Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Serve The Public - A Toys for Tots Benefit



Serve The Public - A Toys for Tots Benefit

For one night only, celebrities bartenders give you a taste of what its like to be them!



Cashflow Atlanta and Royal Flush Entertainment have joined forces to present a unique giving experience for the holidays, Serve The Public. This one of a kind event will feature a host of celebrities, professional athletes, business executives and community leaders as bartenders for one night, offering tips for tips. For one hour each, customers will receive cocktails and consultation from the featured personalities on their fields of expertise. Sponsored by Tree Of Life Pomegranate Wine, M Bar will offer deeply discounted drink specials for all premium alcohol brands in stock and will have professional bartenders on hand to assist the celebrity mixers. Serve The Public will take place on December 18, 2010 at M Bar in downtown Atlanta's Castleberry Hill district. Doors open at 7pm. The list of celebrity bartenders includes:

Jazze Pha – Multiplatinum SuperProducer (Ciara, Lil Wayne, T.I., Nelly, Ludacris)
Stormy Wellington – Top Money Earner in Ardyss International, Marketing Executive
Mo Reilley – Entertainment Personality
DJ Trauma – Beehive FM Radio Personality, Club DJ
Ashley Reid – Professional Photographer, Daughter of Industry moguls L.A. Reid & Pebbles
Mo Pleasure – Multi-Instrumentalist/Songwriter/Producer for Michael Jackson, Earth Wind & Fire, Maxwell
Ebony Steele – Co-Host of The Rickey Smiley Show
Ryan Kilgore – Saxophonist for Stevie Wonder




Admission for this 21 and up event is $20 in advance, $25 at the door; 1st drink free when you bring a toy.


Special Performance By: Ryan Kilgore & Mo Pleasure


Live Art By: CP The Artist


Hosted By : Maurice Garland



About Cashflow Atlanta

Cashflow Atlanta™ specializes in Financial Literacy Entertainment Events®. Their objective is to educate the masses in the subjects of financial literacy, investing, entrepreneurship and the like in an entertaining environment. Cashflow Atlanta™ believes that education in an atmosphere of entertainment is a more effective process than the traditional classroom & seminars.

About Royal Flush Entertainment

Royal Flush (Jeron Ward and Rick Walkk) is a Grammy Nominated production duo largely known for their work with Outkast. They also specialize in hosting events including their latest venture, Inside The Music at Stankonia Studios.

For more info please contact Brandon Alexander at 404.494.0096 or cashflowatlanta@gmail.com.



--
Brandon Alexander
Cashflow Atlanta™
Financial Literacy Entertainment Events®
404.494.0096

Monday, July 12, 2010

Remember Beat Street?

Lord knows I miss my early Hip-Hop Days. this Video was posted on Facebook. I watched Beat Street like 100 times when I was a youngin. I cried when Ramon died.

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Charly, the Other Palmer



In 2008 I first learned about an artist named Charly Palmer. An artist told me when he seen my work on the Internet, and thought I was him. Being that we both were in the Atlanta area, it was suggested to me, that maybe I should change my artist name, to avoid a lot of confusion. I was like, I’m not changing my name for no one. I found him on www.charlypalmer.com and my jaw dropped. Soon I ended up changing my artist name from Cpalmer to CP the Artist, which I liked alot better.



Charly’s Art, to me is symbolizes artistic expression, but the work is made by a Guru and a Historic Scholar with a paint brush. It was told to me, he once opened up a Black History book, visualized the history and then painted the whole thing as a series. Amazing! The execution of colors and textures brings his creations to life, to say the least.







About 1 year later, I had heard he wanted to meet me. Finally we met at the Stuart McClean art Gallery in Atlanta for “Hell-up in Hotlanta - Art Battle”. He was a tall, bald, and gray beard black man in his late 40’s. Before he was able to say anything to me, I looked him in the eye and said “Dad, I finally found you!” As we joked and laughed, I am wondering if we need to get a DNA test, so I can collect backed Child Support payments.



