Juxtapoz exhibition and my YouTube Channel

I forgot in my last post to tell you about another huge show going on.  20 YEARS UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF JUXTAPOZ is happening right now, alongside the SLANG AESTHETICS! exhibit by Robert Williams at Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery. Tons of great artists showing.  You can check out the line up below...
 

Today at 2pm they will be hosting a free special talk with Andrew Hosner (exhibition co-curator / Thinkspace Gallery), Gary Pressman (exhibition co-curator / Copro Gallery), Greg Escalante (Juxtapoz co-founder / Copro Gallery owner), Robert Williams (Juxtapoz co-founder / featured artist), Gwynn Vitello (Juxtapoz’s current President + Publisher).

I also wanted to share that I've started a YouTube channel.  I really love watching other artists' process videos.  Whether it's a time lapse of them working on a piece or a tutorial with tips on certain techniques...I'm a bona fide YouTube art nerd.  I figured I'd share some videos of my own with anyone who wants to learn more about my process.  I'm still working out the kinks, so please subscribe and the filming will get better along the way ; )  

You can check out my first process video below...


Feel free to comment or message me with anything specific you might like to see in my YouTube videos. 

~ eye should figure out a better recording set up...my collapsible easel rigged with my iPhone is seeming just a bit ridiculous, ha!

new year's goals and progress on a colored pencil series

It's a new year and I have tons of new ideas to try to implement to progress further with my art.  I'm sure a lot of you also have that beginning-of-the-year-I'm-going-to-finally-get-my-shit-together-and-work-quickly-toward-my-goals kind of attitude.  Well, it's nice that the new year prompts that kind of thinking, but it's so easily forgotten by February, haha.  I'm making a month-by-month type of action plan and I'm pretty confident that it will hold me accountable a bit more throughout the year.  This month I'm focused on simply putting the action plan together...yeah, I know, maybe that should have happened before January, but hey it's better late than never.

Life is so fast-paced, it's kind of strange that most of us have to make an effort to stay focused on what we truly love to do or we might not make the time for it.  Regardless of how busy things are, I figure even if you can only find 15 minutes a day...all those minutes add up in the end and get you closer to where you want to be.

I'm determined to make some quicker progress on this colored pencil series I'm working on.  I have 4 girls sketched out and have started on paper with the first.  Yesterday I spent a whole 15 or 20 minutes drawing...but at least I picked her up and made a bit of progress. 

Today I'll commit to at least 15 minutes again, and hopefully I'll get in a flow that makes me forget to stop and take care of everything else for a while longer.  It's too easy to get sucked into the whole mindset of having to get all of the day to day stuff done that we put off the things that feed our soul.  But you know what, my house can be 15 minutes less clean, so I can spend that time doing what I love.  Eff it ; )  Happy New Year!

~ eye should put on some Pandora, light my sweet aloha orchid candle and work on this chick's face some more. 

latest pieces, more big-eye artists, and a series in the works

Hoping to share a lot more new work soon...the wheels are definitely turning.  Here are my two most recent finished pieces...

Valentine - mixed media on wood, 24"x24"

Pride - colored pencils on paper, 11"x14"

I'm in some sort of a transitional spot with my art right now.  I took a lot of time off from shows to try to work on my skills.  That helped me to have the freedom to change things up a bit and I've been leaning towards more realism and detail in my pieces.  I'm finding though, that I'm kind of all over the place with mediums and my whole creative process.  Going with the flow of each piece, I work sometimes in pencil, pastel, colored pencils, mixed media...and I've recently started using the computer more for my sketching process.  Now I feel it's time to get more focused.  I think it would benefit me and my art to stick it out with a specific medium and process for awhile.  A small series would allow me to push the medium while getting a lot more comfortable with whatever it is I choose to use.

I also want to start giving myself some weekly homework to keep up the hand eye coordination since I'm putting initial sketches together on the computer more.

Time to share some work by others :)  Here are a few from some more Big Eye Artist Collective members...

