this land is your land

this land is my land

all photos © Ava Alamshah 

xo

desert babies

all images © Ava Alamshah

xo

© Ava Alamshah

Far, yet not forgotten

  I have some friends who I don't see as often because they live in Portland, or San Francisco, or Seattle…

Though, every time I do see them, it's like time hasn't passed at all. My last trip to Portland was very precious to me. My initial reason for going was to see Al and his show at Blue Sky. Here is the link to that beautiful exhibit. He will live on through his work, and through the people who knew and loved him. He was such a personality that I won't forget. In class, he would get so frustrated with us. He was a master black and white printer and took his craft very seriously. We were all young, and irresponsible twenty somethings who wanted to do things our way and shelve out work as quick and easy as possible (speaking for myself, and maybe a handful of others). I'm glad he was hard on us. It means he actually cared. He cared about his students. He snapped at me once when I introduced him as my former teacher. He wanted to be introduced as my friend. That made my day.

© Ava Alamshah / all rights reserved 

The portraits of Josephine are up on with you, today! This time, I decided to shoot film for this project. 35mm. I stayed with her and Dave in downtown Portland. Here is a photo I shot of her last year, in September. It was so lovely seeing them again. I got to see another side of Portland that I didn't the first time. We walked a lot. Went to the Willamette river, ate great food (oyster omelets are a thing of dreams), ( uh oh…NSFW warning coming up) Mary's……oh, let me tell you about Mary's. The murals depicting merchant seamen are spectacular and remind me of Tom of Finland.

"Painted with paint that glows in blacklight, the murals depict scenes that Roy thought the regular crowd would enjoy. There's a tropical scene with sailors loading a ship with bananas while an island beauty watches, a Cleopatra-like figure lounging with the Pyramids in the distance, a ship docked in a Portland-like harbor with Merchant Seamen working in the foreground, an exotic Priestess performing a sacrifice with a volcano behind her, and this scene depicting the Orient."

I also got to see this handsome devil again.

© Ava Alamshah / all rights reserved

Cherish the time you have with others. Always hug your friends, and tell them you love them (even if it gets super awkward). Time is strange and bittersweet. 

your friend,

ava

31

Just a few things...

©Ava Alamshah

these flowers while hiking

©Ava Alamshah

this tree

these women

Taken earlier this morning at Cliff's Edge in Silverlake, celebrating my 31 years of being alive. I am now officially in the midst of my 30s and there is no turning back. It is crazy to think about all that has happened in an entire year. This time last year Amber and I were here. A lot has happened since then... some good things, some sad things, and I am so grateful to have these women in my life. They have seen me at my worst, and at my happiest, and I truly felt the L O V E today. Thank you, my lovelies! xx

your friend,

ava

Annie Hall

In my last entry, I wrote a bit about relationships.  One of my favorite films about relationships..... truly, one of my favorite films, period, is Woody Allen's Annie Hall.  I was happy to be introduced to Allen's comedic brilliance my senior year of high school.  It was in Mr. Zameroski's "film as literature" class.  It was the best class ever.  We watched films, and wrote a page about them.  I was exposed to some of the great classics:  East of Eden, On the Waterfront, Badlands, Run Lola Run, Raging Bull, Annie Hall, Cinema Paradiso, and many others.  We weren't aloud to watch Taxi Driver in class, but Mr. Z recommended that we watch it on our own time!  He was the coolest!!

After Annie Hall, I fell in love with Woody Allen and had to see all his films.  My mother is a New Yorker, and so I think his films spoke naturally to me because of this.  For my mother, his films ring true in a lot of ways. The style, the neurosis, and the mannerisms/expressions.... Manhattan, Hannah & Her Sisters, Love & Death, Sleeper....they are all wonderful, but I always go back to Annie Hall.  I strongly believe that it is his masterpiece.  Diane Keaton was perfect, and he wasn't tainted yet, by that scandal.  Pshhhh..... yeah, you know, it's pretty unforgettable...wikipedia it, if you dare!   

Annie Hall was him at his best.  His golden moment in time.  I am happy to announce that I finally get to see it on the big screen!  Tomorrow, the 11th, it's playing at the silent movie theater on Fairfax.  You can purchase tickets here.

Was She Pretty?

This is the cover of Leanne Shapton's Was She Pretty?  A book about current loves and curiosities about their ex lovers.  I could not stop turning the pages.  Each one spoke about the insecurities, jealousy, and the wonder that enters a new relationship and those thoughts about your partner's exes.  Why didn't it work out? Comparing oneself to the former lover, and in a way, admiring them at the same time.  Would we be friends?  We clearly have the same taste in men/women.

