Art is for Me and the Individual Themselves

My latest creation from The Enlightened Series! "Sakyamuni" (Sanskrit for Sage of the Shakyras'.)

I create art as it is my passion: however, I create art also for the individual to reflex on while they try on my artwork for size, in their heart. 

I like to get people to dive within themselves, to find out what my artwork means to them. Realistic artwork speaks for itself, as in what you see is what you get. 

With abstract artwork, one leaves out the details, simplifies, or minimizes the objects. To create artwork in an abstract fashion which leaves the details up to the viewers mind…to fill in the blanks with own creativity, imagination and an interpretation all of their own. This allows each person to make of the painting what they will, and each persons interpretation being as individualistic as each individuals self.

The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance. ~Aristotle

W.I.P. - What are you working on?

Today I was asked those two familiar questions... How are you doing? What are you working on? Well anyone that knows how passionate I am about my art, knows I am always working on some type of painting, idea, sketch, technique or combination thereof. 

I thought to myself, that was a pretty safe question for them to ask. I *giggled* Then I thought, What a Super Cool Idea!"

To post a random photo of my current Work in Progress (W.I.P.) at whatever given interval/stage the painting may be at. This way my online readers don’t have to stop by my house and ask to see what I am working on, nor has to wait until its complete in order to see it posted.

 I think it’ll be kind of fun to share my art in this way. I think I'll make this a regular random occurrence! LOL 

It was Napoleon Bonaparte who best said, a picture is worth a thousand words. This is my newest DaVinci Series creation! I hope it speaks a thousand words to you! Enjoy!


My heart and prayers go out to those in Aurora, Colorado!

2012 Conference & Exceptional People

Through my passion, I aim to touch people’s hearts, mind and soul in the way that I best know how, through my artwork. And furthermore for me, it is a remarkably beautiful day to connect with a person whom not only feels this same way, but also extends these things out and into the world as well.

In support of such an exceptional event and such an exceptional person as Robert, I must recommend to you “The Conscious Life Expo” along with his other exceptional events such as the upcoming “2012 Conference.”

I recommend you visit his webpage and see for yourself the events and exceptional speakers that he offers to the world as well as adding your email to his mailing list to keep up-to-date on such extraordinary events! I hope to see you there!

In respect to those exceptional people of the world and in the want to be an ongoing participant of exceptionality, I will say this…

    Exceptional people “live” their life, while extending themselves in the ways they can, to the people, places and in times that they can. They are products of learning and making wiser choices. They see through the inevitable times of difficulty while looking beyond the problem to see the solution. They invest their own time and energy on a better future for themselves and everyone. They are driven by consistent determination. They walk the walk and do not just talk the talk!  Kudos to You!

On a side note: I’ve so much to talk about that I am going to have to start scheduling a specific day & time to update my blog. However out of everything I could have said, this was such a remarkable event, I felt the desire to share and express it. 

Now forward on, with your exceptional selves!

Your Own Artistic Zen

 Now that I had been able to take some time away from the daily routine while enjoying some of this beautiful California weather, I am ready to jump back into my creative endeavors and answer a few questions submitted to me.

A friend and fellow artist of mine had emailed me the question: Tell me more about your transition into the Creative Vortex and what happens which makes it a seemingly Altered State that can work for me too. Share your secret!

The Creative Vortex blog post was my form of creative writing, to show that one’s creativity is in fact an altered state of reality having been created by ones own mind, which is simply achieved by changing ones perceptions and intent while creating for yourself an atmosphere in which you can thrive!

This Creative Vortex is a unique and funny thing! In general, as we are all victims of habit, many people including myself have a particular series of events (a sort of ceremony) that we follow in order to get our creative mind rolling. An equivalent example would be your intention to take a relaxing bath.

One will follow the steps of creating their own bathing atmosphere while using such things as, playing soft music, lighting some candles while turning off the bright electric lights, perhaps lighting their favorite incense, maybe adding some soothing sea salt and oils to the bath water, etc…and Abracadabra!... your typical bathroom has now been transformed into a relaxing bathing atmosphere for yourself! Furthermore, depending on how far you are comfortable in letting your imagination run wild, who knows…maybe this bath will transport you to a soulful spa in Hawaii as you swim in a dolphin pool! ;)

These elements of lighting, sight, sound, etc, may not directly affect your reality, however it does assist you in creating for yourself an altered state of perception, the perception of what a relaxing bath entails for you, so you can relish in it every time you carry out this ceremony. I truly believe that one’s focus and intent on creating an atmosphere for themselves where they can thrive, is vitally important!

As for me and my process: I will first tend to any daily activities I need to get done in order to focus completely on my artwork without any dark clouds lingering over my head. I will do a short meditate to set aside any lingering daily wonders and worries, while turning my every intention towards creating another masterpiece. Within my art room, I surround myself with inspiration and inspiring artwork, sketches, inviting colors, shapes, etc. This includes anything and everything that stirs my curiosity and excites my creative mind, consistently gets and keeps my attention, or inspires me to try new technics, etc. I usually surround myself with those things by keeping them close to me, whether sitting on a shelf nearby or tapped to the wall, what have you.

I also keep my favorite childrens toys scattered about the room, as a reminder to allow my creative inner-child to be invoked and thrive without boundaries or restrictions during my creations. Who says you can’t paint the sky red, orange and yellow? Haven’t you seen a sunset? I most often play instrumental music, nature sounds, meditative or new age music softly in the background, to allow myself to focus on my creations instead of getting distracted by song lyrics. The combination of utilizing both artificial and natural lighting is essential to mixing my colors and during the process of creating art. I, no longer allow, any kind of clutter in the room or those things which may make me feel confined or restricted. I will prepare a beverage and some munchies in advance while keeping them readily available. This prevents me from having to take periodic breaks that could interrupt my focus rather than staying in the creative groove.

What I would suggest to you is:

• First tend to what you can, in regards to your daily wonders and worries. Get them over with in order to focus solely on your creative endeavors.
• Ponder upon and even write a short description of your ultimate working space, of how you might reorganize it to be more efficient or perhaps even redecorate this space all together. Remember, this is your creative Zen space in which you wish to thrive!
• Keep in mind or even write a list of those elements (from your description) that you can implement now. Add that soft music or those personal elements which will create a peaceful, harmonious and happy environment for you.
• Consider all the elements of your space…including my examples of the sounds, sights, lighting, etc…implement all of those ceremonial things you feel are essential towards creating an environment that you personally can thrive in, even just by stepping into it! 
• Make a ceremony of it!
• Simply allow your creative self to flourish! 

I hope that helps for you as it helped me!
I will get to the other questions soon.Until next time...

An Artists Fortune Cookie

I had decided to take a little break and do some California sightseeing while camping at the beach. What an experience after being landlocked for so many years! I grabbed some Hot Spicy Chinese Chicken Wings to munch on the way. Later that night as I rest my feet by the fire, I opened my fortune cookie to see that Art is not only my passion but follows me in all I do as well as everywhere I go! This is what the Fortune Cookie Said: "You have a deep appreciation for the arts and music!"  How did it know? ;)

I am looking forward to creating one of my deepest artistic passions soon, now that I have the extended time. Bring on the Surreal Artwork!
Maybe that was a sign!
I'm so excited about this new venture!

PS. For those whom did email their comments on The Creative Vortex post, I promise I will reply to you very soon! And do feel free to post them on my page rather than emailing me directly, although I do love the one-on-one commentary. 

The Creative Vortex

We creators of all types whether painter, poet, photographer, sculptor, writer, etc …are known to thrive on our passion without food, drink or sleep for immeasurable periods of time. We seem to exist normally among reality, only to disappear off into our creative zone and eventually reemerge from the creative zone back to reality with no regard for the amount of time that has passed. This missing time is well known and perfectly acceptable among artists and creators of all types. Why?  It’s because we have learned to create and enter upon demand an altered state of reality I will call the “Creative Vortex.”

