Let Your Heart Be Merry

My work comes from what's inside my heart. The inside of my heart isn't always happy - in fact, I have some very very sad corners in there most of the time. I love painting & drawing & creating because it gives me a voice to communicate those feelings - whatever they may be.

This is a very merry piece I had the pleasure to paint titled "Sweet Thing" (acrylic on wood). I kept my heart happy by keeping lot's of disco in my ears :) And it's hard to be sad while painting bunnies, candies and teeth!

And another merry fellow in "Holiday Takes A Holiday" (acrylic on wood). Happy as can be painting this little guy.

Letting my heart be merry is the direction I'm heading in for now. I'd like to explore that place and allow my work to be fully effected by it. I have a big show in less than 2 years that I haven't even begun conceptualizing yet, but I know I'm heading this way :)

Elton John & Hello Kitty

Here is my Elton John tribute painting titled "Your Song" (acrylic on wood) that I did for the Sound & Vision group show in October. October was a CRAZZY busy month for me, and I haven't had a chance to post until now :) Karl Drehsen curated the show and invited me (along with an amazing handful of other artists) to chose one musician that had recorded at Sound City Studios that has inspired me. The list is certainly impressive as Sound City had such a unique spot in time to have housed so many amazing musicians - but I chose Elton because his music has been in my head since I was very young and has always made me FEEL. I can remember hearing Someone Saved My Life Tonight (one of my top 5 favs of EJ's) one day as our house was in transition because my mom was having purple carpeting installed in her and my dad's bedroom. My siblings and I were stoked because all their furniture from their room was out in the livingroom, which created the most amazing furniture jungle to play in. I must have been 4 or 5, and I remember the mood - the WORLD or happiness in my wee heart as that song wrapped around that particular moment. Elton John's music is special. And I'm thankful for it. So this, my attempt to illustrate the feeling of his music in my veins.

And here's a bit of nerd alert in the restroom of Sound City at Sound & Vision's opening night. The glasses are the bee's sneeze, never you mind the toilet and it's accessories behind me :)

The initial laying in of color/shadow is where I get to be free and wild and messy and provides the ground, feel and inspired strokes of the painting :)

Oddly, I didn't listen to any Elton John music as I painted this piece - instead, it was all disco, all the time..

And Hello Kitty happened in October as well! To celebrate The Kitty's 40 years of life on earth, Jamie Rivadeneira from LA's cutest shop Japan LA curated the Hello Kitty Art Show at the Japanese American National Museum in Downtown LA and invited me to participate - which of course I jumped at the chance to use Hello Kitty as my subject! Here is my painting "Eat Cakes You Kitty" (acrylic on wood) (Jamie and I had the opportunity to work together in 2011 at Sanrio's 50th Birthday where My Melody was the muse for my painting Strawberry Sky - see image below) This year was (is) extraextra special because the show was held at the museum and coincided with the first Hello Kitty Con at MOCA just down the street. Hello Kitty had an excellent 40th birthday :) The art show will be on tour for the next three years!!

Strawberry Sky 2011

Now, I'm aware of the hateful backlash and bashing of the "selfie" - a word I refuse to use. (Self Portrait is more appropriate and artful a description.) Anyway, I see nothing wrong with documenting a time and place in this fashion. I find that it's never a bad thing to face yourself in the mirror, accept what you see, and furthermore, capture that moment for yourself in healthy self acceptance. Hello Kitty gifted the attendees at the private opening reception October 10th with a bag of goodies, among them were these amazing spectacles that I whipped out and threw on my face for this here self portrait. Nerd alert yes, and again never mind the lovely landscape setting behind me in the Canter's restroom. My rule is if you have the restroom to yourself, you have to take your photo.

My painting as it had been in the process... ultimately the dark ground was very severe and my husband encouraged me to let myself be light :)

**THANK YOU THANK YOU to Karl Drehsen and Sound City Studios for a great opportunity to celebrate inspiration in such a way. THANK YOU THANK YOU Elton John, for a lifetime of beauty. THANK YOU THANK YOU to Jamie Rivadeneira, Hello Kitty & Sanrio and JANM for sharing your sparkle with the world. And THANK YOU THANK YOU to all you art lovers & creatives (& possibly self portraiteurs (is that a word?!)) out there who inspire those around you to accept AND celebrate themselves in their own unique way.

Here is my newest painting titled "Soothe Yourself" (12"x12" framed, acrylic on panel), it will be exhibiting in the upcoming Corey Helford Gallery group show that opens Saturday, August 30 in Culver City!! All the pieces in the show will be measured 12"x12" in order to offer great (smaller) art from wonderful artists without breaking banks. Check out the list of names below, it's good!!

I will be attending opening night and if you find yourself in Culver City - come by, say hi!!

Jan Corey Helford and myself opening night :)

Opening Night Here Inside My Broken Heart

June 14th was opening night of my latest solo exhibition "Here Inside My Broken Heart". After nearly two years of working on the show, it was certainly nice to have a wonderful {dizzying} reception and see such lovely faces. Thank you to each and every one of you that made it out to the show opening night as well as through the month. I'm finally getting around to sharing the photos as I am OCD about getting names right also being lazy!! (professional photos by Sam Graham courtesy of the COREY HELFORD GALLERY as well as blurry weird IPhone shots by me)

A HUGE thank you to Jan Corey Helford And Sherri Trehan for everything. I heart you ladies.

{Signing books is fun!}

{Shelley V. and artists Natalia Fabia and Tomi Monstre}

{Myself and Steven Daily (artist)}

{with the lovely Ryh Ming Poon}

{ladies!}

{Misha (artist) and Abigail Greydanus (latex designer)}

{Shamane, Natalia Fabia, Marcel Feldmar and Shelley V}

{I love this picture!}

{spun sugar fixes all around! (a must)}

{myself and kiss from Camille Rose Garcia (artist)}

{Jacqui, myself, Jessica Louise (Jessica Louise clothing) and Amy Doan (Sugar Pill Make Up)}

{Myself with (artists) Camille Rose Garcia and Greg Simkins (and tiny Greg)}

{Glenn Arthur (artist), lovely model Irene Yuen and Cody Raiza (artist)}

{Abigail Greydanus myself and gorgeous Vanessa Lake (model)}

{Camille Rose Garcia, me and Mr. Bob Self (Baby Tattoo Books)

{Natalia Fabia (artist), Camille Rose Garcia (artist) and me!}

{My Humpty}

{Me and tiny P ~ Tomi Monstre}

{Bob Dob (artist), Nathan Ota (artist) and Shawn Barber (artist0}

{Self Sandwich with Rani and Bob Self (Baby Tattoo Books)}

{Camille Rose Garcia, meeeeee and Bob Dob}

{Jan Corey Helford, Sharmane, Camille Rose Garcia, Jessica Louise, Brandi Milne, Natalia Fabia and Jacqui}

{The gorgeous and talented Kim Saigh}

{Samwiched in The Hundreds Ben and Bobby}

{Camille Rose Garcia, me, Natalia Fabia and Jan}

{Luke Chueh and fluffy blue spun sugar}

{That Brandi Milne, Barbra Ann Duffy (actress/model/funny girl) and Bob Self}

{Marquis Howell (musician), me and Barbra Ann Duffy}

{Irene Yuen, myself, Cody Raiza and Glenn Arthur}

And a very, very special thank you to Jan for all of your support and for believing in me from the moment we met. I love you Jan Helford!