I'm alive!!!

Here is a painting I have been working on for quite some time... I have been dealing with life lately... the latest news is that I'll be getting married next January (:D) and so all the paperwork and the respective courses at the Church have been taking up most of my attention. However, I squeezed in a little bit of painting and I am FINALLY able to reveal this one...

And, even better, I already began the next one!!!! You will see it soon, I have a good feeling about it...

"Bromeliad Trifecta"

30"x40"

Oil on Canvas

Quick Study

I went to meet my friend Doris last Saturday at her studio at Lincoln Road's Art Center. We hung out for a while, had some wine and many laughs. I got to paint this quick study since we had to get back home and it was getting pretty late...

Good times...

"Memories of a Night at Doris' Studio"

9"x12"

Pastel on Board

Digital Painting

Lately I have been doing lots of graphic design. I decided to buy a tablet and I feel sooo overwhelmed and happy because the possibilities are endless!!!! It is sooooo exciting!!! I started painting digitally and here is my first try, a portrait of my dad...

Hope you like it!

"Jairito"

Digital Painting

Cherry Challenge

The same day I bought the onions I picked up a little tray of cherries for my mom. I decided to do something different and paint them in a way that goes"against" my usual style. In other words, I wanted a composition with several small items rather than a close up of one or two things.

These were quite the challenge, especially because I lacked the dark values of the cherries in my pastel set. However, by adjusting the rest of the values accordingly I was able to pull it off.

I'm so happy!!!! I keep hearing my professor's words in my head, and every time I paint I understand his teachings a little more.

"Cherries Hanging Out"

9"x12"

Pastel on Board

Available for Sale Here

Onions

Today when I got out from work I felt a sudden wave of inspiration, so I drove to the local supermarket to find my next "victim." After looking around for a while I decided to pick up some onions. The spot lights from the store made me see colors I had never seen on them.

I got home and started setting up my composition (the glass of water is supposed to help in reducing the amount of tears you shed while cutting them -it has never worked for me-).

Hope you like them!

"Tres Cebollas"

11"x14"

Pastel on Panel

Double Portrait

I have been working hard on this double portrait that features my cousin and his fiancee. They plan to get married next year...

"Luis Albertico & Monica"

18"x24"
Pastel on Board
-SOLD-

Lotus Flower

Here is one of the paintings that debuted in the show I did at Marce's at the beginning of the month. I got the idea from a photograph I took while visiting the Fruit and Spice park in the Redlands.

The "pushing and pulling" I had to manage in order to achieve the effect of depth in this piece was quite the challenge! Every painting is a learning experience :)

Compositions where there are lots of elements trying to capture one's attention require a great deal of deliberate decisions. Gotta keep painting to get better!!!!

Special thanks to JC and Giovanna for the canvas ;)

"Lotus Flower"

16"x20"

Oil on Canvas

Invitation

You are all cordially invited!!!

A Pair of Granadillas

This is my second granadilla painting. These fruits are the cousins of the passion fruit. They remind me of my childhood in Colombia and of my recent trip to Cali last December when my aunt used to buy them for me :)

I used two completely different reference photos for this one, something I have never done before, but I really like the result.

I hope you enjoy the roundness and the colors as much as I do!


"Un par de Granadillas"
24"x36"
Pastel on Board
Available for Sale

Mission Accomplished!

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Here is the completed painting commission that I got all the way from my homeland: Cali, Colombia!!! It was sent to its new home last Monday. Hopefully I will get a picture of it framed in its final destination so I can share it with you...

I love the colors and the composition. You can see a picture of it in process in the previous post.



"Hide and Seek"
40"x50"
Oil on Canvas
-SOLD-
Private Collection

Studio Update

Soooo... here you have it! Studio update as promised!

I would say I am around 85% done with the orange bromeliads and 70% done with the green ones. I love them both!!! You can probably guess why I have had so much fun with them: I have been able to use lots and lots of colors! Especially those I don't usually get to play with when painting other subjects. I couldn't be happier :)

I don't think I can call this work!!! It can be more accurately described as similar to the action of eating one delicious, decadent dessert.

End results to be posted soon...

Work! Work! Work!

I am working on several paintings at the moment. I decided to post this picture of my studio to show you the beginnings of a commission I am working on, and two figure paintings with the same model, my friend Sharon. I am only missing two elements to make this a complete studio: the A/C and the model stand. I can't wait!!! (All of the paintings on this picture are available for sale except for the orange bromeliads on the easel).

I will be beginning a very big oil bromeliad that will keep me busy for a while, but I will keep you posted ;)

Head Study

This painting was produced at Olivier's studio last Friday. The model once again was Daniel, and since it was the same pose, I decided to paint the back of his head rather than his whole body which I had done a couple of weeks ago in pastel.

