Julita's Studio

Busy.

2011-10-24T13:43:00.001-04:00

...printprintprint...

It's been a busy summer. That's my excuse for being absent from the blogosphere. Don't get me wrong though, I've attempted to post numerous times. My computer desktop is plastered with saved files of posts I had begun and just didn't have the time to finish. They were ambitious undertakings, consisting of pages upon pages of senseless ramblings, the last one being started (and almost completed) while I was sitting at an airport terminal somewhere in California two weeks ago, waiting for a flight home. I had just spent a rather busy and eventful weekend at Baby Tattooville" (the secret yet not so secret art event), and having missed it the previous year I decided not to miss it again. There I was, typing away, when they called my flight to board, and so the file was scrapped to the desktop just like all the previous files.

So I'm not going to make this post long because I know if I get into the nitty gritty of things this will not get posted. So, here is the itty bitty version of highlights from the past few (ahem) months in sort-of semi-chronological order:

The house smooshed by a tree.

1. My mother's house got knocked about by a tornado. Well, more like the tornado threw a big tree at it and crushed it here and there. There was a lot of driving involved from my place to her place (lots of back and forth-ness).

Which reminds me…

2. Did I mention I moved again? Different state, different time, different planet, etc etc. (well, maybe not different time and planet, but you get the gist).

3. My (slightly aging) powerhouse of a desktop computer died a smoky death, taking with it many files that I was just too lazy to back up. There was some sizzling involved and lots of burning smells. A giantormous amount of stress ensued. (Data retrieval is imminent on that sucker.)

…printprintprint...

4. Screen printing like a mad woman to make cool little giveaways for my friends and also the attendees at Baby Tattooville which were placed in the goodie bags (the prints, not the friends and attendees). I literally was printing till I had to get in the car to head to the airport. The morning of my flight went something like: pack one item, printprintprint, pack another item, printprintprint, and so on. Thanks to my bud Jon the printing all got finished.

5. Coming back and framing tons of art for an Open Studios exhibit that took place a week ago (and only four days after my arrival from my trip). The whole time I was hacking up a lung having caught some nasty germs on the airplane (those planes are so nasty - breeding grounds for oozy little buggers - can't tell you how many times I've been sick after a flight).

Oh I almost forgot this:

6. Creating inventory for the online store. (I know, I know. Yes, I've been talking about a store for forever now… but yes there will be a store and it's just around the corner, though some of the inventory did get sold at the exhibit. So it'll be a small store, for a little while anyway.)

Whew.

Virgo

2011-05-22T01:42:00.014-04:00

Here is Virgo. The first to be completed in the zodiac series I started some time ago. Some additional photos that I took in low-light conditions to show the gold detailing.

Coolness Supreme! (minus rambling)

2011-04-20T12:21:00.004-04:00

So, I sat down to type up this post and started rambling in my usual manner. As I got about half way through I read what I wrote, and it made so little sense (supreme rambling, supreme!) that I had to delete it.

Since words (obviously) could not describe the awesomeness I felt when I found out that someone (who had purchased my work) had liked my art so much, that they had to get a tattoo of it (the only one they have), I just decided to post a photo of it (since my rambling couldn't get the point across).

The discovery of this was absolute elation (like winning the lottery, I imagine, or finding treasure in your back yard). I can't put the rest into words. I just can't.

Coolness.

Cooooooolnesssssss.

Comedy for the Cure charity event.

2011-04-02T16:21:00.004-04:00

I'm honored to have been asked to donate a piece of my artwork for this wonderful charity event's silent auction, which is happening tonight. Besides myself, there will be artwork by artists Dan McCarthy and Sue Porcaro. All money raised will be donated to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. This event is in memory of a little boy named Dillon Wilson who was unfortunate enough to pass away from a rare blood cancer. If you have the time, please take a look at their webpage: http://dwcomedy.com

The event takes place annually, so if you can't donate or attend this year, there is always next year (and remember that you can donate anytime to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society).

Below is the piece I donated, At Play. It's archivally framed, floated behind UV glass.

Unfinished business…

2011-03-15T19:04:00.001-04:00

I started this larger scale painting of Warship sometime ago (lots ago), and got frustrated with it since I had the brilliant idea of completing it in acrylic (I work mainly in inks and oils). But a few weeks ago I felt the need to pick it up and complete it.

So here is a progress shot of it. It's come along quite a bit since I last touched it. A bit more to go - and this time I'm not putting it away till I'm finished.

Getting back on.

2011-02-05T13:42:00.002-05:00

So I see that I have been neglecting this blog much too long. I didn't plan on it. Really I didn't. I guess I just fell off the wagon, and when one falls off the wagon it can sometimes be very hard to get back on (you know how fast wagons go - once they start speeding down that bumpy wagon highway, well, your running self just can't keep up). The truth is that life took over. There were mishaps alongs the way; I moved (once again), became swamped with freelance work, the car broke down once more (remember the lemon?). I also became very ill and multiple doctors couldn't figure out what was wrong. Months of bloodwork tests and a great doctor later, I'm feeling better and getting back on track. So you see, a move and being ill can really derail everything (including the wagon that you're on - those are some serious bumps in the road).

But, in the meantime, I was still finding time for creating art. I tried my hand at mosaic (a lot of fun, yet tiring in a strange, slow, fry-my-brain kind of way). I also took a screen printing course and started setting up a make-shift print studio with a buddy of mine. I also have a few other projects I've started up.

Now I plan on being better about posting here since this blog helps me stay on track. I'll try hard. Really.

Really.

(I can't believe I've been absent for almost a year!)

Mumas (moo-mas)

2010-04-14T03:17:00.002-04:00

These are the things that live in my head.

There were dark things that lived in the nooks and crannies in my room as a child, and they only came out when I would go to bed at night. I couldn't see them, but I knew they were there. They were faceless and gray, covered in dust and lint, coming and going from dark and desolate places.

I would lay as still as possible in the hopes that I would dissolve into the blankets and bedsheets, become one with my pillows, because I knew they were watching.

Always watching.

Just watching.

And as they watched, I'd fall asleep in my frozen state.

In the morning my grandmother would come in and find me still in bed, afraid of getting up because there might be a muma under my bed, ready to snake out and grab at my bare foot. She'd look under the bed, swatting the floor underneath with her hand, and cheerfully declare that there wasn't anything under there except dust bunnies as she'd pull one out to show me.

I on the other hand knew that those weren't dust bunnies. That was the stuff that the mumas left behind, the stuff that rolled off their gray cloaks.

For Illustration Friday: linked. Three linked figures representing my childhood fear of dust bunnies.

The Rescue (in progress).

2010-04-02T01:34:00.003-04:00

Still a ways to go, but figured I'd post it anyway.

Close up to show some of the gold detail.

(Low light and no flash, so color is a bit skewed.)

In progress scan.

Blackline.

Illustration Friday: Expired

2010-03-25T18:00:00.005-04:00

The sketch after it was scanned and the line-work darkened.

Ready for transfer to a larger surface.

Snapshot taken with my rinky-dink camera.

I figured I'd better post this now or it would never make it into this week's Illustration Friday. I haven't done an IF post in over three months (look at me talking like I've done sooo many of these when I've only done one before). Plus I figured that since I'm such an absentee blogger.... well, you get the gist.

I actually drew this for Expired thinking I would sketch it so small, and so simple, that I could complete and create a color version all in the span of a few days. Of course, I didn't consider my schedule of many, many other important things that I had to accomplish this week, nor the fact that my right shoulder was still trying to heal up and that any movement within the length of my arm, including the hand, would just set me back another day of being an invalid (more on this shoulder nonsense in another post since I know how much all of you enjoy hearing about my misfortunes).

Of course I fell into the same pit I always do. I started on a small, scrap-sized piece of paper. This not being adequate enough (I had no room to think for goodness sake!), I moved up to my medium sized 6" x 9" sketch book, making a huge jumbled mess of useless sketches. I then realized that I needed even more room to think, so I moved up another size to my 12" x 12" book. Gah!

Gah!

And I still thought I could complete a stained and colored version (still disregarding the ever-all-important to-do list).

Well, I had to give in to the more important things. One has to be an adult sometimes - really - sometimes. (I mean, you can't be an adult all the time because then life would be really boring. How droll.)

I'm actually really excited about this sketch.... so many ideas for this running through my noggin. This was pretty dark stuff coming out of my head (so dark it was blinding! hehe ( ....ok... that was cheesy)).

Goodbye studio.

2010-03-02T23:49:00.005-05:00

My studio on the last day.

Most of February I spent packing all my worldly possessions that I had stowed away in my studio (more like strewn about my studio), and began cramming them into my tiny car. It was a great many trips to and fro. I would squeeze about six boxes into my car and some loose items and that would make one full load. I would need many hands to count the amount of trips I took.

I'm tired of moving. Reaaally, reaaally tired.

(I'm doing this to myself, aren't I? So I really should quit complaining.)

The final week of moving was sabotaged by bad weather. The day before I was to be fully out of the place, it looked like this:

This is not picturesque, or New England-y.

This is crappadoodle for drivers.

So. Didn't do much art during the month-long move. But, I did work on getting my taxes prepped and ready, took Preston to the dentist (oh how traumatic! for me anyway! listening to a yowling cat in the car while maneuvering snowy, slushy streets), and started on a freelance project (I think there were a few drooling, catatonic states dispersed in there somewhere).

Wait, wait... I did do some art... I finished five drawings.... (see, I can barely remember that I did this, much less when, and how).

Crazy friggin month that February. Hey, at least I made it a full year in the studio (that's longer than the last two places I lived in).

Zodiac update.

2010-02-04T00:12:00.002-05:00

A few of the zodiac pieces are finished. Some that I have started I completely scrapped, and I'm planning on revising the drawings for those (woooo, I get to stain paper again...wooooo). I'm wondering if I should wait till I have all of them completed before posting them here, but at the same time, it may be fun to just post them. Hmmm. Not sure. Hmmm. Well, I've at least posted the revised sketch for Gemini. Actually, I completely scrapped the old sketch and came up with a whole new fancy one. (I just can't keep things simple.)

I'm keeping this post short, not because I don't have anything to write about, but quite the opposite. I could tell a great new story about the lemon, but I won't because then I would be up all night trying to compose it. There would be a crazy hurricaney snowstorm, and a whole part about being stranded, and then another part about being stranded again for a completely different reason (it all has to do with the lemon, yes it does). It would be quite an exciting story, but much too long to recount (at this late hour). So a picture of a sketch will just have to do for this post.

No picture. Not today. Nope.

