Countdown & So Busy!

With two shows coming up in the next three weeks, it seems like all I do is paint and sleep. Ha! I only wish. I still have to do everything else in between the painting and sleeping. But here are two boxes I've been working on. This is a much larger size box than I normally work on, so there was actually a lot of painting involved for these ones. They took a lot longer than I had expected and I'm going to have to ask a higher price for them. I dunno. Would anyone pay $200 for a box? Guess I'll find out.


Sometimes I get bored painting the same old stuff so I like to throw something in that's a bit different. It's usually a copycat of something like this cute little Octopus Girl that is similar to a painting in the Disneyland Haunted Mansion. I've always dug on the artwork in the haunted mansion...it's fun and a bit warped. Although I was a bit disturbed to realize that she actually looks like a Brats Doll. I didn't like her so much after that.


I've been working on decoupaging a lot of my original art prints. The originals for all of these prints were sold last year, but I love to still use them in my decoupaged plaques & candles too. I just don't believe in keeping any of my own artwork. I have tons of art from artists that I admire, but not one piece of my own art hangs in my home. Weird, huh?


These are my sacred heart/amor eterno boxes and are my original design. Using a blend of polymer clay, textured paints & lots of highlighting & darkening effects, I've come up with these boxes & plaques that are totally unique. I'm hoping they'll sell as well as they always do! I need to pay the mortgage next month. jeje


And then of course there are mermaid mirrors, Catrina paintings (only this one isn't Catrina...she's Miss Sunny and her dog Daisybones). Daisy was the name of my first dog. She was a handmedown beagle and as sweet natured as her name. Despite a flatulence problem. Miss Sunny's dress is based on Sunny Baudelaire's dress from A Series of Unfortunate Events. I love the costumes in that movie and had a plan to make a whole series of paintings using variations of those costumes...but well...I just ran out of time.


This nicho de Guadalupe was a commission piece and was recently delivered to California to a very happy customer. It is always a big sigh of relief when a commission piece is finished and the customer is pleased with the outcome. It's not really my preference to do commissions but it's sometimes a necessary evil. The only time I'll really turn down is a commission is if the customer is asking me to do something really off the wall like a Tuscan landscape or a rosy cheeked cherub (yeah I've been asked to paint those!). Come on...if you can't see that bleached white bones and death grins are my thing, then I've gotta say uh...sorry no...I'm simply swamped with orders!

Fortunately I've been so busy that I haven't had much time for eating. Go figure that one! Well except late at night when my stomach is making so much noise that I swear if I look down at it I will see something alive and moving in there. I've lost a steady 2.5 lbs. a week for the past three weeks in a row. I wish I could say it's noticeable and everyone is saying "Wow Pam you look great are you losing weight?" But nope. I just have to be patient with my stubborn 48 year old hysterectomized body. In any case, I feel pretty darn good. And we're going out to eat tonight at Pei Wei in El Paso! Owned by PFChangs but so much cheaper...same food less bucks...my kinda place. I plan on eating 25 of my allotted 32 WW points tonight on one bowl of Dan Dan noodles with spicy chicken. Geez I've missed chinese food! And then I'm dropping off my husband and the little squirt at the Walk with the Dinosaurs show while me and my eldest beauty are headed to the mall for a little splurge spending at Torrid. Yeah man...life is good!

It's Showtime!

My custom made skirt is finished! It is simply fabulous and the pictures do it no justice! I commissioned my friend & seamstress artist extraordinaire Guenevere McMahon to make a unique article of clothing that I can wear to my art shows and using a blend of vintage & batik printed fabrics, she has created a bright colorful and one-of-a-kind wearable work of art. Check out the appliqued sacred heart details...it's so me!
If you have the time, please check out her etsy shop. All of her items are handmade with incredible attention to detail. The purses & bags are completely her design and you won't find anything else like them. Thank you Gen!

