I am so excited to share that I will be participating this year in the Sarasota Superheroes On Parade art affair, benefitting Southeastern Guide Dogs. I feel so blessed and honored to be given the opportunity to paint one of these beautiful pieces crafted by local artist and sculptor, Scott Moore! Photo taken at State of the Arts Gallery There are 50 of these beauties in Sarasota, standing at 42" tall and 62" in length from head to tail. Each will be painted and decorated by local artists, auctioned off, and placed in various locations throughout town. So if you're in the area this year, certainly keep an eye out for them! It's going to be loads of fun and all for a great cause. (Stay tuned next month for updates on mine!) Maybe you have a wild or creative design idea? Leave a comment below and join me in brainstorming! xoxo Alexa
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PorkFish...Blue FishThe blog page is officially back up and running---HOORAY! This week, I wanted to post progress photos of a fish painting that I'm currently working on. The progress from beginning to present shows from left to right. This is an Atlantic PorkFish, found off the western side of Florida. On average, these guys grow up to 6-10" in length, and upwards of 15" at maximum. Standing at 30" tall and 40" in length, the painting started out colored with one of my favorite beiges, but decided that he should be a brilliant blue! Throughout his progress, he will be getting more detailed and acquire more variants of blue. I can't wait until he is completely finished! And yes...if you caught that (no pun intended), the fish is a "he"... I couldn't really tell you why. But in honor of him, here is a picture of a little girl holding a fish that will be sure to make you smile. xoxo Alexa This weekI want to share with you my secret weapon and the true staple in the art supplies that I use. Bah bah bah BAAAH. Presenting, MOD PODGE (aka craft glue). One day I was talking with a colleague, and she presented a great idea to me that sparked a search for the perfect solution...I needed to find a way to preserve my line work within a painting. What do i mean be that? You might be wondering. Well, when I start a new piece, I sketch out the subject matter with pencil or black ink. As the painting progresses, I like to switch from paint brush back to pencil/pastel and add some extra line work on top of the acrylic paint once it has dried. The problem is that by adding paint on top of the pastel or pencil, the lines would just be washed away or smudged almost as quickly as they had been created. There had to be a way to "lock in" those lines, have the ability to paint over them, and not have to sacrifice any mark making all at once. After doing some searching, I realized that this craft glue could potentially be the perfect solution. Turns out that it was! Mod Podge can be found at your local craft store, such as a Michael's or Hobby Lobby. I prefer using the matte finish kind so that there isn't much of a reflective surface on the finished product. (You want to be able to photograph the finished piece with as little glare as possible). The pastel can still smudge when you apply Mod Podge on top, so... Here's the trick: -Use a wide, flat head paint brush -Load your brush with a generous amount of Mod Podge -Holding your brush at an angle, almost parallel to the canvas, gently drag and unload the brush across your line work Happy Art Making!
Work In Progress...Truthfully, this week I don't have much to say. BUT...Here is my space that I work in :) Welcome! I wanted to let you in the space where I paint and sleep...all bundled into one. There are a few pieces in progress that I'm working on at the moment in the background. The most current is the flamingo painting. I will have it finished within the next couple of days and will be taking it to State of the Arts Gallery.