It also touches upon connections and that cycle that happens when you find love, lose love, and then find love all over again.  Sometimes it lasts for a long time, and sometimes it doesn't.  Sometimes it's all about timing.

I stumbled upon Leanne's book through my new favorite site, BOOK STAND.  If you love books, especially artist made with a personal touch, handmade zines, beautiful/dreamy picture books to fill your shelves....then this is the perfect little site to fulfill your internet library fantasy come true!  The lovely Claire Cottrell founded BOOK STAND and she'll be at the LA ART BOOK FAIR tomorrow evening!  Here is an interview with Claire that I found on the Madewell blog. 

All work above © Leanne Shapton

It's very cathartic to skim the pages now on the eve of my breakup.  Life is full of bittersweet experiences, and I have to thank my former boyfriend for introducing me to the blog world.  Without him, I wouldn't be writing about my dreams and interests.  The funny thing about relationships is that they stay with you.  All the amazing times, the bad, the awkward, the disappointments/sorrows, and all the love and loss.  It is part of our every day lives and sometimes we grow and sometimes we don't, but it's all about the experience. 

your friend,

ava

Wedding Bliss

Notice the classy red cups to the right? Filled with the finest champagne

       

Feeling very Audrey. Dress by Calvin Klein, urban outfitters lace oxfords, Mac russian red lipstick, vintage necklace & bag (the best hand-me-downs from my very stylish mother)

It's really happening!

Besties

Timeless

Amber's brother, Colin (to the right), photo bombing

Kyle was one of the lucky groomsman. He's really tall & makes cool videos for time warner cable

Feeling fancy

There was a lightning storm later in the evening. A truly magical night

LOVE & Marriage Part Deux

Here is the un-blurred version of the dress! 

The wedding was beautiful and I couldn't be happier for my friends.  More images to come very soon!  

your friend,

ava

LOVE & Marriage

We clean up nice don't we? Top & pants are both from H&M. Clutch was a gift from my dear friend Stefani. To top it off, MAC lipstick in Russian Red!

This is the one and only image from the wonderful wedding of our two college friends, Jeff & Michelle.  It was taken with my fuji instax, which I brought intending to take way more "artsy" shots that you wouldn't normally see at a wedding.  However, upon arriving, I realized that I just wanted to take a deep breath and be in the moment.  Enjoying the love of friends is a truly magical experience. It really takes no effort at all to be happy at these kinds of gatherings, and seeing so many people from art school was just the icing on the cake. 

I have another wedding to attend in less than a week and that is the wedding of my lovely friends, Daniel Levitch & Amber Clark. This time I'm  in the wedding as her Maid of Honor. It's been a huge responsibility and I don't consider myself the most organized of people, but I've managed to pull it off some how. Phew! So happy I can do this for her. We have been through a lot of ups and downs together, which in turn has made our friendship very strong. I'm so happy I can be there for her. I love you Amber! 

Here's a teaser...THE DRESS!  I know it's in poor taste (not to mention bad luck) to reveal her wedding dress, so I blurred it out in photoshop. I will reveal the untouched photo soon after the wedding. It is beautiful and very Elizabeth Taylor circa "Father of the Bride". 

Mysterious no?

Our friend and fellow bridesmaid, Emylie, took this wonderful picture of us during the bachelorette party.

This has obviously been my "go to" outfit of the summer. Isn't she cute?!  :)

Still tried to be glamorous. Little did everyone know that I was coming down with a cold. I reserved a private Karaoke room later that night at Soop Sok Karaoke! ( If you haven't been, I recommend. I discovered this place after attending my pal, Michele's, epic birthday there. )  I think it was after performing "God Save The Queen", I shot my voice and now cannot speak without it hurting. I sound like a little boy during puberty. It's tragic.

Time for some hot tea with honey and a little R&R.

xo

your friend,

ava

More Madonna Inn!

  The very regal Madonnas (Check out the accordion to her right!  I would love to find out more about their life story.)  

I wonder if Jane Mansfield ever stayed here? She would have loved these pink booths as much as I did.

Flower Power (this is on the way to the hotel pool)

*Jeaux*

  

Sprinkle on some pink sugar & Voila! (I wasn't that impressed with the cake to be honest. It was really hyped up & then when we finally ate it after breakfast, I thought "meh..it's just a vanilla cake with really sugary frosting".  I think I'm just more of a chocolate girl. It certainly looks magical, but my polaroid does not do it justice. Here's a better view from Jeaux's camera. 

"Hey is for Horses, but better for Cows"

     

MOOOOOooooooo!  (I wanted to get closer, but Jeaux was frightened for my life!) 

  

Mellow Yellow

If you look closely, that's a lil sea lion peaking out from the ripples! 

Waiting for our fish & chips!

                                        

epic

Copyright Ava Alamshah, 2011