In January, my best friends and I went to see The Complete Frida Kahlo exhibit in San Diego (which is now extended to June 8th!) It is an exhibit which shows 123 replicas of her work in the exact sizes and style. I have to warn you. It is a lot of art to look at. I spent almost 4 hours there. I love Frida Kahlo's work because she freely and openly told the world about her life and pain through her art. Her portraits hold so much meaning and heart. I left there absolutely overwhelmed and inspired. But I didn't know how to take what I saw and incorporate it into my own art. That is when my best friend, Lydia, gave me the idea to do a series of self-portraits in the same style and poses of Frida, and replace her pets with my Mizzles. I loved this idea.
It kind of worked out for me that my Intermediate/ Advanced Students were about to begin a colored pencil self-portrait. This was the perfect opportunity for me to create this artwork while creating an example for my students. It has been a few years since I've created anything in colored pencil. I forgot how much I love to blend and burnish.
I took it to my Huntington Beach Art League meeting and entered it into the drawing category. I am happy to report that it received an Honorable Mention.
Instead of posting all of the progression photos I took, I thought it might be nice to watch them in a video slide show. The song is called Beautiful Things by Gungor. It is one of my favorite songs at the moment.
This has definitely been one of my most favorite projects. I already have an idea of my next portrait, but it will have to wait a bit. I have to get back to working on my book.
Yesterday was Friday the 13th. Ever since my little sister was born on Friday the 13th, it has always been my favorite day and yesterday was just as great as any other. In addition to another rain storm, I spent the day at the LACMA (Los Angeles County Museum of Art) with my very good friend. There are not many people who I enjoy attending museums with because people seem to think that because I have a degree in art and teach art that I am going to the museum to be their personal tour guide. I'm sorry, but I like to go to museums to look at the work; to learn about new and old artists; to gain curiosity about techniques; and most importantly, to be inspired! But my friend is not one of those people who expect a personal tour. She is the perfect museum partner who adds to my creative banter on how I think an artwork could have been improved, or what the next version should look like. She dreams with me in a fun verbal banter in such a way that I'm sure people around us think we believe it could all come true. I think every creative person in the world needs a friend like this. They love the freedoms of the imagination and never try to stifle it with judgment and harsh criticism. Everything is about problem solving, creativity, and how to make what seems impossible completely possible.
I love surrealism. I love the detail and realism some of the paintings maintain with their odd scenes. My favorite surrealists are Salvador Dali, Rene Magritte, and the pop surrealist Mark Ryden. But as with any art movement, it is told from the views of the male artists. This exhibit demonstrated how women artists tackled the same movement, but a very different intention of the meaning in their work. It was exciting to walk through the exhibit and see some of my favorite paintings in person. I have had the privilege to see works of Frida Kahlo, but to see the works of Dorothea Tanning and Remedios Varo was pure delight! To my surprise, this exhibit was allowed to be photographed as long as the flash was not used. Usually special exhibits do not allow photography. I wish I had known this ahead of time because I purposefully left my camera at home thinking this special exhibit was like the others. But thankfully, cell phone cameras are more advanced now. On this blog are the paintings that captured me the most. The exhibit ends May 6th, 2012. If you get a chance, you should go! I highly recommend seeing this!