There’s not a painting I’ve seen from him, that I haven’t been amazed at.
Charly has been a mentor and friend of mine. But most importantly a great inspiration.

Saturday, June 5, 2010

Miya Bailey


In our Culture, we as men don't show each other appreciation for each other. Either we we feel too much pride, selfishness, or disguise it in HATE. One day I had a vision of the people that impacted me the most dying/dead. Wondering if I lived longer then they did would they know how much they inspired me? I had people die on me before and I never had the chance to show them my appreciate for them,its a terrible feeling. I believe in the statement; Give them flowers while they can still smell them.

Miya Bailey is one of the many Artists in ATLANTA that inspire me, each day to achieve higher. I study Artists and their ways of self-expression. Its the gas that keep me going.



Back in 2008, I was looking through Creative Loafing and read an article about a tattoo artist/artist Co-owner of City of Ink named Miya Bailey. Reading the article I thought this dude got alot of persona, confidence, and street smarts about him in a Black-Power type of way. I found his work on his myspace page. I was very impressed.



Winter of 2008 I met Miya for the first time in person at the old Sugar Hill Club in Atlanta, where he was painting live. It was my chance to meet, arguably, an art legend. I was shocked he said he recognized my work on myspace at the time. I was humbled, he remembered my work.

For the last couple of years, I've grown an appreciation to him as an Artist and as a person. I admire his honesty on his site miyabailey.com and on his twitter page. Raw, unpredictable, Miya reflects about everything from Family to his everyday journey in Life as Artist/Tattoo Artist and a person. His honest reflections has become important to me many ways. Miya reminds me of my favorite artist Bob Marley, a Free-mind with a heart with a purpose, using his artform as his tool for change and self-expression. His boy Tuki reminds me of Peter Tosh. City of Ink crew are the Melody Makers. Soul Rebels and Duppy Conquerors in a Trenchtown Rock(ATL).

One Friday night, I got the brief chance to hang with Miya, at his Studio and at his at City of Ink. I listened to him talk about his vision for his Movie and what he's is working on. The more he talked, the more I was inspired to do something bigger and paint something deeper. Miya is a Tattoo Artist and I a Visual Artist, that have one common belief, that is to keep the Art form we do, Pure. Miya talked about the bad Tattoo artists that are ruining the Art form for a quick buck. It pains him to see bad tattoos on a person, as I do seeing bad art on the walls of Galleries and Homes.


The thing that Miya brings out in his paintings/tattoos are the deeper meanings behind them. As an emerging artist myself, I appreciate his Artistic vision. Many of us Artists stop at the surface, but real Artists go to the Soul. Miya gives a deeper meaning to Soulful Art. You could paint the prettiest painting with nothing to feel from it. Legends are made by the ability to go to the heart.

Thank you Miya for going Soulful.

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Unbelievable - behind the Image



People wonder why I have an image of myself with a silhouette of Notorious B.I.G in side of me. I did that because I love the track Unbelievable by him. Its my favorite B.I.G track of all time. So my collage here, is a metaphor for my talent and a motivation as an artist to be and do the Unbelievable. Every time I listen to Unbelievable, I put my name in place of "Biggie Smalls" as I sing along side the track.

Sunday, May 23, 2010

CP wept

Do you know the success rate for an artist is 30%? Did you know the great artist Rembrandt died dead poor?

Being a starving artist I go thru hundreds of downs. I, like many other artists, are faced with so many obstacles. I get depressed, stressed out, worry, and many times I question if this worth doing anymore? Also, being criticized, rejected, and under-appreciated takes a toll on a person's spirit, daily. If I had $100 for every time someone said, “Your work is amazing” I’d be a content man. But compliments don’t pay the Mortgage, car note, credit card bills, utilities, food, and other expenses. I’m faced with so much uncertainties. For all the hard work a man must do to be am Artist, the pressure is over-whelming.

