And A Lovely Galentines Day to You!

Happy Valentines day to all my viewers and a special Galentines Holla at these lovely ladies whom I have shared many an adventure with and love very dearly.

These gals (as seen in photo) have been such great friends to me through a lot of the ups and downs of this crazy world. Even miles away we still hangout via Googs + and occasional trips Northward or Southward :). 

Sorry ladies if this is publicly embarrassing, but you must know how amazeballs y'all are, especially for being so awesome and visiting for a Galentines Reunion! Anyways, I'll tone down the sappy. I know how some people get about mushy stuffs lol. I tried to find recent picks of all three of you ladies, and I found this one most suitable...Since it is a perfect reflection of the start of our friendship-as we all met at the Old Cabin. 

So Just wanted to say, Thank you ladies for your friendship!

OK, Now what many viewers/followers have been waiting for...(drum rolls)..........

TA-DA!!
"My Love Runs Deep..."

2'W x 1' 1/2" H: sheet metal, LED lights (lights off)

2'W x 1' 1/2" H: sheet metal, LED lights (lights on/angled)

2'W x 1' 1/2" H: sheet metal, LED lights (lights on/forward)

"My Love Runs Deep..." as I've titled my sculpture piece is a piece I would have liked to have entered in an art gallery open exhibit. Sadly, I was unable to finish it in time for registration. :( But I'm not all too bummed out, because I had lots of fun getting back into the swing of sculpture! Besides I'm still able to share it with all of you.

So I added three different images of the same sculpture. One with lights off as to give full effect of the red LED lights reflecting off the black of the sheet metal. For the most part it is done..I just need a few minor adjustments and some tine fin-tachments ;P....The next two images following the first are with the lights on and angled. I took an angled picture otherwise the viewer cannot really see the shape of the heart made by the two conjoining pieces.

Why did I name my piece as I did? Great question!
Let me first explain how I came to design my piece. With Valentines coming up I wanted to do something in relation to love. If you have not figured it by now, the two pieces are representative of two fish joining their tails together to form a heart. I took a sketch I had (image B) from my notes back in College...as I did (and still do) doodle. I love the arching of the fish and spherical forms in general. You can see in (A.) to the left is a slight sight of another fish facing the opposite direction. I played around with the idea of placing the fish emblem together. That's how I ended up at (B.).

B. sketches to Design

I decided to play with the emblem a little more, adding some darker parts and finally some color. The darker areas ended up being the parts of the sheet metal and the glowing red areas are where I cut and left open. So, basically took one of my random sketches and designed a sculpture piece from it. Pretty cool eh!

Alright, so back to the main question..how did I come to name it such? I was trying to come up with a few crafty names for this piece, but couldn't find any. So I looked hard at my drawing and thought..'well, there are red lights running through the body like blood or veins (looking at the sculpture itself the wiring and lights add a vein like effect on the backside) and these two pieces are living creatures that like all living things are just searching for a soul mate or another to form a bond with.' I kept thinking 'blood' & 'inner soul searching'...So I finally came up with "My Love Runs Deep..." as in blood(love, life) runs deep through ones body. And when you find your soul mate you share that love with them and give life. Also, you can think of fish as creatures of the deep sea, searching a vast ocean for some signs of life & a place in which it can only exist (water). So the title kind of takes that sense of "deep(er)" than physical love and plays with that idea. The ellipsis at the end is to give the viewer the freedom to finish and interpret the piece as they wish-perhaps have a more poetic take on it. Any how, I leave it up to the viewer to make something of this.

Hope you enjoy my piece. I'm really glad I have others to share my love with. :)

<3 Amore ti <3

Dr. Horrible, We Have a Pulse...

Hello my dearest viewer(s),

Hope your week has been better than mine, because tutoring a group of first graders has me pulling my hair most days. If my job were made into a sing-a-long, most of it would include a broken ominous soundtrack...ok, so I'm exaggerating a bit much. I swear, sometimes these kids make me want to crawl into fetal position and rock myself back to sanity. But enough of my wonderful adventures with Dr. Horrible and his minions. Let's solve some of those mysterious shapes from our last post...

