Individual Operator

11.11.11

2011-10-30T13:57:00.000-07:00

Kim Barry and Joey Thate are delighted to announce West Eleven’s first happening.11.11.11

They have invited , writer and creative visionary, Courtney Barriger, and singer, song writer, and cruel vocal temptress to ears everywhere , Rachel Borovik, to collaborate.

7:30pm Courtney Barriger discusses her newly published book, “NightBook” and will have signed copies available.

8:30pm Rachel Borovik graces us with a live set or two, (if we are good).

10:30pm Watch one of Kim’s infamous “choice” movies from her classic , obscure and always entertaining collection. Prepare yourselves for cloud pillows to lounge upon during the music and the film .

As always, Kim and Joey will have an interactive installation revolving around the night’s juicy and not so juicy moments. Details are under wraps.

Next door, Ryan McIntosh and Danielle Lange , open their space “Art Is Shit” for their 1st exhibit

BLOW POP

Featuring new work by Brandon Andrew & Kayla Mattes

November 11, 2011 (One night only!)

Opening Reception 11/11/11, 6-10pm

Art Is Shit Editions proudly announces their first exhibition in their Los Angeles based gallery and print shop. BLOW POP will feature new installation-based artwork along with exclusive limited edition prints by artists - Brandon Andrew and Kayla Mattes.

BLOW POP looks at these two artists connection to nostalgia from the 1990's. By bringing back these relics and imagery from yesterday, both artists work appear to be a celebration, of sorts. However, upon deeper scrutinizing you see another layer that exposes the purity and sincerity within its irony, where every celebration is equally matched with devastation.

The first exhibition in Los Angeles by Art Is Shit Editions continues to promote the shops mission - to provide passionate art collectors of all levels access to premium quality artwork by emerging contemporary artists who challenge and push the boundaries of art today.

Art Is Shit Editions - 642 Moulton Ave. W12. Los Angeles, CA 90031

www.ArtIsShit.com”

Food, drinks, and great company will be here This is an invite only event. We ask for your presence and we ask that you kindly bring a gift of $10 to help us continue bringing good times for you

west eleven

642 mouton ave w-11, Los Angeles, CA 90031

NightBook

2011-10-30T13:37:00.001-07:00

Presenting NightBook, a short story anthology. And my first novel.

This novella took three years to write, and has been a roller-coaster of a journey.

As small as the novel is, it is my greatest accomplishment as of yet.

It will be available on EBooks 11.11.11. And I will have hard copies soon.

Order a copy on-

www.nightbooknovel.com

Something Sweet

2011-10-15T00:44:00.001-07:00

Something sweet -
honey on toasted bread -
is a delightful distraction.

Something solid -
the walls of my castle -
could come down in an earthquake.

To me, a person to love -
something deep -
is the wind;
Flight over mountain and tree.

But where is this flightful breeze?
Must I wait for it to come to me?

The Bear Court by Courtney Barriger

2011-06-21T00:57:00.000-07:00

The Bear Court
by
Courtney Barriger

There once was a place called Bear Court.
Where they dine on fine honey and tart.
They twirl on their paws,
to much great applause,
for dress shoes are not of their sort.

In the court there is much Bear Courting.
The ladies do all of the sorting.
With a bow and a hand,
lead by the bear man,
they will flirt till the wee early morning.

Best dressed is the Bear Courtier.
She is admired where ever she stirs.
She has many suitors,
but if nobody suits her,
she will away to brush out her fir.

Take a trip to the Bear Court-of-Law.
Swear an oath with an honest bear paw.
When the judges decide,
hope the verdict is right.
And don't tell another bear what you saw.

Bear Court-Martial is fitting for a soldier
who did not do as the Bear Captain told him.
At a hearing he decides
which way he will sign.
It may be that he will just scold him.

Even when bear cubs are so curious,
bear fathers are always Bear Courteous,
He steps out to the air,
so bear cubs are not near;
bad habits near cubs make mom furious.

Lend an ear to the Bear Jazz Court-et;
the most happening band as of yet.
When the beat is a jive'n
you feel more alive in
that swing and that dip and that step.

Bear Basketball Half-Court-Press
will divide one bear from the rest.
Two of the friends
will try to defend
against one who is trying to pass.

Bear Tennis Court is a great bear workout.
A good place for the tall and the stout.
With every hit
the more tone they get;
they will wind down by eating a trout.

Worst of them is the Bear Courtisol,
the most misunderstood of them all.
The harder work gets,
the more he will stress.
And his madness will end in a brawl.

The day ends in a green Bear Court Yard.
Close at hand is honey by the jar.
After a good snack
it is time for a nap;
and bears dream till the rising of stars.

