Month: February 2019

Rachel Baird is used to taking things in steps. She is, after all, a dancer. But she’s at a crossroads, and it’s her heart, not her feet, that she’s counting on this time to lead her in the right direction. Rachel, who is from a town too tiny to mention in Norfolk County in Ontario, Canada, has a career choice to make. And she doesn’t have much time to come to a decision. She’s been living in New York City under an artist visa, and it’s time to renew. Doing so could…

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Growing up, Nicholas Alexandrakos was always interested in his family’s history. With grandparents from Greece and Italy who spoke their native languages at home, how could he not be? “So much of my upbringing was talking about foreign lands I’d never been to,” he says. “When we celebrated the holidays, everyone talked about how it was done in the old country.” That’s why he changed his last name. Alexander, not Alexandrakos, was the one bestowed upon him when he…

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In the spare bedroom of his apartment, Jose Mota is standing at a monumental work table, using an oil-paint marker to create the black, undulating lines that define his latest work. The mixed-media abstract painting, , is part of a series of 20 large pieces titled that, when viewed together, form a complete picture. The works consume most of the space in Jose’s makeshift studio. And all of his free time. Of which there is not very much. Jose, who makes his living as…

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How hard – or easy – is it to play the guitar if you’ve never done it before? Instead of answering, Mike David Papapavlou, aka the Guitar Guide Guru, takes an acoustic off the rack and places it in my hands. He positions my right elbow securely over the bulky blond body and puts my left hand on the instrument’s neck, informing me that there are six strings, numbered 1 through 6, with the latter being closest to my face. “What would you like to play?” he asks. When…

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