Mike Lenhart (bio)

For a long time now, I've been a scanner. I find many things in my world, mainly printed, that I just have to keep for possible future use. So, I scan them and file them away. Granted, I am sort of a saver, hoarder if you will, but I always feel I will need these items at some point in the future. Many of them I don't and I forget about them. But, I thought that, in order to use them and do something with them, I'd write a series of entries on the various things I've scanned and tell you about them. This time it's all about classic movie poster art.

There are studies and surveys out there on virtually every type of consumer and buying habit known to Man (or Woman). Marketers, advertisers, and smart businesses rely on the findings of these surveys in order to appease and talk to their customers. So, it only seems natural that one facet of consumers, the Gay and Lesbian market, be studied as well and find their preferences. (Since I've been on this June-Pride-Month soapbox, I thought I'd continue standing on it.) Read on.

 

I was reading the Times the other day when I came across an obituary that gave me pause. It seems that Alton Kelley, one of the preeminent pyschedelic rock poster artists, died at his home in Petaluma, California. He was 67 years old. Kelley was one of those guys who, back in the mid '60s, designed and hand-produced rock posters to promote bands and concerts in the Haight-Ashbury area of San Francisco. What a trip that must have been (pun intended).

 

 

[This editorial/art and cultural study is in recognition and celebration of Gay Pride Month (June)]

There's been a lot of talk in various circles about equality, and what constitutes that. As many of us have heard, the more things change, the more they stay the same. Equality, and the right to live and have equal access to the fundamental benefits given to all in the Constitution of the United States should be a no-brainer.

However, there has been a recent firestorm over an equal freedom, the notion of marriage, and what exactly that means. Doesn't everyone in America have an inherent right to marry the one they love? Does there have to be a set of rules, or norms, set up by a certain few, that all of us must follow in order to enjoy this right? And, if we don't, does that mean we're less of an American, or a person? It has become increasingly aware to me, sadly, that this is so.
Of  course I'm speaking of Marriage Equality - for all. To some, it may not seem like such a big deal or possibly may even be a non-issue. But let me tell you, as a guy who has invested an entire life trying to fit in and sit at the table with the other class, it is a big deal.

Laurence King has come out with another design book, this time on the art of personalized footwear. Customizing your shoes (sneakers) gives those old, worn-out tennies a new look and new life. This book, called Custom Kicks, is filled with photos and other information on how these tricked-out pieces of apparel knock out the modern world. 225 pages worth? I don't know...