What is that silent noise????

The silence on my blog must have been deafening, but I just couldn't find the time nor the peace inside me to blog. I was painting!!

The summer was filled with wonderful projects: mural, drawings, paintings and live painting.

First I was invited to participate in the beautification of Carol City School in Miami Garden aka "Art in the Gardens". This school has fought to make it a safe place for their students in a challenging environment. Part of this project was to bring uplifting art to the students via their walls. 

"Little Winner"

This was my contribution to the project: a reminder that they all have talents, some more obvious than others, but nevertheless. I painted it in the colors of the school.. so my usual red was replaced with a bright orange. And I like it.

I also got the wonderful news that one of my pieces was selected for the Seventh All-Media Juried Biennial at the Art and Culture Center of Hollywood (FL). A huge honor as only some 80+ are selected from over a 1000 entries. 

"Dona Isabel and her Control" in good company at the Biennial.

In the mean time I was also working on 2 commissions:
A little Frida and a piece based on the "Girl interrupted at her music" by Vermeer.

"Little Frida" (2015)
9" x 12"
Acrylics on boxed wood

"Planning a Gourmet" (2015)
30" x 30"
Acrylics on canvas

And this was not  all... but I know that breaking the silence with too much noise is never a good idea... so I will keep the other projects for the next blog... See you soon.

DALI & ME

Several weeks ago I was contacted by a curator with the question if I was interested in participating in an exhibition based on the work of Dali. Each artist would choose from a selection of prints by Dali and make their own interpretation of it. 

And before I even knew what pieces I could choose from, I already said yes. Do something based on a master's piece: NO BRAINER!

She send me a list of prints to choose from and soon enough one jumped out for me: A Flordali from 1969 named "Les Fruits Pomegranate" also known as "Pomegranate and Angel".

I started reading about the fruit and its symbolic meaning and found out that the pomegranate has been used throughout history and in almost every religion as a symbol of humanity's most fundamental beliefs and desires, including life and death, rebirth and eternal life, fertility and marriage, abundance and prosperity. Almost every aspect of the pomegranate has come to symbolize something . . . its shape, color, seeds, juice.

For instance the pomegranate is often seen in paintings and statues of the Virgin Mary and the baby Jesus as a symbol of resurrection and everlasting life.


Then I realized that, while drinking the juice often, I had never seen the inside of a pomegranate (yeah, I know...). So when I started to paint the actual pomegranate I used a "live model".

Little Angel and the Pomegranates (2015)
30" x 40"
Acrylics on Canvas
SOLD

I painted a little girl (a little angel) on a swing carried by Pomegranates with an open fruit next to her. I wanted to incorporate as much as the symbolism as possible without limiting myself to one meaning. True, my little angel has no wings but my mother would call me a little angel - when I was a little girl - in a more 
sarcastic way... so no wings.


At the gallery each interpretation piece was next to the Dali of the artists' choice and, I must admit, I was a little nervous to hang side by side with Dali.

The opening at MAC Fine Art in Fort Lauderdale was a success: The Little Angel sold!!

This and 32 more interpretations can be seen at MAC Fine Art in Fort Lauderdale until August 15. Show was put together and curated by Rochi Llaneza.

The making of: "Together - an interpretation of a peaceful moment"

It started with the reference painting - my muse piece if you want - : "Nighthawks" by Edward Hopper. This painting always seem to have reflected a loneliness, the sort you see so often after closing hours, the last coffee before going home. There is almost an embracing silence where the only one using words is the server.

In my rendition of this painting I wanted to capture silence as well, however a different sort of silence: a conversation between children interrupted by the viewer, they stop talking and look at us. We are outside of the diner and outside of their conversation, invading their moment together. 

Where Hopper's painting depicts a perfectly empty street, I wanted to insert a sense of danger and in the left side of the painting I included debris of a building collapsed which contrasts both the rest of the street as well as the clean bright interior of the diner. The children inside the diner, dressed up like super heroes, seem to be safe (for now) from whatever was/is happening outside.

"Together - an interpretation of a peaceful moment" was painted in Paynes Grey, Neutral Grey, Titanium White, and Permanent Red.

