SFAL3 Recap

Home! Even though I got home Tuesday night after a two-day drive halfway across the country, I promptly and unintentionally "lied down on the couch for a little nap" and ended up waking up many hours later. Oops... Wednesday was spent returning the rental car, grocery shopping, and finishing up a job due that day. Now that I had a day to catch up on the latest episode of Game of Thrones and dealing with minor con-crud by camping on the couch, I'm confident my brain is ready to recollect the magic that was Spectrum!

This was my first year at SFAL, both as an attendee and exhibitor. It was also my first time west of the Mississippi. And it was the longest road trip I've taken to date. From Connecticut to Missouri was around 20 hours give or take, one way. Although in the past I made one-shot trips to and from Dragon*con in a single day, the trip to Kansas City was split into two days each way. I'm glad to have decided upon staying in Indiana on the way there, because by the time John and I reached the Super 8 we were staying at in Greenfield, after dinner I was so out of it I got scared and confused when in the parking lot of the Steak 'n Shake my car wasn't backing out of the parking space because my foot was on the break, not the accelerator... A good night's sleep was definitely needed.

So, to talk about Spectrum Fantastic Art Live! It does live up to its name, it's pretty fantastic. I could say it's comparable to IlluXcon, but only in that it's a convention that brings together artists in the genre. Considering the jury-less first-come-first-served nature of purchasing booths and tables I was extremely pleased by the level of skill all around. There were tons of people there that I knew, but also tons of people there that I never got the chance to meet before, and knew that SFAL was going to be the only venue I might have ever gotten the chance to meet them.

Way back there in the corner...

My only grievance is that it was a pretty slow con for sales. I only moved prints, no originals, however that's the general consensus I heard from even the most seasoned artists. I was in the way back, in a rear-facing booth towards the back wall. By the time we saw new faces throughout the day, even by the end of Sunday, people already had armfuls of prints and swag, and were visibly tired and just cruising through for the sake of seeing every nook and cranny.

However, SFAL for me was more about networking. I got to finally sit down and chat with Jon Schindehette about my work, and had a heart-lifting portfolio review with Mark Chiarello of DC Comics. Saturday night I got to have a fantastic hour-long discussion with Arnie Fenner about my work after the awards ceremony as well. All the talk during the weekend made me giddy, and made the drive back home from Kansas City strangely easier.

My booth! Well, half of it.

Will I go back next year? I absolutely want to! Will I drive? I don't want to don't make me... I will probably end up flying, but there was discussion of me possibly offering a courier service to artists in the area to drive their work to SFAL for a reasonable fee. But, that's something I don't exactly want to think about right now... The drive is brutal, especially after a sleepless con, but in spite of the exhaustion I feel my batteries are charged to capacity, and all I want to do is paint!

Tiny Pleasures

3"x3" oil and acrylic on board

Jon Schindehette of The Art Order brought the artists together yet again! This time for Tiny Pleasures, a celebration of tiny paintings. All paintings will be on display at Spectrum Fantastic Art Live this year. So if you're there, check it out! I can't wait to see them all hung up together!

Field Guide to Hiveland

8"x10" oil and acrylic on board

Name: Domus Apidae

Realm: Forest of Zzub

Special Skill: Crystal Honey - Domus Apidae oozes honey from

her bark, creating a hard crystalline shell offering extra protection against damage.

Short Story: Born a dryad in the Forest of Zzub, the young sprite befriended its buzzing inhabitants after admiring the bee's dedication to the Queen. Wanting to offer help in her own way, the dryad grew tall and strong to offer herself as a walking shelter to protect her friends from harm.

Honey Power - 20

Dance Moves - 10

Pollen Processing - 10

Wing Potential - 5

Sting Power - 20

Exoskeleton - 35

Be sure to check out this piece at The Hive Gallery on Field Guide to Hiveland on its opening night in Los Angeles April 5th!

Month of Love Week #4: 69 Love Songs

7" x 5" oil, acrylic, gold and silver leaf on board

The song I chose is "Long Forgotten Fairytale". The song (my interpretation, at least) is about abusive relationships and the Stockholm syndrome that often manifests in the abused towards their abuser.

That and I just love new wave. Don't judge me.

I'm glad I finished off 2014's Month of Love with a piece I'm quite happy with!

Month of Love Week #3: Fetishes

5" x 7" oil and acrylic on board

Formicophilia - having sexual interest in being bitten by and crawled upon by insects. Among other things... but that can be deduced with your imagination.

One more week to go!

Month of Love Week #2: Favorite Love Story

5" x 7" oil, acrylic, and gold leaf on board

This week's theme for Month of Love is to illustrate a favorite love story!

One of my favorite love stories is a Russian folktale called The Tsarevna Frog--The Frog Princess. The story is about a prince whose destiny is determined by firing an arrow towards whom he's to marry, a frog, who in the end turned out to be more than he could ever ask for.

The whole story can be read here: The Tsarevna Frog.

