FOCUSING ON MAJOR ART
ART NU LOVE January .2011 ISSUE 4 VOL. 2 www.lovenuart.com
LOVE NU ART Focusing on Major
Art
Publisher
Audria Arnold a.arnold@lovenuart.com
Senior Photographer Audria Arnold a.arnold@lovenuart.com
Advertising Director Terrell Jones t.jones@lovenuart.com
LOVE NU ART MAGAZINE MAIL: 5439 LEXIE ST. MEMPHIS, TN 38116 EMAIL:INFO@LOVENUART.COM WWW.LOVENUART.COM
LOVE NU ART MAGAZINE
LOVE NU ART MAGAZINE makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of the information it publishes, but cannot be held responsible for any consequences arising from errors or omissions. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part is strictly prohibited
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Love Nu Art January 2011
LOVE NU ART focusing on Major
Art
Arts/Entertainment Editor Markesha Woods m.woods@lovenuart.com
Music Editor
Phillip Faulkner p.faulkner@lovenuart.com
Contributors and Supporters Vanessa Avellar, Floyd Boykin Jr., Debbie Ritter, Ashley Elizabeth, Blaze Elizabeth, Plan Blue Design, Midnight Star Photography, Abraham Coman, Candice Stevenson, David DC Crouch, Theresa tha S.O.N.G.B.I.R.D.
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LOVE NU ART January 2011
issue 4 VOL.2
contents
Floyd Boykin Jr. page 10
woodstar's poetic potpourri page 14
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Debbie ritter page 16
exclusive18
Recycling with Fashion page 18
cover story 22
vanessa avellar
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LOVE NU ART January 2011
issue 4 VOL.2
from THE Publisher Greetings Love Nu Art Magazine readers. Welcome to the fourth edition of Love Nu Art Magazine. This is the first issue for the year 2011. In the year of 2010 Love Nu Art had two great events with a total of 600 guests. Love Nu Art Magazine is growing faster and faster each month with the help of fans and your support. We thank you for reading Love Nu Art, and I hope that this issue inspires you. Love Nu Art will be launching alot of new projects this year. Stay close by and grow with an amazing magazine. Thanks for all the continued love and support. See you in February. Audria “Nubia” Arnold Publisher a.arnold@lovenuart.com
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Love Nu Art January 2011
Vanessa Avellar
(L-R) Najee Strickland & Audria “Nubia” Arnold
Audria “Nubia” Arnold
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floyd boykin jr
A St .Louis Representative WRITTEN BY: MARKESHA (WOODSTAR) WOODS
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loyd Boykin Jr. is a native of St. Louis, MO who prides himself on representing his city in a positive manner. Floyd is a multifaceted artist who is continuously setting examples and standards for others in his community to be inspired by. He is an emcee, instrumentalist, poet, producer, and the founder and president of Spoken Vizions Entertainment, which publishes Spoken Vizions Magazine. Floyd has published three poetry books, a hip hop CD, and three poetry CD’s. He also has a host of appearances, speaking engagements, and collaborations under his belt. In addition he expresses he is happily married and a proud father to his son. A Glimpse at the Creative Voyage Floyd started his writing career as a conscious hip hop artist. During that time he released the album Mentality to Reality. On this album he focused on confronting issues and situations that he had been facing in his personal life. Floyd states that the breakout song, “Oh Heavenly Father”, on that album asked questions about how religion played a part in his own life. He recounted going to a poetry/open mic venue where he shared his hip hop music. He took note of the reception he received week to week. In 1997 he was inspired to transition from hip hop to poetry and spoken word. During this same time of transition Floyd was playing in a band and producing projects for other artists while working on his own. Floyd plays the bass guitar, keyboard, flute, and percussion. “I kind of got burnt out,” he explained about how he was keeping an overloaded schedule. This led to Floyd focusing on producing his own music and creative processes. He described his music as structured beats with a heavy hip hop influence. In 2009 Floyd released his third poetry CD, Earthology. He talked about his desire to produce a groundbreaking project. “I wanted a concept that hadn’t been done before, kind of like Guru’s Jazzmatazz. Earthology is like a poetry Jazzmatazz,” he explained. Floyd stated that Earthology is full of collaborations with artists from all over the country. Spoken