...mesmerized by the sirens.

New show, new works

2012-01-23T10:02:00.000-08:00

From February through March I will be at Tasty Gallery , in my wonderful Seattle, as part of the Girls Gone Wild show. I will be showing new artworks in pencil on paper and panel, like the one below:

Serpentarium, work in progress. Pencil on panel so far, acrylic and gold coming soon.

Thanks to lovely Sheri Hauser for the exciting opportunity. Super happy here. :)

Happy New Year!

2012-01-03T15:07:00.004-08:00

While Christmas is always a somewhat depressing time for me, New Year's is one of my favorite holidays of the year. I love its festive, optimistic character, and all the celebration around hopes of a new cycle of prosperity and happiness. It doesn't matter that is only a change in the calendar. What matters is that people's mindsets are generally focused toward a new beginning, improvement, and change, and all that positivity generates an egregore of optimism that can only attract good things.

My New Year Eve was not what i wanted it to be (I am a party person.) I traveled to Kentucky to spend the Holidays with my daughter's family, and things here are not exactly what a party creature would call "exciting"... But it was a pretty calm evening and I spent it with the things i love the most in this world - my baby and my art, so it couldn't be bad (it would be better if boyfriend was around too, but nothing is perfect...) As the only things I could bring in the plane were a few pieces of illustration board, a few pencils and brushes, and a set of watercolors, had to revisit an old passion of mine: the combination watercolor + pencil.

Think I can consider this for my new show, in February, and add maybe three more pieces in the same style.

I feel like something is opening up for me. The months that followed my divorce and my move to Seattle were quite overwhelming. I have been trying to balance personal life, art, health that gets gradually worse, motherhood, survival and emotional issues, and that big sign that many times blinks inside your mind reading "you are alone, lady, and there's no escape, so, make the best of it!" As I have been registering here, my art has been also gone through a long phase of experimentation (a reflex of my own life?), in each I have been exhaustively trying to reach ways to represent what I see inside, reaping some results that are undoubtedly getting me to a more comprehensive path. On my quest, I have been taking a little distance from who I am in order to find myself again. I went farther, training my hand in Abstractionism (in my opinion maybe the most difficult path that one could take in art,) evolving on canvas work, knowing my limits and challenges. It is liberating to think that you can be and do anything you want when you really want it. As long as the heart and your personal truth takes the lead, everything is valid.

This year, my intention is just one: to improve. I want to do the best I can, and even so, do not get satisfied. I also want to focus more on the business of art and explore other possibilities to my art making.

To all my friends, followers, patrons, buyers, a sincere, tsunamic THANK YOU. Wish you a year of enlightenment, prosperity, and inspiration.

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I still have a bunch of December works to show here. It will be done soon, promise.

Sheltering Ghosts

2011-12-16T13:26:00.002-08:00

Mixed media on panel

18" x 24"

2011

$800 USD

Original Available

NEW original drawings on sale!

2011-12-13T09:28:00.001-08:00

NEW 9" x 12" original drawings, hand signed and matted, for just $90 + shipping. New pieces will be added [almost] everyday. But hurry, it is only until December 20th!

BUY HERE

Challenges and prizes.

2011-12-06T08:41:00.001-08:00

November was a challenging month. particularly the last two weeks. it started with the Inscape open house, which, in the last minute, i almost quit participating due to the complete chaos and uncertainty about my own process. the studio sleepover, when i worked 10 hours non-stop, just made me exhausted and disappointed with myself. i was unable to complete half of what i had planned. finally i decided to open the studio for the visitors even with few pieces completed. and it was totally worthy: i received invites for two shows and "Sheltering Ghosts", the piece i hang in the foyer group exhibition was very well received.

"Sheltering Ghosts", hanging on the Inscape foyer.

then, in less than two weeks, i had to get ready for the Forgotten Goddess in LA, Bherd Gallery and Rock the Terminal, in Seattle. and all the crazy conflicts with my technique of acrylic on panel kept going. i had decided that i didn't want any graphite that time, and there was no way to achieve the texture i was looking for using pure acrylic! and there was no time to cry and stomp feet like a temperamental artist. show must go on... and then as a last resource i came into an art supplies store and left with three 12 x 24 stretched canvases.

pure joy. :)))))

it was an amazing shift in my work in less than two weeks.

after i dropped off the last pieces in the last gallery, as soon as i get home, i just sat and cried for several minutes. i had won a challenge and a lot of understanding about my art, my current moment and what is really important for me right now. and most of all, i thanked the Supreme Intelligence for all the network of support i have around me, all the fantastic people who push me forward and the love of my boyfriend and my daughter, remembering me all the time where lay the most important things of life.

and on Saturday, time to have fun on the Rock the Terminal - ANT Gallery opening!

I participated with two 12" x 12" pieces (called "Dialogues") since I was included a little late to the line up and they didn't have a lot of wall space left for bigger works. (I wish the had placed the works side by side, but that worked too.)

Moi taking care of myself (the beer was great!!) and my loyal sidekick, who was always cheering me up with her excitement and positive attitude every time i got messed up.

There are people asking me if i am abandoning my works on pencil. The answer is "no". I love working with graphite and i am a way better drawer than painter, so stopping my pencil work just because i am excited with new toys is almost like shooting my own feet. As a matter of fact i am seriously planning to start new series of pencil works on paper. Painting on canvas became a delight (old followers must remember how i used to curse the canvas in the past,) and i am excited and grateful for achieving such degree of versatility. The most tools i have to give voice to my inner universe, the better. :)

(by the way, posting images of the new works soon!)

The Serpent's Stratagem

2011-11-01T09:54:00.000-07:00

Acrylics and pencil on panel

12 x 12

2011

NFS

If Only Tonight We Could Sleep

2011-11-01T09:51:00.000-07:00

Acrylics and pencil on paper

8 x 11

2011

$120

Certain Destinations Are Inevitable

2011-11-01T09:49:00.002-07:00

Acrylics and pencil on paper

8 x 11

2011

$120

oh, yeah.

2011-11-01T09:46:00.000-07:00

back to the old blog layout. that dynamic thing didn't work out very well. hard to see my favorite blogs.

now just need to fix this layout. it is a bit messy and with too many horizontal lines.

To Drown a Rose

2011-10-12T13:32:00.001-07:00

One of my good friends and collectors observed recently that my images have gained an air of "slight melancholy", and I agree. in the last months, since I started to dive deeper into the abstract/figurative technique, I have totally let the abstract dictate the tone of the paintings, and the process has become almost 80% intuition. that makes me think about what is being released from my heart in the last months. my interpretation of "To Drown a Rose" (title of one of my favorite Death in June songs, although the painting itself has not been inspired on the song) is this desire of killing pain and transform in beauty.

last weekend i did a live drawing presentation at the Seattle Central District Artwalk. unfortunately I could not get there in time to enjoy the entire event, but had time enough for a bit of fun. it was a beautiful sunny and chilly afternoon and i loved to spread my drop cloth outside and make some art while listening to some good live music.

she dreams in blue

2011-09-22T16:47:00.001-07:00

working hard to rebuild my inventory after selling almost all my stuff before coming to Seattle.

+

shot of my Saturday students doing contour drawing of a ball of crumpled paper. don't try at home.

+

i miss my yoga classes and i miss my bike rides. living in a city where bikers are everywhere, that is also a shame.

accepting registrations!

2011-08-25T16:55:00.000-07:00

So, after a whole month getting settled in the new studio, I am finally accepting registrations for my drawing and painting classes! If you live in the Seattle area and want to get initiated in drawing and painting, or even if you are a practicing artist but would like to experience new ways to see and make art, you are very welcome. Minimum age is 8 years old, first class is free and all materials for use in the studio are included. Please visit the studio website for more info: http://studio.patricia-ariel.com

Salome

2011-08-19T10:55:00.001-07:00

Acrylics and pencil on canvas

6 x 18 in

$300

Dryad

2011-08-19T10:53:00.003-07:00

Acrylics and pencil on canvas

6 x 18 in

$300

Temporal

2011-08-02T11:23:00.001-07:00

Acrylics, oil based pencil and watersoluble pencil on gessoed hardboard

14 x 18

2011

$800 USD

Temporal means "storm" in Portuguese.

Rebirth

2011-08-02T11:20:00.004-07:00

Rebirth

Acrylics, oil based pencil and watersoluble pencil on gessoed hardboard

16 x 20

2011

$1,000 USD

Fragmented

2011-08-02T11:18:00.001-07:00

Acrylics, oil based pencil and watersoluble pencil on gessoed hardboard

14 x 18

2011

$800 USD

A dream come true

2011-07-19T13:05:00.002-07:00

yes, i have not been quiet since i came to the Emerald City. and now i am finally seeing a dream coming true: my own private studio space!!

after looking for almost one month, I finally found this great space at the 1st floor of the Inscape building, in the Intl District, Seattle. it is cozy. it is well lit. it is perfect for all i have in mind. and it has green things outside! some minor things to be fixed, but not a big deal at all. my plans are to transform it in a place of celebration of the communion art + spirit. some workshops are already being designed to start very soon. stay tuned!

Raw Artists Showcase Seattle - July 2011 - Illuminare

2011-07-10T21:08:00.000-07:00

My Seattle debut was nothing less than awesome and lots of fun! Unfortunately I had enough time to produce only 4 pieces (and in 12 days that was a record,) but very well received and praised, which was a great happiness. I had a great time not only enjoying the lively atmosphere but performing my first live painting presentation. Painting in public is fun, but feels a bit weird; the sensation is of feeling your creativity a bit restrained with so many people looking at you. Didn't do bad though and look forward for the next experience, which won't be long. Thanks to the Raw Artists organizers for being so sweet, attentive and dedicated to such a high level event, so pleasing for both artists and audience. I just loved to be there!!

Some pics of the event:

Moi and my first made in Seattle kids.

Working hard.

As soon as I have access to a decent scanner I will officially publish the new pieces, representatives of my new direction. :)

peeks for the Illuminare show...

2011-06-29T13:09:00.000-07:00

From graphic and "illustrative" to loose and more pictorial, my work has suffered such a dramatic change in the past few months. Truth is that this has been an announced and very desired change, which I have been working hard to get to. Since works like Study for Woman's Head, Waterlily and others i have been pursuing a more hybrid mix of abstracts and figurativism, almost like if both things were one. Abstract painting is very linked to the spiritual in a more energetic, idealized sense, and my goal to mix the human figure to this spiritual dimension is reaching a more "tangible" point in this new phase. I think I am also achieving a more defined identity and my work is gaining a bit more of a character. :)

Illuminare

2011-06-27T11:13:00.003-07:00

WHEN: Thursday, July 7, 2011 @ 8:00PM

WHERE: iMusic | 332 5th Avenue | Seattle, WA 98109

DETAILS: 21+ event. Cocktail attire. Tickets are $10 via presale.
(When buying your ticket, please select my name from the dropdown menu on the right and let me know! My supporters will receive thank you gifts and a surprise gift will be drawn -- possibly an original painting.)