1) A turtle 2) my attempt at a bulbasaur 3) boat 4) fish 5) giraffe 6) camera 7) coyote 8) badger? 9) Seahorse 10) dragon

Alright, ya'll want to see some sculpture making, right!? Here it is!

Fig. A: Sheet metal cut, primed (4'Lx 2'H) 

Fig. B: Sheet metal shaped

Ooops! Forgot to tell you, these pictures are just a preview. :) Didn't think I would spoil your Valentine's Surprise, did you? That would be lame. 

So here are just a few pics of my progress I've made since taking a piece of sheet metal and going all Edward Scissor Hands on it (Fig. A). The two pieces cut out have been cut, softened the edges (so I don't accidentally stab myself when putting it together), and put two layers of primer on them suckas. Yes, metal needs to be primed before painting. The primer didn't leave the best of surface texture, but luckily I can always improvise :). 

The next step (Fig. B) is shaping the pieces the way I want to set them. Of course, this is just one piece. I was hesitant about showing a preview of my piece, but I don't think I'm giving anything away with these pictures. I mean, I still have to paint, put together, and add the lighting to ALL of it. Oh, yeah! I also need to add a few minor attachments. 

Fig. C: Shaped and lit (Lit work space)

Fig. D: Shaped & lit (unlit work space)

So there you have it- an almost completely pulsating piece of sculpture. Thought you may want to see what it looks like lit. Hopefully, once I get it painted and the lights properly placed along the entire sculpture the red light will be more reflective and apparent. 

 I'm wishing for some good weather this weekend so I can finish my piece, and research all the reasons why Valentines Day is a joke :)... Or maybe just watch Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog, and eat my Christmas chocolate rose, given to me last year by one of my students. Ha!

Tutto è lecito in amore e in guerra

Puzzle Pieces

Buona notte fellow viewers,
 Are you ready for a sample of my Valentine's Day sculpture?

Well, sorry to say you still have to wait 11 more days... tee hee. I'm terrible, I know.

** For those just following (newcomers) you may want to check out my last post "My Bloody Valentine." It has some insight as to what's going on..as this is a follow-up to my last post.

For my daily viewer: Updates on the sculpture piece..It is coming along. Slowly. I received my lights for the piece last week. Yes, it will be lit. AND I have a majority of the cuts done. Just waiting on the primer to dry, need the shaping to take place, painting, and lighting.

For now I give you a few images. I had a bunch of small pieces left over so I thought I'd create something fun out of the pieces. Try to guess what each one is!!!

Here are all the pieces I had left over. And here are the puzzle pieces put together....

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

Think you guessed them all right? I don't think they are too hard. A 6 year old should be able to guess these all right. Want to challenge your brain cells? What else can you make with these pieces? 

I'll share the answers in my next post :), and probably give a peek at the progress of my sculpture. So keep your eyes open!

Molto Amore <3 <3 <3 <3

↣ My Bloody Valentine ↢

Hey, Cupid flew by and left a message: He wants his bow and quiver of arrows back. Yeah, he's pretty upset that you just unleashed a rainstorm of arrows among an unsuspecting crowd.

Now, isn't St. Valentine's Day just lovely?!...No? Well, someone dodged the rainfall of cupid's arrows. I have to say. Valentines Day is a hit or miss kinda deal.

You've either been showered with the lovely affections of strangers, and loved ones to the point where you're flying as high as cupid
OR
You're lurking in the darkly shadows mumbling curses at the bumbling idiots who spend unnecessary amounts of money on Valentine's Gifts and romancing one another.

I may just be a bit more of the lurking in darkly shadows kind. I say that only because I've never had a Valentine. Yes, I admit to being a bit of a scrooge and grinch on a day designated for much loveliness. The day only brings memories of failed attempts to win my crushes over in Middle School and High School. :/....