So today I went to Church. The pastor preached about 2 Cor. 3-7

4who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. 5For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. 6If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. 7And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.

The Pastor talked about being “distressed” in a situation that God has chosen for you. Thru out the Bible God took very ordinary people and told them they can do impossible things for his Kingdom. The pastor said, “God, told them, this is what I’ve chosen for you to do”.

I know the saying, "Men aren't supposed to Cry". I dont cry much, but I cried today in Church, because I’ve been praying so long to God, during these times of distress, to tell me what he wants me to do? He answered me, “I’ve Chosen you to do this, I chosen you to speak to the kids and give them someone to look up too. I chosen you to be apart of people’s lives and I used your gifts for myself.” This started to make sense to me, because if I was rich and needed nothing, I’d be conceited and content with what I had and not what I needed to do. I felt humbled down to my core.

The pastor said “everyone will come to points in their life when you’re at a cliff. The cliff’s dropped is 5 miles down, and you look at God and say “So I guess this is as far as I should go?” and he said, “No, keep Going, I got you”.

Friday, May 21, 2010

Love thy Neighbor



In the City of Atlanta, there is a big state of poverty in the City. Unfortunately no one is talking about solutions to fix it. People are begging on the streets, everywhere you turn. Yesterday I decided to find out "what happened to them?".


I went to the west end of Atlanta and met a man in front of a fried chicken restaurant. He called himself "Scarface". He had massive scars all over his body. He seen me with a camera and wanted me to do a documentary on him. I giggled and said, "I don't do documentaries but I'd like to take your picture and hear your story". Scarface didn't say much of anything, just went back and forth, mumbling about alot of different things. He talked about the street life and how he hustles selling CDs. He wanted me to buy him some chicken, and I did. it was the lest I could do
Next, I was in Castleberry, were I met James, a pan handler on Peters St. I knew James for a while, James calls me "Nephew". James is a cool dude. As we were talking a woman came around, saying "Please! someone help me, I'm pregnant and I need food, I don't want your money, I just want something to eat". I gave her $5, but James gave all the money he had pan-handling to her. I said to him, "why did you do that?" he said, "Because Nephew, it's just gonna come right back to me".



James said he is a diabetic living on the streets, which shocked me because my mom is a diabetic, and her life is tough with that disease. He said when he asks for food, people think he will sell it for drugs, so they tell him to eat it in front of them. He does what they say, knowing it will probably kill him. I asked him what went wrong in his life? He said, "Nothing went wrong, Nephew, I chose this life" I asked him but what about the winters and living life on the streets, aren't you suffering? he said "I look forward to everyday, I've been doing this for years, God put me here to help others like that lady".

A few things run through my mind. In Jesus's time he helped the poor. The Poor and needy mobbed him everyday of his ministry. We read about when a multitude of 5,000 came he feed them fish and bread. Jesus, must of been overwhelmed by what was going on, but kept helping and passed the opportunity to help others, to us.

I dont know these people. but I'm not here to judge them. God gives us the opportunity to help our neighbors, we need to do it, as it was written, "Love thy Neighbor".

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

My Way






Ever since I've hit a little notoriety in the Art scene, it seems like every word I say, every move I make, I get a backlash of critics, hate, and snakes coming out the grass.

I've been called every part of the human digestion system. I've been called insensitive, politically incorrect, a homophobe, a sell-out, uppity, a hero, a leader, a motivation, and a inspiration. Sometimes Deserved. I've been ignored, abandoned, challenged, rejected, accepted, wanted, praised and discredited, all in the same week.

I say all of this to say, I did it all, My Way. Before you think you can say you know CP the Artist, know first Charlton Palmer. A skinny kid out of Perth Amboy, New Jersey. Who grew up very insecure about his height, weight, and that felt alot of rejection as a kid. Then when I became a man, I kept trying to find a better way in life. I became a Christian put my faith into God, not people. I don't have the greatest rags to riches story or tragedy turned triumph moments. I am sorry there's no Hollywood movie script material.