Little Super Heroes

I have been working hard and I am pretty pleased with the result. 

First good news: I did 3 collaborations (each piece with another artist) and 2 have been chosen to be shown at Spectrum with "Art is Life" during Art Basel.... do I will not show you these yet.. come to Miami in December. Also the Girl with the Robot Dog was selected, so imagine the enormous smile on my face when I heard this.

After finishing the above collaboration, I did a collaboration with a local artist called Registered Artist for his solo show "With a little help of my friends". All the pieces in the show are - yes you guessed it - collaborations between him and another artist. We made a piece titled "Little Big Batman".

Little Big Batman
20" x 20"
Mixed Media

Then I was invited to participate in a pop-up show (yes, the one you set-up, show and break-down in one day) in Downtown Miami and liking my little batman as much as I did, I decided to make two more super heroes.

Little Captain America
14" x 18"
Acrylics on Boxed Birch Wood

Little Super Girl
18" x 14"
Acrylics on Boxed Birch Wood

Finally I also painted a little piece for that same pop-up which was sold within hours after hanging... and let me tell you it is a great feeling to see someone look at your work and falling in love with it.

The Little Girl with the Curly Hair
9" x 12"
Acrylics on 300 Lbs Cold Pressed Water Color Paper

And I a back in the studio.. working on new pieces... perhaps more super heroes... soon you will know.

Little M's leave the State

The following 4 Little M's I made for a very special show: OPEN, the openings exhibition of the Trespass Gallery in Clarksville, Tennessee.

I had to make them special for the show as the ones that I had planned for the show all sold before I could send them to the gallery. So suddenly I had this new super tight deadline. But I kicked ass and created 4 Little M's who are now at the Gallery.

Little M 7
aka Little Carmen M
6" x 8"
Acrylics on Birch Wood

Little M 8
aka The Hitman Too
6" x 8"
Acrylics on Birch Wood

Little M9
aka OOPS
6" x 8"
Acrylics on Birch Wood

Little M 10
aka Cheering the Stars
6" x 8"
Acrylics on Birch Wood

To see the Little M's and other great pieces, please contact:

Trespass Gallery

110 Franklin Street, Suite 202

Clarksville, Tennessee 37040

(305) 915-7819

Bad things that happen and Good things that happen too!

Sometimes I get that people think that artists party a lot and live the life of a 19th Century Bohemian in Paris... but many of us don't. We go to the studio every day and work. If you are lucky to be in a building with several studios - like I am - you share what you do with other artists... we have coffee together... and complain about all the bad things that happen and share all the good things as well. And then right back to your own studio and back to work!

Sounds pretty much like life in an office, doesn't it? In some ways it is but with one huge difference:
I love what I am doing... it makes me get up in the morning.. It feels great to see my creation come to life on canvas or wood. It makes me want to do more... and again and again... And every day is different!

Then there are days that nothing works... the days any artist should stay away as far he / she could from the studio. I had such a day last weekend. Did I listen to my gut feeling? Of course not. I was working on a commission and I really wanted to finish it. 

After a few hours of working I looked at it and to my horror I had overworked it... it looked awful (and that hurts me to say so). I freaked out, tried to correct it which made it look even more awful, and called my better half at home. He calmly listened to my rants and then asked "Do you want me to sand it down?" 
This commission is on a wooden panel and sometimes I ask him to sand it down if I am not satisfied with the result.... On canvas it is a little hard to sand it down but on wood.. I have him to delete my mishaps. And that is what he does and I start over again... doing what I love!

And good things happen too of course... like this morning when I opened my email and realize that somebody wrote an article and mentioned me. That makes me feel so amazing!

Here is the article: http://www.miamifashionspotlight.net/2014/01/the-real-life-of-viviana-g-mccormick.html
and the Examiner.com took it and made it part of their online publication. 

And I am back to work... getting ready for the February Art Walk or as I call it "The LOVE Edition" with some special LOVE-M's like the little fellow below:

Little M's to start the New Year with a smile...

Here are some of the latest M's which are currently for sale in my studio... 

