Mel Odom: celebrate GORGEOUS

40 years of Art, a celebration … Mel Odom: Gorgeous

Mel Odom by Robert Mapplethorpe

For those who missed the glory days of printed media it can be said that some of the greatest artists and illustrators of the 20th century were hatched and represented on a regular basis on an international stage; It might have been l’Uomo vogue or Blueboy, Linea Italiana, Interview, when it was of the moment, or GQ when it was the bible for menswear. Illustration and the artwork of artists like Mel Odom, George Stavrinos, Richard Bernstein, Antonio Lopez, and Tony Viramontes was everywhere including your daily newspaper when illustration was the preferred visual method of advertising especially in newspapers. Those years were explosive and life altering in so many ways that none of us could have ever predicted.

click image to enlarge

Mel Odom’s Illustrations during the Seventies and even today are unique in style and immediately identifiable. Besides his stunning technique they have a mystery and mood that transforms the viewer to magical sometimes surreal place. Mel is iconic within the Illustration world.”  Richard Vyse, illustrator, artist, portraitist

click image to enlarge

I have known Mel as an acquaintance for most of those 40 years so it gives me great pleasure when my peers can be lauded and celebrated for their accomplishments and of course when I get to interview them. One of my favorite expressions is that one has to look back to see what’s ahead and so with that in mind, here is Mel Odom in his words…..

BTW: The opening reception for “Mel Odom: Gorgeous” is January 10 from 6 – 8pm at 508 W 26 St. ste 9C …..  dan@danielcooneyfineart.com

click image to enlarge

click image to enlarge

Jeffrey Felner: Can you sort of give us a brief run down as to how you arrived at your present station in life; you

Mel Odom: I grew up in a very small town in North Carolina. My father was a mailman and had a tobacco/peanuts farm with his sisters.  My mom stayed home and took care of my older brother and me.  I had a good life there with friends, playing in the woods and enough alone time to play with dolls and draw.  Drawing was my favorite thing to do.  My being able to draw became my identity throughout my school years and when I went to college to study illustration at Virginia Commonwealth University. I was fortunate enough to live in London for a couple of years after college studying music and working on an illustration portfolio; life in London saved me from being a total hick when I moved to NYC. 

NYC was very kind to me and I got illustration work right away. I met interesting people and managed to climb the publishing “food chain” from lurid skin magazines to more established ones like Playboy and TIME.  I worked for several years with Blueboy while exploring my personal sexuality in print as well as in front of the whole world. I suspect my work ethic saved me from the excesses of New York City but even so, I left a portion of my hearing at Studio 54 from nights spent on the dance floor. In 1980 my commissions to illustrate book covers led me to become the go-to artist for the burgeoning genre of gay literature; dozens of covers, then for all sorts of fiction followed … I had an actual career.

By 1991, bored a bit by illustration, and in need of an all-consuming passion, I designed a fashion doll for adults, “Gene Marshall’, a fictional movie star of the 40s and 50s.  She was launched commercially in 1995 and within one year she was second only to Barbie on the newfangled Internet. She was a huge success and occupied my time to the exclusion of illustration, except for illustrations of Gene.  She was a lot of work and a lot of fun and after ten years with Ashton-Drake Galleries, Gene changed companies for five beautifully fashioned years with Integrity Toys where she “retired” in 2015.  Truthfully, I was afraid that if I didn’t return to my drawing and painting then, I might never go back to it.  I loved doing Gene, but the travel and compromise was exhausting.  ‘Coaxed back into pictures three years later’, Gene Marshall returned for five more years in the spotlight as a ball-jointed resin doll with JAMIE show. This past January, appropriately enough at a Palm Springs convention, Gene retired once more ‘to move to a private life in Italy’… or that’s what I’ve decided.

click image to enlarge

JF: If you could invite any 5 people to dinner who would they be and why?

MO: Aubrey Beardsley would be my first choice as He’s always been my favorite artist. He was a genius, flat out and His influence on modern art is just being understood. He produced a lifetime’s worth of work by the time he was twenty five. I would LOVE to invite the amazing actress Cate Blanchett, and seems likely to be an equally amazing person; she’s funny and brilliant without being grand about it. Georgia O’Keeffe though I imagine she would be fairly quiet but intense. I think the other two guests might be my now deceased parents because I have so much I’d love to tell them … or Oprah, she’d be a blast to meet and talk to!!!  or Idris Elba!

click image to enlarge

JF: There is another part to your life besides the art can you explain and expand on what that entails?