ARTISTS
Patricia Ariel - yay! (Art)
Hauting Art (Art)
Melissa Damien (Photography)
Ryan Doran (Art)
Oleaje Flamenco (Music)
EP Holcomb (Art)
Sister Kate (Performing Art)
Kree (Music)
Thomas Krueger (Photography)
Jenny Littleton (Hair + Makeup)

Xavier Lopez (Art)
Bella Luna (Art)
Susan Sage (Art)
Vinnie Spean (Art)
Brandon Vosika (Art)

Notebooks in Philippines! (or: Famous and still poor)

2011-06-10T09:35:00.002-07:00

So, according to some of my contacts in the beautiful Philippines, I am in all the main bookstores around there. The funny thing is that I didn't know. The story: a company approached me last year inquiring about licensing. After a few days of negotiation, that included a flat fee for use of five images + royalties over items sold, they paid the fee, got the images and never contacted me again. The contract is still here in my hard drive, unsigned. The products are all over the Philippines and God knows where else. I wanted at least few samples, I love notebooks... :(

I have to admit they did a nice job. I love the details in gold. Images by Ma.Nimfa Ursabia

This one have some cool details too. Seems to be embossed or something. Image by Armilie Mae

Colors in us

2011-05-27T09:08:00.003-07:00

I should be packing and mailing my art materials to the Northwest right now since I have now little over than 2 weeks from my move, but the muses govern my life and they act through mysterious ways. Experimentations with abstract underpaintings are not a new thing in my journey but it seems that i am feeling more and more drawn to it, specially since my interest in the ties science + spirituality + art was ignited some time ago. I am fascinated by the concept of color being nothing less than light in different frequencies, and light being the constitution of matter (a cool, nerdy article here.) It is very symbolic to me the representation oh human bodies and faces coming out of colors. Do we have colors in us? Music? The thought of it thrills my heart and make the muses have multiple orgasms. Serious intentions about a series of figurative works mixed with expressionistic abstracts, without a concern with deep conceptualization besides the interaction matter/color/light. New, exciting paths to explore.

Still untitled. Acrylics and pencils on gessoed masonite.

The abstract underpainting. Pale in my past experiments, getting stronger and more assertive now.

Working on these experiments unleashed something, and have made me feel a lot freer. I think I might have been blocked for several months without a conscience I was really facing a block. Going to write more about this experience and this devil, the artist's block, in one of my next posts.

Pandora

2011-05-21T10:39:00.001-07:00

Pandora, a photo by Patricia Ariel on Flickr.

Acrylics, pencil, colored pencil and pastel on illustration board
6 x 6
2001

$80 USD

War on Women: posters with my art for free download

2011-05-19T12:06:00.000-07:00

I have recently signed with the liberal organization Political Loudmouth granting them rights of reproduction of the four images of my Materia Series in posters and merchandise. PL is a non profit group that battles for liberal causes, like gay marriage, legalization of marijuana, planned parenthood, and other important causes that you are likely to embrace if you want a more egalitarian world. More recently they have established a crusade against what is being called here in US the "war on women": a group of right wing politicians determined in doing a few sweet things like controlling reproductive rights, cutting women's access to cancer screenings, suspending nutritional support for newborn babies, reducing funds for children's' preschool care, and others. The intention: to force women back to the domestic sphere. Unable to control their fertility and forced to stay home to care for their children, women would leave the workforce, reducing competition with men. More: they would be encouraged to marry earlier and reproducing more, thus realizing a "racial reclaiming" of the nation, while children to immigrant mothers (like me) would lose their birthright citizenship. Something reminding you of some sad events from the first decade of the last century?

The first image has been released and can be downloaded for free here. The responses have been awesome some far. Can't wait to see the next posters.

50% off!!!!

2011-05-05T07:37:00.000-07:00

Yes, yes, during all May all my art is 50% off their regular prices. No kidding. Please visit my store on E-crater to see all the pieces still available. And they are going fast.

As some of you may be aware of, I will be moving town very very soon, so I decided to do a studio cleaning. It will be good to have a fresh start also artistically, so I want the pieces to go with the past that turns its back to me slowly. I am a lover of changes, challenges and new beginnings and I have a huge one before me right now. Let's make the best of it.

Half of the Materia Series, Hecate and Witness are still available!!

Why is art so expensive? (and why you, as an artist, shouldn't sell yourself cheap)

2011-04-30T11:46:00.002-07:00

I eventually receive inquiries from people with a tight budget but genuinely interested in buying my art. They want to barter. They want to bargain. Not rare I feel compelled to accept the proposals since I feel so much love in them. It is a tough decision. I have collectors and people who have paid the listed price for my pieces, and I feel like it is not fair to them. A lot of people really appreciate art and would like to become collectors, however, collecting art is a pricey game. Everywhere people ask why a piece of art is so expensive. I don't have a lot of time in the business but I think I can answer a few questions, at least only superficially. Also, don't forget to check my friend Tammy Mae Moon's post about the same subject, in which she covers some other costly details about artwork prices.

An artist is a professional like any other and needs to earn a living. Because creative activities are so associated to fun and "childlike" things, there's a general mentality that artists are not really "working". (First, it is necessary to get rid of this mentality that "work" has to be associated to sacrifice. Anybody could, and should, have pleasure in what they do, but this is another story.) Paying for a work of art is also paying for the artist's time to produce that piece -- which is not likely to be leisure time. I, for instance, evaluate my time at $40 dollars a hour. To make a living, I need to work an estimate of X hours a month. Anything below that, means less items in my grocery cart, or problems to pay for my health insurance. I am a professional artist, so I make art. I am not hobbying. So, if you want my art, it will cost you money, just like your dentist's, or your plumber's time. Is that simple. The time I spend working in a certain piece will determine its minimum price. If I spend 4 hours in a certain painting, it cannot be sold at less than $160 (notice that only very small and simple pieces take such a short time to be completed.) Some additional actions and elements will also add to this price. Most paintings need research. You need reference images, you need to study your palette, you need preliminary studies of composition and other details. Good art supplies cost a lot of money. And wait, there's also an electricity bill to be paid for, you need a lot of light to paint, don't you? The artist's experience and skill are also a plus, for they take an awful long time to be acquired. I would say a lifetime.

Do you see a "made in China" label here? A piece of art is a one-of-a-kind product. When you buy one, you are buying something that only you, among billions of people, will possess. It will never be any other like that, never, even if the same artist struggle to produce something similar. Differently from a mass produced object, it is something embed in emotion. It is a bit of that artist's soul, something that deeply reflects their moment and spirit at the time when that piece were produced.

Think that talent is free? Think again. When you buy a work of art, you are buying the product of years of training, observation, and not rare, a lot of emotional ups-and-downs. If you went to an art school or had some formal training, you probably spent lots in tuitions, books and other educational materials. If you are a self taught artist, and has nobody to show you the pathway of rocks, you have spent long years into solitary study and training. Talent is not a precious gift from heaven. It is cultivated. It is not like pressing a button and the artist starts creating like a crazy robot. Art IS hard work. There's no other way. And hard work costs money.

Painting is an investment. Lots of people buy art as an investment.The art market fluctuates a lot, but when an emerging artist keeps producing and growing, the tendency is that they will sooner or later gain popularity and their value in the market will increase. If a collector buys one of your pieces that costs $500 today, within a few years or even less it can value a lot more. So, when you are buying art from an active and promising artist, you are also applying your money in something that has been considered an attractive investment for centuries.

Image credits: Money Family, Photo manipulation. www.freakingnews.com

back home.

2011-04-18T17:43:00.001-07:00

i've been in Seattle WA for 10 days and came back last week. it was a lovely Spring break in an amazing, inspiring city. chances are that i will be moving there in the next few months, so, if you are a Seattle artist and/or crazy visionary and want to socialize or partnering for future projects, let me know! and if you want to hire me for art + design projects or classes, then we should REALLY talk.

in the last days i have been focusing on deadlines and makeovers. my website is finally back, and although temporarily lacking some info and functionalities i would like it to have, is holding all the basic information and the paintings are all there. i will also launch an online store on the site, so people won't need to go somewhere else to buy my originals. things are also changing around here, as you may have noticed. :)

back soon with the latest news.

My baby and me in the Des Moines marina.

slowly but surely

2011-02-25T10:16:00.000-08:00

the last weeks have found me very prolific, although i have been doing things in a very chaotic manner. i have been dedicating good part of my time to my art direction work for the lingerie company, which is bringing me great satisfaction and excitement. it is bothering me that i am not really seeing a lot of my independent production finished, and my online presence is being sort of neglected lately. i really apologize for all the unanswered emails, messages and comments. the day is just too short, the energy runs out sooner that desired and my time on the computer really has to be limited to what really matters (my migraines have killed me). as soon as i can afford it i need to hire an assistant. my slow rhythm and inability to get organized is not really being compatible with all the stuff i need to accomplish and to the very rhythm of my own muses.

so lately i have been doing these...

The Travelers, acrylics and pencil on masonite board. this work is going very, very slowly. i am experimenting, savoring the work, living every second of it since there is a lot of emotional involvement. not sure if it is going for sale either. my heart is in it.

Sunny, pencil on bristol board. more experimentation on new languages of illustration.

Changing Woman, illustration for the project of the same name. this is the second version, and i am happier; probably going to stick with it. this is a project i have been growing inside me for a while and giving birth slowly. going to tell more about it soon!

hello again, fashion world

2011-02-07T13:25:00.000-08:00

i am getting ready to start a project on art direction for a fashion company. i am very excited with this new possibility and, of course, getting very inspired to come into the world of commercial illustration. few people know, but i have a background in fashion, and although i have my reservations and a political posture toward the fashion world, i am often fascinated by the creativity and beauty of fashion photography and illustration.

that's being a lot of fun, not mentioning that it is lovely to exercise my Aubrey Beardsley influences...

Duality featured

2011-01-28T07:50:00.000-08:00

Venus

2011-01-25T07:21:00.000-08:00

Acrylics, pastel and watersoluble pencils on gessoed masonite

11 x 14

2011

Original sold.

Yemanja

2011-01-12T09:45:00.002-08:00

Acrylics, pastel and pencil on paperboard

11 x 14

2010

Original sold.

Interlude

2011-01-09T09:13:00.001-08:00

Pencil and watercolor on paper

12 x 9

2010

Model: Iara Pires

$130 USD

Turquoise

2011-01-09T09:11:00.001-08:00

Pencil and watercolor on paper
9 x 12
2010

Model: Lynette Shelley

$130 USD

end-of-the-year updates

2010-12-30T09:25:00.000-08:00

hope everybody had a nice Christmas/Hanukkah/Yule. mine was better than expected, thank you. in general i am not very Christmas friendly, but when you have a child things have a different light. and this year they really had.

i've been posting stuff on this blog with an amazing slowness, sometimes days or even weeks after they actually happened. to tell the truth, the last couple months have not been easy, emotionally speaking, and since i am so good in letting the emotional interfere with everything else, things can go downhill easily if i don't stay strong. so, let's see here what i have been wanting to show you:

1. O Fortuna. i finally completed the first painting. it is called The One Who Kissed the Heart of The Earth, it is 24 x 30 inches, made with acrylics + watersoluble graphite pencils + white pastels on gessoed masonite board + blood and sweat. it is very different from everything i have done before, and i really really liked the result. the most fun is that most of what i had planned before and could not achieve "rationally" came naturally and intuitively, like the medieval feel. i don't consider it complete yet. i have nine more pieces to go and during the process something new might arrive that i will add to all the pieces to create unity.

some details:

my camera could not really capture it well. i think this last image is the truest i could achieve. the shot i got from the whole painting (which i don't dare to put in my humble A4 scanner to make into one thousand pieces and them put together on the Photoshop) doesn't do the justice, but is the best i could get so far:

i really need a good (maybe a semi-professional) camera.

