Illustrating with Nail Polish

Ever consider doing a drawing with a set of these:

Well I did. And if you didn't know there are a bunch of great art pieces out there made by folks using all sorts of deliciously different and unconventional drawing materials like mascara, ketchup and fries, chocolate, vegemite on toast and even cheesepuffs!

Also don't forget my post on multi-talentedVik Muniz!

Well as I was lounging and playing in my altered book, I was perusing some fashion mags and I came across this computer generated advertisement for Intermix that really inspired me:

INSPO:

Intermix Print Ad in a fashion magazine Ad side by side with nail-polish version by me, m.diaz Illustration done with nail polish and white ink by marisol diaz detail 2 nail polish illustration by marisol diaz

Sorry the pics aren't the best they were taken with my iphone as I was giving my camera a break.

Hope this inspires you to think outside the box and make your mark with ANYTHING!!!

Ciao- Amarettogirl

My First Womens Art Day Retreat!!***Creatively Conscious***

With a jam-packed, super-loaded day of original rubberstamp carving and altered book-making, my first women's art retreat was a great success! Our only need - more time of course!

This is why I my original intent was a weekend retreat, because I've always known the work there is for us to do in claiming our right to a creative life despite our daily demands is just so great! But no worries there is always NEXT TIME!!!

Powerpoint for Retreat Beginning- Sharon, Linda and Manon in front Sharon at work Sharon's Station The beginning of Annamarias book cover Luz and her station Visual journalling prompts for book altering beyond the day of retreat! Linda at work Lindas station Annamaria working Sharon working All my rubberstamps and our option supplies table Naaja, her self portrait stamp and her print in her altered book Annamaria's cover almost but not completely Manons cover in progress detail shot of crackle effect on Manon's cover Naaja working in her book with alcohol inks All of us Creatively Consious girls- back row Manon, Sharon, Naaja & Annamaria- Front row -me, Linda & Luz

My First Ladies Mini Art Retreat is almost here!

So along with saying goodbye to one of the best summers in a while and adding an insane amount of color onto the chicken coop, saying farewell to the college bound in my life and working on my physical self, I have just developed a mini one day Women's Art Retreat to kiss away the year. I hope it is the first of many.

I am super happy with the write up, a two page brochure, which you can see by clicking here:

CREATIVELY CONSCIOUS a Mini Art Day Retreat for Women

I only feel remiss about the space limitations of 7 participants which is practically complete pending on one last confirmation. But like I said, hopefully this is just the beginning of many more in a variety of locations.

Caring deeply about empowering women to live with confidence and creativity in their daily lives is something that I am very passionate about. On too many occasions I find myself coaching women who I know are bursting at the seams with untapped potential to let it out and shine. So why not create a master place and time for it? Better yet, why not set a day to support, playfully push, creatively prod and unleash each other!

An altered book page by Artist Gregg Emery

This weekend's class will use press-less printmaking techniques and the altered book as a vehicle for expression, investigation and rejuvenation. Altered books allow for so much creative versatility and are the perfect fusion between sketchbook and journalling. The following pics are some examples of altered books done my hub and I.

^{A Frida altered book page by marisol diaz}

^{A Valentine altered book page by marisol diaz}

^{Altered book illustrations by artist Gregg Emery}

Being the artist/cook that he is, my hub is making tea-sandwiches despite the fact that he will not be attending the day!

I've developed a syllabi and lesson plan for the day that is enlightening despite skill and comfortability level. I just can't wait!

I'll be sure to document it all here so that you can join us despite distance.

-

Ciao Amarettogirl

Attending to the Sketchbook

I've been daydreaming alot lately in my sketchbook.

However, as I start to fall pretty deep into the rabbit hole and lose sense of the impending end to the summer- I have to keep poking my head out into reality for air - and I thought what better time to share some details of pages with you. These sketches are all unfinished and these photos are pretty shabby and taken with my cell phone...when they're finished I'll post better, clearer and protected images.

This is a sketch of the winner of the television show 'So You Think You Can Dance' doing a dance number while I paused the recording.

an idea of who is more animal by m. diaz - do not use any images off of this site a sketchbk feeling by m.diaz

Considering my beast sketch by m.diaz

Reminder:

Images may not be used off of this site with out explicit request, However independent bloggers may use no more than 2 images and must please give credit and link back to this site. Thank You.

thinking of Yemaya sketch by m. diaz

Hope you enjoyed this little wacky mind-meld with me and that you come back to see and read more about living an off beat ART full life.

Ciao -Amarettogirl

Inspiring Contemporary Artists @ The Opera Gallery in Soho NYC

So at the very end of my Soho day trip we passed one of the many galleries in the city and I said, 'Woah! Wait a minute I think that's a Sas Christian painting!" We quickly crossed the little cobblestone street and sure enough it was a Sas Christian painting there in the flesh.

The Opera Gallery between Mercer and Greene currently has not only some of Sas, but Colin Christian's, Lori Earley's and Camille D'Errico's art work all of which are some of my ultimate faves!

