Hot Pink and the New Year

This is my last bromeliad of 2013!
I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas, may the new year bring you and your loved ones lots of blessings. I will be showing you muse number 5 soon... For now, just enjoy the almost scandalous colors of this beautiful flower!

"Hot Pink Bromeliad"
20"x20"
Oil on Gallery Wrapped Canvas
Available for Sale Here 
You can also purchase it via my Etsy Shop

Instagram Live Demo & Other Good News

 
I came home today full of inspiration. I discovered some pieces of Canson paper in my studio and my husband cut them in nice little squares. I knew I wanted to use pastels. I used my smart phone to take pictures of the process and proceeded to post my process on Instagram as it happened. I was quite happy to see that people were looking at my "live demo!" It is sooo exciting to receive that instant gratification that only social media allows you to have. Anyhow, I could not leave my blog followers out of the loop, so here are the pictures for your enjoyment.

By the way, I have two good news:
#1 - I was picked as "judge's choice" in the November Daily Paintworks contest!
#2 - "Daring Bromeliad" was accepted to an exhibition at the Limner Gallery in Hudson, NY next February!!!

Yay me!!!

"Bowl of Apples"
Pastel on Paper
10"X10"
You can purchase it here...

Instagram Obsession & Shameless Advertising

After much resisting due to time constraints and whatnot, I decided to open my very own Instagram account. I am now addicted since I get instant gratification after each post. I can share my artwork with millions of people around the world in a matter of seconds!!!

Best of all, I get to connect with other incredible artists who enrich the planet with their beautiful creations.  I was star struck for a moment yesterday, when while playing around with the app I posted my charcoal self portrait and tagged one of my favorite contemporary artists: Jeremy Lipking. Although he probably does this with hundreds of people each day (who knows?!), he actually took the time to look and like my post (as evidenced by the picture above). I startled my husband when I screamed out in happiness and glee to find out that the equivalent of a Hollywood celebrity in my mind had taken the time to look at my self-portrait. Take some time to look at his work, he is A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.

I invite you to join me in this new and exhilarating quest!

By the way, did you know I am also a graphic artist? I have a blog where I post some of my creations, in case you haven't visited click here.

Four Models...

 

Muse #5 has been photographed and is currently on the sketching phase. As you can see above, my sister was kind enough to pose for me, and I have to say she looked beautiful and was a really good model! (posing is easier said than done). Thank you Viviana!!!!
I captured lots of good reference pictures that I may be using in the future, including the one here, which was one of the candidates for the painting but didn't make it to the "final round."

You may also be wondering what kind of muses are in picture at the bottom. Well, I also had a couple of other models that decided to go on the spotlight that night. My father, as well as Yogi (white maltese) and Brandy (black Portuguese water dog who has now been with us for the past 5 months!).

Yes, we are a very photogenic family ;)

Self Portrait at 27

 
This is the final assignment of the class. We had to draw ourselves showing how we used some of the muscle groups of the face. I think this was incredibly successful and I am sooo happy with myself that I cannot wait to try my new skills with paint!

If you are in the market for a portrait, I am accepting commissions! If you want something just like this, head and shoulders with charcoal, there is a flat rate of $650 per face. Write me a message if you would like more information! I especially recommend getting some pointers before taking the picture, since not every photograph will make a successful drawing/painting.

L'écorché by Jean-Antoine Houdon

This was the second to last drawing of my class. The figure was done with graphite and the background with charcoal. It looks pretty scary or perhaps like something that should belong in a medical school. Well, let me tell you that in order to understand and be able to depict the human body successfully, one needs to understand its structure. Artists have been studying anatomy for hundreds of years, some of them even dissected corpses (including Da Vinci, Gericault among many others!).
This particular piece was done by Houdon as a study for his John the Baptist sculpture and eventually became more famous than the final product.

Unfortunately, much of this knowledge is no longer taught in art schools these days, but I am fortunate to have one of the few professors in America who has the information and is willing to share it with his students (a highly unusual combination). Once again, I am referring to the one and only David Y. Chang.