Vizions Magazine The year 2002 marked the birth of Spoken Vizions Magazine. Spoken Vizions was a publication that was originally released on a bi-monthly basis that focused on the poet, and not just the poetry that they write. Floyd is the creator and editor of Spoken Vizions. The magazine took a hiatus in 2005, but due to its devout supporter’s requests, Spoken Vizions returned in 2010. Floyd stated that his goal is to learn from and about the poets, to explore what inspires them, and find out why they are writing. “It takes a lot to put a magazine together. One key to our success is the diverse staff who are passionate about the vision,” Floyd explained. He further explained that he has a mostly female staff as the women he works with tend to be more passionate than the men. However, he made it clear that there are some strong men on his team and that he is willing to work with anyone that can support the vision and help to preserve the culture of the magazine. Floyd recalled some of his most memorable moments since the magazine’s creation. He mentioned a trip to Phoenix for an event called She Speaks. Spoken Vizions was requested as one of the official publications
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ART brought in to cover the event. Floyd talked about that being one of the pivotal events that helped him to see how significant that the magazine was to others. “I love Spoken Vizions Magazine and I’m not just saying that because I’m the editor,” he expresses. He stated that their commitment to connecting the novice poet to the seasoned poet, and then to the community that supports and follows poetry, keeps the magazine in high demand and relevant. Floyd stated that Spoken Vizions is currently his most focal project and that he is excited about the future of it. Floyd requested that Love Nu Art supporters also support Spoken Vizions Magazine by getting a printed and/or digital subscription at www.spokenvizions.com. Leaving a Mark on the Community When referred to as a representative of art and culture in the St. Louis area, Floyd responded with humility. He stated, “I do this with no expectation of being a star or anything. I love the arts. It feels good being the go to person in St. Louis. Being not only a good artist but having good business sense.” He explained that he focuses on the support and positive energy that he receives as strength to continue doing the works that he does, and emphasized how important the support of his hometown is to him. “I like to be on the same level of the listeners. I try not to overuse words,” he explained. He also boasted about development of thicker skin and approaching things with a positive energy, or what he termed a “concerned versus angry” approach. to Floyd stated that he is committed to setting an example for people in St. Louis as well as globally. He gave credit to technology such as the internet for helping to forward his visions, as well as helping his productivity in spreading his messages of love and community advancement. Floyd shared that his mother died of Lupus, a chronic inflammatory auto-immune disease, and now he is striving to raise awareness about the disease, as well as other health issues that devastate the community. “I support positive images of women. I am pro-woman,” Floyd admits. He explained that it was this outlook that has led to his ability to be identified as an advocate for women and their issues. One of his recent standout opportunities being one of very few men requested to speak at the 2010 African American Breast Cancer Conference. Floyd stated that he is currently working on Spoken Vizions Television for documentaries and Skype. He is also compiling an artist directory in conjunction with Spoken Vizions Magazine. He is working on a new CD set to release in April 2011, which he withheld the title to, stating he would like to keep it under wraps a little while longer. The album will feature 18 guest artists from different regions of the country. With everything he has going on Floyd will continue to be a productive and relevant man on the artistic scene.
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woodstar's POETIC POTPOURRI Welcome to Poetic Potpourri where the attention is focused on the written word. This is spot is reserved for poets all across the globe who desire to share their works. Each issue some of the most prolific poetry will be showcased on these pages. If you have a poem that you are interested in having featured in an upcoming issue, please email woodstar@lovenuart.com for submission requirements.
