Mary Egbula Kimberly Walker
Photography Leon Dale
Layout Atu Nii-Owoo
contents THE HUMAN FLAG From the first rudimentary territorial markings to today’s top level Internet domains, humans have always sought to identify with flags. Flags can claim space, send a warning, celebrate a victory, denote ownership, and become a rallying point. Nations, corporations, schools and churches all have flags ..........Read More
OXOSSI 100% Protectors of The People. Photo shoots, no matter how bohemian or leisurely they look, are typically not. There’s a makeup artist rearranging the features of model. A photographer tinkering with his camera.....Read More
THE FACE TS OF JAZZ Jazz Musician Gary Motley expresses his definition of jazz through his eyes...............Read More
THE ART OF VISION I sat down with Leon Dale to pick his brain and find out how he became the man, and the artist, that he is today. Our brief conversation revealed a bit of the far-reaching vision contained in this 30-something photographer...........Read more
THE FLAVOR OF DEAN PARDUE Dean Pardue was born out of an etouffe of rich, New Orleans-based Southern culture mixed with equal parts glamour, feminine mystique, appreciation of the simple complexity of nature, and the lonely vigil of the unique....Read more
The Human
Flag written by Sam Chupp
From the first rudimentary territorial markings to today’s top level Internet domains, humans have always sought to identify with flags. Flags can claim space, send a warning, celebrate a victory, denote ownership, and become a rallying point. Nations, corporations, schools and churches all have flags, but Leon Dale, an Atlanta photographer and designer, has recently created a special banner called The Human Flag.
“THE FLAG IS SELF-DEFINING. IT JUST IS. MUCH AS WATER JUST IS. THERE’S NO POINT ARGUING ABOUT IT. THE HUMAN FLAG HAS A HANDPRINT WHICH IS FIVE FINGERS AND A PALM. I’M INCLUDING THE PEOPLE WITHOUT HANDS, BUT IT’S A HIGHLY RECOGNIZABLE CONCEPT, ANY CULTURE YOU MEET WILL HAVE PEOPLE WITH FIVE FINGERED HANDS. AND THE IDEA IS THAT THE HUMAN FLAG IS FOR ALL HUMANS.”
eon had the idea for the human flag three years ago, and has since spent time looking for art to match his vision. When no artist came forward that could match it, Leon took paints in hand and did his own design: a ring of blue for the sky and water, a ring of green for the Earth, and the human symbol of the five-fingered hand. To Leon, it’s a symbol of peace. “I wouldn’t want to see a human flag on the battlefield. Once it’s accepted, it’s the human flag and the only time it comes into question is if there’s other people who want to tear it down. I can only see it being used for self-defense against perhaps an extraterrestrial threat.” What if someone raised a human flag in an area of devastation? Leon replies, “That would be dramatically important, if we raise a human flag at the sight of a disaster, don’t forget that they’re humans too, we’re all humans. In that situation, we should raise the flag over all the other flags, including the “money” flag. In Haiti, for instance, we should put aside our political problems and help them. Once you raise the human flag, it would be a powerful rallying point.” It’s definitely a symbol of inclusiveness. “The human flag would not be welcome at a Ku Klux Klan rally, for example. Halliburton would not be interested in saluting the human flag. For those who hold hatred in their heart, we have to let them exist, leave them alone, and just understand that we’re all human. The symbol is just a symbol, but the idea behind the symbol is more powerful than that. Leon has copyrighted the symbol to protect it, to keep other people from trying to use it with a specific political purpose or bias. “It’s a reminder that we’re all human. If we started each day with a small allegiance to the human flag, maybe we wouldn’t kill each other as much. We tend to omit our humanity. I think our birth certificates should all list us as human.”
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If you are interested in learning more about the Human Flag, check out its Facebook page here. For more information about Leon Dale, check out www.leondale.com
“IT’S A REMINDER THAT WE’RE ALL HUMAN. IF WE STARTED EACH DAY WITH A SMALL ALLEGIANCE TO THE HUMAN FLAG, MAYBE WE WOULDN’T KILL EACH OTHER AS MUCH. WE TEND TO OMIT OUR HUMANITY. I THINK OUR BIRTH CERTIFICATES SHOULD ALL LIST US AS HUMAN.”
