Tag Archives: Los Angeles

Art

Photographer Michael Sanville is simply superb

November 1, 2016 romicortier@yahoo.com 1 Comment

Michael Sanville is without a doubt one of the finest photographers I’ve ever had the pleasure of shooting with.

I first met Michael in the mid 1990’s after moving to Los Angeles. He was part of a larger circle of friends that included actors, artists, writers and producers. If I recall correctly it was my acting teacher Leigh Kilton- Smith, part of the hill posse, who referred me to him. This cast of successful people lived on a hill overlooking Laurel Canyon, which is where Michael still resides to this day.

I’d had several head shots taken while pursuing acting in the 90’s, but the one taken below by Michael, was always my favorite from that period of my life. I’ll never forget showing it to a friend in Seattle who said wow… that’s a very flattering photo. Hmmm, I thought to myself, are you trying to tell me I don’t look that good in person? Who cares if I really look that good in person, or not. It’s all about finding someone who sees us the way we want to be seen, or who can help us see ourselves in a more flattering light. One of the things I’ve come to love about this photo is the smattering of gray that’s just starting to creep into my hair… and maybe I also love my slightly lower hairline.

About a year and a half ago, I decided I needed some new upscale photos of myself to use for press and other projects that I had in the works. I knew Mr. Sanville was the man to make it happen. It seems our world is increasingly image oriented thanks to social media, so if you’re gonna do it, you might as well do it right. You can only do so much with an iphone and silly selfies. It takes a seasoned photographer to know which lense to use, how far away to stand, where to position the lights, and most importantly, the story you’re trying to tell. Additionally, It’s always a treat to visit Michaels hillside home. The environment is peaceful and quiet in a way that’s becoming increasingly hard to find in LA. Taking photos in the studio is such a pleasure as you gaze out at the Hollywood sign in the far off distance, or catch a glimpse of the hawks and ravens as they glide by the balcony at eye level.

Michael was recently written up in VoyageLa.com, which was a great read. His oeuvre has grown from head shots, to include portraiture and fashion photography. If you’re in the market to have superb photos taken I’d highly recommend checking out Michael, he’s one of my favorite people in tinsel town.

VoyageLa Article

www.michaelsanvilleheadshots.com

www.michaelsanville.com

Art

Davyd Whaley Foundation Launch Party

August 31, 2016 romicortier@yahoo.com Leave a comment

Davyd Whaley Launch Party, Los Angeles, Photo Romi Cortier — Davyd Whaley Foundation Launch Party, Los Angeles, Photo Romi Cortier

Davyd Whaley Foundation Launch Party, Photo Romi Cortier

Davyd Whaley Foundation Launch Party, Los Angeles, Photo Romi Cortier

Davyd Whaley Foundation Launch Party, Los Angeles, Photo Melanie — Davyd Whaley Foundation Launch Party, Los Angeles, Romi Cortier and Coco, aka MalibuPom, Photo Melanie

I recently attended the Davyd Whaley Foundation Launch Party in Los Angeles. I was invited by longtime client Ellie Blankfort who is the Foundation Director. She’d been telling me about the event for several months, so I pencilled it onto my calendar weeks in advance. The turnout for the evening was beyond amazing. Andie MacDowell was in attendance, as well as several other faces I recognized. There were so many people in the room, that it made it a bit tough to get good shots of the art, but better that then to hear the crickets chirping at such an important event.

Established in 2016, The Davyd Whaley Foundation is dedicated to supporting Los Angeles area artists. In the spirit of its namesake Davyd Whaley (1967 – 2014), the Foundation offers a variety of grants to assist these artists in the fulfillment of their vision.

The mission of the Foundation is dedicated to supporting Los Angeles Artists, and was designed around the following tenets: Make art. Buy the art of others. Help people whenever possible. Grow in Consciousness.

