Canvas Opera: December 2009

Thursday, December 31, 2009

Writings from the Past Pt. II

In tribute for the new year to come. Original Post: Tuesday, January 01, 2008

Cheers to all things in the past I learned from.
Cheers to the decisions I've made.
Cheers to the consequences yet to come.
Cheers to my beautiful friends for being the best loves of my life.
Cheers to my family for always being a stability in my life.
Cheers to my art, may it be more edgy, colorful, & ground breaking than ever before.
Cheers to the ideas I have yet to conjure up.
Cheers to all the future road trips ahead.
Cheers to the responsible decisions I've made.
Cheers to the ones I haven't made.
Cheers to growing up.
Cheers to never growing old.
Cheers to making a commitment & staying with it.
Cheers to change.
Cheers to love.
Cheers to great health.
Cheers to a stable career.
Cheers to irony & life's curve-balls.
Cheers to financial stability.
Cheers to finishing what I started.
Cheers to setting goals and reaching them.
Cheers to sobriety.
Cheers to drunken good times.
Cheers to promises kept.
Cheers to making a difference.
Cheers to great food & great fortune.
Cheers to making mistakes.
Cheers to traveling this year & seeing the world.
Cheers to some fabulous photos.
Cheers to the music notes to be written that I thrive on.
Cheers to living life and just being.
Cheers to the good & bad times ahead.
Cheers to the tears to be cried; from laughing & pain.
Cheers to never taking things for granted.
Cheers to being brave enough to do things I never thought I could.
Cheers to defying any preconceptual negativity about me and my life.
Cheers to being grateful for what I have.
Cheers to starting anew.

Cheers to happiness.

Let's not dissapoint, Christine.

♥

Monday, December 28, 2009

Save Me

Did some art today and used some of the emotions that have been plaguing me lately as inspiration. It was really therapeutic. The "restraints" that have consumed my arms & are holding me back are all the worries/thoughts/emotions/fears I have had/have recently. It was nice to write them all out without any caution. I'm vomiting the one issue that I always come back to. I always feel so naked around certain people, vulnerability ..a willingness to show them but a fear is present, as well. Sigh.

India inks on 9 x 12 cold press paper. Ohh, it's been awhile.

<33

Sunday, December 20, 2009

Go to sleep, drunky..

I have a lot of artists that I admire and can't get enough of, but web comic cartoonist Rene Engström is absolutely delightful. Her drawings emit so much raw emotion and talent, I find myself never bored of anything she produces. Her fluid lines and beautiful shading/coloring is so admirable.

I highly recommend you check her out. http://www.reneengstrom.com/

Also, this one strip in her comic, Anders Loves Maria, was one of the most relate-able strips I've ever encountered. It's one of my most fav drawn/written comic pages. I've experienced this scenario, on both ends, before that it just hit me straight in the heart.

AND! If you follow her Twitter, sometimes she'll take requests on what to draw & I was lucky enough that she drew one of mine once :D

<33

Victoria

Old sketch I might re-tackle in PShop later on.

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Writings of the Past Pt. I

I rarely write anymore, but this is one of my favorite pieces I've written. I still experience the feelings I talk about pretty consistently. Original post Jan 15, 2007.

Have you ever, on an early morning, just laid in bed because the air was too numbing to entice you out, so you just laid there, watching the shadows of the trees dance on your wall and/or dresser trickling through the blinds? Have you ever laid there, letting your eyes gently dance with the shadows and just let your thoughts roam free with no contempt for them? You feel the coldness nip at your bare shoulders, cheeks, lips, and you feel it rest on your hair and pillow. The thoughts seems to just prance as much as the shadows and you rest your head on that pillow, as a way of tolerating your thoughts' freedom.

It's as if this moment is begging for music to start playing, like a soundtrack to your life...opening credits, if you will. You breathe. The air almost has a faint taste of sweetness because of the chill. You also take in your own scent that always lingers on your sheets; it mixes and creates nothing. You feel all the textures stroking your body, as if they take turns and you can pinpoint what they are: gentle, stiff material of the pillow caresses your left cheek; the thin shirt material covering your back, chest; the weight of comforting warmth of soft blankets; and you sink into the mattress...these are the moments your body needs but rarely gets, right?

Time is not an issue right now. He's not an issue. She's no issue. That exam, those bills, that fight. Those words, that job, all the money, the lack thereof. Food, politics, sex, pain, pleasure, terror, worries, war, nothing. Nothing is an issue because you are alive and taking comfort in just being. Any bad memory or thought was not invited to such a soiree today. But one thought slips over you, not in a morose way, as it usually would but in a wishful way. The thought, or rather, desire of being able to lie next to someone else. Someone who just by being present on that morning with you, even if they are asleep, brings you bountiful helpings of relaxation, comfort, happiness, and admiration. There would be a way of sharing this simple existence with them without consciousness. You would probably watch the shadows dance across them rather than the dresser or wall. You would allow a genuine smile envelop your lips, the air would taste sweeter without a doubt, and the scent of both of you is incredibly intoxicating. As if their presence in this moment was Life's way to render good for evil. If they stir, it excites you because although their unconscious presence is all you loved at the moment, it's their conscious presence in your life that you live for. The type of presence that makes you dream of waking up. Everyone's taken everything they can, but right there, that moment, is the only moment you wish your life could consist of for the long run. A human warmth through an embrace is something blankets could never attempt to offer you.

You blink. Reality's stopwatch beeped. You are alone. You sigh. You embrace your state of relaxation once more. You send your thoughts back from whence they came, bottled up for the various occasions, all labeled with their satin bows: Anger, Sadness, Determination, Comfort, Love, Frustration, Confusion, etc. The day awaits you. It will always await you. But what waits for you within the day could possibly change you forever. And that thought alone entices you into the bitter cold.

And the shadows still dance.

<33

Ink Fireworks

Was always sorta happy w/ this inking. Reminds me of a good time when I was making art more often.

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Epic.

My two "epic" models.

Shane McMullen & Xiomara Landa.

ZOMG! ZOMBIES!

When the zombie apocalypse happens... Matt & I will be ready for it. Oh yea.

<33

Swedish Fish & Glamour Lights

Have always wanted to do a shoot of myself. Whenever I do a shoot, I'm always behind the lens, applying the makeup, arranging the lighting, stylizing the model, editing for hours, etc. I would love to have a photo session where I am the model who gets beautified and shot at diff angles that flatter my features. I was talking with one of my best friends about a possible sexy shoot for myself. Throwing around ideas on how to approach that (I happen to be very shy & self conscious in that regard) and collaborating ideas. I'm actually quite excited about it... I've always had nice photos of myself but never taken by someone else from their perspective.

Some ideas I'm throwing around: