In a year and a half period where several people who mean the world to me have passed away everytime the phone rings at an odd hour or I get an email from someone I rarely speak to I get nervous. That being said you can imagine how I felt when one of the few celebrities I actually care about was admitted to a hospital yesterday. Below I have included a report from people Magazine indicating she is ok. Whew!!!!! I simply don't wanna think about losing anyone or anything else I care about this year.

Here is the latest based on a story from people magazine.

Janet Jackson has been released from the Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal, according to a hospital rep.

"Yesterday evening she was checked into the Royal Victoria Hospital and left a couple of hours later," Rebecca Burns, the spokeswoman for the McGill University Health Centre, which operates the hospital, told PEOPLE.

Janet cancelled her show in Montreal on Monday and was taken to the hospital after she "got suddenly ill" during her sound check, according to a statement from W&W Public Relations.

Further details of her condition were not immediately available, and reps for Janet did not return requests for additional comment.

Janet kicked off her Rock Witchu tour promoting her latest album, Discipline, in Vancouver on Sept. 10.

Jackson has complained of exhaustion, a source close to boyfriend Jermaine Dupri tells PEOPLE. "A 42-year-old body can't handle what a 22-year-old body can," says the source. "I can tell you that she's definitely tired. It was probably exhaustion. She is doing back-to-back, three-hour shows, and her body isn't the same as it used to be."

Janet postponed two concert dates this week on her nationwide Rock Witchu Tour due to an undisclosed illness, a rep for the singer said Tuesday.

Janet has delayed her Wednesday show in Boston and a Thursday performance in Philadelphia until further notice. She will resume her tour Saturday in Greensboro, N.C.

Posted by rickyday at 09:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

JANET CONCERT SPOILER ALERT (don't read this is you don't want to know anything about the set list on the Janet Rock Wit Chu Tour

We all have things we've done that felt good at the time, but in hindsight may not have been such a "good look." For instance I grew up in LA in the 70's and 80's and I had a jheri curl. There I SAID IT OUT LOUD! LOL

Janet Jackson has had an incredible career, but like the rest of us she had to start somewhere and not everything she has done has been iconic. I happen to think that most of it has been pretty darn good including the stuff she used to ignore, namely her first two albums "Janet Jackson" and "Dream Street."

If you are under 25 years old like many of her fans are you'd never know those two albums existed unless you diligently searched for them yourself. That's all over now though as the clip below shows, Janet has decided to acknowledge those releases by performing a medley of songs from the early days.

DO NOT WATCH THE CLIP IS YOU DON' T WANT IT "SPOILED" FOR YOU.

Posted by rickyday at 04:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

"Self portrait with disco balls" Digital c-print on metallic paper

copyright 2008 Ricky Day/all rights reserved

www.rickyday.net

Posted by rickyday at 03:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

This image is from a lazy Sunday afternoon in my bedroom. Nuff said. Enjoy.

Posted by rickyday at 03:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

In an earlier post I explained how these paintings work. So let's see if you can determine the subject matter of these latest works. They are respectively titled "Iowa" and "Nominee."

Holla with your feedback.

"Iowa" 12" x 12" acrylic on canvas 2008 Ricky Day

"Nominee" 12" x 12" acrylic on canvas 2008 Ricky Day

RickyDay.net

Posted by rickyday at 02:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The artist I'm profiling today is someone I've met personally and who's work I enjoy: Anthony Smith Jr. Anthony Smith, Jr.'s paintings combine abstract expression with epic narratives that explore human will, slavery, and love .

He was born in 1976 in Dallas, Texas and raised in Plant City, Florida. While yet a teenager, Anthony began exploring art as a significant means of personal expression. He earned his undergraduate degree as a double major in Fine Arts and Political Science at Amherst College in 1999, completing his B.A. degree program with thesis research on landscape painting techniques while on study abroad in Europe. In 2001, he went on to receive a Master of Fine Arts in Painting from the University of Michigan, where he was also an adjunct lecturer and teaching assistant. Anthony finished his graduate education at an exchange program in Japan at Kyoto Seika University where he studied wood-block printmaking. In Japan, Anthony became enamored of the Japanese symbols and papers that are a frequent element in his paintings.