2010-01-19T02:00:00.002-05:00

No pic today. I haven't done a "no pic" post in a long time. So without further ado:

No picture! Ta Daaa!

So, thank you all for giving me a kick in the ass regarding that last post. I have to say, between emails, texts, Facebook messages, a few posts here, and contacts from out of the blue...

I hear YOU ALL. Loud and clear. I mean, my bum hurts. From your kicking! ;0D

(Oh look, an emoticon, on my blog, how'd that get here? How inappropriate!)

Well. The holidays have come and gone. I'm not sad to see them go. Preston is doing very well. He's had his million dollar treatment and now he has turned into a semi-calm, fluffy, ball of fuzz. The stress of my cat being sick really got me into a downer, and I fell into a puddle of stress and constant worry. As soon as that was over, some freelance work appeared out of nowhere, and that is where I have been all this time: worriedly busy, or busily worried (not sure what I'm trying to say here, but I hope I got it across).

I've also decided to quit my studio (that sounds very British "quit my studio"), or dispose of it, release it, etc. As spaces on my studio floor have been rented out, it's become much noisier, and I miss the quiet solitude of the building. It was so still and silent, that the air was almost heavy with it (but not quite). It was the perfect place to hunker down and work. My other reasons for quitting the place: it's absolutely freezing right now, and the electric heat does not warm a single molecule in that cavernous space, and over the summer, the heat killed my plants! One by one! That was more upsetting than anything else. I love plants!

I'm having a tough time concentrating right now. I brought my speakers home from the studio and hooked them up to the computer. Instead of causing pleasure to my eardrums, they're making mishy-mashy noise. They're picking up a radio signal, and as I'm trying to listen to Brian Eno while I'm typing this (you, know, trying to stay relaxed yet in the moment), I'm hearing Michael Jackson's slightly squeaky voice shouting out... Beat it. Just beat it. No one wants to be defeated...

It's really hard to focus. It really is.

Queen of procrastination. It is I.

2009-12-21T20:48:00.006-05:00

Entangled 5" x 7"

(Experiment in color - ink on Aquabord.)

Finished? Or still in progress? - Not sure yet.

(I think it's done, but then, not really... hmmm.)

I must be the queen of procrastination. I really should open that Etsy shop I've I talked about going on forever now. The only reason is that I'm hoping that it might somehow help pay down the massive vet bill my cat's accumulated, even if it's just a little bit. Not only did he have a thyroid issue (in which meds only made him sicker), but he got a hold of a fern which caused him to be rushed to kitty ER. Plant recovery went great, but the thyroid treatment turned him into a mini Chernobyl so he's quarantined at the moment. I went to visit him today and I swear his radioactivity caused havoc with my cellphone. (Or maybe not. Maybe it was just my phone being wanky on its own.)

So yeah, queen of procrastination has to get her ass in gear. Boohoo me. Blog procrastination, email procrastination, makeanEtsystore procrastination. Where have my priorities gone to? I mean REALLLLY! You'd think an unemployed person like myself would be on top of that Etsy store like beans on a burrito... yeah (wait...beans in a burrito? No... wait... gahhhh!)

Prestoid's bill is in the thousands ($$$ $$$$ $$$$$.... HOLY CRAPCAKES Batman!) Etsy store may be a good something to try.

I think I'm just a big chicken. Big chicken to open the store. I think about things too much, my brain in overdrive. What should I sell?... what if no one buys anything?... OHhh the disappointment... I wouldn't be able to live with myself... woe is me... blablahblah.... oh how overdramatic. Do others have this problem?

eBay, on the other hand, has been treating me well. Go eBay! (themonopolyofonlineauctions! I didn't say that! andgiddycollectorofmonstrousfees!) Oh how I love thee at the moment!

Today I also decided I will not reread my (in progress) blog posts more than (an additional) 1 time before posting (I will try reallly reallllly hard). In the hopes that it will make me write more, because I feel much better after I do. Yes. Mhhmmm.

Okay then....

1 time. There I did it!

Illustration Friday: Entangled

2009-11-30T00:37:00.006-05:00

Entangled. The word made me think of hair. Lots of hair. Lots of hair in a snarly mess. My hair in a snarly mess. Hair. Hairhairhair. So I began with hair.

I sketched a form with hair flowing up and beyond, snaking into the branches of a tree, and then I stopped. Too literal.

Flipped to another blank page and got lost. This hair was not entangled. It was flowing smooth, in a breeze, over an ocean. A lost thought. A memory. An entanglement in a romance lost in time.

And it was just a tiny sketch. But now I see it in color. And color it must be.

Another piece to a growing pile.

BUT!

Look at this, this could be entangled too!...

Trouble At Home

Ink on stained paper. 4"x6"

Detail. (I like this little dude.)

So this is my first official post for Illustration Friday. (Hi! I'm a newbie to this Friday thing.) But I actually created this second piece a few weeks ago for IF's unbalanced and never got a chance to post it (due to a stressful week with an extremely ill cat).

How fitting that something unbalanced can be entangled too.

Restless with sleepies.

2009-11-14T23:56:00.006-05:00

Want to go to bed, but am really not so tired, yet restless enough that I know I could sleep.

Hmm, that didn't make much sense did it?

(WARNING: Dull paragraph ahead.) Figured I could at least post something since I haven't done so in a week. I'm terrible at it, I know. I have oodles of ideas for posts, and oodles of photos that I take throughout the week, and lots of little art things I work on, so one would think I could at least get a photo up on here. I do know what it is though that makes me not want to post, it's two things in particular. One: I worked for nine years, day in and day out, in front of a computer and honestly I really could care less about using one anymore. The only thing I can compare it to, for instance, is if one ate the same meal over and over everyday for that many years. I bet one would be sick of that meal (though, I guess, you'd still have to eat, and once you were released from the monotony you would have a variety of choices when it came to food, but a computer is a computer, it's not like the brand makes a difference.... well, you get the point. I'm rambling aren't I?). And two: I am a perfectionist, or rather liken myself to one, which becomes a problem when typing up a post, because once I type it up I end up rereading it, and editing it, and rereading it, and editing it, about, ohhh, five times, sometimes more, which ends up taking hours. Really. Hours. I'm lucky if I get it done under three. And then the photos! OH the PHOTOS! I usually take pics in crappy conditions - bad lighting, no flash (flash is evil! bad flash! bad!) so I spend another hour or so adjusting this or that in Photoshop, and well, it just takes a long time. (End dull paragraph.)

Well, now that I've babbled on about nothing in particular.... here's a photo of me in front of a Gary Baseman painting at the True Self exhibit at Jonathan LeVine Gallery, which was a group show curated by Baseman himself. Not much to say about it (the show) since I was not blown away by much of the artwork on display. Except for a small handful of exceptional pieces, the show fell flat for me. To state this here, means that I was more than a bit disappointed. Plus, the day of the opening was ooky with rain, and walking around NYC in a downpour really put the rotty cherry on the moldy cake. (Okay, maybe I'm making it sound worse than it was, but, oh nevermind...) The redemption that day was a stop at Max Brenner's Chocolate Emporium for some chocolatey goodness with my bud Jon. It was yummylicious good.

Alright! There were some wonderful things to see at the exhibit. Two favorites...

Gretchen Ryan's Self Portrait as a Different Girl

Dave Cooper's Jelly Dong

Oh wait... here's (another) photo of Gary Baseman and I! Now where did this come from? (Oh look, I think I can see up my nose! Way to use the zoom Jon! Hehe.)

Finito!

2009-11-07T00:55:00.004-05:00

India ink & acrylic ink with gold
details on tea stained paper 7.5" x 10"

I finished her. Last week. And then I didn't know what to name her, so I didn't. She was my mind's holiday flair. I don't like the word "holiday" - I'm not sure why. So let's say, she was inspired by the festivities to come in wintertime. Which makes me think of the winter solstice, and solstice trees, and absolutely nothing to do with the materialistic silliness that takes place in this country (among others). And then I thought, "Oooo, she's like an absinth fairy, but with feathery wings". (I'm not sure where I'm going with this thought process.)

I think this little piece was more about the composition than experimentation with color, and also line work. I enjoy playing with the lines, in this case in the wings and the lower part of the image.

Photo shot in low light to show gold detailing in
hair and dress (right below the elbow, see the little shimmers?)

Wing detail.

BTW - this post is dedicated to Aaron who told me today that I don't post enough finished work, and that I don't post enough in general. Thank you Aaron for being so observant. I promise to try and do better. (I think.)

What's the world coming to?

2009-10-24T01:00:00.004-04:00

Current piece in process.

So I found out yesterday that my fuzzy ninja, Preston (that's the kitty), has a thyroid disorder, which means he needs to go on meds and has to have bunches of tests and oodles of other medical procedures. To raise money for all this I decided that I'm going to sell some of my belongings. As I was prepping boxes for packing I realized I had no packing tape. I turned my studio upside down looking for some, making it an even bigger mess than it already was (and believe me, it is a mess, a big one). Oh, I found all sorts of tape; scotch tape, painter's tape, paper tape, electrical tape, masking tape, duct tape, but no packing tape. Nooooooo. Why would I have packing tape?! I mean really? Who really needs that stuff? (I'm being facetious here.) Seriously though, I should open a tape dispensary. So today I trekked to the pharmacy (a CVS) around the corner to get some of this elusive tape. I knew I'd get ripped off, but I couldn't bring myself to get in my car and drive to a Home Depot (not worth the gas). So there I am, standing in front the extremely limited choices, gaping at the prices and asking no one in particular "Are you serious?" $8.19 for one small roll (meaning it's not the large chunky roll), or, get this, 2 small non-chunky rolls (exactly the same as the other), packaged together for $8.99. Which one do you think I chose? It was a rip-off either way, but I figured for an extra 80 cents I really got the best of them. Take that you crummy CVS! So I go up to the counter to check out, and as the girl begins to ring everything up her cell phone rings. And guess what? She answers it and proceeds to have a conversation with the person on the other end. Do I need to say more? I mean really? Reeeeally? What is the world coming to?

Baby Tattooville '09

2009-10-19T22:59:00.024-04:00

A little late with posting about this event/trip, but nonetheless, here are some photos from this year's Baby Tattooville that took place at the Mission Inn in Riverside, CA. Last year was pretty cool, but this year was even better - not to mention the fabulous weather, it really was a bummer coming back to cold New England afterward.

