FOREVER ART

SUNSET & HIBISCUS OIL PAINTINGS

2011-11-07T10:33:00.000-08:00

"An artist needn’t be a clergyman or a churchwarden, but he certainly must have a warm heart for his fellow men."- Vincent Van Gogh
"I want to touch people w/ my art. I want them to say "he feels deeply, he feels tenderfly."-Van Gogh

It's been a while since I posted some of my latest oil paintings.Since moving to San Diego, Ca. on 2010, I didn't have the time nor the mood to paint. Now that I am settled in our new home, I started going back to what I always love to do, painting in oil.

Sometime in March, an old friend from church & IVCF (inter Varsity Christian Fellowship) e-mailed me if I would be willing to donate a few small oil paintings for the Balikatan auction on July 4, 2011. The proceed with help toward the salaries of the staffs in the Philippines.

Without hesitation I said yes. I remembered back in college, this Christian organization helped me a lot in my spiritual life through bible studies & conferences. When I could not afford to attend a Kawayan camp, some generous people paid for me. Now, it was my turn to help this organization.

Although I had sold many oil paintings before, I was anxious. What if no one would buy art because of the hard economy? So while doing the paintings, I also prayed that God would touched some people's heart, to buy them.

After the Balikatan conference, I got an e-mail that a generous couple from Canada bought thes two paintings for $600.00 at the auction. I was speechless. Unbelievable! To God be the glory.

"YELLOW SUNSET"-Oil On Canvas- 11" by 14"
My inspiration for the sunset & hibiscus paintings are the colorful art of Vincent Van Gogh.
My friend e-mailed me that when she showed the photos to her collegues, they said...."the paintings are cross between Van Gogh & Gauguin's paintings.

"YELLOW HIBISCUS"- Oil On Canvas

FOLK DANCES

2011-06-18T19:30:00.000-07:00

Dancing is the loftiest,the most moving,the most beautiful of the arts,because it is not mere translation or abstraction from life; it is life itself."- Havelock Ellis

It's true there's no place like home, no matter how humble. When my husband & I got married on 1971, our first home was only a one bedroom apartment at La Fayette St., Los Angeles, but to us it was a castle. The apartment was located near my job at Trade Service Publication, & so I just crossed the street. In 1972, my husband found an engineering job at Litton Industries in Canoga Park (SFV) California. So we bought a brand new, single, one story house w/ 4 bedrooms in a place called "Hidden Lake" in Canoga Park. As an artist I was deeply attracted to the lovely lake and serenity of the area. We bought a house located around the lake. We could access the lake from our backyard-where we could go fishing, row boating, feed the ducks and walk around the lake. We lived there for 14 years.

FOLK DANCES OIL PAINTINGS IN FAMILY ROOM

During 1977, we moved next door because we fall in love with this model home.We liked the layout of the house, the cathedral ceiling,detailed stuffs that came with it, like fancy faucets in the bathrooms, papered wall to wall, lush and thick white shag carpeting,gorgeous wardrobe mirror on the master bedroom, wall to wall mirror on the dining area, and many more. It was professionally decorated and matched our theme color, which is yellow.

To fill an empty wall in our family room, I painted these four Philippines folk dances. The Philippines, where I was born, is well known for its many beautiful folk dances. The costumes are very colorful but I took the liberty to paint them in monochromatic color. To match the bamboo wall paper, I painted these folk dances in yellow, light lemon yellow, beige, white and added some sienna. I was pleased with the results.

When we moved to Valencia, Sta. Clarita (Ca.) we kept the same yellow as theme color. We displayed the folk dances on the wall leading up the stairs to our bedrooms. Later, my first cousin Cely (from Maryland) inherited two of the oil paintings. I kept the other two.

Painting#1-Salakot,Painting#2-Singkil,Painting#3-Itik-itik,

Painting#4-Pandango Sa Ilaw.

LOVE FOREVER

2011-06-15T12:47:00.000-07:00

"LOVE many things, for therein lies the true strength, and whosoever LOVE much performs much, and can accomplish much, and what is done in LOVE is done well."- Vincent van Gogh

"I feel that there is nothing more truly artistic than to LOVE people."-Vincent van Gogh ( Post-impressionists painter)

"LOVE" PAINTING (1972) - I created this "LOVE" oil painting when my husband & I moved to our first house at the Hidden Lake in Canoga Park (San Fernando Valley, California). I painted it specifically for our bedroom wall. These lovable kids (Rodney & Joy) were not born yet.

This painting was inspired by a Christmas card designed by Robert Indiana for the Museum of Modern Art, for which he made 3 small paintings of the word LOVE. These cards were printed in 1965 and have been the most popular card MoMA has ever published. Since then LOVE has become a cultural icon and has been used extensively throughout the art world and media.

The original design was painted in RED, BLUE & GREEN. For our bedroom I customized the color and painted in YELLOW OCHRE, RUST, and MEDIUM BROWN for background. It was a huge square painting- 4 ft. x 4 ft. I no longer have this painting. I re-painted it over and gave it away to someone else to enjoy. Truly, it's LOVE that makes the world go round.

And the famous artist Vincent van Gogh quoted it so well.

MODERN OIL PAINTING

2011-03-29T15:00:00.000-07:00

“It is not hard to understand modern art. If it hangs on a wall it's a painting, and if you can walk around it it's a sculpture.” Tom Stoppard (British playwright)

OIL PAINTING -"THE WAVES"

In the 70's, our home decor was modern, so I created this modern oil painting. Back then I liked our home decor to be matchy-matchy. Colors & theme matched our couch and drapes in yellow ochre, beige & brown.

This oil painting consisted of three canvas panels. I custom-made it particularly for the long wall on our formal living room.

This oil painting was inspired by the ocean waves. Watching the ocean waves during beach trips is very hypnotic. The sights, sounds and sensation of the waves never left me. I often think of the endless waves. Here was my modern and colorful impression of the waves.

ANOTHER VIEW OF "THE WAVES" PAINTING FACING TOWARD THE WINDOW

NEW HOME FOR "THE WAVES": In the 80's, when we moved to Valencia, in Sta. Clarita Valley, we transferred this oil painting to our new home. It fitted beautifully in our large entry wall. We also hanged the Modern Painting#1 on the right side. When we moved to another brand new home at The Oaks in 1989, I fall in love w/ the Southwest theme & cactus, so I changed our home decors. I preferred colors like peach & lime or coral & jade. I changed many oil paintings to match our SW theme and color. Although I majored in editorial & advertising design, with no interior design background, I had the guts to decorate our home by myself. I became the interior decorator of our house and just followed my instincts.

What happened to "The Waves?" I no longer have these oil paintings. Only photos reminded me of them. I remember, that I re-painted over the "Waves." I experimented w/ other subjects and passed on the oil paintings to others, to enjoy. I wished I had kept those experimental oil paintings, so I could compare my progress in painting. Like the waves of the ocean that came and left, so was my other paintings.

MY OTHER ART BLOG

2011-03-20T16:07:00.000-07:00

"LIVE YOUR LIFE FROM YOUR HEART. SHARE FROM YOUR HEART. AND YOUR STORY WILL TOUCH AND HEAL PEOPLE'S SOULS." Melody Beattie MODERN PAINTING#1

This is one of my early oil paintings in the 70's. It's a huge painting, approximately 3 feet x 2 1/2 feet. I created this modern painting in our beautiful brand new house in Hidden Lake, San Fernando Valley, California. Then we moved to the house next door which was a model home. It was our dream house by the lake. Our backyard gate open up to the lake -where our family spent many happy days fishing, boating and feeding the ducks.

I created & customized this painting to match our modern decor and color. During the 70's, the color "Harvest" was in vogue. So our kitchen appliances were all in harvest. Our theme color through out the house was yellow.

GOOD-BYE TO A PAINTING:

It's sad....that this oil painting is no longer with me. What I remember it that I gave it away. Not thinking of it's sentimental value. When we moved again to another brand new house- in Sta.Clarita Valley, I donated it to Goodwill because it didn't match our new Southwest theme and color. I am happy for the person who ever owns it now. She or he must be happy with the yellow painting.

MY OTHER ART BLOG:

This art blog will focus mostly on my art works. So I just started another blog called "PAINT PRAY TRAVEL" where I will be posting my art activities, spiritual experiences & exciting travels. . Please visit my other blog:

http://paintpraytravel.blogspot.com/

THE JOY OF COLOR

2011-03-01T12:30:00.000-08:00

"The JOY you give to others is the JOY that comes back to you." -Anonymous
I am re-posting my painting named "LIGAYA" in honor of my daughter JOY. She is the inspiration behind this oil painting.

MARCH IS A GREEN MONTH With the change of month comes the change of color. I am sure you're tired of the color RED, so it's time to go GREEN. It is a secondary color. By mixing BLUE and YELLOW you get GREEN. On the color wheel Green is the opposite of Red. No wonder when you put these colors side by side, the effect is very gorgeous. Green is a cool and calm color. It also comes in different gorgeous names like emerald, jade, verdant, olive, electric lime, viridescent, java green, etc. Sometimes Green comes in delicious vegetable names like arugula, celery stick , cilantro, green tomato, rhubarb leaf, string beans and many more.

A PAINTING FOR JOY I have a beautiful daughter named JOY. Like her name, she's a joy to behold. Many years ago, I painted this colorful portrait for JOY. This is not a masterpiece like a Rembrandt but I love it. Painting a portrait is very challenging but rewarding. Yes, JOY looks close to this young Latina model in the painting. She has black, long hair, lovely eyes and lips. I apologize that the photo of the painting didn't turn out well. It's a bit blurry. This post is dedicated to JOY who's celebrating another birthday on the 9th (Sunday). "HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO JOY!!!!"
CLOSE -UP VIEW OF PAINTING This oil painting on canvas is (16" x 20"). The painting is entitled "LIGAYA" - meaning JOY in our native language (Filipino). This painting is among my collections at home. Like this painting JOY brings color to our family and imperfect lives.

THE JOY OF COLOR Just imagine a world without the color green. What if the vegetables we eat are not green but black? Will it look appetizing? Black and white are neutral colors and not consider real color like green or red. So a colorful green food and world bring lots of JOY.

ART FROM MY HOMELAND-PART 2

2011-02-03T11:46:00.000-08:00

"A sincere artist is not one who makes a faithful attempt to put on to canvas what is in front of him, but one who tries to create something which is, in itself, a living thing." William Dobell
During our trip to the Philippines last February 2010, one of the exciting adventures that we experienced was "island hopping". For about 12 days we covered 4 islands, namely Palawan, Cebu, Boracay -Aklan and Bohol. We flew via air planes, sailed on motor boats, super cat & rode tri-cycles, cars, vans to get to our many far away destinations. It was tiring because we packed & unpacked every 3 days. But was exciting as everyday was different.

Bohol was the last island that we explored. We stayed on a lovely boutique resort located at Panglao Island. Very serene & secluded kind of island. Not very many tourists like Boracay. The resort is named Amarela (a Portuguese word for the color yellow). No wonder when we arrived we saw a lovely amarella house. Amarella is not just a beautiful beach resort. It is also a showcaswe of Bohol's rich cultural and artistic heritage.

