visual artist and writer marisol diaz i am a self-defined Nuyorican creative (that is a Puerto Rican who is from both the isles of Manhattan, NYC and the Caribbean). I share daily in the joy of education and live in a cute port town in New York, in a 'teensy-weensy' apartment with my two dogs and canary named Valentino. Check out my Etsy shop for purchasable pieces. Please do not reproduce imagery off of this site without explicit credit and no derivatives may be made of my original imagery- Thank You.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011 at 07:21PM 
MIA features the Projects Gallery of Philadelphia Which represents this piece By artist Alex Queral, acrylic on carved telephone book
So stay tuned in with me while I blog about my trip and share what is sure to be some phenomenal artistic feats since I will spare you those that aren't! LOl!- ciao Amarettogirl
Tuesday, January 4, 2011 at 05:57PM 
'wanting' ink illustration on heavyweight watercolor paper by m.diaz
'hungry' ink illustration on heavyweight watercolor paper by m. diaz
Tuesday, December 21, 2010 at 01:17PM 
Photo BY Denis Darzacq from his Hyper series
Denis Darzacq is one of my top all-time favorite living artists. He is a French photographer that I would love love to interview (if I ever could be so honored). He is virally known for his most recent series 'Hyper', but I was introduced to him on the blogosphere with his earlier series entitled, 'La Chute (the Fall)'. Hyper is seemingly a continuation of his work in which he:
asks young street dancers from working class neighborhoods in Paris and Rouen to perform in the aisles of the "hypermarché," the massive supermarkets and global retail chains that have supplanted smaller shops in France and in many countries around the globe. Suspended in mid-air, these floating bodies bring an otherworldliness to common consumerism. Like baroque figures, the dancers rise and fall either victims or victors against the absolutism of globalized commerce. This opposition between being and having, between the person and the environment - a central theme in Darzacq's practice - questions the human cost of materialism.La Chute was inspired by the 2005 riots in the housing projects ("banlieues") around the outskirts of Paris where many young, disenfranchised, and mostly immigrant inhabitants were blamed for much of the unrest. Like Hyper, the photographs present dreamlike scenes of hovering bodies but in this case they are contrasted against the sparseness of the desolate landscape. La Chute is a meditation on uncertainty, possibility, and desire in the face over overwhelming adversity.
LA CHUTE N° 09 BY Denis Darzacq
Last year I was in a two woman show with fellow artist Nova Gutierrez in the 2/20 Gallery in Chelsea, New York run and owned by Miguel Herrera. The theme of the exhibit revolved around our interpretation of the title of the show, the words 'Unearthly Woman'. Many (not all) of the pieces that I made for that show were loosely inspired by Denis Darzacq and his photographic work.
The Laurence Miller gallery states about Denis Darzacq's work:
The photographs explore the tension between being and having, between the human body and the built environment. They offer a fresh, witty and intensely colorful commentary on global consumerism and freedom of spirit.I did not use Denis' images as that is not what I mean by inspired.
In fact, that is definitely a topic for future art-making posts, since it is sad and frustrating and much too frequent how many artists struggling for their own content can confuse inspiration with outright copying.
However, using his ethereal capture of frozen moments of the fall, I began to develop my own picture references of the female figure falling as a metaphor for my displacement within dual and competing cultures and locations (place and time) that I feel as a Nuyorican but also as my gender explorations are redefined from that of my biological sex.
Falling to me is a fascinating subject one in which even NPR's show Radio Lab has explored (that I would highly recommend listening to). Falling is at once a loss of control as it is a release of control and it is a fascinating state of altering time. I wanted my translations to be quick and loose, as opposed to my usually tight illustrated style, and done with unresolved marks that pushed the flavor of frozen motion. In my humble opinion, it is that frozen motion that Denis Darzacq captures so masterfully.
one of the charcoal and acrylic paintings for the Unearthly Woman Exhibit
one wall of my work for UNEARTHLY WOMAN from last year's Chelsea NY exhibit- quick charcoal & acrylic paintings
a scale shift as this is one of the smallest pntgs compared to the larger ones by me
What I'm hoping to convey today with this post is how an artist and their vision can be a catalyst to developing your own unique response and to exploring a communal idea uniquely. In addition, I hope to introduce you to this outstanding artist, his work, and process as he has now made it to one of my top creative minds list.
I also found this fantastic video that shows Denis at work with his process and I thought it an excellent addition to this inspiring artist you should know post:
Monday, December 20, 2010 at 07:27PM My womens art gathering from back in August (Click HERE to see the post about it)has continued and is giving birth to some new opportunities! Sharon will be hosting another one (a Ceramics one) next and hopefully with some deliberate intentions on my part we will have our over night retreat soon! We need to name ourselves still, but so far Creatively Conscious has stuck!