Anthony's paintings have recently been exhibited as part of "Icograms" at the Newton Art Center (Newton, Massachusetts) and at the Holland Area Arts Council (Holland, Michigan). He was a contributing artist to the critically noted "Harlem World" exhibit at the Studio Museum of Harlem in 2004. From 2000 to 2003, his work was displayed in studios and galleries in Michigan, New York and Texas.

Alongside his developing career as a painter, Anthony has been a research associate at the national desk of The New York Times since 2002. In that capacity, Anthony has contributed to several important articles, for one of which he was given a by-line. He has also worked in various arts organizations in Michigan, Maine and Massachusetts.

In 2001, Anthony moved to New York City where he currently resides in the Inwood section of Manhattan.

Posted by rickyday at 10:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

So today I got a phone call from a good friend and it started something like this:

Friend: Ricky...
Me: hey wassup?
Friend: Waz going on? You didn't tell me bout the story in the Post today when I spoke to you last night
Me: What are you talking about?
Friend: some model is suing a photographer named Rick Day for sending his photos to a gay magazine
Me: (laughing) It's not me, but I know exactly who they are speaking of...there's this great photographer named Rick Day (as opposed to Ricky Day...which is what people call me)/I'm sure that is who they are talking about as I have never shot for Genre Magazine
Friend: oh ok...cool

It was sorta funny to me until I thought about it...rumors get around fast and take on a life of their own if you don't set the record straight early. So for the record there is a white male fashion photographer named Rick Day who is very talented and of whom the story is about. I am Ricky Day the visual artist (painter) who is also a photographer. Any model I shoot is clear what the uses of said images will be and I follow up with release forms.

So as usual I think there is a lesson here for all and I'd like to share it. For models, please understand that as I understand it generally the photographer has rights to do whatever he or she wants to do with images because they are the copyright holders. However, photographers please know that if you want to use images for commercial purposes (sales of books, calendars, prints, etc.) you should have signed release forms stating all the approved uses as added protection of your rights. Like in any business deal or relationship, it is best to define the terms and expectations in the beginning so you don't have to deal with a mess in the end.

Enjoy ya weekend everyone.

Posted by rickyday at 01:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

You may love it. You may hate it. You may be confused by it, but you just can't say it's boring. Check out this piece of performance art from Jonte.

Posted by rickyday at 11:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED!

The Dumbo Arts Center (DAC) is pleased to present the D.U.M.B.O. ART UNDER THE BRIDGE FESTIVAL,™ sponsored by Current TV, now in its 12th year. Don't miss Dumbo, Brooklyn, when it becomes a multi-sensory art arena, FREE FREE FREE and open to all.

Over the FESTIVAL weekend, art will be happening everywhere: streets, sidewalks, storefronts, elevators, lobbies, the water, the waterfront, parks, nooks, crannnies, on the NY Water Taxi, and more. Along with the 65+ new public art projects, over 100 local artists will open their studios to the public and at the new Galapagos Art Space, video_dumbo will feature a non-stop program of cutting edge video art from NYC and around the world.

The FESTIVAL presents art that breaks the white cube: art that is touchable, accessible and interactive. The appeal is universal: for many of the anticipated 150,000 visitors, the FESTIVAL will be their first encounter with art and artists.

DAC, the big impact small non-profit, has been making the annual 3-day event possible since it was founded by local artists in1997. As New York City's creative edge is increasingly threatened by skyrocketing rents, DAC is committed to preserving what is possibly the last urban oasis of its kind: a site where young artists can test their ideas in the public domain, have unprecedented freedom and play. Visual artists have a long tradition of harnessing New York City as their canvas, seeing no boundaries between studio and street. The FESTIVAL allows artists to act upon that impulse by providing them with a place where the unpredictable, the spontaneous and the downright weird can still happen. Save the dates and join us!

Check the website for directions and details dumboartfestival.org/press_release.html

Posted by rickyday at 09:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

So right here, right now I'm listening to my new favorite CD...Fearless by Jazmine Sullivan. For those of you who have been waiting...it IS WORTH THE WAIT!!!!!!

My favorite cuts are:

In Love With Another Man
Lions, Tigers and Bears
Need You Bad
My Foolish Heart
Switch

The CD is well done, soulful, entertaining and definitely worth checking out. It does have a curious mix of R&B, pop, retro soul and the reggae inspired single Need You Bad. I don't wanna spend a lot of time going on and on about it. Pick it up and try it for yourself, then write in and tell me what you think.

