DOGS.... Seven

"Again!?"

22" x 16"

Acrylics and (orange) Marker

on 140 Lb Water Colour Paper

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.

Vote for Monique Lassooij

My partner, The Hitman, made a beautiful picture of me while I was painting.

And I am using this picture to represent me and my work at "Art takes Miami".

If you like my work, please give me your vote and click here on my name: Monique Lassooij

Dogs... Three

 

"Yawn"

18" x 24"

Acrylics and (blue & Red) Marker on 140 Lb Water Color Paper

I just had to paint this puppy.

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!!!

A splash of back ground

I have been working hard at this painting.

After working for some time in blue I realized that the painting needed a splash of colour... literally a splash! So I prepped my painting, took it outside and....

Started splashing....

and some more....

Until I was satisfied with the result.

and after removing the cover from the painting....

This was the result.

But is it finished?   Noo and updates will follow...

HAPPY 4th of JULY

Be careful with fireworks and pugs that grill....

Working on the LoF Mural

I am working at a mural in the stairway at the LoF Center.

The Life of Freedom (LoF) Center offers support and restorative programs for female survivors of sexual exploitation and human trafficking.

Tonight is the "Ribbon Cutting" opening of the Center and I finished the first wall 4' x 8' (and the center of the whole mural once completed) in 2 days last weekend.

Saturday June 23 - after priming the wall - I started at noon by sketching the face and started to paint...

...and just kept going... no stencils, no projector nor tape... hand painting the whole face.

Until I was finished at the end of Sunday June 24....

Ready for tonights' opening reception...

 

... and then to continue with the rest of the mural.......

Happy New Year !!!!

SEVENTEEN at ART BASEL

Xavier Cortada created 17 drawings on carbon paper, as a metaphor for the impact (or "carbon footprint”) that humans have had on these species, even across the boundaries of protected nature preserves. Cortada's original drawings of the seventeen species -- including the Wood Stork, the Key Largo Rat, and the Smalltooth Sawfish-- will be on display at his studio.  

For Art Basel seventeen local artists were invited to reinterpret Xavier Cortada's "80.15 W" carbon paper drawings.

The seventeen invitees are: Vince Herrera, Ernesto Kunde, Alex Yanes, Kazilla, Sean Ritchwood, Diana Contreras, Eleazar Delgado, BMD, Anthony Burks, TMNK, Kid, Courtney Rutter, Clay Frye, Yoko Sigiura, Sri Prabha, Alexandra Seda, and me. 

I was lucky enough to get the Piping Plover as my subject, the little bird at the beach that seems to have a love-hate relationship with the tides. Below is my interpretation and it will be for sale at the exposition.

 

The Openings Reception is on Thursday December 1 at 6:30 pm till 9:30 pm at the Gallery at Cortada Studio

104 SW 9th Street, Ground level | Eastside, Suite B, 

Miami, FL

Art Zoo

Saturday December 3, 2011 I will be showing (and who knows selling) my two Zebra paintings at the Fundraiser Event "Art Zoo". This event is to raise money for PAWS 4 YOU Rescue.  

This is a 501(c)3 non-profit, volunteer, donor-subsidized animal rescue organization based in Miami, Florida.  Their top priority is to save animals from euthanasia at Miami-Dade Animal Services. On average 100 animals are destroyed every day at this county shelter!

Rescued animals vary from being sick, injured, homeless and surrendered to simply lost. PAWS 4 YOU Rescue give these animals a safe environment, professional medical care, training, support, hope and lots of love. The animals are sterilized, vaccinated and ID micro-chipped to prevent future loss. Some require major surgery from a specialist to repair broken limbs while others may need additional rehabilitation time and specific medical care - ranging from respiratory illnesses and skin infections to cherry eyes and heartworm treatments.

50% of the proceeds of the sold paintings will go to the fundraiser and they will share that with PAWS 4 YOU Rescue.

Darkness in Pompano Beach

Last night I received the confirmation that my 3 entries are juried into the group show "Darkness" at the Rossetti Fine Art Gallery in Pompano Beach. 

Pretty Pretty Flower

Artists were encouraged to enter works with dark themes and imagery. In other words for the artists to tap into their darker side. I chose to stay with one of my favorite subjects - children - and painted 3 fictional portraits (12" x 12"), using ink, charcoal and 4 colours of Acrylics (White, Red, Grey and Payne's Grey). I did not feel that full colour would do justice to the subjects and chose to stick with a limited palette.

I was aiming for a slightly subtle level of darkness and I was surprised that it was actually hard to restrain myself from going into a"SAW" kind of blood filled darkness, while setting up the portraits.

I am really pleased with the result and of course that I am juried in. The exposition will be open for public October 24th and the opening reception will take place on Thursday 27th from 8 pm - 10 pm at Rossetti Fine Art Gallery in Pompano Beach.

Zebra I Presume

Currently I am working on a new set of paintings which will be different from what I have been painting lately. I wanted to step away from the pouts and nudes, and explore different subjects in my paintings. 

The first painting, which I finished today, is about perception. Again the photo I took does not do justice to the colors at all, but it gives you some impression.

This painting - I named it "Zebra I Presume" - is in acrylics, ink and graphite, and is 36 x 36".

Mona, Mona, Mona.....

Several weeks ago I received an invitation from MANO Fine Art to create my interpretation of one of the world's most famous paintings: The Mona Lisa.