Professor Chang gave us a lecture on morphology and taught us all the bones and muscles of the head. It was freaking amazing!!! I now know things like the zygomatic arch, squama, the great wing of sphenoid, condyle, levator labii superioris, orbicularis oris, buccinator, depressor septi, etc. I really hope he decides to teach that figure drawing class.

Apples and Honey

Just a quick study with pastel that I did to get some color in my life after all that charcoal/graphite activity...

"Apples and Honey"
9"x12"
Available for Sale Here

Classical Drawing Report

 

 

 

 

I feel incredibly happy and at the same time very nostalgic from having finished my classical drawing class. It was a lot of work, but I also miss the camaraderie and the environment that develops when you put several artists together. My professor David Y. Chang was able to top himself (NOT an easy task) by giving us a morphology lesson as well as bringing old books to exemplify some of this teachings. One of them was Luca Pacioli's "De Divina Proportione" where Leonardo Da Vinci illustrated complex geometric shapes with silverpoint, a medium that cannot be erased. This demonstrated to the world how confident he was about his skills.

Here are some of the drawings I produced during the class. Please note they are not necessarily finished, since we had limited time to work on them in the classroom. From top to bottom:

Sphere Study (from imagination)
The Silver Cup after Chardin
Geometric Shapes study
Fruit, metal and glass still life
La Jeune Femme study

These were all done either with graphite or charcoal. I will post some more of my drawings soon...

A little French in your drawing?

In case you didn't know, the French were instrumental in the development of drawing and painting in the world. The Palais des Études of the École Nationale Superieur des Beaux-Arts also known as the French Academy or Beaux Arts proved to be the preferred source of great art for kings and emperors alike. It is also the origin of the "pedigree" of great american artists like Thomas Eakins, Robert Beverly Hale, Norman Rockwell, Daniel E. Greene among many others. Pictured above is the writer of this blog in the courtyard of the school in Paris back in 2008.

If you do your research, you will find most great contemporary figurative painters are somehow connected to this great institution, not necessarily because they attended that school, but perhaps their professor, or the professor of their professor went there. Hopefully one day somebody will be researching me and finding that I too, was connected to this school ;)

Well, my homework for this week is to draw one of the most famous faces in art, studied by thousands of students throughout the world. Most people don't know the face belongs to the death mask of a lady that was found drowned in the Seine River. No one ever claimed her, but she became a legend because of her beauty and pleasant expression: "La Jeune Femme." 

For now I am only sharing the struggle of just having to draw her, but I will report my process soon...

 

Classical Drawing & Wisdom from my Parents...

Like my parents always insist, if one sets out to do something, one should work to become the best at it. Art, like most other things in life, is like math, if you don't know the basics you can't really get better at it. That is why I decided to take a classical drawing class again. I took classical drawing more or less six years ago, but since then, my professor restructured it to cover topics I never learned. It was the hardest art course of my degree and I had always dreaded the thought of doing it again.

Guess what? It turns out it is one of the best decisions I have ever taken. I am soooo happy with the new found knowledge about composition, veiling, the golden mean, among lots of other cool stuff. I am confident that I will become a much better painting because of this course. I can't wait to start trying out my new skills with paint!

Above is one of the master studies I worked on for "home studio."  The original is by Da Vinci, and although I am not there yet, I am definitely closer than I was six years ago when I tried it last. This time I actually enjoyed the exercise!!! Who would have thought??? (Back then it was mere torture).

I leave you with another bit of wisdom from my dad... "You can't learn how to swim by reading a book, you just have to throw yourself in the water" and that is exactly what I'm trying to do, figuratively, of course.

P.S. The study is not done, I mostly worked on working the value right on the shadows. I still have to work on the transition from light to dark and the lights :)

Going Back to the Comfort Zone...

