VLOG: Speakeasy Electro Swing Party with Vaudevill Acts: Fire Pheonix (Part 1)

Speakeasy Electro Swing Party, organized by DJ Eliazar, Megan & Khalil. Vaudeville Acts inlcuded Fire Pheonix, Jamye La Luna, Belly Dancing by Keera Sama and more. This video blog is part 1, focused on Fire Pheonix. Body Painting by The Art of April-Anna.

New Illustration!

I just completed this dragonfly illustration in pencil, pen & ink with some pointalism. I will probably use this drawing later on in a painting on canvas, possibly also may do some body painting based on it later on.

Eviction of Occupy Wallstreet

Vlog: Wedding Shoot: Behind the Scenes: Di Carlo Couture Fashion

Music by Mushroom Lounge Recordings.

04/03/2011 Video Journal for The Art of April-Anna, make-up artist for this photoshoot. Official photographer; Andrei Kalamkarov, assistant photographer; Lili Labelle, amateur photographer, April-Anna.

Di Carlo Couture is by Antoinette Di Carlo, her website is: http://www.dicarlocouture.com

Andrei Kalamkarov:
http://www.beautifulshot.com

The Art of April-Anna
http://theartofapril-anna.blogspot.com
www.aprilanna.com

Vlog 52nd Annual Gem & Mineral Show Montreal

52nd ANNUAL GEM & MINERAL SHOW

Beautiful sunny autumn afternoon, I got some gorgeous shots of my neighborhood. I love that Montreal no longer uses pesticides, beautiful to see nature being allowed to be natural.

The 52nd annual Gem & Mineral Show finishes this Sunday, at Place Bonaventure. I went today with my fiancee, I have only been once before, which I think was in 2008, but at that time it was at the hippodrome. I am really happy to say that Place Bonaventure is only a ten minute walk from our home. Last time, I had to walk for 20 minutes in a blizzard (same time of the year), thank-fully ol'Jack-Frost is still hiding somewhere in the North Pole!

I fantasize about one day being able to buy something really large and not very practical from the rock & gem show. My fiancee thinks I am nuts, I admit, going to the show affects me like a fevor. Or like one would expect of the tales of how people reacted when they discovered the rivers of North America had gold littered in them like rocks. For me though it's an incredible visual stimulus of texture, colour, light and shadow. While I may not paint these specific things, it very much inspires me in my art. 

This piece of petrified wood was huge and incredible. It reminds me that there is a forest of petrified trees which I believe is located in the states. I would love to go walk through that forest. Can you imagine? Everything turned to crystal & stone. I am in awe of what mother nature produces, it blows my mind to think about how crystals grow, creatures & plants fossolize, and can take thousands or millions of years to come to be as we see it today.



Les Exclusivites Annie



My step-dad calls the following stone a "thunder egg", I guess it's what the local indigenous people call them. I remember being out in the woods with him swimming in a pool in the river and him pointing out to me these round, oval stones and explaining that if we were to carefully crack one open, it would be full of crystals. I was maybe 10 or 11, so this was pretty magical to me at the time (especially considering I was voraciously reading books about magical adventures that involved dragons, faerie and crossing dimensions).

Contest! Vaudeville Speakeasy Electro Swing 11-11-11

Contest! Be the 7th person to email me, and you'll win 2 guest spots for the Vaudeville themed Speakeasy Electro Swing Club party that is on Nov 11th at Sala Rosa, Montreal. To enter, just email me with the title "Vaudeville Contest" and tell me why you love vaudeville! The 7th email I receive wins! aprilanna@aprilanna.com

Vaudeville Speakeasy Electro Swing 11-11-11
The Art of April-Anna is going to be doing a live demonstration of full body painting on two performers who will perform on stage that evening; Keera Sama, belly dancer, and Pheonix, who will be doing a juggling act with knives that night.

Speakeasy Electroswing, Montreal

Friday 11 November à la Sala Rossa

22h-3h - 8 $ à la porte

Introduction gratuite à la danse swing par Studio 88 Swing à partir de 22h jusqu'à 23h.