In the mean time, I'm really looking forward to see how the other two pieces turn out. I have to admit, sharing a full picture of a piece that is unfinished is a challenge for me. I get a little self conscious about it, exposing this thing that I myself am not completely satisfied with just yet. But I want to be honest and open...and sharing my works in progress is something I am excited to continue. There's more where this came from. Tune in next Sunday to see a finished shot of the flamingo and progress on the other pieces! xoxo Alexa It's difficult for me to explain how this came about, but recently the phrase "practice promotes perseverance" has popped into my head. You could refer to it as The Three P's if you will. Now, this isn't a 10 step guide to success or keys to unlocking your greatest potential by any means, but rather a perception of what practice yields. (Couldn't help but include the photo to the left titled 'Mondays' by Gosha Bondarev.) It's both humorous and truthful. This week, I watched an online video on creative inspiration. The speaker was explaining his work history, and that no matter how dreamy his current job was, he just couldn't fight the feeling that he still wanted something more. This "something" was not yet defined, but he knew it had to exist and was only scratching the surface. One very particular portion of the video stood out to me the most and caught my attention. It was this... He spoke of a longterm project that was estimated to take around 6 months for full completion. The intentions for this project were published online for an audience who had the opportunity to contribute financially to the process. When 6 months had come and gone, the project was nowhere near finished, and the followers he had established in support of the idea had begun to wonder if the piece would ever meet its end. The thought of disappointing those people was very concerning to him, and so he began refunding those who had given funds toward the project. Here's the real kicker, and I mean that in the best way.... He refunded those people because he felt that he had wronged them, and his goal was to be honest. Honest. I absolutely love that. Maybe in a very disjointed manner, this week's topic idea came about because of this man. The more he explained his process of rerouting his plan and taking on this sort of project on a new platform, the more something clicked with me. He was learning throughout the journey. He committed to a very specific time frame and failed. That is something I think at times we fear as humans: Failure. It reminds me of blogging each week...wondering if a post doesn't go up on a Sunday, will I have completely failed; the Sunday that I have specifically committed to. Naturally, his story hit home for me. But I realized that it's through this trial and error, and ultimately practice, that we learn to persevere. Practice does not always mean that we succeed right away, but we take something good from it, and it allows us to move in the right direction. When you look back at a collection of instances, maybe time that you set aside to practice for something...despite any hiccups or disappointments along the way, can you identify some mile stones? I believe we can learn something about ourselves through practice that would not have been known if we hadn't tried in the first place. And this is why... Practice gives strength to persevere.by CPO-Photography
When Pinterest first stepped on to the scene, I really didn't understand what was so great about it. (and why I ever felt that way is beyond me) You could search and save pictures to their website and organize them into categories of your choice. I truly couldn't see the glamour in it, and maybe this was because I had a similar process for my own computer with pictures that I saved to files. But like most trending things, it took me months before I caught on to what everyone had been buzzing about. One day, I finally decided to jump on the wagon with everyone else. As a result, Pinterest is now my go-to site for pinning any of my favorite works of art, studio ideas, and inspiration. I even have a private board set aside specifically for aspirations, goals, and dreams. With the Holiday season approaching and the New Year just around the corner, I can't help feeling excitement for the endless number of opportunities and changes that the future has in store! Do you ever get that feeling? If you're reading this, I want to challenge you to create your own board of dreams and inspiration---even if it's on a tangible board. If you're feeling crafty, foam core works very well...or even poster board. It's always great to find something that not only once sparked your interest, but may very well open the door to many new ideas!
Happy Pinning! :) This weekend, I made a road trip East to scout out some inspiration. Destination: Miami, FL I wished I had a whole week at my disposal, because there was so much to see in just 2 days! Each year, Miami hosts one of the largest platforms for worldwide Galleries and Artists to exhibit and represent their work. (Around 25+ venues in 1 week) Among the many venues, I visited Art Miami, CONTEXT Art Miami, Spectrum, Red Dot, SCOPE, and Untitled. If you're an art enthusiast, I recommend seeing as many as you can, and taking plenty of photos! The picture above was taken at SCOPE (left) and Red Dot (right). Each time I visited a Gallery's booth, I made sure to ask if it was okay to take a photo without the flash. Every one of them said 'yes' and some requested that the photos taken only be used for personal use. What I found to be surprising though was that I spoke with several galleries who told me that I was the first person to ask permission to take photos. I was shocked. Some of these pieces were original Picasso's...ones that could be potentially damaged or altered from a single camera flash. It seemed that by placing the works in a public setting, viewers felt more comfortable approaching and interacting with them, which was very interesting. I found myself people watching...noticing more viewers standing next to pieces, taking selfies on their cell phones. Don't get me wrong, I'm guilty of taking plenty of selfies...just look at my photo :) But seeing it happen in a gallery/fair setting, where the price of one painting could cover (and probably exceed) the sum of my student loans, was strange for some reason. If you have the opportunity to visit Miami for this event, GO! There will be a show in Spring 2016 in NY as well!