Here are a few new works for San Antonio. I have been so busy working for the Bernalillo show creating my lower end decoupage items, but I've felt a strong urge to paint nuestra Senora. So here are a few:
The first one is my traditional Dolorosa in black in gold. The second one I was really pleased with how unique this retablo it came out. Here I have all the components of her dress painted as separate pieces throughout the retablo. The last retablo has a bit of inspiration from spanish colonial styled retablos with lots of vines and pomegranates.

And on a personal note...I've lost 24 lbs. since starting Weight Watchers on January 18th! Sometimes it's so overwhelming thinking about how far I have to go...but I realize that I just have to put it into perspective and take it day by day. Learning how to pace myself has been hard. I have up and down days...last night was a really tough one but I managed to stay on program. I'm still on program today but I've wanted to stray off. The one thing that keeps me from doing that...is the fear that I might not get back on program if I do. I might be able to get back on program immediately, or it might take me years. I wish I could say that it was about self control, but I don't believe that self control has a thing to do with weight problems. Food is an addiction. It's not a choice despite what many people believe. Nobody wants to be fat. It's true that I choose to make bad food choices, but I feel that I am drawn to make those choices by a physical/emotional need. It's no different than being an alcoholic or a drug addict. And in some ways it's a lot more painful. Society tends to be more forgiving to the drug/alcohol addict, but fat people are scorned and looked down upon because our addiction is much more visible. Trying to stay on program is the hardest thing I've ever had to do.

Skeletons

In the past several years that I've been painting, I have found that I am repeatedly being drawn to Day of the Dead themed paintings aka skeleton art. I used to do a variety of subjects, all inspired by my Mexican culture background, but I find that painting calaveras (skeletons) are my very favorite thing to do. When I paint them it just makes me happy and I find myself looking forward to the expression that will eventually emerge on that little skull head. Weird I know. I've had a lot of people ask me why I enjoy painting skeletons so much and honestly, the answer is a lot more deep than I care to share with anyone. So since blogs are for spillin' yer guts out all over the virtual world wide web, here goes.
Skeletons are non judgemental. Skeletons will never win beauty pageants. They are not sorted out by class according to their body size, skin color, gender or sexual orientation. Skeletons are dead and the trivial things that mattered in life, (money & beauty) just don't matter anymore. Skeletons just wanna have a good time.
I live in a world where I am too often judged because of the way I look. My weight has been a deciding factor on my quality as a human being to many people I've come across. I have had to endure horrid insults and comments thrown at me by an insensitive and intolerant society for most of my life. On the day after I came home from burying my brother, I had a stranger at the market ask me "Hey do you want a diet pizza?" as he walked away laughing at his clever little joke on the fat girl. I wish I had been numb enough to have not felt anything.
So how do I respond the next time somebody asks me why I paint skeletons as all those reasons go through my head? This is how. I look up and smile ever so sweetly and say "I paint skeletons because they're fun!"

An Observation

What makes one artist think they excel above all other artists? I just do NOT get it! And it frustrates me. There are so many wonderful artists in this town. All different. Most of them unique. Quite a few are copycats but I still believe that two people can create the same work of art and yet they'll both come out different. I don't ever rate my artwork as being "better" than anybody else. And yet I see other so-called artist do it all the time. I have been snubbed by many people who have named themselves "true artists." Perhaps because they have enough money to sustain themselves and the free time to create art at whim. Perhaps because they carry a BFA or an MFA degree and feel that their degree entitles them to tell other artists how they should live their lives. I wish I had the time to become a "true artist." But I have a family and I have to earn an income to help pay our mortgage. So yes I will do things that are not truly original works of art, but are much more likely to sell at an art show. I wish I had a degree in art but truth is, school was never my strong point and I never had the desire. That might change one day, but for now I am learning more trying to break into the art field than I ever would in a classroom. So many ugly little people here in this little town with ugly little attitudes. And all I can do is shake my head and know that I will never ever behave like that.