Once upon a when The earth will turn, The stars will shine, The sky will burn, The hearts will dine, The poets mourn, The dreamers try, The rulers scourn, The children cry, The friends will stay, The bitter fold, The leaders pray, The tired hold, The waters rush, The flowers bloom, The hatred crush, The darkness loom. All when you are by my side, When I am yours, and you are mine. Poet: Abraham Coman City: Virginia Beach, VA Contact: abraham_coman@yahoo.com
Sick and Twisted I run in the fear of the that chokes the essence of my soul darkness surrounds As I fall to the ground breathless, my heart pounds I cannot run any longer my body aches my mind spins I will not let you win Your face haunts your words taunt I am paralyzed I close my eyes and realize It is not you I cry I dig deep within I hear your footsteps quicken the pit of my stomach sickens
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I hear you I take the steps, my foot fails feeling lonely and frail no one feels the pain inside you know this and you do not pretend to hide the sick and twisted thoughts that are your being the meaning of the demented, in you represented if I resist, you persist I ball my fist decide to fight on this night, it shall not be I will take it back for no one but me I’ve had enough I am tough I reach within the depth to take the steps of redemption to fight to the finish your hold, I diminish to take myself back but it all fades to black Poet: Candice Stevenson City: Orlando, FL Contact: candicestevenson@live.com
3.6 Seconds “3.6 seconds”........ Straight out of the mouth of babes Speakin into mics over open graves Cause slaves don’t know how to behave Without constrictions to their own convictions But you can’t be convicted unless you play the ROLE Of the victim, and I PARDON you from this decision Cause my mental has OBAMA credentials With a 21 gun salute whenever I shoot the truth Or whenever I exploit the disparity of the youth With one dying every 3.6 seconds.....just to teach us a lesson But how many more lessons need to be learned Before we have more unprotected sex to create more weapons Of mass destruction that live to die for nothing.... I HATE you is the first thing your child said The first time they couldn’t get their way
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And unbridled wisdom challenged their ignorance That shortened their days in ways That apologies couldn’t add to it So your HEARTS became trump, and you both were afraid to CUT So you figured reniggin would allow you to be forgiven But that last WHORE your child was called Promises to leave a mark that turns into a battle scar Having to heal in the midst of corrupted schools systems That have the nerve to deliberate to put Gods protocol in them Now VERBAL SUICIDE becomes the cirriculum And class is about to start And body bags are brought in extra large To accommodate his FAITH and his HEART Just to increase his odds And I’d rather starve Than not to be able to call the one I serve God And laws should be broken when you should have to spare the rod Looking at your reflection with no mirror And you lose face of who you really are So premiere in your own possibilities And become your own STAR; with no limits Allowing your PUPOSE to become your REDEMPTION Cause in REALITY you just might be The only BIBLE that a person ever reads So amplify your thinking into becoming reality Instead of just being theory Cause its only the INCONSISTENCIES of your integrity That makes you a LIABILITY So no longer hide behind fail tries Cause GENOCIDE only subtracts from What you already added to And within these last 2 minutes the death toll has risen From 42 possibilities to 42 casualties And I refuse to allow this mic to grieve And make no apologies for the words I speak Cause I find my answers in PRAYER While you’d rather use a cheat sheet Based on wounds that run deep And resentment makes it a hard would to treat And people are constricted with the belief That bullets provide PEACE, but only to the deceased At least that’s what my best friend told me Make he rest in PEACE... These senseless killings are influenced by symilac vision From children that made decisions that outlived them Cause ignorance kills wisdom And knowledge keeps me under the influence That allows my assets to change tax brackets Cause I’m rich in GODS promises And you make promises you can’t keep with no accountability But you got mad love for the streets And it kills me softly; how you choose to Die Hard With no regards; that these graveyards; are full to capacity But there will be no toe taggin’ me till God takes me And before I go I refuse to hug anymore ghosts Or toast to this REALITY, or bury anymore of you That LOOK LIKE ME..........