2. another Yemanja painting. the first huge one still patiently waits for attention, as i have started this 11 x 14 commission:

sometimes, when people cannot afford a piece, or want one that is already been sold, i am more than happy to do a second version, or a variation of that same piece.

3. watercolor illustrations. working with acrylics on board made me crave watercolor on paper again. so i did a couple pencil illustrations to decompress. (see next posts)

wishing you all a great New Year's filled with Blessings and much inspiration... i am very grateful to all of you for the love and incredible support during all the year of 2010. count on me. Love to All!

weekend wip

2010-12-06T09:30:00.000-08:00

"O Fortuna: The One Who Kissed the Heart of the Earth", in progress. from my phone.

i guess that is it. i think i am finally making it the way i wanted. :)

seeking the silence.

2010-11-22T11:55:00.001-08:00

i have been totally absorbed in my seek for satisfactory solutions for my new works. it has not been easy. i am a perfectionist. i don't feel happy with anything that sounds shallow or meaningless. and i have my ideals about what my art in particular should be. there are points in the artist's development when you feel like you have to move on, to explore new things, to find new meanings to what you are doing. people love my ornamented, klimtish, colorful stuff. well, i do too. i took years of my life to find out that i was a colorful person inside -- in spite of wearing black all the time -- and that reflected in my art. however, i have to confess that, during the process of my art making, there's a point, when the final color glazes have not yet started to be applied, when i strangely sense that "this is it" feeling, but for an urge of pouring color and ornaments everywhere i end up losing the momentum.

like here:

and here:

(i don't know if i am making any sense at all.)

i've been trying, among others things, to hold the feeling of "that's enough, you don't need to scream so loud to make sense and be beautiful", the minimalism, the serenity and silence. i think i got that once with "Waterlily". Eastern philosophies teaches us about the meaning of the emptiness, and that reflects in their art. i think that one of the things that transmits that peacefulness you experience when observing a piece of Chinese or Japanese art, for example, besides the softness of the lines and colors, is the use of space. in most works, at least 30% of the area is an empty space. empty, but absolutely meaningful -- that emptiness is exactly what expresses reverence. here in the West, the emptiness bothers us. we just cannot be minimal. we have to fill up every space with stuff. when i paint, the background is the part that most bothers -- and intrigues -- me. i just can't leave the background alone and concentrate in the figure. i've tried many things, and if i don't fill up the space with little triangles, swirls and other visual paraphernalia, i don't feel good about the painting.

Zou Chuan-an

the approach i've been trying for a while is integration and adaptation. working on the background first, and then adding to it. make the figure to adapt to what the background commands. which is also sort a philosophical approach. to go with the flow, to dance according to the music. do not force, do not fight. just adapt. use the force you consider an enemy as an ally.

background was inspired in the texture and colors of a rock, and built with a sponge to give that grainy effect. love it.

when i was making the Materia series, i left each color of the 4 elements to guide me through the painting and teach me things. i found out how refreshing and invigorating the greens could be; the blue, so spiritual and apparently passive, can have a strength that sometimes is difficult to manage (in my opinion, is the most difficult color to work with). the same sensorial approach is being used during the making of the "O Fortuna" series, and it is probably something that will accompany my creative process for a while. working with the energy of the colors and the suggestions given by the shapes that will form by texturizing the backgrounds brings my process closer to a more "right side of the brain" attitude of making art. less rational, more psychic and visionary.

in progress: O Fortuna: The One Who Looks at the Mirror of Time

2010-11-12T07:58:00.000-08:00

as expected, i rejected the former version and started another one, more carefully rendered. more focus on the pencil work. i think i like this version best.

finally... almost there...

2010-11-06T09:40:00.001-07:00

the muses are temperamental and like to play. they deny you inspiration for days, weeks, even months, and when they finally decide to grant you with their grace, they do things like depriving you from your sleep, for instance. that's no fun when you don't have to luxury to stay in bed until late in the morning.

but after a lot of blood, sweat and tears (and a lot of wasted paint) i suspect i finally found what i wanted for "O Fortuna".

this is called "The One Who Looks at the Mirror of Time". the pieces would initially have more simple, determining names, like "The Trickster", "The Temptress", since the idea is to create something like tarot cards. but the miscellaneous of colors is asking for more poetry, and i obey.

this unrest

2010-11-02T18:55:00.001-07:00

Revelation [work in progress]
(to be aborted, or improved maybe... who knows...)

last week i was organizing my pieces in year of completion, in order to put on the new website, and noticed how awfully prolific i was last year. 2010 has not been the same. maybe because of some personal problems, which has been put me away for the easel and made me spend time concerned with practical matters; maybe because of this unrest inside me that is continuously pushing me toward new ways to express myself.

in the last months i've been trying to pursue a style that is at the same time loose and rendered. i've been also wanted to dive into a more intuitive, less planned and left-brain oriented type of painting, which, for me, is easier to achieve when i start working with an underpainting composed of careless layers of paint and loose brush strokes; the shapes and colors generated by the underpainting will pretty much define the feel and the general subject of the painting. also, this method most of the times fixes the problem of the backgrounds - i never know what to do with backgrounds. i am also seeking to decrease the excess of ornamental abstracts and bring the focus more to the overall symbolism of the painting and the body -- an ancient intention that i have never been able to put into practice efficiently.

the wip above is a painting i've been preparing in the last days for the Nude show, in Lexington KY. deadline is super tight and i don't know if i will be able to make it. it plays with the concept of inner nudity - heart and soul - rather than literal body nudity. i like it immensely how the figure is coming out. however, the background is totally killing me because it is pretty much 50% of the canvas area (the photo shows only the center.) i'd better find a convincing solution until Thursday!

i need to allow me a little bit of serenity. and more hours spent in the sketchbook drawing loosely and without commitment with results, this big perpetrator of artistic blocks.

website makeover

2010-10-30T15:53:00.000-07:00

take a look: patricia-ariel.com

shop will be implemented as soon as i have the time, and it will be working on the very website. i will continue working with Ecrater though, which is a pretty reliable service.

around here, much activity and experimentations.

The Shape-shifter (temporary title) in progress.

Houston, we have a problem...

2010-10-25T08:52:00.002-07:00

~~can't see my blog!~~

the problem was the Twitter gadget, that for some reason was sweeping my blog away every time it got loaded. gadget off, blog back.

Spanish Calendar 2011

2010-10-22T09:04:00.001-07:00

i was absolutely in awe when i opened the box...

this calendar is my first licensed product, folks! it was released by Editorial Sirio, a Spanish publisher. a lot of people have asked me if i am selling them. unfortunately no; you have to go to their website to purchase one if you like. it is all in Spanish. i got very impressed with the quality and beauty of the product. really great stuff.

Luz y Tiniebla

2010-10-18T09:44:00.000-07:00

Acrylics, watersoluble pencil and pastels on canvas panel

24 x 36 in

2010

$1,300

changes

2010-10-07T15:58:00.000-07:00

couldn't get the Twitter gadget to appear where i wanted it but that's ok. not sure if i will going to stick with this template, things seem a little too close together. will work on that later.

to the new followers, thank you. welcome to my humble home. to the old friends, sorry for the big gaps between updates.

have some stories to tell. be back soon.

In progress: Yemanjá [or how to be near a heart attack]

2010-09-10T14:20:00.002-07:00

she was supposed to be in a exhibition that will open next month in Virginia, called "The Power of the Orishas" [model is my beautiful friend Iara]. when i got the invitation, i couldn't help but nearly scream with excitement. after all, this is part of the culture in which i grew up - the Afro-Brazilian culture, with all its magic and beauty. how could i get out? simple: by MISSING THE DEADLINE.

i think i have to buy a neon sign and hang it on my wall next time. it could save me a trip to the hospital in case of a heart attack.

+

still busy as hell. doing what i have to do. the design agency will be finally launched next week if i can finish all the website in time. and then i will be able to organize myself better and paint more (so i hope.) don't leave me, people. i'll buy you candy.

Energizing Radiance

2010-08-09T08:52:00.000-07:00

Materia at Gallery Fifty Six, Memphis, TN - Energizing Radiance Show

in Progress: Lady of the Serpents (or Self-Portrait with Serpents)

2010-08-01T09:39:00.000-07:00

Another self portrait. No, I am not obsessed with my own image (although I am a Leo rising), I am just the easiest and cheapest model I can find. ;) Actually this portrait has a good reason to be. It is the development of a dream I had, 2 nights before turning 40. A friend of mine suggested me to paint the dream, and here it is. I'll talk more about the dream as the work progresses.

This is the first version. The detail is cool, but the vision of the whole seemed a little overwhelming to me, so I decided to redo it. It took me a little training to get adapted to how the acrylics behave on gessoed masonite. I am a little spoiled by the absorbency of the paperboard and had a bit of a hard time trying to get the glazes to have the same transparency on the board surface.

Second version so far is looking like this:

Portrait of Mabel

2010-07-22T08:25:00.000-07:00

after this is finished, I am going to take a break of portraits and commissioned art to dedicate myself to design projects. I am in a transitional phase, still experimenting on masonite, trying to accommodate my style and find the best technique. and I am absolutely anxious to finally give form to "O Fortuna".

updates, finally

2010-07-05T09:30:00.001-07:00

about two weeks with no updates, not typical... but, aside from working on a commission, I've not been doing much lately, painting-wise. after several weeks pondering the cons and pros, i finally decided to set up a design business with a friend of mine. I worked as a web and graphic designer for a while before coming to US, and at first I was not very enthusiastic to come back to (one of my) former careers, but finally I thought that yes, it could be fun - and profitable. so, in the last days I've been playing around with codes and Photoshop to set up the agency, which i hope to launch within a couple weeks. but don't worry, it does not mean I will be putting my life as a traditional artist aside. in fact, things will get even more exciting, since i will be able to leave my art free and not getting submitted to certain demands in order to make an income. or so I hope. ;)

+

about Josie Ratley's help, I thought I should let you know about a change of plans. I've found this website, which belongs to the institution that is helping collect funds for her recovery, and learned that Josie's family has no health care coverage. They are relying on donations to help her daughter to get better. so, I thought that maybe the money raised could be more useful if applied in her treatment instead of a gift. let me know what you think.

+

one week without internet, folks. take good care of yourselves. and if you are in Memphis TN this weekend, check out the Energizing Radiance show at the Gallery Fifty Six. my Materia Series will be there in flesh. I had planned to go, but I broke a tooth last week and will have to leave a little fortune at the dentist's office -- i.e., the trip money. yes, i am poor. buy my pieces, please. :P

... and the winner is...