Working Hard & Trying to Stay Focused

Things haven't been easy. I'm on a weight loss journey and I've hit some really rocky times. I'm working hard but the rewards have been few and far in between. It's hard to stay focused on losing weight, and it's even harder to stay focused on creating art. But I don't have any more time to whine. I have two shows in April and I really want them both to be successful. I also have a friend of mine who is an incredibile seamstress...and truth is I hate using the word seamstress because it's far too mundane of a description for the work this woman does...she is truly an artist extraordinaire. In all aspects. And I've hired her to make me a wearable work of art skirt to wear for my shows. I can't wait! I'll post pics when it's finished!

More originals that I've finished up for San Antonio! I'm starting on a commission order for a Guadalupe nicho. I've decided to go with a pomegranate motif. Pomegranates represent amazing things. Fertility. Life. Rebirth. It's been said that the gown of the original Guadalupe is decorated in flowers that are very similar to pomegranates, so I think that design will go perfect on this nicho. This is not a fully original nicho, I'm using a decoupaged image of Guadalupe...but the rest of it will be hand painted. I'll post pics as it progresses. Enough for now. I have three large pieces that I've just primered and are waiting for color! Hasta luego amigos!

Back On Track

San Antonio Fiesta Arts Fair is just around the corner! Time has flown and my inventory has shrunk. The work has been going rather slow for a variety of reasons, but it's time to get my butt into gear! The paintings that I've just finished have a theme. For some reason Mardi Gras is in my head and I've decided to roll with that theme to create what I feel are some really rockin' paintings! I have one more that I'm working on and should finish by this weekend. Then it's on to mermaids. I went ahead and signed up for another show in April. Could be a mistake and I might be putting myself under too much stress, but actually we could really use the extra dinero it might bring in, so I'm goin' for it. It's a new show. I don't know that the attendance will be good since new shows are questionable. It's up in Bernalillo which is just outside of Albuquerque. It's a Dia de Los Muertos show...yeah kinda early I know...but then in my mundo it's Dia de Los Muertos everyday! jeje I figure I'll crank out some decoupaged mirrors, boxes, candles and a few new originals too. But I'm betting on the lower priced items for this show. And then only one week after that it's off to San Antonio. Here's hoping that awful cold I have right now is at the end and I can get back to work. My painting hand is antsy!

It's Been A Bumpy Ride

The end of 2008 brought some difficult times for the people in my life. And just when I thought I had made it through the year with relatively little drama! ha.
Anyways, it's been hard to get real motivated with original art, so I've worked on my regular decoupaged mirrors and plaques to bring in some extra holiday money. My etsy shop is probably more full right now that it's ever been so if you've gotta few minutes to spare, please stop by...because I sure can use some traffic thataway!

These are the only two paintings I did in December. Interesting mix here, huh? I guess it all goes with my erratic emotions and merciless hot flashes. hmm.

On the left is one of my favorite images La Dolorosa. She's done in black and gold which apparently has become a habit for me. I tried to do her in beautiful rich shades of reds and blues but to no avail. I just didn't like it. It seems that black and gold are the only things that work in my head.
Next to her is the flaming redhead Rita Hayworth...calavera style of course. I enjoy painting these whimsical images and for some reason the actual painting just seems to flow so smoothly. I finished Rita up in about two hours, but the Dolorosa took me a couple of days. Is my head trying to tell me something?
We did find out that the San Antonio Show I'm vending at in April runs at the same time as San Antonio's citywide Fiesta time. Which to me means...more people...more potential contacts and customers! Not to mention the fact that the more I read about San Antonio, the more I want to visit. Since the whole family is going, we'll be doing the whole touristy thing. But my husband and I are very interested in the actual history of the town and it's occupants. So if anyone has any suggestions, please head 'em this way!
Okay I'm off to the airport to go pick up my daughter who has been visiting family in California for the past two weeks. I'll be glad to have her back home. I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season and let's pray for a healthy happy 2009! Felicidades!