By Kimberly Walker Photography By Leon Dale
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s gentle and easygoing as the breeze that’s making a home in Leon Dale’s apartment, the models walk in one by one. They’re quintessential “everyday people”. I am pleasantly surprised – not to mention intrigued – to see their bare faces uniquely made up of only their God-given characteristics. I soon learned that this is what the OXOSSI clothing line is all about; accepting and embracing who we are as individuals. “OXOSSI stands for protector of the people. It’s more or less of an intellectual revolution,” explains designer, Atu Nii-Owoo. His zeal goes beyond gushing over fabrics and cuts. OXOSSI is not just about pretty patterns. It has a point. “Our shirts are a silent protest. You are what you wear. People can look at your clothing and decide a lot about you. Versus talking about it, you can wear a statement that you feel strongly about. I’m an artist, and I felt like fashion was our best medium to get our expressions out,” he adds on. The brand currently houses T-shirts and hats, but they’ll soon be expanding their fashion offerings, along with their message. “Our mission is to remedy the glorification of the negative aspects of our world culture,” fellow designer Tai Rotan explains. The OXOSSI collection incites hope and intellect through its display of iconic characters such as Huey P. Newton, Dizzy Gillespie, and Oxossi’s emblem, which showcases words like freedom, peace and love enclosed in Africa’s country outline. Similar to the unity-embracing aesthetics of the United Colors of Benetton, Atu reaffirms he and his partner’s dedication
to “inclusion,” in an industry that looks down on lower economic on-lookers. “We’re trying to merge into the middle tier where we’re not excluding anybody. It’s not just Black, it’s not just White. We tried to make our clothing attainable because we’re trying to merge substance with fashion.” Like, most of us in a post-Obama era, Tai reveals that long before our charismatic president resurrected change, OXOSSI was already employing the principles that drove his campaign. “We push ourselves and those around us to be better, which is in alignment with Obama’s campaign strategy. Another element would be President Obama’s use of positive affirmations – Yes we can – which is a cornerstone of OXOSSI ’s ideologies.” Void of a materialistic motive, one might contend
Founders of OXOSSI: Tai Rotan and Atu Nii-Owoo
that designers Tai Rotan and Atu Nii-Owoo place more importance in statements, than style. Not true. The collection is impressive to say the least. It’s unmistakably eclectic and slips easily into the uptown girl or skater boy’s closet. Filled with vibrant colors and eye-catching designs, OXOSSI leaves a lingering desire to know more about the intent behind the threads. Mission accomplished.
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by Mary Egbula
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sat down w with wit ithh Leon Leon Dale Dal D al to rain ra in and and fi find nd out out how how pick his brain he became bbec ecam amee th thee man, man, and and tthe he arti ar tist st,, th that at he he is today. ttod oday ay.. Our Our brief brie br ieff artist, conversation revealed conv co nver ersa sati tion on rrev evea eale ledd a bit bit of the the far-reaching ng vision vvis isio ionn contained cont co ntai aine ne in this 30-something meth me thin ingg photographer. phot ph otog ogra ra A few phrases sess from se from our our meeting m painting rang ra ng out out above aabo bove ve the the rest, rres est, t, ppai aint ntin ingg pictures nearly vivid pict pi ctur ures es nnea earl rlyy as vviv ivid id as as the the dynamic dyna dy nami micc photos phot ph otos os he he takes. take ta kes. s.