I discovered many of these artists who are now all pretty big names from earlier exposure from my art mag subscriptions Juxtapoz and Hi-Fructose! I own a Sas Christian book of her art and a print that was gifted to me but to see one up close and personal was priceless. many of her paintings are around 50 inches in size.

Fast Forward by Sas Christian Fast Forward Oil on Linen by Sas Christian Burn by Sas Christian Oil on Linen photo by m. diaz Hardcore Pink by Colin Christian Cosmic Kitty by Colin Christian photos by m.diaz Denise by Lori Earley photo by m.diaz Weeping Camel by Camille D'Errico photo by m.diaz

Hope you enjoyed this little contemporary art tour as much as I did ;)
- Ciao Amarettogirl

Shopping for Color in Downtown NYC

Here's a post on an island of a different color- Manhattan!

Kremer Brushes

This week my hub and I went on a city trip that wasn't to our usual Astor place haunts, but instead to some new ones that had been on our living-an-art-full-life must see list. We did have to go to one usual stop and that was Pearl art supply store to restock, but all our other stops were new treats!

And if you're a creative, I think you'll love these places too- in fact you might just want to hit the links in addition to reading my blog and bookmark these sites (which are all pretty impressive in their own right) for your next artsy NYC shopping trip.

Kremer Pigments Inc.

Kremer storefront window

I know I've mentioned the book COLOR: A Natural history of the Palette by Victoria Finlay on this blog before but its worth mentioning once again. Every creative, illustrator, watercolorist, designer, painter and well-rounded artist should own this book, and maybe you do. But if you have a hankering to get a hands on visual supplement to the origins of color you need to go to Kremer's.

my hub browsing the stock

This is a shop that sells all you need to create your own paints, dyes or mediums for watercolor, acrylics and/ or oils. They also sell damar, varnishes and inks. The store, lined with shelves of gorgeous bags of powdered pigments specializes in historical pigments as well as contemporary methods. If you like the way the ol' masters did it- or you just want to be in the know - you have to go.

Next stop: Purl Soho

Yarn at Purl Soho

Purl is a fabric store in Soho New York that you will often see advertised in any crafty magazine with gorgeous photos of stacked fabric.

Wool felt at Purl Soho

They have wool felt for felting, stellar embroidery thread, rows of gorgeous fabric and walls lined with delectable high quality yarn for all you knitters and crochet divas out there.

Next stop: Papabubble

What a name right! Well, years ago I took some glass classes at Urban Glass in Brooklyn, NY. For fun I took an additional weekend workshop on pulling sugar. We worked with it very much the way you do lampworked glass.

candies up close

Anyhoo- it gave me an appreciation for handmade artisanal candy and Papabubble is just the place for that! They have shops in some of the best cities around the world like Barcelona, Tokyo, Amsterdam, Seoul & Taipei. They employ the millefiori technique to roll designs into the center of the candy and specialize in making custom designs to order.

Papabubble Artisanal Candy bags for $5

Above you see two Papabubble Candy Artisans making a custom order of candy.

Next Stop- Kid Robot

Ok So we HAVE been to Kid Robot before, but not since they've remodeled and expanded their shop! The Urban Vinyl toy mecca still houses many DIY munnies and Urban Vinyl Artist figures, clothes and blind boxes.

We also went to a gallery where I saw artwork by some of my all time fave artists from our fave art magazines Juxtapoz and Hi-Fructose! But this blog has become long enough and it was all just in a single days work- so I'll blog about the gallery next.

I hope you enjoyed it as much as we did and I'm so happy I was able to take you along with us as we depart from chickens, coops and travel to return to our art-full lives! ~.~

Ciao- Amarettogirl

Chelsea Gallery Tour Part II

Baby Chick Starter kit by My Pet Chicken

Ok so- the performance that I am in is only 48 hours away! I hope I don't get stage-fright! I'm still on antibiotics, I'm lusting to get some new drawings done AND I ordered the baby chick starter kit! WOO HOO!!!

Soon I will show you the locale for the coop that I'm going to design and build so stay tuned. Tomorrow will be a full dress rehearsal and Thursday and Friday we're on. I play Betty Chumley (Doctor Chumley's wife) in Harvey (yes the same 1950 Harvey film with Jimmy Stewart).

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During the Chelsea tour I just so happened to stop in front of the Claire Oliver Gallery in which I had seen Judith Schaechter's work before and to my surprise there was a new, freshly mounted Judith Schaechter exhibit entitled Beauty and the Beef just mounted!! I hope you like my pics!

Using traditional copper foil and soldering techniques, Schaechter balances tradition and medium that harken back to the middle ages with an unmistakably contemporary style, aligned with those of underground comics and political satirists.

-The Claire Oliver Gallery

Judith Schaechter's You Are Here Stained Glass Lightbox Judith Schaechter's The Cold Genius (detail) Judith Schaechter's Widow Graphite on Paper Judith Schaechter's The Minotaur (detail) Judith Schaechter's Lockdown Stained Glass Lightbox

Chelsea Gallery Tour Part I

THANK YOU all for my get well wishes! I'm anxious to de-throne the bronchitis and get back to my art-full life, so lets get started!