Talk about a creative challenge and a very inspiring one indeed for me. Leonardo da Vinci was the artist that wanted me to paint as a little child. My father came home with a book about Da Vinci's work and I was in awe with every picture in that book. By the time my father sat down to look in the book himself, my little fingerprints were all over every page.

I made a triptych (3 canvasses of 12x12") like a little story board and put Mona Lisa in a different background and not as the pretty little model with the mysterious smile, but an active young woman . I named the triptych "Mona Lisa Rules".

And here is my little teaser for this exposition: a small strip of one of the canvasses.

If you want to see the rest of this painting and all the other interpretations, you should come to

MANO Fine Art Project Space

4225 SW 75 Avenue

Miami, FL

Opening Reception will be on Saturday,  September 17 · 7:00pm - 10:00pm.

Visit the facebook page for more information. 

Out of Context

Galerie Jenner in Fort Lauderdale came up with another creative idea for a show: Buy a paint-by-numbers-kit and get inspired. Anything goes as long as it is OUT OF CONTEXT! 

So a couple of weeks ago I went to the art supply store and stood in front of all the "paint-by-numbers-kits" section, trying to figure out which one to choose and what to do with it.
I choose the kit numbered "PJS49" and that is also the title of the painting.

I worked with the subject and let myself be inspired by this kit. It was for me a complete out of context experience and I had a lot of fun with it and I think that it shows in this work. For now I only show you a little piece of the whole painting (30 x 40"). 

If you want to see the whole painting and all the other creations based on painting-by-numbers-kits, come to Galerie Jenner.

The Art of T-shirt

 

All last week I worked on 2 T-shirts for the "Art of t-shirt" exposition at the Sol Gallery in Miami Beach. Last Sunday I was finally able to deliver the t-shirts at the gallery and yesterday I received the email that my work was accepted. Even better.... so short notice and they even added my name on the flyer/poster.

The opening reception will be Friday July 1 and it includes life music by Uprooted Reggae Fusion Band and a screen printing demonstration and will be in honor of two charities in humanitarian causes:

So-Me, which is a clothing line aimed at intellectualizing fashion and taking a stand against all intolerance through fashion. 

No More Tears, a not-for-profit organization that rescues victims of domestic violence.

The exposition will be until July 31st.

And below a glimpse of one of the t-shirts I made for this show. I made a painting on canvas with acrylics, which was stitched (Thank you Katja!) to the t-shirt. I painted lines from the canvas on the shirt to connect the art with the t-shirt. The title is "Just Because".

So join me on July 1, 2011 at Sol Gallery at the CANDO Arts Co–op: 309 23rd St. Miami Beach, Fl 33139 (one block west of Collins Ave.)at 7.00 pm.

Life in Orange

"Life in Orange"

Acrylics & Silver Leaf

6" x 18"

Life in Green

Life in Green

Acrylics & Silver Leaf

6" x 18"

Nude in Boots

Nude in Boots

Acrylics & Gold Leaf on Paper

22" x 30"

This is not about the Red Line

"This is not about the Red Line"

10" x 10" x 1.5"
Acrylics
2011

UPDATE: Now in Private Collection

Life is Art

"Life is Art"

6 x 18 inches

Acrylics and Gold Leaf

2011

UPDATE: Now in Private Collection

Spring of the Arts

The Galleria’s “Spring for the Arts” will unite Broward’s diverse array of arts groups from April 2 through April 30. The arts celebration was created to educate, inspire and motivate the community to embrace the arts. Spearheaded by The Galleria, this month-long program will provide a platform for local arts groups to promote their organizations, plus raise funds for Funding Arts Broward, which provides grants to further the arts in our community. Life Is Art is presenting several South Florida artists on April 2nd and 3rd.

And as you can see at the poster, I am one of the lucky artists who is juried into and who will be presented at this two-day event.

If you are in the neighbourhood this Saturday and Sunday, step in and enjoy our work.

What is on my easel...

Last Saturday I finished this painting and I named it "Secrets of a childhood".Again I painted on an unstretched canvas with acrylics. The painting itself measures 33" x 35". with a band painted in blue of 4" all around it.

The subject relates to me when I was a little girl and I would hide little secrets inside certain dolls. It could be a pebble, a little note, anything that I felt to be my own little treasure and some things I did not want anybody to know about. But even though I was always a little afraid that somebody would find it, I never thought all these little things inside a doll's body would make a noise. I now know my mother would take the arm of the doll to look inside, curious what made that noise when she moved the dolls to clean, but she never said anything to me about what she would find.

Two expositions in February!!!

Once upon a time there were two "call for artists". I entered my work for both the events... Yes I was feeling gutsy and you never know, right? 

And then I was juried into both events...

Tonight is the opening of the first event. It is the Cheesecake Pinup exposition and I have two small male nudes showing there (yes, MALE nudes.... why should all pin ups be female?). 

The show is at Galerie Jenner in Fort Lauderdale and will continue until March 31.

The second event I was juried into is the "River of Art"; an annual event organized by Life is Art here in Miami. The event is only one evening and every year 7 or 8 artists are selected to show one painting at the event. And there is my painting on the poster.... the third one from the right bottom row.

Meanwhile I am working on a new painting ...

Life is just wonderful...

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

What is on my easel...

I have been working on this painting of this little girl (36" x 24") in acrylics for the last weeks. On the wall behind her the text of the first article of the Bill of Rights is written. It is fading and chipped off partly. The girl is staring at me - the artist - or at all of us, wondering....