The Mid – Career Artist Grant applications will become available October 15, 2016, due on January 15, 2017, and awarded on March 15, 2017. It will be a $10,000 grant for a Los Angeles area artist who has already created a substantial body of work and achieved an initial level of local recognition, but who has yet to receive national exposure and acclaim.

There will also be an Artist – Teacher Grant in the same amount, awarded to an art-educator in the Los Angeles area, to allow them more time, energy, and resources to devote to their studio work.

Ellie Blankfort and Norman Buckley can be seen above announcing these grants to the audience. If you’re interested in learning more about the foundation or the grant process, please follow the link below.

Davyd Whaley Foundation

Culture

FIDM Museum & Galleries Emmy Nominated Costumes 2016

August 17, 2016 romicortier@yahoo.com 1 Comment

FIDM Museum, Scream Queens, Photo Romi Cortier — FIDM Museum & Galleries, Scream Queens, Photo Romi Cortier

FIDM Museum, Defiance, Photo Romi Cortier — FIDM Museum & Galleries, Defiance, Photo Romi Cortier

FIDM, Marvel: Agent Carter, Photo Romi Cortier — FIDM Museum & Galleries, Marvel: Agent Carter, Photo Romi Cortier

FIDM Museum & Galleries, Photo Romi Cortier — FIDM Museum & Galleries, Game of Thrones, Photo Romi Cortier

FIDM Museum, Outlander, Photo Romi Cortier — FIDM Museum & Galleries, Outlander, Photo Romi Cortier

FIDM Museum, Vinyl, Photo Romi Cortier — FIDM Museum & Galleries, Vinyl, Photo Romi Cortier

FIDM Museum, Jane the Virgin, Photo Romi Cortier — FIDM Museum & Galleries, Jane the Virgin, Photo Romi Cortier

FIDM Museum, American Horror Story, Photo Romi Cortier — FIDM Museum & Galleries, American Horror Story, Photo Romi Cortier

FIDM Museum & Galleries, Empire, Photo Romi Cortier

FIDM Museum, Crazy Ex Girlfriend, Photo Romi Cortier — FIDM Museum & Galleries , Crazy Ex Girlfriend, Photo Romi Cortier

FIDM Museum & Galleries recently hosted their 10th annual “Art of Television Costume Design” opening reception. The kick off event was to celebrate the Emmy nominated Costume Designers of 2016, with over 100 costumes from 23 television shows in a variety of genres.

I have to admit that I’d heard of FIDM for years, but had never actually been to their college in downtown Los Angeles. Fortunately a longtime client of salon manicurist Lisa Preciado happens to head up this annual event. Therefore, she graciously extended an invitation to me when I heard them discussing the upcoming event. Having recently seen LACMA’s Reigning Men exhibit, I was more than intrigued about the possibility of seeing costumes from some of my favorite tv shows. The evening was so exciting and certainly didn’t disappoint. And if you’ve never seen an actual Emmy statue in person, this is your chance.

FIDM Museum & Galleries, Emmy Statue, Photo Romi Cortier

This current exhibit is free to the public, and will be on display until October 15, 2016. Gallery hours are from 10am – 5pm, Tuesday through Saturday. Location: 919 S. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90015.

Learn more about FIDM HERE, or sign up for future events.

After seeing the costumes in person, it will make it that much more exciting to watch the Emmy’s live on September 18, 2016.

FIDM event: Lori, Mathew Hancock, Lisa Preciado, Romi Cortier

Architecture, Interior Design

Inside the How House, by Architect R.M. Schindler

July 21, 2016 romicortier@yahoo.com Leave a comment

How House, R.M. Schindler, Architect, Silver Lake, Ca. Photo Romi Cortier

I walked into R. M. Schindler’s How House cold, knowing absolutely nothing about it. An hour later I left feeling like a Buddhist monk… zen, grounded, tranquil and full of love. It’s rare to experience this sort of transformation while moving through a home.