It all began with a high schooll elective elec el ecti tive ve course ccou ours rsee and a borrowed Minolta. borr bo rrow owed ed M Min inol olta ta.. Leon Leon Dale Dal D alee wa wass bitten bitt bi tten en by by the the photo phot ph otoo young bugg as a yyou bu oung ng m man an and and hhas as been bbee eenn seeing seei se eing ng the the world wor w orld ld through lens since. thro th roug ughh his his particular part pa rtic icul ular ar llen enss ever ever ssin ince ce.. His His love love ooff photography has seen him through some of the most peculiar corners of the was these places, the world. worl wo rld. d. It It wa rather than traditionall academia, acad ac adem emia ia,, where wher wh eree the rigors gors go rs of of living livi li ving ng taught ttau augh gh Leon how ow ttoo capture capt ca ptur uree an instant nt in in his his camera. came ca mera ra.. Hard-won lessons Ha Hard rd-w -won on lles esso so likee those thos th osee he learned llea earn rned ed during a stint Navy Dale’s in the the N Nav avyy have ha shaped pedd Da pe Dale le’s ’s world wor w orld ld view and his photographic phot ph otog ogra raph ph perspective. ecti ec tive ve.. A native nati na tive ve of of England, Leon Dale Da le lived lliv ived ed in China and and the the Caribbean Cari Ca ribb bbea eann before finding with hiss way hi way the state of Virginia, Vir V irgi gini nia, a, where whe w here re encounters eenc ncou ou artist a free-wheeling free fr ee st culture ccul ultu ture re left llef eftt him him inspired, insp in spir ired ed,, bu butt wanting more. Realizing want wa nt izin iz ingg that that a life llif ifee of drugs ddru rugs gs and and partying can leave one pa ne feeling ffee eeli ling ng every eeve very ry bit bit as as caged cage ca gedd as a stifling 9 to 5, Leonn kept kept it it moving movi mo ving ng and and found ffou ound nd himself in Atlanta, GA. Leon Dale is not tied down by any real or imagined
artistic boundaries tist ti stic ic bbou ound ndar arie iess and those pursuing creative fields Atlanta will in A Atl tlan anta ta w wil illl find find themselves just few degrees or from professional circle. where many less le ss ffro rom m his his pr prof ofes essi sion onal al ccir ircl cle. e. Yet Yet w whe here re m man an creatives good game, He crea cr eati tive vess ta talk lk a ggoo oodd ga game me,, Dale Dale is is a man man of action. aact ctio ion. n. H deep-seated sense practicality hass a de ha deep ep-s -sea eate tedd se sens nsee of ppra ract ctic ical alit ityy an andd purpose, purp pu rpos os yett hi no-nonsense business approach tempered hiss no no-n -non onse sens nsee bu busi sine ness ss aapp ppro roac achh is ttem empe pe by a fi fiery artistic passion that charges forward fier eryy ar arti tist stic ic ppas assi sion on ttha hatt ch char arge gess fo forw rwar ardd even ev in tthe shaky Atlanta market. he face ffac acee of a sometimes ssom omet etim imes es ssha haky ky A Atl tlan anta ta m mar arke ket. t. this commitment craft It’s tthi It’s hiss co comm mmit itme ment nt to to his his cr craf aftt that that makes mak m akes es Dale’s Dal D al Suffused vibrant and work wo rk ssoo striking. stri st riki king ng.. Su Suff ffus used ed with wit w ithh vi vibr bran antt color colo co lorr an emotion, reveal real re al eemo moti tion on,, the the photographs phot ph otog ogra raph phss re reve veal al a dedication dded edic icat atio ionn to thee human spirit appears even in his products huma hu mann sp spir irit it that t shots. clear that this photographer’s mission is ots. ot s. It’s IIt’ t’ss cl clea earr th farr gr greater capturing a pretty picture. grea eate terr th than an simply ssim im city where preference In a ccit ityy wh wher eree glamour glam gl amou ourr rules, rule ru les, s, tthe he ppre refe fere renc ncee fo forr vivacious energy over face viva vi vaci ciou ouss en ener ergy gy oove verr a gorgeous gorg go rgeo eous us ffac acee makes make ma kess Leon Leon Dale stands out in the crowd of Atlanta photogs. He ccites model Sable Simone as among his favorite subjects subj su bjec ects ts to shoot. Though she happens to bbee beautiful, beau be au willingness to “let go” that it’s it ’s hher er w ttha hatt sparks spar sp arks ks Dale’s Dal D ale’ e’ passion. Even pass pa ssio ion. n. E Eve ve when not as aesthetically sthe st heti tica call llyy gifted gift gi fted ed aass the the leggy Sable Dale’s subjects from legg le ggyy Sa Sabl blee Simone, Si ject je ctss benefit bene be nefit fit ffro rom m the the photographer’s phot ph otog ogra raph pher er’s ’s ever regal aesthetic. c. When Whe W henn they they are are willing, humble will wi llin ing, g, hhum um subjects,, li like ke the the hhomeless eles el esss man man that that for a session in exchange satt fo sa hang ha ngee for for a couple coup co uple beers bbee eers rs and and a bit of company, are gi given give venn an aair ir ooff nobility nobi no bi iinn Le Leon on Dale’s work. Dale vessel means leave a legacy. And th And thee Le Leon on D Dal alee ve vess ssel el m mea eans ns to to le connecting movers By ccon onne nect ctin ingg th thee fellow fell fe llow ow m mov over erss and an shakers around photog seeks build him, hi m, tthe he ppho hoto togg se seek ekss to bbui uild ld aann institution to stand the test of time. While the foundations of this goal might be laid in Atlanta, the reverberations are sure to be felt on a global scale.
