Birthday Creation - The Gatekeeper

After what I have termed my "Wayward Girl" summer, I finally got things squared away and with that, a glorious shot of creativity. And the first thing I wanted to do was something special for my very inspiring, generous, wonderful friend. Happiest of birthday, Dwawn!

This is a 9"x 12" mixed media painting entitled, "The Gatekeeper."

Ink: Forgotten Shaman

This is a surreal ink splatter piece made from two separate pieces and merged digitally.

The Power of Surrealism: Laundry Clairvoyant

This piece was created from two very different times with no thought of them ever being one project, one piece.
The canvas surface was one I had used in school, most likely for an oil paining still-life study or some sort(I can't remember now), which I had gessoed and then affixed old black lace. I gessoed it again and then put acrylic paint on top. Once it was dry, I placed  it in a dark place and didn't think about it for at least a year, if mot more. Much later, I was tearing through an old Nat Geo mag and there was a photo of a village that did laundry. I tore one page and the rip was awkward, not straight along the binding. I looked at it then I stuck it on my wall and continued harvesting.
I saw a face in the laundry. A stoic, sad profile.
And the two separate pieces finally came together. Quite remarkable when you witness that.

 Laundry Clairvoyant

Mixed media collage and paint

9"x12"

Pink Week..."Ouch"

 

This is a post card sized piece of artwork for Sacramento's "Pink Week" where artist send in art where the dominate color is, of course, pink. This is entitled "Ouch" and was done in watercolor, ink, gouache.


 

Long Time No See

If you are reading this, fantastic! With all the blogs and bullshit to read, I appreciate you reading mine.

The Good News is a large commissioned painting is done. The varnish has cured and will soon be shipped to its rightful owner. It was a test in patience and self-love and I will be sad to no longer have it decorating my walls.

Universe Energy Conduit (Yggdrasil still lives) 36"x 24" mixed media

Song of the moment: "Pay No Mind (Snoozer)" by Beck

Color obsession: Black

Fun word: superfluous

Moments in Between the Noise

I'm messing around on a collage piece in between working on a commissioned painting which has been a bit of a struggle for me. Having something fun and with no preconceived outcome is a good way to reset my mind and get out of my own way. Kind of like meditation...the silence in between all the noise.

I enjoy collage much more than painting. I'm always fighting in painting...fighting the image, all the training I received backed up on loop in my brain and at some point stop and say "fuck" really loud and drawn out because it's not what I want to have done at all, and always, always fighting myself. It's very rare that I get joy from it. Collaging on the other hand, I've had no classes for. There are no rules save for the copyright infringement, so basically it's completely free. I can do whatever I want how I want. No one can tell me how it's done is wrong because it's just opinion about a working process. The energy is so rewarding that I am probably never going to do traditional paint-only works again after this commission is done.

Below are some photos of the new piece.

This will be a hand holding special objects

The head of a transformative being that has no permanent shape

She's working on building the one thing she lacks, a functioning heart

So that's that, as they say.


Color Obsession: French Gray
Song Obsession: "Sol" by Zwan
Smart Words: Supinate

Mask Making Continued

Red - Caguão: compsite from beginning to finish

Yellow - Ishupopo: composite dry sculpting finish

Green - Ooshoofeté: painting finish

Music obsession "Clearing the Path to Ascend" album by YOB
Color: slated mint
Word o' the week: Crespuscule

posted from Bloggeroid

Red Mask Beading: A Pandora's Box

So if you follow me on facebook, you'll have already seen these in progress photos on the red mask, but I post them here because now I can talk for a bit.

Look at Gary II. Now I feel he requires a hat of sorts, if only so accentuate his fine sculpted bone structure ;-).
This beading...this insane beading with seed beads has created some issues. One, it's seed beading, which is ridiculous. They are 1/16, super small which equals a very time consuming task. You lose them quickly if you drop them(or a whole strand. Curse words abound!) and are patience-testers. They are what they are and their qualities are much more appreciated when you are not working with them. I took a box home filled with all the beads I want to use and spent a few days beading at home, after work, on the weekends, before bed. But after figuring out how to strand them with efficiency, I now want to do more of this with other masks. So, there's that.
I don't know why I choose to do this to myself. (Insert blank face here)

Also, I've also been working on/ignoring somewhat a new website and will be blaring that all over the social media feeds as soon as it's completed. Which needs to be soon.

Anybody else's To-Do list seem never-ending? I feel I should just refer to it as my Mobius Strip instead. More accurate that way.

Alright, enough. I need to get back to the studio and work.

Color obsession: dirty plum
New song obsession: "Death of Me" by Gojira
Vocabulary improvement: verisimilitude

posted from Bloggeroid

Break out of your Head

This is a new mask in progress...I call it "Bloom."
I've been much more productive as of late; probably more independently productive than I've ever been, including college, which was more about getting shit done, not necessarily liking the outcome. This is very different. Everything is very different, and all flying on strong wings and good winds.
I finally finished the sculpting stage and he's now on the radiator drying.  I took him off the stuffed mask form I used and was really surprised; I'm very happy with the result.  I think he looks fantastic.  I assume he's going to take about a week to be fully dry and then begins the process of sanding, drilling and then painting.  I'm still contemplating what colors to use, but I usually leave that up to the moment.  My instincts are usually spot-fuckin'-on with color.

"Bloom" in progress

I have other mask concepts in the works, written on the mirrors and glass cupboards, post-its and the like.  After about two more skull masks, I think I'll be moving on to others; animal totems keep assailing me and I have to give in soon.  They keep coming to me in waves, an endless ocean of ideas and feelings.  This is all good.  I just wish I had more space and time.  But it will come, hopefully along with more patience.

Color Obsession:  Crimson
Song Obsession: "Essence" by Yob
Words that make ya smarter: Liberate