I recently finished my newest painting, titled, "Sola" (which translates to "Alone") The original is about 16 inches by 24 inches. I love the large green leaves and jungle scene background.
I was going to add a lot of colors, flowers, birds, but decided to keep her very simply and add a simple piece of gold jewelry.
I think her face says it all.....
I am selling a large print of her at the shop, the art print measures: 8.5 x 11 inches. Its very bright and pretty!
I have had many people ask me what is behind my artwork, why do I paint it, who influences me...
And I took the time to think about this over the weekend.
I have been painting for many years, since I was a child. My brother is an athlete and my sister is intellectual, but I had my art. Art was something I naturally was drawn to and loved. Picking up a pencil and drawing for hours and painting with watercolors was something I felt I needed to do. It was so natural that I never put thought to it. It was like walking.
I think each of us have something that we are naturally drawn to. Some people love sculpting, other love play a sport, but I had art in my life.
I would paint women, people, animals, and landscapes. Landscapes were my favorite. I still paint landscapes, though I havent posted any of mine here. I might share them with you one day :)
If you saw my landscape paintings you would think I was surrounded by mountains all my life. For many years that's all I painted, starting when I was about 9. All I painted was mountains and water. I must have lived around mountains in my other life..because I find them to be so beautiful.
As I got older...and I am not that much older, I am 26. I began painting Day of the Dead and Frida influenced art. Many pieces were of skulls, death, skeletons, and graves...I didnt find them to be morbid or unusual. I was just attracted to painting these things.
Self portrait with money by Frida Kahlo
I found enjoyment and happiness painting them. There was a time in my life that I felt I was painting for others...painting what they thought to be nice and what they liked. I decided to make a transformation, from illustrations of the fashionista chic girls to Day of the Dead/Frida/Burton inspired artwork...I finally was painting what I was happy doing, reflecting my own culture and my surroundings..I had a message of life and death, of faith, and hope..
Photo of Frida
I relate to Day of the Dead for so many reasons, I enjoy the history and idea that it shares and celebrates and when I see my paintings I face my own life and my own death. It something I think about and I know that one day, the end of this life will come for me and I will pass on to the next.
I am so happy in life and it will be sad to leave this one, but my paintings allow me to think about it, to ponder life and death and my feelings towards it. I always related to what Frida once said: " I paint my own reality. The only thing I know is that I paint because I need to and I paint whatever passes through my head without any other consideration"
My reality of culture, ethnicties, death and life, innocence and corruption, beauty and unsightly, light and dark...I try and reflect in my paintings.
I also wanted to share with you a little inside look of Frida. Sometimes people only see her outside, her famous uni-brow, her tragic love for Diego, but she was a very unique and deep person, and I thought that these little homemade videos I found show that:
Milagros and the meaning of them have inspired my new painting "Milagros". Which is a little girl who is wearing three milagros, a heart, a hand and a wish bone (charm) She holds her little hand because she uses them to work hard and they hurt. She wears her heart milargro for protection of her heart.
What exactly is the meaning of Milagros?...Well that's a very good question.
Milagros are small silver or gold offerings in the shape of arms, legs, eyes and other body parts; animals, fruits, vegetables, etc. They are often attached to statues of saints or to the walls of certain Mexican churches and now are also found as components in necklaces, earrings and other jewelry. In the classical sense, milagros are offered to a favorite saint as a reminder of the petitioner's particular need, or they are offered to the saint in thanks for a prayer answered.
Think of an Italian cornicello, the Italian horn, amulet worn around the neck to ward off evil.
If, for example, someone has a sore arm, a tiny silver arm is hung on or near the favorite saint; the farmer who hopes that his pig will bear him many healthy piglets, asks his patron saint for intercession, and pins a pig milagro on the saint's robe.
I love charms and believe is them very much. I have a greek eye, to protect from the "evil eye" and I wear little charms on necklaces and I think they are such beautiful pieces of jewelry.
I think its important that what you wear has meaning and I try to make sure the pieces I wear have meaning to me.
Stop by the Etsy Showcase if you have a little time today. My little artwork is on there :) I have my mirrors, new stickers, calendars, magnets and prints up. They come wrapped and perfect for a gift for someone who loves a little something different.
So I have been a busy little bee. What's new? After my full-time job I rush home and can't wait to start painting and playing with all my new things. Coming up with new ideas and trying to make new items for you from my art.
These past few weeks I have been working on 3 new paintings and I can't wait to show all of you. I usually work on 2 or 3 at a time and I will let you know why. If I only work at one painting at a time, I actually make more mistakes and this is because I get so excited to work on the painting that I want to work on it as much as possible as fast as possible. So I end up painting layers of paint without it drying...and making more of a mess. So when I began painting more than one painting at the same time, that completely changed.
I ended up doing one thing on one painting, putting it down for it to dry and then working on the other. Switching it back and forth allowed there for enough drying time and for me to think about what exactly it was I needed to do...just a little tip, for those of you with too quick fingers like me!
I really need to thank each of you, because through your blogs, sites, Etsy shops, and videos I have learned a lot. As many of you are, I am a self-taught artist too. I never had formal art classes. You are all my teachers, and I learn from you every day, about shading, and sketching, and even the art of display:) I took it upon myself to use this past weekend and snow day (here in CT we had a big snow storm on Monday) and work on new toppers for my mirrors, buttons, and magnets. I wanted it to be very simply and clean.
I also have a few new things in the shop. The weekend before I finally finished the art calendars, which I am deliveredto Dava today and will have a few for the Etsy shop.
This past weekend I wanted to do something fun, something different, I had these stickers for the longest time, and didn't know what I could do with them. I decided to put them in the shop. Who doesn't love stickers?! I love the way these stickers came out. They are a pretty good size each of them are a little less than 2.5 inches. I thought they would look cute on a scrapbook, card, even lockers (if only we still had lockers..ahhh...memories...it reminds me of the time...well that could be another post..)
Like most of my art, I try to make everything affordable for you. I love my art, but the real reason I put them on the shop, is only because I want to share them with you and the world. I get a great feeling of satisfaction just looking at the small things I accomplish, and that alone is a reward...
They will also be available at Dava and Click here to visit the Etsy shop to see all these new goodies!
New in the shop: Peachy Cheek 12 month latin deskstop calendar ! Inspired by MS' Blueprint. I took my hand at creating several handmade calendars of my own artwork. Her Blueprint was so inspiring for DIY-ers.
Every month has a different picture of my art. The Calendar comes in a clear jewel case, which looks like a CD holder, but once opened and flipped it becomes a Calendar stand for your desk or table.
The Case Size is 5.59" x 4.98" x 0.36.
The Calendar is for sale in my Etsy shop for only $13.00 and in Dava (Hamden, CT) click here to purchase. I hope you like them.
I was going to add a lot of colors, flowers, birds, but decided to keep her very simply and add a simple piece of gold jewelry.
I think her face says it all.....
I think her face says it all.....