Posted by rickyday at 12:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Don't forget to stop in and visit my official website www.rickyday.net

It's the home of my artwork and photography online. New content is coming soon and will include video, new photography and much more.

Enjoy your Monday and make sure you Pop today.

Posted by rickyday at 12:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Artist, dancer, teacher, Ramona Candy was born in Brooklyn, New York and began painting and drawing as a child. She went on to earn a degree in Art at CCNY and during her studies, and after, maintained an active dance career. She performed in numerous community theatre productions and is a founding member of the Charles Moore Dance Theatre (Dances and Drums of Africa), with whom she danced for over twenty years. She’s performed and taught various dance forms throughout the eastern United States and the Caribbean.

Ramona says, "Following a long dance career, it is only natural that movement be a part of my artwork. Though many of my paintings and collages are inspired by dance, it is also pride in my rich Haitian/Caribbean heritage and growing up in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn that influences my work. My goal is to lift you, the audience, engage you in the “dance” and help bring to mind your own roots, heritage and those things that make you smile.

She is one of several artists currently in a group show called Summer @ Sonya. The show closes this Thursday, so try to check it out if you can. I'm going to do the ame and see it sometime this week. Maybe we can go together.

"SUMMER @ SONYA" Closing Reception - Thurs, Sept 25, from 7 to 9 pm
group exhibition, featuring works created this year, and/or inspired by the summer of 2008.
at the SONYA Center
394 Waverly Avenue (between Greene and Gates Avenues)
Brooklyn, New York

For gallery hours, call 718.857.5696 or 917.562.7402

To see more samples of her work visit Ramona online at http://www.ramonacandy.com/

Posted by rickyday at 10:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glenn_Ligon

The Art Institute in Chicago has a great collection of African-American art and in the coming weeks I will feature artists from their collection as well as other great museums in the country. First up, Glenn Ligon. I chose Glenn because though I was not exposed to him prior to starting my own career I recognize similarities in our work and lives and I really dig his art.

Glenn Ligon often uses language in his paintings to address the position of African Americans (especially men) in contemporary America. His previous works have included texts written by Ralph Ellison, Zora Neale Hurston, and Jean Genêt. This work includes text from James Baldwin’s essay "Stranger in the Village," first published in 1953.

Baldwin wrote the essay during a writing retreat in a small village in Switzerland. In it, he wrote about what it was like to be a black man in a foreign land. The feelings of isolation and lack of acceptance he experienced provided him with insight about race relations in the United States before the Civil Rights era.

Ligon chose a specific passage of the essay and stenciled the words in black on a black background, intentionally making the text illegible. His addition of coal dust to the painting’s surface further obscured the text. The blackened painting evokes rage, a word that Baldwin used repeatedly in his text to describe the feelings of black Americans, relatives of slaves whom he described as having been excluded from the traditions of the West.

Posted by rickyday at 09:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Listen I don't stage these things, I just point the camera and click. I don't even know his/her name, but I appreciated the joy and sense of humor.

(Shot in Washington DC November 2006 by Ricky Day)

Posted by rickyday at 01:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

So awhile back I introduced you to this hot ass musician named Ronald Jenkees. Well of course I am not the only one who loves his music, so this great artist named Kori Michele took one of his jams and synced it with some cool ass animation. Hope you dig dis as much as I do.

This is what Urban Pop Life is about, sharing all kinds of dope ass art, gadgets, culture and more whether I created it or not.

Happy Friday.

Posted by rickyday at 09:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

This show sounds hot. If I were able to get to Houston to see it I would. If you're in the Houston area check it out. To my knowlege the museum faired ok during Hurricane Ike, but I would give them a call first to make sure they are open on the dy you want to visit.

Houston Collects: African American Art showcases the institutional and private efforts to collect, document, and preserve African American art in Houston during the 20th and 21st centuries.

More than 250 works, many of which have never before been exhibited to the public, illustrate themes that encompass early crafts, self-taught artists, Southern academic circles (including the publication of Black Art in Houston by the McAshan Foundation), the Harlem Renaissance, the Civil Rights movement, abstraction, photography, Houston masters, and the New School.

www.mfah.org

The MFAH at a Glance

Located in the heart of Texas’s largest city, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, is a dynamic cultural complex consisting of two museum buildings, two art schools, two decorative arts centers, and a sculpture garden.

