The Art Walk

Every first Friday of the month we have something called the Downtown Miami Art Walk, where almost all the artists in the downtown area have their studios open for everybody and all. For me personally that means that I need to "nice up" up my studio and turn it partially into a gallery so I can present my work in a professional way. 

Once every so many months I even fill the holes and repaint the walls, so everything looks fresh and nice again. Of course I only do this in a month when I do not have many obligations and deadlines. Then we (me and the 2 other artists) prepare the rest of the floor: besides 3 studio spaces, there are 2 gallery spaces, the bar, the hallway and the bathrooms.... and you probably guess it, no more time to work on a painting. 

We made it a rule on our floor that if we do not have an opening, we do not serve alcohol. The Art Walk for us artists means that we work. We present our art, we talk art with the visitors, and of course we hope that we will be able to sell work or at least have a potential buyer come back on another day.

Last Friday was a very nice Art Walk for me as I talked to a lot of new people who showed real interest in my work and I sold 3 pieces of art. 

And when a buyer is so happy to have bought your work that he wants to show that to the world, that makes it even better!!

2 gone and 1 commission

Just another Friday... I received a message of a brand new facebook friend who asked me if it was ok to come to my studio and see my work this Friday. 
Of course it is... I actually love that - seeing people outside the Art Walks because it is much more relaxed. 

I was painting when he and his partner walked in, they looked around and we started talking... and soon enough it became clear to me that they were collectors and owning a gallery. They contacted me because of a very dear friend of mine (and major fan of my work) who recommended me to them... So there I am wrapping my head around it - because I actually didn't see that coming at all - and in the meanwhile they start happily shopping among my pieces.

The result is: 2 pieces sold, 1 commission and possibly a contract for shows in the Middle East.

Little M 11
aka Little Charlie
6" x 8"
Acrylics on Birch Wood

Little Andy with  Bananas
9" x 12"
Acrylics and Resin Coating on Italian Poplar Wood Panel

What can I say other than... Just another Friday but a pretty AMAZING one.

Honorable Mention

I participated in the Annual Juried International Competition by Irresversible Magazine and I won a Honorable Mention!!!!

All the winners are showing their pieces at Gallery 2014 in Hollywood, Florida and the artists are from all over the world. 

To put the cherry on the cake: all my 6 pieces showing are already pre-sold!! 

So yes, I am glowing and smiling...

SOLD before the paint was dry...

Janis Joplin was the last addition to the series "Proprietary Innocence" I had finished on the day of the Downtown Miami Art Walk... Carefully I framed it... not even coated with resin because that would take at least 3 days to dry and I wanted to show "Little Janis". 

6 PM: my studio is ready, I am ready and Janis is ready... 
6:05 PM: A nice lady walks in, tells me she is a fan of my work and that she read on my Facebook Page that I was painting "Little Janis". Then she took a good look at Janis, asked the price and said:
"Sticker it, it is mine!"

These are the best starts of an Art Walk!!

Artist Profile - in Soul of Miami.

Sometimes life can take a strange turn, surprises come on your path and sometimes they are great. Just like the other day when I was asked if  "they" could do a profile on me. Now I do know the people of the Soul of Miami and I love what they are doing, so I didn't think twice and said yes!!

and this is the result of me agreeing:

http://www.soulofmiami.org/2013/07/29/local-artist-profiles-monique-lassooij-2/

And if you could see my smile now... I think I will keep it for a while.

I was also busy working on some new additions to the series "Proprietary Innocence" and here are some of my new paintings :

 Little Mona

11" x 14"

Acrylics and Resin on Italian Gesso Panel

Little Jimi

11" x 14"

Acrylics and Resin on Italian Gesso Panel

Little Frida

8" x 10"

Acrylics and Resin on Italian Gesso Panel

And I just started to paint Little Janis Joplin  and sketched Little Kurt Cobain... yes, more to come...

DOGS ... Nine, Ten, Eleven....

After the 2 plates that I made for "Art That Feeds" I wanted to paint the little French Bulldog one more time and also two small commissioned pieces 

 

 

 

The French Bulldog

12" x 12"

Acrylics and Permanent Marker on Canvas

 

 

Pom Pop (Commission)

10" x 10"

Acrylics and Permanent Marker on Canvas

 

 

The Boston Terrier

12" x 12"

Acrylics and Permanent Marker on Canvas

 

 

And now I will start another commissioned piece which will be a Cairn Terrier named Joda.