The Mission Inn (because one can never take enough photos of it):

The view from one of the rooftop courtyards (btw - that's the domiest dome I've ever seen):

The first evening began with some Mexican fare at a local restaurant, and the beginning of the Artist Jam. Some of the artists in front of the blank canvas:

L to R - Yoskay Yamamoto, Greg "Craola" Simkins, Buff Monster, Johnny Rodriguez aka KMNDZ, James Gurney, Travis Louie, and Liz McGrath. Nonetheless this was an artist-ful extravaganza, with Miss Mindy, Audrey Kawasaki, Molly Crabapple, Michael Hussar, Tim Biskup, Tara McPherson, Gary Baseman, KRK Ryden, and oodles of other artists showing up throughout the weekend.

The evening continued with Son of Baby Tattooville, an exhibit at the Riverside Art Museum featuring work by this year's participating artists. My fave piece, a Yoskay Yamamoto:

Then it was time for Dr. Sketchy's Anti Art School. Look, that's me sketching! (Photo courtesy of Arrested Motion):

Sometime during the course of the weekend, mysterious, creepy doll parts began appearing in attendees and artists' rooms. All included a mysterious note, which in turn led to a Saturday night scavenger hunt that began in the Inn's catacombs (Yes, catacombs. Real catacombs, which had been closed off to the public a long time ago, but were mysteriously opened up for us). My doll head and note:

Someone (Sarah) found a whole doll sitting in her room (which she found extremely creepy):

The hunt split us off into groups and had us roaming the old hotel throughout the evening (someone in our group tried to climb a roof in an attempt to break into a room just to get a clue, and security was dispatched as we all scattered to hide). Here one of us is "icing" a clue (which was a hoot as the first attempt included filling a whole plastic bag with ice and dunking the paper in it, which did nothing except make a ridiculous mess):

Later on the Jam continued (which included lots of socializing). Gary Baseman and Buff Monster:

As the clock (an hourglass) was counting down for the artists to finish up, the painting was moved to a table so that more of them could work on it together:

The finished piece:

There was also a giveaway/raffle of this massive (at least 5 foot high) painting created by Johnny Rodriguez. The joke was on everyone when we all received a winning raffle ticket. The painting was a series of smaller panels that were all bolted together, and in the end, everyone received a piece of this "pie":

At the end, all the attendees left with a massive goody bag filled with gifts from the sponsors and hand created pieces by the artists. There were so many things going on the whole weekend that I just wouldn't be able to list them all here. Arrested Motion did a full coverage of the event here.

Whew. Though the flying wears me down and I come home exhausted, I think I'll be returning next year. It was my second year at Baby Tattooville, but seeing friends from last year and meeting new peeps this year, makes it feel like a twisted family gathering. Which is a very good thing, and I don't think I'll be able to pass it up.

Oh, geez, almost forgot, my most-est favorite artist, Mr. Gary Baseman, out of the blue, presented me with his Barcelona book during Sunday brunch. That completely made the whole weekend superbly superb! (How could I forget to mention that?!)

How ridculously giggly I was! (And thanks to Andy Stern for sneaking my camera and shooting this photo!)

Updates & stuff.

2009-10-14T17:22:00.001-04:00

Something in progress.

So, yeah, I'm getting really good at being MIA, huh? No excuses anymore since I no longer have a steady, sit-at-a-desk and be a desk-monkey, paying job. While I prepare for a next step regarding this situation, I have a bit more time to do artsy-fartsy things (ie; complete the 20 or so pieces floating around the studio, get that zodiac series finished up, and get some sort of online store open, AND get things done (like, other things, not the artsy-fartsy kind). I've already completed quite a few items on an ever-growing to-do list. Every time I check something off as done, I get filled with a brief sense of elation, the kind that makes you want to jump up on a podium in front of a crowd and yell "Do, YOU SEE?!! DO YOU SEE WHAT I HAVE ACCOMPLISHED!?". Though currently, thanks to the constant growth of this list, that elation is becoming a deflation, the type a balloon does when you make farty noises with it.

And then there was the car thing I had to deal with. The lemon went to the bodyshop since it failed inspection on me, which required bodywork, ...and then more bodywork. I was without it for two weeks. It sucked, but not really, since I got to drive a PT Cruiser in the meantime. I find these Cruisers a bit cheeze (strange looking and clunky), but I was surprised by how nice it was to drive (most likely because it was new). When I finally got my lemon back, it was so sparkly and shiny and new looking, that I had random peeps at the gas station giving me thumbs up including random hollers as I drove down the street. But, just like the list elation, it became short-lived when my engine light turned on two weeks ago, right before my trip to CA.

The lemon gives me poo again! GAH! GAH! (Grrrrgafushikkamakca!).

But I had a nice weekend trip out to CA for this year's Baby Tattooville (more on it later). It was a good break from car issues. Yes. And reality.

So, I've been thinking that this blog needs some serious sprucing up, and I'm thinking of editing back some of the previous posts, since sometimes I ramble on and really don't need there to be rambles all over the place. So I apologize ahead of time to anyone who might get random updates while I do this sometime over the next week... I think. Yes. (I need to add this to my to-do list).

I have no more excuses.

Bummer.

2009-08-12T20:53:00.009-04:00

I got this far with The Veil until I decided to over-experiment, taking it slightly in a different direction, and completely didn't like where it was heading. (It's so... so, uhhhhhhhhh. Uhhhhhhhh.) Back to square one. I'm going to keep on recreating this piece until I like where it's going. This will be the fourth time that I will be starting it. Hahahahaaa. Nutty!

I've decided to be good and finish up all the fifteen or so (which means possibly more), random pieces I'm working on before I start something new. I promised myself. Well, no, not really. Well, yes. See, the promise changed a bit as I concluded that I couldn't just stop putting random new ideas down on paper. That's just not possible. So then after dealing with the realization of this, I decided that I should try and attempt finishing four to five pieces as I mull over new sketches. But I'm not sure anymore. Maybe the goal should be finishing up three instead, and then I start on something new. (?)

OH MY GOSH! I just realized I have artist ADD.

Ohhhh.

Bummer.

Maybe it's my process instead. (?) These take so long to complete. Hours, lots of them. Between sketching, transferring, revising, staining, linework and approximately three coats of ink.... no wonder I jump from one thing to another. If I have a large chunk of uninterrupted time, I can get pretty far along (the process still takes a few days). It's just that I don't have that right now and my focus and inspirations change (you know, one day it's yellow, the other it's blue). So I have all these pieces I work on back and forth and all over. My best bud tells me that one day (or week, or month) I'll just finish everything. All at once. Just like that. I'll have this big pile of finished pieces, out of the blue, just like that.

Man, I hope he's right because I have just oodles of other sketches to develop, and Ooooo, I want to try all sorts of printing techniques.

Oooo. Okay, I'm running off on daydreams now. I wish I had oodles of free time.

On a separate note, last night I dreamt that I was walking down a dirt path through a sparse, green forest to my father's house. It was a perfect late afternoon, the weather being amazing. As I moseyed along, stopping here and there to sniff some flowers (yes, I actually do that a lot in waking life), something strange began to happen. Most of my mouth, mainly my lips, but not my tongue, started going very numb ever so slowly. It's as if I had gotten a load of invisible novocaine shot into my mouth by an invisible dentist. It just didn't make sense. I oddly felt very Alice in Wonderland. By the time I got to my father's house, which no longer resembled a house, but a treehouse that started at ground level (bizzare-ness!), I could barely speak. I tried to tell him that I couldn't stay for dinner because I had to get to the dentist and find out why I was having novocaine syndrome. He couldn't understand me though. All that was coming out of my mouth was "Nai hab do gno tthh da nennis." At this point I became so worried that something was very, very, wrong, that I actually woke up to find that I had been sleeping with my face mostly in my pillow. My mouth was open, partially covering a balled fist, my balled fist, which was somehow trying to fit in there. Weirdness. I was very relieved that that's all it was. Talk about de-stressing while dreaming.

I soooo need to get rid of stress. Big time. I have to think about this some more.

Oh yeah. Then I fell back asleep and fought some dementors, including Voldemort, in some fancy, public library, with Harry and a bunch of other people. This, I think, has to do with the fact that I just (finally!) went to see the movie this past weekend, and maybe because I was stressing (there I go again) about not remembering when my current batch of library books was due back.

It really helps to get this stuff down. I always knew that those damn dream dictionaries were a bunch of fluff. Just write it down and it all begins to make sense.

This post was much longer than I planned.

Riding.

2009-08-04T15:42:00.012-04:00

The only thing that's keeping me sane lately is making time for bike rides. Day rides, night rides. They're not without their share of craptacular incidents. Yellow jacket stings (which include jumping off my bike at high speeds while spewing expletives at the top of my lungs), gouging my foot on the metal pins that protrude from my pedals (so I forgot my sneaks and refused to drive over 30 miles back to pick them up - yes, I had to pedal in my flippy floppies. This has taught me two things, that blood in large quantities is as vibrantly red as they portray in the movies, and that next time, I am driving back the 30 miles to get my shoes.), and flat tires (skidding in gravel, for fun or otherwise, will penetrate tires and destroy a perfectly good tube). Besides those wonderful things, nothing like sweat, mud, and bugs in my hair. Yet I love every minute. Well, almost every minute.

Scenic views.

A hitchhiker! (Nom nom!) He was having

quite the time licking one of my break cables. Tasty!

Flat tires no fun!

Forest for miles.

On the artsy fartsy front, my studio is off limits, it being a hot oven and all, though I do find time here and there to work. Albeit, I wish I had more of it (time that is).

Evening light.

2009-07-21T15:50:00.003-04:00

Sunday evening at the studio.

Nutters

2009-07-16T23:20:00.004-04:00

The Veil (in progress)

I've decided to work on The Veil again. It's a piece that I started a long time ago, but have reworked and recreated a couple of times. The above is a third go at it. I'd like to post images of the other two (one is a drawing, the other a piece in ink) but I'm so busy right now, and everything is so disorganized, that I'm not sure where I stored them. I have a love and hate thing going on with this. I really like the line-work of the original, but am not quite feeling the ink. That may be why I keep on picking it up, over and over.

So, life is busy.

It really is just filled with small roadblocks (and then some not so small ones). There's stuff going on that I can write about here, and then there is some not so good, very serious stuff that I can't write about here. Everyday I wake up and think oh no, another day to plow through. So I get up and turn autopilot-robot mode on. Like slogging through quicksand (wait no nonoo, that would be completely mired and sinking) more as if I 'm just slugging through very think mud that's up to my knees (thankfully), and there are lots of mosquitos, and it's very humid, my hair plastered to my face, and a massive 30 pound sack on my back. That's how it is. Okay, maybe not that bad, take away the sack. Surprisingly though I've kept very levelheaded. For the most part anyway.

