Art Basel -- International Destination of Art and Party

From the streets of Paris, tunnels of London to buildings in LA, VOG has gone international. But the true indicator for any artist on a global scale is to be represented at Art Basel.

As the ambitious girl that I am, I absolutely had to take part in the festival...and it had to be this year. I'd do pop-up work if it meant having art at that time. But I reached out to a few friends to see what all could be done. The Mai Tai crew once again proved itself invaluable. Hotelier and fellow kiter Dirk Goldwasser of The Betsy Hotel hooked me up with the right people.

Live VOG painting at Catalina Hotel Rooftop Art Basel Party

Before I knew it, I was the featured artist of a swanky South Beach hotel party for Saturday night. My schedule was pretty tight...fly in Friday night, bikini photo-shoot Saturday day, art show Saturday night. We decided that a "live" surfboard art installation would be the easiest. The finished board was to be donated to the Miami Surf Archive Project.

In true Miami form, a new swimwear line (Todd Barrett Swimwear) launched during the party. Clearly it's not a real Miami party without a dozen girls in bikinis. ;)  The event was a huge success. It wasn't the largest or most exclusive party on the beach (p-diddy had his just across the street) but it was an awesome way to put my name out there, donate to a good cause, and prep for a bigger exhibit next year.

Before going I hadn't grasped the full magnitude of Art Basel. It is the largest, most prestigious art show in the Americas and world-renown social highlight to boot. The official convention center is only a fraction of the events happening all over the city. Every hotel on South Beach, warehouse in the design district, and street wall in Winwood, becomes a showcase of art. 

Since I'm obsessed with street art, the next day I went to check out the Wynwood walls. I could not believe it. All the buildings in this entire part of mid-town were covered in street art. Wow. For all the art I saw over the weekend...this area impressed me most. 

I wondered: How do you get to do a building here? I wished I had my spray paint on me. I passed by one guy writing on a wall so I figured I'd ask him.  His name was Pablo Power. He had been writing graffiti for over 20 years. Pablo offered to share his space with me if I could get my hands on a ladder to reach it. Sweet! The paint store was only a few blocks away. I bought some basic colors and an old shirt for painting in from the thrift store next door. Pablo found me a ladder.

The sun was setting at this point. I had only a few hours before I had to go and had never painted in the dark before. Pablo and I painted side by side as he told me stories of the old days painting train cars at night. I was a bit discouraged by the nozzles of the cans and paint I used. This wasn't my most epic of VOG peices but it was one of the most memorable. 

Pablo Power working on his design (left),  he made room the VOG man sitting atop a wave above a doorway (right)

I believe three things: 1) You make your own luck—if you believe in something and it’s meant to be, with a little effort the universe will give it to you. 2) Just Do It. You never know the amazing people and adventures that await.  Better to make mistakes than regrets.  And 3) Kiteboarding has the most resourceful, well-connected network of people in the world.

Life Is Beautiful.

History Inspired Art

My artwork is contemporary and inspired by modern culture.  While in Paris however I made a point to visit one of the most historic and treasured galleries of all time--the Louvre. I was surprisingly overwhelmed by my visit. Experiencing classic pieces for the first time is awe-inspiring. For hundreds of years these masterpieces have invoked emotion to their audience. I was no different.

The Louvre is the largest museum in the world and it is nearly impossible to cram all four floors and the thousands of pieces artwork into a single visit. So of what I did manage to see, two sculptures particularly moved me: The Winged Victory of Samothrace and Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss.

"Winged Victory of Samothrace"

The Winged Victory of Samothrace (circa 190 BC) is one of the most celebrated sculptures in the world. It has prominently been displayed in the Louvre since 1884. 

The Greek Goddess Nike (Victory) is the goddess of strength, speed and victory. Just being in the same room as her made me feel like I can conquer the world.  This statue represents a strong beautiful woman shining victoriously in her battles. She represents the ultimate in "girl power."


My other favorite is Antonio Canova's 1787 marble sculpture Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss. The god Cupid, in the height of love and tenderness, awakens the lifeless Psyche with a kiss. This piece exemplifies the Neoclassical devotion to love and emotion.  Maybe it's just Paris, but I can't help but be drawn to the intimate embrace between 'heart' and 'soul.'

Cupid and Psyche are the ultimate love story. These two heart throbs weren't destined to be together, but their love was so strong that their bond endured all trials and surpassed all expectations. And yes, they lived happily ever after. Nearly every beloved fairy tale and disney movie take root from their epic romance. The moment I laid eyes on them my eyes watered and my heart skipped a beat. Anyone who knows of the deep soulful yearnings that true love brings can't help but be moved by this sculpture.

