Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Tree of Life: third attempt

guess what: I rejected the second attempt of the Tree of Life.for some reason I found the background a little too messy and thought that the figures should occupy more space in the picture.

here's my new sketch, subject to further improvements:


 

I didn't pay too much attention to the size of the sketch, and it ended up too large for the boards I have available around here. had to order larger ones. that will be the largest painting I ever made so far (20 x 30 approximately.) hope I don't screw up again.

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an almost act of impulsiveness made me open a basic store on Ebay. the first and only experience I had with them was not very positive, but since I am a persistent girl, I decided to give it another try. no auctions his time, though. it's hard to compete with artists that are practically selling themselves out.

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mandalas are now my new thing. I have always enjoyed them very much, and got to run a few workshops in Brazil in geometrical mandala making. however, my experience with them was purely intellectual. but since I decided to try it in a more emotional level, so to speak, they have been pretty much intriguing me and I decided to start a production of mandalas. it's just the beginning and we'll see if they keep my excitement going like my regular art does.

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speaking about mandalas: I'll be very soon running an online workshop joining astrology and mandala making. first edition will be experimental and free of charge. space will be very limited (only 12 persons), so stick around for new announcements!

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

sneak peak at the workspace

i love to see other artists' workspaces but was never able to show mine. when I was pregnant I had to transform my studio room into a nursery. as a result, I've been in a kind of limbo, setting up my stuff anywhere I could work in. our house is not very big and the basement and attic are just inhabitable. finally I set up everything in a corner of the dining room. with time I was needing more and more space and taking over the dining room like a disease; finally the dining table was occupying a minimum space in a corner. so last Monday I decided to officialize my conquest. I covered the cheesy wallpaper stripe (left as a heritage of my hubbie's first marriage) in white, put some shelves on the walls, and in less than a couple days I had a decent workspace, worthy to show off. with time I'll be adding more colorful details, plants, and other stuff I like. :)






drawing/painting corner (she had to be in the picture.)



computer corner. a shelf on the wall works as a place for my laptop. goth tendencies in the Bauhaus poster I love. old hubbie's English style chair was going to the trash, so I rescued it and covered with a throw. I don't really like the chair since I'm not fond of big and museum-like things, but I decided to keep it for being really comfortable. I'll probably make it a funky cover in the future.



the shelves.


the shelf with my art supplies, finished and half-finished paintings are by the other wall; the view is not very nice so I decided not to show it. the dining table? it is squeezed in a corner of the room. we don't really need a lot of space for meals. :P


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and since too much work made me forget my manners these last days, I'd like to thank to all the new followers for finding me and joining the blog. also, many thanks for all the ones that took the time to leave comments. many blessings to all! 

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Web of Life Art Show + Lexington-Bluegrass Pagan Pride '09

not as many pictures as I'd like, again. can't understand my eternal failure in taking pictures. I wanted a few ones with Andrea, Mary and Tammy so bad!!!!

the show went pretty well. so many nice people! unfortunately the workshop didn't happen, but even so it was a great day.






a whole day painting that banner... I wanted a Klimt-like tree, but in the end I found it very Tim Burton, which is also cool.



signs at the entrance, designed by myself. the show was in a historic house called "Allen House", on the Universalist Unitarian Church of Lexington property; hence the wallpaper.



Hecate and I.







not-so-good shots of the show. some of Tammy Wampler's pastels in the last one. her works have the most incredible colors.



 cute girls playing with my group mandala.







the outside. lots of fun while I was working hard inside. :P


my baby with her new girlfriends (she is the smallest one in the center.)

after a whole week of hard work, now it's time to move on. taking care of my project, making over my website/blog, keep on looking for more adventure, and of course, p-a-i-n-t-i-n-g!!

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Web of Life Art Show

this has been a busy week. last preparations for Pagan Pride Day and for the Web of Life show. I still have to paint a huge banner to hang outside, and get ready for my workshop, Creating Mandalas for Healing. I am particularly anxious about this one, since it will be my first workshop in English. hope things run smoothly, 'cause I'm very happy about the possibility of teaching something again after five years!

so, during the rest of the week I'll probably have no time to touch my brushes, and the Tree of Life unfortunately won't get ready for the show.

if you are in the Lexington area this Saturday, from 10am to 6pm, come by to say hello and check out the show. and, of course, to enjoy the Lexington-Bluegrass Pagan Pride festival and celebrate religious tolerance.  we will have vendors, diviners, healers, workshops, door prizes, great musicians and fun attractions for the kids. admittance is a can of fruit or soup to be donated to God's Pantry Food Bank.

Monday, September 7, 2009

Tree of Life: second attempt

in a couple weeks I'll be for the third time displaying my work at the Lexington Bluegrass Pagan Pride festival. this year I'll be showing five pieces along with Tammy Wampler and other artists in a show named Web of Life. creation, cycles of life and the Divine Feminine are some of the subjects of the artworks to be displayed in the show. I'm happy for once more collaborating to this beautiful event.

taken by the Pagan spirit, I decided to give another try to my Tree of Life painting. hope the process goes smoother this time and the work gets ready in time for the show.  I was painting the first version when I had my last artistic crisis and decided to stop the job.

 
board ready to receive the sketch. I kept the same colors of the first version and applied a few layers of watercolor and gouache, allowing them to intermingle. some sprinkles of salt helped to create texture.

transferring the sketch with tracing paper and doing an initial render to have a reference on how the composition is going to develop in that new "environment".

 
adding the other figures and rendering the tree branches and leaves - which will be peacock feathers.

not sure yet if I am going to maintain the strong lines around the drawing. I'm trying not to lose the "graphic" character of my work, but at the same time I love when the figures kind of merge with the background. as the work develops I hope to have a better idea about what's the best direction.

Sunday, September 6, 2009

back.

home again, after one week wrapped up in the coziness of my in-law's house. enjoyed time reading Joseph Campbell, eating a lot of cheesecake, studying sacred geometry, eating more cheesecake, and doing mandala art. this one took me to an exciting experience, which I'll share later. for now I have a lot to organize around here - and of course, a diet to start off...

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