The main house got three floors. The first floor had a separate library with long table for reading & lots of big & thick Philippine Art books, which I couldn't afford to buy. Good they are free for reading while guests stayed there. I had lots of relaxing time to browse, to indulge reading & to enjoy those colored & nicely printed art books. The second & third d floor were turned into art galleries with beautiful local oil paintings & antique furnishings. This resort is made for artist & creative people. There were so many paintings on displayed but I am only posting my faves. Many of the local artists created inspiring living things or landscapes. I feel fortunate to have seen & enjoyed these artworks.

AMARELLA RESORT-PANGLAO ISLAND, PHILIPPINES

PAINTING#1- A COLORFUL MODERN PAINTING DEPICTING LOCAL COUNTRY SCENE

PAINTING#2 (Right)
A BEAUTIFUL TRADITIONAL OIL PAINTING DEPICTING THE EVOLUTION OF FILIPINA DRESSES.
PAINTING #3 (Left)
COLORFUL STILL LIFE

PAINTING #4 (Right)
A COLORFUL OIL PAINTING PORTRAYING A BUSY MARKET SCENE.

PAINTING#5
ANOTHER TYPICAL LOCAL AND COUNTRY SCENE. THE PEOPLE HERE ARE ENJOYING POUNDING RICE.

PAINTING#6 (Right)
ANOTHER VIBRANT OIL PAINTING. PERFECT MATCH
TO THE RESORT NAME & DECOR.

ART FROM MY HOMELAND

2011-01-06T19:30:00.000-08:00

"The only time I feel alive is when I'm painting. "– Vincent Van Gogh

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL MY VIEWERS ANG BLOGGING FRIENDS!This new year I had been tinkering with the idea of changing the face & format of my blog. Somehow, it didn't click. I still like the old one. Who said, it should be changed because it's new year? Well...nobody!

There's no travel plans in the next several months. Hopefully I will have more time to update my blog and also start doing oil paintings once again. It's more than a year since I touched my paint brushes & oils. I am getting rusty. Like my fave artist Vincent Van Gogh, I feel alive when painting. So this new year, I am fired up and will paint again.

TRIP TO THE PHILIPPINES-

The Philippines is the land of my birth. I grew up in Manila. Then I immigrated to the U.S. two yrs. after graduating from college. I went back w/ a husband & 2 kids in 1978. After that I haven't been back to my homeland for 35 years. Our fours kids are now adults. I am getting old & so is my hubby. We knew it was time to come back after a long absence. Last February 20,2010, was the perfect time to go back. I attended the 50th (Jubilee) PWU high school reunion w/ my husnand & son Ryan. At the same time it was our opportunity to tour Manila again & other islands. My husband Rhod retired early, so we were able to stay as long as 3 weeks. Revisting our homeland was an unfogettable & creative experience for us.

During our last night in Manila, prior to our Southeast Asian cruise, we revisited & had dinner at the famous Manila Hotel. This was a nostalgic place for us because in 1978, when we visited the Philippines, we stayed here for 3 days w/ our two young kids (Rodney & Joy). It was a beautiful hotel then because the former Philippine first lady Imelda Marcos promoted it. Many reported that it was renovated again but during our visit, it didn't look as dazzling as before. It looked jaded, worn out and there were less people.

During a trip, gazing at a beautiful & gigantic oil paintings was one of the things that I'd like to do. It makes me feel alive. In the background was a awesome painting by Fernando Amorsolo. What a joy to pose w/ one of his oil paintings! He is one of the most important artists in the history of painting in the Philippines. Amorsolo was a portraitist and painter of rural Philippine landscapes. He is popularly known for his craftsmanship and mastery in the use of light.

FAST FORWARD TO 1978: During a visit to the Philippines in 1978, our family was fortunate to have a private tour of the Malacanang Palace. It is the official residence and principal workplace of the President of the Philippines. The house was built in 1750 in Spanish Colonial style.
President Ferdinand Marcos was the president during that time. Luckily, our friend Olive, the daughter of the Secretary of Education (Mr. Manuel) was a relative of the president. We toured w/ her & Bruce. We didn't meet the president & the first lady but we were given a FREE VIP tour. It was at the palace that I saw many numerous Fernando Amorsolo oil paintings. I no longer remember those oil paintings. We regretted that we didn't take many photos of Amorsolo's oil paintings.

Another view of Amorsolo's oil painting with my husband Rhod posing w/ it. I don't know the name of the painting but it depicted a fruit vendor.

We lingered at the lobby for a while as we listened to some local musicians played the piano & soft musical instruments. Soon our tummies were also humming some hungry sounds. We went to one of the restaurants. They had a Filipino buffet & all-u-can eat. But when we looked the buffet selections we were not so..... hungry. Instead we opted for ala cart Filipino dishes.

This simple Filipino dish called "Sinigang Na Hipon" (Shrimps Sinigang) is very easy to cook & also delicious to eat especially during cold weathers. I painted this dish in one of my past paintings called "SINIGANG & SNOW." Our neighbor Mary won it during the raffle on my first-solo-art show.
Till next post! Will blog about other places we visited in the Philippines that showcased many art works by local artists.

CHRISTMAS IN WANDER-LAND

2010-12-13T20:14:00.000-08:00

"In those days Ceasar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. And everyone went to his own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register w/ Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firrstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for him in the inn." -Luke 2:1-7 (NIV)
This Christmas account from the Gospel of Luke is NOT a fantasy story related to Alice in Wonderland, but about a well known family travel, that made the awesome nativity scene happened. What does traveling have to do with Christmas? As we reflect on Christmas, our thoughts goes back to Mary & Joseph as they traveled down to Bethlehem where the first Christmas happened many thousand years ago. It was a difficult time to travel as Mary was pregnant. She probably rode on the back of a donkey as depicted on most cards. Traveling was not only very slow but challenging. Giving birth in a stable indeed was a miracle without medical help or nanny. But the baby Jesus is the beloved son of God who came in human flesh and so it was possible. God the creator of all beings & things became a human baby is a deep mystery to fathom. He traveled from Heaven to earth, so we could enjoy HIS great love & salvation.

Without Mary & Joseph traveling to Bethlehem, the Christmas story will not be fulfilled. Thank God that traveling is in God's agenda & desire not only for the wonderful couple & baby but also for His children. Those who received Jesus Christ as their personal Savior & Lord.

This year 2010, my husband & I are blessed with many enjoyable & unforgettable travels to many far away countries in our golden years. Since my husband's early retirement in August, 2009, we thought that traveling is the BEST use of our remaining time, energy & resources. We traveled to the Philippines & Southeast Asia for 2 months. The trip to the Philippines, our former homeland was a sentimental journey. After 35 years of absence, it was the right time to revisit. Visiting Southeast Asia was a dream that came true. As we traveled by jumbo jets, cruise ship, jeepney, cars, taxis, tour buses, double deck bus, tramway, bullet train, motor boats, super ferry, etc., it felt like CHRISTMAS everyday & everywhere we journey. We experienced God's providential care & love at all times.

Here's wishing you all a " MERRY CHRISTMAS & A HAPPY NEW YEAR" from different places & languages.

FROM PALAWAN, PHILIPPINES- FEBRUARY 2010
Filipino- "Maligayang pasko at manigong bagong taon!"
FROM BANGKOK, THAILAND WITH LOVE (AT THE SIAM NARIMIT SHOW)
Thai
สุขสันต์วันคริสต์มาส และสวัสดีปีใหม่(sùk săn wan-krít-mâat láe sà-wàt-dee bpee mài)

FROM SINGAPORE PEAK - MARCH 2010
Chinese(Cantonese)
聖誕節同新年快樂 (singdaanjit tùhng sànnìhn faailohk)恭喜發財 (gùng héi faat chōi) - used at Chinese New Year

FROM VIETNAM WITH VIETNAMESE LADIES (CRUISE PORT)
Vietnamese - "Chúc Giáng Sinh Vui Vẻ và Chúc Năm Mới Tốt Lành"

FROM NHA TRANG (VIETNAM) -A COASTAL ISLAND - 2010
Vietnamese - "Chúc Giáng Sinh Vui Vẻ và Chúc Năm Mới Tốt Lành"
FROM HONGKONG AT THE PEAK-MARCH 2010
Chinese(Cantonese)
聖誕節同新年快樂 (singdaanjit tùhng sànnìhn faailohk)恭喜發財 (gùng héi faat chōi) - used at Chinese New Year

FROM MACAU- A PORTUGUESSE COLONY IN THE PAST
Portuguese
"Feliz Natal e próspero ano novo / Feliz Ano NovoBoas Festas e Feliz Ano Novo / Um Santo e Feliz Natal "
FROM TAIPEI With Ebb -March 2010
Chinese(Taiwanese)
Sèng-tàn-chiat Khòai-lo̍k (聖誕節快樂）- Merry ChristmasSin-nî Chhut-thâu-thiⁿ (新年出頭天）- Happy New Year
FROM OKINAWA, JAPAN- March 2010
Japanese
メリークリスマス (merī kurisumasu)New Year greeting - 'Western' style新年おめでとうございます (shinnen omedetō gozaimasu)New Year greetings - Japanese style明けましておめでとうございます (akemashite omedetō gozaimasu)旧年中大変お世話になりました (kyūnenjū taihen osewa ni narimashita)本年もよろしくお願いいたします (honnen mo yoroshiku onegai itashimasu)
FROM SHANGHAI, CHINA-(Inside the Mag-bullet train)
Chinese(Shanghainese)
圣诞节快乐 (sendaijiq kualoq) 新年快乐 (sinni kualoq)

FROM BEIJING (CHINA)-THE GREAT WALL- (WINTER 2010)
Chinese(Mandarin)
聖誕快樂新年快樂 [圣诞快乐新年快乐](shèngdàn kuàilè xīnnián kuàilè)恭喜發財 [恭喜发财] (gōngxǐ fācái) - used at Chinese New Year
FROM MEXICAN RIVIERA:We just returned from our Mexican Riviera cruise early December. No picture ready yet. In Spanish- "Feliz Navidad y prospero

ano nuevo!"

A GALLERY OF THANKSGIVING COLOR

2010-11-20T20:00:00.000-08:00

"In everything give thanks........" -New King James Version
"Give thanks in all circumstances......" - New International Version

A WORLD WITHOUT COLORS I can't imagine a world without colors. Recently , I went browsing in a boutique called White House/ Black Market. Every gorgeous, pricey and tempting stuffs for sale are in white or black. These are modern and popular colors today but not the kind that make me feel alive. The boutique has an excellent display and marketing strategy but somehow, nothing appeals to me to splurge on. Imagine a world without color, it's...DULL.