Jeff Easley Tribute

16" x 20" oil and acrylic on board

Jon Schindehette a while back had sent out a call to artists to help celebrate a tribute to a father of modern fantasy illustration:
I was never able to help Jeff get permission to create his art book when I was at Wizards of the Coast, and I would like to find a way to celebrate what he has contributed to our industry. I could only think of one way I could do that - through ArtOrder. Join me in paying homage to a man that directly influenced the fantasy illustration and gaming genre. Create an image that celebrates the man and his art.
My main influence from his work is how he can paint in one hue, but give it so much life, depth, and diversity. This piece was painted with just titanium white, mars black, and alizarin crimson.

Happy birthday, Jeff!

Month of Love is Back! Week #1: #nofilter Valentine

9" x 12" oil and acrylic on board

The first week's theme for 2014's Month of Love was #nofilter Valentine. Breakups are a an unfortunate aspect of love. It can hurt, a lot, but eventually with time the pieces are put back together... perhaps with the help of someone new!

Fire Can't Take the Art Away

Sadly, early this morning a fire claimed a building in the town where I grew up that was home to the first art school I attended as a kid: Bob Boroski School of Art. It was here where I would go on Saturday mornings and spend the day making art, spending time not only with other kids who loved to do art, but also the college-aged faculty that I looked up to and wished to be someday. Kind of crazy to think that I'm now in that position, years into the future!

Bob Boroski

 I owe it to Bob for pushing me and teaching me what was not being offered in public school. I hope he will be able to rebuild his business, so he can continue to push other kids like me in the right direction. Viva la Bob!

Hive Tarot!

I did the Nine of Pentacles for this year's collaboration.The show will be up until the end of January for your viewing pleasure. Check it out!

Looking Back on 2013: Not That Unlucky!

This year has treated me amazingly well. At this particular moment, it's hard to really remember everything that happened, but I suppose that's a good thing! My goals at the beginning of 2013 were to complete 2 paintings a month, and to get my first freelance job. I'm excited to say both were met! Here's a reflection on this past year's happenings:

Kick-Ass Art Show

IMC 2013

• I participated in a 4-person show, in which I sold my first painting ever to the amazing tattoo artist and great guy Joe Capobianco.
• Did a painting for a Sandy Hook benefit.
• Quit my day job teaching to devote all my time to painting.
• I tackled my biggest painting yet at this year's Illustration Master Class; a 2-by-3-foot painting of Jon Snow and Arya Stark from Game of Thrones.
• I conquered a 15-hour drive down to Atlanta for my very first Dragon*Con in which I hung my work, met tons of amazing people, and sold two pieces. Then had to drive back...
• Was a part of the wildly successful Amanda Palmer Tarot!
• Not a week after, showed my work for the first time at IlluXcon, and sold a piece to the wonderful Winona Nelson!
• Participated in two monthly art blogs: Month of Love and Month of Fear. Both kicked my ass but gave me confidence in my artwork and time management skills.
• Got my first freelance job! The title goes to Zoë Robinson for picking me up first!
• Starting participating in shows across the country in California!
• On the horizon I have my first solo show on January 11th!
• This list cannot be finished without mentioning all the wonderful people that I've met, and all the old friends I was able to see again.

 I participated in 5 gallery shows, went to 3 cons, and if I recall correctly, I painted a total of... like, 34 pieces? Some simple, some more time-consuming, some frustrating, some elating, some I wanted to share, some I wanted to burn and have no one ever see them.

IlluXcon 2013

Suffice to say I'm pretty happy with how this year went. I've come to know what makes me most happy with my work, and discovered what I need to work on. My goals for next year are to keep improving, go to more conventions, be less intimidated and to promote myself like crazy so I can participate in bigger, better things! All so I can comfortably begin to support myself solely by my art. Cheers to a new year in the works!

Nine of Pentacles

11" x14" oil, acrylic, and gold leaf on board

Hello everyone! I'm excited to say that I'm participating in The Hive Gallery's 5th annual 2014 Tarot Show! Two tarot pieces in 2013, how apropos... 

The opening is in Los Angeles on January 4th at 8:30. I won't be able to be in attendance, but if you're in California you should go!

Month of Fear #6: Scary Story

9" x 15" oil and acrylic on board

I chose to do a collaborate story/illustration with my boyfriend John taking the role of author and me, the illustrator. Here is his short story:

The Lamppost

The inky black of the side street was broken only by a single light. Its amber glow touched down on the recently disturbed side walk. The concrete had within the circle of light only one tenant, a young man who could barely have stepped foot into his twenties. His solid form created an oasis of shadow contained by the light. The lamppost stood above him, a sentinel in the dark. It was doing its job well.

The lamppost’s warm light fell upon the messy mop of hair that capped the still head of the young man. The light slid deep into his increasingly pale skin, and collected on his cheeks and forearms. He was well lit from above, and not a visible inch of him was outside the reach of the lamppost’s light. The mercury vapor bulb continued to shine. Years of wear had done little to hamper its effectiveness. It was a good lamp; it did its job well.

As the night drew on, the ground beneath the young man continued to darken. This was not by fault of the lamp. The dark spot was fluidic, and flared with the reflected amber light. With deep red hue, the darkness continued to spread. It trailed off beyond the faint boundary of where the light met the dark.