Her Name is Cyara

2011-06-08T03:14:00.000-07:00

Mario Peralta Photography

Mass No Mas

2011-04-01T16:29:00.000-07:00

Mass No Mas

Luxury Living Magazine Spring Fashion 2011

2011-04-01T16:16:00.001-07:00

Art Show at The Artistree Gallery

2011-03-27T16:10:00.000-07:00

The Artistree Gallery presents an art show that unites continents. A piece of Europe came back from Courtney Barriger's solo adventure through Spain, England, France, and Germany last fall. Opening at Atlantic Beach February Art Walk, a collection of works painted during her adventure will be displayed along with other conceptual works.

Door proceeds, art sales, and poster sales will help benefit the Lighthouse Orphanage in Nagpur India. Over 25 million orphans struggle to survive in the second largest populated country in the world. This is an opportunity to directly help build more homes for orphans in Nagpur India. Lighthouse Orphanage

Featured in the Ponte Vedra Recorder

2011-03-27T09:14:00.000-07:00

Get Godfrey

2010-12-17T13:31:00.000-08:00

And now... a product of boredom inspired by Get Carter circa 1971...

Photoshoot at the famous Thomas a. Beckett public house

2010-11-26T13:52:00.000-08:00

Historical public house Thomas a. Beckett in London England was the site of a collaborative photo shoot between me and British photographer Steven Nyman. The house has a fascinating history. It is built off of the remains of part of the Roman Road, was once a boxing house where three time World Heavy Weight champion Muhammad Ali used to workout, and it was used as a practice space for David Bowie during his Ziggy Startdust persona.

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Stuttgart and Baden-Baden Germany and Paris France

2010-11-19T06:36:00.000-08:00

BANKSY: Paris, France

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Visited a few places in England during my stay. Windsor Castle is a must-see! Inside Windsor Abbey you can stand on the tombs of Kings... which is probably the closest encounter I will ever have with a regent. We had to clear out early because the Duke of Edinburgh was holding a banquet.

A week long backpacking adventure was needed, so I trekked by train from England to the land of my ancestors: Germany. Stuttgart was teeming with protesters. Employees of Mercedes Benz flooded the streets with banners, flags and whistles demanding more benefits and higher wages. The more subtle demonstraters of Stuttgart 21, those in favor of the new railway station to be built before 2012, were camping in public parks in makeshift tarp villages.

But the city is beautiful and the people are very friendly. New friends and new experiences!

Baden-Baden is in the heart of the Black Forest, where my family history ends abruptly at an orphanage. Unfortunately my camera died and so I was unable to take pictures. But the Black Forest is the set of most of the Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales... so you can imagine the dark mystical scenery about that place. Yea... I felt at home.

In Paris I visited a friend I met in Miami and we toured all the right places: The Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, San Michele, The Latin Quarter, Le Opera, Center Pompidou, parks, shops, and the fun Brazillian restaurant Favela Chic.

Valldemossa Mallorca Spain and London England UK

2010-11-06T10:55:00.000-07:00

The Island has been a tranquil experience for me. It is colorful, fresh, antiquated and the people are very friendly. If only I could speak fluent Spanish!

Helena and I drove up to a small mountain village called Valldemossa to sight see for a day. The Monestary was once the summer home of Chopin in the 19th century. As a pianist, it was a rush to see a piano played by a genious composer. It was such a beautiful place.

Then I took a plane to London and took a train and a cab straight to Brighton/Hove to preparty with my british birds for Halloween. Fireworks, witches, cats, and zombies everywhere... it was almost like being in a horror version of Harry Potter. I was a dead ballerina.

More to come...

Palma Mallorca

2010-10-26T10:43:00.000-07:00

On October 16th 2010 I bought my ticket for Palma Mallorca Spain. On October 22nd I landed on the sub-tropical Mediterranean island, the largest of the Balearic Archipelago. The island is a popular spot for travelers from all over the world... especailly Germans.

The architecture here is amazing. There are mansions the size of museums and the cathedrals deserve at least an hour of your time to comprehend their beauty.

A friend I met in Costa Rica offered up her amazing town home to me for ten days. We share her bike Costa Rican style when we go sight seeing. We are also a sight to see!

I started a painting of the homes of Playa Molinar. There is a pleasant beach and the perfect weather for comfortable painting.

And of course, the food. Helena has blessed me with home cooked meals all week. I have also tried a selection of great spanish tapas. Albondigas, chorizo, en saladia en rocha, polo croquetas, pescado frio and many more.

More to come!

Venus

2010-08-29T18:07:00.000-07:00

Venus

By Courtney Barriger

Solitary. Tall. Impenetrable

She moves as a force unquenchable.

Up ahead she sees 360 degrees

from a hilltop, shes four dimensional.

Shes the Queen of metropolis.