A WORLD WITH COLORS On the contrasting side, nothing makes me feel alive and grateful than waking up in the morning and seeing the gorgeous autumn leaves of our neighbor's maple tree just across the cul de sac. Late autumn's palette is the deepest of the four seasons here in the U.S.A. Before I immigrated here, I lived in Manila (Philippines) where there is no colorful autumn. Today, of course, I live in sunny Southern California where leaves have the good sense to stay on the trees almost year-round. But there are some areas here in California where we have autumn leaves, but not as distinct as in the East Coast. I will never forget those many exciting, fascinating and colorful autumn trips to Silver Springs (Maryland), Washington D.C., Connecticut and Colorado.
When Thanksgiving is around the corner, what comes to my mind are the myriad colors that dressed one of the richest feast of the year in America. I've always associated the colors of autumn with Thanksgiving. This feast celebrates also the transformation of season and color. Of course I also have a vision of the lustrous golden turkey. What is Thanksgiving without turkey fest and all the colorful trimmings? It's hard to resist comparing it to a a gallery of colorful impressionists paintings.
HOW MANY COLORS DO THANKSGIVING WEARS AND PARADES? Like a fashion show Thanksgiving parades in many gorgeous colors. They added depth and also visual appeal to the season of festivity. Let's not be color-blind to the beautiful world around us and take colors for granted. Now, it's time to count the many fashionable colors:

COLORS OF THANKSGIVING#1- MULTICOLORS. This photo was taken in Connecticut one fall ago, where I saw the most beautiful and colorful autumn in my life. Think like the famous impressionist artist, Vincent Van Gogh. He painted with gusto and used multiple colors in most of his paintings.
COLORS OF THANKSGIVING #2-ORANGE I've always associated orange with Thanksgiving. Now, thankfully, I can enjoy the orange color. Some of the sweetest and most distinctive taste of autumn come in the color of orange. Think pumpkins, sweet potatoes, persimmons, mandarins, clementines and satsumas. Let's add pumpkin pie.Yum....yummmmy!!!
COLORS OF THANKSGIVING#3-DEEP ORANGE- I can't imagine a world without deep shade of orange. Orange is the marriage of a little tint of yellow and more reddish tint added. Orange is a pretty color that makes things pop-out. COLORS OF THANKSGIVING#3- YELLOW This is a very happy color. No wonder, Van Gogh was crazy about it. Other relatives of yellow are lemon, ochre, buttercups, bronze and gold. If you want to be happy wear yellow. If you want to be healthy eat yellow fruits like bananas, mangoes and pears, and drink yellow juices like pineapple. Decorating the table with yellow leaves make the Thanksgiving feast very much alive......... like a painting.
COLORS OF THANKSGIVING#4- RED This color comes in many different names like ruby, scarlet, crimson, and vermilion. The red cranberry is the Tiffany touch on the Thanksgiving plate. The jewel-like quality of the color red adds just the right accent to one of the dressiest feast of the year. Red also compliments every other classic colors. It also brings drama to the mushroom-golden brown roasted turkey.MY "AUTUMN PAINTING" - 18"x 24" ( oil on canvas). This is one of my favorite painting which I lovingly donated to the Fil-American Association of Sta. Clarita during their 20th anniversary celebration and auction. This painting has a rustic, wide open door leading out to a leisurely pathway with colorful autumn setting of birch trees and Southwest vases.

GRATEFULLY, this THANKSGIVING I am also thinking of the many bountiful blessings God has given. We have so much for which to be thankful. So much to smile about & so much to share. The top blessing this year is the many opportunities to be able to travel with my hubby to our homeland (philippines) and cruise abroad (Southeast Asian Countries- Thailand, Vietnam, Taiwan, Hongkong, Singapore,Okinawa, and China). These travels had enriched our lives and enlarged our perspectives. This year, since I spent many hours on the road, sea and air, I didn't have time to do oil painting. Nevertheless I am grateful for those days to be home. Last April, we moved to our new condo here in San Diego. The past months were spent organizing & decorating our home. I am also preparing my little studio.

So I am thankful not just for one blessing but for everything, even for the bad things that had happened.
"Wishing all my family, friends, blog-mates and viewers a very colorful and wonderful THANKSGIVING DAY! GOD BLESS YOU ALL!"

ARTISTIC WHALES

2010-10-05T10:40:00.000-07:00

We owe it to our children to be better stewards of the environment. The alternative? - a world without whales. It's too terrible to imagine. Pierce Brosnan

A WORLD WITHOUT WHALES: According to Pierce Brosnan....."its terrible to imagine a world without whale." I do agree with him. I like to watch whales doing their playful things but I am against their gruesome ways...... like eating people & coloring the sea RED. Should I condemn the whales? Well...of course not. I do like to eat whales too. I am not sure if whales or sharks are the same species. I know they are both gigantic ocean mammals. Anyway, I loved the delicious & exotic "Shark Fin " soup they served at Chinese Restos. I don't know how to make it so when I crave this soup, it's time to go to our favorite Chinese resto. It's their priciest soup because it's hard to get.

Here's a bit info about this soup from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Shark's fin soup is a Chinese soup that has been a popular item of Chinese cuisine since the Ming Dynasty, usually served at special occasions such as weddings and banquets,]or as a luxury item in Chinese culture.
There is controversy over the practice of shark finning which is used to source the signature ingredient for the soup. Consumption of shark fin soup has risen dramatically with the middle class becoming more affluent. Animal rights activists and environmentalists have called the practice brutal, and it is also named as a primary contributing factor in the global decline of many shark species.
China's growing economy has resulted in a large increase in demand for shark fins.[ This increase in demand combined with the importance of this top predator in the ocean, has the potential to significantly alter oceanic ecosystems.
ALTERNATIVE TO KILLING WHALES? Making artistic sculptures of them. Why not? Yes, it's a creative alternative. Look at the above whale. I spotted this sculptural whale during our trip to Halifax, Nova Scotia during the summer of 2009. Along the cruise port, they were displayed along the way..... for walkers, joggers & visitors to enjoy. This is one of those beautifully painted whale scuplture.

RHOD WITH LAZY WHALE: Another view of the same whale sculpture from above.

BLUE & PINK WHALE: Happy colors! Happy painted whales! Happy jumping! Happy day! What are we going to do without whales? Think about it!!!!!!

ARTISTIC LOBSTER

2010-07-30T10:00:00.000-07:00

"Rather than worry about foods to avoid, I think of everything I can eat - lobster, mussels, crab, tomatoes." - by Sarah Beeny LOBSTER SCULPTURE: During a summer trip in 2009 to Halifax, Nova Scotia, my husband & I caught sight of this lovely lobster sculpture while walking leisurely along the cruise ship port. I had never seen something as big & beautiful like this before. It was a very colorful, fascinating and interesting lobster artwork.

FAVORITE SEAFOOD: I like all of the above listed seafood by Sarah but my favorite is lobster. It's very delicious but quite expensive. Somehow I always find good ways to satisfy my cravings for this lovely pinkish creature. Whenever I see a Miss Lobster around, I am reminded of the many happy memories I spent w/ her kind of creature Here are some occassions that I had happily spent w/ Miss Lobster & company:

1. My first good memory about lobster was during a family vacation to Maui, Hawaii many.many years ago. During our last night in Maui, my husband & I splurged on a clambake dinner at the Westin Resort w/ out the kids. They stayed behind at the condo & had pizza for dinner. We enjoyed an excellent clambake lobsters plus all the trimmings and........ a big prize tag later on. But the happy memories of that dinner lingered long after and so there was no regret as the years went by.

2.Whenever my husband & I went cruising (10 cruises so far), we always look forward to the special nights when the chefs & kitchen staffs will be serving lobsters. Usually lobster & steaks were served during formal nights. We could asked for seconds if we wanted too. We were spoiled & pampered w/ lobster dinner during many cruises. One of the best rewards of cruising.

3.When my husband was still working for L-3 Communications, I always tagged along during company trips & conferences. Some of my best memories were those welcome & farewell night dinners at the Longboat Key Resort in Florida, where I had attended four times. Spouses were included and I never refused. These were some of the company perks that's unforgettable. During those memorable dinners, they served huge grilled lobster w/ steak. All you can eat. Yum..yummm.....!!! No wonder, I got home from those conferences w/ added pounds.

4. During our 25th wedding anniversary at the NBC Resturant in China Town, Monterey Park, we picked a banquet menu w/ lobster dish included. Many of the best lobster dishes that I tasted were from many great Chinese restaurants. They cooked it differently and very palatable. The heavenly taste lingered long after the special event was over.

5. Whenever I go shopping at Costco and I see those huge lobsters for sale at $17.99/ pound, I am reminded of a simple neighborhood get-togeher lobster dinner at The Oaks, Sta Clarita, where we once lived. I vividly remember one memorial week-end when our neighbors decided to have a clambake dinner at Dr. Larry's driveway next to our house. All of us bought fresh lobsters for each member of our families. Dr. Larry was divorced and a psychologist but volunteered to share his huge pot for boiling the lobsters. What a sight to see those live lobsters jumping & struggling on top of the boiling water! When cooked they had a reddish color. We also decorated the long tables beautifully & ate together w/ friendly neighbors. Along w/ the lobsters we feasted on store bought bread, boiled corn splashed w/ butter, grilled potatoes & yummy ice cream. Five neighboer w/ their families pitched in w/ the cooking & clean up. We had so much fun with our simple neighbor get-together that it was worth the splurge and work.

Yes, lobsters are pricey but with all these wonderful memories, I think they are worth spending for. If I will be rich, I'll buy a lobster sculpture to be placed on my garden by the kitchen. The lobster will inspire me to paint more. Why not?

THE ART OF MOVING FORWARD

2010-07-23T12:25:00.000-07:00

We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths. Walt Disney

BACK HOME! I am now back to the U.S. after two months of traveling to the Philippines & Southeast Asia. The above photo was choosen because of the American flag in the background. It was 4th of July 2009 in Boston marketplace. Although it's very exciting to travel in many far countries, it's also a wonderful feeling to be back home. When one is gone for months, I discovered the truth that "There's no place like home."

SETTLING DOWN:When my husband & I returned from our trip last April 1st, our priority was to find a home of our own here in San Diego, California. Two weeks later we found a cozy condo that has a great location. This condo is old, w/ only 2 bdrooms, 3 bathrooms and an interesting floor plan. Very convenient & close to shopping malls. It has gorgeous views of the river below & city. As soon as I saw this great view, I fall in love w/ this house. My hubby had the same feeling too. We knew with out doubt that this is house we have been searching for many months. You must have a sensitive artist eyes & temperament to really appreciate this place. It's very secluded at the end of a cul de sac and built along the slope. Very inspiring place! Perfect retreat for an artist like me. I am sure that I will be spending many artistic moments on this house. What more.....with all the inspirations around me......masterpieces will be created in the days to come. Right now I am still busy unpacking boxes & organizing my art stuffs. I missed painting and pretty soon will be doing what I loved best...oil paintings.

LAST UPDATE: I am very sorry that my last blog post was on January -almost six months ago. It's hard to believe half of the year 2010 had passed. The busy new year started with lots of open doors, travels and moving. Along the winding ways & detours, lots of new things were thrown along my path. Changes and moving are exciting. New home, new friends, new things, new landscape, new ideas and new inspirations. In our old house in Valencia, I often relaxed at the end of the day by watching the beautiful sunset from our backyard. Here in San Diego, I anticipate looking at the full moon from our backyard during starry nights. What a wonderful & beautiful sight! How could I not move forward?

NEW BEGINNING

2010-01-08T16:30:00.000-08:00

Here's an article which I posted when first started blogging in 2007. It reminds me and my viewers why I became an artist and an art blogger. This new year will be different for me as I will be away traveling for two months starting on February. When I come back from my trip to the Philippines and Asia on April, I will seek new directions and new formats for my art blog. Meanwhile, I hope you'll enjoy re-reading some of my old post.

How wonderful to be able to start anew! This new year is good chance to comeback.