Poet: David DC Crouch City: Miami, FL Contact: symjor@yahoo.com
String Ghetto Gepetto, let go of my stings You got me tied to your side, But I don’t want to be Pulled along on a journey that I’ve already seen. I have wished on a star and I have a dream To feel the real thing, So let go of my string. I know the windy roads, The lies that grow, The ass exposed from lack of self control, The tears, fears, and woes endured as we go. But I go with a goal, Faith, Baby, knowing like I know I will feel the real thing! And it will be better than I ever dreamed, And I need you to see me and feel the same thing But then I feel the pull of your string. You are toying with me..... and though I love it, your puppet I can never be So, please, Ghetto Gepetto, let go of my string! Poet: Theresa tha S.O.N.G.B.I.R.D. Home City: Chicago, IL Contact: thasongbird@gmail.com Please note: All poems featured are in the approved format submitted by their respective writers. All poems are printed by permission of the artists who penned them and under copyright of their individual writers. Love Nu Art is not responsible for usage of the varied language, ideations, or expressions presented in the poems featured. The perspectives taken in poems featured in this section do not reflect those of Woodstar, Love Nu Art, or Love Nu Art Staff.
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debbie ritter A Uneek Approach WRITTEN BY: MARKESHA (WOODSTAR) WOODS
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ebbie Ritter is the founder and owner of Uneek Doll Designs, based in Fisher, IL. Mrs. Ritter works from her home that she shares with her husband and four children. She is currently maintaining her store online. However, she talked about a desire to branch out into other arenas such as art galleries and museums. How it All Started Mrs. Ritter stumbled upon her creations that are now the basis of her business called Uneek Doll Designs. She recalled her husband working on building a dollhouse six years ago and her notion to supply him with some “people” to place inside the home. At that point she began to research clothespin dolls, as they were small enough to be placed in the model home. Mrs. Ritter has been constructing and perfecting the dolls ever since. When talking about the name of her company she admited that she is not sure how she got the name. She stated everything happened so quickly and that she wished she had given more thought to the name. About Uneek Dolls Mrs. Ritter’s dolls are constructed from four inch wooden clothespins. She starts the process of doll making by drilling a whole in the clothespins, threading them with wire, and forming clay around the wire to create the arms as well as the head. Mrs. Ritter then hand paints the features of the faces on, as well as designs all the costumes that the dolls wear. Although they are classified as dolls, she likes to refer to her creations as characters. “It’s a lot of fun. I love it. The detail gets really small so I have to thank God for my reading glasses,” she gushes when talking about creating her clothespin dolls.
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About the Characters “I like to do characters with interesting outfits,” Mrs. Ritter stated when asked about her dolls. She cited Queen Elizabeth II as one of her favorite characters. She explained that she does characters from history, popular culture, and from her own mind’s creations. Mrs. Ritter also stated that she does real life people from photographs submitted by their family members. She explained that she was willing to attempt almost any character in her art, except for those that may be considered extremely offensive to others,such as serial killers, and those that are sexually explicit. Mrs. Ritter stated that one of the most memorable experiences in doll making was when Susan Boyle,recent winner of the television show, Britain’s Got Talent, was interviewed on the national news show, The Today’s Show. At the end of the interview, the hosts presented Ms. Boyle with one of Mrs. Ritter’s clothespin dolls in her likeness. Mrs. Ritter stated it started a whirlwind response for her of interviews, contacts, and increased orders for Boyle dolls that lasted about six months. Mrs. Ritter stated that she is an avid reader and history buff, who is constantly searching for new characters to create. Careful not to infringe on any copyrights, she is selective about her creations. However, some of the characters she would like to create some day are Oprah Winfrey, Joan of Ark, and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. With orders coming in from all over the U.S., Japan, Britain, and other portions of the world, Mrs. Ritter will be creating for a long time. Mrs. Ritter primarily sells her dolls in her online store located at www.etsy.com/uneekdolldesigns. Please refer to this site for orders, pricing, and contacting her directly.