With its encyclopedic collection and an exciting schedule of international loan exhibitions and award-winning programs, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, is one of the premier destinations in the United States for art lovers.

Posted by rickyday at 09:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Introducing Brandon Claybon. He's a model from Memphis, TN. He is featured as a Bleuberry on the Bleu Magazine website (http://www.thebleumag.com). I shot these images for Bleu this summer. Keep an eye open for Brandon. He's an old soul in a young man, he's a hard working, focused, polite and driven dude. He's got a great commercial look and I see the potential for a bright future. What do you think?

Enjoy.

Posted by rickyday at 04:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Art Nouveau Magazine is a bi-monthly online art, fashion, music, film, literature and culture magazine that was started in 2007 by Kendrick Daye and Phillip Holmes. Kendrick likes reading, writing, break beats and Madonna. He hates ghetto literature, smokers, people that write like ThIs! and math—unless it involves counting $$$. He does not speak Ebonics. Phillip likes skipping class, laughing, and showing skin. He hates clear bra straps on girls, dirty white flip-flops and string track back-packs. His pet peeve is dirty fingernails. Phillip is a better dancer than Kendrick, but, Kendrick is a better writer. They are equal yet different, a perfect balance of art and fashion, love and hate.

In the future they'll be links to articles from the magazine here on Urban Pop Life. I love this magazine , hopefully they will know who I am and love me too someday soon...lol.

artnouveaumagazine.com/

Posted by rickyday at 04:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Check this out.

New York Times: Black in America, Painted Euphoric and Heroic

Aaron Douglas (1899–1979) was considered the foremost visual artist of the Harlem Renaissance. In paintings, murals, and book illustrations, he incorporated elements from music, dance, literature, and politics to produce powerful artistic forms that had a lasting impact on American art history and the nation’s cultural heritage. Working from a politicized concept of personal identity, he combined angular Cubist rhythms and seductive Art Deco dynamism with traditional African and African American imagery to develop a radically new visual vocabulary that evoked both current realities and hopes for a better future. Aaron Douglas: African American Modernist, curated by the Spencer Museum of Art/The University of Kansas, is the first nationally touring retrospective to celebrate his art and legacy. This special traveling exhibition features the four Douglas murals from the Schomburg Center’s Art and Artifacts Division.

Aaron Douglas: African American Modernist

From September 11, 2008 through November 30, 2008
Latimer/Edison Gallery
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, 515 Malcolm X Boulevard, New York, NY 10037-1801 (directions)
Hours: Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
For Tours, please call (212) 491-2207.

Posted by rickyday at 02:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Yeah I know they aren't brand new, but I still love 'em. These hot ass kicks from Alejandro Ingelmo are FIYAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I shot these in my studio earlier this summer during the " No Shade" shoot.

Posted by rickyday at 11:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Be Ok - Urban Pop Life blog intro from Ricky Day on Vimeo.

Posted by rickyday at 12:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

The black on black numbers represent every person of African descent who has set foot in this country. The red and green numbers are the numbers that provide the context and meaning for each piece. Those numbers represent a date, event or subject of significance in African-American history. Each work has a simple title that hints at the meaning of the work and the rest is up to you. These works are a part of my on-going examination of history, image making and American pop culture and the contributions of marginalized persons of color to American history and pop culture.

"Jackie" 24" x 36" acrylic on canvas

"Dream" (sold) 36" x 48" acrylic on canvas

"Red" 36" x 48" acrylic on canvas

Posted by rickyday at 01:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Thankfully this is one hair style I avoided.

When these 3 were on Soul Train all my boyz and I stopped playing football in the street and ran inside to watch.

Posted by rickyday at 11:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

It was a busy summer for me. One of the things I did is to shoot the launch campaign for a designer tee shirt line called Eternal Bachelor. The shirts are quality and the shoot was a lot of fun.

Thanks to my assistants Ta'ri B and Calvin for all their help. Congrats to the creator of the line Fohat Aird on a job well done and thanks for thinking of me to shoot the images. Special shout to Franz for the great catering and Dakota who styled the shoot.

The website was designed by Adam Benjamin Irby for OHDWD.com.

eternalbachelor.com

Posted by rickyday at 11:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Yeah...yeah...yeah it's eclectic, but das me...get into it or get over it...lol/Here's my current mixtape. The playlists of music I paint to are coming soon.

