52 Chelsea Exhibit

My most recent gallery exhibit is opening this Thursday @ 2:00pm in the 2/20 Gallery in Chelsea, NYC.

Our Opening reception will be this Saturday, Sept. 20th from 6-8 pm. We'll have sangria, finger foods and MUSICA so if you're in the area - swing by!

So what's up with 52? Well fellow artist, Nova Gutierrez was motivated to stir up a mix of artists responses to a deck of 52 cards. Therefore each of the four artist in this show respond and investigate the probability of chance, risk and design that is involved with any kind of playing cards. I for one, really upped the ante and focused on some high risk illustration. Stay tuned to learn more!

Inspiring Artist - Sylvia Levenson

While I was taking the class at The Studio @ the Corning Museum of glass I got to visit the museum collection frequently. One of my favorite pieces (and there were many) was this piece by artist Sylvia Levenson.

It's Raining Knives by Sylvia Levenson

On of our class assignments was to seek out a piece from the glass collection to respond to via our own art work. As I get adjusted to moving out of NYC and deeper into the jaws of suburbia, and as I watch the continuing politics of fear immobilize people, I was deeply drawn to this sculpture. The title card also spoke volumes about our human exchange with fear.

For me, Sylvia's sculpture invokes the innocence of youth. The colorful houses and even the astro-turf are reminiscent of cloistered safety. The fact that she makes use of glass only adds to tenuous, fragile and volatile potential of the situation.

In my own work I am very drawn to the melancholy of loss, especially innocence lost. I had been feverishly illustrating a series of young girls in my sketchbook and was considering carefully composing them in a paper-doll fashion of sheets of glass. In addition I am very interested in stained glass, and really wanted to consider cutting my sheet glass into forms before I illustrated on them with the vitreous paint (this technique is explained in past post). I was inspired by the element of repetition as well. That is how my art pieces entitled Lost Girls was born.

detail of Lost Girls by marisol diaz

Lost Girls by marisol diaz

So with little time (for class was in its last three days) I cut sheet glass, painted and fired as many girls from my sketchbook and bunnies as I could. The scale is much smaller and less colorful than Levenson's work but the inspiration is there...in my way.
Lost Girls 2 detail by marisol diaz

Glass Illustrations

Forgive Them Father For They Know Not What They Do by marisol diaz

So as one of my loyal readers noticed, I've been really busy (its called back-to-school-syndrome). So therefore I have neglected updating my blog!! I hope this new illustration buys me some time - because unfortunately this school year promises to be no easier than the rest. Who was that lame teacher 11 years ago who told me, "Oh don't worry no year is as hard as your first teaching year and every year after gets easier and easier..." yeah right. I've been waiting for the 'easy' part to kick in - its a decade too late! I wish I could be that care-fee teacher, but I'm not. And every year I get just as stressed about the first day of school as my students do. At least I still care. In addition, teaching high-school has been a great way of keeping me on my toes.

I thought this illustration was a great way to pay homage to this teaching year... especially the title. However I can't help but think more of the teachers than the students with the theme of this pic! If in this illustration the line work looks a bit anemic in areas, its because this is blasted onto sheet glass and rubbed into with pigment, than faired - so the lighter areas are where the pigment was less concentrated.

Happy back to school day.