New Work in progress

My current work space and my new direction

I just moved back to Virginia from Brooklyn. I can say that I've left my Commonwealth twice in search for adventure. I found it and I loved the good and loathe the bad that came with it. I do not regret a single moment - only my wallet does. I came back with a new perspective on life and the tiny monsters that use to stress me out no longer do. I love travelling because it feeds my spirit with the right fuel to create more art. I have learned that I don't need to uproot my life and start a new life somewhere else to get that high I get from seeing a new place. I can live in one place and just travel a lot more. I intend to make that happen.
I'm finally doing what I want to do and setting my own goals and paving my own path.
ONWARD....I have a tiny studio at the moment. It works because I try not to carry to many objects with me. I try to keep it simple.
 Desk. Bookcase.Art supplies. Books. Knick Knacks.

My bookcase consists of art books, graphic novels, dvds, and other books that caught my interest. I have this awesome suitcase with animals in suits that I acquired from the Crafty Bastards art fair they have in D.C. every spring. If my life could fit in that suitcase, moving would be a breeze!

My desk is always filled with old sketchbooks, my laptop, my camera, random supplies and a few framed pieces of art from friends. Right now I'm working on paper and covering it with gesso and painting over it. I try to be mindful of not wasting anything and using everything as a canvas. 

I'm a girl who's a nester. Is that the right term? I always have to make my living and work area cozy. So I fill it with knick knacks and other tiny musings that have come into my life over the years. It brightens my spirit and they make me smile. :)

I love robots! I can't stop drawing them and at some point I will have to paint a series of just robots. 

The apple doesn't fall to far from the tree. I recognize that I have become a little like my mother. I'm not a religious person but I do believe in a higher power. I gravitated toward the Virgin of Guadalupe as my divine mentor. I love the image so I always need to have her around me. I always end up having a makeshift altar set up with the figures above. One day I would like to build a proper altar and have it set up in my future larger studio. Most girls want a diamond ring. I just want an art studio and a dog. lol 

And on my travels I sometimes pick up something super sweet. Like a chess set from Puerto Rico. The conquistadors versus the natives. I don't know how to play chess but I'm going to teach myself and find someone to battle against. It's good to learn something new and different. I feel like it will keep my mind a little sharper. 

I feel more productive now than I have felt in some weeks. I finally finished my zombie painting. It's on a small canvas and it's just my reaction to working in retail. 

And since selling some of my older paintings, I have room to make more and head in a new direction. I'm  not sure what that the direction is but I have to make more work to find out what it is, no?

The image below is my current work in progress. I have been feeling a lot calmer since moving back and the work is reflecting that feeling. 

I have found what makes me happy and fulfilled. You should do the same thing. Don't search for something large and epic. It is the little things that bring happiness because they're small enough for you to carry around in your pocket. They will go everywhere you go. I know...super cheesy! haha

ONWARD...to something awesome. 

     

Muder by Death. Art by Lyrics.

I was hanging out with Andrew and Gabby after work as usual and I took my sketchbook out to doodle. Andrew looked down and took my book and wrote down some Murder by Death lyrics and asked me to illustrate them. And as usual, I planned to get it done but it didn't happen until the week before his birthday. I'm not a baller so I can't always give my friends supersweet awesome gifts. I only have my drawing skills to give to my friends.

I sketched out the lyrics three times and every time it just didn't look right. Then I put them side by side and I saw something in each sketch and pulled images from each. Since painting would be more time consuming, I used sharpies, colored pencils and Prisma color markers for the illustration below. My camera doesn't do the image any justice and in reality the colors are more vibrant.

The lyrics are from the song "End of the Line" and go as follows:

There's a girl with a flower pot full of dirt and bullet shells she puts it by her window, gives it sunlight. Restores its health. After a month or two the shells start to bloom into branches of barbed wire.

One small moment lead to an illustration I could be proud of. My best images have always been products of love especially if they are meant to go to people I care about. I just wanted to give my friend a sweet gift. :)