Birch, Snow, and Laura G

This is Laura G. She is punk rock and a porcelain doll... and a beautiful dancer.

I got a chance to do a dance photo shoot this pretty girl a few weeks ago, and I loooooved it.

Lovely girl.

He's... just a head, guys.

Headshots I took for the famous Benjamin Mielke.

Donna and the rest of the gang

This past fall, one of my professors enlisted me to do a family portrait for her before her daughter moved away across the country. As I have been trying to get back into acquaintance with my camera, I leapt at the chance.

The White Family are phenomenally nice people. A beauteous tallish clan inhibiting what I hope my future house looks like. Jealous much? They were a joy to take pictures of, really truly.

 And a sun flare for good measure...

Sleepless.

Sometimes.... I can't sleep when he's not home.


“If love did not exist
I would be so goddamn sane
my poems would be billboards. 
Suburbia would be enough.
I would not have to gut myself
to find my spine
crushed into powder
and brushed on her cheekbones.”
- Andrea Gibson 

Tela Habitada (1976) by Helena Almeida | @ Taxispalais Innsbruck, At. (2003)

Inspiration for the burnt out dancer.

Other than the hiccup of awesome that was my thesis piece (because IT IS AWESOME), I've been burnt out for a while. I am so gad that my friend Kayte emailed me a link to this amazing video, this dance for camera... Valtari. It takes the haunting melodic strains from one of my favorite bands, Sigur Ros, combines it with a sensual love story, and the beauty of modern dance... more specifically a piece, that seems to have possibly been created using contact improvisation, which is something that I really love to do, but never get a chance to really go for it.

I am just excited to dance again. And soon. I can't believe I'm saying this, but can school start again soon?

This piece was choreographed by Sibi Larbi Cherkaoui, and the film was written and directed by Christian Larson.
Watch Valtari at Nowness.com.
 
Sigur Rós: Valtari on Nowness.com.

iT'S OVER, Lush, and the joys of getting things.

Ahhhh... Christmas break is finally here... Today was the last day of the semester. Today the nightmare is over. Goodbye stress dreams. Goodbye breakouts, forgetting to eat, and not doing my hair for weeks on end. I am ready for my rest and relaxation. But let me fill you in on what has been going on these last couple weeks.

Last weekend was my Graduate Thesis concert, where I premiered my modern dance piece "I am a work of fiction." After two semesters (really really though...? A YEAR for McKenzie, Samantha, and myself... ohhhhh the duet....) of working on this piece, after running my piece over and over through the thesis committee gauntlet, the faculty scrutiny, after the nightmares and the stress spasms... this performance finally happened! Flowers and applause is what I'm taking to the bank right now. It was very well received, and I haven't heard the end of all the great things about the performances. And that leads into some other great news...  I am so very pleased to announce that my piece has been chosen to be performed at the American College Dance Festival this coming Spring semester! I AM ON A ROLL.

Sweet sweet validation... something I don't often get from my art form. Modern dance is a cruel mistress.

I will definitely be posting pictures (and video?) of this piece soon, but right now I have to give a shout out to all of my sweet, beautiful, and talented talented TALENTED ladies, who trusted me to lead them through this journey, and in turn taught me so much.  These dancers made my job easy, really. They were brilliant at being present and prepared to work hard every rehearsal, they all had the chops to handle the choreography, the changes upon changes, the improvisation, the theatrics.... If any of you are reading this, I LOVE YOU.

To end this little love fest, I would just like to give mad props to my girls for knowing me so so well.  They gave me a really great gift the last night of the show:

Heaven and Hearth Snow Globe from Anthropologie

'Secret Santa' from Lush

-which is this amazing bath bomb, "Cinders", that CRACKLED and the most fragrant soap on god's green earth, "Honey I washed the kids". Go here. Buy a bunch of stuff immediately.

Have a very Patrick Swayze Christmas.

I need more lights.

VIA

There is a gigantic Christmas tree on top of one of the tall downtown buildings in Salt Lake City. This is one of my most poignant childhood memories. I wanted to put the star on the top of that tree by stacking ladder on top of ladder. Or maybe that is just what I want to do now.

I am quite fond of holding my precious things close and closer still.  The near and dear are a second skin, my secrets passwords to my psyche.

We have too many terrible Christmas songs. Did we ever get an accurate count to "Last Christmas" covers? Why is that the only thing I remember from that season?

I don’t believe we've had the pleasure in meeting one another... I'd shake your hand but I have jambalaya or lip gloss or sarcasm all over them. 

Oh Stanley K.

”Life and Love on the New York City Subway” by Stanley Kubrick, 1946

It's normally quite shiny...

Dear Chris,
I adore you and Christmas. Brace yourself for an excellent holiday break.
XOXO,
cvbh

More to come

Testing one two three...
I'm brushing up on my photo skills. Last weekend Laura G and I took it to the mountains.
I'll post my favorites asap.

I'm on the web.

I have a website for my dance portfolio now! Check me out!

Click here: Claire's Super Official and Extremely Important Website

Let the insanity begin.

VIA

Feelin so fly, like a G3... like a G3...

I am really going to miss my school friends when we all graduate this coming Spring, and head out into the world, Masters of Fine Arts. Woot. A sad woot, indeed. I really will miss these people.

Jessica Peterson did an amazing photo shoot of my class this last September, which just proved the point that Graduate Students are obnoxiously beautiful (even me... maybe I can say that now... maybe it just feels just as weird as ever). Examples:

Claire VBH aka ME

Lynn Bobzin

Li Zhan

Tanja London

Jamie Myers

Ben Mielke

Favorite Holiday

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Photo by Sandra Beijer

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Teen Witches?? VIA

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 I still want to make these pumpkins. Yes, I am 100%  aware that making these tomorrow is like wear white after Labor Day. So what if they turn up for Thanksgiving instead of today...

VIA

Monster Mash #30

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Monster Mash #29

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Grotesque Figure, Park  of Palazzo Orsini, Bamarzo, Italy, 1952
Photo by Herbert List

Monster Mash #28: Werewolves

My friend Michelle Christensen Bullough is an brilliant illustrator who seems to love Halloween as much as me! Check out her blog for some All Hallows gems like THIS:

This is Halloween.