2010-06-22T10:57:00.001-07:00

Happy Litha, everyone! I must say that I am very happy with the Solstice Giveaway results, and I am very grateful for your generosity. We raised $90.67 bucks in e-tickets (minus Paypal taxes), which will for sure buy a nice present for our young Josie (just need to find how to make it get to her!)

And the winner is...

Susanne Murray, from United Kingdom!! wepeeeeee!! *popping champagne*

Congratulations, Suzanne!! Please contact me at solstitium@gmail.com and let me know which one of the pieces you prefer and how we can arrange shipping.

Drawing was made using The Hat software. People who bought more than one e-ticket were added to the list more than once, with numbers after their names. To the ones who didn't win, my respect and good luck next time -- and a big THANK YOU!

DIY: cradled masonite boards

2010-06-17T10:08:00.000-07:00

No job is perfect, not even the art ones. For me, one of the worse parts of being an artist is having to frame your artwork each time you put them on display. For a very simple reason: I am cheap. And if you are in the art business, you know that a good presentation for your artwork can be very pricey. And if you are an emerging/newbie artist, you may find it a real pain in the pocket. But if you paint small and you are in a show with other dozens of artists, there's no escape, since a good framing will help your work to have the attention it deserves.

I started painting small pieces on paper, now I am evolving to larger sizes on more sturdy surfaces, and loving it. Painting large kind of lessens the need for framing, I guess. For me, this is amazingly liberating. Last week I went to the hardware store and bought some wooden strips for my experiences on cradling my masonite boards, smiling, thinking at all the money I was saving in framing. While working on the boards, I discovered another advantage, even more gratifying: preparing the very surfaces you are going to work on, with your own hands, can be immensely pleasurable and even have a spiritual dimension. Thinking that not only the painting, but the very structure where it is placed, were built by yourself, makes it even more human and infused in energy.

Before starting, I looked for tutorials on the web and found this one, made by artist Amanda Hawkins, which was very helpful. Our process end up being very similar with just a few differences. Here's my own tutorial on how to cradle masonite boards, based on what worked for me. Hope it is useful!

1. For this project, I used a size 24' x 30' masonite panel ($3.58) and one 10 feet long wooden strip measuring 3/4 wide and 1/2 deep (about $6.50 each, the most expensive material you'll get.) You'll also need a hammer, a ruler or measuring tape (I prefer the tape), pencil, a hand saw or electric jigsaw (I highly recommend this second one), wood glue (not used by me in this first attempt, but proved useful later), sandpaper, and tiny little nails. And, of course, acrylic gesso and a brush for priming.

The wooden strip. 3/4 deep is good enough to hang on a wall, but will also fit a regular frame if you client thinks your artwork deserves better.

The masonite board and its 1/8 thickness.

2. Cut the wooden strip in four pieces according to the measurement of your panel sides. Top and bottom + two sides. I chose to cut two 24' strips (top and bottom), and two 29' strips for the sides. Since I'm using a 1/2 inch thick strip, I had to take one inch off each side (which measure 30 inches) in order to make the longer strips to fit in the rectangular structure.

3. Apply the wood glue to stick the strips into place, and reinforce it nailing the corners and borders of the masonite. Three nails in each side will do the trick. Make sure the heads of the nails are not sticking out and the surface is even, and sand off the masonite powder that will accumulate around the nail holes.

4. Ta-dahhhhh! You are good to go. (But with no blonde little head, sorry. This privilege is mine.)

5. Now you can sand your board...

6. ... and start having fun with the acrylic gesso. I use about three coats, and since I like a smooth surface, I sand between each coat. It will depend on how textured you want it.

7. You may still see nail holes showing on your board. In such case, more sanding and more gesso until you make it smooth enough.

8. Also, gesso the sides to make your board uniform and nice-looking. It will also cover imperfections. Here is the board hanging on the wall, ready for the brushes!

A cradled masonite board this side, unprimed, is around $35. A simple frame, no matboard, is around $30. What do you think I'd prefer?

falling in love.

2010-06-08T11:37:00.001-07:00

this has been odd phase, in which i've been alternating days of lethargy with others of normal activity. a block of sorts. i don't know if the transition to the new materials have been causing this. yesterday i started working in some small works on paper and since then i've been slowly coming back to my normal self.

but anyway... i'm glad to finally share my new experiments on this new surface that brought me much excitenment and a happy sense of artistic enlightenment: the masonite board.

masonite is a type of hardboard much used in construction and furniture. it's light, thin, smooth, and very inexpensive. if you apply coats of gesso on it you'll have a nice surface to play using almost all types of traditional media - including oils, acrylics, pastel, colored pencil, charcoal, and graphite.

it takes a little time to prepare it, since you have to sand and prime (acrylic gesso) and sand a little more between coats, but it's well worth the effort. for my particular technique, i think it was the perfect find, since it allowed me to do my pencil work just the way i like it without cursing the texture. by the way, the texture is something else you can create according to your needs. pencil won't erase well, but a moist rag or paper towel will do the trick.

acrylic paints keep their vibrancy and look way more alive and luminous on a primed masonite than on canvas. the picture doesn't do the justice: these greens and blues are to die for. unfortunately i am not going to finish this painting; it was supposed to be a depiction of the goddess Isis, but i'm not really feeling it, so the figure will be covered soon. but the background will certainly be reused.

now i have a set of wooden strips resting on the back porch, destined to become cradles for other boards. i'll spend some time measuring, cutting and sanding them, but when i think about the money i'll save, the extra job just makes me smile: no need to frame the pieces, not mentioning that buying the boards already cradled are amazingly expensive. i'll report all the process of preparing the boards as soon as i get started.

+

I'd like to thank all the people who's been buying e-tickets for the Solstice Giveway. i feel really joyous. God bless you all.

can't fall in love.

2010-05-26T10:31:00.001-07:00

I had bought a couple canvas panels with the intention of painting 2 large mandalas to decorate my booth at the Louisville Psychic and Paranormal Gathering, on July (have I told you I'll be there?) My experience with canvas is limited to a little experiment I've done several years ago, using oils. I didn't really get excited with the little painting, and never touched oils or canvas again. I'm not going to revisit oils so soon -- I am the type of person who wants all-at-the-same-time-now and not very patient to wait ages until a piece gets dry --, but moving my hands over canvas again has been, if not a fully satisfactory, at least a fun experience.

My first mandala is inspired on peacocks and I wanted a big one right on the center. Didn't take long to perceive how the graphite pencils I use feel awful on canvas. But I liked the first lines done with acrylics (Payne's grey, one of my favorite colors and always very handy for shading and outlining). It also felt good to work big! These panels are 24 x 36 inches, which is the largest area I ever worked on.

I just wanted to get adventurous. It feels good to think that you can make mistakes and fix them as much as you can. This is a good thing about working on canvas. When you are dealing with paper, you don't have a lot of room for mistakes due to the fragility of the support, everything has to be carefully planned beforehand. Even illustration board, sturdy as it is, has its limits. And feeling pressured to do "right" definitely is not a good thing. Score to the canvas.

Of course I couldn't wait until the peacock was done to start experimenting with my traditional stuff. I found out that colored pencils work way better on the toothed surface than regular pencils and started to sketch a self-portrait, on ocre + alizarin crimson washes.

First glazes with acrylics. White layers on the skin. I love this ghostly looks.

Ebony graphite pencil to reinforce the outlines and try some kind of shading. White pastel for the highlights. At this point I am a little frustrated because I will never achieve the type of precision I do when working on a smoother surface. But on the other hand, the loose lines are a pleasure to do, along with the more gestural, expressive strokes.

I am running away from the feel of traditional painting like the devil from the cross. I kind of like the direction the work is taking now, looks more like my type of stuff. However, I am not really in love with the canvas. It's still hard to tell where I am going; some parts of the painting really please me, some not. I am now seriously thinking about trying gessoed masonite, but don't know how my pencil will come out. Anybody here did have tried it yet?

Solstice Giveaway is back!

2010-05-20T10:15:00.007-07:00

Last December, due to the volume of work I was facing and other little complications, I was unable to do my Solstice Giveaway the way I had planned. For the ones who are new to this blog, the Solstice Giveaways are a way I created to show my appreciation to my followers and friends. Twice a year, on Summer and Winter, I will be giving away an original piece, print, or other item. Last year I had the idea of asking for a little donation to each participant, so together we could help an institution or person in need of help. So the giveaway would become more like a raffle.

This time I will be giving away an original piece of artwork, at your choice:

"I am half-sick of shadows"

Watercolor and graphite on paperboard,

9 x 12

Waterlily

Watercolor and graphite on paperboard,

9 x 15

To participate, you just have to purchase one or more e-tickets. Each e-ticket has the symbolic cost of $3.00 USD. The more tickets you purchase, the better are your chances to win. Names will be drawn on June 22nd. Out of the tickets money (after Paypal fees), I'll take the cost of shipping and the rest will go for a "love destination", which is very likely to be already defined.

When I was preparing this post, I received an email from Florida artist Helene Ruiz:

Not sure if you guys are familiar with this story...but i cut and pasted below for u..

if you would like to donate any art supplies for this cause, tomorrow will be a perfect time when u come for the event as Gallery 101 will be;

Gallery 101 will be one of many dropoff locations.We as an art community have the opportunity to give an aspiring young artist the chance to express herself again,while you are at the art store pick up an extra brush,canvas,pad of paper,tube of paint....you get the picture,lets show this wonderful girl that we care and want to see her and help her bloom into a great artist.thanks in advance for your donations..

Gallery 101 felt compelled to help a local girl who was nearly killed by a school bully. Josie cannot speak cannot walk and has limited function in her right arm, right hand and right fingers and will require extensive and long-term rehabilitative care, including physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy. The Gallery is helping the family by volunteering as a drop off point for donations.

Beating victim Josie Lou Ratley to leave rehabilitation center

Josie Lou Ratley with her mother in April.

By DIANA MOSKOVITZ

dmoskovitz@MiamiHerald.com

Josie Lou Ratley -- the Deerfield Beach teenager viciously attacked by another teen -- soon will be released from a rehabilitation center, her family's lawyer announced on Tuesday.

The announcement did not give anymore details about when the 15-year-old will be released. Ratley's mother, Hilda Gotay Ratley, is expected to speak at a news conference Wednesday in Fort Lauderdale.

The teenager was attacked March 17 by Wayne Treacy, who knocked her down and kicked her head repeatedly with steel-toe boots in the bus area of Deerfield Beach Middle School.

Ratley was in intensive care at the Chris Evert Children's Hospital at Broward General Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale, at one point in a medically induced coma.

Ratley left the hospital on April 27 and moved to an undisclosed rehabilitation facility.

Since then, Ratley has been relearning such basic skills as how to talk and how to use her arms.

Treacy, 15, remains in Broward County's main jail, charged as an adult with first-degree attempted murder. Another teen, Kayla Manson, 13, is charged as a principal for allegedly helping Treacy find Ratley that day.

The Miami Herald

I am going to contact Gallery 101 to know what the family needs. At least I intend to send her a big pack of art supplies in our name, knowing how useful art making can be in the healing and rehabilitation of people in Josie's condition. If you'd like to participate, you can buy an e-ticket by clicking on the Paypal button on the right column. Thank you!

