Bye Yuki

I lost my puppies last night. He had been sick for a while. I have never experienced the loss of a dog before and it was heart breaking to see him pass. He was with us for 10 very short years. Luv u puppies!

My son the Entrepreneur

My 8 year old son has expressed the desire to make some money. He does the standard chores for an allowance, but I guess that isn’t enough money O_o…do tell. Well I have been thinking about it and this sounds like the perfect opportunity to teach him how to make his own money and how to properly handle his finances: saving, tithing, spending. Well since he is 8, he has no bills so yeah, the freedom of spending is in there…lol. But only if he is able to put away the majority of his profits.

So what does an 8 year old do to make extra money? Lemonade stand? Mowing lawns? Shoveling snow? How about we connect a business to his passions? Passion number 1: Drawing! Passion number 2: Lowriders. So Javari will be opening up his own site in March 2012 that will be selling prints and blank note cards of his drawings.

Stay tuned! He is SUPER EXCITED about this. We appreciate your support. Below is a sample of a print that will be available for purchase.

Sunday I rested

Tags

drawing, drawings, funky cool, funky cool art, juliette hemingway, moleskine, sketch, symphony, visual journal

Okay I normally do not do this, but it was necessary. I rested. After church, I came home and I rested. I didn’t go into my studio, I didn’t start working on a project on my computer, I rested. There is a lot to be said about resting. But for me, rest is still with a sketchbook at hand. Enjoy!

The Concerto

Tags

concerto, funky cool, performing art, violin

Sometimes I think my sketches are way more powerful than my paintings. I am so ridiculously self-conscious about my artwork. Maybe because it is me. It is my truth, so when you have to put it out there…you are putting you out there. I still find it hard to accept my style at times, and I get compliments on my work and they are so truly appreciated. Sometimes I go back and reread something or bring back to memory something someone said to me, because it is frightening at times to just do you. But I do it anyways…

Here are my thoughts on paper, raw and unfiltered. Scribbled almost illegible notes. A quick pencil sketch with a touch of ink. I used a Montana paint pen for the scribble of black on the left. This sketch turned out to be a painting called “The Concerto”, a 48″ x 60″ piece. I AGONIZED over the painting…???…why? I didn’t agonize over the sketch! What is it about putting that paint on canvas that requires me to become so crazy? I have anxiety when I start painting. It usually subsides about half way through when I am past the ugly stage. But then my ADD tendencies kick in and I am all over the place with it. I can be applying gold leaf in one area and then I am darting over to another area to palette knife on a goop of red paint. It’s insanity! Now my studio looks like madness has camped out there.

So I have been working on this piece and have it to a point where I can step back and let it breath. Take a vacation from it while I gather my strength and myself back. Since I have completely lost myself in the piece, I truly do have to go recoup. Gain ME back. Then I will come back to it and finish it off. My mind relaxes, I accept it, my creativity rejuvenates and I apply the finishes. The missing pieces that I couldn’t quite see at first. What is that feeling I am feeling and how do I put that feeling, that sense, that emotion on canvas? Close my eyes and meditate it into existence. Wala! Here we are…sigh..still not satisfied. Nor will I ever be. The journey continues.

Secret Wars

Tags

art battle, grafitti, paint markers, secret wars

This is a Worldwide Art Battle, I think it would be hella fun to do this one day.

210 Minuten

Tags

art, grafitti, molotow, molotow transformer marker, paint markers, secret wars

I love this! I can only assume that means 210 minutes, whatever the case, this is sweeet!

210 Minuten

Sketch for new works

Tags

art, funky cool, sketch, symphony

Study for a new work to be titled “Transcendence”. This was inspired by violinist Sayaki Shoji as she performed Shostakovich – Violin Concerto No 1 Mvt 4.

Study available for purchase. Contact if interested.

Commit

Tags

art, artist, napoleon hill, prosperity

“The moment you commit and quit holding back, all sorts of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance, will rise up to help you. The simple act of commitment is a powerful magnet for help.”
– Napoleon Hill

The Conductor

Tags

1st movement, abstract art, abstract realism, artist, colorado, conductor, drawing, funky cool, funky cool art, mahler, moleskine, painting, pietari inkinen, sketch, symphony, symphony no. 1

Watercolor sketch for a painting called “The Conductor”. Sketching while listening to “Mahler: Symphony n.1- (Pietari Inkinen, Conductor) – 1st Movement.

Sketch for Death in the Afternoon

Tags

abstract art, abstract realism, bullfighting, bulls, Death in the Afternoon, ernest hemingway, funky cool, funky cool art, painting, Spain, Spanish

Death in the Afternoon after Ernest Hemingway's book of the same name.

This is the sketch I created for the painting of the same name (see below). I truly do have this fascination with Bulls and the whole idea of bullfighting and the running of the bulls. The painting of bulls started out as a silent ode to Ernest Hemingway who wrote “Death in the Afternoon“. A non-fiction book about the ceremony and traditions of Spanish bullfighting. (Wikipedia).

Bullfighting is a gruesome sport to me, that is just my opinion. I realize it is a tradition in the Spanish culture and other cultures as well. I respect that. I doubt I would ever go see one, it’s just too much for me. Sometimes I find myself cheering for the bull in my heart which is why I chose to concentrate on the bull. The bull is big and bulky and dangerous and I strive to show it’s strength and grace and dignity even in the face of death.

Death in the Afternoon, Acrylics and Mixed Media on Canvas. 48" x 48", 2011.

This piece will be exhibited in the upcoming show, “The Culture of African American Art“.