She'll tear apart this preposterous acropolis

before you can get on top of this

she will destroy your hypothesis

She's got this

Time for silence

break the chatter

eloquent senselessness

forget that it mattered

two-hundred souls in a can

can we fly over space;

bring our theories back home

to build a new face?

"Change' they chant

Change she brings

she says "forget yourself

to create a new being."

She'll plant the seeds

the whole world wide

births, lives, dreams,

Venus is love without pride

That Tiger

2010-08-11T12:52:00.001-07:00

Fatal attraction. "That Tiger" is a moment of peace in that dynamic. The tiger is still there, but she can rest for the moment.

Eternal Bodies

2010-06-22T19:45:00.001-07:00

I'd like to think that we have eternal bodies that function in a plane not far from our own. Our eternal bodies sing existence into being, forever in harmony with all living things past present and future.

Rapture

2010-05-21T10:24:00.000-07:00

RAPTURE

Captured by Rachel Kemper

Fiction

2010-05-06T15:39:00.001-07:00

Silent space, a beating heart
zebras prancing overhead
sinking now as images
play above a sandy bed

They float from words on paper
resting on a shelf.
Combined minds of other dreamers
plunge into herself.

Fancies, horrors, laughs and notions
none of which the sleeper made
will merge into her being;
The minds of others, eternal play

And as the sleeper dreams their dreams
drifting through the night
She is what she reads
and you are what I write.

-Courtney Barriger

Prowler

2009-12-17T23:20:00.000-08:00

Prowler is a photo-documentary featuring the lives of three models who bide their time in extravagant squalor; their desire set on the coveted invitation to the Okefenokee Secret Show.

Prowler from Courtney Barriger on Vimeo.

Fashion photographer Mario Peralta and I collaborated on an idea for a faux documentary fashion editorial that follows the lives of three models who temporarily live in a camper by the Okefenokee Swamp.

For the full story go to fashion photographer Mario Peralta's blog page.

Click on the pictures to see larger images.

We would like to thank Club TSI, Reve Boutique, Alfons Dovana, and Katie Kennerly for their help in the production of the Prowler.

The Looking Glass

2009-12-02T10:38:00.000-08:00

The Looking Glass

For fifteen minutes I stare into the backward world of the mirror. The numbers on my alarm clock alert me that I have spent too much time in front of the looking glass, but today, for once, I see more than just my familiar reflection staring back at me. This vertical pool of glass appears to be a portal into a different place in time.
The mechanics are simple enough. With my naked eye I can almost see the trillions of streaming photons bounce off of the smooth glass. I lean in closer and feel the warm light waves slide through liquid sand, hit the reflective silver layer painted on the back of the mirror, and shoot back at me in every direction at once; only a few million of these make it into my eyes where they are perceived and acknowledged. The rest zoom away to some place I will never know.
My brown irises tighten around their pupils as the light penetrates the protective cornea. They bend and flip through my lenses and hit the retina in the far cavern in the back of my eyes where the little rod cells detect the intensity of the sunlight from the window behind my vanity and the cone cells tell me that my lacy bra is indeed purple. Together those rods and cones meet with their cell friend ganglion, and they pass along a secret message through each synapse in a game of telephone till it reaches the occipital lobe of my brain. And finally, after I have already moved and the atoms and molecules have changed from their original position, the telephoned message is decoded and a lovely, time displaced, image is produced; and there is my reflection staring back at me.
But is this a portal into the future, the present or the past? Because, at the present moment I am eye-to-glass with the mirror, searching to see my physical body in the immediate now. I look to the right and my reflection looks to its left. It does exactly what I do at seemingly the same rate creating an illusion of synchronicity; but by the time my brain registers what my eyes see, enough milliseconds have passed to where dozens of cells may have divided into two or randomly died, altering my physical appearance before I can really see it as it is. So I am always looking at a delayed version of myself.
The looking glass is indeed a portal to the past! How did I forget that mirrors are optical illusions? It goes to show that there are no accurate visual representations of yourself. Even now, the image I see is of me in the past. I take a few steps back from the full length looking glass and examine myself. With attentive hands I grope at the thickness of my thighs and pull on the skin beneath my chin…Is this the right amount? Is this healthy? I wonder. Does what I see correspond to how it really looks?
With smooth skin almost touching the glass, I inspect the size of my pores and brush away a fallen eye lash from my cheek. The tips of my pointer fingers trace my eye brows and circle down beneath my eyes where there are puffy, purple loops. I should fix that. With skin toned concealer? I examine the array of colors. The bags are not dark enough for me to want to paint over them. No, concealer is too much... what then? I read once in a magazine that pressing small ice cubes to the swollen region beneath your eyes will minimize the puffiness. That will probably work. Bingo…that’s what I’ll do. But next time I will just make sure to go to bed at a decent hour so that my circadian rhythms are in sync and those pesky puffs don‘t appear again.
I stand back and slowly pull through the long curly tresses of my pumpkin hair with a tortuous shell comb. The wavering evening light sets every strand on fire. It looks rather nice today, I wonder if he will admire the way it falls over my eyes. I think he likes that…but then again…I never can tell. With a scrutinizing eye, I inspect my appearance again.
What will he notice? Will he pay attention the circles under my eyes and be able to tell that I haven’t been sleeping well, or will his man-gaze go directly to my curves to calculate how my body has changed since I last saw him?
This thought sends me twirling in circles to look at the shapeliness of my butt. I run my hands over my breasts, cup them and then pull them together. Well, I muse, the man’s occipital lobe is larger than a woman’s, so he is more sensitive to sight. He sees so much more than I do when I look at myself in the mirror. It is so different. I wonder if he has X-ray vision too? I grab for a blouse from my closet and cover up my cleavage.
This is so annoying. The tightness of the blouse restricts the full extension of my arms. I feel like I am wrapped in a delicately hand-crafted straitjacket. It is sexy and will modestly flaunt the shape of my body, but is too difficult to do anything practical in. Grunting, I strip it off and rummage through my closet, scooting aside a satin black dress for a sweater.
Dressed down, I face the mirror again. I may not look as stunning as I did a minute before, but, I think he will appreciate my comfort. Right? This new image looks confident and secure in her own skin. I lick my dry lips, pinch my cheeks for a touch of color, and then move away.
As I slide in the lock to my home on my way out, I ponder how much a mirror effects who you are as a person. How the expressions you make to yourself in the looking glass may never been seen by another human being. And how different he must look in the light of his self reflection. I take my notebook from my bag and jot this down:

