THE NAKED TRUTH....spoken word artist Paul M. Harris

Stylist Dave Dela Cruz and myself collaborated on the photoshoot of spoken word artist Paul M. Harris. After one year off from the scene, Paul wanted to come back hard and full strength. We all merged minds and talents to create images for Paul's new music, new energy and new personality.





New cd "A Waste Of Talent" coming this spring... I'm trying to create my own sound for 09... Spoken word with a lil RnB and Hip Hop with a lot of Chi-Town Swag...You can go to his myspace to hear a sample of what he do.... www.myspace.com/paulmharris30

one to watch: MAKIN CURRY @ red models nyc

from the moment he arrived on my doorstep Makin (pronounced ma-keen) Curry was a presence to remembered. Initially I thought he bared a striking resemblance to Pierre Woods @ NY models, but he definitely has something all his own.

He definitely possess the kind of beauty thats almost otherworldly. His vibe is definitely not that of your typical 19 year old. He comes off very intelligent and educated....i definitely like that about him.  

I really didn't have a set plan for my test shoot with him so we sat down and chit chatted a bit while browsing thru his model portfolio. His book is nice. It seemed he's shot with some really good photographers like William Lords, Joseph Bleu, and Jon Malinowski, just to name a few. I was trying to figure out what my contribution to his book would be. I wanted my work with Makin to show a side of him that his agency, casting agents, and clients hadn't seen yet... What we did was pretended I was shooting him for a sexy classic jean campaign... i wanted to create images that showed him in a sexy- manstream way. 



I enjoyed working with Makin Curry alot and I cain't wait to see how he progresses in this industry. He has a good team at Red Models behind him and I'll be rooting for him as well. I look forward to working with him some more he was amazing.

YES WE CAN.....and there's more to come.....

Recently someone told me that I can't change the world and I was naive to believe i can. Everytime i look at one of my photographs, especially those of black models, I know that I already have changed the world...their worlds forever. Now if the rest of y'all believed....

this is a collage of photos i created from my experience at The Million Man March

PUTTING IT ON PAPER.....

His name is Kaliq Omar; is artistic moniker, hesreallythabusiness™. He is a talented young artist from Columbus, Ohio who has taken an interest in translating my photos in to amazing pencil sketches......

twice @ boss models nyc

marcus lloyd @ red models nyc

you can see more of this young talent's work on his modelmayhem page @ http://www.modelmayhem.com/hesreallythabusiness
and his myspace page @ www.myspace.com/hesreallythabusiness

if you want him to draw you don't think you can sucker him into drawing for free...he charges and he's worth. :)

tarrice and brandon check out the "Birth of Cool"

Brandon Parker invited me to The Studio Museum in Harlem to check out the Birth of Cool exhibit. This was my first chance to start doing somethings that are fun . I useta go to museums with my boy Arick Elion at home all the time.



The Birth of Cool exhibit was a retrospective of the paintings of Barkley L. Hendricks. He is best know for his life-sized paintings of black folks in the 60's and 70's and his self-portraits. He also included Jamaican landscape paintings and a set of painted shoes. This exhibit made me feel like i was looking thru my family photo album and 70's fashion magazines. It was very inspiring. Me and Brandon both agreed that every stylist should see this exhibit.


this was my favorite painting intitled "Sweet Thang"



I was getting flashbacks of Good Times, Sanford and Son, The Jefferson and What's Happening. Most of all I was taken back to episodes of the popular sitcom Julia starring Diahann Carroll. I had to go home and watch her and James Earl Jones in "Claudine"


Afterwards we took our hungry asses to Sylvia's, a popular soul food restaurant in Harlem. I had eaten there once before and hated it, but I decided to give it a second chance especially since Brandon loves that shit. Well I was disappointed once again. New York hype at its finest. My BBQ ribs were salty and the sauce tasted like cheap hotsauce poured over my ribs. The mac and cheese was dry and my garlic potatoes were light on the garlic....very light ( i made my mind think i tasted the garlic). The worse part is that our food was waaay over priced. I hate ny hype....it just keeps leaving me missing home. As long as I get to experience Brandon's momma's mac and cheese when she comes up for a visit- it more than makes up for the wack food in NYC.

NEW YEAR.....NEW BEGINNING...ITS MY TIME!!!

I haven't posted in a while. The holidays kinda had me feeling kinda down. Another holiday season in New York City without my family or my closest friends. With it being Fedex's busiest time of the year, I had to work at fed on the days before and following the holidays and I couldn't take off work. I spent Thanksgiving and Christmas with Brandon Parker, his momma - Felicia, Brandon's friend Perryn who is a fashion design student at the prestigious Parson's School of Design, and my favorite makeup artist, Crystal Clark. It was nice being with new friends, eating great food prepared by "momma Parker" and chillin with them, but nothing compares to my Granny and her sisters arguing about who has gained the most weight, my momma acting all antisocial and crazy, and my uncle Junebug staggering all over everybody and talking shit. I miss my friends coming thru to rescue me from my ghetto family antics and us going to see dumb movies and eating at Rafferty's. (boy am I feening for that potato soup and croissants with that honey butter, mmmmm)

I spent New Year's eve alone at home in my 12x12 room lying on my floor missing my family reflecting on being in NY and feeling alone for another year. Thinking about all the people I have extended myself beyond what I had to do to help them get to a better place for their goals and careers.
My Grandmother raised me to be generous and helping. She always say help as many people you can as long as it doesn't put you out. So I do and will continue to, but what started to bother me was that I felt like no one was reaching out their hand to help me. I have never felt more alone then what I feel here in NYC. So for the New Year I ask God to surround me with people who will have my back like I have got theirs. Most of the people in NYC are in my life no because they genuinely like me and want to be around me but because of what I can do for them and what they can get from me. I have decided to look out more for myself because I can do more for others if I am in a better place for myself. I have made the decision to do the kind of work I want to do regardless of what agents want from me, models want from me, stylist, makeup artist want from me......its 2009 and it's time for me to take mines....especially since noone is trying to give it to me.
No more free rides in 2009 pimpin. You wanna ride, then give me somethin on the gas, lol.

I am in what's supose to be the greatest city in the world and I haven't really experienced it. I spent so much time shooting and retouching and sitting in front of this crappy computer in this 12x12 room ----I have let what I love to do become some kind of prison punishment. I have allowed people to pressure me about what they want and what they need from me to keep me in this hole........ no more. I have made a personal promise to myself to go to events, art museums, fashion stuff, and take advantage of what being here in New York City has to offer. These people and what they want from me can wait or get someone else to do it. Its time for me to get crunk up in this bitch....lol and have some fun.