new logo and Tasty show

for ages I have been trying to design myself a logo. it has always sounded to me a bit of a shame that, being a designer myself, i have never been able to build a proper symbol that could identify my own work. i tried different symbols and totems but none of them felt so perfect as an old item of my personal iconography: the butterfly.

butterflies are associated to my Sun sign, Gemini, and to the element Air, which, along with element Water, rules my horoscope. my own name, Ariel, reminds of Shakespeare's character in "The Tempest", a spirit of the air. i have been drawn to butterflies since the formal beginning of my career as a visual artist, not only for its beauty, but mainly for its powerful meaning of transformation and rebirth, things i have experienced very intensely since the big milestone that was my coming to the United States. i also wanted the symbol to have some influence of occult imagery to celebrate my ties with the esoteric. and that's what i got:

it is the first time i feel totally comfortable with a symbol, maybe because it resonates so deeply with my own  energy and character.

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new artworks for sale at Tasty Gallery, in Seattle, as part of the "Girls Gone Wild" show. unfortunately i got sick at the opening day and missed the buzz [and the booze.] here they are, hanging beside artworks by Laurie Kavanaugh McClave, Lea Barozzi, Redd Walitzki, and other talented Washington chicks.

excepting for Bleu and Interior, pieces were not officially released yet, what is going to happen soon. i am always in a hurry preparing shows around here and barely have the time for decent scans and releasing the pieces on the web, but they are already available for purchase here.

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by the way, i am solemnly refusing invites for shows before May. because i have been overwhelmed with shows since i stepped on Seattle (four in only six months,) i have not had the time to mature anything i have been working on lately, and my top goal for this year is to really improve my technique and kick ass. also, i need to rebuild my inventory with some decent pieces. patience.

on the board

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.

Masquerade Show

my first video on YouTube!

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!

business cards, chinese brushes and the meaning of life.

my business cards arrived today, and I am again very impressed with the quality of the job delivered by PsPrint (no, I'm not gaining anything for marketing them, I just think that a good work deserves to be spread.) the only negative thing was entirely my fault: I think that my data got too small and too light, and sort of lost amidst the art. sigh.

again, my camera and its "wonderful" macro don't make justice to the stuff, but you can have an idea. I wanted that the card could show samples of my work, them I used details of some paintings on the color side and my now sort of symbolic dragon on the black and white side, along with my name, email and website address.

here are the file samples (with bleedings):

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and seriously, how could I live for so long without Chinese bamboo brushes?????

they are designed for sumi-e painting, and provide such a fluidity to the lines that makes them appear lighter and with more movement. I totally recommend those brushes if you are into a lot of spirals, waves and ornamental patterns, like I am. they are also cheaper than regular brushes and hold a lot of pigment. just one thing turned me off, I think that the brush "body" or holder is not that strong, it appears that you have to be a little more careful when using it, or it may break apart. but that's probably a matter of brand, I'm not sure. anyway, I'm happy with my new set of Chinese brushes and can't wait to explore their possibilities.

Imagekind feature

my Anemonae watercolor was featured on Imagekind! yay!!

nice stuff and updates

inspiring interview with Sybil Archibald on Abbey of the Arts. enjoyed to know the website too, run by the photographer Cristine Vaulters Paintner. I strongly recommend the works of both artists.

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it's amazing to see how bit by bit institutionalized beliefs are dissolving in the name of something bigger, which means a true spirituality and the real sense of religare - to bind together again.

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my Etsy shop is up and running. had to price items a little above the price for direct sale, since we have to pay fees to list products and for items sold. I'm very pleased with Etsy's organization. setting the shops is really easy, fun and fast and they make you feel special as a seller.

busy bee.

I've disappeared for a while for being involved in my new website development, which hopefully I will be able to upload tomorrow. it gave me a little more trouble than I expected, not really for the "technical" part but more for the layout. it did worth the while, I really liked the results. I'm also organizing La Etherea Officina, my official store for direct sales of originals, prints and portraiture. I also have a new mailing list, and if you want to sign in in order to get informed about recent works and other novelties you are totally welcome. members will be granted 15% off their first direct purchase and at each season I'll be raffling a gift - a print, a small original or something else. the only problem is that, at this moment, the raffles will be restricted to US members due to the international shipping costs. but if you live in another country and are willing to pay the shipping, just send me your name and I'll include you in the raffle list.

that's it... back soon!

postcards are here!

they arrived yesterday, and I am amazed by the excellent quality of the job (sorry for the crappy pictures, my camera is not being very cooperative to me lately):





absolutely no flaws to report, all came up just like I designed and the material and colors are absolutely fine. I'm just excited to start spreading them around!

and when the service is good (and the prices unbeatable), I feel pleasured to recommend: Ps Print.

love my artwork?

...so now you can find products featuring my illustrations and paintings on RedBubble. they have greeting cards and different types of prints, including matted and framed. new additions will be done in the future. go visit! and don't forget to spread the word...

my first promo postcard

I've spent almost all day (and when I say "all day" I mean the time I reserve for working, between my usual domestic chores) working on my promo postcard. as I said before, I chose my piece Ascension to the front of the card. I think that piece is very representative of my style - colorful, theatrical, and it has lots of abstract shapes, along with the strongly spiritual concept. I know that maybe it's a little early to make a promo postcard, but I wanted to take advantage of the printing service free shipping with limited time and went ahead. :P

here's the front of the card:




for the back, which will be printed in b&w, I used the detail of "The Scream" that I liked best. I liked the result pretty much.



I hope the result in print come out just like the expected. if I like the final product, I'll surely spread the word. :)