The flea problem is still in swing, the vehicle still not repaired. Last week it was a tire going flat, this week it's the car battery spewing green stuff. I mean, GREEN stuff! I really can't stand owning a car. Sometimes I wonder if I should move back to Chicago. Didn't have to have a car then. Those were good times. I used to get a lot done on public transport: reading, organizing my day, sketching, more reading, people watching, spacing out and meditating (it's both the same, spacing out and meditating - maybe I should say daydreaming, or musing, that way I don't sound like a nutter). It just all seemed easier, life seemed easier. I swear that owning a vehicle is 50 percent of the stress in my life, and then the amount of driving I have to do each day! That's it. It's definitely the car. It's the CARRRRR!

Nuts.

It even gave me a really good scare last week. I was sitting (in the car) in the parking area of where my studio is located. It had just turned dark out, there wasn't a single soul in sight. The large brick buildings looming around me, while I sat in silence and waited for a friend to show up. Suddenly I hear a scratch somewhere in my car. Not just a scratch, but more like a scraping, someone scraping something against my car! Then silence. Then I hear it again, louder. Then again, much louder. Was someone messing with me? Suddenly I hear it from the front of my car! Then frantic scraping, like an animal trapped under my hood trying to claw it's way out. It freaked me out, but at the same time I was thinking oh thank god it's not a crazy nutter outside messing with me, it's a rabid animal under the hood instead! Then a squeal followed by loud gurgling. At that point I realized that it was the car itself acting up. Spewing that green stuff from the battery most likely.

Sheesh.

Time to replace the battery.

Doorways & Andy Kehoe

2009-07-08T20:42:00.007-04:00

I sketched this while I was having a moment (okay, it was a short pity party for myself - see below for why). Just a lot of pondering - see how she's pondering, leaning through a doorway over an empty ocean? Drawn from the subconscious, I decipher it later. I consider drawings like this direct reflections of myself at that moment. I don't know what I'll draw, or am drawing, till it's done. Maybe I'll turn this into something later. In ink?

SOOOOO,

No, I'm not lost. Well, yes I am but at the same time I'm not. I'm lost in the real world, but not in the virtual (my blog). In the virtual I'm on a vacation. On this vacation I'm doing lots of painting, relaxing, hanging out with my favorite artists and painting up a storm. Okay, that last bit was a dream I had last night and considering what I've been dealing with in the real world, it was well deserved. My dreams lately have been about running errands, running late for the day job, or just literally running from anything and everything, so, yeah, last night, that was a damn good dream.

On the other hand, the real world: In May I got viciously ill. (Oooo, Viciously ill. That would be a good name for a band.) I was out from the job for two weeks. Massive vertigo kept me from doing anything, no computer, no watching movies, no reading, no going for walks, no drawing. Moving my head made everything shift and spin, I couldn't focus. All I could do was sit or sleep. It was theee MOST boooooring time of my life in a long time.

Then there was the fender bender, or as I'd like to say, a car smoosh. (The lemon is operable, but until I raise moolah to fix it, I have limited lighting at night.)

And now a flea outbreak that I have been dealing with for going on two weeks now. Preston somehow caught them and dispersed them throughout the house. Before I figured out that he had them, it was too late. This chaotic situation has exhausted me to the bone and I feel like a zombie way down to the deep core. Preston is quarantined at my mother's, and I believe, flea free, and my studio has become a mess as I stop by to pick things up, drop things off, in the midst of all this nonsense. I'm also crashing on my mother's floor or at a friend's house while I set bombs off and do lots of vacuuming at home.

GAHHHH!

The only thing that's kept me sane is going on bike rides, even if it's only once a week. I stop everything I'm doing and just go. I drop everything. Thanks to my best bud Gungywump, my bike's been spruced up and also outfitted with some lights. On the 4th of July we rode from Northampton, MA up to Amherst UMASS for the fireworks. It was great being on bikes. We got some nice commentary on our use of this mode of transportation. Just riding through the campus and the fireworks blasting overhead was pretty surreal. When the finale started and a lot of people started leaving (during the best part!) it was great knowing that the two of us could enjoy the whole show and not worry about being stuck in traffic. And sure enough, we blasted past everyone. The cars were fender to fender and we just blew through Amherst and down the Norwottock Trail. It was magically surreal riding down this perfect trail through the woods at night. The moon was full and there was some poofy cloud coverage, which made everything just perfect. What was surprising was the amount of people that were on the trail at this time of the night. I'm sure quite a bit of it had to do with the fireworks, but many people were out just riding. All of it was fantastical. It was like some strange nighttime, woodfolk highway. The sound of crickets and frogs, and in the distance, silently approaching, a pair of faint lights. It was weirdly fairylike and communal at the same time. Very cool.

Oh, and (though this show is over now) I was lucky enough to manage to get myself down to Jonathan LeVine Gallery for the Andy Kehoe exhibit that I had been anxiously anticipating for months! His stuff just oozes awesomeness. I love his surreal landscape backgrounds, they're like bizarre extensions of the strange places I visit in my dreams.

Here's my obligatory photo with the artist. Notice the cup in hand. I don't drink very often, so here after one small drink I was a bit buzzed and talking very silly, looking very silly, and all that. I know I was saying random things, but he was really cool, down to earth, very nice as he listened to my nonsensical raving about his art. I also got to chat with him about his technique - that was the best part.

These were a few of my faves:

Check out the detail:

Okay... now off to do things. I'll try to post again soon.

Yeah right!

2009-06-08T23:03:00.001-04:00

Updating blogs! What's that all about?

Oh my! Oh my! Oh my Oh my!

2009-05-21T22:20:00.001-04:00

I've been so busy and so tired lately that I haven't even gotten a chance to sit and write up a post. Oh poo! Must get on it this weekend.

Must must must!

Libra, Virgo, and falling off the face of the planet.

2009-05-03T20:54:00.003-04:00

Sketch for Libra
(Some revisions are necessary... not sure if that is quite
the way an owl lands, will need to do some research and then revise.)

Libra (closeup).

Virgo
(ran out of room/paper...
will be finished after transfer).

Oh where, oh where did I go for so long? I fell off the face of the planet.

No, not true. Have not been feeling well ever since the massive cold I had, and have been taking it easy, which also included a break from going to the studio and a break from the internet, posting and emailing. But I have been trying to stay productive at home working on smaller things, which can still be a bit rough when you are not quite up to par.

I also parted with one of my favorite pieces, which I didn't want to. I guess that is the lot of any artist. You give birth to ideas, put lots of thought, work, love and whatnot into your creations, and eventually you must part with them. It was a mental battle to let this certain piece go, like a child leaving home forever. I actually wanted to hold onto it and not sell it, but . . . time to move on, let other ideas develop. Do other artists have problems with letting their work go off into the unknown?

Ah, the mental battles.

I battle myself all the time. I would love to make a living off the things I create, but I wonder how possible it is at times. I could be blatant and post my work all over the internet, telling people to buy, buy, buy. But that's not me. It's more important for me to just create and not lose sight of that. Though I guess it would be nice to just live off what I enjoy doing.

Time for a tea break, and then back to creating.

Scorpio.

2009-04-19T23:46:00.003-04:00

Sketch for Scorpio.

(Note: This post was written before the last post. Because I had been in a sickly state, I felt the need to whine about my being sick and post that one first. I am happy to report that after attending work for only two hours on Friday, and after a fully swollen face on Saturday, I am very-muchly recovering. Though I do find my hearing to be a bit funky still.)

This sketch went through a bunch of changes, and I think it's very close to being done. I'll most likely revise it when I create the final drawing in prep for inking. I know of at least one thing I'd like to change, that strap across her chest. It completely makes the eye just get stuck on it. And once it's stuck, it doesn't move.

Almost all the sketches are complete now. I'm reworking Cancer and only have Pisces to finish. What was to be a simple task has turned out much bigger than I planned. I'm not sure why I can't keep things simple. This was to be a bunch of small doodles, teeny, tiny, simple drawings. But they're already growing both in idea and physical size.

I have to keep reminding myself that it's okay to let things go and let them develop. I'm not only trying to apply this principle to creating stuff, but also to my life in general. Kind of a go with the flow mentality.

And onto other news...

The lemon is operable once again! Many monies, and a tax return later, it drives in superbly buttery shape. Meaning smooth and flowy. I can no longer hear a deadly rattle emanating from the rear of the vehicle, and am reporting fewer bone rattling, road bumps.

Good morning puffy eyes.

2009-04-16T20:01:00.003-04:00

Tuesday at the studio.

Seven AM. I'm dressed and ready to go to work, well, mostly ready anyway, and I'm not going. My nose is running like a faucet, my head is filled with lead, and my ears have become tunnels to nowhere. I kind of knew I was coming down with something this past weekend. It was an extra long weekend too, since I took Monday and Tuesday off from work to focus on painting. Sore throat on both of those days, but yesterday I felt alright and I thought that I had managed to come out mostly unscathed, with barely any sniffles. Hah! Good morning puffy eyes! I have to say, the worst is the ears. They are hurtin!

Mmm, hot cup of tea.

I wrote up a completely different post last night, but crawled off to bed in a sickly daze before I got to post it, so I'll be saving that for later today or tomorrow. It was a post that was four days in the making. I think I started it Sunday night and wrote a bit every night after.

Art store purchases of goodness.

So my four days off were spent in a mixed state, Saturday and Sunday being spent with family members (Easter). Even though I didn't have a vehicle, I managed, through bribery, to get a ride to pick up some art supplies. Except for the brushes and some panels, which were a necessary purchase, Brad at Blackbird Studio inspired the oilsticks and spraypaint. His forays into different techniques are giving me all sorts of ideas.

Six PM. Feeling ooky. No, feeling ookier. I had taken a three hour nap, and feel like I need another. Foggy brain makes me just want to sit around in a daze and not do much, like stare at walls. I feel like a rubbery carrot. All rubbery and bendy in the brain.

Capricorn and The Lemon.

2009-04-09T23:43:00.005-04:00

Sketch for Capricorn.

Capricorn detail.

I got too involved with Capricorn. It began very simply, just a woman on a goat, and then came water, then the cloak, and it went much further than I intended. I was hoping to keep this much simpler, not as detailed. I just enjoy the process too much. That's okay. But I have a goal that I'd like to keep to. Which makes me want to rant. . .

Some force out there is working very hard at trying to keep me down. If it's not one thing then it's another. With the absolutely rotten year I had in '08, I was hoping that with 2009 the luck would change. Nope. Wishful thinking. Kaplooie! The lemon (that's the vehicle) crapped out. After dropping it off to get it looked at, I found out this morning that there are so many things wrong with it, and the past few months of driving destroyed the brand new tires I bought less than 7 months ago. Well, I could get it running again properly, if I put a few grand into it. Yes that's it!

