You may pass by it, never once noticing on your way to Flames; or it’s become such a habit that you don’t think twice about it on your morning stop for a fresh muffin and hot chocolate.  Maybe you only stop in on student night for a quick game of 9-ball and a round of beers.

These venues, while part of our everyday routines, might not be getting the recognition they deserve.   They’re the downtown shops and galleries that display our local artists’ work and they’re the sponsors of this Friday’s South First Art Walk.

Kaleid, Caffé Triste and S. First Billiards, among others, will all be representing for San Jose’s monthly event during Helium Magazine’s Art Couture Week.

Come join this diverse group of artists, art lovers and creators this Friday 8PM till late on First St. starting on San Carlos and working its way south.  The Helium Radar blog will be there snapping pictures of Silicon Valley’s fashion-forward so stop by, say “hi” and get ready for your close-up.

And don’t forget to visit Helium’s Art Couture Exhibit.

Photo: http://www.southfirstfridays.com/

As the editor-in-chief of Helium Magazine, I like to think that I’m responsible for most of what makes Helium unique. After all, I came up with the the name and the idea to round up all of the hidden designers in Silicon Valley, feature them in our magazine, and launch it at a top notch fashion show. But, despite hours of web coding and business meetings, I’ve come to the conclusion that I don’t know Jack.

Lucky for Helium, we have someone who does. Jack Husting, Helium’s Art Director, is the man behind the balloons (and Helium’s most popular Fashion Features; Shekar Rahate and Hector Manuel). What started as model Tammy Tran floating her way from our business cards to the top of Helium’s website has quickly turned into an iconic series of images that has branded Helium’s name. He rolled out flames and fire for the Atomic Fashion Show poster, and spent weeks creating the multi-gigabye composite for Helium’s Elemental Fashion Show poster (3.15.10).

Jack Husting’s 2010 Portfolio: Anything But Down

While Helium is ramping up for a slew of new Fashion Features, Jack has been busy working on his 2010 portfolio. In his series “Anything But Down,” Jack decides what gravity does. “The concept for the photographs derive from being different and having fun. The idea is the model does not follow normal gravity laws, instead her gravity falls anywhere but down.” Jack says he loves color because it allows him to send strong emotions and create dynamic contrasts that add to the illusion.

While we normally have to force his concentration onto fashion, here is Jack Husting; unleashed.

-Matthew Mountford
Helium Magazine | editor in chief