I'm sure fellow painters can all relate to having some moments when you feel you have forgotten how to paint. One feels down and depressed and that usually causes you to avoid painting some more. What a vicious cycle!!! It is not very different from trying to lose weight and then giving in and eating whatever delicious treat comes your way (believe me, I know...) So! I have discovered that one of the best ways to get back into full gear is painting a subject that comes natural to you, that gives you back the confidence you need to get back on the saddle (I have not discovered the strategy for the losing weight part, if you do, let me know). For me, bromeliads are that subject.

I named this one thinking that it was almost obscene to pack sooo much delicious color into one painting. My original thought was in Spanish: "Descarada!" Oh well! It was just what the doctor ordered. Especially, after having a horrible cold for the past week...

"Daring Bromeliad"
16"x20"
Pastel on Board
Available for Sale Here

Meh!

I was debating whether I should show this one or not. It is the only little painting I have been able to fit into my schedule lately, and I am not happy about how the composition turned out. I do like other components of it like the creaminess of the paint on the guavas. Anyway, I figured this is about showing the struggles of being an artist and how every time you paint, it will not necessarily be a masterpiece!

"Three Little Guavas"
8"x8"
Oil on Gallery Wrapped Canvas
Available for Sale Here

Hot! Hot! Hot!

After painting this same subject on pastels, I decided to give it a try in oils and on a big scale. I really enjoy painting this type of compositions. I have noticed it is "my thing" to paint big, simple and colorful arrangements of the same element rather than a lot of different things on the same canvas.

I will try to get a better photograph of this one soon... I got home only an hour ago and there was not enough light. I was away with my hubby during the July 4th weekend visiting Savannah, GA and Charleston, SC. Beautiful towns!!! By the way, if you are ever is Savannah, you MUST go to dinner at the Olde Pink House, and please don't forget to stop by for a drink at the wine cellar/tavern on the basement...

God bless America!!!

"Double as Spicy"
Oil on Gallery Wrapped Canvas
24"x48"
Available for Sale Here

Muse...

I made some final changes to it and muse number four is ready to go!

If you compare it with the last picture I posted of it, can you spot the differences?

I cringe at the sight of the last one!!!


"Calliope"
36"x30"
Oil on Gallery Wrapped Canvas

Spicy!

 

I took the reference picture for this piece years ago... I was drinking milkshakes with two of my friends in one of the markets they have next to Krome Avenue.
If you are heading towards Homestead on this road, you will see lots of places where they sell fresh fruit, animals and plants. They call the area the Redlands and it seemed like a good place to drift back to during this rainy Sunday afternoon...

"Little Hotties"
8"x10"
Pastel on Board
Available for Sale Here

Important Event

Although this is not directly related to my paintings (but she will probably become my model in the near future), I wanted to share with you an important event in my life...
Brandy was found in the rain with horrible mats in her hair but thanking God and my husband Paolo (who finally gave me the approval!) she has now found her "forever home."

Having visited Miami Dade county's animal shelter, I can tell you that it was a VERY sad experience. I love animals, and seeing so many of them there was absolutely traumatizing; especially knowing it is a kill shelter (they euthanize 35,000 dogs per year!!!!).

If you are looking for a loyal companion who will give you unconditional love, you can find it there. There are all kinds of dogs and cats waiting for a loving home... please consider adopting before buying. They even microchip them!!!

Pensive Cat

When I saw this cat, I simply knew I had to paint it. The color of its eyes and fur are simply enchanting.

"Gray Cat"
8"x8"
Oil on Gallery Wrapped Canvas
Available for Sale Here

Le Chat

I had been wanting to paint a cat for some time. Since I don't own one and I recently discovered the awesome Paint my Photo website, the time finally came!!!
I really enjoyed this one, I decided to be "free" and not stress out with tiny details. It takes some effort and lots of practice to separate the control freak side of your brain from the creative one... I painted it with the idea that it should be viewed from afar to get the full effect of the light. I had the opportunity some time ago to see some of Sargent's paintings and it seemed to me that he used this technique, so I wanted to give it a try.