DOGS.... Eight

 

"Ready!!" 

24" x 24"

Acrylics and Permanent Marker (Orange)

on Canvas

Here is Dog number 8 from the "DOGS" series. I aimed to capture the readiness of this little Fox Terrier. 

Young or old, this breed is ready for anything... full of life and spirit.

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2013

HAPPY NEW YEAR !!

DOGS.... Six

"Really?"

24" x 24"

Acrylics and (Blue and Red) Marker on Canvas

I was once the proud owner of a dachshund and she used to look up to me like this.. 

How can anyone resist???

A painting in good company...

It makes me happy to see the new owner of one my pieces being happy with it. What makes me more happy if they send me a picture of that piece hanging on their wall... and adding their beloved pet to the picture:...PRICELESS!

Here is Luna with the painting "Pensive"

Dogs.... Five

"Wanna Play?"

24" x 24"

Acrylics and (orange) Marker on Canvas

A pug in Delft Blue colours... can I be more Dutch?

Face 2

 Face 2

24" x 24"

Acrylics and Marker on canvas

The second face in the series "FACES.

And here together with "FACE 1" and the smaller "Head Strong".

Dogs.... Four

Meet Gilda a cute little "rescue" mix who belongs to a friend of mine.

I painted her on 18" x 24" water color paper (140 Lb)

with Acrylics and (pink and green) Marker.

Dogs... Two

This is the second in the series of dog portraits:

"Crested"

30" x 40"

Acrylics and Marker on Canvas

A wonderful dog to paint. I was surprised how soft the "Naked" skin actually is.

Dogs... One

This is the first one in the series of portraits of dogs
"Pensive"
24" x 18"
Acrylics and (blue and orange) marker 
on 140 Lb water color paper

 A chihuahua mix and latin lover. 
He is a real heart thief with a gentle character.

Update: NOW in private collection.

Call for photos as material to paint

Face 1 (24" x 24" acrylics, ink on canvas)

I am working on a series of paintings of faces from the past. I am always looking on the internet for interesting faces to paint but sometimes I am not sure if I can use them or who to ask for permission.
I do not want to have any problem with copy rights once I have finished painting and I publish it on Facebook or on my blog or in a gallery.

Therefore I am asking everybody who sees this to help me. I am looking for photos of children / young people (not babies) from the past - from all over the world. Your grandmother / father, uncles, aunts, your parents when they were children. Not the usual smile for the camera kind of picture... but the cranky one, the pensive ones the ones with attitude.

Here are 2 examples of what Iam looking for but not limited to (these are pictures taken by Vivian Maier in New York - great pictures but copy righted)

It doesn't matter if it is in color or in black/white, nor the race or if the face is part of a group picture, or if the child is not a close-up (but not too far away either otherwise the close-up is too blurry). 

I am not looking for actual photos but scans / jpeg of photos so you can safely send it to my email without the risk of losing a picture. By sending your picture (jpeg) you will give me permission to use the material for my art project without the expection of any reward.

If I will use your picture I will contact you for more information and if you want I will send you a print (on photopaper) of the painting.

Please send your photo / picture / jpeg to molassooij@hotmail.com

Thank you!!!

What is on my easel?

Just an hour or so ago, I finished another painting and will be send to The Netherlands next week where it becomes part of a private collection.

It is painted on (non-streched) canvas with acrylics and its size is 33" x 32".

Anybody who knows me a little, knows that my pictures of my work are not the best and yet again I manage to NOT capture the true colors. 

The following detail of the painting gives a better idea about the colors.

I named the painting: "OWL" 

In private collection

Transitions

At first - when I started working on these paintings - I wanted to create a series about people trying to find their balance in life. I got the idea when watching an old man, who could barely walk, literally swinging from one pole in the bus to the next until he reached the door. He was more in balance than the rest of us.

Nowadays a lot of people struggle with their balance in life and I am no stranger to that at times. But while working on the paintings, it seemed that they became more personal. I wasn't sure how or why but every time I looked at my work, it was as if I was telling myself something.

After a while it hit me: it was about me. I was the portrait of my transition from Holland to the US. Don't get me wrong, I have not regretted my move what so ever, but it did have an impact on me. I left my family, friends and my life as I knew it behind to start all over again.

The paintings are not sad - with their vivid bright colors - and it shows me finding a new balance here. Each one of them is a step towards the future. If you click here you can see the Transition paintings.

Click here if you want to know more about the presentation at the MOCA in North Miami.