A decade earlier at the Farnsworth House in Plano, Illinois I had a similar experience and it literally brought me to tears. It was designed by Mies van der Rohe in the late 40’s, and is an iconic masterpiece of the International Style of architecture, just as this home is. The International Style began in the late 1920’s and continued into the early 1980’s. Hallmarks of this design movement include: rectilinear forms, open interior spaces, a visually weightless quality engendered by the use of cantilever construction, and light, taut plane surfaces stripped of applied ornamentation and decoration. I know that’s a mouthful for non architectural enthusiasts, but it helps give words to the ‘visual rhythm’ that a trained eye can identify.

When I first stood outside this home, I thought of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Falling Water, one of his most famous homes with overlapping horizontal and vertical planes. As it turns out, Schindler worked with Wright for nearly a decade on several of his most significant residences. One of the aspects of this home that really moved me, was the use of poured concrete walls with horizontal bands. As you can clearly see, that ‘banding’ theme was also applied to the exterior and interior woodwork of the home, as well as the windows and fireplace.

While conversing with Brian Linder, AIA, in the living room of the home, I learned that the home had been meticulously restored by Michael LaFetra in 2007. The original redwood wall panels were replaced by retrieving logs from the bottom of the riverbed where the original trees for the wood had been milled. How’s that for going the extra distance to keep the home as original as possible. You can read more about LaFetra’s restoration by following this link: Michael LaFetra.

Lastly, when I toured this home on Sunday July 10th, I had no idea that it was the first ever open house to the public. I’m so glad I opened my email from The Value of Architecture… it was gift from the heavens for those of us obsessed with important architectural gems like this.

See more photos, as well as the MLS listing, HERE

Interior Design

Neoclassical Paneled Room @ The Getty Center

June 8, 2016 romicortier@yahoo.com Leave a comment

Neoclassical Paneled Room, Getty Center, Los Angeles, Photo Romi Cortier

Neoclassical Paneled Room Detail, Getty Center, Los Angeles, Photo Romi Cortier

I love this French Neoclassical Paneled Room at the Getty Center in Los Angeles. It’s so rich in neoclassical details from the Louis XVI (16th) period. Chairs with thin fluted legs, decorative items with garlands, swags, palmettes, and flowers, and a return to simplicity in shapes, such as the rectangular and circular motifs in the doors. Yes, there’s a lot going on here compared to todays much simpler rooms, but the attention to detail and the subtle gilded ornamentation helps the viewer experience the refined joy of this period.

The end of the Louis Louis’s, as my art history teacher used to say, was the lightest and leanest of the three periods. You can see by these delicate and symmetrical details how pleasant this room must have been to live in during the late 1700’s and early 1800’s. The heavy Baroque and Rococo period gave way to these refined details thanks in part to Louis XV’s (15th) mistress Madame de Pompadour. Additionally, the discovery of Roman ruins at Herculaneum and Pompeii (1738-50) helped to turn the tide on the previously decadent and ostentatious period, with a return to the classicism of Greece and Rome. Note the grecian inspired women on the doorknob mechanism and the stunning wall mounted candelabra.

Visiting this room makes me feel as if I’m back in Paris visiting any number of my favorite places… I love to linger here and soak it up whenever I visit the Getty. It’ll have to hold me over until I can plan my next visit back to the mothership.

This salon, or main reception room, is from a residence in Paris called the Maison Hosten. It was built for Jean-Baptiste Hosten, a plantation owner from Santo Domingo. He Commissioned the architect Claude-Nicolar Ledoux to design his residence as the focus of a larger house complex that was to include fourteen other surrounding town houses. The Maison Hosten and six of the others were completed by 1795, when building stopped after Hosten fled the country during the French Revolution. The whole project was dismantled at the end of the 1800s. The complex is considered to have been among the most significant works of French domestic architecture by one of the leading architects of the 1700s. (per the Getty Center placard)

Getty Center

Where Art Inspires Beauty