cleaning off the spider webs

over two months and no updates? can't believe it.

i am still working on a new version for my website, when time permits. since the new site is powered by WordPress, i've been pondering if i should keep the blog here or migrate it to the website. i have been a Blogger user for years, and i am very fond of it, so the decision has been a little difficult.

meanwhile, lots have happened. i have a new show up, at Vertigo Rising Gallery, here in Everett WA. the show is called Venusian Odyssey and features artworks of artists Carol J Elsip, Cher Clemans, and myself. i am showing some old pieces and a couple new drawings i have prepared exclusively for the show.

Venusian #1 and #2

in December i will be the featured artist at the Habitude Salon and Spa, in Ballard, Seattle, where i will be showing for the first time works in oils and acrylics. the pieces are a blend of geometric abstracts + figurative work. sneak peak of a work in progress:

Leda, oil and acrylic on canvas. Progress detail.

2013 starts well with two more shows around the Seattle area. details coming soon.

around the studio, things are bubbly (and a bit confusing at times). slowly finishing a bunch of commissions i had in line since early this year, with new ones coming. playing more and more with abstracts, which has been greatly opening my perception of color, form, and composition, and also improving my inner sight. i think that my experience with abstract painting deserves a special post. my illustration work has taken a different direction, with bigger contrast color/grey scale, more detailed pencil work, and the return of my first love, the colored pencils. it has become sort of difficult to work following my old direction of colorful water media. this commission will probably be the last piece more or less following that line of work.

Wocekiye, mixed media on illustration board. Progress detail.

also, i have recently signed a contract with Pacifica Tile Art Studio to have my work printed in tile murals. The Chemistry, Yemanja, and Esperance have been already released. 

thank you so very much for all the lovely messages and the valuable support, and my apologies for not being able to return back to you as promptly as i'd like. hope you all had a scrumptious Halloween!

Me as a voodoo doll.

commissions, prices and vertigo.

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.