Sharon reading her quote
Busy Bees - Mandi, Linda and Esther (my momma)
Kesha working on her design
Sharon working on a silkscreen with glitter
Sharon's card
The Art & Design Girls (highschool mates)
Altered Books, Womens Art Retreat, silkscreen in Art, Collage, Craft, On Creativity, Retreats, sketchbooks Tuesday, December 14, 2010 at 11:24PM This weekend I get to start my holiday vacation with a blast- the continuum of my Creatively Conscious Ladies Art Class! During our last August Retreat day we started Altered Books, which can be very much like a sketchbook or more highly resolved pieces of art. I just realized there are many pages of which I never shared here- so I thought it seemed to be a fine time to do so.
My altered book cover by m.diaz
Altered Page
altered page by m.diaz
matador altered pages by m.diaz
Barren Queen altered page 1 by m.diaz
Barren Queen altered page2 by m.diaz
altered page by m.diaz
Ausencia altered page by m.diaz
Rue de Reves altered page by m.diaz
Would have been nice if I would have shown you what the book looked like before I messed with it! Well hope you enjoy!Ciao- Amarettogirl
Altered Books, Inks, Womens Art Retreat, collage in Art, Collage, Illustration, On Creativity, Retreats, sketchbooks Monday, December 6, 2010 at 12:42PM Here is a creative glimpse of my time in San Diego which was like a scene out of the Fast and the Furious, but I packed a whallup out of the short time there.
Love the time difference, the weather and the people. In fact, I actually miss it! So here goes:
restaurant across the street from Scott White Gallery Little Italy San Diego
me in front of Scott White Gallery
Furniture Shop
Gallery Shot
gallery shot
Art & Design Bldg
gallery shot
Public Art
detail shot
art piece for window display @ the Contemporary Museum of Art San Diego
San Diego, San Diego Art in Art, Design Life, Travel Sunday, November 28, 2010 at 05:30PM 
You Cut Me Once...Unfinished Illo by m.diaz
Traget Locked...Unfinished Illustration ... m.diaz
These are done with black ink, white ink on Rives BFK paper that I distressed and they are meant to evoke the mood I've been in lately.
I'm off to San Diego this Wed. for this years Annual National Assoc. of Indep. Schools People of Color Conference. It is the first year in five years that I am NOT presenting and I am elated at the prospect of being at peace while there! It is going to be my 8th year attending and I suspect it may be my last for while. So stay tuned as I visit yet another awesome city and bring you some blog posts about it!
-Ciao Amarettogirl
illustration, ink, ink illustrations, new illustration, white ink in Art Thursday, November 25, 2010 at 12:35PM A year and a half ago my student Colin Alexander (now an alumni) developed this stop-motion for my hub and my Advanced Portfolio animation assignment entitled, The Zoo. Colin and I have often maintained a similar art aesthetic in our conceptual attraction to animal/human relations. And after so many other wonderful animations this particular one still holds a very very very special place in my heart. Colin has also just started his own portfolio site as he attends (the school that I attended for grad school) The Maryland Institute College of Art for his undergrad degree. After spending a treat overnight visit with Colin this Thanksgiving break I've decided to share all these wonderful and inspiring treats with you!
Saturday, November 6, 2010 at 10:00AM My dogs love to bring me gifts. They truly leave these gifts for me to find the second I walk through the door from work. Mind you they have a spot and window they sit at every day to wait for me to come home. They have internal clocks and know when I should be home. When I'm on time they are filled with abnormal joy at my arrival, when I'm late I find wicked behavior like chewing on my table legs. Regardless, they are cognizant of where I come from and when. The gift they are most proud of was perhaps my worst...a dead squirrel that they left on my living room carpet right at the entrance for me, fully intact I might add. All my pups lack are opposable thumbs, wrapping paper and ribbon.
So last week I arrived home from work to get a new gift. I screamed out in complete bloody agony to find a dead little limp bird laying on my living room carpet.
Then just as I got acclimated to the reality of it, and as I was trying to figure out how to pick it up, I walked outside my back door to let the chickens out into the yard and in horror there was another dead bird at my feet. My stomach turned like if this was all a bad omen...a rain of dead birds. However as I faced being home alone and having to address these birds, I gathered courage and began my usual twisting, turning, bloating and wringing of a problem. I couldn't help but to see them as dauntingly beautiful, fragile and spiritless. So on a week where I would have paid to have an extra hour in the day, I proceeded to spend the next four hours photographing dead birds. Here is just one of the results:
my two little dead birds photo by m.diaz
Monday, October 4, 2010 at 10:39AM There are some new brightly colored leaves blowing on the horizon for this site during this awesome month of OCTOBER, my 'favoristist' month ever!
So let me start laying it out for you...WAIT FOR IT...
;)
I'm super excited to start posting the new entries routinely! Its going to be a busy month so check back often - and remember it might look different!
- Ciao 
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