At long last, a new post! For the last six months or so, my artistic endeavors that have saved me from the dullness of urban living have been minor exercises in appreciation and experimentation. I began to carry an art journal around everywhere I went and forced myself to observe and capture the world around me in an effort to come out of my post-graduate under-employed shell. It is so easy to be lulled into the coma like state of endless movies, internet surfing, books, and playing with the cats that I could not ignore the need to express and create which ultimately brings me calm and a sense of completion.
One such example was a drawing exchange I promoted on my FB, where I would create a one of a kind drawing 5x7” watercolor paper drawing and in exchange receive one in the mail as well. Twelve postcard sized watercolor and color pencil images of architecture, night & seascapes, space, sacred symbols, goldfish and cats where sent to three different states over the course of two months. While drawing I could not help but think on the personality, smell, and warmth of that friend; and I see that in the postcards created, they speak to my understanding of that person and to their impact in my life.
Another experiment has been to try my hand at creating jewelry. A more accurate description of this process would be me stinging and re-stinging beads lengthen and shortening strands, all the while lazily taking in some sunshine. I’m leagues away from the dedication and entrepreneur spirit of the crafters on etsy, yet I find it incredibly fun to challenge myself by trying out a new media such as jewelry.
The mural however, was the fruit of an idea whilst eating a well seasonal jalapeno and lengua taco. One day I was at the new shop Tacos Los Gemelos, on El Camino in sunny Redwood City, CA. when I daydreamed about how great it would be to create a time lapsed photo of the day light passing across the shop. Next, I thought of the Rouen Cathedral series by Monet and then how the taquería with the SE light would be ideal for painting. Without giving myself time to deliberate on how stressed I’d been feeling about the upcoming move I asked the owner if I could paint a mural of his choosing. To my amazement my bid was well received. I began a custom painting measuring 55”x 48” inches complete with twelve figures, taco tricycle, church, and landscape. The mural took about 30 hours start to finish. Aside from the endless horchata refills I enjoyed talking with people in Spanish and English about art, painting, and food. A lot of people asked me if I did this for a living… the question always gave me pause and I said yes because I do live for art, it has always been a part of who I am. Best of all, I feel like a little piece of me will remain with Redwood City with her Redwood trees and sunshine that reminded me that the best way for me to fight the gloom is with some paint and community engagement.
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