Gallery 101: http://www.thegallery101.net/

Materia: Air

2010-05-16T11:29:00.000-07:00

Mixed Media (Acrylics, Pastel, Pencils and Graphite on paperboard)

14 x 18

2010

Available for sale after 2010

Materia: Fire

2010-05-16T11:25:00.000-07:00

Mixed Media (Acrylics, Pastel, Pencils and Graphite on paperboard)
14 x 18
2010

Available for sale after July 2010.

Materia: Water

2010-05-10T07:29:00.001-07:00

Mixed Media (Acrylics, Pastel, Pencils and Graphite on paperboard)

14 x 18

2010

Available for sale after July 2010.

in a rush

2010-05-08T07:31:00.000-07:00

things are pretty crazy around here, folks... i'm rushing to complete the Materia series until next Saturday and feel like a painting machine. not fun, but it is my fault. i could have planned something more simple, but, as a good Scorpio (Moon), i am always taking the complicated way. oh, well. now it's too late to start whining. sorry for not responding the last comments, they are all read and very appreciated! eternal thanks for your encouragement.

2 beautiful features this week:

- the more than awesome Natures Whispers blog, by Jasmine Hazlehurst, on the fantastic Festival of the Trees. she featured one of the wips of my Tree of Life, (never finished because i am a perfectionist bitch, but time is coming.) visit and delight in the fantastic selection of pictures and words Jasmine selected for the post.

- works + online exhibit featured on The Pink Panther Magazine, publication of the Pink Panther group on RedBubble, dedicated to promote feminism and the work of women artists.

I also have now a permanent gallery at RedBubble, and I am proud. :)

bye-bye Duality:

Water in progress:

Materia: Earth

2010-05-05T09:47:00.001-07:00

Mixed Media (Acrylics, Pastel, Pencils and Graphite on paperboard)
14 x 18
2010

Available for sale after July 2010.

I am the Universe and the Universe is Me.
We're sound, stars, atoms
Descending, vibrating, in an eternal dance
Chanting, flowing, in circles and spirals of light
From the ether to my veins and nerves and bones
My vessel of light
Screaming I am Immortal.

"Materia" (Latin word for matter) is a series of four paintings that deal with the notion of chemical structure of the human body and its relation with the circular forms of the sacred geometry (mandalas), while attempting to transmit a sense of energetic nurturing through colors and symbolic images related to each one of the four elements - Fire, Earth, Air, and Water. The base for the mandala drawing is the main structure of a molecule of ferritin, a protein that exists in almost all living organisms and that is responsible for the storage and release of iron, an essential element for life.

About "Materia"

2010-04-30T08:21:00.001-07:00

Materia is a series of 4 paintings I am creating for the next Energy Art Movement Salon, on July, which theme will be "Energizing Radiance". I immediately thought about exploring something more "scientific" while transmitting a sense of energy (read more here), which is one of the main directions of this exhibit. I really love when I have the opportunity to work with science and (meta)physical concepts. And since I am fortunate enough to have a respectable scientist who is also a lover of art as a friend (hey there, Roy!), i had a precious help and idea to create the concept, which was not easy at first. My basic ideas: including mandala art, since the mandala in my opinion is a perfect link between science and spirituality. The mandalas should appear behind or integrated to the heads of the figures, just like the images in Byzantine art; representing the link between humans and Nature, and how we contain the macrocosm as the macrocosm contains us, all in a big energetic network; making four pictures, each one representing one element - Fire, Earth, Air, and Water - since they are seen as the essential parts of everything, as stated by the hermetic philosophies; representing the bodies with certain parts "disintegrating" in energy or molecules that would float upwards, to the ether. It sounded like a whole bunch of things, each one with its own richness, which synthesis in a pictorial solution sounded like a cosmic pain in the butt.

Roy came to my rescue introducing me to a little thing called ferritin. Ferritins are proteins that store and release iron, and that exist in almost all living organisms. I couldn't help but get blown away with how the ferritin molecules look like:

Exactly. A beautiful, intricate, gloriously designed mandala. Added to that, the little thing stores iron, which is absolutely necessary to life since it helps produce the energy that will move you. Iron is attributed to Mars, the archetype that symbolizes the raw forces of nature, energy, and drive. I immediately knew that it was the glue that would put all my ideas together. Isn't great to know we have such a wonderful source of inspiration in nature, in our own bodies?

My first experience was not very satisfactory (pics here and here) and I decided to start it over -- typical me. I had chosen to represent the molecules of ferritin as the disintegrating parts of the body, but in the end it didn't work because it was incredible time consuming (the pattern is too intricate), and I didn't achieve the sense of unity I was seeking for. Then I had the idea of transforming the mandalas in the heads of the figures as big molecules of ferritin! Actually I would just copy the main structure, which should be a common element to all 4 paintings, and make use of my artistic license to add other elements freely according to the nature of each one.

My copycat of the Divine's design. He/She is indeed a terrific mandala maker.

The main structure of the ferritin molecule after my creative intervention, forming the "Byzantine" mandala.

Remake of Earth, penciling and underpainting. Notice the parts of the body disintegrating in circles (another allusion to the mandalas) I chose to represent the element Earth through the leaves forming the bottom part of the figure, the horns in the mandala, and the color green.

Back to underpainting first. Absorbing the vibration of the green actually helped me with the drawing. The mandala design afterwards came pretty spontaneously. I am going to repeat the process with the other three paintings.

I am pretty happy now with the result and very excited to start working on the other elements. This is indeed being a fun project. My deadline is now super tight so I'd better go!

Gratitude.

2010-04-26T09:47:00.003-07:00

Although I've been drawing since I was a kid, I never considered before the possibility of following a career solely based on my skills as a fine artist. I became many things during my mercurial life: actress, designer, writer, astrologer, singer, teacher. Dealing with brushes and paints was limited to my aspirations of illustrating my books or comic novels. nothing like showing in galleries or selling, an universe that I had experienced only as a student and spectator.

Digital painting made my friend Roy, UK.

When i moved to America, at exactly 5 years ago, I found myself extremely limited by language and communication. The very things that have forever moved my life and defined my career paths. I could speak a basic English, but that was not enough to get a teaching or writing job, acting roles (here, my strong accent posed another difficulty), or anything else related to communication. The only thing left was my drawing. And it was to my drawing that I grabbed myself in my absolute necessity of expressing my ideas and communicating.

Initially, i wanted to do illustrations for the fantasy and new age markets ("The Divine in Me" and "The Chemistry" are from this phase), but doing this kind of work soon became restrictive and limiting, both stylistically and in matters of concept. In the late 2008 I began to experiment new approaches, materials and techniques and also to put my pieces for sale and promote myself around the web. I then started this blog to record my trajectory, ideas, blocks, and the "human" side of being an artist.

I am a true believer in "life paths". You know, a particular reason or purpose of your coming to this world, a special job or "mission" that everybody has and that is part of the big web of life. Following this path, or your "hero's journey", brings great inner satisfaction and ends up opening a chain of happenings that will ultimately lead you to the accomplishment of that "mission", what happens because it is just natural.

Vali Meyers' print sent as a gift from my friend Julia Inglis, Australia. The gift was also from Vali, in whose life and work I mirror my own.

And that's how the story has been unfolding: since I decided to change my direction in art, many wonderful things have happened, things that have made me believe that yes, I found my true path, the one I've been just strongly felt in my heart since early age but that it was a little blurred or covered by a kind of fog. It's funny how we are educated to never believe in the magical, in the wonderful, in the good and beautiful. It's amazing how many attempts we do in life to obliterate our true path; in the case of artists or creative folks, always struggling with the practical things of life - i.e., paying the bills - we are always making choices that turn our path more difficult because we believe we're not going to survive doing the things we love. I know life can be tough. I myself many times had to temporarily stop doing the things I wanted to do because I had to make some money. But we should never forget that our nature is to be creative. that's how we manifest the Supreme Intelligence in us. And when you allow some room for this energy to flow, you begin to align with Nature and the natural cycles and things just happen, because they are meant to be, just like new green leaves in Spring, or the planets orbiting the Sun like clockwork... Meant to be, in a flow that's just natural because we are part of it. (To illustrate this, I recommend you watch the beautiful M. Night Shyamalan's tale "Lady in the Water"... It is everything there.)

My Gratitude to all the ones that have been made this all very clear to me, and much more than a theory... Patrons who become friends, people who come here just to say words of encouragement and love, or who leave messages on Facebook, RedBubble, Fine Art America, Deviantart, and other places where I showcase my work but i simply don't have the time to come by often and send the love back... I try to find other ways to pay it forward though, to keep feeding the big source of Love from where everything originates...

and the Great Round spins on...

There are hidden elements writhing beneath my coming together.

Transformative fires with flames of butterfly shadows dancing inside the skin of this lionhearted past.

My twins perfection splits masked by artist craving

where I paint loving invitations, inviting opportunities for you to feel the impossible (the knowing my perception) .

There is nothing like owning my own body and feeling my own movements to songs that send me off into the zone of creation.

Here all my ‘work’ becomes meaningless but remains the only way I know to get from here to there.

It is a place that swoons jazzy ideas round a lighted desert flame

A vortex appears and clothes my spirit with zennia passion and captures relentless fury allowing for spectrum color clouds

that I embrace like a lover.

I am a seer who calls the spirits to play, our language translates into pools of water, color and form. I sense my place in the world

when you too begin to sing water songs embracing what I have found. And I have found life everywhere, in my dreams, and on the days where sun is hidden from our hearts, grace opens its loving arms and asks to be revealed .

With Joy, I comply.

Inspired by the work of Patricia Ariel

The Waterman: Ignis Aeris

By Linaji 2010

on the board

2010-04-20T16:01:00.001-07:00

Materia: Earth

Portrait of Angie

so much going on, a lot to write, not much time or energy, not now... I have a post right from my soul that I need to put into words, but I am having a migraine today. and a bit of a broken heart.

and this is going on since yesterday, and it's being so fun, encouraging and uplifting:

big thanks to Frannie, Maxy, and all the fantastic fellow artists who's been participating on this virtual event. I am very honored and grateful.

pencil pencil pencil

2010-04-14T09:11:00.000-07:00

i have tried different methods of starting a painting, but at the moment the one that seems to best suit my needs is doing the penciling first. i am primarily a penciller and that has always been my favorite medium, either for the texture or for the ease of control. it is time consuming, but as a technique, in my opinion there's nothing more impressive than a good pencil work. it shows all the artist's craftsmanship. I've been doing some pencil work before applying the underpainting, which have helped me to have more control over the values and the overall mood of the painting.

