Cardboard Please dont bend...

I joined a show this year that will exhibit more than 100 artists works on cardboard. Two good friends also joined, Carla Wyzgala and Caleb King. Saw their pieces and they are fantastic. The show is open two days only on Friday November 25th and Sat. November 26th from 6pm to 11pm. Definitely go and see this show. It will be great AND the pieces will be super affordable! Address is 600 W. Cermak, Chicago, corner of Jefferson and Cermak.

For this piece, I wanted to draw the female body decorated heavily with intricate designs. Ive been drawing these patterns for quite some time now and always though about incorporating them with figures. Took me about 3 hours to do this piece. I used micro pens, sharpies, and a little bit of pastels to add brightness.
Title is " My First Love".
So far I like this direction, expect more to come! Enjoy!

"My First Love" (the right corner is cut round, the white is just the background)

Close up

Halloween Project

I was asked to do a mural of a Clown CarnEvil theme in brookfield. At first on the phone I thought it was a small project on a door....little did I know that it was about 20ft by 50ft. Gaahlee! Started out painting the main clown in the middle then work my way out to the side walls and then the ramp. Used spray paint for the whole thing and one brush, mainly for outlining. Took me a total of about 12 hours to complete. Enjoyed every minute of it! 

Where it all started. 

Getting there. 

The whole shebang. 

At night. 

Hollow Project Painting

This painting was done for Caleb King's Hollow Project Exhibition. Check it out --> http://thehollowexhibition.tumblr.com/post/8492544657/the-hollow-exhibition-september-30th-october

Its an event dealing with self image issues and how people cope or destroy themselves through it. In this painting I wanted to focus on the idea of physical attachments. When we become so involved with our bodies and on how we look and how we should look, we blind ourselves of true beauty. A beauty that lies within us. And if we free ourselves of that we can strive towards a more fruitful life.

I mixed watercolor and charcoal for this painting. I also used some india ink to darken the blacks. The quote used in the painting is by George W. Russell, "Our hearts are drunk with a beauty our eyes could never see."

Come see the painting in person at the exhibition on September 30th at 2003 South Halsted Street, Chicago, IL. There will be awesome paintings on display, you wont want to miss this show.

For more info about the Hollow Project, check out www.thehollowproject.com.

Say whaaattt?

At about 1 o'clock in the afternoon I receive a very important email. My painting Balas Fuertes( strong bullets) got into the Watercolor Magazine! I. Was. In awe. For those of you who may not be artists and don't understand the grandeur of this event, it's as if I made it into the vogue magazine.

Thanks to the Illinois Watercolor Society for picking my painting to be on the page, I feel truly honored. This year I feel as though my art career is headed in the right direction and I cant feel more sure of what I want to do in life, to paint and be among those that do the same. This is a steppig stone for me, a major one.

Details: the painting is on page 21, on the summer edition of the watercolor magazine in the noteworthy section.

Just whoa.

Camden, Maine

The first painting started in Maine. I love this one.

There was actually a man taking down the net after I painted this. I will probably do another and add him in it. 

Bath, Maine

Im not sure what it was, but I painted in different styles in Maine. I was constantly struggling between being illustrative and painterly. Two sides of the same coin...

More of Maine

Blue Boat sitting on the water, quietly waiting.... This painting took me 15 minutes to complete. I was frustrated with a previous painting I was working on so I decided to do this quick one. Sometimes the short ones are the good ones, you dont think too much. You observe efficiently and record.

And so it begins...

 Ill be posting more of my artwork of Maine. I painted more paintings on this trip than the last two combined. I felt a need to just let out all of my creative juices as if was only allowed 7 days to paint. It felt fantastic. Whether they are good or not, it does not matter so much, for I enjoyed drawing, sketching, painting with my fellow peers and knowing that I am an artist. This is exactly what I want to do in life. A confirmation of what I already knew.

A fun piece I did for Cheeseburger in Paradise