Kehinde Wiley

I've wanted to get this post up for a while now. If you have seen the show empire, is art hoe like me, or have just seen these massive portraits anywhere, then you know a little bit about Kehinde Wiley.

He is known for taking the black figure and painting them in royal traditional styles that you would usually find with European figures like the king, queen or noblemen.
The best part about this is that he has done famous people as well and he does it all from live subjects! meaning he gets his model and they pose for him while he paints. The subjects also pick which historical picture they want to portray although not all of them need to come from something historical.

There is an exhibit currently being held for Wiley showcasing fourteen years of his work at the Brooklyn Museum  (click to go directly to the page talking about Kehinde). The exhibit is going to be up until May 24, 2015 so you have some time if you wanna check it out but I suggest going this Saturday because the museum is a having a free first Saturday where you can party it up AND see Kehinde for FREE.

And if you don't live in NY don't worry, click here  for some pics people have captured on twitter. Or I guess you could google but this is more fun right?

Okay so one more thing before we get to the pictures, I've seen Wiley's work at the BK Museum before but I've only seen male figures. In this new exhibit it shows both male and female which are just beautiful and I haven't seen before. He also has some bronze bust work that are just so detailed. Anyway lets get to it!

Kehinde Wiley: A New Republic

Just look how vibrant his colors are. It blows my mind that our eyes can even pick this up. And these portraits are larger then life they are massive.

See the detail on the bronze? Like he captured a black woman's facial expression so beautifully. The lips, nose, everything! and look at the detail on the cross. He even gave her hoop earrings. How do you even do that?

Oh my god and the hair!  

There was actually a fee other pieces like this down the fall but this is the one I connected with the most. I think it's suppose to be the disciples. If not, it's still very church related. He also did some work with stain glass like the windows you see in churches. 

 I love this one! the colors are so peaceful and I like how the pink looks with the birds and the dark background.

My mom really liked this one I find it interesting. He obviously has a black panther (black power movement)  patch on his jacket but the octopus I'm half sure has to do with Hitler I could be wrong those are just my personally observations.

This painting is part of Kehinde's first series on the woman figure and her gown is designer by Riccardo Tisci.

                                

                                                                                     E.L Destiny

Weekly ootd (College edition)

So I'm in my third semester in college and I'm so ready to be done with this chapter of my life and move on!

I wanted to record a day by day of what I wear to all my classes. I have class from mon-fri at different times. The clothes I pick really show how I'm feeling that day or how hectic my schedule will be. If it's a crazy schedule I tend to gravitate more towards comfortable clothes like jeans and sneakers.  If the weather is nice, then I dress up a little. But the weather has been wishy washy in New York lately.

Outfit 1 Monday

On Monday I usually hang out with my mom then go to class which starts at 6pm. But THIS time I had a group interview. The dress code was to be comfy so I wore this which is my version of comfy but still interview appropriate. 

Shirt: Target

Hounds Tooth Pants: Forever21

Leather: converse

Outfit 2 Tuesday

On Tuesday I volunteer earlier in the afternoon and then have class at 5pm. So I dressed in what I call my ultimate comfy clothes since I didn't want to get out of bed.

Sweatshirt: Forever21

Jeans: H&M

Boots: Steve Madden

Outfit 3 Wednesday

Wednesday was busy from start to finish. I got up bright and early to get to my Astronomy class to take my exam, had like a three hour study break, then went to my afternoon class. 

I literally dressed in the most comfy jeans ever.

But I was also half asleep and these pictures were taken when I got home later that day that's why my face is awol.

Jeans: Aeropstale

Tank: H&M

Plaid: Nadia Aboulhosn's closet (forever21)

Sneakers: Converse+DIY

Tattoo Chocker: gift

Peace Chocker: DIY

Outfit 3 Thursday

Thursday was super duper chill. One class and it was art. I also found out that my Friday class was canceled and I just stood home and slept all day so there was no outfit.

Jeans: Old Navy

Knit Sweater: H&M

Sneakers: Payless (old)

And that was my outfits for this week! It was hard making sure I captured every outfit but it was a fun challenged. I'll definitely do more of these as the weather gets nicer.

                                                                                                                     E.L Destiny

Village ootd or the shitty picture club.