WHY "FOREVER ART?"
Do you ever wonder why I named my blog "Forever Art?" As a professional artist I always believe art last forever if preserved properly. Art continues to flourish, inspire, amaze and command millions of dollars, centuries after these masterpieces were created.
However, art is not forever or eternal compared to God, the Grand designer and Creator of all things. Although art seems forever, some faded and deteriorated. Amazingly many earlier masterpieces that survived centuries reflected sacred themes. Its hard to explain why, but there's something divine in art.

WHY I BECAME AN ARTIST NOT A SCIENTIST?
When I was growing up, I discovered that I was intensely interested in the subject of art more than anything else. But encounters with mathematics bored me to tears. If God had not given me excellent math skills, He would not expect me to be a good scientist.
On the other hand, I knew the skills I had were big clues. Where did they come from? Surely, from God. My artistic skills and interest were clues to what God wanted me to do in life.
Each of us were created with special areas of expertise and with a unique combination of talents and skills. No one is good at everything, and no one is created to have it all.

DREAMS BECAME REALITIES
I have no doubt that God wanted me to be an artist. The fulfillment of that dream became a reality when I earned my Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, majoring in Editorial and Advertising Design.
Later, I had the opprtunity to immigrate to the United States. It was another childhood dream that became a reality. Crossing the Pacific Ocean and starting a new life in a new country was one of the most exciting times of my life. I found new love, luck and good life in Southern California.

"REFLECTIONS OF MY HOMELAND"
When I immigrated to the United States, I left some paintings in the Philippines. I will never forget my motherland although I am now a naturalized American citizen. I am proud of my heritage and also enriched by embracing two cultures.
After I got married in 1971, I painted my first oil painting "Reflections Of My Homeland" in our first apartment in Los Angeles. This painting was my first entry on my blog. It's a huge painting, about 3 feet by 6 feet. Here's some stories behind this painting.

The vibrant color of this painting was inspired by my favorite artists (Van Gogh). The style was inspired by Manansala, one of the contemporary Filipino artists' that I admired while in art school.
This painting was also a labor of love. My husband streched the canvass and framed the painting. Over the years, we had moved to seven different houses, but this painting remained with us. It beautifully graced our home wherever we live. Someday, my youngest son, also an artist ( computer graphic) will inherit this beloved painting. This painting is now 38 years old and on display in our present home.

FIVE IS ENOUGH
I had painted variations of this painting five times for family and friends. Many wanted me to do the same painting but I simply said, "No more." I thought that doing this kind of painting five times were more than enough.

NEW YEAR'S EVE PAINTING

2009-12-29T10:09:00.000-08:00

"Forgetting what is behind..... I press on toward the goal to....which God has called me."- ( Phil. 3:13)

I am reposting my New Year's Eve article from last year. Many of you have not seen it and here's another chance for those who missed it. This year 2009 is a very challenging year. I started editing my autobiography this year and worked on about a dozen paintings but didn't fiinh them.
With my husband's sudden early retirement, we packed up our things in the storage and decided to move to the beautiful city of San Diego. On 2010, after our trip to the Philippines on February and Asian cruise on March, hopefully I will be able to pursue my art goals which was on hold for many months now.

NEW BEGINNING The old year 2008 was a good year for me. An extremely busy artistic year. I am very happy to have accomplished my first solo art show last September 27, 2008. This new year 2009,I will try to complete my "Studio 65." Getting there will make this another challenging year. I will be focusing more on my art goal and may not have lots of time to blog and and visit other blogs.

TITLE: "NEW YEAR'S EVE AND NEW BEGINNING"
MEDIUM: OIL ON CANVAS
SIZE: $8" X 30"
DESCRIPTION: (PAINTED IN 2008)
Another oil painting from my solo art show last year. Here's a short story behind the scene. New Year's Eve in the Philippines is celebrated with lots of noise and fire crackers like America's Fourth of July. We also have what we called "Media Noche" (midnight dinner). Here in United States, it's celebrated with lots of spirits ( wine, beer and champagne) and finger foods. We like to add Filipino flavors like lumpia Shainghai ( small meat rolls), chicharon (pork crackling) and fried squid. I painted my "ideal" New Year's Eve celebration at home. It's a beautiful "seafood Feast" with lots of fresh oysters, jumbo shrimps cocktails, crab legs, clams, mussels, etc. This is a healthy and elegant New Year's Eve feast with lots of veggies, fruits and salad too.

NEW YEAR 2009 With the holidays nearly behind us, many are looking ahead into 2010. It's hard not to be a little afraid. Things still look a little glumm with our bad economy. But somehow, we should be optimistic and hope that a good change is about to come. We must be innovative, creative and willing to take risks this new year. We must have lots of faith. It is faith in God that helped me achieved my art goals last 2008. This new year I will continue to trust God for my future. If you believe, like I do, that the turning of the new beginning is a cause for celebration and welcoming change.
"HAPPY NEW TO ALL! MAY THE NEW YEAR BRING YOU GOOD HEALTH AND MORE WEALTH."

CHRISTMAS PAINTING

2009-12-21T22:57:00.000-08:00

"JOY to the world the Lord is come......" Christmas song

CHRISTMAS DAY Is celebrated around the world differently. In my former homeland, the Philippines, we call CHRISTMAS "PASKO." We say both "Merry Christmas" and "Maligayang Pasko." Although I live most of my life here in the United States and spent more Christmases here, I still have good memories of past Christmases in the Philippines. I have been away from my homeland for about forty years but our Americanized-Filipino family Christmas celebration hasn't lost it's Filipino flavor. We learned to adopt the good things from our beloved America and cherished old traditions from our heritage and homeland. By having bi-cultural influences our Christmas celebration is enriched with different flavors and traditions.

"CHRISTMAS IN CALIFORNIA"
MEDIUM: OIL ON CANVAS
SIZE: 48" x 30"
PAINTED IN 2008
DESCRIPTION: This is another painting I did for my art show. Here's my short story behind the painting. One of our greatest blessing when our family immigrated to the United States was having our big family together at Christmas time. There were only a few years of separation from one another, and we were all united. Being in a foreign country, we were happy and secure to have our family together. It's difficult to be happy at Christmas time when one has loved ones left behind in the Philippines. In California, Christmas feels warm compared to other states that have snow and dreams of a white Christmas. Our family continues to celebrate Christmas with abundant and traditional Filipino food, but also added American flavors, like shrimp cocktails, champagne, wine, fresh green salad, pasta salad, cookies, pies, rolls, cakes and more. Traditionally, a rich Filipino Christmas has lechon (roasted whole pork), pancit palabok (noodles). embotido, morcon, fresh lumpia, paella, camaron rebosado (shrimp) and more. Desserts are favorites like leche flan. brazo de mercedes, sweet ube, etc. Because America is
a very rich country, part of our festive celebration is having huge, fresh, ever green pine Christmas tree with countless of adoring ornaments and overwhelming presents surrounding them.
"Wishing You All A "Merry Christmas" or ("Maligayang Pasko").

CHRISTMAS EVE PAINTING

2009-12-11T10:01:00.000-08:00

"May all your Christmases be MERRY and BRIGHT.....'' From a Christmas song

In past years, I would already have adrressed my Christmas cards and will be mailing them soon. But this is a different year for me. With my husband's early retirement last August, we decided to move to the beautiful city of San Diego. Been extrememly busy months for us. So instead I am re-posting an article that I wrote last Decemeber 2008. I feel the message still rings true today.

CHRISTMAS EVE Is just few weeks away. I am getting excited as I see our neighborhood dazzling brighter every night with myriads of multi-colored Christmas lights. Christmas time is the happiest and merriest of the holidays, not only in my former country, the Philippines, but in America as well. For Filipinos, Christmas celebration is not complete without celebrating Christmas Eve too. It is an important part of our Christmas celebrations and cultures. Christmas Eve is also about caring families, comfort food, caroling and chit-chat. The night before Christmas, our family attend church services. Then, we have a big get- together with other members of the family we will not see on Christmas Day. Sometimes others open their Christmas presents on Christmas Eve, but our family opens our presents on Christmas morning. The Christmas Eve celebration is almost as abundant and festive as Christmas Day. So the feasting called "Noche Buena" actually starts the night before and continues till Christmas Day.

TITLE: "CHEERFUL CHRISTMAS EVE"
MEDIUM: OIL ON CANVAS
SIZE: 48" x 30"
PAINTED IN 2008
DESCRIPTION: This is one of my oil paintings shown during my solo art show last September 2008. This is a typical Filipino-American Christmas Eve celebration in California, with abundant food, parol (lanterns), Christmas tree, caroling, merry-making, glowing fireplace and aromatic candles. Food is always an important part of the festive celebration. Let me describe what food I painted:
1. First Row (half round table)- Pot of arroz caldo ( chicken soup) and fried chicken w/ asparagus.
2. Small round table -Assorted fresh grapes in different colors and an apple.
3. Middle Table- Grilled pusit (squid) and camarron rebosado (shrimps) with lemons.
4. Right rectangular table- Huge platters of morcon and paella.
5. Left top table- Desserts such as banana cupckes, ube cake, bowl of candy cane, apple topiary and keso de bola (edam cheese).

CHRISTMAS SEASON Is not only a time for enjoying lots of favorite food but "spiritual food" as well. Let us not forget that JESUS is the reason for the season. SOON............ it will be Christmas Day.......!!!!!!

CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN

2009-12-01T22:54:00.000-08:00

Hello to my family, friends and viewers! I am back after a long absence. Since I moved to the city of San Diego, I have not updated my blog. When one is extremely busy moving and then traveling a lot, there is not enough time & energy to blog. I am re-posting something I wrote a year ago and hopefully it's more interesting to read the second time around.
"Christmas is a time of joy, not because of gifts and toys, but because Jesus came ......"-Anonymous

RELIVING CHRISTMAS CHILDHOOD#1 Isn't the best thing about the holiday season reliving our childhood? I first heard the above Christmas song when my first son Rodney was going to elementary school at Faith Baptist School in Canoga Park, California. This son is now in his thirties, but I still remember this simple song vividly. As we count the days to the merriest time of the year, let's remember that Christmas is a time of joy. This song reminds us that Christmas is a joyful time because of Jesus, who's birthday we celebrate.
RELIVING CHRISTMAS CHILDHOOD#2 While growing up in the Philippines I was fascinated with a movie named "White Christmas," a song depicting Christmas in the United States, with lovely white snow scenes and beautiful carols. I was twenty seven years old when I immigrated to the U.S. I live in Southern California most of my life, which do not have four seasons. If we like to see real snow , we take a trip to the mountains. Southern California is a man-made city that dazzles with genuine-fake stuffs, entertainment centers, and amusement parks . With it's proximity to Hollywood and other movie studios this city sizzles with numerous creative and imaginative minds. A trip to Disneyland during Christmas time will fill our imaginations to the fullest. They make incredible snows, more whiter, purer and truer than the real snow, with computerized technology. Many times a trip to Disneyland or Universal Studios are more enjoyable than making a hassled journey to Snowland.