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Recycling with Fashion
model: Ashley Elizabeth Hair and make-up by: Blaze Elizabeth Set and Wardrobe: Plan Blue Design Photography by: Midnight Star Photography
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fashion
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Love Nu Art Nove January 2011
fashion We are in the midst of a fashionably forward, innovative generation, where the trend is to “go green!” We can turn that environmentally positive trend into a fabulous fashion statement, transforming your everyday trash into amazing wearable art. But do we all really know the facts and benefits of recycling? According to one recycling encyclopedia, the average American citizen can produce as much as five pounds of trash per day. With these statistics, this means that the US as a whole produces more than 200 million tons of trash each year. Now how much of this is recycled? Barely 30 percent. That means nearly 70% of that annual trash––140 million tons––is dumped into landfills to stay. That’s more than 280 billion pounds of trash that is left in landfills each year in the United States alone. Man-made products can take tens, hundreds, even thousands of years to decompose. According to one estimate, one glass bottle can take more than 4,000 years to break down. Now 140 million tons of unnatural, man-made materials pile up in landfills each year. By the time one glass bottle decomposes, the amount of trash would be unfathomable. Think of what an impact that is! But what exactly is recycling? It’s the process of turning useful materials of one product into a new product without having to use our earth’s valuable resources. When you recycle, you provide the useful parts to make new products. Typically more than one half of all today’s trash can be recycled but only one-tenth of it actually makes it into the recycling bin. Each year, recycling programs keep an average of 70 tons of waste from being dumped into landfills. Recycling conserves natural resources like the oil that is in such high demand. It saves energy and can drastically reduce pollution. Recycling centers also provide 4 jobs to every 1 in the nation’s waste disposal industry. Now what exactly do you recycle? Most cities accept paper, cardboard, plastic, glass and metals like aluminum. But why recycle these materials? In the US, there are fifty different types of recyclable plastics, yet consumers only recycle 5% of them. One plastic bottle can last 100 or even 1000 years in a landfill. To make one ton of plastic objects, it takes 2,000 pounds of oil and recycling these plastics will help reduce the high demand on oil which should ultimately lead to price decrease. Plastic soda bottles, milk jugs, shampoo and motor oil containers, and anything with a 01, 02 or 06 code, can be recycled. There are several different types of metals. The most common metals to recycle are aluminum soda cans, soup cans, and other scrap metals. The United States uses approximately 100 million steel cans, and 200 million aluminum cans every day–– but not even half of these are recycled. Recycling old metals uses only 5% of the energy it would normally consume to manufacture new metals. One recycled aluminum can saves enough energy to operate a television for three hours, or the equivalent of filling your tank with half a gallon of gasoline. Glass can be recycled numerous times and still never lose its quality. Not only does recycling your glass jars and containers reduce air and water pollution, but for every ton of glass recycled, we could also save the equivalent of nine gallons of fossil fuel. Recycling just one glass bottle saves enough energy to run a 100-watt light bulb for several hours. Printer paper, newspaper, magazines, colored paper, cardboard, and any other paper product can be recycled. According to one source, they estimate that if the US recycled all its newspaper, 250,000,000 trees would be saved each year. RecyclingRevolution says, “The average household throws away 13,000 separate pieces of paper each year. Most is packaging and junk mail.” Recycling just one ton of paper would save 7000 gallons of water, 4000 kilowatts of energy, 17 full sized trees, 380 gallons of oil, and more. That alone represents a savings of 64% of energy, 58% of water, and 60 pounds of air pollution. All these savings just from recycling your paper! As you can see, the benefits of recycling are astounding. Just imagine all the resources, and money that can be saved if every individual recycled a little more. Get involved together and set a good example for your neighbors, community, and children. Try arts and crafts and reuse what most would consider trash. Make artwork with old box sides and use your toilet paper and paper towel rolls to store your mess of extension cords. Get creative. The difference starts with you. Start recycling now!