MO: I have a great private life; my husband and I spend weekends and holidays together, sometimes weeks together. We maintain separate residences as I’m good alone since I need it to work. My husband Charlie and I have been together for 25 years and married for five. We really love being together; he’s from the Bronx and I’m from Mayberry so we’re very different in a way that works. Having amazing friends is something that enhances us both. 

click image to enlarge

click image to enlarge

JF: If you could collaborate on any project of any kind with any one of your choice, who and what would it be and why?

MO: I want to work with a brilliant book designer who can create a book of my life’s work. It’s been decades since the last one and I’d like to be involved with the process of building a monograph that is a more a comprehensive examination of my oeuvre.  I always hear a clock ticking!

click image to enlarge

JF: I’m curious to know what your feelings are about social media, the upside and downside, and what it’s breeding in terms of the so called famous and influencers?

MO: Well, you’re reading this because of the Internet, so how bad can the Internet be? We don’t know yet.   I was rather reluctant to embrace social media, but once I did, I starting reaping rewards for doing it and meeting interesting people I probably wouldn’t have met otherwise. It can be a good thing…or the opposite.   I just try to not let it suck up too much of my time.  I’m happier drawing or doing something in the real world.

 Every generation has its own form of new celebrity.  When I was a kid it was TV stars, they were the new media stars, not quite movie stars but more familiar and ultimately more powerful.  Sort of like Internet stars of different varieties, they’re in your home. Hell… they’re in your lap! 

I like people who make and do things, artists and creatives.  I don’t follow much of anybody who’s just famous for being themselves; unless they possess incredible beauty … I’m always up for that. Today’s Media is a totally different world than we once knew. 

click image to enlarge

click image to enlarge

Daniel Cooney Fine Art is pleased to announce the first gallery exhibition of illustrator Mel Odom’s drawings titled Gorgeous. The exhibition will consist of approximately 30 small-scale drawings primarily created in the late 1970’s-80’s on board and vellum. These meticulous drawings are executed in pencil, dyes and gouache. Exhibition dates: January 10 – February 23, 2019

www.melodomart.com

www.danielcooneyfineart.com

Hanro and Izak Zenou: when art married commerce

The genesis of this interview began with an invitation inviting me to the unveiling of a collaboration between Izak Zenou and Hanro which resulted in a full store mural.  Hanro is one of, if not the, leading manufacturers of luxury cotton undergarments and sleepwear made in Switzerland. To equate the brand in any way with let’s say an underwear brand such as Hanes would be like comparing Van Cleef to Kay Jewelers. Mr. Zenou is known as one of New York City's most celebrated and accomplished illustrators/artists and this mural marks a first for both.

Izak Zenou's hand painted mural is homage to the brand's heritage and an engaging view into the spirited women who inspire him. This is the latest artist collaboration in Hanro's on-going public art campaign.

click image to enlarge

As you will read, this is an example of how art and in this case more specifically illustration has morphed with commerce to produce a seminal work by one artist. When you read the interview, there is no not being able to conjure a certain great artist painting a certain great ceiling in a certain great religious site. The difference being is that is the 21^st century and this didn’t take decades to produce but nonetheless one can’t help but marvel at it and its raison d’etre.

click image to enlarge

Jeffrey Felner: Can you tell us a bit about your history including how you arrived at this point in your creative career?

Izak Zenou: I was born in a suburb of Paris and grew up always very interested in art and design.  So as a young man I decided to pursue fashion and became a designer; it was the 80s and a really exciting time in fashion. I always loved doing the sketches and illustrating the clothing more than actually making the clothes.  The husband of one of my friends, an artist who was designing fabrics for the designer Kenzo, took a look at my portfolio and really encouraged me to pursue my collection.  Not long after, I was asked to contribute some to several trend reports.  People responded to my illustrations and my work was being published in these magazines and books.  I also began to collaborate with various advertising agencies.  So I realized that my illustration was something special.  One of the advertising agencies offered to help me to find an agent and made some calls on my behalf.  It was then that I met Virgine Challamel who went on to become my first agent and who is still my agent in Paris.  Virgine loved my work, but she explained to me that it was not very commercial and that clients would not know exactly what to do with it.    Suddenly, after collaborating on a book that spoofed French fashion, people started to call like crazy and this is how I booked my first few jobs.  Soon I was doing illustrations for magazines like Madame Figaro and Marie Claire.

Soon after I was approached to work on a very hush-hush project for Chanel; it was for the launch of their fragrance Allure and they wanted to create a really special little book to tell the story of the woman who would wear the fragrance.  What I didn’t know until the president of Chanel told me was that they really weren’t sure it was going to work until the very last moment. Luckily, it was and I have had a twenty-year relationship with them.  It also led to a lot of other great projects with brands like Guerlain and a lot of top magazines.