Hello all!
So I went to the East Village in Manhattan yesterday with the bae. It was our year anniversary.
It's creepy knowing you've known someone for so long but on the other hand a year is not that long -but it is. See creepy.
Anyway here is what I wore.
p.s I will take better pictures of my outfit next time.

 Random impromptu picture in my room x)

OKAY I LOVE this jacket SO MUCH. I got it back in 2013 from forever21 and I have been in love ever since. 

Whatever forever

Cheeky eye'd picture because it was 11 at night. 

Dress: Thrift store

Sneakers: Leather converse

Jean Jacket: Forever21

Rings: the 'E' is DIY and the heart is one I've had forever.

Earrings: DIY

Watch: American Apparel 

Bag: Payless

                                                                                                                                             E.L Destiny

Keith Haring

I absolutely LOVE Keith Haring. He is one of my favorite artist if not the favorite. I'm always on the look out for shows exhibiting his work and luckily I found a small show going on in Chelsea (Manhattan).

Last weekend I took my boyfriend on a surprise date to a Keith Haring exhibit at the Skarstedt Gallery. He's never seen Keith's work up close so this was a very special moment. The exhibit ends on April 18 so if you wanna go see the five massive pieces on display get to it!
                       

                 Click on the pictures to see them bigger and in more detail

Website: Skarstedt

Keith Haring: Heaven and Hell

 For some reason this looks more like a neon red in the picture but it was actually a bright pink. Also, can I have this in my house?

 I was really interested in the fact he showed the brain in the computer screen. Maybe indicating the computer has a brain of it's own, OR because he placed it on a human body, it could mean we no longer have brains; the computers think for us.

 This huge piece you can clearly see the 'hell' aspects. The drawings are arranged in such a way that it looks like fire on the black background.

This took up the whole wall from right to left whereas the other drawings took up space from top to bottom.

E. L Destiny

Breakfast Smoothie

I love breakfast smoothies. They don't necessarily have to be breakfast, I just prefer them at this time because it fills me up and gives me a kick.
Today I'll share the smoothie I had pre-workout to keep me focused and my stomach from growling.

This is a coconut water based smoothie but I have used just water in my smoothies when I run out and it's a good alternative if you don't like coconut water. OR you can use yogurt or juice (I personally don't like too).

The first thing you need to make sure you have is a blender or another mechanical device that will help you get these results. Do they even have a machine specifically called smoothie maker?
I'm using a Magic Bullet.

 So lets get that Coconut Water ready! You can either pour this first into your cup or whatever container you're going to use to mix everything. I'm using the Goya brand with pulp.

 Then get your fruits ready. I like using frozen fruits because they act as the ice as well as the flavor. I'm using this Dole mixed fruit pack. It comes with strawberries, grapes, mango chunks, pineapple chunks, and peach slices. 

TODAY I'm using strawberry, mango, and pineapple.

 Pull out a cutting board and a sharp knife. If you use this particular pack the fruits are already small, but I like to cut them smaller so it won't get stuck in between the blades. 

 Now put everything in your cup. I'm using the one the Magic Bullet came with.

 I layered the fruit because I wanted to be cute but it didn't matter because it all came out one color. If you want a multicolored smoothie, put the fruits in individually to get to the consistency you want and then place them in the cup you're going to drink out of. This is when you layer it so it comes out all colorful.

 And this was the end result! mix for as long as you want to get it at the texture you like. I usually like mine pretty thick and I drink it with a straw. But there was no straws so I'm just using this cute fork I got from a frozen yogurt store.

 I made a batch big enough to fit into two cups so I separated them into these cute mason jars so I can drink the other one later for a snack or a break from school work. 

 If the your Coconut Water came in a can like mine, then you need to store it. Pour the remainder of the CW into a jar or water bottle and store it in your fridge so it will last longer.

Now we can enjoy our drink!

I'm just gonna chill and catch up on Nylon (my holy bible)

If you want to check out the Magic Bullet in action here is a video on how it works and a link to order one if you're interested.

If you don't already have mason jars and you want some, check your local stores before you go ordering; that's where I found mine. And the one's at discount stores or dollar stores are way cheaper then online.

                                   

E.L Destiny.