For novelists it’s usually a lake cabin, for musicians it’s a music studio and so on. Me, I went into my artistic zone the other day, also known as my art room…the usual place I go to enter into this creative vortex of mine. I decided this time to bring my camera along for the duration. Perhaps I’ll capture something interesting within this time lapse, something that might normally have passed me by. Well I’m glad I followed my instincts because that’s just what I did and I also brought back proof that this creative vortex is not just a state of mind but seriously exists and this is how my story goes…

I woke up and enjoyed some fresh dark roasted coffee, showered, got dressed for the day and I am on my way. I paused just long enough to top-off my coffee cup while I begin to focus my attention towards creativity. I walk over to my art desk not yet knowing what to do or where to start. As I review over my artwork, pretty soon the creative juices start flowing through my veins and my artist takes over. One thing leads to another…I should do this, I should do that, I should do these… as I jump full force into my passion.

Eventually the need to take a break from my work becomes inevitable as I look out my window and noticed the daylight had turned to dark. I was shocked, for what seemed to be a short shift in time suddenly turned into a half of day. I stepped out from my creative zone while repeating the mantra “this is only a quick break, this is only a quick break.” Letting God know, the Keeper of the Creative Vortex, that I have every intention of stepping back into my creative zone and simply picking-up from where I left off.

This very thought is about the same for every type of artist and creator. Somehow instinctively inside, you know that once you step out of the Creative Vortex, you run a risk of NOT being able to get back into your prior creative groove…and the worst case scenario is not getting back into the groove at all, thus having to hang it up for the rest of day. This dread of falling out of the Creative Vortex is exactly why creators disappear for extended periods of time. While in the Creative Vortex, we simply procrastinate our return to reality for as long as we possibly can, even when it comes to the necessities of life. Figuring, I can eat later, I can grab another drink later, I can catch-up on some sleep later, as not to disturb the creative force within this vortex by taking too many risks of falling out of the zone.

While I broke from my passions work, I walked out the door into the other room as I curiously passed by the computer to see what time it is. I think to myself, it’s dark out already? How many hours have passed? Could 12 hours have passed? Time for a Reality Check! Well there was no reality to check… for I got exactly what in my mantra I wished for...  And how do I know this is true? YES, the photo, the proof!!!

Notice what is says in the top left corner of my computer/tv screen, instead of the date and time appearing as usual, it says: “No Time Information!” See now that’s hardcore proof and it’s confirmed! It’s just like I said in my Mantra. I’m not quite in the Creative Vortex nor am I in the rational world, I am sort of in between altered states where no thing as space and time exists. It’s just as I described in origin…

We creators of all types whether painter, poet, photographer, sculptor, writer, etc …are known to thrive on our passion without food, drink or sleep for immeasurable periods of time. We seem to exist normally among reality, only to disappear off into our creative zone and eventually reemerge from the creative zone back to reality with no regard for the amount of time that has passed. This missing time is well known and perfectly acceptable among artists and creators of all types. Why?  It’s because we have learned to create and enter upon demand an altered state of reality I will call the “Creative Vortex” only this time God allowed me to prove it with this “No Time Information” photo!
To Me, that’s just another Surreal Reality X-Files Mystery Solved!
Until Next Time...

Surreality Art's Strange Brew

Welcome to Surreality Art Over Coffee! 

     Imagine us walking into a quaint coffee shop. Posters of local events and entertainment are randomly tapped to the glass door. Swinging the door open as you enter, a cluster of little dangling metal bells hits the glass ringing.
     The aroma of freshly ground coffee beans infuses the air. You see the counter, the coffee machines, workers behind the counter and a variety of sweet things to compliment your coffee are neatly arranged under the glass.
     Little tables-for-two are symmetrically lined against the walls and only a couple other patrons are already sitting down.
     After placing your order, you turn to look at me and wonder what kind of random subjects, recent thoughts, chance questions and replies will come up over the duration of our conversation together?

Welcome to Surreality Art Over Coffee!

Strange Brew is a quaint little coffee shop, the kind of place I would gladly past the time with friends while engaging in conversation. Since many of my friends and lovers of art are scattered across the US, I felt this is a wonderful way to stay in touch while getting to know each other better and not have to travel to do it. No matter where you may be, you can always meet me here. So why not grab a cup of coffee, settle down in a comfortable chair, and enjoy a little timeout from the typical routine while engaging in some creative yet random conversation.