They are all part of the series "Proprietary Innocence and to see all the pieces from that series, click on the following link

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.144431802409924.1073741831.139503036236134&type=3 

Little M 2

6"x6" 

Acrylics on Birch Wood

 

Little M 3

6"x6" 

Acrylics on Birch Wood

Little M 4

6"x6" 

Acrylics on Birch Wood

 

Little M 5

6"x8" 

Acrylics on Italian Poplar Wood

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.

Back to work...

After being idiotic busy with other things I am getting back on track by continuing existing projects and starting new ones. I am really excited about the Sincerity Project 2013 - curated by Jill Slaughter - in an effort to call attention to kids that age out of the Foster Care System at the age of 18.

As the Sincerity Project has "HOME" as its theme this year, a temporary house will be build at Gallery 18 in Pembroke Pines with 20 panels of 4' x 8' as it walls. Artist were asked to create an artwork on one of these panels which relates to the theme of this year or to aging out. The panels will be auctioned at the openings reception on June 7th. And I am honored to be one of the artists invited to create his/her vision on such a panel.

Having no real clue what 4' x 8' looks like, I went to Home Depot to check a panel of this size.... I imagine it was probably one of the first times anybody was laughing at wooden panels, as I did when I saw it: it's biiig.

Anyway... started to write down some ideas for the panel... made some rough sketches... and then last week the actual panel was delivered... and it came with a hole!!!

Panel after 1 sanding and 1 coat of gesso

I had a window panel and I knew that I had to literally throw all my ideas "out of the window" - every pun intended - because my initial ideas were for a horizontal piece and obviously one without a window. But after a hour or so staring at the panel - did I tell you it is biiig - new ideas started to bubble up inside me... and I went from OMG to Oh YEAH!!

And in the meantime I started and finished a super small painting, because you need to keep some sort of balance, on a 3.5" x 5" wood floor sample. It is one of my disturbed children, only less disturbed and it is called "Little Heat".

Art Basel @ The Station

I wanted it to keep it quiet this year with Basel... Just going 3 days to as many venues, shows and what not as possible. Just be the viewer and participating, and then a friend called and said.. We are going to do a POP-UP at The Station... are you in??? (pop-up is a one night show and I love those..in..show..out).

and I said yes.... (of course) immediately I felt the Basel-fever take over: re-worked 3 smaller (12" x 12") pieces for this show... let everybody know... tomorrow I will check out the venue... is there anything I forgot... yup... Art Basel Fever (and it feels good)...

"Found it !"

"Pretty, pretty flower"

"Zip it !"

DOGS.... Seven

"Again!?"

22" x 16"

Acrylics and (orange) Marker

on 140 Lb Water Colour Paper

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!!!

Word and Symbols July 3 - August 10, 2010

The Windish-Hunt Gallery in Coconut Grove, FL had yet another great idea for a show. The subject is "Words & Symbols". It is the kind of subject that inspires a lot of artists, even if we normally do not use words or symbols (-ism) in our work.

I entered two paintings for this show; both are 24"x24" and in acrylics. Normally I work with oil paint, but I also like to work with acrylics. I choose a different style, more colors and more freely and I had a lot of fun in doing so.

The first one is "Change your words and you will change your world" The text starts on the left side of the canvas and finishes on the front. Words are powerful as words can kill, hurt, uplift and actually change your life.

The second is almost the opposite of the first as it refers to silence.

"The title is: "Listen to the colorful words of my silence". This one is inspired by a conversation I had with a close friend about communication within a relationship, or maybe more the lack of it. But the lack of words does not mean that somebody is not communicating. Silence can hold a lot of words and meaning in both a positive or a negative way.
I put the text on the front but in a small font to express the silence.

Both the use of words or silence can be powerful means of expressing yourself.

5 MINUTES OF FAME

On April 14 I will be presenting my work at 5 MINUTES OF FAME at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in North Miami.

This is a series that is part of MOCA by Moonlight programming, allows local artists to explain how and why they create their art.

Although I am nervous (this is a complete understatement), I am also very excited about this opportunity.