I'll go find the magic money tree,
and have it rain 100 dollar bills on me!

I rely on this monkey cart to get me to work everyday (45 min each way), and have been borrowing my father's vehicle over the last month, but he needs it back, which is understandable. So what do I do now?

Well, let's see,

A) I could hitchhike to work, or

B) I could force the car to drive to work, park it there, and sleep in it, though I'm not sure how I would take showers in the sink.

C) I could buy a used motorcycle with the bit of moola back from taxes. Though come winter that would be an issue.

D) Quit my job and live in a cave in the woods, hunting and gathering.

Hmmmm, other options.... Anyone?

The direct impact of this conundrum is putting quite the cramp into getting the store up and running. If funds are being directed at the lemon, then there are no funds being directed elsewhere. Oh the joys of life!

Not to despair!
I shall the lemon repair!

And all will be quite fair,
as I stray from my lair,
like a proud legionnaire
riding my bronze mare.

Encounter, I will, a sight that is rare,
a raging, thrice horned bear,
that I duel, and ensnare
in a web of golden horsehair. . .

Zodiac.

2009-04-05T00:16:00.007-04:00

Leo

Aquarius

Gemini

I've been working on some sketches for the store pieces I want to create, which are based on the zodiac. I figured that this is a good project to work on for a few reasons. One, I'm in the middle of moving living spaces, and also setting up the art studio the way I want, and still moving into that space too. Because I've got so much going on, these pieces are relatively small so I can have them travel with me and work on them whenever I have some time. This is only because I can't sacrifice as much time as I would like at the studio on some of the larger pieces I've started back up on (which now are on hold again). I think this may end up being a crazy month. I'm trying to accomplish a lot of things quickly.

So these zodiac pieces just started out as random little sketches and doodles, and I thought, why not do all twelve, keep them small and quick. Though the thought of doing them as quickly as I would like is fading. I tend to fall too easily into details and perfectionistic tendencies. I admire artists who don't put too much thought into their process and let it happen naturally.

Wait, I'd like to rephrase. My process is detailed at times, but the creation does happen naturally. I never take pencil to paper and say, "this is what I am going to draw, and this and this have to be in the image". I may say, oh "Aquarius, let's see what happens" and then whatever comes out is what I channel onto the paper. Though, the medium I use, however slightly different, changes the effect of how the idea presents in itself in the end. The three above are all about the same size, but even though the weight of the paper is relatively close, the texture is slightly different. Aquarius is on a very, very, silky smooth paper, almost a semi gloss, where the pencil travels skid-like across the surface, which gives itself easily to a type of flow, like water. Leo, was on a standard sketchbook surfaced paper done with the exact same pencil. And gemini, on smooth, higher end, copier paper (i draw on whatever I can find).

Leo (detail)

Aquarius (detail)

So if you can, follow these random thoughts: I don't think about characteristics I'd like to present, I think about the people or situations I know who do represent, in this case, each sign. For instance, I don't have religious tendencies, but let's say that possibly, if God was the creator of all things then he could be a Leo I guess. Look at all the attention he gets. Leo, the sun. Look at at her, creating her world, becoming the center of her world. Leo, the creator, the attention whore, and I say that with love. I love Leo's. Some of my closest friends throughout life, they're quite brilliant people.

Aquarius. I'd like to paint her, she bears water, like a mother giving birth. A pure form of nature. Aqueous, she becomes the water she has to bear. Many close family members are Aquarians. They become what they strive for. It's an odd way of describing them, but it makes complete sense to me.

Gemini, hmmm. That was about line and form, and will need more development.

Gosh, I wish I had some cookies.

Updates.

2009-03-29T12:07:00.002-04:00

Spring (in progress)
The doodle is on the left, and I'm
not quite sure where this is all going yet.

My bad for not posting over a week, but at times life takes over and things have to be put on hold. Between moving things to the studio, packing things at home, getting taxes done, adjusting to earlier hours at the day job, and various other nonsense (Hulu), I needed to step away from some things and blogging was one of them. Well, it wasn't a conscious choice, it just fell by the wayside. On the other hand, I somehow managed to find the time to paint and draw. I think the studio played a large part in that. I'd find myself driving home from work, having planned out my night in advance (plans for packing, cleaning, etc.), only to change direction midway and head to the studio, only even if it was for a few hours. Having that quiet space, away from everything is amazing. It allows me to just focus.

The Etsy store is going to be up within the next four weeks. I've figured out what I'd like to have there. There'll be some giclees, some small originals that I've started work on, and I'm also prepping a serigraph, though that may not be available at first since that is last on the list of items for the store. Getting the tax return within a week of filing is helping get this idea moving quicker. Yey! I also have to order packing materials... It's all very exciting. Woo! Toot toot!

There is so much going on, and so many ideas. I still need to get back to working on my website, and all these ideas for larger pieces. I wish I had more time available. But it's okay. It's a crazy ride, but exciting and fun, with lots of scary twists and turns.

Oh, and regarding, the last post, some of you guessed what I drank and some didn't. It was the old Pepsi from that previous weekend. It had been standing in the sun for days. Yum.

Pepsi and Leroy Anderson.

2009-03-18T23:43:00.002-04:00

For your viewing pleasure, in a groovy, grainy, cellphone format (and larger size if you click on them), photos!

After hemming and hawing at Home Depot this past weekend, I acquired a lovely mini fridge for my studio. As a fridge-warming gift, my father presented me with two cans of Pepsi. I drank one on Sunday (Pepsi is a treat!), and today I popped open the other.

Completely engrossed in drawing, I picked up the can and took a big gulp. It slowly dawned on me that the Pepsi I was drinking was rather warm. 'Now why would that be? I had just removed it from of the fridge.'

Now imagine the realization creeping into my face as to what I drank.

Yep.

Exhaustion.

2009-03-08T12:17:00.003-04:00

I'm floating in an ocean of chaos, trying to keep my head above water. It feels like there are walls crumbling, but as they crumble they pause in mid air and begin to rebuild, only to crumble again, a vicious cycle. The notice has come to move. I'd like to say more, but involves family and the dreaded "F" word that many people are experiencing across the country. Strangely though, that is not creating stress in my life. I feel as if it's a massive tide coming in, and I'm just floating along allowing it to take me where it goes. The day job is the real stress. There is too much BS there and I'm exhausted with them playing house. I'm dealing with a health issue and I feel as if I'm tied to two horses, one is the day job and the other is the doctor I'm dealing with. They both have their own agendas, fighting their own battles, and I'm stuck in the middle being torn apart. The doctor giving me BS only to create more BS where I work. I don't need that. It's wearing me thin. I'd like to think that both of their intentions are good, but the outcome is destructive.

So, for the first time in quite a few weeks, I'm off to create. I need it. It's the only thing that keeps me level and lets my mind rest. I haven't had much chance to go to the studio due to the winter hours I've had at work (can't wait to go back to a normal schedule so I can have more than just a Saturday and Sunday to exist). But, as I promised, here are some photos of the studio, taken on an overcast evening, so please ignore the rough quality. It's going to take a while to get all my studio things moved into the space, but just because everything isn't there, doesn't mean I can't create.

Oh, and I've finally gotten back to everyone's comments from the past few posts. Sometimes it takes me a while, but I appreciate and read everyone of them.

Ain't it grand?

2009-02-26T00:19:00.003-05:00

What a gate! Look at that star! And the anchor! Look at the light above!!! And that sign is not out of focus, that's gold leaf glinting in the sun! Woo!

Please ignore the trash bin beyond (the building is going through renovations). Beyond the bin is a canal (can't see it, just a gap). And beyond the canal is the building my studio is housed in.

It's quite the fortress (you need to pass through three doors using three separate keys).

Oh I love that chimney!

I have to remember to take more than one photo next time. What was I thinking? I must have been overwhelmed with the agonizing wait for the building manager to show up.

Ignore the gentleman to the right (that's my father, oops!).

I've passed this building many times, but from a slight distance. The gate always caught my attention, yet I never bothered to get a closer look. I lived in Chicopee up to about a little over a year ago and had an apartment within walking distance of this place, so it's odd that I never walked to there, since I went walking almost every night. But when I drove past this place, I would rubberneck (that gate), to the point where I wouldn't pay attention to where I was going. So it's odd that I would end up here, because things like this end up happening when I get fascinated with a certain building. It occurred quite a few times when I lived in Chicago. And other places I've been.

There's only one thing that makes me nervous. This place is cavernous and old. What if there are ghosts?! Some of you may scoff, but I've had more weird experiences than I can count on both of my hands, and probably toes. And some of those weren't the most pleasant of encounters. I'll just think good vibes.

So. I still need to pick up my freight key, and I will be there this weekend!

And I promise photos of the interior.

I promise (I really do).

Marie and the lamp.

2009-02-23T23:16:00.002-05:00

Marie

(in progress)

I sit to write, and my thoughts begin to wander. I must have let them wander about five times now. Focus is not here today. If focus was a goddess, what would she look like? A spiral vortex, of pink and yellow light. . . Hmmm. . .

There. I'm doing it again. I just went off on a mental tangent. Right where I added the "Hmmm", that's where it went off for about two minutes.

Enough rambling.

I got calls back on the studios and am going to see one tomorrow morning. I don't have anything planned out. I'm not even thinking about it. I don't even know where this is heading. I'm just going with the flow of this past Saturday morning. Where it takes me, I dunno.

Wow. That's sounding like the possibility for a very interesting relationship.

The air is beginning to hum.

2009-02-22T23:22:00.002-05:00

I woke up Saturday and directly rolled out from the bed, straight to the computer, and began a search for artist studios on Craigslist. Literally directly out of bed. I've never used Craigslist before. Then also, I did not lay around in bed thinking about art studios that morning, and neither did I think about it the night before, nor the day before, or the week before. Not really at all. I didn't know I was searching till I already had results come up on my screen.

What an interesting morning it was.

Today I placed a few calls and left a few messages.

What is this leading to? Can I afford a studio? Can I do this? Is this an answer to the workspace I will not have when I need to move?

I have so many questions.

Ooky.

2009-02-17T23:26:00.002-05:00

I had an ooky past week. A very, very ooky week. But so far, this week is much better.

At Play, Witchcraft, and Symbolism, amongst other things.

