Glamour and Opulence

Hey Lovelies!

A little different fare than the usual KGB posts...but its my blog, I do what I want.

When I first walked up to Beaton Gallery, it wasn't soft ambient music I heard, or the strains of classical greeting the guests. No. They were bumpin' hip-hop. This was less gallery showing, more party that happens to have paintings on the wall. The mix of show go-ers was equally fascinating. Hipsters, art students, Short North fixtures, and one bougie divorcée (moi of course).

Like many around Columbus, I 'knew' Ariana (the artist) before I ever knew her. She has her own fabulous blog, and I've seen her featured on many other local blogs as well. Ariana also happens to be friends with my best friend Mike who writes G4Mikey.com. We finally met officially, because she works at one of my favorite Short North Boutiques, Milk Bar. I did the creepy, 'Hey, aren't you @REDFOXINBOOTZ on twitter?', intro. Yes it was slightly stalker-esque, but Ariana didn't seem to mind.

Before heading to her senior thesis showing I read articles in Columbus Alive and the Other Paper, and I was intrigued by her interviews. This girl is smart, drawing parallels to the iconic status of Cowboys and Hip-Hop artists as well as the dichotomy of the 'haves' and 'have nots'. I was very excited to see how this would translate to her art. To say that the show did not disappoint would be an understatement. Seeing Ariana's thesis you get the sense of an artist truly coming into their own. She owns her aesthetic. She lives it; often tagging her own Instagram photos #hammy #glammy. In many ways the show, the gathering of friends and colleagues, family, and locals was almost a performance art extension of the artist and her work.

'This isn't your First Rodeo'  My personal favorite.

'Hold your pretty little horses, I'll be there in a minute'

'One for the Money, Two for the Show'

If you'd like to read the full Columbus Alive article click HERE.

To see the Other Paper write up click HERE.

Ariana has many other blogs singing her praises, g4Mikey.com (of course), and Here, and Here as well.