Bloody Valentine....

A lover, and his prey.  Vampire theme.  I decided to go the unconventional route for this valentine's day...I don't know why.  I think that I really just like weird love stories.  I finally got to see "Thirst", and I think that's part of what inspired me.

BTW, Park Chan-wook is an excellent director.  I recommend seeing any of his films.  I really LOVED "Sympathy for Lady Vengeance."  Excellent film, and a beautiful score. 

Anyway, these will probably go up for auction on ebay in the next few days.  From there, on to my Etsy site.

Eve's Regret

One of those beloved, late night Saturday creations. I wanted to make something before I go back to school this week.  ::sigh::

She reminds me of Eve.  She has found a good home on my walls =D

Hydra--Original 16 x 20 inch Mixed Media Drawing

Another addition to my shop.  I have to admit that I wasn't crazy about this one at first.  But, after being seperated from it during work, I started to like it more.  Then, my husband noticed it, and said that he really liked it.  So does Mayoree.  But they don't count, right?  I think the husband is a little biased anyway.  Blue is his favorite color.

I created this one using acrylic paints, oil pastels, conte crayons and graphite dust.  I also used impasto for some places on this piece.  It's certainly interesting to look at.  I like it.  Since my husband likes it I put it over his desk:)  Hopefully, it will inspire him while he's making music.  This is only temporary, as I intend to send this one off to a good home!  I just like to decorate my house with my art.

 

That's "Love and Beauty Meet" (photograph in my shop), and "Jacob's Ladder" (Original Oil Painting) up on the wall.  That's my side of the bed, and I love seeing them when I first wake up!  BTW, I do not use those weights that are on the dresser:)  Wish I had time...

Having more art in the house has certainly improved our moods.  I can see now that my husband is a little more motivated to clean up, and keep the place looking nice.  I'm so happy.  Finally!  Who knew that a couple of pictures nailed up on the wall would do so much?

This is why people NEED art.  It's not just there for decoration.  It's there because it's essential.  Why else would our ancestors have bother painting in caves?  These weren't just cave paintings either.  They were sacred places.  Places where people gathered to contemplate daily life, humanity, god...

Art is God with an extra 'O', as Kanye West would say;-)

Fall of an Angel

A new painting available in my etsy shop.  I'm extremely excited about it.  I don't know if I could ever part with it!  It looks so nice decorating my walls...

It's a bit of a moody, and depressing picture; that's how I've felt lately.  My art has an uncanny ability to mock my emotions.  My husband says that my 'new' art is starting to disturb him.  He says that the work really moves him.

I'm just trying to get a response from people.  I want my viewers to think.  To feel.  I think that we've become emotionally numb to the world around us.  My goal is to change that.

An Angel

It's important to note that this actually started as an abstract painting.

I'm not an abstract painter, but I wanted to try it again. I first dabbled in abstract painting last semester for my painting class. I discovered that I suck at it!

So, when I started making this painting I was going to make an abstract landscape...or something like that. Then this character appeared in the middle of the painting, emerging out of this hellish rift. I think she's an angel. Or at least that's what I intend to make her. Oh yeah, the city behind her was on accident. I just figured that I would add some type of skyline behind her, and there it appeared.

I've had a lot of fun working on this painting so far. It's a project that started as a way to just decorate the space over my couch, but it's much more interesting now.

This is also the biggest painting that I've ever worked on. It measures 40 inches by 36 inches. Now a perfect square, but close. I really like the square format in my artwork after working with medium format photography for the past couple of months. It's nice to break out of the 2/3 format every once in a while.

Here's another shot of the painting. This time without the mess of my workspace to distract the viewer:)


Unfortunately, work will be halted for the next few days. I got the flu a few days ago, and I still have a consistent fever of about 102 degrees:( It's not fun.

Apple, WIP Day 3

Today I started the first color layer. Whoo! I was really excited about it, but then quickly became depressed when I discovered:

1.)My dead layer wasn't dry. So....yeah.

2.)Either the grey is shining through too much, or the pigments in Dick Blick's paint isn't that strong. I know that pthalo green is pretty transparent, but their paint has no coverage power. Bummer.

3.)A second, and probably third color layer will be necessary.

I've been working on other things as well, but I'm not happy with them anymore. I just get depressed when I look at other people's work. I feel like I'm so far behind. I don't know how I could fix the problem. I don't think that MORE education would be the solution.

Anyway, I also started working on a portrait of my husband. I want to show my teacher that I haven't been totally slacking during the break.

Apple, WIP Day 2

I'm now in the 'dead layer' stage of this painting. I think that it will be dry tomorrow, and then I'm going to apply the first color layer.

Some notes about the painting:

1.)I skipped the second umber layer, and I believe that is why the background looks more brown, instead of black. I applied black to the background, but the umber layer is still shining through. I'll just have to correct that in the color layer.

2.)The top of the apple still needs some work. One of my options is to fix it in the color layer. This will probably be quicker and more practical instead of fixing the (drying) dead layer.

3.)Some of my highlights are popping a little too much. BUT, I read that you are supposed to make your lights lighter than what they really are. I hope they were right.

4.)I'm a little concerned about the uneven drying of the oil. I don't know if that's normal...I hope so.

So, when I wake up tomorrow I'm going to work on my first color layer. This is going to be so much fun! I'm really excited about this painting. It's part of the portfolio that I have to give my painting instructor. That's on Tuesday morning. I'm praying that it will be dry by then.

I'm going to try to start on my next painting before I go to sleep, but I don't know if that's going to happen. I was supposed to start that today, but I've been too busy. I was exhausted from the week.

This week is going to be really exhausting. I'm going to school from 9 am until 10 pm. I only have a 2 1/2 hour break during the whole day. Yay.

Apple, WIP Day One

So....I've started another painting while the other is drying. This time, I'm taking a bit of a different approach to the whole process. I wanted to change my painting style a little, and study what is now called the classic realism style. This style requires a LOT of time and patience, but the rewards are great. So, I went over to WetCanvas, and this site as well, and I found a wealth of information about how to do it.

I went to Lowe's and purchased a 4'x4' panel of 1/8 in. birch wood for about $17. Then I had them quarter the panel into 4 2'x2' panels. They do it for free! When I got the wood home I primed the panels with three coats of gesso, making sure that I sanded with a really smooth grade of sanding paper. The surface of the boards is heavenly. Today I drew my picture on the birch panel using a black Millennium zig pen that has a .05 point. After that I used acrylic paints to lay down the Imprimatura layer. I was happy with the results, and so I continued on to the 1st umber layer. I'm waiting for that to dry now. I'm still not clear on how long it's supposed to take, but I hope it doesn't take a whole week to dry. Maybe I don't have enough patience for this painting style? I would really like to paint like this man, but I don't have the skill yet. I plan on copying this picture anyway...This is my favorite painting.


BTW, I'm sorry about the glare in the photo. The painting is still super wet, and I took the picture at night.

Frustrations

First, let me start with a list of things that I'm grateful for.

1)My part-time job. (This is how I'm funding my business). Also, it helps me remember why I would rather work for myself, but I won't go into that ;)

2)A family that supports my dream of being a professional artist.

3)My best friend for giving me the idea to start my own business.

4)Etsy and my Etsy friends for constantly encouraging me to continue (even when times are rough).

That's all I can think of right now.

I've been really discouraged by this new painting that I'm working on. It looked so good earlier, but now I have to start all over again. I won't complain too much because painting helped me relieve my frustration. I also realized how much better I am at painting! I was looking over my old paintings recently, and I asked myself "Why did I stop?" So, I decided to start again. Conclusion: Art is GOOD! It's therapeutic for me. This is one of my old paintings. I'm still pretty proud of it.



Last night I found a really cool artist on Etsy. You should check out his stuff. I have my eyes set on his ACEO's.

I also like his "Place Title Here" series.

Also, there is a shop on Etsy called Sagittarius Gallery. She paints with her palette knife, and her paintings are incredible. The colors are bright and pure. Visit her shop! Be sure to look at her profile to view her resume.


She's an inspiration to me.

About a month ago there was a discussion on etsy about how many people are actually making a living. The former CEO of Etsy, Rob Kalin, says that

"There are 200,000 sellers making their livings from Etsy,"

in this article.. Who are these people? Where can I meet them!? Of course his figure caused a lot of controversy on etsy. Go here to read the heated discussion.

Last, but not least, there is the matter of how much money I've made from my business. I've made 2 sales for a total of 24 dollars. I've been in business for about 3 months. SOOOO, that means I'm only making about .26 cents/day. That's pathetic! Why do I even bother?

Old Sketches

Lately, I've wanted to get back into drawing. Then I doubted myself. I asked, "Why should I start again? I wasn't good at it." I've started to reconsider that point...When I was attending art college I had one idea drilled into my head: You have to draw this way, or it isn't good. Now that I've grown older I see that art should be different, and not just following the current trend. Anyway, enjoy my trip back down memory lane :)

A page from my journal. I remember being so excited when I got my tongue pierced (I was 19). I couldn't keep my tongue in my mouth. Now, I've gotten over it. Pen, ink, graphite and watercolors.


I love cherries. Painted using acrylics.


Random girl portrait with watercolors. This is a page from an old journal.


Gourd sketch with color study.


A sketch of a glass bottle.