“I want to see you
The way you see yourself
When you look into the looking glass.”

Magical Winter Bridal Shoot

2009-11-25T23:37:00.000-08:00

Winter Wonderland in Florida - the spread inspires creative ideas for dry winter weddings in sunny Florida. If it does not snow here naturally, simply order some in boxes!

Style Me Pretty "This Is Fashion" from Eric Torres on Vimeo.

The shoot was headed up by talented fashion photographer Agnes Lopez, styled by Liza Chung and is featured on Style Me Pretty.com.

Inspiring Song by Florez

2009-09-16T17:16:00.000-07:00

My playlist randomly played a great song today - "Hold Me Down" by Florez. The album Find Yourself came out in 2003, but the lyrics are timeless.

This blog does not have the option of posting songs, so I made a simple video just so that you can hear the song.

"Hold Me Down"

I can't tell no lies
my bloods been shed
it's in your eyes
your hands are red

My shades are drawn
head hung in shame
I might be wrong
but it's your I blame

My strength is like an ever ebbing tide
and in my weakness I concede my pride

I let you beat me down

I'm at a loss for words and I can't speak
But I will scream and I will scream away

If you kick me while I'm down

I will quicken my resolve until the blood you spent it due
I won't be conquered by your hate instead I'll wait and let it conquer you

I will be strong inside
but will I survive what you put me through

eyes straight ahead
my heads on straight.
Hear what I say,
I will do better today.

My strength is surging like a rising tide
and my weakness took the place of my pride

I've finally come around

My mouth is full of words that I can't speak
so I scream and I will scream until I weep

If you kick me while I'm down

I will quicken my resolve until your punishment is through
I won't be conquered by your hate instead I'll wait and let it conquer you

I will be stronger
because I have survived what you put me through

But hold me down
until I break free and I will fly
but I wont come down
until I touch the highest reaches of the sky

But hold me down
under water till I cannot breathe
but I won't drown
I will rise up and I'll be redeemed

I meant what I said, I am a new man today

Colloidal Elements Series

2009-09-14T17:01:00.000-07:00

The Colloidal Elements Series was conceptualized after I fell off a skate board in Central Florida. I took a ridiculous tumble down a hill and scraped my left shoulder pretty bad. My grandmother suggested I use colloidal silver spray as an antiseptic; it is her cureall solution to any ailment from superficial scrapes to arthritis.

The wound healed very fast. The result piqued my curiosity, so I did a little research to know more about colloidal silver.

Colloidal Silver and Colloidal Gold are microscopic nanoparticles that remain suspended in a liquid without forming ionic bonds. Both have been used throughout history as elixirs, though their actual benefits to human health are still questionable. Actually, if you ingest too much colloidal silver, it will turn your skin smurf blue - a condition known as Argyria. But that is not what inspired the blue hued woman in the painting above.

I was inspired by the image of isolation and suspension. The man and woman in each series are a visual representation of healing on an elementary level. They are the silver and gold.

Anyway, it is good to know that something good can come out of a silly accident.