Virgine then said to me, ‘I think you have to move to America, because you will be an amazing success there and it is such a big market for you.’   As fate would have it, Michelle Edelman called and said I want you to come to New York and I will represent you.  So I thought, ‘Okay, this is a sign.’ And I did.  We have been working together ever since and I am still represented by her agency Traffic Creative Management here in the states. 

When I came to the US, we decided to again do a little promotional book about my work…which was also a way to say goodbye to Paris.  It was that promotional piece that Henri Bendel saw and they asked me to do something similar for them for their beauty collection.  That is what began our relationship which flourished for twenty years.  I also received commissions from magazines like Vogue, Glamour and Mademoiselle, and many new clients.  I loved the energy of New York in way that I had never expected as there was so much excitement and enthusiasm for me and my work.  I had found a new home.

One of the really exciting things to happen recently is my collaboration with Hanro of Switzerland, which is a brand I love personally because it’s truly understated luxury.  I had been a customer for many years, so when they approached me to create a piece for a group show they were doing to celebrate their 130^th anniversary, I was really excited.  It was also a bit scary because they asked me to illustrate the famous Marilyn Monroe moment from the film The Seven Year Itch, when she is over the subway and suddenly her dress is lifted up to reveal her Hanro underwear.  It is such an iconic moment, not only for Hanro, but a real New York moment.  So I was actually nervous about it but it was a lot of fun and they loved what I did...  Then this year, they returned and asked if I could create a mural on the walls of their flagship store on Washington Street in the Meatpacking District.  The brand has been very closely tied to art and architecture throughout their history and since the anniversary event; they have been exploring these sorts of collaborations for the New York store.  Again, I was very excited about the idea but also a bit nervous.  The store is in a wonderful old industrial building with this incredible design and retains a lot of the original architectural elements with incredibly high ceilings which add to the dramatic white wraparound fascia element above the sales floor, so it is like an enormous canvas.  When I went to look at the space, the US president Jan Snodgrass explained to me that he wanted me to be the first artist to paint right on the walls and create a custom mural.  I thought, ‘Well, it’s either going to be a big success or a huge mess.’  But he had faith, so how could I say no?  In fact, I have been painting the last few days in the store and it has been so exhilarating.  I am actually challenging myself in a way I never imagined and I love it!  It is something special to have a partner who says, ‘Go and do whatever you want.  I believe in you.’  So I have focused on the women who inspire me through all my work, “my muses” and I am bringing them to life in this huge scale…while chatting with the shoppers who are coming in for a silk robe or something.  It’s truly been an adventure.  And it will be open to the public for something like six months to a year, so I really want everyone to come see it!

Presently I am also working on a new collection of fashion accessories under my own name.  I have collaborated with so many wonderful brands over the years from Bendel to Celine, but this collection is very personal to me.  It is called d’izak and we are launching a small capsule of silk scarves, totes and pouches for Spring/Summer that will be available through my web store and then we will have a big launch for Holiday ’16 with great stores like Lord  & Taylor who will carry the collection. 

The other thing that I am just beginning is a new series of portraits…real portraiture, very intimate.  I have been known for many years for my fashion illustration, but this is a chance for me to return to my roots and explore something more dramatic and personal. I have begun a series of sittings in my studio with some of my favorite style icons that will result in an exhibition of these works.  We are lining up amazing subjects from Iris Apfel to Catherine Malandrino and Langley Fox, as well as some great men like Nigel Barker. The sittings are a way for me to connect to the personalities behind these iconic figures and explore those connections.  It is still me, but from a distinctly different vantage point.  I think a lot of people will be surprised to see this other dimension of my work.

click image to enlarge

JF: What would be your dream collaboration and why?

IZ: I’m a total design freak.  I love home decor, so I would like to design furniture, lighting, wall coverings…anything to do with interiors. It would be great to collaborate on an amazing home collection, something really special and really beautiful quality.  That would be dream collaboration. 

click image to enlarge

JF: If you could invite any 5 people to dinner, who would they be and why?

IZ: I would definitely say Oprah.  I can remember the very first time I saw one of her shows.  I just thought, “Wow, she gets it.”  I think that the impact she has had on the world is amazing.  She has really been such a positive influence for so many people and done it in a way that demonstrates her wisdom, kindness and care.  She is very inspiring to me and I would love the opportunity to have a sort of philosophical and spiritual discussion with her.

 Elie Wiesel is another as I think he is a remarkable individual and would love to talk with him about faith and his experiences.  This is becoming a very spiritual group, isn’t it?

I would invite the French novelist Patrick Modiano as he is one of my favorite authors.  I am totally obsessed with him and find his work totally mesmerizing. It’s fiction, but I feel that so much is drawn from his own life.  He creates this atmosphere that I totally relate to…this world that is just fascinating.

