welcoming March, with a last show and a new shop

so February is gone, and i am glad, because it was a bit of a tough month. in February i prepared 2 shows that i am not exactly proud of, since by getting sick for so long i missed precious days and could not produce much. not kidding: i had exact 4 episodes of mild fever in 30 days (the last one was gone yesterday). but during the breaks i managed to produce a few pieces free of the deadline oppression, and they flew the way they should, and i thought that i should give myself a break from shows until i move back to the Midwest, this Summer.

my last show as a Seattle area artist is happening now at the Red Raven Gallery, in Port Townsend, WA, managed by the awesome Laurie MacClave, to whom i am very grateful for her infinite patience and good humor. it happened that the works were not delivered on time for the opening reception, last Saturday, thanks to the inefficiency of the postal service. luckily i was not the only featured artist and the event could happen, but i was appalled. some artists friends cannot believe how i still rely on the USPS to deliver art, but the truth is that, in 4 years, i never had problems like that when i had to opt by them. anyway, the works made it, and are in display at the Red Raven (click here to know which ones are available), so please contact the gallery in case of interest.

Medicine, pencil and acrylic on panel, 8" x 10", on display at the Red Raven Gallery. Pretty much sold, even before gaining the wall.

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i have also decided to migrate my online store to Storeenvy.com, a fun mix of Etsy and Big Cartel, and say goodbye to my shops at Etsy and E-crater - that has served me so well all these years, but that unfortunately does not seem to have had much attention from its developers lately. patience while i work on new originals... but for now you can find my awesome Modo Arte journals available for purchase, and in super limited stock, so, better hurry!

almost forgot: store here.

Inner Self Portrait Show

i am honored by being invited as part of one more exhibition of The Forgotten Goddess project. the show, called Inner Self Portrait, will display artworks from victims of domestic violence alongside other women artists from all over the world. the proceeds will benefit Haven Hills, California company that provides shelter and support for victims of domestic violence.

i consider myself a person of so many facets that is quite difficult to paint a self portrait that would involve everything i would like to express. to paint my "inner self portrait" at this moment, i focused in how the recent events of my life have been stripped me of so many things, both positive and negative. although i feel unprotected and vulnerable, i also feel i have been more human than ever, without masks or stratagems. i am naked and blindfolded, being guided uniquely by my heart's vision and light, embracing my "deaths" as opportunities to fly and transmuting all with my right hand, in visions of beauty through this blessing called ART.

the progress:

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.

New show, new works

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. :)

Raw Artists Showcase Seattle - July 2011 - Illuminare

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...

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

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)

Energizing Radiance

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

updates, finally

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.  ;)

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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.

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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

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

good news and next projects

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!

what's going on...

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.

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

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

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

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

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

Hecate and I.

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

 cute girls playing with my group mandala.

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

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

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