Life in Wonderland: Sketchbook 03

Last night was a Kannai Third Friday art night.  I got home really late and I'm still pretty tired.  I'll be posting pictures of the event in the next couple of days.

Life in Wonderland: Another water color and ink

Rubbelkrepp & Frisket

Day off in Wonderland: ink and watercolors

Viewed in Wonderland: 5VFYT 02

Another 5 videos from You Tube.

1. from Guam
I didn't get to go to the fair this year, but I found this on You Tube.

2. educational
Team Tesla!  :D

3. funny


4. artsy


5. the Wild Card!
 

Celebrate in Wonderland: Belly blessings

A couple days ago I was double blessed.  I did two belly blessings in one day.  

 I did the belly blessing when Amanda was pregnant with her second child, two years ago.  So when I got a message asking if I'd be willing to bless her belly again I was very excited.  And it was another great experience.  We talked about art and pregnancy during the blessing and we had some yummy quiche at Nuts and Grains.

Amanda's butterfly and shroom blessing

Later that night I did a belly blessing for Rachel.  Rachel is an amazing woman, mommy, and baker.  Her boyfriend, Andres, is one of Allan's good friends and Rachel and I spent the evening sharing Allan and Andres stories.  It takes a lot of patience and a sense of humor to date these guys, so it was nice talking to someone who gets it.  She also brought over some amazing desserts!  :P

Rachel's turtle and hearts blessing

I can not wait to meet these nenis!!!  

Life in Wonderland: Sketchbook 02

Life in Wonderland: sketchbook 01

I have something big coming up.  I'm not ready to say much about it, but I can tell you that it's a solo project.  In order to get ready for the project I'm going to try to post a sketchbook page at least every other day.  
Hopefully I can do this, at least until I'm ready to say more about the project.  ;)

Viewed in Wonderland: New feature :)

Okay so I decided that in order to consistently update my blog, I need to develop some sort of schedule.  So I'm going to be creating features for certain days.  Today is the first one.  Every other Wednesday I will be posting 5 videos from You Tube.  (Allan and I are You Tube addicts.)  So I'll be posting one video from or about Guam, one educational video, one funny video, one artsy video, and one wild card random video.

1. from Guam



2. educational


DFTBA!  :D

3. funny


I think this is hilarious.

4. artsy



5. the wild card!

I love the Doctor!

Life in Wonderland: middle class?

My mom recently posted, on Facebook, that Mitt Romney said households making $250,000 are middle class.  As expected a discussion followed and of course Romney's wealthy background was brought up.  There was mention of how these rich businessmen provide jobs and without them there would be no work.  I wouldn't have said anything, but there was also talk about how Romney's education and opportunities were provided by his father and the response was that his dad was being responsible.  That's understandable, but I also think that if you're a parent who is struggling to ensure your child has opportunities, that might make you feel like you're failing as a parent, if you aren't "responsible" enough to provide them with higher education and great connections.

This was on my mom's wall.  My mom is the director of a non profit that helps person's with disabilities.  My parents never had a ton of money.  They've struggled.  My brother and I are struggling.  This is not because we are not hard workers.  My father, mother, and brother are some of the hardest workers I know.  I'm not just talking about actual employment.  They are people who are always willing to help others.  I see how it breaks my parents' hearts to watch others struggle and I know it breaks their hearts a hundred times more to know that my brother and I are struggling.  I never ever want her to feel like they've failed though.  Seeing that discussion on my mom's Facebook wall compelled me to tell her that.

This message is for all those struggling parents who are working so hard to give their children all that every child deserves.

Mom, I’d just like to take this opportunity to make sure that you know, if I don’t make to the middle class, it was not because you were not financially responsible. The path you chose may not have given me the boost needed to join the upper middle class, or even the middle middle class, but you’ve given me much more than that. Some parents employ minimum wage workers to give their children the world. You work to give everyone you meet the world. I’m the daughter of a woman who works so hard to help empower people, to help people go from just surviving to really living. I hope you know that is what keeps me reaching for my stars. You haven’t raised wealthy children, but you’ve raised considerate, compassionate children who’ve become loving adults with strong work ethic. There are so many parents out there who work really hard for their communities. Teachers, social workers, fire fighters, and others who provide neccessary services and are underpaid and underrepresented. I don't hate the rich, but I'd like more support for these people and small business owners who do more than provide minimum wage jobs.