If I could have Meryl Streep there, that would be amazing!  She has so much talent, intelligence and beauty.  She’s really a force of nature and I would love to meet her. 

And there are so many others, but there has to be at least one musician.  I find it hard to choose, but if I had to I would say one…then it would be the guitarist Pat Metheny.  His music is a total inspiration to me. His is music brings me to places no one else can and gives me so much inspiration.

click image to enlarge

JF: What was the best advice you ever received, from whom and why?

IZ: The best advice I ever received was from my grandmother. She said, ‘If you are patient in life, then you are the wealthiest person in the world.’ It is something that I cherish and it always stayed with me.  When things are missing or not going the way I want, then I know that it means it’s not the right time.  It’s not that I don’t deserve it.  It’s just that I’m not ready for it. It’s all about waiting for the right moment and being patient.  It’s so true and it has helped me so much.

click image to enlarge

JF: What advice would you give to those just starting out in the creative fields?

IZ: The advice I would give is believe in yourself, work hard and be patient.  You also have to engage in life and always stay in motion; keep moving forward.  Do what you are inspired to do and eventually, it will all work out.

JF: Can you speak of the best day of your life to date and why?

IZ: Oh yes, the best day of my life was the day that my daughter was born.  It’s hard to describe, but everything else just became so small and I had this great sense of responsibility.  It may seem cliché, but it was truly amazing and I had this profound feeling that it was a miracle.  It was a truly humbling moment to me.  She was born premature and there she was this tiny thing, her mother and I made, that fit in one hand.  Now she is a beautiful young lady.  She’s fourteen and I can’t believe that she is a teenager already.  She’s so funny and creative.  When I look at her I see so much of myself and so much that is more than me.

Meet Michael Vollbracht ... living legend of fashion

“Brevity is the soul of wit” said William Shakespeare

Michael Vollbracht is one of those designers who has achieved great notoriety and recognition on a multilevel platform. This is a designer’s designer who trained with Beene, collaborated with Henri Bendel (when it was the go to destination of the uber chic), went on to design one of the most emblematic and ubiquitous symbols of life in New York City (the Bloomingdales “face” shopping bag), then to his groundbreaking eponymous collection and then his final bow on Seventh Avenue at the helm of Bill Blass. Today Vollbracht utilizes his skills within the worlds of painting and illustration with side gigs that satisfy him strictly on a creative level.

 

click on image to enlarge

In today’s world, there is no question, that he is considered an iconoclast or maverick or maybe both but most of all he is an artist and one of the few who just did it; he defied, he actually designed and most off all he needed no trend to follow and yet achieved that covetous white light on an international stage for his brilliant works, whether on cloth, paper or canvas.

click on image to enlarge

click on image to enlarge

click on image to enlarge

These days he is Michael Vollbracht, as he is known today minus the “e,” the artist who continues to turn out his paintings and illustrations while retaining his own particular point of view. When it comes to the oeuvre of his lifetime thus far, he is unquestionably a designer who proved that fashion is an art form and that he is most fluent in the language of art, fashion and style.

 

click on image to enlarge

click on image to enlarge

click on image to enlarge

“Brevity is a great charm of eloquence” said Marcus Tullius Cicero

Jeffrey Felner: If you could invite any 5 people to dinner who would they be and why?

Michael Vollbracht: Mary Todd Lincoln, Marie Antoinette, Cleopatra, Amelia Earhart and Thelma Todd since I like a tragic ending

click on image to enlarge

click on image to enlarge

click on image to enlarge

JF: You have always been an artist at heart, what made you go into fashion and why did you leave it?

MV: Fashion is my passion. I didn't leave it; it left me

 

click on image to enlarge

JF: You were “artist in residence” so to speak at Safety Harbor Spa for a while; can you speak to your time there as to why and what you do you feel you accomplished during that time?

MV: Bad time, I had the silly idea that I could turn a third-rate spa into something special. Alas, it was sold to a family I didn't get along with and so it was bye bye spa.

 

click on image to enlarge

JF: What was your favorite project and why and if you could do a collaboration today, who would it be with and why?

MV: The one I'm doing today. I'm designing a "drag show" for Equality Florida in St. Pete...I'm mixing straight, gay, black, white, male and female all to help my "family."  During these scary times...Boycott Mississippi  anyone? 5 watch Project Runway...I don't know if fashion school works today  as students want instant fame and not to learn how to feather - stitch a collar.

click on image to enlarge

JF: What would be your advice to any up and coming or student designer and why?  Care to share what was the advice you ever received and from whom and why you consider it so valuable?

MV: Norman Norell once turned to me... (While we were working on his retrospective to be shown at the Met) and said "It's all bullshit" and that’s what I would tell all students of fashion.

click on image to enlarge