2009-02-09T10:51:00.016-05:00

At Play

Ink on stained Canson 140 lb Coldpress

This past week has been a busy one, amongst other rotten things. Feeling unwell didn't help much either and slowed things down immensely. I will be moving again soon, and truly don't want to, but I must. I'm starting to believe that being displaced every so often is going to be my lot in life so I just have to learn to deal with it. The frustration is mainly in the massive pause it creates in my art process. The packing and unpacking doesn't bother me too much since I pretty much leave everything in boxes nowadays. It's the cost, chaos, stress, and creative pause that wears me down. (I won't get into details as to why I need to move since it won't do anyone any good, poo.)

It's also been bothering me that I have not been posting here as often as I would like. My goal is to try to have posts on here at least every other day, but with the way I am, I'm lucky if I get in one a week. For good reason, this blog is what seemingly keeps my art and my vision of what I want to do with it on track. I notice that if I go too long without posting, my creative process tends to slow down to a crawl. Maybe it's just life taking over, I dunno. I do work at a day job after all, and there are days that I come home mentally exhausted and can't seem to do anything except glue my eyes to Hulu.

Last night I watched Witchcraft (c.1964), a film about a witch, who, having had her grave disturbed, goes after the perpetrators. Though it wasn't a work day, it still was a mentally and emotionally exhausting day and I needed to turn my brain to mush. Haven't watched some B suspense movies in a long time and this one was surprisingly good. It's hard to find any good suspense and horror films nowadays that don't have violence and gore, so I just prefer to watch the black and white films every so often to help fill that void. Besides, the cinematography was much better then, than it is now, well, regarding that genre anyway. I mean, look at the lighting in that first still, and check out the shadow on that wall in the second!

On my last post, Warship, Brad posted a good question regarding the piece, that I thought I should reply to. Is it a consideration of the 'figurehead' or a meditation on that idea or is it just something that grew within itself as you worked?

When I posted the image, I began typing up an explanation of how it came about. But after starting about three times, to try to put what I wanted to say into words, I gave up. I think a little explanation into my working process may help me clarify.

Before I begin sketching an idea for a piece, I'll throw on some music. I can't have spoken word, television, or radio since it tends to break my continuity of thought and process, so whatever I'm listening to has to be in the same genre (I love all music, but need to switch it up often). I'll then just doodle and doodle, until I begin to get rid of all the mental garbage in my head, and become more focused. I've come to find that it's very meditative. At some point the doodling stops and an idea or image begins to form. This is the point where I allow thought to work alongside the meditation. Warship began in this manner. Most of the time a female form begins to take shape, most likely because I identify with it, and also because it symbolizes so many things; nature, nurturing, you name it, and she can become anyone or anything.

All of my art, be it symbolic, visual, or illustrative (though I am not an illustrator, well, I illustrate my feelings, so I guess I am), relates to what's going on in my head or my life. Warship is fraught with symbolism. A subdued form rises from a watery depth. The sea is disturbed, and in the larger version of the piece, clouds hang above. A possible storm (symbolism, I fill it all with symbolism) represents troubled thought. So she moves silently, cautiously. Yet, there is danger in the spears protruding from her hair. Protection? A sign of what's to come? I could go on, but I would like for others to be able to look at these at let their imaginations tell their own stories.

Warship (study).

2009-01-31T12:38:00.007-05:00

Warship (study)

Ink with gold acrylic detail, on stained Canson 140 lb Coldpress

One of the pieces I recently finished, this was the original color study for the larger version in acrylic. It's relatively small at 7" x 8.5", and will be floated in a frame so that the edges of the paper are visible. I've included closeup details below (click on an image to see a slightly larger version).

Sharing something old, and updates.

2009-01-28T10:23:00.004-05:00

Untitled, 1994
Oil on canvas.

At my father's house, in a shadowy area, hangs this painting. My first experimentation with oils, completed about 15 years ago as I was off to college. Most of it was painted with a rag since I had a true fascination about creating oddly "rubbed" textures. I also experimented with the halo, how it would be possible to get a true gold effect without using actual gold leaf, because it's expensive and time consuming. I actually have done true gold leaf (for my father's business) and in all honesty, even though the effect is beautiful, it is very time consuming and there really isn't any room for mistakes, because mistakes become very, very visible. Below is another photo of it where I put it on a chair so that I could take a clearer, un-shadowed photo. I also skewed the levels in Photoshop so that the rubbed areas and color would be more visible (the above photo is more true).

I think sharing old work is very important, it shows progression. Also, looking at your own work from the past, helps one see the improvement and strides that have been made, and raises flags on what needs to be worked on. It's also inspirational.

And updates! Did I say updates in my post title? Of course I did!

Well, it's snowing here and the roads are pretty rough. Rough to the point where I didn't make it very far on my way to work this morning. Slammed into a snowbank and got stuck going up a hill. That put a kibosh on my work day. During this bad economy every penny counts. So it all sucks big poopie that I didn't make it in. The truth is, not a single road around here was touched by a plow. Apparently they are waiting till the end of the day. Someone, at some townhall, is taking bets on how many people will end up in hospitals today due this anti-plowing thing. You know which town you are, ahem *cough cough* Westfield, MA.

But, on the other hand, this past weekend it was nose to the grind stone. I completed a few more pieces after I realized how much work is so close to being finished. But no sneak peaks till I take some proper photos. Definately by the weekend. I'll try anyway.

Also, good news for my father's friend "Jay". He was taken off life support Saturday night, and removed from ICU yesterday. I hope everything keeps going well for him.

I've also decided to take my Etsy idea step further and wrote up a three page business plan. I've also been starting back up on working on a proper website. Yey! The wheel is slowly starting to turn. Much of it has to do with everyone's support. That's you guys! All the comments really light a fire under me. So thanks :o)

Taaa Daaa!

2009-01-23T20:13:00.005-05:00

Sketch for "Sisters"

So, a sneak peek at what I have recently begun working on. I've started this as the next color study for a possible larger piece. I do the studies to feel out if I will enjoy working on a larger, more time intensive piece. If I get bored, or it just doesn't work, I won't think about painting it.

Hmmm.

So today I made a list of all the pieces I currently have in progress. Too many. I think it's because I walk away from them too much. But I have to. Limited time, since I work during the day. Mix that with all the other things one must do to get through the day and week, and time becomes limited. Because of this, there is a lot of walking away mid progress. Limited time, plus pockets of un-inspirational moments, equals lots of pieces of work laying around in an unfinished state. When I do feel inspired, I may feel inclined to work on only a certain one, so that's why there are so many. Why so many??? But, but, there are so many that are all very close to being finished. So close, that there is no reason for them to be laying around any longer. I need to stop jumping from one to the next. Do others work like this?

Gosh darn it!

It's much easier to figure things out once they are written down. I lose sight of this at times. I really need to slow down even moooorrrreeeee.

How much more can I slow down my life? Let me ponder that.

Doodles.

2009-01-13T22:51:00.002-05:00

Doodling all over the pages of your notebook, planner, or calendar. Some say bad. I say good! (Plenty of surface area!)

Doodles can be like little creative brain farts. Sometimes you can get really great stuff without planning. Provide yourself with plenty of spontaneous doodle surfaces. Especially those notebooks, planners, and calendars. You'll get new ones next year.

Things are what they are.

2009-01-12T21:48:00.003-05:00

Mmmm. Look at the color of that paper. Arches 140 lb. coldpress. It's only because it's Arches. For whatever reason, the color takes evenly. Like coffee, with lots and lots of cream. Smooth, even, creamy surface of color.

That photo was taken a week ago, and since then, I have already painted the second layer. I will now trim it down, treat the edges, stick it in the vat once more. Then will come a final pressing, and the last layer of details and washes. Whew. It sounds like a lot but really isn't. Or maybe it is. I dunno. Doesn't matter. It is what it is.

I'd like to open a store on Etsy. It's been prancing around in my head for the last two weeks or so. I've heard of people doing pretty well on there, though I'm not sure what I would sell, or how well it would sell. I figure that anything is worth a try, for fun, as a learning experience or otherwise. Hmmmm.

And hmmmmm.

And it snowed Saturday. I had high hopes of heading into new york city for the day, but since bad weather and my (yellow weenie) car don't do well together, I had a change of heart.

Poooooooooooo.

But the view was nice, especially when the sun came out.

I'm back! And it's 2009! Whoa!

2009-01-06T14:37:00.003-05:00

All that Holiday excitement, woo woo. That's what I'm using as my excuse for not posting for the last, oh, ah, let's see how many days has it been? The truth is, I let myself fall into a lazy stupor over New Year weekend, and as much as I wanted to make art, I just oozed procrastination. I really don't celebrate holidays unless I'm poked with a cattle prod by a family member, and instead use those days off as ME days. How selfish, I know.

But, I've been good about catching up on the reading of others' blog postings, and have been touched by the Holiday Blog Fairy. So, for celebrating the new, and forgetting the old, here is my personal recap of 2008:

Thank you 2008 for making me realize that life is so much more brilliant without a television. That making art is more important than doing laundry, or any other housework. That your day job does not define who you are, nor does it define how smart you are, nor does it define anything else.

What I do not thank you for, 2008, is all the rotten, crappy, luck that I received from you, and the miserableness you threw my way. But I won!! HAHA! And on your way out the door, I hope that you didn't forget to take all that rot with you!

Hello 2009 and thank you already for the daily brilliance in vision, and the acquisition of a much more laissez-faire attitude. Here's what I'm hoping you and I can strive for:

A more permanent place to live (so I can stop being a vagabond), good health for Preston Papoo in his ripening age (my ninja kitty), a bit more moolah to help pay down those huge Papoo bills, and all those other bills, and the other bills too. True friends. Good food to feed my tummy, and Preston's tummy. That the lemon does not break down and keeps on running throughout your reign and into the reign of 2010. That all those close to me have good health and are not in need of anything. That the new president can whip the dimwits in our government back into shape and actually make them work for the people. That's really not too much to ask? Is it? Thank you in advance!

And to all you wonderful peeps, as my father's friend, Mira, so eloquently said the other day: May peace break into your house and may thieves come to steal your debts. May the pockets of your jeans become a magnet for $100 bills. May love stick to your face like Vaseline and may laughter assault your lips! May your clothes smell of success like smoking tires. May happiness slap you across the face and may your tears be that of joy. May the problems you had forget your home address! In simple words... May 2009 be the best year of your life!!!

(Until 2010 comes along to outshine it!)

Into the vat.

2008-12-28T20:15:00.003-05:00

Taking a dip. A touch of warmth. Wear and tear. Imperfection.

