Official Invitation

Here is the official invitation for this year's Master in Art Education Exhibition (I was the designer). It will take place at the Patricia and Phillip Frost Art Museum... I will have four or five paintings featured. Hope to see you all there!!!!

Thesis Teaser

Finally!!!!!!!!!!!!! Today I turned in my thesis!!!!!! Woo-hoo!!!!

The final presentation is not until December 3rd, but the only things left to do now are minor adjustments...

I just wanted to give you a little teaser of what I will be presenting and I wanted to invited you to our Master Thesis Show taking place December 8th from 6pm to 9pm at the Patricia and Philip Frost Art Museum... Official invitation to be posted soon....

This painting is part of my series and one of my favorites. The man that changed my life and made me the painter I am today: Professor David Y. Chang...

Enjoy!!!

Professor Chang

24"x36"

Oil on Canvas

For Yvette...

Just as a small break from my thesis, I created this colorful bromeliad... This time I experimented with quartz crystals in order to create my own surface for the pastels. I learned this technique while I studied with Daniel Greene... I applied it to masonite board, and I have to confess I missed the "bounce" that you get when you work on something softer, so next time I will do this same experiment on canvas. I'll let you know how it goes...

"Polychromatic Bromeliad"

10"x10"

25.4 cm x 24.5 cm

Pastel on Masonite Board

Available for sale here

Photo-retouching

Because of my limited time to produce other paintings while I work on my thesis, I have found myself experimenting more and more with digital media. I am especially intrigued with photo-retouching possibilities. I was trying to create an old picture feel with an emphasis on the lightning. You can see the before and after pictures here... Enjoy!

"Sofy"

Digital Image

Digital Art

I received this special commission from one of my closest friends. He just got married a month ago and wanted to give his wife a little something to remember him by... He came to me and I decided that in the time frame that he needed it by this was the best option. The good thing about this is that the colors can be easily adjusted to the liking of the client and you can print it in any size you want. We ended up choosing a different color scheme, but I have posted two of the options that we explored.

"JC & Giovanna"

Digital Images

Private Collection

Golf

Here is the result of a painting I have been working on... The client wanted a golf related beachy scene with two men depicted. I gathered several references online and came up with this...

"Golf"

9"x12"

Pastel on La Carte Paper

Private Collection

Backyard

While I continue to work on my thesis (I just begun portrait #6 out of 10)... Here is a quick painting I did of my aunt's backyard in Orlando... It was not a very sunny day but there was still some light.


"Tia Mercedes' Backyard"
Pastel on La Carte Paper
9"x12"
$150

Back to Reality

Ladies and gentlemen,


I am back in Miami and today I bring my best painting from the workshop I took with Mr. Daniel E. Greene. It was a great experience. I met a lot of new people and I learned several things that I had been wondering about before...

This is Vito, our model for the morning session. I think this painting came out great... I had lots of trouble photographing it though. I couldn't get rid of all the glare...



"Vito"
18"x24"
Oil on Canvas

Bussiness Cards

Ufff.... I am sorry I have not posted these last two days, but I had been hard at work designing the logo and the business cards for wx.studio... My boyfriend Paolo A. Arce and I burnt our eyelashes trying to figure out the design. He wanted to have something more minimalist and architectural and I wanted something colorful that would represent who I am... We finally came up with a concept we both loved and therefore, this will be applied to this blog as well as my website. We make such a good team! :)

The latest news are that I will be leaving to North Salem, NY to attend a portrait workshop by Daniel E. Greene. This is why I wanted to have my new business cards ready to do some networking... I will probably not be able to post while I am there (I don't even know if I will have internet access), but I promise to show you the results once I come back...

I have also been painting for my thesis, and let me tell you I am really happy with the results...

So here it is! A world premiere! (LOL) My new business cards!!!

P.S. I also offer graphic design services in case any of you ever need them...

Rural Pear

This is an example of what a burst of inspiration can do. I just took out my pastels and did it! I wished every painting would go this way...

OK, OK, I confess... I do like the sweet torture of personal artistic growth... Does that make artists masochists in a way?


"Country Pear"
6"x9"
15.2cm x 22.9cm
Pastel on Sennelier La Carte Paper

Caballo

I thought I would post this horse I painted as a gift for my father back when I was in high school! Now that I look back I was always an artist...

"Untitled"

18"x24"

Acrylic on Paper

Private Collection

Commission

I had been waiting to post this one until after Father's Day; it was a very special commission that was to be given as a gift on that day. This is a posthumous portrait of my friend's mom. I am very honored to have been commended with such an important task. Thankfully she loved the results and finally gave me permission to post it.

