An Insiders Look at The Summit Club
March 1, 2009 by wesleywinston
Filed under Dining, Featured
Many people have never been to the top of the Bank of America building in downtown Tulsa to appreciate the luxurious accommodations, fantastic food and gorgeous views of Tulsa at The Summit Club. As such, I have prepared a little “insider” video overview of The Summit Club and all it has to offer. For those interested in joining, just go to their website: http://summittulsa.com. Or call Susan Devonshire at: 582.5243.
02-01-09 2009 Super Bowl (of Chili)
February 1, 2009 by wesleywinston
Filed under Featured, Society
Local social juggernaut Rania Nasreddine hosted the 2009 Super Bowl (of Chili) at her home near “The Ranch” at 51st and Sheridan Sunday night. The event was a Super Bowl party AND a chili cook off. Rania’s home was stuffed with Tulsan’s eager to down some chili and take in the Super Bowl.
The streets leading up to Rania’s house were packed with cars and my unofficial headcount put around 100 people at the event. From creatives to professionals it was a veritable who’s who of young Tulsanites.
02-01-09 2009 Super Bowl (of Chili) from Wesley Cox on Vimeo.
Full Photo Album / Flickr Set here
Featured Photos:
The Districts of Brookside
January 24, 2009 by wesleywinston
Filed under City Development, Featured
When I first moved to Tulsa in ‘02 and I was learning my way around town, I remember people telling me about Brookside. At the time, I would receive vague descriptions about where Brookside began and where it ended, but was never completely clear on exactly where Brookside was. Of course when I would drive between 31st and 41st on Peoria I was very aware that I was in the heart of Brookside. What I did not know at that time is that Brookside extended well beyond that 1 mile stretch of commercial development on Peoria between 31st and 41st.
As I lived in Tulsa longer, Lower Brookside to be exact, I started to realize what a hot place Brookside was. That businesses south of the highway claimed to be in Brookside and that the borders of Brookside were somewhat debatable. Then a couple of years ago I heard someone refer to “Upper Brookside.” Which was the first time I had heard anyone ever describe a sub-district of Brookside. In fact I believe I remember a friend scoffing at the fact that someone would describe their area of Brookside UPPER BROOKSIDE, as if it were pompous.
All of that is what has led to this post, which I feel is the ultimate district breakdown of Brookside, Tulsa Oklahoma. So now, if you would, please honor me by referring to Brookside according to the sub districts that I have outlined below.
Click this image to see a larger version of this map.
Feel free to leave feedback and comments about my breakdown if you see room for improvement or refinement. I have the layered PSD so I can easily update this map.
Old School
January 13, 2009 by wesleywinston
Filed under Artists
featured artist: Nathaniel McKnight
Nat McKnight creates fresh images using traditional media.
“I am a firm believer in following the rules,” declares Nat McKnight, painter and printmaker.
“In art school, you have people who want to dive right into abstract expressionism, minimalism, all the new styles. And that’s totally valid, but what some fail to realize is that those movements were a response to, and an evolution from, the tradition of naturalism. If you take a look at the early works by modern, non-traditional artists, like the infamous Picasso, you will see that they all were very proficient in depicting the natural world as is.”
Nat’s work is very natural in appearance. He uses clean, well-intended lines and bright, fresh colors in his work. His figurative paintings and prints appear as if they could be in a magazine advertisement.
“To me, the canvas or paper is like a window to another dimension. I paint in order to capture what I see in reality, and my interpretation of reality allows the viewer to see how my mind processes the information.”
When asked about inspiration, Nat prefers fashion, natural beauty and the classics.
“Eye contact, posing, monumental figures…I wanted these paintings of my friends to be reminiscent of Archaic Greek Kouroi. There is a steadfastness, a monumental solitude in those statues that I try to instill into my paintings. The kouroi were treated like votive figures, objects of veneration. Painting is comparable to a religious experience for me.”
Indeed, the son of a preacher man, Nat has been somewhat sheltered from the world. Yet he interprets this as advantageous, for it has kept him from becoming desensitized in a world full of chaos.
“I never want to be overstimulated. There is so much trash and negative imagery proffered by the media. It can be too much. I pretty much gave up on television at school.”
Graduating from OU with a BFA in studio art last year, he has yet to figure out what to do professionally. “I’ve just always dreamt that I would be a painter, and it would be all romantic like the Renaissance; I would get a patron and paint my own Sistine Chapel. And then I graduate, and it’s like…oh. That’s not gonna work. Time to become a member of the real world.”