Materia: Earth
(yeah, I have horrible finger nails. besides being an incurable nail biter, they are usually dirty with graphite. never seen any point in nail polishing either. but i almost always had the boys i wanted. :P)

Materia: Water (detail of the mandala)

Portrait of Angie

Masquerade Show

2010-04-12T11:20:00.000-07:00

good news and next projects

2010-04-08T08:22:00.001-07:00

I've been in a family trip in the last few days. zero internet, what is not all bad since i don't get so distracted and can focus on reading and sketching. but it was extra good to come home and find out that Duality was accepted into the Masquerade group show, which will happen at the Gallery 101, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. that will be my first group show in an actual gallery, and I am pretty excited about it.

and after several days attempting to put ideas together, i have finally started sketching the works that will be part of the next Energy Art Movement salon, in July. it's a group of 4 paintings entitled "Materia" (Latin word for matter), each one portraying one of the 4 elements. the works will deal with the notion of chemical structure of the human body and its relation with the circular forms of the sacred geometry (mandalas), while attempting to transmit a sense of energetic nurturing through colors and symbolic images related to each one of the elements. i will be incorporating a bit of mandala art into the paintings.

talking about mandalas, i am really itching to come back to teaching. i have already started looking for classroom space in the area i live in for some classes and workshops. also starting to have the energy back for online classes, but still not much available time to prepare written material. must think!

Duality

2010-03-26T17:09:00.001-07:00

Mixed media (acrylics, pastel and graphite) on paperboard,

16 x 20

2010

$600

in progress: Duality

2010-03-24T19:33:00.000-07:00

i was almost able to finish this today...

the process...

quality control:

what's going on...

2010-03-20T09:05:00.000-07:00

Duality, work in progress

I'm dying to start painting for my new project but still have stuff on the top of the list to be completed. besides a current commission, I've got to produce 2 or 3 paintings for the next EAM salon , on July. I'm pretty excited for that will be my first salon since I was invited to join the group, last year, and I am very concentrated in doing my best. the theme will be "Energy Radiance", which gives margin to a lot of interesting interpretations. my plan is to work with the concept of light and energy creating matter, and that takes me to wave patterns of energy and the own concept of mandalas and the shapes of sacred geometry... a lot of complex stuff that i need to "dissect" in order to don't get lost while creating....

yesterday i got started in a work for a juried show (above). deadline is a bit tight right now but i believe i can finish it in time. the theme for this show is "Masquerade", and since the mask is one of the elements of my personal iconography, i just have to participate! here i am working with the concept of the duality in us, in how we are all shadow and light, masculine and feminine, all at the same time, and it won't work to hide them behind any mask, social or not, they will always be part of what we are ( and somehow come to the surface -- even if it's in the form of a little neurosis!) I am working again with twin figures, which is a lot of labor, but the results are pretty effective aesthetically.

Alchemy - Portrait of Julia & Tony

2010-03-19T07:31:00.000-07:00

Mixed Media (Acrylics, watercolor, pastel and graphite on paperboard)

14 x 11 in

2010

Private commission

Julia and Tony are a couple of lightworkers who have been working together in the fields of healing and teaching. Their synastry chart shows a strong Aquarius energy, fully embed in freedom, dynamism and idealism. The strong blue background was something I had saw immediately when Julia sent me the pictures for the portrait, so I attempted to build it based on that vibration of spirituality and spaciousness. Their tarot arcane based on their numerology is "The Temperance", which signifies a perfect union of two forces toward a common objective - a perfect alchemy. Therefore I used some of the elements in the Temperance card, like the water flowing (which is also a symbol of spirituality and psychic work), and simplified the symbolism of the angel with two translucent and vibrant wings (also a symbol for the Aquarian freedom) "embracing" the couple. The mandala at the top represents the union of their traditions - Celtic and Shamanic. By their sides, their animals totems, and in the center, the Fire as another symbol for alchemy, transformation, and primordial creativity.

To check out their wonderful work, please visit Julia and Tony's website.

in progress: portrait commission

2010-03-15T19:45:00.000-07:00

that took a little more time than expected to be completed, since I had to redo it... didn't get satisfied with the flat background, but now that i made it more translucent i'm much happier. :)

O Fortuna - the project

2010-03-11T12:06:00.000-08:00

the idea of developing a body of work representing imaginary characters is not new in my mind. as a former theater person, I wanted to give birth to those characters myself, feeling them not only with my imagination and brushes, but also with my body. when the 10th Tarot Arcane, The Wheel of Fortune, popped in my mind, I knew I had a lot to explore on the theme of transitoriety of life and its cyclical character.

O Fortuna is a project I'm developing with the collaboration of some talented friends of mine. My idea is to join photography, performance, music, design, video, text, and of course, fine arts. so far I don't have an action plan totally set up, just the thought of creating a website to integrate all those languages under the same theme. let's see what's going to unfold during the process! the first step was already taken: the creation of a reference photo shoot that would allow me to penetrate into that universe. all photos were made by my friend David Soileau at his house. David is a totally sweet person, and as a fine artist himself, he had the sensitivity to capture the best lines and to create an atmosphere totally suitable to the germination of my ideas. he's very good with little kids too!

more sneak peak photos here.

O Fortuna
velut luna
statu variabilis,
semper crescis
aut decrescis;
vita detestabilis
nunc obdurat
et tunc curat
ludo mentis aciem,
egestatem,
potestatem
dissolvit ut glaciem.
O Fortune,
just as the moon
Stands constantly changing,
always increasing
or decreasing;
Detestable life
now difficult
and then easy
Deceptive sharp mind;
poverty
power
it melts them like ice.

Interview for "Art For The World"

2010-03-07T07:54:00.000-08:00

so much to say and so little time... lots going on... but for now I want to leave you with my recent interview for the Art For The World group on RedBubble. since most of you are not "bubblers", I decided to publish it here too so you all can enjoy it. thanks Erika!

Our very first interview for the group is with the talented artist Patricia Ariel.

One of the things that I really love about Ariel’s work is the deep meaning behind each work of art, which is what this group is about: meaningful art to help heal the world or spread a powerful, important message.
It was such a pleasure getting to know her better and the creativity behind her art.

I hope you enjoy this journey into Ariel’s art as much as she enjoys working on it and sharing it with all of you.

—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-——

Your name or artistic name.

Patricia Ariel

What medium do you usually work in? (Ex: oils, pastels, mixed media, etc…)

Now, I am into mixed media and using everything valid to achieve my aesthetic aims… I’ve been mostly mixing hard pastels, watercolors, acrylics and graphite. I am really into water media, I love the unexpected, ethereal results, and I have a lot of fun discovering new effects and colors… Art has to have this playful character!

How long have you been painting?

Although I’ve been drawing and painting since I was little, I didn’t really have any ambition of building a career in painting… It just happened a little over one year ago. So, I’m still crawling in this market. I was more into illustration, fashion design, teaching, and of course, performing arts. I guess I finally took the definitive path, after so many years… Funny, because it was the first artistic language that showed up in my life.

Tell us about your artistic vision, the message you express through you work. Your purpose to paint these images.

My vision of art is profoundly linked to my spirituality, visions of future and beliefs in a more conscious humankind. I have this strong impulse of spreading the word about the new paradigms, to help destroy the established values that don’t work anymore. I talk a lot about the connections of man with nature and the Divine, about the meaning of the feminine, about metaphysical and spiritual concepts. Some of my paintings are very hermetic and consciously understood by few, but I have had the happiness of being able to connect to the most varied levels of understanding through a sense of beauty and energy. I feel very blessed for that.

How long do you take to complete a painting?

It depends on the size, complexity and of how perfectionist I feel at that moment…. Many times I will conceptualize a painting for days, even weeks, but between the first sketches and the completion, it may take from one to two weeks for the larger ones. And I rarely am into a single project at a time.

What is your inspiration to keep on painting?

I could say that there’s no inspiration, just a necessity. I just HAVE to create. It’s part of what I am. Myself and my art are one, there’s no separation. If I was not painting, I’d be performing, writing, whatever, but I need to express myself and tell my stories, otherwise I’d be a living dead.

Who are your favorite artists/painters?

So many… I am really drawn into the late 19th/early 20th century movements, and heavily attracted by the Symbolists of all times. Klimt comes first, as everything can notice – I love everything in him, from the elaborate aesthetics to the powerful, true way of portraying women. I have a total identification with the symbolism in his works. Schiele is also a great source of inspiration. I have a fascination for the Pre-Raphaelites, mainly Dante Rossetti, Waterhouse, Evelyn De Morgan and Burne-Jones. Art Nouveau, the Jugendstil and the Arts & Crafts movement attract me for the strong sense of design; the glassware of the period is so inspiring! I love Mucha (who doesn’t?), Albert Bearsdley, Charles Mckintosh, Margaret McDonald… Other favorites of all times: Rafael, Michaelangelo, Boticelli, Munch, James Ensor, Jean Delville, Picasso (Blue phase), Kahlo, Magritte, William Blake, Carlos Schwabe, Puvis de Chavannes, Marc Chagall, Van Gogh… Some artists attract me more by their ideas than actually by the aesthetics, like Kandinsky and Beuys – love these guys. In the contemporary times, I’m a fan of Alex Grey, Dave Mackean, Amanda Sage, and Audrey Kawasaki.

Which of your own paintings are the most meaningful to you? Which ones are your personal favorites?

I tend to like the ones that are less popular. My favorites are Ascension and the two The Waterman, which was supposed to be a triptych, but my sense of perfectionism and eternal search for new and better stylistic solutions made me interrupt. Those paintings are way richer in symbolism than the other ones, and this is why I like them best.

Weaving My Heart is simple but strong. Hecate is the closer I could get from a flat and modular aesthetic that I’ve been forever pursuing. I also like Totem #1 and The Mirror

Tell us something about you we don’t know. Something that makes you who you are.

Oh, my god, I guess that’s the most difficult question in this interview… I think I am a simple, but complex person at the same time. My spirituality blends with everything else in my life, as well as my creativity… I have this dualistic personality that appreciates and sees the beauty in both the dark and light side of life… I think I have a good balance between my feminine and masculine sides… A free thinker, who doesn’t like rules or being tied to systems I don’t believe in… A bit eccentric, and very intense and passionate… A mom, totally silly and devoted to her offspring… I like rock’n’roll, good beer, books, being in communion with nature, and think that love and freedom are the only things worth fighting for in this world.

Pick six artworks you’d like to share and talk about.

For this I’m going to pick 3 of my personal favorite and 3 of my most popular…

My favs:

Ascension

About cultivating universal love and compassion as a means to spiritual evolution and freedom. I think the figures are quite expressive and I was very pleased with the stained glass style.

The Waterman: Unio Mystica

About the full development of the human creative capacity in the figure of the Christ. This work has several symbolic nuances, and I intend to revisit it in the future. I like my naked, free and at the same time powerful Jesus, and this is how I see him.

Weaving My Heart

A small painting that brings a simple message about taking responsibility over the transformation and healing of your inner self. It’s, in my opinion, my most balanced work, with colors and composition in sync and great mood. Stylistically, I consider it a model to be followed in my next works.

3 popular ones:

Persephone

It’s a depiction of Persephone in the solitude of the Underworld. I like how the figure came out, the composition and the palette, and it could be one of my favorites if not for some details that bother me deeply.

The Peacock

Made in a rush to meet a show deadline. Simple symbolism, linking the peacock feather to the inner vision (3rd eye) and deep spirituality and renewal. It made me fall in love with peacocks and adopt the peacock feather as another item for my personal iconography (the others are the skull, the mask and the butterfly.)

Lilith

I was more concerned about depicting Lilith as a symbol of female empowerment than portraying the goddess herself. I thought it came out really strong. I’m very pleased and surprised that people enjoy it so much.