"Le Chat"
16"x20"
Oil on Canvas
Available for Sale Here

Muse #4

Muse number four is currently underway... I need to correct some proportion issues as well as start the "pushing and pulling" of the planes. I also want to create a little bit more likeness to the model. I would say I'm 1/3 done at this point.

1/4 Done...

The workload is piling up, the e-mails don't stop, the stress is ever-present, but when I come back home and I work on either my paintings or illustrations everything else just "dissolves." I thank God for giving me the grace of finding something I love; a place where I can get lost in, where I can forget about the not-so-pleasant bustle of daily life...

Here is a process picture of muse #3. I would say she is only 1/4 done. I still have to work on some anatomy problems as well as the "pushing and pulling" of the different planes. I think she has lots of potential... I thank my friend Sharon for posing for this one! Gracias Chicharrin!!!!

Painting Lotus Flowers

 

 

I survived the flu!!! I am currently on antibiotics and happy to report that I completed my first painting post-illness. Muse number four has been photographed and I even did a small pastel study for it, but I will save it for the next post.  I also posted the process of this painting for those of you that are curious about my technique. If you have any questions, let me know!

I thought these lotus blossoms looked like 3 girls gossiping while sun-bathing. You don't see it??? Well, it might just be the meds...

"Lotus Ladies"
11"x14"
Pastel on Board
Available for Sale Here

Good News and Introduction

Hello everyone!!!

I have been a victim of the flu epidemic that has been going around the States. I couldn't go to work for 3 days, and even as I'm writing this I feel like I should be in my bed resting and drinking fluids. As you can probably infer, I only managed to paint one little piece this whole week and to tell you the truth, I'm not completely happy with it. I should have waited a little longer, because even though I was wearing a mask to cover my nose and mouth, I feel the dust of the pastels delayed my recuperation process. I will work on it a little longer and post it for your enjoyment once I get better.

Well, no more whining!!! I do have two exciting news to share with you today...

#1:
 My painting "Sweet and Sour" (pictured above) was accepted to the 2nd Annual Women Painters of the Southeast Society Juried exhibition!!! This is REALLY COOL and a huge step in my painting career.

#2:
As you may know, besides being a painter, I am also a graphic designer. I decided to create a new blog where I could share with you all my thoughts and creations related to art and digital design.
I cordially invite you to visit and follow my new baby:  "Wendy's Right Brain"

Thank you for reading!!! 

Muses

After hours of hard work, struggling, wanting to give up, starting again, learning new things about anatomy, morphology, among other things... I introduce to you the first two muses: Melpomene (tragedy) and Urania (astronomy).
Ancient Greeks believed that inspiration was brought to humans by these female personifications of music, astronomy, dance, poetry and other arts. Moreover, many words in the Western lexicon are derived from these deities' special powers. You hardly think of these things, but ever wonder why a museum is called that? How about music? Or the saying in spanish "se le despertó la musa" (or its variations)?
It is really cool that by studying art you can learn about history, etimology, geometry, anatomy or morphology (among LOTS of other stuff). That is another reason why I am so passionate about pursuing this profession. It is interdisciplinary in nature. As I like to say (basing my concept on my dad's teachings), "Art is like math, you first need to learn the basics to move on to the more complex concepts." And I feel I'm just getting started...

"Melpomene"
36"x30"
Oil on Canvas

"Urania"
36"x30"
Oil on Canvas

Dog Portrait

Happy New Year Everyone!!!

I hope you spent the first hours of 2013 next to your family, friends or significant others.
Here is the first post of the year.  My subject: Yogi, my mom's new maltese pup. He came to the family 2 months ago and he has proven to be one hyperactive doggie. He has managed to steal my family's heart and of course, my own. I am now heading to my parents' house now for a delicious Colombian "asado" (BBQ).

Take a look at the process below...

I wish many blessings upon you and your family. Here is to a year full of painting and nice surprises!!!! Cheers!!!

"Yogi"
8"x10"
Pastel on Board
Available for Sale Here