It's been a dubious day. Dubiosity has reigned quietly in the background for the past few days as I've been going along cleaning, creating and contemplating. I've felt dubiosity hanging out somewhere in the corner of the room, weighing down heavily. Every time I think I catch it staring at my back, I turn and it's not there. It's moved and lurking in another corner.

- Color study for Warship

Silence.

Back to work.

Zen Tree

2008-12-28T00:27:00.004-05:00

Awesome Jon sent me this. He took it last weekend after our first northeast storm.

Planned a post but stayed up too late and now tooooooooo tired. Does that mean double the goodness tomorrow?

?

I love paper.

2008-12-22T20:30:00.003-05:00

I just wanted to say that. I love paper. Just that. Paper. Yep. Not the Xerox kind. The nice, fancy, kind. Porous, fancypants, watercolor, handmade-type. I love paper.

I love it so much, that I had to get up and post it here.

Wintery work.

2008-12-22T14:19:00.001-05:00

Start of a continuation. I'm liking her more and more.
Pardon the bad lighting, I have very limited light sources.

I was so happy that this past weekend came around. Though part of the weekend was crappy due to family making me miserable (Saturday), yesterday turned out to be a perfect working day. Art day. Art is not work. I have to remember that. I keep on losing my vision of this since my day job is all about creating, and that is work with a capital, hard-ass "W". And the past week of day-jobness was exhausting. But Sunday was so nice. Music, art, and the company of kitties. The blistering snow storm outside didn't even phase me. Come evening time I went out to dig my yellow lemon out of the snow (that's the vehicle, it's yellow and a lemon in more ways than one), an hour and a half of wintery shoveling, to wake up today and see that I was plowed in. *Sigh* But with such a good day yesterday, I didn't care.

The view outside my window on Sunday.

When it's snowing like that I want to run out and hike through the woods. One day I'll get myself a pair of snow shoes that I've been pining for, grab my topo map and compass, and go get lost in the snow. One day, when I get those shoes.

Into the sketchbook.

2008-12-19T21:25:00.016-05:00

Meine Kamera ist kaputt. Well, not really, it's only that the battery has run down and I don't have a charger. The charger was removed from my checked backpack somewhere between O'hare and Bradley International last year during a random routine search, and never replaced. My camera was on me, but in exhaustion, at the last second I checked my backpack. When I got home and unzipped it I found one of those paper things stating that they had gone through my bag. I was not so much upset that they (they being an airport personnel of some sort), rummaged through my bag (I can understand the need for it nowadays), I was more upset that the battery charger was removed and not put back. Unfortunately, at the moment I can't replace it and have been borrowing one off and on. So, since no battery for the Kamerrra, today no photos. But, I went all out and got savvy outside of the day job, and used the scanner. Woo!

So, peek into my sketchbook. It's actually a very special thing, place, whatevermajiggy, where I sketch ideas, meditate, babble, paste things into, and so on. I have pages where I warm up my brain with doodles and sketches before I actually start drawing something. It's a lot meditative and a bit trance-like. I write, make lines. Warmups. Brain babbles.

One page and close-ups. After I scanned the page (the book wasn't laying flat - sorry), I became detached from all those doodles. I felt as if I was looking at someone else's stuff and got really fascinated looking at it up close in hi-res. So I thought the close-ups would be neato to show.

Oh, and please pardon any cat fuzzies you might see.

In progress.

2008-12-16T20:59:00.003-05:00

Oh, I wanted to post so much yesterday, but the odd weather up here in New England sent my barometer into the migraine zone. With a strong dose of ibuprofen I was out of commission. Sixty degrees out and pouring rain. Not normal. Not normal. Not for here. Oh we're all going to burn. Shame on us. The poor planet. Blahblahblah. I better stop now because otherwise I won't stop.

Sunday was great! I worked on the above image. I wasn't planning on it. It was originally a small drawing I did in pen. (I prefer a good pen over a sharp pencil. I like the challenge of having to rework a mistake to make it work, and a pen is very unforgiving.) I output it at a larger size for a transfer, and the next step will be inking it. I rather like it at this large size, 15"x 22". I could almost see it as a print of some sort, but not sure yet. I need to see how I'm going to develop it. I never know what the finished piece will look like when I start. I just go.

I gooooooo. Oh oh oh!

Jin Young Yu - Oh My!

2008-12-10T17:30:00.011-05:00

A Family In Disguise

I've never really posted about another artist before, but Jin Young Yu's sculpture is absolutely amazing. I got a glimpse of her work on ArrestedMotion during their coverage of Art Basel and had to know more. Since then, I've spied images of her work on various blogs across the internet.

The figures are so ghostly and haunted looking, their emotions so masked and hidden yet at the same time readily apparent. From what I gathered in doing research on this Korean artist, her work is a commentary on the hypocrisy of today's society, who we really are and who we pretend to be while amongst other people. The masks we wear in front of our friends and relatives, yet at the same time not truly understanding who we are as individuals. I immediately identified with her work since it strikes close to home. In such a chaotic, media driven, materialistic society, it is very difficult to find one's soul and true purpose. The media drives us to not think for ourselves. It tells us what to wear, eat, how to act and behave, what medications to take, and how to live our lives, and even how to mourn, as at the very same time it is stripping us of our individuality. Though, it's very clever, because it leaves us with the belief that we are still thinking for ourselves.

So, in bloggy fashion, I'm posting both links to Jin Young Yu's blog and Union Gallery which is showcasing some of her work. Her blog is in Korean, but it's worth to take a look at all the images posted there.

yep.

2008-12-08T20:17:00.008-05:00

Work. I'm slow to post because, just beacuase. So these are last week's photos. Sorry for the quality, there wasn't a lot of light.

I had put the original large piece Earth on the back-burner due to moving around so much and working on other things. She's everywhere and I can't get rid of her till she's complete. She's also further along now since this photo.

The other pieces are 8"x 8" and experimental. I don't know where I'm going with those yet. I pick them up every so often, do a bit here, then there. Then they sit. And I look and look. And so on. I've got too many ideas and too many things going on here and there that I'm starting or doing or finishing something or other.

I wish I could think of something clever to say. It could be this jazzy samba stuff I'm listening to. It might be messing with my head.

I really could go for some m&m's right now. With peanuts.

Updated the...

2008-11-28T17:07:00.001-05:00

banner, yet again. It's a work in progress, constantly evolving. I'm stuck on the fonts. The above is slowly looking more and more, unlikeable, I think. Hmmm.

Back, and feeling good!

2008-11-27T01:20:00.004-05:00

Doodlie doo! It's been a while (but when has it not been?), my arm is feeling better at the moment, and I am back to my usual drawing, painting, and other unmentionable nonsense. Not that it's fixed, because it's not. But I'm hoping that with the physical therapy I'm attending, it'll recover.

So, got back to being very busy, and busybusybusybusy. Especially during the next few days. I'm not much of a Holiday-sie type of person, so I keep busy with other things.

Posting a photo out of my sketch book to keep things interesting and because I realized that I have too many posts without images. Okay, well, someone pointed that out. Okay, more than one person pointed that out.

Okay.

I gotcha.

Some things in development. . .

2008-11-06T23:01:00.007-05:00

I've been creating smaller pieces lately and not working on the larger ones due to funky arm spatula muscle syndrome, or something similar sounding. I have the actual syndrome name written down somewhere, but can't read all of it due to my doctor's hand writing. I can hardly ever read anything he writes. So, hopefully this scapular thing won't last too much longer because even just sitting at times can make it ache uncomfortably, and sitting at a computer can make it worse.

The post before last, I posted photos of finished pieces. Sorry if the photo quality was off. I'm trying to figure out what's up with that. But those will do. I took some additional photos a few nights back to show some of the gold effect in a warmer, low light. But then, I can't trust what I see on this monitor. The first one is Ennui, and is 6.5"x9". The other is Earth II and is 12.5"x10". These are both meant to be enjoyed up close. Close, close. Clossseeee. (I'll post more photos of these later.)

Sketch For Change

2008-10-22T19:30:00.007-04:00

So, while I was at Baby Tattooville a few weeks back (it feels like ages ago), I was approached to do a very cool thing. I was invited to do a sketch for an auction called Sketch For Change. Annnd since the auction is already happening (3 days left!), and because I'm very bad at explaining things and slow at posting, AND because their site explains it all, one should definitely click on the link and check it out. And if not to bid on some fun art or support a cause, then at least to check out some cool drawings by some well-know, and talented artists.

My sketch for the auction.

Ennui

2008-10-17T00:18:00.008-04:00

Ennui

Ink and gold acrylic detail on

stained Canson 140lb coldpress.

Oh, I have so much I need to do but not surprisingly, I have been slowed down again. My right arm is useless at the moment due to some sort of muscle issues, so I am having a hard time with everything in general (typing, drawing, painting). There are so many people I need to email and so much to post here, But, enough of the pity party, so until my arm feels better, here's some eye candy.

Baby Tattooville '08

2008-10-09T23:46:00.026-04:00

I am back from a most wonderful, spur of the moment trip! After a rather stressful week at work (throw an eyeroll in there), I needed to get away. A badly needed change of scenery, was badly needed (hah). I was so desperate I was actually toying with the idea of flying to France to see a Jeff Koons exhibit. What was I thinking!? I don't know. I don't think I was. I just needed to be far away from everything, and everyone (don't anyone take it personally please). SO, uh, what else was happening that I could do? There was Baby Tattooville In Riverside, CA. Was I serious? What was I thinking!? I don't know. I don't think I was. But, all of you who knew how much I would enjoy this and just told me to go (one week before the event!), thank you for not letting me talk myself out of it. I sincerely, one hundred percent, mean it.

It took place at the Mission Inn. I got there early so I explored the hotel for a bit.

One begins to feel a bit like Alice in wonderland at times, well, I guess a girl like me would. For guys it could be the Mad Hatter? Maybe? Ahh...

Quite odd. You see.

But the event itself was a fantastically good time.

The look on Ledbetter's face.

Movement, and motion.

I just like this one very much.

Daniel Peacock, in the moment.

Amy Sol, so still.

At Soto's studio (l-r) Dave Cooper, Shag (Josh Agle), Bob Dob, Brandi Milne, Glenn Barr, Michael Whelan, Amy Sol, Ana Bagayan, Joe Ledbetter, Daniel Peacock.

Like a deer caught in headlights " Omgomgomg! I'm getting my photo taken with Tim Biskup omgomgomg!" Yes, that was REALLY going through my head at the time. Just in case you didn't catch on, I collect his art and have wanted to meet him for a while. Can't get over the look on my face!

The Beginning of The Jam .

They all jumped up at once.

Ledbetter.

Brandi's gifts to us. We all thank you.