The young man began to stir. Tonight, the constant drone of the lamppost’s bulb was accompanied by a soft gurgling. This could be traced to its source, deep within the lungs of the slumped figure. His tensed shoulders loosened against the grey steel of the lamppost’s supporting pole. It was a very sturdy pole, and it had aided the lamp in its years of hard work. Held aloft by the pole; the lamp shone on in the dark night as it had for years and as it would.

Now the gurgling, caused by the dark hole through his abdomen, slowed. The wound was ragged and deep, and well lit on the surface. The depths of the hole were lost to the pervasive dark. The deep red of his blood seeped into his once white shirt. Perhaps a surgical lamp would have revealed more of the grievous wound, but the lamp had done all it was required to. The lamp was not ambitious, nor was it able to be. It was a good lamp, and it did only the job it was made to do.

The cold sweat of the young dying man slid down from his brow to the end of his sharp nose. Illuminated along its path and reflecting tiny splashes of light across his pale lips and sunken cheeks. His unremarkable brown eyes began to glaze, and the light of dawn swept the sky. His breath rattled once more, a soft vapor caught in the constant illumination. His life left him as the surrounding dark peeled away like an orange, revealing a fresh day. The streetlight fell dark. It was a good lamp; it did its job well, and now that job was done. Now left in the brightening world was a warm corpse against a cold grey lamppost.

Month of Fear #5: Trypophobia

2.5" x 3.5" oil and acrylic on board

Trypophobia: a combination of the Greek trypo (punching, drilling or boring holes) and phobia (fear/morbid fear).

This particular phobia is very young--coined 8 years ago--in the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. This particular phobia is also known as repetitive pattern phobia, in which people become repulsed by looking at clustered holes such as honeycomb, lotus pods, coral, et cetera, or repeating patterns seen in large amounts of grains/legumes, amphibian egg clusters, and the like.

It's a very interesting, unique phobia to me, because it is so out of the ordinary. It is mainly described as a primal reaction relating to visual signs of danger. What that danger could be, who knows!

Month of Fear #4: What Terrified You as a Child?

8"x10" oil and acrylic on board

I had no irrational fears growing up other than the existential mystery of death after losing relatives and pets at a young age. Now that life is a little more complicated than it was in childhood, I have more complex fears that every adult has. My greatest fear is losing hope; losing that spark I work hard to maintain, giving into stress and anxiety and just plain giving up.

Month of Fear #3: My Favorite Horror Story

20"x16" oil and acrylic on board

Most of my favorite horror stories are written by Junji Ito, a Japanese manga artist known for his uniquely bizarre but genuinely creepy horror stories. His most well-known compilation is "Uzumaki"--which was actually made into a live-action movie--about a town that became cursed by an obsession with spirals. One girl's hair in particular began to curl, becoming a hypnotic obsession to her schoolmates at the cost of her life.

Month of Fear #2: What is your recurring nightmare?

7"x5" oil and acrylic on board

This week's theme was: What's your recurring nightmare? Here's my story...

When I was very young--preschool/kindergarten age--once or twice a month for about two years I would relive a very abstract, but very traumatic recurring nightmare. My dream would begin with me, in bed, the house very dark. I would hear the wind howling outside, making the house creak, the windows shake. In an instant time blurred into an abstract movement, all of the trees surrounding my home would grow in enormous size and then succumb to the wind, collapsing onto the house and demolishing it in a cold tangle of twisted debris and tree limbs. I would then manage to crawl out of what must have been my bed, crying, calling for my mom, but hearing nothing in return, not even the wind. I then became overwhelmed with an intense feeling of guilt, and would eventually give up looking for any signs of life between the mess of what was once my house, bawling "I'm sorry" over and over again until I would be woken up by my mom, who would later on tell me she would wake up hearing me crying "I'm sorry" repeatedly in the middle of the night.

Month of Fear #1: What Lives Under My Bed?

11"x20" oil and acrylic on panel

The Month of Fear project has begun! This week's theme was What Lives Under Your Bed?

Dream Predation and Getting Busy!

Dream Predation 16"x20" oil and acrylic on board

I did this piece for Forest to Shore's Cursed show last month and I have yet to properly upload a photograph of it up on my site. This is actually a springboard piece for a solo show coming up in January that I still need to get off my arse and begin work on the pieces! 

However, I am fortunate enough to say that as of late I have been incredibly busy working on and finishing painting after painting for numerous projects! I have never felt so happy :D

Dragon*Con and IlluXcon

I went to my first Dragon*Con this year, and it was my first con displaying my artwork! It was a gigantic leap into the deep end, but I drove home (yes, drove) with a multitude of positive feedback, ideas, and validation. There I sold two paintings, Siren and Medusa. It was a pleasant surprise for me, not knowing what at all to expect as I had no prior experience before this. I am certainly going back next year!

This year was also the first year displaying my work at IlluXcon! Like Dragon*Con I got a wealth of great feedback, saw old friends, and made new ones. I also sold a bunch of prints and sold my painting of Morrigan! Of course I will be back next year guns ablazing!