Note:  I might be a little sensitive at the moment.  My awesome boss of five years is having to shut down his small business.  He's doing his very best to make sure we transition in to other employment opportunities, but it's still a bit unnerving not knowing for sure where your rent money will be coming from next month.  My financial stability is slightly affecting my emotional stability.

Life in Wonderland: another remix

I painted this a while ago.  I posted it on Deviant Art in 2006, so I know it was either painted in that year or quite possibly earlier.

This piece is titled Passion.  I was young and full of combustible energy when I painted this.  I remember thinking that in good and bad times we should live life dancing in the fire.

I still feel that way.  Looking back at this painting and thinking about the girl, who enjoyed every stroke that created those flames, makes me a bit sad.  My life is fuller in ways it wasn't then, but it's also a lot more predictable and so much slower.

I'm not sure if I'm dancing anymore.  I haven't stopped moving, but it's more of a swaying now.  The girl who went in to that fire has changed.  The fire taught her about love, struggle, history, life.  It's still teaching her about all that and more and she's still enduring and dreaming of the future.

The fire may not be as bright, but now she's brighter.

Life in Wonderland: long day

I worked a 12 hour shift today, but it wasn't as bad as it might sound.  Everything went pretty smoothly at work and Allan suprised me.  He brought me lunch and a flower.  How sweet is that?  Since he brought me lunch it saved me some time and I was able to vote during my lunch break instead of trying to hit the polls after I got off at seven.  Lucky me!  :D  Since I wasn't standing in line after work, I was able to have dinner at a decet time and get in some very long over due illustration time.  I'm working on a project that is top secret at the moment.  ;-)

Life in Wonderland: More to come

Sorry for the absence.  I've been working on some projects and gathering my thoughts about different issues.  Here's an illustration I did during my blog silence and I'll be posting more consistently soon.  :)

Community in Wonderland: Down for the Movement

Crafting in Wonderland: Monster bookmarks for young readers

Aren't these super cute? 

They're bookmarks I made for my nephew, Kane.  He just turned 7 and he is amazing. 

He is a great reader!  :)  So I thought these would be fun for him.

I learned to make them from this tutorial on You Tube.

Community in Wonderland: Celebrating abilities

This is the painting I donated to Guma Mami for their annual Creative Spirits art auction.  It is acrylic and ink on canvas and titled, The Cliffs of Insanity.  I believe it sold for $50 and the buyers told me that it reminded them of the movie, Inception.  I haven't watched it so I can't really say how I feel about that.  What do you think?

I like working with ink on paint.  I enjoyed painting this and like how it turned out.  I'm thinking about doing more paintings in this style.  I might even try to do a series if I can get my hands on enough canvas. 

Here are some pictures I took before the show:

Art work by Ms. Gina, one of my favorite local artists

my favorite piece of the night

the bottom one is a collaboration by Luke and Nella

my dad's piece   :)

Community in Wonderland: Miss World Guahan!

About a month or so ago, my mom told me that there was a call put out to local artists asking for design ideas for Miss World Guam's 2012 native costume.  She told me about it a couple days before the deadline.  So I spent a day thinking up ideas and then I broke out some fashion form templates I printed out a few years ago.  I wish I remember where I got it so I could add a link, but I can't. I had a lot of fun sketching and painting this out. 

Every element of the dress has meaning.  The guafak bodice pay tribute to the weaving skills of our island's women.  The gradient blue skirt represents the ocean, all it gives to us, and our people's navigational skills.  The net and spondylus is a tribute to the women who save Guahan and the women who continue to protect the interests of our island and her people.  The greenery is a reminder that we are protectors of the land and the coconut shell buttons down the spine are a tribute to the legend of the coconut tree.  Every part of this dress could be made locally and showcase our island's talented artisans.