I'm not looking for any ones approval, because I am a flawed human being and I wish people would just accept that. You see more then the top layer, so accept it, its My Way. I will say and do the wrong things by mistake.

I do art for a living and not for fame or glory. I am here to make lives better. I hope to make a difference in lives thru my ART and service. My Way, isn't the best way, but don't put me on a pedestal and expect me to be PERFECT. Don't hold stock into the things I may fail at. You wanna make me better, then be like my best friends, by helping me love, care, and find understanding. Help me do the greater good. Quit the jealousy, envy, tough talk, and sensitivity because all of that isnt My Way.

Monday, April 26, 2010

SHADE - 24x24 Limited Edition Giclee Print





This Artwork is about finding any comfort in a tough situation.

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

HealthSCARE Reform


In light of the Health SCare Bill being passed, I have to say: Barack Obama can make any Speech he wants, but I don't TRUST IT. I don't trust this government, period. How can I trust them to make the right decisions from the decision they've made with my taxes, when to go to war, how much my money is mine when I retire, who to trust in the congress, senate, or house of reps? and you want me to Trust in a Health SCare Reform Bill that's 2,000 pages long? What's in the Details? What's the grey area? Who's paying for this? Will it Work?

I don't even read that 1 page that inside the Aspirin box. I've always believed the Devil is in The Details. I don't TRUST IT!
Man will do anything to stay alive: eat his kills, kill his mother if he had to. Bush lead the U.S. into War with Iraq, with the help of fearful Americans after 9/11.
It's been 9 years since 9/11 and Bin Laden is still making more videos then Porn Stars. I digress.

So am i supposed to just agree with everything his prostitute government passes into law now? Hidden agendas. I see Evil in Man. I see only HOPE IN GOD. I see PROGRESS AND CHANGE thru JESUS CHRIST. There's a saying "Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me". YES WE CAN, use our heads for once. Politics is a Game of how can keep a job longer or leave with the most. Corrupt US Government.

Thursday, January 14, 2010

My Greatest Inspiration

R&B Legend, Teddy Pendergrass died today at age 59 of cancer. I am so deeply sadden right now that I’m tearing up writing this and holding back from bawling. To me, TP had a way of taking songs and lyrics and putting them directly in your mind, heart, and soul for you to relate to. TP was Passion above his poetry. Who remembers hearing him sing and how he would pour it out? When he said, “Come here BABY!! Lay your head next mine!,” you felt it.

TP was the singer of my life, it seemed to me. Teddy Pendergrass, was more than apart of who I am. I played Teddy Pendergrass to let him sing how I was feeling. I felt like TP wrote many songs about me or how I was feeling at the time, more than any other Artist. He sang songs on how to love a woman.

He was such a therapist or relationship expert. Remember he sang, “Its so good, loving somebody, and that somebody loves you back” and then said “I’m talking about a 50/50 love, yeah I’m talking about a 50/50 love, yeah”

Even as a kid Teddy’s music had a power and strength I could listen too. I got to understand TP more as an insecure teenager, battling depression and emotional issues, I can remember playing Teddy Pendergrass’s LOVE TKO after a heartbreak I had with a girlfriend. It brought me healing.

It was Back when I was a newly wed with my exwife, I remember coming home every night and the wife was playing “Pretty Flower”. It was her favorite song. We would make love to the whole CD many times.

I remember being at my job, I worked as a Mail Room Clark, we played Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes Greatest Hits CD. When“Miss You” came on, most of us grown men would be singing, “ooooh I, Oooooh I, miss you, miss you, miss you” in the mail room. LOL

I’m not going to end this with saying, “Miss you” to Teddy. I’m gonna say to you TP, in your own words, from another of my favorite TP songs: “You are latest and my Greatest Inspiration…you keep lifting me up....higher"

Thank you Teddy. I love you
CP