The subject of several of my paintings, Sabina Kelley is one of today’s hottest retro pinup models. Sabina is not only a beautiful model, but a total sweetheart of a friend, loving wife and mother. I was so happy to hear that she gave birth to a beautiful baby girl on October 28, 2008. Fittingly, Sabina named her precious little princess Grace Lynn Kelley. I hope you’ll stop on over to Sabina’s myspace page and congratulate her on the new addition!

Switzerland’s pinup model Zoe Scarlett (subject for  my painting titled “Christmas Morn”, below) and Retro Pinup Sari, from Germany, have teamed up to do a photo shoot for Zoe’s 2009 Animal Rescue calendar. I can’t wait to see the calendar, but in the meantime, it’s great fun to watch the ladies as they document their time together as seen on Sari’s blog, The Pin up Diaries.

Cutting their hair into bangs may have seemed like a bold move by the retro pinups I love to work with, but they were just a little ahead of the curve. According to Instyle magazine, bangs are in with celebs, and the bolder the better. Kudos to my trendsetting lovelies!

Need some pointers on how to approach one of today’s stylish retro gals at a local watering hole or car show? Pinup model Heidi Van Horne gives some sage advice in an article written for Primer men’s online magazine. Hope it helps!

Every once in a while (and even more often lately) I get reaffirmation that pin-ups are in from the big names in fashion and beauty. Such is definitely the case with OPI’s Retro Summer collection of “pin-up perfect shades for summer”. I LOVE the cute red polka dot swimsuit that the model is wearing in the ad, and the cute bi-plane’s banner calling out to “retro-girls” fits the bill to the “T”. I’m not sure about all the different nail colors, but the coral and red shades seem right on target for super pin-up style, and the retro ponytail holder brings me back to when I was five years old!

Jo Weldon of the New York School of Burlesque reports in her burlesque daily blog on retro pinup models (Sabina Kelley, Heidi Van Horne, and Jami Deadly) and neo-burlesque dancers giving back through artwork based on their famous figures. The ladies are featured in a BUST magazine article about their help in creating castings of their busts which have been decorated and will be on display in an exhibition titled “Breast Defense: Glamour Girls For Early Detection”. The Keep a Breast Foundation is a non-profit whose mission is to help eradicate breast cancer by exposing young people to methods of prevention, early detection and support. True to character, these retro gals are doing all they can to make the world a better place.

I’m ecstatic that askmen.com decided to do a feature on modern retro pinup models. They even took on what I think is an impossible task of ranking the top 10 retro pinups. I’m ecstatic for all the gals that made the list - big congrats! - but feel especially proud of the five models on the list that I’ve had the pleasure of painting: Sabina Kelley (2), Heidi Van Horne (5), Kim Falcon (6), Kay O’Hara (7), and Zoe Scarlett (8). I’m not going to comment of the rankings, because of course I think there are so many modern pinups deserving of recognition. The best thing about this article is that it brings the work they do to a much larger audience.

My latest painting, titled “Tattoo You” was premiered at the NY Comic Con this past weekend. There was a tremendous amount of interest in buying prints, which are now only available for pre-order as I await the scanning/proofing process (which is necessary to produce the best quality prints with pure white background that I can’t achieve with my poor photo taking skills). Prints are expected to begin shipping the week of May 12th. If interested in reserving a print now, please e-mail me (sales@susanheidi.com) - online ordering will be available soon.

I’m sorry to say that I won’t be attending this year, but many of the models I’ve worked with will be in attendance during this weekend’s Viva Las Vegas 11 held at the Gold Coast Casino in Las Vegas (April 10-13, 2008). VLV (as it’s known to insiders) is THE place to be for rockabilly, hot rod, and pinup girl enthusiasts. In addition to the festivities scheduled at the Gold Coast (including Saturday’s Car Show which is free to the public and the place to see and be seen), there are many parties being held around town. Pinup celebrities, Sabina Kelley and Kay O’Hara will each be hosting events Thurs. and Friday nights. If you stop by and see them let them know I sent you!

I get lots of e-mail asking me for vintage resources on the internet. The eVintage Society is a great source for all things vintage. The site contains links to vendors that will outfit you in style for the upcoming VLV weekender in Las Vegas or any other rockabilly themed event. Their blogs are also a fun read. And I agree wholeheartedly….red patent leather is up there with leopard print and polka dots!