"SNOW AND SHRIMPS SINIGANG" During my recent solo art show, I raffled away the above oil painting. This is the only snow scene I have painted so far. I believed in technology but when it comes to real painting, I am old-fashioned and used oil paint and brushes to create my art works. This window scene with mountains covered with snows was inspired by a past trip to Lake Tahoe in California. In front I painted a simple Filipino dish called "Sinigang." This dish can be cooked using fish, pork or beef but my favorite is the jumbo shrimp. This dish is good to eat when the weather is very cold, gloomy or freezing. The warm dish will comfort and replenish you not only your soul and heart but your tummy too. It's simple to cook. Here's my version in 5 steps:
1. Put about 2 cups water on a medium pot.
2. Add few tablespoons of lemon juice, diced tomatoes and a green chili.
3. Bring to boil and then put about 6 pieces of jumbo shrimps.
4. When the shrimps turn pink add some fresh green beans and bok choy.
5. Don't overcook and serve warm.
TIPS: I like to serve this delicious and piping hot dish on an orange native pot like the one on the painting over a colorful table cloth. I eat it with a bowl of cooked white rice and sprinkle a little patis (fish sauce) on the shrimps for a dazzling taste. I will be cooking this dish many times this cold holiday season. The secret to good cooking, is doing it from your heart.

WINNER OF THE OIL PAINTING The lucky guest during my art show was our next door neighbor, Mary. She and John (her husband) posed for this photo. They loved snow scene and were very happy to win my painting. Mary is an American and probably have never tasted shrimps sinigang. Anyway, she can still enjoy the dish by looking at my painting.

ARTFUL COOK BOOK

2009-09-21T16:10:00.000-07:00

"Cooking is an art and patience a virtue... Careful shopping, fresh ingredients and an unhurried approach are nearly all you need. There is one more thing - love. Love for food and love for those you invite to your table. With a combination of these things you can be an artist - not perhaps in the representational style of a Dutch master, but rather more like Gauguin, the naïve, or Van Gogh, the impressionist. Plates or pictures of sunshine taste of happiness and love." -Keith Floyd, A Feast of Floyd
"Find something you're passionate about and keep tremendously interested in it.”- Julia Child

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Due to popular demand I am re-posting my blog about the"Global Filipino Cuisine." Thanks to every one who supported this cookbook project.TITLE OF PAINTING: "THANKSGIVING -PINOY STYLE"SIZE: 30" x 38"
MEDIUM: OIL ON CANVAS

DESCRIPTION ABOUT THE PAINTING: This is one of my brand new paintings on display during my past art show last September 2008. I always believe that a family that eats and prays together stays together. Thanksgiving Day among Filipino families in America is celebrated with abundant food. While Americans typically enjoy a roasted turkey with all the trimmings, plus salad and pumpkin pie for dessert, Filipino families are not content with just having the turkey. They prepare turkey with all the trimmings, plus many more Filipino food-like fried lumpia, pancit (noodles), and native vegetables. Dessert is not just pumpkin pie. There are fresh fruits, fruit salad, cassava cakes, and leche flan. That's Thanksgiving celebration with Filipino style. I love vibrant Thanksgiving palette that abounds in the myriad autumn leaves color at this season of the year, which come in yellow, orange, pumpkin, red, burgundy, sienna, ochre,and brown. Last November, 2008, I donated this oil painting to KCS-KALUSUGAN COMMUNITY SERVICES of San Diego, California. It was their 6th anniversary celebration. This non-profit health organization was founded by my sister, Dr. Ofelia V. Dirige and his friend Dr. Riz Oades. The mission of KCS is to promote health and improve the quality of life among Filipinos and Fil-Americans by promoting and advocating positive changes in lifestyle through shared community involvement and respect for regional diversity, traditional values and belief systems. KCS, formerly Project Kalusugan was established in 1992 for the purpose of developing a coalition and conducting a health needs assessment. If you like to know more about this group please check out their website: http://www.webkalusugan.org/

The above painting is featured on the cover page of their 6th anniversary souvenir program. And recently on the latest KSC cookbook. BOOK LAUNCHING: Lately Kalusugan Community Services came out with a cookbook called "Global Filipino Cuisine." It's a very colorful cook book with my "Thanksgiving- Pinoy Style" oil painting on the cover. The book was launched last August 15,2009 at the Jacob Center Celebration Hall in San Diego, California. The event was called "Extravaganza III." We feasted on many Filipino American dishes. There were food demonstrations by executive chefs. Also colorful folk dance entertainment. The book launch was a success. The proceed from the sales of the book will go toward the many programs initiated by KCS. It's currently for sale at $25.00 plus $5.00 shipping.
This is the photo of my beautiful grand daughter Audrey and me with the cookbook. Filipino cuisine is a blend of traditional, native cooking, and the best of foreign culinary practices. It has its niche in the current trend of globalization, hence the title of this book. the tasty recipes in the 200-paged cookbook were modified to be healthy-lower in fat, cholesterol, salt and sugar. Unlike most recipe books, its unique feature is the analysis of selected nutrients and food components based on the USDA Database, as well as a simpler method using the 2008 Diet Exchanges by the American Dietetic Association and the American Diabetes Association.

THE ARTIST (Ebb Tide- right photo) and her husband, Rhod. My husband and I always believed in the mission of KCS. Over the years, we are actively involve and financially supported the organization, although we live in Valencia, Santa Clarita.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS: Dr. Ofelia V. Dirige (the woman in the middle-left photo) is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of the KCS Fil-Am Wellness Center. She obtained her B.S major in Nutrition dietetics from the University of the Philippines (UP). She came to the US in 1966 and obtained her MS in Nutrition from the University of Hawaii through the East-West center grant and DrPH from University of California Los Angeles. She has worked for the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health; and taught at the UH School of public Health and San Diego State University (SDSU) Graduate School of Public Health, Maternal and Child Health division. She currently teaches at SDSU Center for Asian Studies; is also a registered Dietician (RD). She is a recipient of numerous awards for research and outstanding community services. Dr. Riz A. Oades (right side of the photo) is the Founder and Director of Kalusugan Community Services. He's also History Professor at SDSU, Community Leader, Newspaper Columnist. He has written a number of books, monographs and over 600 newspaper and scholarly journal articles that covered varied subjects on Asian and Filipino-American cultures, society, history, public health and politics. He also runs columns in the Asian Journal. He has been a recipient of numerous outstanding awards- the latest is Asian Heritage Society's 2008 "Outstanding Community Service Award." The other co-author is Dr. Aurora Cudal (not in photo). She is a KCS's staff member whose line of work is resource development specialist and public relations.

GRAND SON- SIMON RESELLA
GRAND DAUGHTER-AUDREY RESELA
My joy and inspiration as an artist.

MORE ABOUT THE COOKBOOK: The cook book contains not only tested Filipino recipes and color and black photos that bring to life the ingredients, dishes and regional groups of Filipinos worldwide. It is rich in cultural nuances and nowhere else can you find such a simple and accessible resource of current and time honored Filipino cuisine. Also the cookbook contains 4 of the my latest oil paintings. One on the cover and 3 more inside. The copies of my oil paintings alone is worth the prize of the cook book. Besides your generous check will help toward the KCS healthy projects.

If you're interested to order the book please write your check to:

KALUSUGAN COMMUNITY SERVICES
COST: $25.00
Shipping & handling $5.00 per book.
Please mail it to the artist:
Evelyne D. Resella
27371 Parklane Way
Valencia, Ca. 91354

PHOTOGRAPHIC GEMS

2009-09-09T19:10:00.000-07:00

"Photography is more than a medium for factual communication of ideas. It is a creative art. "- Ansel Adams

"One of the joys of photography is that you never know what will come at you from around the next corner."- Tom Ang
"It takes a lot of imagination to be a good photographer. You need less imagination to be a painter because you can invent things. But in photography everything is so ordinary; it takes a lot of looking before you learn to see the extraordinary."- David Bailey

VIEW OF MANHATTAN (NYC)-This is my only photo of Manhattan taken from the Queen Mary 2 during our past cruise last July 4th, 2009. I took this photo from the QM2 ship, under the spiral stair, going up to the upper deck. Lately, my paintbrushes are taking a break. So I am posting photos taken during summer vacation . My life took a sudden pathway that I didn't expect. I have been extremely busy packing and sorting our things due to change of event. Three weeks ago, my husband took a forced early retirement by the company. The company is downsizing. With that tough decision, we also decided to move to the beautiful city of San Diego. We always wanted to move there when my husband retires but didn't expect it to happen sooner. Why San Diego? To be closer to my family. I have 3 sisters and a brother living there. It's close to the beach. The weather is temperate, and more. It's been 3 weeks now since I started doing the boring job of packing and sorting our things. Lots of things have to go as we wanted to move light. The keepers of course are my truck loads of oil paintings. I spent hours wrapping them carefully for the long haul. San Diego is a big city and have many art galleries. I hope my art career will continue to thrive there.

VERRAZANO NARROW BRIDGE NEW YORK- This is one of my husband's photo of the bridge. Taken when the QM2 passed under this beautiful bridge as we left NYC. Life is like a jouney. You never know what you'll see along the way.

LABOR DAY PROJECT 2009: Although my oil paint brushes are packed away, our large paint brushes for painting our house interior weren't. My husband and I tackled the big job of repainting our house last Labor Day wek-end. We wanted to leave the house to my son Ryan and daughter Joy, like it's brand new. We did a beautiful painting job. Then last Tuesday, we had a new carpet installed. Now the house looks messy but smelled brand new. Now, I don't feel like leaving this house. But we wanted to move forward and experience and live in a new place. In the days to come I will not be able to post as often as before because moving keeps me extremely busy. Thanks to all my viewers and friends who supported my blog all these years.

MODERN ART#1

2009-08-14T10:20:00.000-07:00

"The strangeness will wear off and I think we will discover the deeper meanings in modern art.”- Jackson Pollock (American abstract-expressionist Painter - 1912-1956)

"TITLE: MODERN ART IN GREEN, BLUE, YELLOW & WHITE#1
SIZE: 48" x 36"- MEDIUM: OIL ON CANVAS

Last year, when I visited the house of my eldest sister in Seattle, Washington, she told me that her son Nathan got one of my huge modern painting. Actually I didn't remember the painting she was talking about. Two months ago, Nathan e-mailed a photo of the above painting now hanging in their living room. I smiled, to see an old painting of mine. It was like seeing an old friend. I signed my maiden name on that painting and didn't remember that I painted it. Anyway, I now remembered that it was one of my experimental, modern arts during my early years as a artists here in Southern California. I am happy to see this painting again and I hope my nephew and his wife Jean is enjoying it in their home.

REMEMBERING A FRIEND

2009-08-03T10:00:00.000-07:00

"Friendship is one of the sweetest joys of life."- Charles H. Spurgeon
TITLE: "A BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY DAY"
SIZE: 12" x 20"- MEDIUM: OIL ON CANVAS

This painting is about a typical country side setting in the Philippines. The road is unpaved and muddy. Sometimes wet. The common transportation is a wagon wheel pulled by a carabao. In the background are typical nipa huts ,blue skies and NO smog.

RHODA AND EBB: This summer I have been away from my paintbrushes pursuing other things like traveling, scrapbooking and spending time with grand children. On this post, I'd like to share one of my past paintings. I gave this oil painting to a good friend named Rhoda. We are good friends since high school days. We didn't go to the same high school but our pathways crossed. We met though a Christian group known as Inter-School Christian Fellowship during a summer conference in Baguio City. After we graduated from high school we lost track of each other. I immigrated to California, U.S.A. and she immigrated to Lynwood, Washington. Somehow, we reconnected via e-mail and had resumed our interrupted friendship. Three years ago, Rhoda, Ben (hubby) and family visited us in our Valencia home during their trip to Los Angeles, Disneyland & Universal Studios. Last year(2008) my husband & I visited them in their home. I was happy to be reconnected to her and family and of course, to this old painting of mine. It was hanging in their family room. This was our photo together w/ the painting in the back.
"I thank God, my friend for the blessing you are.....for the joy of your laughter...the comfort of your prayers...the warmth of your smile."

