Stitched Portraits: George and Mike Kuchar

I've had to play catch-up on the portraits of the past few days because of a project that I had to really devote some time to, but I was too excited about the birthday that fell on August 31. For one, it is the first set of twins in the collection. And two, they are an amazing underground filmmaking sibling duo that have been making them since they received their first cameras at the age of 12. Friday would have been George's 70th birthday, but sadly he passed last year. Mike, however, is alive and teaching a filmmaking course at The Art Institute of San Francisco that his brother had previously taught for close to 40 years. Mike has graciously taken over for his brother.

Up until 1965, the brothers made films together, often with 8mm and 16mm film. However, when they began making pictures separately, they each made their best works:

George made Hold Me While I'm Naked in 1966.

Mike made Sins of the Fleshapoids in 1965 which majorly influenced John Waters, so thank you John, and thank you Mike.

Obsessions beget obsessions and become obsessions and more obsessions and if this project has taught me anything, it's that there are so many interesting people to find and it's worth all the digging.

George and Mike Kuchar (in the sixties, together, and happy)

Stitched Portraits: Paul Reubens

"I KNOW YOU ARE, BUT WHAT AM I!!!"

"Whenever anyone hears the secret word, SCREAM REAL LOUD, OK?!"

"Why don't you marry it?"

...Legendary phrases from a legendary character played by a really sweet, fun man with a penchant for the weird and the quirky. Pee-Wee Herman - the character, the movies, and the show were quite possibly the most influential creative force in my life, ever. Whenever I think about an idea, I think of it in context of Pee Wee's Playhouse. Subconsciously I ask myself, "Would this fit in the Playhouse?"

Paul Reubens, the man who made him, turned 60 years old yesterday and has recently revived Pee-Wee after a very long hiatus. He still retains the whimsy, the energy, and the youthfulness that made it all so special in the first place.

See early Pee-Wee here.

See one of the best scenes from his Christmas special here.

See him now, here.

Paul Reubens (as Pee-Wee, sweet-faced):

Stitched Portraits: Tim Burton

A cause for wonder in my early years, Tim Burton's films were unlike the other movies I saw as a little kid. Edward Scissorhands existed in the kind of world I recognized, but the reality was elevated, possibly my first glimpse into magical realism. Beetlejuice was possibly my first dark comedy. And Pee-Wee's Big Adventure introduced me to the character who would most influence everything for me (see tomorrow).

Despite commercial success, Burton is an auteur and a visual director inspired by The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Grand Guignol, and the stop-motion of Ray Harryhausen. His early shorts (Vincent and Frankenweenie) were a glimpse into everything he would subsequently do. A few years ago he was given a retrospect of his work at MOMA which showcased everything he's done, including: the pictures he made as a boy, the frustrated drawings he would make all over his Disney animation pad, and the costumes, puppets, sets, and preliminary character sketches that defined his films - modern fairy tale masterpieces.

Tim Burton (young and brooding):

Stitched Portraits: Letta Mbulu

Michael Jackson's Bad is kind of incredible from start to finish, but the standout track for me has always been "Liberian Girl". Much of that has to do with the Swahili chant of "Naku Penda pia, Naku Taka pia, Mpenziwe!" uttered by Letta Mbulu, a jazz singer from South Africa. In addition to working with Michael, she's also recorded with Cannonball Adderley, David Axelrod, and Harry Belafonte. She turned 70 years old today.

Letta Mbulu (stunning, youth):

Stitched Portraits: Dorothy Parker

"I'm too fucking busy, and vice versa"

Four be the things I'd been better without:
Love, curiosity, freckles, and doubt.

"I don't care what is written about me so long as it isn't true"

Some men tear your heart in two,
Some men flirt and flatter,
Some men never look at you,
And that clears up the matter.

"Ducking for apples - change one letter and it's the story of my life"

If I didn't care for fun and such,
I'd probably amount to much.
But I shall stay the way I am,
Because I do not give a damn.

- Dorothy Parker:

Stitched Portraits: David Lochary

John Waters made movies with his friends since his first film, Hag in a Black Leather Jacket. The group of people he featured as actors came to be known as the Dreamlanders. David Lochary was in every film after Hag and up to Female Trouble.

In Pink Flamingos he played Raymond Marble - one half of the villainous wannabe filth duo that sought to dethrone Divine as the "Filthiest Person Alive" (Mink Stole, the other). To dye his hair blue for the role he bleached it and opened up blue markers, using the ink for color.

In his personal life he was a best friend to Divine and his original makeup artist.
Sadly, Lochary died at the too young age of 32.

David Lochary (as Donald Dasher):

Stitched Portraits: Coco Chanel

She is better known for her contributions to fashion rather than her anti-Semitism, but I could not ignore the latter. On the one hand, Coco Chanel liberated women from suffocating garb by creating loose and sophisticated designs that spoke a new language, influencing modern dress to this day. On the other, she used her position as an Aryan to attempt to unseat her Jewish counterparts in the perfume business and worked as a Nazi spy.

An Enigma,
Coco Chanel
(wearing an unlikely neck decoration):

Stitched Portraits: Herb Vogel

Last night I had the chance to see the Vogel show for free due to a late night party at the RISD museum. Herb and Dorothy Vogel have donated 50 pieces from their collection to each of the 50 states and RISD was the chosen institution from Rhode Island. It only seemed fitting to stitch Herb yesterday for his birthday, only weeks after his passing, and on the same night I first viewed a piece of the Vogel aesthetic.

A little history - Herb and Dorothy Vogel were married in 1962 and began collecting difficult yet interesting minimalist and post-minimalist art in 1965. Unlike typical art buyers, they came from very modest earnings. Herb was a postal worker, Dorothy a librarian. Her salary paid the bills, his salary bought the art. In their tiny apartment, they amassed a huge collection of mostly smaller works by sculptors and painters. There is a really great documentary about them if you want more of their story. I am in love with them. They are wonderful and it was sad to hear that Herb is gone in the midst of this validation of a life's work.

Herb Vogel (August 16, 1922 – July 22, 2012):