However!!! This year, I shall come out of those darkly shadows and prance around like one of those bumbling idiots that couldn't find cover when cupid's arrows came crashing down among every Who-Ha in Who-Ville. YES, I SHALL BE CUPID'S SIDEKICK- SPREADING LOVELINESS TO THE CITIZENS OF THE WORLD!!!!....well, at least to my loyal and devoted followers and readers :)

Sorry, I got a little carried away with the comic book narrative there. Now on to the important stuff. I know that this is a pretty text heavy post, but I just wanted to create a monologue-dialogue with my viewers. Monologue-with me talking incessantly & dialogue- Hoping that my audience gives some feed back on their thoughts about St. Valentines Day. Are you a scrooge or a sucker for all things lovely?

Also, I am currently working on a sculpture, dedicated to all my viewers here! :) I wanted to enter my sculpture in the dA Center for the Arts 'Simply Red' Show (https://www.facebook.com/events/451115978275884/?fref=ts). Unfortunately, my busy schedule and this cold weather, that's been making random trips, has slowed progress. So, I decided to do my own Valentine's day project. I'm hoping  it comes out the way I envisioned it. SUPER EXCITED and will be working on it this weekend. Hoping that the weather is a lot nicer, seeing that my workspace is in the garage (which can get pretty cold). So I haven't done any sculpture pieces since my Junior year in college. Let's hope I still have the magic :)

So tempted to give previews...BUT I don't want to ruin the surprise. So here is a picture of a lovely cat meanwhile <3

(Sorry Erik, Pom Pom is MY Valentine)

Until V-Day,
Molto Amore!

Still Life is Real Life

             11"x15" Watercolor                   5"x6" Watercolor & digital edit

How about some flower power for this rainy hour! There is something soothing and refreshing about the sound of rainfall, the wet grass, and the silence that the rain brings as every living creature heads for shelter and cuddles closely. Yes, even us humans take part in the "head for shelter and huddle around each other for warmth." If this isn't you then you're probably the part of the group that runs outside to splash in the puddles and catch the rain drops on your tongue. Then there are the few that may be reading this, grumbling at the mention of rain. To those few I say..A HUMBUG!

Now on to the paintings, which require WATER. :) The first painting at the upper left hand corner was done in my High School art class. I still remember my art teacher's name, Christina. She was pretty awesome. She really liked me, probably because I was one of the few students who took the class to learn and actually made effort. Seriously, it irritates me when students take art courses thinking that it's going to be a breeze and that art is not doing any 'real' work. Well, you know what!? Art does take a lot of thought, design, and effort. I've taken enough art courses, and done plenty of art projects myself to know that it is a lot of actual work. There is strategy, design, math, engineering...Just want to make that point for those doubting the talent of artists. Of course, I am not defending those sham artists, which are probably those kids who grew up taking art courses to pass an easy A.

Now as I was saying, the top left corner watercolor painting was done in my art class in H.S. Actually, both of the above images were painted in H.S. Both were also painted from an image. This was my first successful use of watercolor. The teacher was also thoroughly impressed as she persuaded me to enter the County Fair Art Exhibit and even sell my my painting. SELL IT! ...she believed my painting was worth something in dolla dolla bills y'all. That seriously gave me an ego boost :) I still have the painting till this day. It's a constant reminder that I am capable of doing more than I know. I could have sold it yes, but it has the sentimental value of your first dollar bill on the opening of a new business. So it hangs on my wall wherever I go.

Now, the smaller painting on the right upper corner is just a quick paint of a flower on an image. It really is a small painting that took the first page of my first sketch book. I really liked using orange/yellow/purple together. Light colors contrasted among the deeper purple color looks attractive. That is why one day I plan to create a flower bed of lavender and yellow/orange flowers. Oh, the smells and sight!