ARTISTIC ARCHITECTURAL GEMS

2009-07-24T08:50:00.000-07:00

"Ah, to build, to build! That is the noblest art of all the arts. Painting and sculpture are but images, are merely shadows cast by outward things on stone or canvas, leaving in themselves no separate existence. Architecture, existing in itself and not in seeming a something it is not, supasses them as substance shadow."- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

ON TOP OF THE EMPIRE STATE BUILDING. We were on the observation deck on 86th floor,which offers visitors spectacular views of New York City. During the last few days of June 2009, my husband & I were in NYC, prior to our cruise with Queen Mary 2. It was nice to be back in NYC. It is the largest city in the United Sates in population. NYC remains one of the most interesting and exciting cities in the U.S. The city is best known for the giant sky crappers and fabulous display of numerous beautiful, interesting and artistic architectural gems.
NEW YORK CITY ON A CLEAR DAY "There are three forms of visual art. Painting is art to look at, sculpture is art you can walk around, and architecture, art you an walk through." - Dan Rice
EMPIRE STATE BUILDING TOWER (The most famous building in the world with 102 stories. It was completed in 1931). "Architecture should speak of it's time and place, but yearn for timelessness."- Frank GehryAll photos are courtesy of my husband, Rhod. He took many photos but I only posted the "best 10" for this blog. "Architecture, of all the arts, is the one which acts the most slowly, but the most surely, on the soul." - Ernest Dimnet COUNTLESS ARCHITECTURAL INTEREST "Architecture is like a mythical fantastic. It has to be experienced. It can't be described. We can draw it up and we can made models of it, but it can only be experienced as a complete whole."-Maya Lin
ARCHITECTURAL BEAUTIES PARADED BEFORE US! "Fashion is architecture. It is a matter of proportion."- Coco Chanel
MORE ARCHITECTURAL GEMS- "Our architecture reflects truly as a mirror."- Louis Henri Sullivan
MY HUSBAND'S FIRST TOUR OF THE EMPIRE STATE BUILDING - This was only my second visit and proved to be still exciting. Five years ago, we took a trip to New York City. Unfortunately, it was very foggy and the building was closed to tourist. This time, we were rewarded with a nice weather and fantastic views. "All architecture is shelter, all great architecture is the design of space that contains, cuddles, exalts or stimulates the person's in that space." - Philip JohnsonENDLESS ARCHITECTURAL GEMS - "All architecture after sunset; perhaps architecture is really a nocturnal art, like the art of fireworks."- Gilbert ChestertonNew York's best known style of architecture is the towering sky crapper. The giant buildings that form Manhattan's dramatic skyline are famous around the world. "Architecture is inhabited sculpture." - Constantine Brancusi

ARTISTIC ADVENTURE

2009-07-13T17:05:00.000-07:00

"Happiness is life served up with a scoop of acceptance, a topping of tolerance and sprinkles of hope, although chocolate sprinkles also work."- Robert Brault

I had been away from my paintbrushes and oils for a while. It's good to take a break from painting. Change of scene re-energized me. So many things demanded my attention this summer. I am back babysitting my grandchildren. Then I was also busy shopping for our recent trip. Then planning my stuffs for a lightweight trip. Not easy to do but it took planning and lots of color coordination w/ my clothes, purses, shoes, hats, etc. I like to travel in style.
Traveling is one of my favorite things to do. When I got home from our trip/cruise with Queen Mary 2 last week, the first thing I did was weigh myself. After all the fine dinning and good food on board the cruise ship, who wouldn't gain pounds. I sure did!!!

Before my husband & I go on a cruise, we make it a point to diet a month before. Unfortunately the weeks prior to our trip, there were many unavoidable special events and celebrations like Memorial week-end, wedding anniversary, Philippine Independence Day celebration, graduation dinner, funeral receptions, Father's Day, etc. Thank God, I returned home with only two pounds added.

Our trip started from New York City. We were there for 3 days and then embarked on the Queen Mary 2 for the 4th-of-July-get-away-cruise to New England. During our trip, we stayed at Grand Hyatt New York. Nearby is the Grand Central Station. We walked there the night of our arrival, but next day we came back because we wanted to explore and take more photos. Ebb at the entrance to the Grand Central Market. The Market is very colorful. They have many kinds of organic produce, fruits and flowers. "Some people like to paint pictures, or do gardening, or build a a boat in the basement. Other people get a tremendous pleasure out of the kitchen, because cooking is just as creative and imaginative an activity as drawing, or wood carving, or music."- Julia ChildThere are many beautifully and artistically created delicious desserts. Yum! Yum! "Life is uncertain. Eat dessert first." -Ernestine Ulmer A closer view of the tempting strawberry cheese cake. "Talking of Pleasure, this moment I was writing with one hand, and with the other holding to my mouth a nectarine-----how good how fine. It went down all pulpy, slushy, oozy. All its delicious enbonpoint. Melted down my throat like a large beatified STRAWBERRY." - John Keats (1795-1821)."Vegetables are a must on a diet. I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread and pumpkin pie." Jim Davis.

Food for thought: "Stressed spelled backwards is desserts. Coincidence? I think not!" - Author Unknown

THE ART OF SEEING A SUNSET

2009-07-07T15:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome back! Just got home last night from a wonderful trip to New York City and a 4th-of-July-get-away cruise with Queen Mary 2. Our trip/cruise was a belated celebration of our 38th wedding anniversary last June 12,2008. My husband and I embarked at New York City and then cruised to Halifax, Nova Scotia (Canada), then to Boston, Massachusetts and back to NYC. This was a different cruise from the Hawaiian cruise we took during our 30th wedding anniversary. We missed the spectacular sunset. During cruising many tropical places, we always enjoyed the beauty of the sunset. I am re-posting my sunset blog. Many of my friends and viewers have seen it. For those who missed it, please enjoy. For those who have seen it before, enjoy again.

It is often said that that......"the best things in life is free." I often believed that quote.

Whenever I read about free stuffs, my eyes lightened up. I like to hear "Buy one, get one free" or "Free gift, for the first fifty customers, and many other promos. What "free" things come to my mind that money couldn't buy? For me, it's the spectacular sunset.

One time, I saw a nice "Family Circus" cartoon at the Los Angeles Times. The family was watching the sunset and the little boy asked his mom, "How much would it cost to see the sunset if God decided to charge for it?" I could only answer.......PRICELESS.

One of my passions in life is seeing a sunset wherever I am, at home or basking in Paradise. I have seen countless of spectacular sunsets during our travels but nothing melted my heart than the Hawaiian sunset. Today people are too caught up in the rush, noise, and confusion of demanding routines that it is not easy to see the beauty of the sunset before us.

Alexandra Stoddard, a famous interior designer said, "Few really know how to see and as a result are unaware of the majesty and beauty around them. But seeing can be learned, and those who learn to see well, the world becomes an entirely different place. Life is suddenly rich with promise full of light, color, texture and harmony." This is very true. We have to learn how to SEE. Just because we've been given eyesight doesn't mean we know how to use our eyes to look and really SEE.

Of all the artists I've grown to admire, the Impressionists speak to my heart most directly. The greatest gift of the Impressionists is that they taught me to look around the ordinary experiences of everyday life. In their passion for the beauty of nature, they open up a wider visions, enabling us to see nature and things more beautifully.

HOW TO SEE THE SUNSET THROUGH THE VIEWPOINT OF AN IMPRESSIONIST ARTIST? 1. WISH YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS WERE HERE Wherever you are, STOP and SEE the SUNSET. Claude Monet, an impressionist artist painted water lily over and over again. He said, "I have never been bored with it. It is always different." So is seeing the sunset. You'll never get bored. It is always different every passing day.
2.FIND A ROMANTIC PLACE TO SEE THE SUNSET Don't just settle for an ordinary place. During our 25th anniversary (1996) we were privileged to stay in one of the twin towers at Hyatt Regency Resort in Waikiki. We had access to the Regency Club located on top of the tower. From there, we got a breathtaking view of Waikiki Beach, Diamond Head, and downtown Honolulu, that we had never seen before. From the rooftop, we saw the "most fascinating, interesting, and captivating sunset" in our whole lives.

3. BECOME A SUNSET ADMIRER AND SEE IT WITH YOUR LOVER From the Hyatt Regency rooftop, we saw this spectacular sunset. It was an overwhelming sight of the fading sunset in all it's glory. It was fascinating to see the kaleidoscopic changes in the sunset. The sunset will surely make your old flame blazing for a day, or a week, if not forever.
4. LOOK BEYOND ORDINARY COLORS Seek colors that are uplifting. Seeing vibrant and pulsating colors of the sunset will not only bring more joy and pleasure to everyday life but also transforms mere existence into the art of living.

5. SEE THE SUNSET THROUGH THE EYES OF VINCENT VAN GOGH He was my favorite impressionist artist. When I see the colorful sunset, I think of Van Gogh and began to feel that he was painting just for me. His paintings are windows into a sunny scenes and sunset, which make me alive. His vibrant yellow, a primary color has lots of wavelengths of energy and is a color you associate with cheerful sunset.
6. DON'T FORGET THAT REAL SEEING TAKES TIME AND CONTEMPLATION Watch the sunset everyday and stop what ever you're doing, to fully enjoy the sunset as it comes down to the horizon.

7. SEE THE SUNSET FROM DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES A sunset from Maui (Hawaii) is not the same as a sunset in St. Maarten (Caribbean). Like many impressionists artists, they experimented with different colors. They are colorist - loving fresh, alive, clear colors. What a dull world this would be without colors? Imagine a world without color. A day without sunshine. And at the end of the day without a sunset.

8. WATCH THE SUNSET WITH YOUR GRAND KIDS DURING A LUAU Set aside time to have adventure and fun with your grand kids while they still want your companionship. It will also renew your souls, spirits and hearts and become like kids again.

9. TAKE A DIGITAL PHOTO OF THE SUNSET During the Impressionists era they didn't have a digital camera. They painted impressions as quickly as they saw them. Today, a digital camera can capture all the beauty and wonders of the sunset without spending days painting them. If you can't always see the sunset, you can look at your photo collections. Our spirits do not always soar. Sometimes even the noblest of spirits sinks into a despondent sea. When you get so low and desired escape from struggles, the photos of the sunset will be a divine inspiration that will help lift you up, soften your heart and open your mind.

10. FIND PLEASURES IN LITTLE THINGS LIKE THE IMPRESSIONISTS: Food that tastes delicious, friendship that is sincere, smile that is meant to cheer, a rainbow that is inspiring and a colorful sunset scene that is bursting with colors. Simple life is better.

11. TREAT YOURSELF TO A DELUXE BOX OF ACRYLIC PAINTS WITH ALL THE COLORS FOUND IN THE SUNSET Painting is a rewarding hobby even if you don't aspire to be a pro. Acrylics are more affordable than real oil paints. Create a painting on a real huge canvas with just dabbing and pointing like the Impressionists. Hang it where you'll see your "self-made-sunset" everyday. The bold colors will exalt you, elevate you and allow you to grow more creatively.

12. PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT Don't be discouraged if you couldn't paint like Van Gogh. Even Van Gogh practiced, apprenticed and started with simple sketches before he became a great artist. He did it with practice, not magic. If you paint and practice a few minutes each day, you will reap tremendous benefits, over time.

13. AT THE END OF EACH DAY, LET GO AND REACH OUT So many of us hold grudges, resentments, and bitterness. The way to be happy is to forgive others for their imperfections and mistakes. They are only "human" and not perfect like a sunset. 14. KEEP ASKING YOURSELF, "WHAT IS REALLY IMPORTANT?" Take a few seconds to ask yourself this question. Is making more money important than taking the time to watch a sunset? Reminding yourself of what's really important helps keep your priorities straight. 15. SING "HOW GREAT THOU ART." Praise the Grand Designer (God) who created the sunset for us to enjoy. Who said that there is no such thing as free? This is a free show beyond comparison. God never made a stingy sunset. Look! What beautiful colors He put into the sunset! Chrome yellow, lemon, orange, saffron, peach, crimson, and and amber. The sun turns light peach, burnt orange, then maroon before it slips away. Tomorrow will be another day. A new day to start anew. A new painting to inspire others.

SADLY many people spend far more time watching reruns of television shows, they don't even enjoy. Instead, make time for seeing the wonders and beauty of nature like the sunrise, rainbow and sunset, that nurture the heart. I wish that you will use the precious minutes of your every day, living creatively. There are great things that you can do every day and every trip. The best is opening your eyes to see the spectacular sunset. I have been there, with my eyes open, and I desire that what my eyes have seen your eyes may also see.

"HAPPY SUNSET WATCHING!"

HOW TO BE AN ARTIST

2009-06-27T10:43:00.000-07:00

One day, I was cleaning my old file and I found the article below. I will be taking another vacation. I'd like to leave this colorful things to do while I am away. Please enjoy looking at the artist pallette below. It is made of chocolate. Yummy!

Stay loose. Learn to watch snails.Plant impossible gardens. Invite someone dangerous to tea. Make little signs that say Yes! and post them all over your house.Make friends with freedom and uncertainty. Look forward to dreams. Cry during movies.Swing as high as you can on a swingset, by moonlight. Cultivate moods.Refuse to "be responsible." Do it for love.Take lots of naps. Give money away. Do it now.The money will follow. Believe in magic.Laugh a lot. Celebrate every gorgeous moment.Take moonbaths. Have wild imaginings, transpormative dreams, and perfect calm.Draw on the walls. Read everyday. Imagine yourself magic. Giggle with children. Listen to old people. Open up. Dive in. Be free.Bless yourself. Drive away fear. Play with everything.Entertain your inner child. You are innocent. Build a fort with blankets. Get wet.
Hug trees. Write love letters.

Please leave your comment below and I will get back to you after my trip. Thanks for dropping by.

CONGRATULATIONS TO JOY!

2009-06-19T08:58:00.000-07:00

"It's easier to go down a hill than up it but the view is much better at the top."-Arnold Bennet
"It's not whether you get knocked down, it's whether you get back up."- Vince Lombardi

"Patience, persistence and perspiration make an unbeatable combination for success."- Napoleon Hill

"Perseverance is failing 19 times and succeeding the 20th."- Julie Andrews GRADUATION DAY DAY- JUNE 5, 2009 - COLLEGE OF THE CANYONS -VALENCIA , CALIFORNIA. This is our daughter Joy, marching during graduation ceremony. This post is a little late but I'd like to post it. As they say..."it's better late than never." It was a cloudy graduation morning at 9:30. There was forecast of rain and so had our umbrella ready. When the marching ceremony started, a light shower came down. Our daughter Joy was at the mid- part of the line. Luckily the shower stopped when she marched along. What a good omen! Then the sunshine came out too and the graduation ceremony was a success.IT'S NEVER TOO LATE! CONGRATULATION TO YOU JOY!!!!!!! This is Joy brimming with smile and showing her diploma - Associates In Arts (General Education).
DAD AND DAUGHTER WITH LAUGHTER & JOYPROUD PARENTS WITH JOY - CONGRATULATIONS AGAIN JOY!!! She will go to CSUN (California State University Northridge) in the fall. Will continue her Bachelor's degree in Cinema Arts. REMEMBER IT'S NEVER TOO LATE TO PURSUE ONE'S DREAM.

"HAPPY FATHER'S DAY TO ALL!

ARTISTIC WEDDING DAY

2009-06-12T09:30:00.000-07:00

"Love is patient, love is kind. It always protects, always hopes, always perseveres. Love is kind." - I Corinthians 13: 4, 8- the Bible
"Relish love in your old age! Aged love is like aged wine; it becomes more satisfying, more refreshing, more valuable, more appreciated and more intoxicating."- Leo Buscaglia

TITLE OF PAINTING: "WEDDING,WINE AND WONDERFUL FEAST"
MEDIUM: OIL ON CANVAS - SIZE: 40' x 30"
PAINTED IN 2008

INSPIRATION FOR THE PAINTING: This is one of the oil paintings exhibited during my solo art show last September 2008. This colorful oil painting was inspired by our wedding day, on June 12,1971. Today the 12th of June, marks our 38th wedding anniversary. Wow! It just seemed yesterday when we walked down the "I -Do - Avenue." It was a beautiful summer day on June, when Rhod and I exchanged our marriage vows in a lovely church named First Baptist Church of West Los Angeles in Southern California. Our theme color was yellow. All the bridesmaids and flower girl wore yellow. My bridesmaids sewed all their long gowns. I did the dress for the flower girl and my sister Ofel's gown, who was my maid of honor. My auntie, a good seamstress from San Francisco, made my simple wedding gown. It was her gift to me. I created the bride maids bouquets, flower girl baskets and ring bearer's pillow ring. I also made my own bouquet and beaded my headdress. It was a very creative wedding day where we put our resourcefulness into action.

Many details on the painting are true to the real event. Some are imaginary to make it more vibrant and elegant. I painted the church in purple, with complementary yellow color. The wedding reception was held at my parent-in-law's backyard in Van Nuys (San Fernando Valley), California. I painted the buffet tablecloth in bright yellow. I like to use contrasting colors such as yellow and purple, green and red, orange and blue. There were the traditional, festive Filipino foods like lechon (whole roasted pork), rellenong bangus, embotido, etc. Filipino desserts included leche flan and fruits were there. I substituted foods that are good to look at and delicious to paint. The yellow-buttery cake was home-baked by one of my aunts. She prepared real butter icing, and it was very divine. There was wine till you dropped. My colleague's son played the violin to the delight of the guests. Then my husband & I left the reception after we tossed the bouquet and garter. We flew to Honolulu, Oahu for our honeymoon.

OVER THE YEARS We celebrated our anniversaries in many different ways. Every five years starting with our 30th, we took family cruises with our children & grandchildren. It's two weeks of family fun & togetherness. Of course, my husband & I have time to bond and rekindle our love. During cruises, we always separated ourselves from the children during the day. We do our own thing and only meet our family during dinner.

This year, we plan to celebrate our anniversary with friends at the "Filipino Independence Day Celebration" at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. June 12 is the Philippine Independence Day, but the big date will be celebrated on June 13th, a Saturday. We look forward to dinning on a 10 lauriat Chinese courses. Sounds very yummy! I better not eat for the next two days, so I will enjoy this great feast.

HAVE A GREAT WEEK-END TO ALL!!!!!

A SUNFLOWER PAINTING

2009-06-04T20:30:00.000-07:00

"I am working with the enthusiasm of a man from Marseilles eating bouillabaisse, which shouldn't come as a surprise to you because I am busy painting huge sunflowers" - Vincent Van Gogh, Arles, letter to his brother Theo

Why Vincent Van Gogh painted sunflowers?
While Vincent Van Gogh painted over 300 works, he is perhaps best remembered, by many, for his sunflowers. So why did he paint them? Vincent himself never actually stated why he liked sunflowers in particular, references to them are made in his many letters, which help give us some idea. In a letter to his sister dated August 21,1888, he talks of his friend Gauguin coming to live with him in Arles. Then goes on to say that he 'intends to decorate the whole studio with nothing but sunflowers.' He went on to write further, to his brother Theo, on the same day, 'Now that I hope to live with Gauguin in a studio of our own, I want to make decorations for the studio. Nothing but big flowers.

In another letter to Theo dated September 9, 1888, he wrote, 'The room you will have then, or Gauguin if he comes, will have white walls with a decoration of great yellow sunflowers. In the morning, when you open the window, you see the green of the gardens and the rising sun, and the road into the town. But you'll see the great pictures of sunflowers, 12 or 14 to the bunch, crammed into this tiny boudoir with its pretty bed and everything else dainty. It will not be commonplace.

But weather Vincent painted the sunflowers because he was trying to please Gauguin, or because he really loved the sunflowers for themselves as they appealed to his joy in color, he certainly left us a legacy to enjoy.
THINKING LIKE VINCENT I don't know what the famous impressionist artist Vincent Van Gogh saw in sunflowers that inspired him to paint lots of them. I know one of his favorite flowers was the sunflower. He left us all the beautiful gift of a collection of magnificent sunflower paintings to enjoy and learn from. His sunflower paintings became masterpieces. He painted the sunflower with so much beauty and vibrant color.

TITLE OF PAINTING: "MY SUNFLOWER" - (16" x 20") OIL ON CANVAS

Although I was inspired by Vincent sunflowers, I have a different version. This is my beautiful sunflower painting.

WHY DID I LOVE SUNFLOWERS? Because of the images of Vincent Van Gogh's sunflowers painting. He said...."You may know that peony is Jeannin's, the hollyhock belongs to Quost, but the SUNFLOWER is mine." Yes, it was Vincent's but the sunflower is also my flower.

I wish I had a flower garden with sunflowers. They will thrive in our garden because we have warm weather. I still remember a good friend who gave me a pocket of sunflower seeds long time ago. She said..."just scatter these seeds around your garden. They are easy to grow." Yes, they are easy to grow & take care. When we were living in one of our past houses, I scattered those seeds along the slopes. We no longer live in that house but I still remember those blooming sunflowers.

Today, I take the easier route. When I like to see fresh sunflowers, I go to our nearby Bristol Farm or Costco. I am always tempted to buy but looking at them is inspiring enough. The fresh sunflowers could be mine for an hour while shopping. But painting the sunflower and looking at my painting, makes me smile "forever."

50th WEDDING ANNIVERSARY

2009-05-29T09:20:00.000-07:00

"Love is like a painting in the beginning it is only an idea, but over time it is built up through errors and corrections till you have a breath taking work of art for all to see." - Anonymous

TITLE OF PAINTING: "50 YEARS OF MAGNIFICENT MARRIAGE AND MEMORIES"
MEDIUM: OIL ON CANVAS
SIZE: 30" x 40"
PAINTED IN 2008
This is one of the paintings I exhibited during my first solo art show last September 2008. This painting is inspired by the memorable 50th wedding anniversary of my parents, Atty. Gregorio C. Dirige and Lourdes Villa Dirige. It was a lovely day in June 1987, over twenty two years ago. The beautiful ceremony and renewal of vows was held in the same church where my husband and I got married (First Baptist Church of West Los Angeles). It was an emotional ceremony to witness our parents, who had remained faithful to each other for 50 years. What a great love & accomplishment! My parents passed away but they made it to their 53rd wedding anniversary.