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Cover Story
COVER STORY
Vanessa
avellar
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COVER STORY
Vanessa avellar
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WRITTEN BY: PHILLIP “PHILLFREE” FAULKNER
t’s not hard for anyone to fall in love with the bright spirit and beautiful personality of fashion designer Vanessa Avellar. It is just as easy to fall in love with her sexy, elegant, and beautiful “pink tip” shoes, which have wowed critics and gained the interests of women everywhere. This South Beach based lawyer turned designer creates shoes and handbags that make women look and feel young and vibrant. The passion and enthusiasm for life and fashion bubbles over with this native Brazilian. Needless to say, it is in Rio de Jeneiro, Brazil where we find the roots and source of this love for fashion and inspiring character. She refers to it as, “my Little Paris, in a fashion way!” “Girls in Rio love to wear heels and be sexy,” she said. “There are a lot of beautiful people and amazing energy.” She was introduced to fashion by her childhood next-door neighbor and mentor who looked at her as her little girl. Since her neighbor didn’t have any daughters she would use her as a model and make clothes for her, which eventually ignited the designer within Vanessa. She would always watch and study her neighbor making clothes. Vanessa started with dresses and eventually started designing shoes. This was the extent of any formal fashion training. “I don’t believe this is something you can go to school to learn.” “When you’re born with it inside you there is no school that can teach you what you feel, what you know, and what you can do,” she said. Not everyone immediately saw what was inside of Vanessa. Although she credits ninety percent of who she is to her family, at one point her family had their doubts. They felt fashion was not something that she could make money from. They wanted her to be a lawyer. They wanted a lawyer in the family. So Vanessa went and completed law school in Brazil. After she succeeded with that she told her dad, “Now you have a lawyer. Now I’m going to chase my dreams.” Two years ago she moved to Miami, barely speaking English and began to nurture the seed of her heart’s desire. She studied the culture and the fashion in America. She realized that people want to know who you are wearing. So six months ago she developed her signature pink tips and launched her company. The pink tips “are recognizable without taking the shoes personality.” She said, “Pink makes you feel young, beautiful and sexy.” It’s easy to see that her luxurious shoes reflect this. “Girls should wear heels. Maybe not too tall. Maybe not to small, but you need to look sexy,” she said.
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COVER STORY
“
When you’re born with it inside you there is no school that can teach you what you feel, what you know, and what you can do
”
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COVER STORY
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COVER STORY
When you see and touch her shoes they speak for themselves. The style and quality of her products is a result of her being a part of every step of the process. “I go pick the leather. I choose the color. I attend to every detail,” she said. “I like to watch my babies every step of the way” she expressed with such motherly love. She even said she walks at least 10 blocks in the shoes to ensure they are comfortable. With the energy and attention that goes into every shoe she produces it’s no wonder that people everywhere are getting to know the name better and asking about the shoes with the pink tips. She has release several collections, including “Collection 20 Eleven,” but she said,” It’s hard to pick a favorite when there all her babies!” There is no doubt that Vanessa Avellar will continue to grow as a company, but she also wants it to maintain its quality. “Sometimes when you mass produce you lose quality and I don’t want to lose quality,” she said. She wants to conquer the Americas, but wants to keep small production. “I want to be in stores around the country.” “I want to make shoes for girls that appreciate fashion, shoes for girls that appreciate quality, and being sexy and elegant.” Her parents wanted a lawyer and they got a fashion designer. “I know I’m a shoe designer. I know I have nothing else in my life and being a shoe designer is what makes me happy.” She told her family she was born a designer and to let her just go get it. So even after wanting a different career for Vanessa, her family still supports her. Now he’s fine with her being a shoe designer. He told her, “Remember where you came from.” He said, “If you want something you have work very hard. If you want to be someone you have to be very honest with everyone, and you never sale something to someone that you would not use yourself. You never tell someone that something is good when it’s not.” The words her father would tell her as she grew up have started to bear fruit. Her company is growing and the success of Vanessa Avellar is imminent. Her approach to life is “Be honest! Be real! Give your best! Chase your dreams!” She said, “Be yourself and be unique! That’s the important thing in life. Be special! Be smart! Read! Read about everything!” Vanessa Avellar’s shoes are available in stores round the world as well as online at www.vanessaavellar.com. The company will also donate $50 to charity for every shoe purchase.
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