Onto our next two. The bottom left painting was done at home in So Cal, taking a few flowers from around the house (roses) and placing them in a small saki cup lying around the house. note: I painted both paintings from real life not an image. I used a different type of paper (drawing paper) rather than watercolor or sketch paper, so the colors are a more muted and the painting looks more wrinkled...rrrr rough. The painting to the right was done while on a stroll through the UC Davis Arboretum. If anyone ever visits the school, do make sure you take a stroll through THE WHOLE arboretum. At the eastern end there is a gazebo, a garden, natural art, a mosaic bathroom, and large areas of open grass to soak up the sun, play a game of frisbee or have a picnic. The arboretum is my favorite place in Davis. FAVORITE. haha. Any way, the right painting consists of a few flowers from the Arboretum garden. The colors are a lot more vibrant than shown here. You can tell the difference from the painting left. The dark frame surrounding the painting gives the painting a more shadowed look. I really loved the soft pink and white against the darker pink flower and brown background. Again, dark vs. light. The best part of these two paintings was sitting outside among nature and contently painting in beautiful weather.

Maybe when the weather is less rainy and I am not busy writing lesson plans and gallery data entering I can start up on some new material for my blog. I could really use a nature retreat outside of home. Sounds like an adventure!

               9"x11" Watercolor                                  9"x11" watercolor

<3 Arrivederci!

Bare Minimum

8"x 11" prismacolor marker w/pen

Hrm...what can I say about this drawing other than it is totally awesome and a nice intro back into the habit of drawing. This was for an internship project at the Design Museum. This was actually my first proposal, but it got turned down because it was too 'out there'...bleh...design students *shrug.

The curator and director of the museum wanted something more simple. It had to be more word based than image based. Psh! Fine, I'll save this drawing for someone with taste. Sorry, bitter resentment coming out. I feel like my drawings are always "too cartoony" "too out there" "too this" "too that"...I get it...be more boring! :/..Maybe I should just start pitching my images to gamers and children's book illustrators. *and end*

For this image, I was going for a bionic bird/dragon of some sort. I found this image of a mechanical, evil-looking bird and configured it to my own taste. The drawing I took influence from had an intricate extended head reaching left (where the head is) and a slightly different wing structure. The body is probably the only portion that is similar to that of the influenced image. 

Other than that, not much to say about this guy. He was just a creation of complete EVILE!!!!muahahahahaha.  

% Under the Cover of Night %

 9"x 11" Charcoal on drawing paper

6"x 8" prismacolor pencil w/ chalk pastels & pen

Decided to make this post Owl Themed. Here is an abstract and representational drawing of owls. As one may have concluded from past drawings...I'm a fan of the feathered friend. They are truly beautiful creatures. My favorite of the birds is the pygmy owl. It's so adorable. I would insert an image, but this isn't a "post cute bird photos" blog. ;P 

A little about each, I suppose I could start with the top one first. I was going through a phase of sleepless nights and late nights make me think of all the things that come alive at night. The owl being the most popular creature of the night, I decided to attempt at a representational drawing of an owl. Of course, I was not going to wait outside in the cold for some magical owl to drop by and pose for me for a few hours. Although I have spotted and heard one on the occasional night. Maybe it's Harry Potter's? eh eh? Yeah, not much of a Harry Potter fan. Sorry, but my loyalty lies with Lion Witch and the Wardrobe and Game of Thrones. But I digress.

So, one night I researched some owl photos (body, wings, etc.), picked up my pencil (in this case charcoal) and started making magic happen. I'm actually quite proud of how this lit'r fell'r turned out. Did not do any erasing, other than to create the feather texture and patterning. 

Now, the abstract drawing of an owl came from a doodle I found in one of my notebooks from school. I believe I was initially trying to draw a swan/dragon of some sort. I think this drawing took place during my sleepless night phase. I tell you, birds of a feather flock together :) I mean, my mind is always soaring and try to dance as gracefully as a swan when no one is looking...ok, maybe I've shared too much. 

After turning my sketch into an abstract image I added some color. I really like working with the greens and yellows and wanted to practice blending and mixing the different shades and tones. So that explains my color choices. I added the white highlights to sort of embellish different sides facing toward a "light source." I still need work on the lighting aspect, but I think I can slide if I push the abstract concept :). 

In conclusion, owls are beautiful, and may just be my animal spirit.