RAW SENSORYa diverse range of views in art, photography, fashion, music & more

RAW SENSORY packed the house at City Hall on Broadway in Denver and represented
a diverse range of views in art, photography, fashion, music, accessories and more.
Latin Life Media joined a mixed crowd of all ages as the DJ spun new
and old vinyls with a “gotta dance” flavor. These showcases are an ongoing effort to
provide independent artists of all creative genres with the tools, resources and exposure
needed to inspire & cultivate creativity. Artists on Thursday, May 21st included an array
of individuals representing their love of jewelry making, wall art, photography, sketch,
make up, paleo food and full body paint? Yes full body paint! Angela Valentine
(angelavalentine@live.com) offered a statuesque exhibition of her body art by using
human bodies of different shapes and sizes as her canvas.
XposerPhotography©3339

“We’re loud, colorful, creative, and all about our artists,” RAW staff notes. RAW enjoys
showcasing Indie Artists in over 60 cities in the U.S., Australia, Canada and The UK.
Between the sights, sounds and smells…the hipster crowd casually moved through
levels of City Hall as they enjoyed the live performances, browsed the art, chatted with
the artists and snapped selfies for their social media.

The upper level of City Hall oozed with the talent of Daniel Reneau who showcased
his futuristic illustrations of alien like life forms in gas masks (redrubble.com). Alongside the amazing photography, graffiti artwork, and live band…attendees gathered around the visual stimulation presented by Rebecca Berlin via her colorful and
psychedelic art www.rebeccaberlinart.com. I couldn’t get enough of her art within the
swirls of art or the gal who’s tattoos seemed to blend into her back drop.

“What a great event to connect with others,” expresses one attendee. “I can’t believe I
have to wait until July for the next showcase…I’m hooked,” he shares. If you missed the
showcase or if you just can’t wait until July…don’t forget there is always the RAW
website (www.rawartists.org) which offers an in depth look at the artists and their work.
It is there you can learn more about the mixed media photography of Leonard Lopez.
He started working with pencil and paper at a young age and remembers working the
paper until he had erased holes right through it. He thinks of himself as a “Artographer”
wielding a camera and computer as his tools of choice. It is so hard to choose…but my
personal favorite piece from him is the modern day pinup standing in front of the WWII
bomber www.viewbug.com/member/crackedegg.

While you are at it…make sure you check out the intrinsic and beautifully symmetrical
color pencil work of Allison Mendes of Quotidian Design www.quotidiandesign.com. Her
pieces would fit in marvelously at the museum’s body works exhibit. In a
nutshell…several of the pieces are human muscles dancing outside of one’s being.
Now that is a true demonstration of RAW talent.

Closing the showcase was the runway fashion show hosted by Orion Carrington. He
welcomed to the catwalk two designers with very different aesthetics. Julia Rhoden
featured her diverse work which included fur, overcoats and even a few gowns. Her
pieces were unique and original. For example, there were fabric spikes protruding from
the back of several of her pieces. It was very dragonesque in nature and was truly
stand out even from the second story balcony. Julia uses geometric shapes in her
designs as a way to trump her discontent with math growing up.

“My favorite thing about RAW is it brings so many different talents together,” she shares.
Last but not least, Carlos Melendez closed out the runway show with his super sexy
gowns which left just enough to the imagination. The collection was cohesive, current
and much to be desired for both women and men alike. His gowns are red carpet ready
with cut outs that successfully compliment a women’s curves. Lace was in the mix and
utilized just enough to keep things classy and glam at the same time. Carlos also does
menswear. It is rare to see a designer who can dabble in both but still have a clean
message and good fit. Keep your eye out for Carlos…I know I will!

Don’t miss the next RAW showcase in July. Fashion Editor Jessica Montour and Latin
Life Media will be there to celebrate the underground and you should too! See everyone
at the next RAW showcase.

 

JessicaMontourWritten by Jessica Montour of Fashion Forward. Jessica is a Wardrobe Stylist and
Personal Shopper in Denver. Her stylists are available nationwide for hire to work
runway, photo shoots, closet audits and more. Contact Fashion
Forward (www.fash-fwd.com) for more information about company packages and
services at 303.578.8176 or by email at admin@fash-fwd.com. Follow Fashion Forward
on Instagram @fashfwd.