Happy New Year!

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

Mixed media on panel

18" x 24"

2011

$800 USD

Original Available

NEW original drawings on sale!

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.

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.

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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

Acrylics and pencil on panel

12 x 12

2011

NFS