When asked why he doesn’t show his work on a regular basis, or even attempt to get his name out there, Nat gets tongue-tied. However, I get the impression that he knows exactly what’s going on.
“Well, it doesn’t help that I am somewhat reclusive by nature. And I tend to hoard. It’s not that I don’t want to profit from my work. But stage fright is a very real and powerful thing.”
Based on his body of work, I think Nat has little to worry about. Not only does he seem like a nice guy, his work stands out because it is good, ol’ fashioned realism. In an art world that gets off on shock value, political statements, and genre-pushing, it’s refreshing sometimes to just see things the way they are. Every viewpoint is valid.
“That’s not to say that I won’t ever divulge from the straight and narrow,” he says, continuing with, ”Like I said earlier, I believe in following the rules. Now that I feel I have a good, solid grip on realism, I am interested in breaking all that down and challenging myself to see and interpret the world in new ways.”
One way Nat has already done this is with his spiral drawings. Composed of one continuous line, these pieces are dizzying, and somewhat mathematical in their compositions.
“Umm, I don’t really know the meaning of these yet, or if I ever will. I started doodling this stuff as an eighth-grader. It’s crazy to see how it has evolved.” This could be Nat’s signature expression, like a new fingerprint. Besides on paper, he incorporates the spirals onto t-shirts.
“I love V-neck t-shirts and I usually customize them by hand with puff paint. I guess that’s pretty old school too,” he laughs.
“My favorites are the metallic, glitter, neon and glow-in-the-dark puff paints. They are SO AWESOME. I like the idea of taking a plain, fitted tee and transforming it into something luxe and “couture”. These shirts are one of a kind. No one else will have the same shirt…That is until I start mass producing!”
Nat has teamed up with local fashion house Weslet to market his designs, where he has his current line of 9 screen printed designs and several hand painted custom designs.
“For now, you kinda have to know me in order to get my work. But I like meeting new people and would love to share my visions with others.” HE WOULD . . .
Interested in Nat’s designs?
View and purchase his fashion line online at www.weslet.com
FN Mag Launch Party Photos
March 3, 2008 by wesleywinston
Filed under Nightlife
View all the photos from the event, including the iTTi Fashion show, the people at the event as well as the DJ Setis techno performance
Read more
Michael Fusco - Behind the ChefFebruary 26, 2008 by wesleywinston FN got the down-low on Fusco… family first, seafood second then the secret recipe.
The First Impression As I walked into the restaurant, Chef Fusco or “Chef” was strolling round with his six-month old princess, Bella, in his arms. He stopped to show her off to intrigued guests. I smiled as I watched people engage in laughter enticed by little Miss Fusco. At that moment, I realized Michael Fusco’s Riverside Grill was more than a restaurant; it is a place where “Chef” brings people together through food and atmosphere. Anyone who has dined at Michael Fusco’s Riverside Grill knows that his name is “Chef”, he is incredibly approachable, and he prepares the best damn seafood in Tulsa. The Sit-Down After introductions and flattery, I jumped into inquisition to quickly find that Chef is foremost a family man, and he portrays this at his restaurant. “A mommy’s boy” was what he called himself. After all, it was his mother, Ann, who bestowed unto him the inspiration to become a cook. He started helping out around the kitchen at age of five, when he had found his passion. Chef and his mother both share two important harvesting characteristics; they have an enormous love for food and the desire to comfort people.
After cooking all day he still takes pleasure in preparing meals for his family. After eating at Michael Fusco’s Riverside Grill, I can see why Jackie and the kids - Ryan, Megan, and Bella - are happy to have their own Chef at home. Chef knows a thing or two about creative combinations in the kitchen, too. He taught me that cooking is synonymous with the season. He explained, “When it is cold outside, I cook tomato soup with grilled cheese sandwiches for my family.” That’s nice Chef, but we know you’re not a Tulsa favorite because of your grilled cheese
Chef is seafood savvy. Many people might not realize our ability to harvest good seafood, maybe because we are approximately 705 miles away from the closest coast. However, Chef informed me that we, in fact, have the best location for getting fresh seafood. Ordering seafood from anywhere in the US can get to Michael Fusco’s between 12 and 24 hours, therefore allowing Chef to gather the freshest, never frozen seafood. He’s good.
So, I suggest you get over to Michael Fusco’s Riverside Grill on 97th and Riverside and entertain your palette.
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