"Martha Cecilia"

16"x20"

40.6cm x 61cm

Pastel on La Carte Paper

Private Collection

Sheep Sketch

I worked on my friend Sofy's portrait for my thesis today; so I decided to post a study I did of the Sheep I encountered at Mont Saint Michel in France two years ago (I cannot believe it has been that long!!!)... I love the colors and the fluidity of the strokes...

"Study of the Sheep at Mont Saint Michel"
9"x12"
Gouache and Ink on Paper
$130 (Shipping Included)

From Colombia with Love...

I am sorry I did not post yesterday but I went to pick up my parents and my sister from the airport and all in all it was a hectic day!
However, today I bring for you a painting from a photo taken by my mom. She got it for me while visiting the local market in Cali, Colombia. Juicy tangerines with green skin... I can't wait to go back to take lots more pictures, the variety over there is just amazing! And the food tastes so much "brighter." Also, I decided to take out my pastels because I missed them. I will concentrate on them once I get a little time off from thesis...

"Green Tangerines"
Pastel on Sennlier La Carte Paper
7.9" x11.5"
$130 (Shipping Included)

Teaser

For today's painting, I have decided to give you a little teaser of what I have been doing for my thesis. Why? Two reasons:
1. I could not resist
2. I wanted to prove that I have not been slacking but rather working diligently on my portraits.
Now, don't be fooled, this painting is actually something like 18"x36" and you can see the rest of my body as well. However, I want to keep the rest of the image as a surprise for our graduation master show in December.
And now I am off to dance some salsa!!!

"Self-Portrait" (Detail)
Oil on Canvas
Not for Sale

Eye Candy

I was wondering what the subject for my next painting should be and then it came to me: The World Cup!!!!
While most of the planet is hooked to their TVs I decided to be part of the celebration by depicting one of the hottest men on the planet. Do you recognize him? His name is Cristiano Ronaldo, he plays for Portugal, unfortunately during the last game besides looking pretty he did little else... Whatever! He is still hot...

"Eye Candy" (Study)
9"x12"
22.9cm x 30.5cm
Mixed Media
$120 (Shipping Included)

Cat Study

I forgot to mention I have been getting a few reference photos from the web in order to paint... But don't worry! They are under the creative commons license, meaning I can transform them into a painting. Just one detail, I have to give credit to the photographer, her name is D Sharon Pruitt.
This cat study is from one of her photographs... Not a usual subject for me because I have to admit I am more of a dog person, even though I looooove animals...

Oh!!!
And after I stood up for like five seconds I found this beautiful sight... Thank God the painting was already dry!!!


"Cat Study"
9"x12"
22.9cm x 30.5cm
Mixed Media
$120 (Shipping Included)

Study in Pencil

I've always heard that drawing eggs is hard but very useful if you want to understand value a little more. I did this quick study of one and I think it came out pretty good. And now, I have to go back to the huge portrait I'm painting...

"Quick Egg Study"
Pencil on Paper
Not for Sale

Yummy Kiwis

More watercolor!!! This time featuring one of my favorite color combinations. I also like the sketchy feeling of it.
I sketched two more big paintings today, the first one went like a breeze, the other one I am still struggling with... It is work work work with those portraits, but I am hoping everything will be worth at the end.

"Kiwis"
9"x6"
22.9cm x 15.2cm
Watercolor on Paper
$110 (Shipping Included)

More Experiments...

I have continued to work with watercolors and I love them because the medium has a different consistency which allows me to work a little quicker. Why is that important? Well, if you have been reading the blog for the past few days you have probably guessed correctly: Thesis.
I have made some progress. Today I finished the sketch of the first out of the ten large paintings I have to complete. However, I do not want to post the progress nor the final results because I want to keep that as a surprise for the final show.
I will take pictures of the process though, so that I can share it with you later on.

"Pink Flower"
9"x12"
22.9cm x 30.5cm
Watercolor on Paper
$130 (Shipping Included)

Sketch by the Lake

I was driving back home from work but I decided to stop by the complex next to mine because it had this wonderful view of a "flamboyan" (that is what the tree with the orange flowers is called in Spanish - I think they are called Royal Poinsettia in English) and the water. I stopped there and started painting, but the heat and the humidity was sooooo horrible I had to pick up and go... Getting a tan and painting... That is what I call multi-tasking!

"Flamboyan"
9"x12"
Watercolor on Paper
$120 (Shipping Included)

Study

One of my boyfriend's classmates was taking a painting class and she gave me a few pictures of babies she had leftover. I had never painted a baby before so I decided this was an interesting study for today's painting.

"Baby Study"
8"x10"
20.3cm x 20.3cm
Watercolor on Paper
$130 (Shipping Included)

Cecilia Beaux

Today's post is a quick watercolor study from a painting by Cecilia Beaux. She was a wonderful American artist who is many times ignored during art history classes. I recommend you check her out if you are into portraits. She worked in a style similiar to that of John Singer Sargent...