This is my first painting on a gesso panel prepared with my own hands. Olivier and Julio were kind to share their "secret recipe" and I am glad for it. I found that I had to be a lot more patient because it takes more than one coat to get the color and texture desired, but once you get there it is a breeze!

"Study of Daniel's Head"

$320

Oil on Panel

A Kiss From The Sun -SOLD-

Bright beautiful colors!!! Does it get any better than that!?!?

Using my yummy pastels I tried to capture the beautiful orange bromeliads as they were being kissed by the sun rays. I hope this painting inspires you to go outside, pause for a moment, listen to the birds chirping, and take in the beauty around you.

"Sun-kissed Bromeliads"

11"x14"

Pastel on Board

Private Collection

New Surface

I present to you: the newest addition to my bromeliad series. This time I experimented a little bit and used pastelbord as my surface. I thought I was not going to find anything better for pastels than Sennelier's La Carte Paper, but I am happy to announce that I was wrong!!! :)
I'm looking forward to using this wonderful board many, many times in the future!

"Blushing Bromeliad"
11"x14"
35.5x28 cm
Pastel on Board
-SOLD-

Daniel

This is another one of the figure studies I worked on at Olivier's studio... It was a challenge to try and squeeze a full figure into a small surface. But that was exactly what I was looking for... Challenge=growth!!!

"Figure Study - Daniel"
15 3/4"x12"
Pastel on Sennelier La Carte Paper
$180 (Shipping and Handling Included)

MOCA!!!

Ladies and gentlemen,

I will be presenting at MOCA's 5 mins. of fame event. Please see flyer below. I hope you can join me!!!!

Pear Pear Pear

This is my second attempt at painting from my imagination. I love the fact that I have free reign to play with all the colors, especially those that many times get neglected to the "back" of the pastel box. I think this worked out really well. What do you think?

"Sexy Pear"

15 3/4"x12"

Pastel on Sennelier La Carte Paper

Dreamy Pears

I painted this entirely from my imagination. I wanted to get away a little bit from the technicalities of painting and experiment a little more with my "artistic license." I tend to get stuck on using only the colors I see, so in this one I had room to play. Not bad for the first time I try this exercise!

"Dreamy Pears"
12"x15 3/4"
Pastel on Sennelier La Carte Paper
$180 (Shipping and Handling Included)

Pear Trifecta

I looove this one. The colors, the chubbiness of the pears, the composition... Yummy!!!!

"Pear Trifecta"
12"x11.5"
Pastel on Sennelier La Carte Paper

More Bromeliads...

In keeping with my idea of creating a series exclusively of Bromeliads, I painted this one with the hope of it being full of one of my favorite colors: green... I was also aiming at creating a semi-abstract composition by choosing to capture the image from up close rather than the whole plant seen from a distance. Just as an update, this piece will be part of the Spring into Art Auction that will take place in the Lowe Art Museum of the University of Miami, March 11th at 7:00pm.

"Green Explosion"

Oil on Canvas

24"x24"

61cm x 61cm

Private Collection

Gotta please your mom!

Since my parents bought their first house at the end of last year, my mom asked me for a painting for the dining room. She wanted a colorful fruit. I don't know what it is about pears. Maybe I identify with them a little bit because of their shape (LOL), so that is what we chose. This painting took several sessions, even though I thought it was going to be really easy, but I am really happy with the end result. I will try to post the final "look" once we get it framed and on our wall. Apparently she is very pleased, but now she wants me to paint a triptic for the living room...
You may have also noticed that this is the first time I am using the new watermark (my logo) in the blog...



"Pera Multicolor"
40"x30"
Oil on Canvas
Private Collection

Ivan

I loved working on this piece! It just flowed!!! This is my friend Ivan who is into Poker and has a mischievous personality. I decided keep the mood of the painting a little mysterious by lighting him from the bottom up and asking him to assume that intriguing pose...
"Poker Face"
36"x24"
Oil on Canvas

Japanese Anime Anyone?

The following is a portrait of my sister in which I decided to give a subtle reference to Japanese animation by using this typical pose of "damsel in distress." I really enjoyed this piece...

"Viviana"

24"x30"

Oil on Canvas

Paolo

This is the painting I did of my boyfriend. I wanted something that would be reminiscent of architecture, so I put him in a high vantage point (you can see the buildings in the back) and he is sitting in a Barcelona Chair, which is an icon of furniture design by German American architect Mies van der Rohe...

"Paolo"

6'x4'

Oil on Canvas

Self-Portrait

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am back!!! I left town for the Holiday Season to spend some time in my homeland, but now I want to share with you the work I produced during my thesis...

"Self-Portrait"

18"x36"

Oil on Canvas