Stash Studios

get REFUELED for FREE

Here is another guest blogger for you. A man who can provide you with the only opportunity you might ever have to get refueled for free. He surely needs no introduction, the one, the only (well except for that rapper guy), the man with the Urban Prairie plan, Chris Brown....

It seems like a short month since my alt-country style + design magazine REFUELED was released. The debut issue has been downloaded and read by thousands of people who have said they have been waiting for something "different" to come along in the country-collecting arena. For that I thank all of you. 

REFUELED has seemed to strike a cord with the very people it was targeted to - creative folks with the desire to look beyond the mainstream. To me, the goal of any magazine is first to inspire, then to inform. That has been the desire with my company Urban Prairie from the very start. What started out as a venue to showcase my collections, creative ventures and my take on country design quickly evolved into something larger and much more special. All of which lead to REFUELED the magazine.

With each new issue my goal is to continue to showcase collectors, designers, style and music outside the mainstream and hold true to the indie/alternative spirit from which it was born.

The next issue, due out in the Fall, looks to be bigger and cooler than the first. We’re hitting the road and adding more contributors. Digging deep to unearth collectors, designer and musicians with that special Urban Prairie vibe. 

I’m very proud and excited about what our contributing features editor, Cheryl Schulke AKA Stash is putting together for the Style section. The feature will debut a line of Stash creations in a gritty motel setting, an original fashion spread for the magazine.

I have received tons of emails, comments and letters to the editor. Keep them coming. It’s your thoughts, suggestions and views that better shape the future of REFUELED. 

Santos for Bread

Here is the last outtake I promised you.
Inspired by a shared story on collecting religious artifacts in Mexico
from a dealer friend at Warrenton....

 

Outtakes

I hope you have had time to sit down and discover the first issue of Refueled magazine - the FREE online magazine with an alternative view of country design. If not, check it out. You can download a PDF version here or utilize a wicked cool iPhone-ish smart browser through the online host here.

On one hand, you can skim through and enjoy the eye candy but on the other hand, I think there are layers that reveal themselves with each new look.

I was honored to work with Urban Prairie capturing Chris's unique vibe and vision with my photography and writing. Don't miss my religious experience and check out my in-depth review of the new Jim White album.

As with any project, there are always pieces to the puzzle that don't quite fit. In film and music, these are called outtakes. There were literally thousands of photos taken for the first issue of Refueled.  There was also a piece inspired by a story shared by one of my vendor friends (watch for this to run in a few days right here at Stash Studios).

I could regale you with tales behind-the-scenes of how I spent several weeks chasing thunderheads trying to capture the perfect photo of the hymn board against a high contrast sky. And the number of times I found the perfect sky only to be without a camera or the hymn board only added to the drama and adventure.

I had many wonderful photo assistants who slogged through open prairies and quickly realized that the hymn board is heavier than it looks and it catches the wind like a sail. Thus enduring a shoot proved to be quite a workout. Well, when you are working with Stash Studios, you can always expect an adventure, always.