Ana is very sweet. And she worked so hard - Just so we all would get something nice.

Dave Cooper

There really isn't anything there yet.

Cooper. He's trying to make a point. Look at him move.

I think we get what Harley makes of it.

We thought so, too ;D

Jammin.

A Biskup At Brunch

I can't wait till next year.

Baby Tattooville!

2008-10-04T10:56:00.003-04:00

I haven't posted in a bit due to a spur of the moment decision to attend a great event taking place in Riverside, California. "Spur of the moment" doesn't even do justice to describe how quickly I booked a plane ticket so I wouldn't have time to change my mind. Today starts day 2 of the Baby Tattooville event, and so far this whole thing has been a blast. What a great way to meet and hang out with all of one's favorite artists. For me, it literally is a dream come true, just because most of these artists reside on the west coast. There will be many photos when I return!

The finger. . .

2008-09-18T19:21:00.003-04:00

is awesome. Well, not quite fully, but it is growing back, I think. There is some numbness in the tip, and it feels strange when I touch it to something, but it could be because it's still healing? I may have phantom finger syndrome, also known as fantumus phingerus syndroma.

Sorry. Had to take a pause there.

On another note, here is a sneaky peeky at something that is so close to finished that I won't post the whole thing till it's done, since to do otherwise would be silly. Plus, I needed an excuse to talk about my finger.

Post number two today. Oh my!

2008-09-10T15:41:00.003-04:00

This weekend I had lots of plans. But I did the unthinkable last Thursday, I chopped, ok, I sliced a chunk of my finger off with an Exacto knife. In the many, many years I have been using them, I have not cut myself once. So, I guess my time had come. Unfortunately, it was more than a wee cut. Imagine blood spurting everywhere like the Exorcist was coming to town. So my left index finger (thank goodness the left and not the right), is outta commission. And boy did my hand throb this weekend. No stitches were needed, only since in a state of panic, I ended up throwing the cut off chunk down the drain, only to scream "NOOOOOOO, I want the rest of my finger back!" The doc told me it would grow back. Yeah, with two additional fingernails and an eyeball attached. Hee!

But that did keep me indoors (in my grumpy state), and I was very artistically productive. A very complex drawing was completed for a painting, another drawing was finished and transfered for a small inking project, and various other things. And inspirational doodles (see below). Ok, so what began as a doodle turned into a face. Well, the truth is, after just painting for the past few weeks I got nervous and thought that maybe I lost my ability to draw. I'm so paranoid sometimes!

My ninja.

2008-09-10T15:30:00.003-04:00

This little dude is Preston. He makes me smile.

Earth

2008-09-03T18:35:00.006-04:00

Earth

Ink and gold acrylic detail on

stained Canson 140lb coldpress.

Updates and all that good stuff.

2008-08-29T12:56:00.004-04:00

So here is the piece that has been taking up some of my patience (see approximately ten posts back). I had the genius idea of completing it quickly so I decided that I would do it in acrylic for a show sometime a while back. Since I work mainly in oils (I only do very small things in acrylic) it's been nothing short of a headache. AND, obviously, it wasn't completed for the show–which wasn't a problem (I had a creative block at the time). So I took the advice of an "art adviser" who writes about art but I don't actually think he DOES art, that I shouldn't rush the painting, but finish it in my own good time so it'll be "exactly what I want". So that's what I'm doing. And then I'm going back to oils, and that's that (I think). Though, there is something to be said for the vibrancy of colour and the nice clean lines that acrylic provides. I've got about two or so more layers to go.

So much happening.

2008-08-18T10:44:00.003-04:00

I've been away for a while from posting. Lots has happened in the meantime. I've moved once again. This time it was due to the economy. Too much money was going to gas, so I had to cut back on rent, which meant moving. The new place is not exactly the most optimal, but it does have more room.

I had my workspace set up pretty quickly and have been plugging away. I've got a few pieces that I'm trying to finish up. I'll try to post photos soon. Also, the blog has been in need of a spruce up, so over the next few weeks it'll be going through changes (they've been started already!).

I've got too many ideas running through my head. Everything from prints to mosaic. Have always actually wanted to learn to make them, mosaics that is, ever since seeing them in Pompeii and St. Peter's in Rome years ago. Over the weekend I picked up a book on mosaic for $4. Elaine Goodwin's Classic Mosaic. I couldn't pass it up. It was beaten up, but worth it. Lots of colorful photos, covers the history, styles, tools and how to's, with projects to try. Thank you almighty Bargain Table at BnN.

Mmmm good. (Censored 08.01.08)

2008-07-29T18:57:00.003-04:00

Sitting around. (censored) Or is it?

I'd like to comment on the (censored) but I'm at a loss for words. (censored) just like the (censored) We'll all be doing the same thing. But (censored) Actually that's not true. (censored) are too kind of (censored) thing.

My 2 cents.

(Now I feel better.)

Relatively.

2008-04-11T19:10:00.001-04:00

Did I spell it correctly? 'Relatively' I mean? I was typing up something earlier today and tried using that word to no avail, thanks to nifty SPELLCHECK that reminded me that I was spelling it incorrectly.

It's going to be a very busy upcoming week. Tomorrow I was going to meet with my brother about the website. Need to check in with him quick since I just found out that he will be flying last-minute overseas on Tuesday. Which, of course, may mean that the meeting tomorrow may be canceled (which may be good, since it's a very, very long drive to Boston from south Conn. Yah! In the apparently upcoming rainstorm! Yah!)

Sunday: Tax appt. It'll go relatively quickly, with an ensuing shopping spree for a plum colored bathrobe (long story). Tuesday concert. Wed. . . there is something. Yikes! Dentist apptointment on Thursday. Friday is NYCC (New York Comic Con), and I get in extra early with my Super (with a capital S) VIP pass. Not for the comics, fantasy clad warriors, or bedazzling storm troopers. Only going to check a few booths and then hit the galleries to see what's new, head to friend kHyal's (with a capital H) for FiZz launch party. Saturday drop off the art (1.5 hour drive), check out galleries in area. Sunday sleep. Rest. Play with the cats.

Bang. Ouch.

2008-04-10T15:38:00.001-04:00

I feel like I'm hitting a wall. I need a break.

I have a little over a week to finish the current painting for the group show coming up. I also started another piece that I was inking on watercolor paper and was almost complete, till I botched it last night.

It may be exhaustion, tiredness, all that stuff. I think it's because I've been busting my butt for the past two weeks and my mind is telling me to take a break.

It was such a stupid thing too. It's something that in a right state of mind I would have never done. A big glob of green where there really shouldn't have been any globs. Or greens. Or colors for that matter.

Never say never, as I've learned the hard way in the past.

Maybe doing a little of nothing today will help.

kissmunch.

2008-03-18T18:58:00.000-04:00

Arghh! I recently picked up the most recent issue of Juxtapoz and it made me very upset. The cover....

I'm not ready to talk about it and I need to do more research.... but I do think the cover artist, Parra, is ripping off the style of an actual artist whose work I've seen before. It's okay to successfully reinvent a style/movement and make it your own (Biskup), but to not depart from another artist's style at all??

Like I said, I need to dig deeper...

No "bad" words.

2008-03-17T21:15:00.002-04:00

Wow. I'm getting @%#! crazy here! I'm posting again!

When No Country for Old Men won an Oscar for Best Picture, I needed at least to see that in a theater. So, may someone please explain it to me? Why did it win Best Picture? And is there some secret hidden meaning I'm not getting?

Flipping through my sketch book, I see that I have many things that are unfinished. Have I ever finished anything?

I dunno. I can't remember.

How cool would it be if everyone had a soundtrack accompanying them, but as soon as they came into contact with another person, both would be adjusting to a singular score that carried the moment they were currently in.

How bad is her hair.

2008-03-17T11:04:00.001-04:00

Hygienic group show in New London next month and I’m trying to complete a piece for it. Right now, I have two pieces to show, but this latest painting has been plowing along relatively well, so I’m hoping that I’ll have time to complete one more, for a total of three.

Since my move put everything on hold, I had to scramble to get an area to work in (thanks Jon!), and spent the weekend (wait! there was a weekend?) painting.

I had to overcome a creepy fear!

Since I mostly work in oils, I needed something I could work with faster. So here I am, sitting in front of the canvas, acrylics all laid out, and I start having a panic attack. The fear of using acrylics!! I couldn’t get a first brush stroke down. Went and lay down for a few hours because I couldn’t stomach working with acrylics. Past experiences (i.e. junior high art class) had me cursing the fast drying time and low-level of manipulation. I’ve worked with them since, but on a very, very small scale, so imagine how frightened I was.

Very.

...here... there...

2008-02-16T18:35:00.000-05:00

Been away for a while making some moves (literal), trying out some new things (hypothetical), and see what happens. The painting, drawing, inking, sketching was put on hold.. Now its coming back. My art space is smaller, will try to make do. And will hopefully update soon.

Back.

2007-12-26T22:25:00.001-05:00

Posting a detail of a sketch I'm currently working on. Will be inked later. Mexico was very relaxing.

Taking a break.

2007-11-23T14:25:00.000-05:00

Won't be posting much art related stuff for the next two weeks since I'm on vacay. Visitng the west coast, Mexico, San Diego, and possibly LA. If I see something amazing, I'll post it here, especially if it's art related or speaks to me in tongues.

As far as the website, it's in the works.

I just ate the last Twizzler.

2007-11-11T20:30:00.001-05:00

Uck.

I love Twizzlers.

2007-11-11T20:22:00.000-05:00

They're so good. I am never buying a big bag again. Never.

I hope I don't get sick.

Have been muddling along. Too busy with this or that to stay focused a the moment. But today was a good day.

...

2007-11-06T21:24:00.000-05:00

I had a lot to say, but I erased everything I had typed up. On purpose. What purpose, I don't know.

Another sketch.

2007-10-23T17:57:00.000-04:00

Detail from another completed sketch for one of the four paintings. I revised it quite a bit from what it was before. One more sketch to finish. I'll post that soon.

Ice cream Sunday.

2007-10-14T17:15:00.000-04:00

Details of some of the sketches for the paintings...

A little bit closer...

2007-10-12T20:26:00.001-04:00

So close to finalizing the four sketches for the paintings. Everytime I think I'm around the corner to completing something "that night", I find that it's just not quite right. Hopefully this weekend will be it. Though realistically, nothing is every "really" done. Tomorrow canvas goes up, and Sunday base coat of paint goes down.

Howdy art blog!

2007-10-06T19:09:00.001-04:00

Howdy art blog. How are you?

It's a fine day isn't it?