Oswald - Chris Hamer/Urbnpop

Diavolesso - Angelo Barile

Ice Bat Kitty - Jeremiah Ketner

Here's a little rework of my Red Riding Hood "sketch", though I'm not sure when I'll really start on her...

~eye should give myself a few deadlines...I'll narrow down my ideas for a series within two weeks, and homework this week...hmmm, I suppose I'll go with 10-15 anatomy-based sketches.

my process and a new piece in the works

Thought I’d talk shop a bit since I don’t really go into my process much.  I typically use several reference photos along with some lyrics or poetry when building a piece.  I’d quickly sketch out an idea, get bored of sketching, and jump into the real deal.  Just recently I’ve been trying out some new techniques for concepts and “sketching”. 

I’m not very good at using Photoshop or similar programs, but I can make my way around…clumsily.  Man, I’ve been really digging some of the perks a computer can offer…speed, special effects, and...the best-ever “undo” option...ahhh!  Not sure why I didn’t think of it before, but being able to quickly put a detailed composition together and change it up if it’s going south without losing hours and hours of work is a pretty big perk.  

Here’s a pic of a concept for a new painting… 

So, I’m really into duality within people or different facets of people’s personalities and have been trying to figure out how to effectively illustrate that kind of idea in my art.  I went through all sorts of ideas from layering a piece, using glass, plexi, resin, archival plastic sheets…but I wasn’t too thrilled about using any of those ideas at the moment. I just wanted to be able to make more subtle images to put on top of a main figure.  This new process allows me to add the transparency I’m after…and hopefully I can duplicate the effect in my finished piece and be happy with the outcome.

In the painting from 2012 below, I added the second image, and to push her back a bit by adding some static or noise (whatever you want to call it)…I laid my pastel sideways and went for it right over her face.   

15 - pastels on wood, 24" x 24" (available)

While there’s definitely excitement in taking risks when you’re in the moment, it’s also cool (when you’re 20 hours in) to be able to know you can pretty much execute the rest of the piece as you had imagined it in your head. 

~ eye should make a little more time to sketch random things for practice if I'm going to continue using this process to start my pieces. 

social media and some more sweet big eye artists

Well, I've been plugging away at the social media and trying to get my work out there on several sites.  I've recently joined Instagram and put my art up on Pinterest. I have a Society6 and Fine Art America shop and now I'm working on opening an Etsy account.  Sometimes it's a struggle to know which direction to go in, if some of it's a complete waste of time, and how to make my art a full-time gig as quickly as possible.  I'd rather just create and not have to focus so much on the business end of it...but it will make success so much sweeter I suppose. 

On another note, The Big Eye Artist Collective is getting much bigger ;)  Lots more crazy-talented people have joined our group...Colin and Sas Christian, Anarkitty (Emma Geary), and Emma Mount to name just a few.  Here are a few pieces from some more great artists in the collective...

Alysha - Loretta Gonzalez

Loteria - The Art of Sketch (Oscar Navarro)

The Fool - Misty Benson, Morbidly Adorable Creations

We should have more albums uploaded on our page soon :)

Here's a little progress shot of a piece of mine in the works...

Playing with some different techniques on the background with this one.  I took some time this weekend to kind of test out some of my ideas out and I'm pretty happy with where it's going.  Hoping to finish her up soon.

~ eye should try not to get discouraged...I've come a long way with my art in the last few years, and I'm sure I'll someday make a living at it. 

big eye artist collective

Joined a great Artist Collective about a week ago.  Click here to check out our Facebook page.  Loving the 14 artists that we have at this point and we're looking to bring on a few more.  Here are just a few pieces from some of our artists...

Memories of a Broken Heart - Scott Rohlfs

My Skellyfish Friends - Jaz Higgins

REDRUM - Marie Noëlla Mélanie Nadeau

The group is all about showing a huge range of big-eyed artwork and will be doing monthly themed auctions that should be pretty fun.  Our first auction is at the end of the month.   
I'll share a few more artists from the collective next time around.