"Thomas Francis Cadwalder" After Cecilia Beaux (Study)
8"x10"
20.3cm x 20.3cm
Watercolor on Paper
$130 (Shipping Included)

Hidden Treasure

Back to my bromeliad concentration.
I was soooo happy when I took the reference photo for this one... I thought I was done photographing bromeliads in my father-in-law's house, but I had not driven one block when I saw this nice orange bromeliad and I had to stop to take a shot of it. What a wonderful surprise when I looked in the center of it and I found this "hidden treasure." For me, it is all the small details that make life so great and worth living. Nature never ceases to amaze me.

"Hidden Treasure"
8"x10"
20.3cm x 20.3cm
Oil on Canvas
Private Collection

Gerberas

I am feeling this one a little more... The reference photo for this picture was taken in Sarasota in the lobby of the hotel. They had all these cute gerberas adorning the coffee tables.

"Simply Gerberas"
8"x10"
20.3cm x 20.3cm
Oil on Canvas

Primo

I worked a little bit more on the portrait I mentioned yesterday. Although I am not 100% satisfied, I do give myself some props for completing it in the time I did and doing so from a picture that was taken with flash.
Having realized the pressure of doing around 10 huge portraits for thesis, I have been second guessing myself and wondering if I can actually do this. But working on this painting taught me to be a little persistent.
This is one of my cousins from my mother's side of the family.

"Luis Albertico"
8"x10"
20.3cm x 20.3cm
Oil on Canvas

Finally... the grapes

I decided to be bold and overcome my issues with this painting (mostly because the portrait I came up with today did not work... again!). I am posting them here just as they were. I see that they were not that bad after all, but I definitely want to try this challenge again!

By the way... I made it to the top ten in the daily painter contest!!!! Thank you all for your support! But now I need a LOT more votes to be among the top 5. This round of voting will continue until June 8. Please let your family and friends know. Thank you....
http://www.dailypainters.com/blog/contest


"Red Grapes"
8"x10"
20.3cm x 20.3cm
Oil on Canvas

Citrus

I know I said I would post the grapes, but I am still not sure about them. Meanwhile, I painted these oranges, once again under the recommendation of my mom.
I tried to do something different with the background this time, I think it worked out. Here they are...

"Three Oranges"
8"x10"
20.3cm x 20.3cm
Oil on Canvas

Figure Studies

As you know, I have been working hard on my thesis. I have been researching different portrait artists as well as figurative artists, and I decided to quickly reproduce two of them. One of them by Bouguereau, the other one by Frans Hals. I also tried painting grapes today... I think I am going to post those later to give myself some time to work more on them. It was my first time painting them, and oh God... I guess you will see by yourselves...
But now, I am off to enjoying my weekend...


"Study After Frans Hals"
8.5"x11"
Pencil and Marker on Paper

"Study After Bouguereau"
8.5"x11"
Pencil on Paper

P.S. The first round of voting is almost over, please visit:
http://www.dailypainters.com/contest
and vote for me!!! Thank you for your support!!!

Cherries

I had begun a small portrait today but it came out horrible so I wiped it off...
Thankfully, my mom brought these cherries from the supermarket and suggested I painted them. She saved the day!

"Cherrylicious"
Oil on Canvas
8"x10"
20.3cm x 20.3cm
Available for Sale Here

Abstract

Continuing my "affair" with color, I had been wanting to try painting something abstract and bright. I decided to do it in a small scale due to my inexperience with the subject. The process was fun but more complicated than what I initially imagined. Lots of yummy texture going on in this one, and I love how it looks on gallery wrapped canvas. I included a detail shot after this one...


"Abstract with Yellow"
6"x6"
15.2cm x 15.2 cm
Oil on Gallery Wrapped Canvas
$110 (Shipping Included)

Preview

I did not get to paint today. I was working on my thesis photographs again. I'm excited but at the same time scared of what I got myself into... My mind tells me I cannot do it, but my heart says I can pull it off. Hopefully everything will work out at the end.
Even though I did not use oils, I did not want to let the day pass by without doing something art related. So, I drew my friend Ivan, one of my subjects for my thesis paintings.

"Ivan"
9"x12"
Pencil and Charcoal on Paper

Teapot - Donated & Sold

A quick study today, and I have to admit I did use my artistic license on this one... I could not resist the purples that were coming up as I painted.
I started doing my photoshoots for my thesis portraits, that is why I did not have much time to paint. Perhaps later I will attempt the same teapot more "true to life."
By the way, today I was very happy because I found a new home for four of my bromeliad paintings in Dallas, Texas!!! This gives me a great incentive to keep up with this daily discipline.