Is there anything you’d like to tell other artists? Any tips suggestions, words of encouragement? Any final thoughts on art you’d like to share?

Art for me is part of life. We are all creative beings, since we are made after a creative Divinity/Force, and it’s through creativity that we get connected to it, to our true essence. I think that artists must do what they love and love what they do, independently of trends or the demands of the market… Just be true to your art and it will connect to other souls.

portrait commission in progress

2010-02-28T09:15:00.001-08:00

I am so in love with this portrait! completion is taking a little longer than usual since I am documenting its making in video. first parts will be uploaded soon.

commissions, prices and vertigo.

2010-02-22T11:07:00.004-08:00

Sketch for portrait commission in progress.

in my next video i will be showing the making of a portrait - this one i'm working on right now. it's been a gratifying, very enriching experience, and i'd like to share it. since i started doing the video thing people have been expressing the wish to see something related to my work. by the way, i'm grateful for having the best clients in the world. :)

talking about commissions, by Spring I may slightly raise my prices. i've been already doing this with my new paintings, since acrylics are not as economical as watercolors. i know that many artists charge by the hour, and although i have an hour price set up, i never use it because i care more about having a satisfying result, and i don't want that a client's budget interfere in my "quality standard". usually i charge for a commission the same price i put on a personal project, but since you don't have the same freedom, that also should have some cost. also, thinking seriously about rejecting any project that has nothing to do with what i usually do or stifle my creativity. seriously, the expression is a bit strong, but i feel like i'm being raped (and the money won't compensate it...) I feel a little bad for saying this,-- if i was starving, i'd do anything!, but, thank goodness, it's not the case. anyway, the raises are not going to be too dramatic.

yesterday was the warmest day in many weeks in Frankfort: 61 F. the snow finally melted away and Kitty was happy for the gentle sun warmth.

been having episodes of dizziness/vertigo since one week ago. went to the doctor and she found a yucky buildup of ear wax in my ears, which were supposedly pressing the labyrinths and interfering with my body balance. ears are now all clean (ear wash is not as bad as i thought), but the dizziness persists -- although is not as bad as before. taking some time to see what will happen.

Witness (Heartland)

2010-02-20T08:01:00.000-08:00

Only the hands can tell the truth about what grows in the heart.

Mixed Media
20 x 15
2010

$500

in Progress: Untitled

2010-02-16T09:56:00.002-08:00

this one came to me while doodling on my sketchbook the other day. i wanted something sweet and light to release me from the heavy impression of Lilith. it is about how only what we do can truly reveal what's in our hearts. in other words, you know the tree by the fruit it bears.

i am attempting to bring more looseness to it, without losing the graphic, design-ish style. that has been my aim forever, but i didn't think I quite got it yet.

doodling around... musing around...

2010-02-12T10:44:00.001-08:00

it's funny how sometimes i feel empty after finishing a painting. it happened with Lilith and with some other ones... somehow i feel like i passed the point of what would be the best for that work, aesthetically. this is way too frustrating and feels like a lot of wasted work. Lilith looks too dark to me, excessively hot. i try to convince myself that is just how the painting is supposed to be, due to its demonic nature -- we, artists, don't have the control! people are praising it a lot, which is always flattering and encouraging, but believe me, I'm not the type that thinks it's everything okay just because of that. i am very conscious of my limitations and very self-critical (maybe too much sometimes.)

last night i decided to doodle around to relax and try to find some comfort. i need to do that more. when you are not pressed by concepts or commitments is when you mind opens and ideas arise more easily and freely. i think i need to set myself free from my references, not to be so dependent on them. i need to play more with the body. i want more empty spaces. more elegance and serenity. i want less shadowy faces and color control, without losing the power.

i want my paintings dancing like the waters of a river. sometimes they just overwhelm me.

Lilith

2010-02-11T09:46:00.001-08:00

Lilith

Mixed Media (Watercolor, Acrylics, Pastel and Graphite on illustration board)

15 x 20

2010

$500

The intriguing figure of Lilith appears in many religious traditions and myths. The most known story describes her as the first wife of Adam, who was created equal and refused to submit herself to him. Lilith fled from the Eden and became a lover to demons. Lilith can be seen as the dark side of the feminine principle, although this doesn't have a negative or "evil" connotation. In my conception, Lilith is the assertive, non-conformist, and confident part of the feminine self. She teaches us self-respect for our inner Goddess. Here, Lilith holds a cracked mask that symbolizes all the roles imposed over women by society and religions - be submissive, be good-looking, be a wife, etc Those roles don't represent us in our wholeness, and have been stiffling our creativity and self-expression and creating a culture of conformism that have been disastrous for the development of an equalitarian society.

in progress: Lilith

2010-02-07T20:52:00.000-08:00

still frustrated and sad from the loss of my stuff. but we must move on. Lilith awaits.

like a good Moon in Scorpio, i've been always drawn to the underworld folks. i love drawing Liliths; this is my 3rd one, and it's the most intense and mature. my understanding of this goddess came a long way, and lately she's been blossoming inside myself with great intensity. there is a Lilith inside every woman, but our feminine unconscious has been so mashed up for so many centuries by the patriarchal mentality that we ended up suffocating that powerful, independent woman inside us. even without realizing it, many of us still believe that we are evil. that good girls don't do certain things. that we need to put a mask (usually with plenty of make-up and botox) to be "right" and acceptable. this is why my new Lilith holds a cracked mask: because it's time for us to reject those roles and become ourselves, whatever is our appearance, tastes, sexuality, and life styles.

this Lilith was made about 14 or 15 (?) years ago... i was a graduate in fashion design and all my figures used to have this sort of "modelesque" presentation. the "Klimtian" style was already manifesting.

this one came about 4 years ago. I was trying to make a name in the fantasy/pagan market then. it's more of an illustration. i still like it, and people still look for prints of it. she looks pretty friendly and different from all the demonic cliches. maybe this is what I like the most in her. recently i noticed that, differently from this Lilith, who brings a dark crescent in her forehead, my new depiction brings the symbol of the Sun -- the masculine and creative power.

when s*** happens

2010-02-04T09:41:00.001-08:00

here's a lesson for everybody who has rambunctious children at home and whose life depend on technological paraphernalia: keep your kids at least 5 feet away from your stuff. my 3 year old, who's like a bull in a china store, just had to trip over my laptop power cable to cause a disaster. the system was severely damaged. after trying for hours to make things work, I had no choice but to restore the hard drive to the factory state. now I'm here, at the household desktop, bleeding heart, watching while all my stuff is being swept out of my beloved laptop (which is just 4 months old.)

all my stuff includes: loads of pictures (cool moments that will never come back), paperwork, emails, reference pictures for ongoing projects, and... all the material I've been lovingly and carefully composing for my workshops. which means that I'll have to cancel them and return the money to people who have already signed up. how AWFUL is that??

my first video on YouTube!

2010-02-03T09:38:00.000-08:00

I made this video yesterday talking about creativity and its relationship with the Divine and the Self. too bad my camera's volume is a bit low, but you can hear my charming accent and eventual broken English more clearly by wearing headphones :P

I pretty much enjoyed the experience (although it's more difficult and tiring than it may seem) and I'm planning to make other videos soon, showing my painting and works in progress. stay tuned!

in progress: Lilith

2010-02-01T20:11:00.001-08:00

preparatory sketch:

penciling and first washes:

background and first glazings:

model is my new "stunner", Belinda Leopold (besides being a talented photographer, she is also a true beauty!)

Vali

2010-01-27T07:57:00.000-08:00

Mixed Media (Acrylics, watercolor, graphite and a bit of pastel) on illustration board,

15 x 20

2010

$500

A tribute to Australian artist Vali Myers, a true inspiration in my art and life.

In progress: Vali

2010-01-25T10:04:00.003-08:00

trying to redeem myself from the Tree of Life fiasco, i decided to forget it for a while and catch up with my list of projects. there was something disturbing me a couple nights ago and that just let me sleep after I grabbed my sketchbook and filled up a page with an almost mediumistic sketch. that was Vali Myers.

this preparatory sketch was made yesterday morning, and during all day long I dedicated myself to the labor of attempting to represent that mesmerizing woman. when Julia Inglis introduced me to her, some time ago, I was preparing material for my workshop "The Sun's Pathway" and recognized the synchronicity, because Vali was the perfect representation of the Sun in its full force (not mentioning that she was a Leo, sign ruled by the Sun.) leaving the comforts of her homeland to follow a remarkable trajectory, she was a true hero and left us lessons on freedom and living according to what our spirit inspires us. this has always been my philosophy of life, and this is the main reason why Vali 's figure touched me so deeply.

i used acrylics for the initial washes. the first idea was to put a mask with stylized sun rays above her head (Vali was a performing artist), but the mask was gradually transforming in the Sun itself. i love this stage showed in the 5th picture, with only the thin washes and the face rendered in graphite.

i felt so energized by that painting that i could get into the night doing it until having it completed. never worked so fast in a 15 x 20 painting before. before going to bed, at almost 1am, I still stayed for many minutes only looking at her, in a silent talk to her eyes. for a while, Vali was myself.

Painting, interrupted

2010-01-23T17:49:00.000-08:00

and for the 5th time i rejected my Tree of Life project. the reason: not being able to achieve the desired transparency. i am not feeling secure with acrylics. i am picky, perfectionist. i cannot lift the damn paint off the board. i have to cover it every time I make a mistake, because it dries so fast. after 3 or 4 layers, you have a thick thing that cannot be redone. it creates disharmony with the rest of the painting that came out fine. and there you go try to find a solution for it. and then you have a snowball of problems. and all your vision goes down the drain. is that the end of my love affair with the acrylics?

guess it is time to hold my ambition and experiment more before going for huge 20 x 30 paintings.

my plan: come back to my old technique with watercolors and using acrylics for glazing and highlights.

now a little thing I made yesterday:

Sunflower and Moon

Watercolor and graphite on paper,

5 x 9.5

Sunflower and Moon was created to be the symbol of the Artessence project. The idea was to represent the inner world, emotions and the feminine polarity (Moon) interacting with the Spirit, expression and masculine polarity (Sun). The sunflower represents creativity blossoming.

In progress: Tree of Life (5th attempt!!!)

2010-01-21T19:59:00.000-08:00

it seems to be coming out now... although baby decided to play on it the other night using black paint. luckily it was in an area that can be easily fixed.

Workshop + Haiti help

2010-01-18T08:39:00.004-08:00

two announcements today. first, is about the Creative Astrology workshop. I've been receiving inquiries from people interested in the workshop but unable to commit to 7 straight weeks of classes. I then decided to split the program in shorter workshops, of 10 days each -- same as the first one, Living the Four Elements. to start, I am releasing two workshops: The Sun's Pathway (starting on Feb 8th) and The Moon Within (starts on March 8th.) Workshops' content will be richer than in the first version, since we'll have more time for each one, and the price dropped: $30 per workshop. by signing up for both classes, you pay only $50. spaces are limited to 12 people.

