Featured Artist Profiles

QVegas March issuePublished in QVegas issue March 2010

Princess Anne Mulford

 

I have met Anne Mulford, aka Princess Anne, multiple times throughout the past year. The first time was at The Erotic Heritage Museum. I was volunteering while she was setting up her show for The Museum’s first year anniversary party. Princess Anne immediately struck me as a strong, confident woman, with a clear point of view.

The work I saw of hers was her installation the Flying Vaginas. Each ceramic vagina is painted differently: one painted like it was made of sugar, another made of gold, one painted with sweet cherries upon it, while still another with a large fish. At first I didn’t know what to make of the show, it’s not often that I’m surrounded by a.) so many vaginas and b.) so many stereotypes. But upon closer inspection, each piece was beautiful; it had something to say about that stereotype and made me think twice.

This kind of reaction is a dream come true to most artists, and definitely Princess Anne, who has always strived for meaning in her art.

“[I was] really looking for a point of view when I moved here and went to grad school, almost 20 years ago.I felt that was missing from my work – in my undergraduate work and the years following. [My work] was fun and funny and fun to own and look at, but I wanted more. I wanted to have a point of view and make my audience think.”

Princess Anne has definitely accomplished that throughout the years. Although she has not allowed her political activity, her sexuality and her feminist ideals to take over her work, they have all played a part in who she is and what she creates.

“[My sexuality] is certainly not who I am. It’s an aspect of who I am, and it’s an important aspect of who I am. It informs my political activity and my artistic activity, my social activity. But it informs it. It doesn’t completely shape it. And not all of my artwork is gay oriented or even female or feminism oriented,” she confided. “I don’t know what my next body of work will be. Each phase of my life yields several bodies of art or theater now and who knows what the next will be. But I feel it starting. I feel images. I can see images coming to me now and have been for quite some time. So I know there’s a new grouping of work brewing.”

Until then, if you would like to see Princess Anne’s work visit The Erotic Heritage Museum, or watch for her in theater productions around the community.

Nick San Pedro

Pop culture icons, whether they are musicians, celebrities or heiresses, intrigue most people. Their faces and photos are constantly splashed across the news stands and hundreds of thousands, or even millions of people partake in this guilty pleasure in order to feel a part of these famous peoples’ existence.

This is about as far as the majority of the interested population goes. But one Las Vegas local has taken pop star intrigue to a whole different level. Nick San Pedro has spent the last eight years painting portraits of famous musicians and celebrities, many of which have been recognized, purchased and/or commissioned by the icons themselves.

San Pedro’s story started when he was working as a barista at the Starbucks at The Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. He enjoyed updating the chalk boards and would often draw different celebrities and musicians that visited the hotel. Over time, celebrities and musicians took notice of his chalkboard drawings and asked to buy the boards or take pictures of them. From there, San Pedro recounted, it just kind of snowballed and by the time he was 22 or 23 years old, he was commissioned to do eight paintings for the Grammy’s in New York City.

Since that time, nearly 10 years ago, San Pedro has devoted his life, paint brush to canvas, creating works of beauty. He has shared his paintings with some of the biggest names in the music and entertainment industries including, Britney Spears, Elton John, Madonna, Christina Aguilera, Celine Dion, Steven Spielberg, Siegfried & Roy, Lady Gaga, and many others.

In addition to his painting, San Pedro has been a prevalent icon in the Las Vegas   community, donating time and art to various auctions, benefits and non profits for the good of the community. He has also contributed many digital illustrations to QVegas over the years, including Editor Cory Burgess’ illustration.

Although musicians and celebrities have been San Pedro’s muses for the past several years, he feels a change coming on.

“A lot of my artwork is focused in on celebrities and musicians that are public figures, but now I feel like I am creating more work that is about anonymous people that audiences may have more questions about. I think my work is getting a little more metaphysical. I’m putting a little more meaning in my paintings. It’s a face that’s saying something.”

San Pedro will be hosting an art show on March 27th at Adias Salon focusing on some of his pop divas. “I’ll be bringing in a lot of paintings some people have never seen and I’ll be bringing something to work on during the reception as well,” he explained.

Visit his website www.nicksanpedro.coma and make sure to check out his show on March 27th.

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