From fearless females, to storybook endings...the emotions conveyed by these two sculptures stand the test of time. They might influence even the most modern artists still. ;)


Part II.

After feeling so inspired by these two sculptures I was determined to include them into my upcoming Paris street art piece. I sketched out some ideas to incorporate. If the army of VOG men go on dreamlike surf, skate and kite adventues... maybe VOG in Paris should reflect his mood and adventures there.

VOG and his dog would totally skate the bottom

of the Eiffel tower. And in the city of love, VOG angels would stand proud and would totally get in on with his girlfriend, Cupid and psyche style.

I had reached out over the past few weeks to fellow street art friends in Europe, and street art writers to find out where I could do my next VOG installation legally. (**see my London Post for tips on legal tagging)

Rue Denoyez was the place to go. It's an awesome alley-like street and is the only one designated for graffiti artists. Selecting a space to paint isn't easy however because it means tagging over someone else. In surfing, some of the best spots can have real localism on waves. You gotta respect the best local riders. Street artists can be equally territorial.

So...on this street with so much cool talent I took a good long look before making a decision. Per usual, the new VOG space feels obvious....


I started with the classic wave with every intent to keep in line with the the Parisian VOG sketches. Paris in the winter however is cold, rainy and dark. Did I mention cold? Due to weather, and time constraints I opted for the classic VOG man tag.  Guess I'll just have to go back to do the other. :)

Go Big. Go London.

Ever since I did my first street mural on the side of a building, I can't look at a simple canvas the same again. I am addicted to the rush of creating something even larger, even bigger, even greater than I ever imagined. It seems that every city, every home I enter, I look at giant walls as my own personal canvas.

I went to a London for a variety of reasons. LeWeb tech conference, the Royal Henley Regatta...But I only had one goal in mind. I want to do cool street art installations in as many cities as possible; London the first on the list.

Some signs, I can't help myslef ;)

When selecting a location it's important for me to do it legally. Or at least try my best to. **Disclaimer: there are always exceptions to that rule ;)  I consider myself an artist (not a criminal) so seek approval and often commission for pieces. I'm a people pleaser. I want to create inspiring art in spaces that both the owner and the general public will enjoy.

How to get started in a new city? I start by contacting every person I know in the area and searching online for the popular street art destinations. Turns out London has several neighborhoods all over the city famous for street art, Shoreditch one of the most visited.

I believe when you put your mind to something you're meant to do, life will help you there. While at a dinner for LeWeb, I sat next to a fantastic woman who introduced me to Spencer Hyman, founder of Art Finder --an amazing interactive app to finding and learning about the art in your area. Perfect!

Remi's recent UK masterpiece

Through Spencer I met Caro Howell, and Remi Rough. Caro is Director of the Foundlings Museum. A museum based on a special hospital that fostered, educated and taught arts to London's abandoned children (an inspiring place and worth the visit if you're ever in the area. Remi, one of the UK and the world's most widely recognized street artists. Remi gave me a mini tour of a few of his massive installations across the city and pointed me toward Leake Street Tunnel, right below the Waterloo Station. Leak St tunnel became renown for its high profile taggers (Banksy's notorious "cans" festival made it's mark) and that it is the only privately owned space allowing any and all public graffiti.

Nevermind big ben, the royal henley, the amazing shopping at Herrod's... give me some spray cans and a dirty tunnel and I might just be the happiest girl yet. This piece was especially fun... xoxo

Art in Action

Just want to give an update that I finished my first street art mural. Yay! We had a party tonight at the Venice Crawl to celebrate. I'm sure I'll have better/more photos (or you can check out the facebook page). This project was truly a grassroots event. All the money raised has gone toward creating the first ever action sports program for the youth of "dogtown" aka Venice, CA. It was incredible to have so much support, and involvement from students, teachers, parents, athletes, fellow artists, friends and community members. The ripple effect building from this effort, might be one of my proudest accomplishments to date. (Not because of the scale, (although stoked to have painted a huge ass wall) but for what it stands for. One student told me working on this has inspired him to start his own clothing line...and he's now got shirts and designs ready to print. A teacher from Beverly Hills High came out to give personal thanks. Many more offerer services, help and gratitude. It was an honor to be recognized and part of a true community event where everyone gathered to support each other and our youth. All together, we made an impact. There was a lot of love this evening, and it made me appreciate all the people in my life who have inspired me. Many of whom, do not live in LA and could not be there. It makes me sad to be so far away, but I'm grateful for the unwavering love, support and understanding. Family is the greatest community of all.

Putting up the finishing touches. Man, do I love that scissor lift.

Breakwater view details inside the barrel.

 All lit up.

 Grassroots baby!

 Students tagging the bottom half of the wall. They're not allowed to use spray paint in school, so this is an extra-curricular skill.