Haiti Relief help. UPDATE: yes, my design was accepted yesterday on the CafePress Haiti Relief Store. happy here. they didn't give me the credits (maybe because I have no store set up there?), but it doesn't matter. the good thing is that they have more marketing power and i hope that they are able to sell a lot of stuff. as for the RedBubble products, I'm afraid I'll have to put them on hold now. pity, since the t-shirts are so lovely!

since my design was not accepted on the CafePress store (they got too many submissions and were unable to use them all), i decided to release it on my RedBubble store. it is available as greeting cards, prints and those adorable t-shirts (I particularly love them.)
all the profits I get from those products sales will be donated to a Haiti Relief organization. it seems they will need it for a long time, situation is critical there. of course, RB profits are not that amazing, but every bottle of water bought with donated money counts, so, let's help, folks, even with your minimum. thank you!

Espèrance (Hope)

2010-01-14T17:24:00.001-08:00

Espèrance (Hope)

Watercolor, gouache, and graphite on board

6 x 6

$60

I spent most of my day preparing this painting. it is a hispaniolan trogon, the national bird of Haiti. CafePress is accepting donations of designs for a store they set up just to help Haiti, and I made the painting with that in mind. painting a sweet symbol like this cute bird helped to fill up my heart with love and send it to the brothers and sisters in Haiti, who are passing through that terrible probation. everywhere people are mobilizing to help in every possible way. the world is becoming more fraternal, in spite of some idiots that still insist in sowing intolerance and hate. thinking about it I wrote the word "hope" in many idioms around the painting to compose the design.

here's the design. I hope they select it for the store.

the original painting is for sale. money will be sent to one of the organizations that are providing relief to Haiti.

starting the year off

2010-01-13T10:08:00.001-08:00

I hope your New Year had started well, folks. although I think that changes must happen everyday, I end up sharing the feeling of fresh start with others and I'm here shining with plans and optimism for 2010. and a lot of energy to work and make things happen.

I began the year with 2 short term plans in mind: losing the Christmas weight (too much cheesecake, eggnog and all those amazing seasonal beers) + organizing my emails and messages and stop procrastinating. the first plan is doing well and in a little more than one week I got back to the pre-Xmas weight (want to drop a few more though.) second one is a bit tougher and i've been miserably failing so far. i have a slow rhythm and i'm always busy with other stuff, and when i finally get to relax to write, at the end of my day (i.e, around 11pm), i am already tired and sleepy. got to try a little bit harder though.

art. i am more and more in love with the acrylics versatility. my only complaints so far is not being able to lift the paint off when I make a mistake -- I have the option to repaint and fix the mess thought, but it's not the same, because the transparency goes away. the second problem -- not really a problem, just an inconvenience -- is having to get everything very well cleaned after each painting session. you can reuse the dry watercolor in your palette in the next day; but not the dry acrylics.

I decided to start the Tree of Life for the 4th time. f-o-u-r-t-h. and bigger too: 20 x 30 inches. I am surprised with my own persistence. it was starting well, but at a certain point... I screwed up very bad. i could go on if I was using watercolors, but this time I had no choice but abort the work. for the 4th time. I need to learn how to plan my work more carefully and stop being so eager to get to the finals.

some shots of the experience:

my idea is to use those white peacock feathers as a representation for sperm. there's also a big peacock in the center of the painting, and the tip of its tail goes right to the tree "womb" -- the tree is composed of bodies of tree women that represent the tree aspects of the goddess (Virgin, Mother and Crone.) it's been a while since I started to get drawn to the peacock symbolism, and here it evokes renewal, the Great Round of life.

I love the concept for this painting and I'm not going to give up on it. so, let's get the paints ready for the 5th attempt. Happy New Year everyone.

The Mirror

2010-01-01T19:08:00.000-08:00

Acrylics, pastel and pencil on board,

11 x 14

2010

$280

Illustration for the poetry book "Liquid Dreams", by Ricardo Blancas.

Chasing After Light

I’d chase after you at the speed of light,

but what’s the point?

You’re already ahead of me.

Instead I’ll pace my self,

continue to move forward,

knowing that at some point in time,

you’ll come across a mirror

and reflect upon it.

At which point,

I’ll still be traveling towards you.

With open arms and a smile on my face,

I’ll meet you a long the way.

(Published under author's permission.)

in progress: The Mirror

2009-12-29T19:03:00.000-08:00

the acrylics odyssey

2009-12-28T22:24:00.001-08:00

now that Christmas is over and 4 extra pounds magically showed on the scales this morning, it's time to think about all the work that i planned to finish until the year is over. i am happy that i took a picture of "The Mirror" after almost having the penciling done...

... and having messed it up really bad with the acrylics - which i don't dare to show it here.

I am always doing stuff like that - trying something without a previous study or experimentation. shame on me.

acrylics are a very versatile medium. today i learned that it can reach the same transparency of watercolors, with no need of hundreds of layers to make the colors to pop out. besides, watercolors tend to get muddy when you want to build opaque areas, and acrylics can give you beautiful areas of solid color without struggle. at first, it was a little difficult for me to handle the vigor of my new paints, since i am so used to the delicacy of the watercolors; but with a little bit of patience and caution, i began to feel more at ease.

starting over from scratch:

this time, leaving the penciling for last. i also loved how the underpainting came out vibrant. will this be the end of the watercolor era in my career?

some of my school mates used to find it funny that i use a white tile as a pallette. white tiles are the best, very easy to clean and work great with the acrylics!

in progress: The Mirror

2009-12-19T10:32:00.001-08:00

i still feel sick. i have moments in the day when i feel more energetic; in others i just want to lay in bed. feel sick to my stomach. still the pressure inside my head. the sad thing is that i totally know why i am that sick - just don't have the resources to fix it and the people that could help me are miles away. so, i stay strong. i always do. i am a warrior. but i don't know for how long though. there's a limit for everything.

but anyway, concentrating in art is always a big help - when you have the energy to do so - and right now i am trying to work in the last illustration for Liquid Dreams. it is called The Mirror.

the poem, entitled Chasing After Light, suggests a love poem, but not directly. my understanding is that there's something emotional in it, but also sort of rational, like a suave battle between two opposites.

I’d chase after you at the speed of light,
but what’s the point?
You’re already ahead of me.

Instead I’ll pace my self,
continue to move forward,
knowing that at some point in time,
you’ll come across a mirror
and reflect upon it.

i see laws of physics, which is something so interesting to work on... i love this idea of a mirror, which expresses well the duality, and also the velocity and light the poems suggests. so i initially put this female figure like being reflected in a mirror, but she can very well be penetrating another dimension of reality to escape that guy, who knows... i'm very thankful to Ricardo for giving me this poem to work on, because it really made my mind travel.

i currently work building a preparatory sketch and then, when i am sort of satisfied, i transfer the sketch to the illustration board - only the main lines, in order to suggest where the figures should be placed. then i apply this watercolor underpainting, which is a very random and intuitive process, using the basic colors of my palette of choice - in this work, blues and yellows, with a little gray to help toning it a bit. i do the transfer the most primitive and old school way you can imagine: using tracing paper and transferring the graphite lines by applying pressure on them. i know it's ridiculous, time consuming and all, but it's how it works best for me. there was a time when i tried to do the sketch right on the board, but when you're working on paper, even on a sturdy surface like illustration board, you don't have a lot of margin for mistakes. so i returned to the preparatory sketch method, which can, in a long run, save you a lot of time - and materials.

here you can see two stages of the figures in the "mirror", in the process of shading. i use white pastel for the highlights and love it.

in my paintings, i am free from commitments with reality, although my figures follow a more realistic style. i want a blend of materiality and unreal, of flesh and spirit. so nothing besides the human figures are subordinated to the physical laws as we know it - and even my figures, sometimes, suffer a little distortion in strategic parts of their bodies (my favorite body parts to distort are neck and the curve of the waist when it connects to the hips. i think those are beautiful curves and i love to elongate them!) elements like animals and plants i like to make in a mid term between the real and the abstract, maybe because i find them so pure and uncorrupted, almost like a connection between the two worlds. working in the realm of the surreal is very liberating, but sometimes a true challenge. it will all depend on what you want to achieve with your painting, what sensations you want to trigger. technique here plays a big role and even when painting the "unreal" you need to sound convincible enough, which will only happen with training and learning the ways of your materials and dominating them... they are like raw nature forces!

The Muse

2009-12-19T08:22:00.000-08:00

Graphite, watercolor and gouache on board,

6 x 6

2009

that's a small commission which has not been claimed by the client yet. it is a cute little painting in a tile shape, and maybe i'll start doing series of these to revitalize my Etsy store. they won't take too long to get completed and won't cost much either, so it's a good idea of art for people with a tight budget.

another great feature + encountering Vali Myers

2009-12-17T21:49:00.002-08:00

2009 has been a very prolific year and it will also be remembered by the wonderful, special people who have been crossing my path. one of these persons is Julia Inglis, Australian Tarot reader and teacher who recently featured my work in her beautiful newsletter. that made me feel so happy! just click in the images to check it out.

+

Julia also introduced me to this fantastic artist: Vali Myers. Vali was an Australia born dancer, who decided to move to Paris in the post-war period. without a job, she became a street artist, until moving to Italy and then to New York, to get concentrated in selling her artwork. she finally came back to Australia where she set up her studio and started to regularly show her work, until passing away at age 72, after battling with cancer. I got so mesmerized by Vali's image and by her story, which resonated so deeply inside me... maybe her hunger for living life her own way, or her past as a bohemian artist, struggling to survive on her art (that somehow feels so close...) or even her amazingly beautiful and magical looks... i decided that I'm going to paint a tribute to Vali Myers.

"I've had 72 absolutely flaming years. It (the illness) doesn't bother me at all, because, you know love, when you've lived like I have, you've done it all. I put all my effort into living; any dope can drop dead. I'm in the hospital now, and I guess I'll kick the bucket here. Every beetle does it, every bird, everybody. You come into the world and then you go."

Tarantata

Golden Flower

Dido

sick and working

2009-12-17T20:40:00.001-08:00

have been sort of sick these last couple days. a little lethargic, dizzy and with a weird pressure inside my head. this afternoon I felt a little more energetic and could almost finish a portrait I've been working on these last weeks. better go to the doctor if this thing continue on. if I had some help around here it would be so great... sometimes feel just too exhausted.

Portrait of Lucy - work in progress

I'd like to have a place far from home only for working. work has been getting more intense in the last few months and it's becoming very difficult to harmonize it with house chores. when you work at home there will always be something that will take you off from your work, and that bothers me a lot. I've been thinking for a while in finding somebody who wanted to share a studio, so I'd have a place where I could almost exclusively focus on work (and on my baby, of course, at least until she is able to go to school.)

new look

2009-12-14T22:22:00.000-08:00

it's past 1am, but I had to definitely change my blog layout. after experimenting with a lot of colorful headers I'm finally very happy with this clean and simple result, as I like. next step it will be to redesign my website. thinking about using this same style on it.

gotta go to bed now... December has been a totally busy month, and I'm trying to wake up earlier than usual in order to get at least all commissions done before Christmas. didn't I tell you that I am going to experiment acrylics? they arrived today and I can't wait to start.

finally released...

2009-12-10T14:07:00.000-08:00

starting on February 1st, with 7 exciting weeks of discoveries and much creativity! come join us in this journey! spaces are limited!

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FOLLOWING SATURN'S STEPS: facing fear, building growth

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