Ahhh, look...I'm already getting better at this blogging regularly, hehe ;)

~ eye should start working on my auction piece tomorrow. 

some new girls

Been making more time for art and less time for blogging, haha.  I'm determined to get better at this one day soon...but for now, it's a little sporadic.

Here are some new finished works...

Windflowers - colored pencil on paper, 11" x 14"

Lucky - pastels and colored pencil on wood, 11" x 14"

Walls - pastels on wood, 8" x 8"

Six of Swords - acrylic and ink on wood, 11" x 14"

and a work in progress...

I'm just allowing myself to go with the flow on this new one.  Have a few different ideas for the background at this point.  Pretty sure I'm going to leave some exposed panel though.  I've been using colored pencil so far, but have a feeling I'm going to add some pastel and charcoal...we'll see.

I've just added a bunch more prints to my Society6 shop.  Click here for $5 off each item and free shipping worldwide through midnight pst on March 9th.

~ eye should be a better blogger...I'm sure I'll get more consistent soon ; )

a few available pieces, WIP, and a sweet mad hatter exhibit

So, I've sold most of my pastel pieces...yay!  I do have a couple that are still available...

Unlovable Pathos - pastels and acrylic on wood, 24" x 24"

Red - pastels on wood, 24" x 24"

Starting to go in a different direction with some black and white work.  The one below is slowly coming along.  The blasted "rat race" has taken over recently, and I'm determined to get back on track, making consistent time for my art.

WIP - graphite, carbon pencil, charchoal

Got out to a great opening last night at Flower Pepper Gallery.  It was awesome to see work by so many artists that I follow in one place.  Ixie Darkonn, the curator (and artist herself), did a really good job putting this one together.   The exhibit runs all the way through January 24th if you want to check it out.

~ eye should set aside an hour a day to get some art in.  It's too easy for us to say we don't have time for what we really want to do.  Need to make it happen.

First solo show tonight!

Have a solo exhibit at Kroma Studio in Downtown Upland tonight.  Opening reception is from 6-10pm, and the show will be up for the month on June.  I'm so fortunate to have people that want to show and enjoy my art!  Please come check it out if you're free...

I'll be showing lots of new pieces, and I even pulled a couple from last year that I haven't displayed yet.   

I'm really excited about some new ideas I have in the works...thinking my art is going to be evolving a bit in the next few months.  I'm going to dive in and try my hand at some different mediums and techniques that I've been putting off because of time constraints.  It's time to make time!!  ; )

I'm also going to be getting some more prints made and should have my art available at some different sites soon.  I'll keep you posted.

~ eye should soak it all in tonight...going to be a good time!

Caia Koopman & Sarah Joncas exhibit and some panel making progress

Made it out to the Caia Koopman and Sarah Joncas opening on Saturday.  I really like the little bits of gold Caia used in her paintings (hard to see in pics online), and the space invaders she incorporated into her backqrounds.  Love her girls, but equally awesome was her my little pony unicorn taking on a dragon, haha.  It was also cool to see one of her laser-engraved skateboard decks.  Sarah Joncas had some cool pieces in the show as well.  Here's some pics...

Adamantine - Caia Koopman

Endangered - Caia Koopman

Epic Battle - Caia Koopman

Liberty and Blaze (triptych) - Caia Koopman

Liberty and Blaze (detail)

Pussy Gives a Hoot - Caia Koopman

Scarlet Effigy - Caia Koopman

Scarlet Effigy (detail)

Masquerade - Sarah Joncas

Ophelia - Sarah Joncas

 The show runs through June 30th at Thinkspace for anyone who wants to check it out. 

Finally making progress on building some art panels...good grief, has that been a learning process!  Now I know lots of things not to do the next time around ; )

I've been having a hard time trying to balance everything again...with work, family, and all that goodness.  Need to get back to creating!

~ eye should get onto the next painting or drawing already...it's been way too long.