portrait commission in progress

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.

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)

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

Mixed Media
20 x 15
2010 

$500

in Progress: Untitled

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...

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.