Driftwood & Glitter & Enso Bizarro; Susan & Nick
With blistering winds and snow falling steadily, I waited eagerly at the door of The Gear Factory for Nick and Susan. And soon they came in, canvases, home goods, and Dunk n Donuts coffees in hand, ready to take on the first challenge of the morning: hair & makeup. Our makeup artist, Amani Saleh was in beauty school heaven or whatever the real world equivalent would be, Nick and Susan sat down with their coffees and gave themselves up to the process, letting her and I collaborate on the feel for the shoot.
Over the course of the next hour deep crimson shown from Susan’s lips and porcelain was the only description for her complexion. I circled the table laying out options for accessories, testing pieces against her complextion, elimating some, adding others. Already dressed in his clothes for his part of the shoot, Nick sat with only his shoes missing which we had inadverntantly taken to the third floor already. He let Amani brush a barely necessary amount of concealer on, even encouraging a few chuckles from us while photos were taken as well as uploaded onto IG and FB within seconds.
But the warmth of the first floor dressing room wouldn’t last as the shoot was still waiting for us upstairs. I set about staging the first segment of the shoot, throwing down a black cloth and then laying Susan’s work with Nick’s. Once the two of them were ready to start I brought a bouquet of deep crimson roses over to Susan, the same crimson that shown from her lips, and before giving them to her I smashed them into the floor at her feet, handing over mostly busted stems much to her dismay. But this set the tone for the shoot, a little fancy but a whole lot of unexpected, just like them. Let’s take a moment to learn more about these two and why I wanted, needed, and almost begged to feature them on The Hare and Style.
Having gone to high school with Nick, I’ve always been aware of his interesting and crazy cool art skills. He’s done some graffiti around town and had even been part of a graffiti party here at The Gear Factory years before. The remnants of that party and his work can still be seen in a corner of the floor on which we did the shoot, but his latest work is what we are here to talk about. After probably every person he has ever known begged him to get back to selling his artwork he finally agreed and we get to be one of the people that shows that work off. Interpretive, with gears, snakes, and vibrant colors he takes from his own world and reworks characters into these other worldly beings. Beneath photos of his work you will find his own detailed descriptions and I can attest to the sheer genius of this man as I myself giggled a little at a new found understanding and even greater appreciation for all that he does.
Susan, I happened to meet while fundraising for The Corey Hill Memorial Foundation, and it turned out our worlds were about to get a million times smaller. Not only was she Nick’s girlfriend, but she was also a dear friend of one of my good friends. Tie in the fact that seconds after running into her and Nick on another morning at Alto Cinco she sent me the invite to her FB page for Driftwood & Glitter and she was about to be my best friend. I barely gave myself time to finish looking at all of the pieces before I made her promise four items to me and went about buying them over the course of the winter season. Her craft paired with her easy going nature make you more likely to buy from her than your typical big name store. She has this ability to scour estate sales and flee markets to find pieces that to the untrained eye seem worthless and then with a couple weeks of labor she makes them priceless. Well, not so priceless that she can’t get you to buy them, her prices are reasonable, but I promise you that once you buy it you won’t give up ownership any time soon.
So go ahead and scroll through and click on the links to their sites so you can buy directly from the source. Since this shoot, they have created more products to choose from! They also have FB pages so I’ll post the links to those as well. And to see more work by Susan head over to the “City Market” in Downtown Syracuse the second Sunday of every month starting this May. AND check out our FB page in the coming days for a special treat from Nick regarding our THS Tag he made at The Gear Factory!
Xo
Maliha
Palms & Plaid Pillows: Heavy duty palm leaf upholstery fabric goes casual with a plaid flannel Swiss Cross embellishment. 2 left @ $29.00 each Vintage Geo Print Lamps: “I make lampshade slipcovers now so you can switch them out when you get bored of them!”
“Little Orphan Annie-Gator” That painting was the direct result of someone inquiring about the reason I never draw or paint girls. I can not make them look good, so I went the opposite route just to prove my point. ~Nick West
” YAY..Time for Recess” It’s a drawing that shows my mind at ease. Letting it go on recess, by taking the world for a ride into space. ~Nick West
Vintage Life Print: Framed October, 1972 LIFE Magazine cover. This issue featured the Polaroid Camera and its inventor, Edwin H. Land, right after Polaroid introduced instant COLOR film. Mat is covered in a black and white, ultra-modern geometric print. 1 left @ $48.00
“There Are No Refreshments Here” I was once trapped in a vehicle on a hot summer’s day with the windows up and the AC off. I didn’t know the operator well enough to wine about it, instead I nearly let myself drown in my own sweat. Confused as to how everyone else in the car seemed to be fine and enjoying themselves, I scanned my immediate area for relief. First I looked out the window only to see the windmills. These giant factories of cooling air churning off in the distance. It was almost like they were built to laugh at my plight. I averted my eyes back inside the car, maybe there is a cold drink somewhere? NOPE, THERE ARE NO REFRESHMENTS. ~Nick West
“Parade Day on the Brainwave.” It is my interpretation of being stuck on the phone for a long drawn out conversation about something you really don’t care about. That is why the “high fashion” apparatus near the ear is on fire, his eye is wandering about the room (snake) and his middle finger is flying away via hot air balloon (giving a flying F**K) I usually try to tell simple story or instance in life in the most indirect or unconventional way possible, so as the viewer can just look at it and make their own story out of it. ~Nick West
“When Life Escapes.” It seems awfully dark but it’s truly not. It actually depicts a moment of fright that I think we have all experienced. I suffer from anxiety and panic disorder so these little instances can often become amplified in my mind. This tells a story of one of those moments where you are wading in harmless water (Limestone Creek) and something beneath the surface brushes your leg, like say for instance a minnow, seaweed or even a soggy stick.. but for a brief moment there is sheer panic or excitement, depends on your chemical makeup I guess. For me it usually is THE END, a shark or an alligator has found it’s way here and is taking me now! This is really just a snapshot of that short moment in my mind.
“Eating Cereal with My Friends in the Morning” It’s really just a picture of me throwing hearts into a tub containing my favorite childhood comic book characters (Batman, The Joker and The Savage Dragon). So as to depict me showering them with my love since they were my original inspirations to lead a creative existence. ~Nick West
Nick
Susan
Photography: Tim Van Camp
Makeup Artist: Amani Saleh
Location: The Gear Factory