Be Ok-Ingrid Michaelson
Baby-LL Cool J
Whatever You Like-T.I.
Spotlight-Jennifer Hudson
Magic-Robin Thicke
Right Here (Departed)-Brandy
All This Love-Debarge
No Substitute Love-Estelle
Need U Bad-Jazmine Sullivan
My Favorite Nothing-Janelle Monae
Make A Move on Me-Olivia Newton-John
Stay With Me-Al Green
Disturbia-Rihanna
Goodbye To You-The Veronicas
When I Grow Up-Pussycat Dolls
Stepping Stone-Duffy
Paper Planes_M.I.A.
So What-Pink
Ashes To Ashes-David Bowie
Give It To Me_Madonna
What U Need-B. Michael L featuring Ricky Day
Luv-Janet
What's Your Name-Janet
The Sweetest Love-Robin Thicke
Syrup and Honey - Duffy
Beat Goes On-Madonna and Kanye
Found Me a Job-Talking Heads

Posted by rickyday at 05:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

effortless soul.

This is Urban Pop Life

algreenmusic.com/

wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Green

Posted by rickyday at 02:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I'm a lucky man. First of all I get up everyday and make beautiful things and on a really good day I get paid to shoot photos of beautiful people and things. Every now and then I get to meet and shoot legends which is what I did earlier this year for Bleu Magazine when I met and shot Broadway legend George Faison.

Mr. Faison is an icon and a pleasure to work with. He will also be featured in my portrait series about the African-American LGBT community called This is The Life.

I don't consider myself a writer so to read Mr. Faison's bio check it out here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Faison).

Posted by rickyday at 04:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Here's todays lil dose of Urban Pop

2008 Ricky Day

http://www.rickyday.net

Posted by rickyday at 04:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Posted by rickyday at 03:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

must have been a good night for someone...

Posted by rickyday at 03:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

yes.

Posted by rickyday at 03:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

(Jonte: Homage to Grace)

I've been selected as one of six artists to participate in the group exhibition White Lies-Black Noise
curated by Derrick Adams, Curatorial Director at Rush Arts Gallery &
Resource Center on view from November 18, 2008 - January 17, 2009.

The official description of the show describes as follow: the photography, sculpture, video and text-based work of Shani Peters,, Amin Rehman, LaToya Frazier, Anthony Fuller, Phillip Robinson and myself are juxtaposed to demonstrate how source material is used to explore subculture and subtext and question social awareness and relevance.

White Lies-Black Noise is my major Gallery debut here in New York City after my first solo show in Washington DC earlier this year. White Lies-Black Noise is the kickoff to what looks like a very exciting and busy Fall/Winter for me. Come back here for details on other projects in the works.

Enjoy your day and see you at the opening.

(This is The Life 2007)

(You Are What You Dream II 2007)

Posted by rickyday at 02:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

This past weekend I was in Atlanta, Georgia for a few reasons. It was a decent weekend (food poisoning aside). My best friend Akim and I needed an effffing vacation from the stress and strain of a difficult, yet good year thus far for both of us. I also went to down to throw a club event with my promotion partners and to soak up a lil ATL culture.

While in ATL, I paid a visit to the High Museum of Art to check out History Remixed:Photographs of the Civil Rights Movement and After 1968: Contemporary Artists and the Civil Rights Legacy. Both exhibits were good, but both made me wonder about history and it's rightful place in relation to the present.

"History Remixed features work by more than twenty photographers. Included is the work of press photographers and amateurs who made stirring visual documents of marches, demonstrations and public gatherings out of a conviction for the social changes that the movement represented. After 1968: Contemporary Artists and the Civil Rights Legacy includes newly commissioned and recently produced work by ten emerging contemporary artists.The artists in this exhibit—born in or after 1968—have processed the visual and historical data of that year, including images from the High Museum of Art's singular archive of civil rights photographs. They have created works in all media that honor the legacy of the civil rights movement while exploring its ongoing relevancy and influence upon subsequent generations in diverse ways."

If you're in ATL make sure to stop by the High Museum.

Posted by rickyday at 08:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Part of the reason I create is to make sure we (particularly brothas and sistas of color) don't forget. This is my mommas music, but now that I am grown I realize that I actually loved it just as much as she did. Reminds me of being a child.

Enjoy this piece of urban pop history.

Posted by rickyday at 05:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)