Paris-based PHOTOGRAPHER, foodie, and OC blog correspondent DANIELLE RUBI is always on the move. This time, her travels take her to her native sunny California, where she hung with actors Alia Shawkat, Michael Cera, and Sarah Ramos.
Being away from Paris, I've been doing a lot of creative projects with talented, sweet, and fun folks while enjoying the winter California sun. When my husband Adrian got a furniture commission from our friend, the artist and actress Alia Shawkat, we posted up at her beautiful Beachwood Canyon 1920s home for a few days, and every moment was golden and hilarious.
Alia is well-known for her role as Maeby Fünke on the Emmy-winning show Arrested Development, as well as for being in films like Whip It and Cedar Rapids. Also an artist, she will be in an upcoming spring show at Brachfeld Gallery in Paris, where she'll be exhibiting her paintings and drawings. Oh, and she sings too! Like a real old-fashioned starlet.
At Alia's, I did a photo shoot with her and her friend, Sarah Ramos. Sarah plays Haddie Braverman on the TV series Parenthood, and she has also co-directed and co-written a smart and funny short film, The Arm, that recently screened at Sundance. To set things off, we set up an art-making situation with some canned foam insulation and spray paint to play with. The results were somewhere between ice cream-inspired sculptures and oversized marshmallow-esque Silly String. Fun and weird.
From there, we flowed into dress-up time. Alia and Sarah disappeared and came out in fantastic dresses from Alia's closet. At that moment, I knew that the girls would be incredible to photograph. Alia will pull out a gag from her purse at any moment––a mask off a shelf or a vintage hand puppet from her mantle––and Sarah will burst into song and dance in the middle of a conversation. So much energy and spontaneity. YES.
Michael Cera was over at the house, too. He dropped by to assist Adrian in the temporary workshop set up in Alia's garage. He and Alia have been dear friends since they worked together on Arrested Development. We ourselves had met Michael through Leslie Feist when she was recording her latest album, Metals, in Paris.
After our time in LA, we hit the open road to Marfa, Texas. More coming on that soon...![]()
Alia and Sarah
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Alia begins the spray foam art journey
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Sarah contemplates and writes the word "people".
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Spray-painted hardened foam or ice cream?
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Alia in her bedroom
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Here, Alia (right) is wearing a top from Japan. The idea is that when you bow, it looks like a flower. Oh, and the masks appeared out of nowhere.
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Being away from Paris, I've been doing a lot of creative projects with talented, sweet, and fun folks while enjoying the winter California sun. When my husband Adrian got a furniture commission from our friend, the artist and actress Alia Shawkat, we posted up at her beautiful Beachwood Canyon 1920s home for a few days, and every moment was golden and hilarious.
Alia is well-known for her role as Maeby Fünke on the Emmy-winning show Arrested Development, as well as for being in films like Whip It and Cedar Rapids. Also an artist, she will be in an upcoming spring show at Brachfeld Gallery in Paris, where she'll be exhibiting her paintings and drawings. Oh, and she sings too! Like a real old-fashioned starlet.
At Alia's, I did a photo shoot with her and her friend, Sarah Ramos. Sarah plays Haddie Braverman on the TV series Parenthood, and she has also co-directed and co-written a smart and funny short film, The Arm, that recently screened at Sundance. To set things off, we set up an art-making situation with some canned foam insulation and spray paint to play with. The results were somewhere between ice cream-inspired sculptures and oversized marshmallow-esque Silly String. Fun and weird.
From there, we flowed into dress-up time. Alia and Sarah disappeared and came out in fantastic dresses from Alia's closet. At that moment, I knew that the girls would be incredible to photograph. Alia will pull out a gag from her purse at any moment––a mask off a shelf or a vintage hand puppet from her mantle––and Sarah will burst into song and dance in the middle of a conversation. So much energy and spontaneity. YES.
Michael Cera was over at the house, too. He dropped by to assist Adrian in the temporary workshop set up in Alia's garage. He and Alia have been dear friends since they worked together on Arrested Development. We ourselves had met Michael through Leslie Feist when she was recording her latest album, Metals, in Paris.
After our time in LA, we hit the open road to Marfa, Texas. More coming on that soon...
Alia and Sarah
Alia begins the spray foam art journey
Sarah contemplates and writes the word "people".
Spray-painted hardened foam or ice cream?
Alia in her bedroom
Here, Alia (right) is wearing a top from Japan. The idea is that when you bow, it looks like a flower. Oh, and the masks appeared out of nowhere.