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.
Tuesday, September 17, 2013 at 03:23PM 
Sam Andaran (Fire Within in Persian) Axolotl by M. Diaz 22x30 Ink Painting and Mixed Media
Sam Andaran/Fire Within Detail by M. Diaz
Detail shot of an Axolotl by M.Diaz
me with Tonalli @ Anne Arundel Community College
Monday, September 16, 2013 at 07:03PM 
El Pez Por Su Propia Boca Muere/ The Fish by its own Mouth Dies 22x30 by M. Diaz
El Pez detail 22x30 Mixed Media Ink painting by M.Diaz
el Pez detail by M.Diaz
Me with 'El Pez Por Su Propia Boca Muere'
This was one of the first pieces I developed for the Tonalli Exhibit in Arnold Maryland his month, though it's the third piece I'm revealing here. It is entitled, El Pez Por Su Propia Boca Muere which translates to the fish by its very own mouth dies. It has three-dimensional pieces on it and is encased in a coating of resin, hard to photograph due to the gloss.
It's funny how I found the pieces which are 22x30 so large when working on them, but it appears so much smaller on the gallery wall- all the white wall space just eats it up.
Obviously this is the water piece in the Earth, Air,Water and Fire series. I know some of my students are seriously freaked out about the hook in the mouth, though I'm sorry for that, I still feel it's one of my strongest pieces when it comes to wordlessly communicating my emotions and my inability to be understood.
Thursday, September 12, 2013 at 07:23PM If you're following the new art and saw the blog post before this one, you'll see that the last painting I posted (My Lepidoptera Heart) is my 'Air' piece in my new Earth, Air, Water and Fire series. Since many of you can't get to the Maryland exhibit I'm showing all the pieces here in a reveal.
The next piece I'm revealing is the Earth piece, entitled, Esurio the Latin word meaning 'to hunger'.
Esurio by m.diaz 22x30 Ink Painting and Mixed Media
Esurio Detail 22x30 Mixed Media
Esurio Wolf Detail 22x30 ink painting & mixed media
hope you're enjoying the reveal,
Monday, September 9, 2013 at 11:16AM 
My Lepidoptera Heart 22x30 Ink and Mixed Media August 2013
Detail shot of My Lepidoptera Heart
Sunday, May 8, 2011 at 08:53PM Sometimes if you are over extended the way I have been or you are just torn between emotional forces and are overwhelmed by defeat- You Just Feel Like THIS:
The River By MAILLOL located at the MOMA Sculpture Garden photo by m. diaz
Interestingly enough Maillol Began this piece as a commission for a pacifist and as a statement against war- he had developed it as a woman who had been stabbed in the back and was falling...and that is what I saw when I first laid eyes on it - but the commission fell through and when he completed it - he developed it as THE RIVER - hence all the movement in the piece- something he had once felt had no place in sculpture - IF you have just a ONE MINUTE and 37 seconds you should listen to this description by chief curator of the Moma on the piece:
OR I can say I have been feeling like this one too - legless - immobile and confounded by the characters in my life...
A portrait can be illustrated in so many ways - Take for example these portraits - one male and one female, Henrik Olesen‘s Portrait of Scott, a deconstructed 13-inch Macbook, and Portrait of Kirsten, a deconstructed Canon PIXMA iP4200 Photo Printer. Lots of food for thought here...every little underestimated piece a vital part of the whole and the object, the tool the extension to the human... Then I kind of fell head over heels over an artist who employs ACTIONS as his art - FRANCIS ALŸS who the students and I see his work akin to Guerilla Art- wonderful for them to see this is not solely a result of the 21st century, but considered much earlier by minds like ALŸS'...I've been intrigued and have started to delve deeply into his concepts.
excerpt of Crying in Public 2003 1 of 8 from a series of nine lithographs with chine-colle by CLAUDETTE SCHREUDERS </span>
Me behind Portrait of S. by Henrik Olesen
Portrait of S. by Henrik Olesen
One of my Favorite ALŸS pieces, ZOCALO in which a social situation lends itself to a sculptural one...read on...
Zócalo (Mexico City, 1999 collaboration with Rafael Ortega) is a 12 hour documentary following the progression of the shadow of the flagpole in the Zócalo (the main square in Mexico City) during the course of a day.
The Zócalo was redesigned at the beginning of the revolutionary era as a setting for huge propagandist spectacles and became with time the ideal space to express public discontent. Alÿs' film records how arbitrary social encounters can sometimes be perceived as sculptural situations.
Monday, January 24, 2011 at 07:23PM All photos in this post by m.diaz @ the MIA Art fair
In grad school I was told I was a better draftsperson than painter and that I should focus my energy on just drawing... regardless... at graduation I received a certificate of distinction at the Hoffberger school of Painting. I'm glad I didn't outline limitations around myself or be swayed by the big names that guided my path, but when I saw this artist, Christina Pettersson's work @ Mia it reminded how powerful an unadulterated graphite drawing can be. Her work comes across as pure as a piece of 18th century literature and iconic and romantic enough to make William Morris smile in his grave. The large scale of the drawings can be better appreciated in the video I found for you. I am also quite impressed with the artists featured by the Spinello gallery who had more than one of the artists I am featuring and reviewing here my blog.
Zora Neale Hurston's Grave, 2009, Graphite on Paper by Christina Pettersson rep. by Spinello Gallery</span>
Eudora Welty's Grave, 2009, Graphite on Paper by Christina Pettersson rep. by Spinello Gallery
One of the artists I really enjoyed discovering at the Miami International Art Fair was Euginio Cuttica, who I believe was there represented by the Adriana Budich Arte Contemporàneo Gallery. Eugenio Cuttica is a contemporary artist born in Buenos Aires in the mid 50’s. The opening slideshow on his website is a treat enough to discover so I highly recommend clicking on his name anywhere in this post to go to it and peruse yourself.
Luna #19 mixed media on cardboard by Euginio Cuttica
DETAIL Luna #19 mixed media on cardboard by Euginio Cuttica
Luna #17 mixed media on cardboard by Euginio Cuttica
DETAIL Luna #17 mixed media on cardboard by Euginio Cuttica Another very intriguing artist was South Korean Artist Sang-Sik Hong who was represented at MIA by the Patrajdas Gallery.
Sang-Sik uses a very pedestrian (everyday) object such as the plastic drinking straw and delivers a fun, yet deliberate and evocative punch of relief imagery!
He makes contemporary, symbolic sculptures & installations. A real special treat is to visit the Patrajdas site by clicking on it here and seeing SangSik Hong's Installation Works which are EXTRAordinary and fantastic feats of genius!
Representations of Power, Sex & Desire executed in a "weak" and basic, yet iconic material.
Mouth - Red (ed. 3/5)Straws by Sang-Sik Hong rep. by Patrajdas Contemporary Art
Obstruct (ed. 1/5)Straws by Sang-Sik Hong rep. by Patrajdas Contemporary Art
DETAIL Obstruct (ed. 1/5)Straws by Sang-Sik Hong rep. by Patrajdas Contemporary Art
DETAIL Obstruct (ed. 1/5)Straws by Sang-Sik Hong rep. by Patrajdas Contemporary Art
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I hope you enjoyed this second installment and trust me there is still so much more to come! So stay tuned! -Ciao Amarettogirl
Wednesday, August 11, 2010 at 04:12PM 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
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