creations from the recent christmasy past.

the last time i really dedicated myself to a painting project was during christmas time when my mother would not stop begging me for a portrait of my dad. she's been hinting at the idea since long before the holidays, so i finally caved and made this teeny little piece for her. i entitled this work father carle. fitting, right? i think the end product came out relatively well considering i hadn't worked with the medium in over 6 months. i'm happy with it. i don't think my mother was too thrilled, though...probably because it's almost the polar opposite of what she wanted: large, canvas/wood, oil, happy fatherly subject...probably something more like the one i did of her in 2007 which is an oil painting on 2'x2' ply wood. [shown above...with unfinished eyes and poorly photographed :)]

it's sorta difficult for me to paint what other people want, [but might be a good challenge for me :P] which makes my future as a commissioned artist look a little grim, huh? hehe. in the end she was understanding and fine with me working in watercolor, because she is fond of that type of paint, too. i guess it just wasn't as jolly as she would have preferred, but this is how i see my dad. the lightening is symbolic for his profession as an electrical engineer; not that clever of a concept, but amusing enough to me...as is the expression on his face! he makes it when he's inebriated or sleepy. to the right is another photo of the painting with my dirty little fingers in there for scale. i did miss working with watercolor and am glad i got this piece in to mother carle on time and unframed, which is uncharacteristic for me! i love re-painting frames and making them my own tacky style. no time for this painting tho...but mom says she'll get her own. :)

as another xmas gift i painted a plastic torso that was given to me by deanne and robin that they purchased at the mervyn's going outta business sale for $10. i immediately knew i *had* to paint it and ended up turning it into a gift for my brother. ideally, i would like him to paint the top portion of it! but who knows if he'll ever get around to that...i like to imagine this is what i looked like in the womb, but i can't confirm whether or not that's what my mother looked like when i was in the womb, though. i call her babicorn in paradise. i used spray paint for the background of the body and paint markers to create the unicorn fetus and birds of paradise.




jeez, it totally feels like a friday...i must be hanging out in the future again...! love when that happens.

the outlook is rosy and the future is bright~*!!

upcoming show ~ new addition to the left shoulder.

though my painting and other artistic productivity have dropped in the past year since finishing school, i'm happy to report that i'm still able to feel productive in other areas of my life...which i won't get into here :P but really, it's because of this drop that i'm able to feel productive in other areas that i never bothered with while in school. i finally feel like enough has been going with me that i can make a post containing something of substance [and somewhat art related!] not just various complaints and bitching to add to the cesspool of negativity that is located at my former online blag; my livejournal. ^___^ ok, it's not that bad...anyway! moving on...

first, i should mention my upcoming group show in altadena, ca once again~! i love, adore and cherish this place and have made it sorta like my go-to gallery when i know i need to get some work done and shown in a beautiful space...[and hopefully sold!] check out my yelp review on the place here! i've posted some accompanying photos of the gallery on yelp as well...love me some yelps~!!

it's kinda hard to make out the address on the flyer...it's 2475 n. lake avenue, altadena, ca 91001; in case you feel like gracing us with your presence :P

flyer designed by eve kessler annnnd i love it :)

secondly, i would like to present to you my first tattoo:

last year ryan cox asked me to design a series of zombie scenes that he was going to transfer onto his skin and have his tattoo artist, kim @ goodfellas, engrave the images into his skin in vibrant colors and painstaking detail. ryan was thrilled with his results, and as a sign of his undying gratitude he put down a deposit for me to get tattoo of my own. i chose an octopus cuz i'mma mermaid.






kim is an amazing artist and so skilled at what she does. she etched my original image with her additions into my skin with a quickness and precision that was flawless. i really appreciate her attention to detail on my purple octopus. i couldn't have asked for a finer looking first tattoo!! my body is a temple and i shall decorate it as i see fit.

♥ ♥ ♥

lastly, i'd just like to say that i really like this pink layout i've chosen for mah blag...it's kinda girly/tacky and there's only minimal clashing with the photos i post :) i'll probably change my mind and find it hideous in a week.