Make sure to book a hotel well in advance and close to the venues that you would like to go to. Public transit was available, but my mom and i decided to take my own car through town. Traffic was intense, but well worth it! I had the opportunity to speak to some wonderfully talented artists and exhibitors. Surrounding ourselves with inspiring people truly helps us to learn more about ourselves, grow, and move toward a dream. Finding the time to practice our craft is difficult, but it is incredibly important. And our nine to five job can feel at times like an intrusion on our creative lives, but it is actually quite the opposite. I would even dare to say that it is necessary. Yes, necessary. I myself struggle with this on a regular basis: organization...my mind is constantly on the move (both in productive and non-productive mode). As an artist, I tend to be distracted very easily. Day-to-day tasks are a challenge for me if I don't have music playing, or a notepad handy where I can capture a fleeting thought before I lose it. So having a day job allows me to focus on the task at hand....to get from point A to point B and ultimately complete a series of tasks. Then when it's time to leave, I go home and rest my brain. I feel like I have accomplished something within my allotted time, and it also allows my creativity to run wild. It's a lot like this picture here. It gives me a feeling of: "Finally! My long awaited free time...lets DO this!" I feel like a little kid. Free and ready to tackle something. (In my head, of course...and without the spunky pigtails). Are you feelin' the drive? Here's the catch...when I follow those "ah ha" moments into creative oblivion...I'm only sitting in my apartment. I'm not sitting under an oak tree in a field of poppies, conjuring up visions of completed future masterpieces. I'm at home. In my room. And the unfortunate thing is that the world loves to try and convince us that this lifestyle is "boring" and that it makes us a "boring" person. I can't tell you how many times I've been told that I should "let loose" or "go out and have some fun for once". The truth is, I do make time to have fun and take breaks. So I would like to provide you with some encouragement if you have ever experienced what I'm talking about. When the world tries to make you feel like what you're doing isn't exciting enough... DON'T LISTEN TO IT! When you have a dream, you're obligated to take the road less traveled! So from one creative spirit to another, you're not alone. Make your own path and stick to it...even if people think it's boring. XOXO Alright folks. Happy Wednesday! My sincerest apologies for not leaving a post for you this past Sunday. You see, what had happened that day was paralyzing. Let me explain:
...It was early morning. For some reason on this particular day, I woke up much earlier than expected...no alarm set. As my eyes opened, I could just make out silhouettes of figures scattered around my room. The time, 7:03 a.m. glowed across the room in a green haze. Blink once. The shape of a dresser emerges and begins to take shape. My alarm clock, my lamp, picture frames..all coming into focus now. Blink twice. This is when everything changed. My focus adjusts to the ceiling where the room begins jumping at a rapid pace. Back and forth it leaps in a horizontal motion, as if it were dancing to the rhythm of Beethoven's 'The Tempest'. My heart begins to skip a beat. In a panic, I squeeze my eyes shut tight. "One mississippi, two mississippi...." With a full breath held in my lungs, I open my eyes. Exhale. Was I dreaming? At that point, there surely was no hope for getting any more sleep. With heart pounding, I peeled myself off the bed and stumbled down the hall to the bathroom sink. Ice cold water would do the trick. I splashed what felt like glassfuls of water onto my face. Wiping the water from my eyes, my gaze fell upon the blue toothbrush resting upright in its dish in front of me. I hadn't paid much attention to the brand name stamped on its handle before. Blink once. Squinting my eyes, I strain myself to read the letters. They seem jumbled. Blink twice. What does it say? It's obviously in English....but I can't read it. I can't read it? Goodness, I can't read it! Did I bump my head? Frantically, I reach for something in the medicine cabinet. Anything with a label on it. A lotion bottle...and the label; all written in English...I can't comprehend any of it. What is happening? Mouthwash...can't read it. Contact solution bottle...can't read it either. Suddenly realizing the worst has happened to me and it simply cannot be explained, my stomach completely drops. How am I going to type something for my blog today when I can't even read? That's it. I have forgotten the English language. Just...gone. And so, I took the day off to rest my eyes until I was able to regain focus. Okay, don't be mad...but I made up this story to make a point. This didn't really happen to me. BUT. Can you imagine a world where this is your reality? I believe that you can to an extent. After all, we did go on a bit of a short-lived journey together, didn't we? (For like...a minute). I don't claim to be any sort of miraculous storyteller, but I do believe that we are all capable of forming our own realities. On P. 89 of the book "Steal Like an Artist", included in my previous post, author Austin Kleon talks about what it means to "Build your own world." We may be confined to one room or a specific location when creating, but we have the power to control that space and manipulate it to make it our own. This post is all about you! I want to hear what your world looks like. Maybe you think of tangible materials that you use such as inspirational magazine clippings or notes that you leave for yourself. When you build that world for yourself, be it mentally or perhaps a physical space of inspiration, what does that look like for you? So leave a comment below and let's share worlds, even if it's just for a moment... |