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Just do it. Start at level 0
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“No matter what you do, you’re going to learn a life
lesson.”
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“What happens when you cut the balloons free?” 11
“I prefer energy over good looks. I love a subject that lives life at full volume
– that lives out loud.”
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“I’ve lost friends & women – I’ve even been evicted over this shit!”
“The subject has to trust you… either get on board or get off the ship”
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The Flavor Of
Dean Pardue Dean Pardue was born out of an etouffe of rich, New Orleans-based Southern culture mixed with equal parts glamour, feminine mystique, appreciation of the simple complexity of nature, and the lonely vigil of the unique. by Sam Chupp Clothing/Head dresses by Dean Pardue Models: Alexis LouStou and Sable Simone Assistant: Tony Mills Starburst Headdress by Deanna Bee
“When it comes to fashion, my impression of men is basic and classic. With a woman, the more you add to her, the more expression she makes. I think men make a quieter statement, and it’s better that way, like the spaces between the notes of a song.” Being a creative, sensitive and talented man in the South has never been easy. But his grandmother, a Master Tailor, took him under her wing, and taught him how to sew. It wasn’t long before he was making prom dresses, cotillion garb, and the like. Now, he is a fashion designer and a stylist for many luminaries, including Kim from “Real Housewives of Atlanta,” and that’s just what he does for his art. He’s also a devoted father and a master of commercial styling. The source of his vision is a melange of impressions: the wildness of Mardi Gras, the intoxicating strength of Southern feminine prowess which contrasts lace and silk with steel Victorian sensibilities. He is a study in opposites. On one hand, he thrives in the creative straightjacket that Corporate America forces on him, creating stunning retail displays that please an executive mind. On the other, he is a passionate wildman, a conjurer of flower-petal goddesses and horned ninja enchantresses. He shreds, strews, cascades, throws, and teases fabric, wire, thread, silk, lace, and tulle to make confections that are just as outrageous as they are improbable. “Fashion is very much like cooking, and there’s a lot of prep work to it. The models are the catalyst and the expression of that. Some people like to look at models as coat hangers, but I like to look at them as more of a statement of what the garment is, because each individual female is different, as is the statement that she makes through her eyes, her posture and what she evokes about what she’s wearing.” Dean said. He caters to women, unafraid to openly worship at the font of feminine power. This Creole man who calls himself The White Chocolate; sinful, decadent, but always refined, is equally at home in his African roots as he is in his European. “I like to bring great little visual images forward. I’ve been asked to do things for men, but I’m not inspired by them. If I were to do anything for men, it would be very simplistic and clean. When it comes to fashion, my impression of men is basic and classic. With a woman, the more you add to her,
the more expression she makes. I think men make a quieter statement, and it’s better that way, like the spaces between the notes of a song.”When dressing his models for a shoot such as this, he is in his element. Like a shaman conjuring myth out of smoke and story, he brings out the masks, the costumes, the shadows and the light. Hons it, smiths it, and stares at his creation when it’s all done, a Pygmalion in a simple white shirt and jeans, gazing at his Galatea. At the shoot, Sable and Alexis step into the roles he has for them without question, and he gladly points the attention to them. For someone in the middle of things and about to appear on his own reality TV show, he is amazingly camera shy. The spirit of his grandmother lingers; this bit of yarn from her yarn-stash, that bit of crystal from a chandelier that used to hang in her home; she still finds a way to affect him even now. Dean said, “The thing about it is, you do see models as beautiful creatures, but you also see them like a part of the piece. I’ve done some shoots that are very sexual, but in your mind you don’t get caught up in that. It’s artistically emotional in that degree solely in the moment, but that requires trust. Some of the best art comes out of a partnership with people who you can trust.”
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