My design was not chosen to be worn by Miss World Guam 2012, but I still feel great about it.  I put a lot of thought in to this design and I'm really proud of it.  Plus, it got a bunch of likes on facebook and people are still telling me how beautiful it is.  I do realize this may not have been the best dress for the competition.  It is more symbolic than obvious.  In order to really appreciate it fully, I think you'd need to know a bit more about our island than how many brown tree snakes we have.  :P



photo credit: JR Manuel Imagery

While my design didn't win the Native Costume competition at the Miss World Guam pageant, my god sister Jeneva Bosko did take home the crown!  She isn't just beauty either.  She is a whole lot of heart.  Jeneva raised over $6,000 for Erica's House.  Erica's House is a family visitation center where a parent can visit with their child or the child can be exchanged from one parent to another, in a safe and friendly environment.  They also offer parenting classes.  We're all very proud and excited for her.  I don't know if I have ever seen my nina that happy.  :D  I'm sure Jeneva will represent our island exceptionally well and she just might even take home the Miss World title.  My fingers are crossed for her. 

life in wonderland: a personal art project

Stuck with him - The remix

I'm reworking old paintings I've done.   I'm not sure if this one is finished yet.  The flower still seems like it is laid on the piece rather than being completely apart of it.  I might work on that a little more.

Community in Wonderland: mural preview

Here is a sneak peek at the mural Kannai has been helping with.  

This mural is on the Guam National Wildlife Refuge building.  

life in wonderland: I've been busy . . .

painting and stuff.  :)

I finished this one a couple nights ago.

Vintage shopping in Wonderland

My friend, Michele, and I share a love for vintage fashion.  Guam doesn't have too much to offer as far as thrift store or vintage shopping, but it just makes it that much more special when you find something amazing.  A week ago we decided to check out Peace, Love, and Charity.  I've mentioned PL&C before.  It's a cute little family run thrift store.  All the money you spend in the store goes to the Calvo Cancer Foundation.  I know a family that has been helped by this foundation so I it makes me feel pretty good to know my money is going to help actual families on Guam.

Another thing I love about PL&C is that the store is not dusty.  It's hard to shop when you're sneezing up a storm.  Although I have found some great books and even my favorite jacket at The Salvation Army.

Look what I found at PL&C.  Isn't this dress awesome!!!  It was very reasonably priced and in such amazing condition.  No holes, and all the buttons!  And it fits like it was made for me.  I know it's more 30s than 20s,which I was hoping for, but I still adore it.  I'm thinking about removing the satin sleeves though, or at least the shoulder pads.  Michele found one too.  Hopefully we'll have a party where it will be appropriate to wear these dresses.  I'll be sure to post pics.

A new year in wonderland

The holiday season is over and I've finally found some calm to blog.  I hope everyone had an amazing New Year!   While mine wasn't crazy eventful, it was a time for thought.  I'm not very big on resolutions, but I have made a mental list of what I want to focus my spirit on for this year.  Among other things my art is high on that list.  While last year was a good year for creative energy, I really want to ensure that this year is even better.

This is one of my favorite pieces of mine.  It's not that I think it is beautiful.  When I look at this piece I remember the ease and release I felt painting it.  There was no hesitation in choosing color or strokes or technique.  It just flowed like energy.   My friend, who was there while I was painting, was concerned that it looked like falling in a downward spiral.  That makes sense since I was having an emotional meltdown.  Art is amazing like that though.  The ability to take something so complicated and hard to deal with and turn it in to something more accessible, and sometimes even beautiful, is amazing.

So, let go, let go - Jump in - Oh well, what you waiting for? - It's all right 'Cause there's beauty in the breakdown - Frou Frou "Let Go"

I'm craving another purely inspired moment.  When I did the painting of the women who saved Guahan I was inspired, but it didn't come easy.  The actual creation process was controlled by my self consciousness.  I studied and sketched and erased and outlined and calculated each stroke.  I'm proud of it, but sometimes when I look at it now I wish I had just let go.  Hopefully this will be a year of finding that ability to release the control my self has on my work, so that I can grow and find my way.

Speaking of inspiration, I've been wanting to blog about another local artist, Simeon Palomo.  Simeon is a family friend and an amazing artist.  He creates the most beautiful floral arrangements using locally grown plants and things we all might have lying around our homes and yards.  He also recently released a beautiful book filled with pictures of some of his arrangements and our beautiful island.  Scattered through out the book are quotes and stories from his friends and family, including one from me.  If you're interested in his work you can check out his website or the Facebook page for the book, Tropical Art, Guam.  If you're interested in purchasing the book, you can check those links for a list of stores selling it, or you can purchase it online through Guampedia.  You won't be disappointed.

Simeon isn't the only local artist inspiring me this new year.  I spent last Friday wrapped in the wonderful energy of Kannai, the art group I'm apart of.  Why explain the art and artists in words when I can show you in pictures?  :)

 

collaboration.  isn't it beautiful?

a round table art activity

This is my piece from that night.