"Silver Teapot"
8"x8"
20.3cm x 20.3cm
Oil on Canvas

P.S. Don't forget to vote for the next daily painter... It is getting closer and closer to the end of this round of voting...
http://dailypainters.com/blog/contest

More Produce... -SOLD-

I went to my local supermarket to take some more pictures for this fruits/vegetables series and I got kicked out... lol!!! I explained I was an artist and I just needed some harmless pictures of their produce section and they refuted saying that it was company policy. Oh well!!! At least I got to take a few snapshots, including this illegal shot of juicy tomatoes...

"Juicy Tomatoes"
8"x8"
20.3cm x 20.3cm
Oil on Gallery Wrapped Canvas
-SOLD-

P.S. Just a reminder that I am participating on a contest to see who becomes the next featured artist on the daily painters gallery. If you would like to vote for me just go to this website: http://dailypainters.com/blog/contest
and click on the stars on top of my name. Thank you!!!

My son...

I'm posting a little late today... I was not feeling the painting thing at all this afternoon. But then I decided to paint "my son" and everything worked out just fine. I present to you mi gordito consentido, the love of my life, the doggie we have been lucky to have for almost fourteen years: Copito!

"Copito"
8"x10"
20.3cm x 25.4cm
Oil on Canvas

P.S. I wish the picture would do justice to all the colors that are really going on in this painting...

Bromeliad Bromeliad Bromeliad -SOLD-

Continuing with the Bromeliad series. Yummy colors on this one...
My professor approved my topic for thesis, so I will be doing some preliminary studies that I will probably post here as well.

"Green Bromeliad" -SOLD-
8"x10"
20.3cm x 25.4cm
Oil on Canvas
Private Collection

Chontaduros

For those of you that do not know what the subject of this painting is, these are called chontaduros. They are a fruit that is native to South and Central America. It comes from a palm and it is very popular in my city, Cali, Colombia. We eat it with salt and honey... I miss them so much!!! They sell them in Miami, but in a jar rather than fresh. I guess it is better than nothing, but you cannot compare that to the experience of eating them in the streets of Cali.

"Chontaduros"
8"x10"
20.3cm x 25.4cm
Oil on Canvas
$200

From France...

I spent the day with my boyfriend's aunt who came from Colombia, so today I am posting a pastel painting that I completed yesterday. This is a scene taken from a photograph I took in Giverny where Monet lived, it is his Japanese garden. Such a peaceful place...

"Monet's Japanese Garden"
11.75"x15.75"
Pastel on La Carte Paper
$210 (Shipping Included)

Don't forget to vote for me at:
http://www.dailypainters.com/blog/contest

Daily Painting

Here is an unusual post...

I started this project of daily paintings among other reasons to join one of my favorite online galleries: www.dailypainters.com
Now, I applied for their contest to see if I would be chosen as "the next daily painter" and I was chosen as one of the 20 finalists!!!!
But now I need your vote...

http://dailypainters.com/blog/contest

Thank you!!!!!

Fork

As promised, I present to you: The fork...

"Fork"
8"x10"
25.4cm x 20.3cm
Oil on Canvas
Private Collection

Cutlery

After painting the zucchini with the fork and the spoon, I decided to make them the center of attention this time... The fork will be posted tomorrow.

"Spoon"
8"x10"
Oil on Canvas
Private Collection

Break!!!

Today's painting is the result of taking a little break from fruits and bromeliads... The reason? Yesterday I had my first thesis meeting, and because I want to do portraits as my concentration I could not resist trying to paint one. I also found this "recipe" for oil medium that I wanted to experiment with. Turns out it worked out great!!!! I will definitely be using it from here on... You learn something new every day! Anyway, here it is... My boyfriend: Paolo.

"Portrait Study (Paolo)"
8"x10"
Oil on Canvas
$130 (Shipping Included)

More Bromeliads...

Aghhh... This was a hard piece to complete. I think I will work on it a little bit more later on... It was hard for me to get the colors right. It is all about trial and error in painting. And it is well known that everytime you paint you will not end up with a masterpiece... I just hope that with this practice it will become a little more common occurrence :)

"Blue Bromeliad"
8"x10"
Oil on Canvas
$130 (Shipping Included)

Madder Bromeliad - SOLD-

Posting a little late today. I had to go pick up my boyfriend from the airport... I am sooo happy to see him. He spent two weeks in Colombia visiting his family. This bromeliad is actually from his father's front yard...
Loving the colors here... The name of the painting comes from one of my favorite hues in my palette: Madder Lake Deep.

"Madder Bromeliad" -SOLD-
8"x10"
Oil on Canvas
Private Collection

More Zucchini

Same arrangement as the previous one but from a different vantage point and with a different color fabric... Very frustrating piece... It took me longer than all the other ones. This painting marks the end of my second week as a daily painter.

"Plate of Zucchini"
8"x10"
Oil on Canvas
$130 (Shipping Included)