Résidents DJs : Eliazar, Don Mescal, and Khalil

Visuals by VJ BXL

Vaudeville theme with dancers, circus, and performances ...

Live Body Painting by The Art of April-Anna

Partner Camuz

Free mix CD of electro swing for the 50 first visitors

DRESS CODE: Swing Style like the 30's

Welcome to the retro-future. As our economy revisits the depression era, it is time for our culture to revel in the glory of those days. It is time to get snazzed up, and get down to the sounds of Electro Swing that have been taking over the UK and the rest of Europe in the last few years. We are bringing you the first monthly event to focus on these sounds of now on this continent where the music began. As we scour the crates of dusty old record stores and remake these songs into club tunes of today, updating the swing sounds with electro, hip hop, house, bass, and dub. The sounds have been spreading through the Electro Swing compilations on Wagram music out of France, and the White Mink/Black Cotton albums from the UK in the past few years. With Electro Swing coming to every major festival in the EU this summer, we know it will only take a moment for folks on this side of the sea to find out why we are all working up a sweat about the sound.

With packed monthlies in London, Berlin, Torino, Paris, Antwerp and beyond, we will be bringing you both the sounds of tradition, and the sound of the future.

Speakeasy Electro-Swing Montreal show in Montreal at Sala Rossa promises to be treat with our DJ's Eliazar, Don Mescal, and Khalil. The visual entertainment with be on the silent movie theme by our own VJ BXL.

This month we have a Vaudeville theme with dancers, body painting, and performances to razzle and dazzle you throughout the night.

To start off the night, we will be having free swing dance lessons brought to you by the Studio 88-SWING from 10-11pm with the electro swing grooves warming you up.

There will be a contest for the best dressed lady and gent at the event , the prize being a pass to every Electro Swing event for the year.

This round is only $8 for all the fun and entertainment of the evening... with a free mix cd of electro swing goodness free for the first 50 visitors to our soiree. Come dressed in swing style to keep the groove alive, and part like it is 1929.....

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Bienvenue dans le monde de L’Électro Swing

Alors que notre économie paraît replonger dans le même marasme que celui des années 30, pourquoi ne pas plutôt se souvenir de la folie de cette période et oublier notre quotidien.

Il est temps pour vous de découvrir le son unique de l’Électro swing qui à embrasé les foules à travers toute l’Europe depuis les deux dernières années.

Ce style musical s’est répandu à travers les compilations de Wagram en France et celle de White mink/Black cotton au Royaume-Uni.

Alors que l’Électro swing est à l’honneur dans plusieurs festivals et club européens, (Londres, Paris, Zurich,Turin, Berlin) ce n’est qu’une question de temps avant que la vague nu-swing déferle sur l’Amérique du Nord.

Soyez parmi les premiers à surfer sur cette vague et joignez-vous au rendez-vous mensuel que nous vous proposons.

Une soirée Électro swing vous transporte dans une ambiance de bar clandestin de la prohibition avec costumes et accessoires sur un fond sonore mixant le swing, le hiphop, la house, le breakbeat et la drum and bass.

L’Électro Swing Club Montréal se déroulera à la Sala Rossa le samedi 16 Juillet avec les residents Dj Eliazar, Don Mescal et Khalil et les visuel de de VJ BXL

Partenaire : Camuz

Behind the Scenes: Wedding Fashion Shoot

Behind the Scenes: Fashion Shoot Last March

My footage & photos had disapeared from my computer (I have no idea what happened) for most of the past year since March. Although, as things went, I never had time to make a video journal (some call it a vlog) until recently. I made a behind the scenes of the fashion shoot I did the make-up for Di Carlo Couture: made to measure dresses. Take a look:

Recipe for Love

"Recipe for Love" Film Set

I just finished watching Recipe For Love, a beautiful & attractive film creation of writer, director & producer, Chauncey Wales. "Recipe for Love" is showing in Montreal on November 5th at the Image+nation film festival this coming weekend. To quote Image+nation's website: "The way to the girl of your dream’s heart is always through the palate.". Starring Coriander Stasi, & Fernanda Jimena; I didn't know anything about the film before hand. I enjoy not knowing, because of the adventure of the experience with no preconceived notions.