We took a group of our seniors on a Chelsea gallery tour as we do every year. However this trip was an exceptional one for me, some of my favorite artists were on exhibit and some new ones (at least for me) that I am so excited to introduce you all to in the next few posts.

One of my all-time favorite painters for the last five years, Mark Ryden is currently having an exhibit in the Paul Kasmin, Chelsea NY gallery, entitled The Gay 90's: Olde Tyme Art Show.

The gallery is on 293 Tenth Avenue and the show is on exhibit from April 29 to June 5, 2010.

The central theme of The Gay 90s: Old Tyme Art Show references the idealism of the 1890s while addressing the role of kitsch and nostalgia in our current culture.

Josephine, 2010, graphite on paper with watercolor washes

This will be Ryden's first significant solo show in New York since 2003, as well as his first with the gallery. In his hauntingly beautiful and masterfully executed oil paintings, Ryden creates his own contemporary mythologies whose archetypes include fairy tale creatures, historical figures, and pop cultural icons. Seamlessly juxtaposing macabre motifs like meat grinders and disembodied presidents with eye-pleasing ingénues and seductive landscapes, the artist produces a vision of society in which menace and comfort are inseparably interwoven. These labor-intensive canvasses deftly rework centuries of art history, combining the grandeur of Spanish and Italian religious painting with the decorative richness of Old Master compositions and the lush textures of French Neo-Classicism.

-Paul Kasmin Gallery

The Grinder (#95) study/drawing, 2010The Grinder (#95), 2010 "Virgin and Child" (#93), 2010 oil on canvas drawing study for the Incarnation (#100), 2009 Incarnation (#100), 2009 Incarnation (#100), 2009

-Ciao Amarettogirl

New Music Find & A Day in My Life

Water and Weed Wednesday was a washout today because of our cold front, gray clouds and perpetual rain.

I've finally determined the perfect spot to build the coop on and can't wait to show the space, but I'll do that on a clear day.

While over at my friend Sal's blog LOVE QUIRKY I discovered some new music. I have picky music tastes so when I find music I like its always love a good thing, but to top it off, the video that acccompanies the song is visually stunning! It was done in a cool bluish palette with dark somber and simple forms that are just beautiful. There are some art historical references in it too, like a Dutch master-inspired still life.

Though the video is a bit conceptual, I still think it's really sequential and fascinating all the while. My favorite visuals are the german shepherd and the floating house slowly eroding and decomposing. I hope you all enjoy it as much as Sal and I did!

The song is called "What else is there?" by Royksopp featuring Karin Dreijer Andersson of 'The Knife' an electro pop duo from Sweden (thanks Sal!)

Oh BTW, click off that ad on the bottom right as soon as the video starts so that it doesn't distract your experience!

A Day in My Life

On my long, traffic-filled drive home from work today, I realized my days may seem average and 'normal' to me, but really are a bit out of the oridinary to others.

And since I have yet to start tweeting, I thought I might share a 5 point bullet synopsis of my day with you all.

a soldering gun

• met with my personal advisees and discussed their concerns which at this moment are prom and dj related

• downloaded the murder mystery game materials for the senior student workshop/selective I'm teaching/hosting next week- got the sign up sheet and began assigning character roles to each student

• Taught sculpture class and assisted my students to cut glass, wrap copper tape and solder with smokin'hot soldering guns. I did this all while keeping them excited despite the lack-of-instant-gratification they're experiencing (unlike the rest of their lives). They're making three-dimensional cold-connection, Stained glass sculptures.

• have a one hour lunch meeting (not usual) with a prospective new administrative leader asking pertinent and viable questions about arts and, in and with education

• teach a graphic design course in which I introduce the interior design catalog project and motivate students to finish their business card assignment

Sunday Musings- Project Ourway was an Arts Success!!

Today I went to the Azucarera gallery to retrieve my artwork. Now I have to photograph it, then I will parcel the sold pieces out to their respective buyers. So sad to see the loved ones go...
However, I maintain copyright so I'll have digital reproductions of the original art available in smaller and more affordable scale here on the website!

Last night my students exhibited a wonderful artstravaganza, a phenomenal Project Ourway!

project Ourway banner by Isabella Whitney & Hadar Naftalovich The What is Art wall with Balloon collage by artist Hanna Lefcourt

The event was such a wonderful mix of all forms of art; music, animation, performance, design, fashion and expression it was exhilarating! One of my favorite parts was the interactive 'what is art' wall at the entrance of the event. I really like the balloon by my design student Hanna also!

To think this is a student driven,designed, created event is just so impressive there are no words for it!

I've included some pen drawings by artist James Griffiths - click this thumbnail to see the full image.

I read a poem from the Nuyorican Poets cafe and my hub performed in one of the short one-act plays along with the students.

Here are some more pics of the night and a video of the show's finale - a fashion show

wall of student artwall of student art 2 students singing at Project Ourway 2010 Isabella Whitney doing a poetry reading

young UP and Coming Fashion Designer, AK Debuted her line click play to see

I'm still working on the mystery project here is a sneak peek.

Sneek Peek to mystery project by me!

So far only one reader has guessed the correct answer! I think I'll be done by tonight;))

-Ciao Amarettogirl