Make-up Artist Anna Vida working on actress Fernanda, "Chance".

Being an artist, I really enjoy the abstract display of colours, textures, and movement of the background behind the opening credits. The music is pretty, the film is high quality and there seems to be a Latin-American influence. It's sexy. I love the introduction, setting the stage with the market place, the use of the Portuguese language. Despite not understanding what is being said, it gives depth to the way characters are being introduced. Unfortunately the subtitles are sometimes difficult to read, sometimes going by too fast. What I do enjoy about the subtitles is that I can see an effort has been made to make them gel with the over all artistic presentation of the film.

Characters, Chance and Juliet first noticing their mutual attraction to one another.

 I like the attention to the minutiae, her dancing feet, the passion of food selection & preparation, the scent of olive oil, taking in every detail. The acting is very good quality, the characters are easy to believe in, and get drawn into the world that is being created. Party way through watching the movie, my fiancee walked in the door over hearing parts of the film. At first he commented the script was a bit artificial, but then he stayed, and after a few scenes he spoke up, saying that he was changing his mind about his original statement. He elaborated that the acting just needed more context. The more he watched, the more the story hooked him in.

Dinner scene, where Juliet is initiating a big thank-you to Chance for her amazing cooking skills.

 The characters, Juliet and Chance, meet because of a cleaning contract, but there is a clear attraction between the two women, despite the fact that they are supposed to be employer and employee. Juliet has just gotten out of a heterosexual relationship, but it's unclear if she is bi-curious or actually bi-sexual. I personally think this is good since it allows a larger audience to potentially appreciate the film. Chance turns out to be a genius with cooking, and so Juliet hires her to cater an important family dinner. Needless to say, a late night leads the women into other adventures. I don't want to give away too much of the story, so I'll hold my tongue on saying more.

Chance's artistic dinner presentation.

I didn't realize it was going to be a short film, it has the feeling of a feature film. With the pace the story was taking, I was expecting a much longer story. When the film reached the end, I was taken off guard, it seemed like an abrupt ending. Despite the sudden conclusion of the film, I like the ending itself. Beautiful & thought provoking sentiments. I did find myself reflecting on my own life experiences in order to relate to the film, and the message. Just a reminder of how sometimes the little moments in life can be so transformative, sometimes changing the entire direction of your life.

Video blog Halloween 2011

Video journal for Hallowe'en, Samhain, 2011. I went as Mictecacihuatl, the Aztec Goddess of the underworld. Montreal, QC, Canada. I show the different stages of the make-up in this video from beginning to finished product.

Mictecacihuatl

I had two clients flake out tonight; I was really miffed and antsy as a result. My fingers were itching to get creative. I tried to convince my fiancee to let me paint him as a dragon (I have horns for him too), but he wasn't going for it. I sulked for a while, but eventually got over it by painting myself as Mictecacihuatl. Of Aztec origin, she is the Queen of Mictlan, the underworld & afterlife. Traditionally she is represented with a defleshed body and jaw agape to swallow the stars during the day.

It took me 2.5 hours to paint myself, then another 1/2 to decide what I was wearing; waste cincher or corset? If I go with the corset, which corset? The so called "Harley Davidson" (Ziggy's midnight shopping on Ebay) corset, or the really pretty but unauthentic red one? After 15 minutes I decide I am not in the mood for wearing a corset, and settle on the waste cincher. Flowers, vines, feathers, a shawl and a black cloak later, I was ready to leave the house. Unfortunately there were no interesting events happening tonight, so being the eccentric artist I am, Ziggy and I went for dinner at Oyster Shack.

To end my night, I went for a bike ride up to the mile-end to visit my good friend, Jamie Brock of Advika Clothing. We talked, giggled, watched some short shows, did a 2am photoshoot, then I headed home. Bike riding there and back was lovely, very pretty, I love Montreal's old architecture, the colour of the amber street lights combined with slowly changing leafy trees, coasting through Mount Royal Park, it was a lovely end to a very good evening. It was also especially fun seeing people's reactions to me riding along in a black cloak done up the way I was!