The last week of May brings back the beautiful memories of this magnificent event. I coordinated this event and suggested the rainbow colors for our theme. All the six daughters and three grand daughters wore a "terno" (traditional Filipino gown with butterfly sleeves). We had our gowns custom made in different rainbow colors. We wore floral wristlets. The men and ten grandsons wore "barong Tagalog" (a traditional Filipino outfit for men). The barong all came in beige color with white floral embroidery. My mother wore a lovely white "terno" and my father a white barong. A lavish luncheon reception with a Hawaiian Luau theme was enjoyed by family and hundred guests. It was held at "Don The Beachcomber" in Marina Del Rey, California. The setting was gorgeous overlooking the ocean. The food were very colorful and artful. This is a painting that I enjoyed creating.

I am blessed to have parents who made it to their 50th wedding anniversary. My husband's parents made it through their 50th anniversary and more. Last April 2008, they celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary with family members. And that was the last anniversary celebration they had. Thanks to both parents as models of enduring and successful marriage.

THE ART OF PHOTOGRAPHY

2009-05-20T01:15:00.000-07:00

"Make a lot of pictures, play with colors, look at a lot of pictures, daydream, imagine." - Vera Williams-artist

PHOTOGRAPHY AS AN ART Yes, lately photography is becoming an intense hobby not for me but for one of my sons, Ryan. Last Saturday, he invited Dad and Mom (me) to this annual photography show at the beautiful Bridgeport Clubhouse in Valencia, California. He was so excited because his photographs gained many awards. He entered four photos and received 2nd prize, 3rd prize and 2 merit awards. We were so happy for his achievement. I am proud to share Ryan's photo blog. Please click his website to see his winning photos and the stories behind them: http://ryanresella.com/

"CONGRATULATIONS RYAN!!!! KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!!!

"LADY MYRA IN LOVE"

2009-05-08T11:18:00.001-07:00

"I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn't say any other way-things I had no words for."- Georgia O'Keeffe

TITLE: "LADY IN LOVE" (16" x 20"- oil on canvas)

This painting is about a reclining, modern Filipina lady, with dreamy outlook in life. She is a lady in love and gazing beautiful and lovingly at the full moon above her. The palm tree is bended into a sensual shape. This painting is an experiment in style and texture. It was influenced by Van gogh's impressionistic texture. It's very colorful and vibrant to behold like a Georgia O'Keeffe art.
ANOTHER VIEW OF THE PAINTING This is one of the three paintings I showed during a recent "Love Is In The Air" group art show at the Hyatt Valencia. Two are sunset oil paintings and this lady in love. There were many compliments on this painting especially from the guys.
" THE LADY IN LOVE" WITH THE ARTIST AT THE ART SHOW
"LADY MYRA IN LOVE" is the new title of this oil painting. Here are two Filipina friends during the art show. The lovely lady on the left is Myra Miranda, the present president of the SCV Filipino-American Association. The one on the right is Judy, the secreatary of the association. I displayed this paining during my solo art show last September 2008. Many admired this painting despite of many art competitors. When Myra saw this painting at my recent art show, she fall in love with it. The painting had a happy ending. I SOLD it to Myra. She bought it as a birthday gift for herself. Belated "Happy Birthday, Myra!" And she and the painting lived.....happily ever after. I am happy to sell my painting to someone special. I am sure I will still see the painting when I go to Myra's charming condo. Thank you Myra!

THANKS TO ALL MY VIEWERS. PLEASE TAKE YOUR TIME AND DON'T FORGET TO SEND ME A SHORT NOTE ON THE COMMENT ICON BELOW.

A PAINTING FROM THE PAST

2009-05-08T11:00:00.000-07:00

"You are never too old to set another GOAL or to dream a new DREAM."- C.S. Lewis

"Mother's hold their children's hands for a short while, but their hearts FOREVER."- Unknown

FIRST MOTHER'S DAY This photo was taken during my first Mother's Day on May 12, 1974. I was the young mother on the left side with my first baby (Rodney). He was born March 19,1974 and was only about 1 1/2 months old when this photo was taken. The other woman and children were our Argentine neighbors across the street. This photo was taken inside our first house in Hidden Lake (Canoga Park) California. I painted the oil painting on the background. It depicted many Phillipine folk dances. Later when we moved to our second house next door, I gave it away to my eldest sister because there was no big wall to hang it on. It is now on display in their house in Seattle Washington. THE ARTIST WITH HER PAST PAINTING
TITLE: "FOLK DANCES MEDLEY" ( 3 feet x 6 feet- oil on canvas)
PAINTED IN 1972
This oil paintingis is a medley of different Philippine folk dances. The Philippines is a treasureland of folk dances. From the top - tinikling (bamboo dance), fandango, singkil (royal dance), and senyorita. Did you noticed that the two above photos of this oil painting were cut-off? It was sad that I didn't have a full view photo. Fortunately, last August 2008, I reconnected to this beautiful oil painting of mine. Surpringsingly, the painting is still good. The colors look okay to me but I think my anatomy was the "rookie" type. When I created this painting, I was still doing many figure studies. Even today, I continue to develop my skill in anatomy. It's good to know that my anatomy skill had improved over time. But figure drawing is not easy and it takes lots of practice to be very good at it. Practice! Practice! And more practice!

ANOTHER VIEW This painting is hanged on the side wall of the stairs leading up to the living room of my sister's house. It was difficult to get a frontal view. Anyway, I did miss this painting. Someday, I will re-create this painting in a smaller dimension.
THIRTY-FITFTH MOTHER'S DAY Time flies so fast. It just seems yesterday when I had my first baby. It's hard to believe that this baby is now 35 years old. Well....baby.....I am growing old...............
"HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO ALL THE MOM'S," YOUNG AND OLD! THANKS TO ALL MY VIWERS FOR VISITING. I APPRECIATE YOU AND PLEASE DON'T FORGET TO DROP ME A LINE ON THE COMMENT ICON BELOW.

ART OF REINVENTING

2009-05-01T13:40:00.000-07:00

"If I can put one touch of a rosy SUNSET into the life of any man or woman, I shall feel that I have worked with GOD."- G.K. Chesterton (English poet)

"SUNSET#1" Do you remember this painting? I know some of you would remember and others not. This is the same sunset painting that I posted on my blog few years ago. Somehow, I re-invented this painting last January. To fit the "love" theme of an upcoming group art that I wanted to join last March, I decided to do some renovation on the original painting. I added some palm leaves on the top and painted the lovers down below, to give it a more romantic edge and feel.
"SUNSET AND SWEETHEARTS" (18" x 24"- oil on canvas). I apologized that this photo wasn't as sharp and focused as the first one. I liked the first one better. Will do another photo shoot in the future. Meanwhile, I'd like to point out the differences. This is the renovated and reinvented painting. I gave it a new title too. I also moved my signature to the left side. This is now the new painting that made me the first place winner ( People's Choice Award) during the "Love Is In The Air" group art show at the Hyatt Valencia last March 29,2009. I am happy with the painting and there will be NO more future changes. There is nothing wrong with reinventing a painting if you could make it more......BEAUTIFUL.

THANK YOU FOR VISITING MY ART BLOG! Please take a moment to drop me a line on the comment icon below.

THE ART OF REMEMBERING

2009-04-23T13:00:00.000-07:00

"True Blue Friends....make you feel good and warm; they are automatically on the same wavelength; they feel genuinely sorry and come to your assistance when you're in trouble; you can speak freely to them, you don't have to be on guard, they really listen; they care about what you're doing."-Adelaide Bry

REMEMBERING A WONDERFUL DOCTOR-Today is the unforgettable birthday of my favorite otolaryngologist (a doctor dealing w/ disorders of the ear, nose, and throat). This post is dedicated to him. I met him because I had hearing problem. In the late 80's and on the early 90's, I experienced a decade of devastating, progressive, and profound bilateral hearing loss. This was the most challenging experience I had in life. But thank God, I live in an advance world of technology where it's still possible for a deafened artist like me to go back to the world of sound. On February 27,1997 I had a successful cochlear implant surgery at the UCLA Medical Center in Westwood, California.
WHAT IS A COCHLEAR IMPLANT? It is a miniaturized computer device that helps hearing impaired people like me to hear environmental sounds and understand the spoken words. Cochlear implant is not like magic. I didn't get my hearing back overnight. It took months of rehab and practice to decipher the mechanical sounds from my cochlear implant. Today I am a happy recipient of the cochlear implant technology. I am forever grateful to my ear surgeon, Dr. Jim who gave me the chance to recover 80% of my hearing. EBB AND DR. ANDREWS - This photo was taken at his office two and half years ago."HAPPY BIRTHDAY DR. ANDREWS! You're a wonderful doctor and true Blue friend. Just exactly like the quotation above. Thanks again for everything you did for me. I will always remember you."
"TAOS POTTERY" (18" x 24"-oil on canvas). Next to Philippine scenes, I love to paint Southwest scenes. I like the simplicity of the Southwest art. I think the "Taos Pottery" is the best realistic Southwest oil painting I had ever painted. I created this painting during one of the darkest times of my life. I was depressed w/ my worsening hearing problem and painting became my therapy. The original oil painting is far more beautiful than the photo above. This is the only photo I have. In deep appreciation for my successful cochlear implant, I lovingly gave this beautiful oil painting as a Christmas gift to Dr. Jim in 1997. What would I give to a doctor who has everything? I have no doubt that a gift of art from my heart and hand is perfect. I still remember what Dr. Jim told my husband while visiting him one day at his medical office....

"Please tell your wife, thank you for the oil painting. It's so......BEAUTIFUL!!! I displayed it in our family room."

I will never forget those nice and kind words. I was so happy and honored that he didn't hang my painting in the garage. I am truly honored that my painting is on display in his luxurious home. Over the years, I never regretted giving him few more of my oil paintings. He is the most compassionate ear surgeon I have ever known. I have so many doctors, but none as caring and as nice as him. Ever heard of a doctor taking the time to answer a patient's e-mail? Yes, he replies to my e-mails. He even reads my blog. Very rare quality among doctors today. He's not only my doctor but also a friend. How could I forget someone like him?

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"LOVE IS IN THE AIR" ART SHOW

2009-04-16T13:50:00.000-07:00

"Art becomes a bridge, a sanctuary, a language, a revelation, a respite, a best friend, and a life force as the rigorous joy of creating captivates the mind of the creator and propels these artists to share their experiences, affecting our shared world in a positive way."- Driving Force Artists

ART SHOW AND MUSIC EVENT (March 29,2009) -From oil paintings to watercolors, landscapes to portraits, a love for art was in the air at the Hyatt Valencia as the Santa Clarita Creative Guild presented its annual benefit with the theme "Love is in the Air" held in the Grand Ballroom. The event showcased works from 35 local artists-most of whom are members of the Santa Clarita Artists Association and whose colorful works of art were displayed throughout the spacious ballroom. It is the goal of SCV Creative Guild as well as the SC Artist's Association, to promote local artists and encourage more interest in art in the community.

GROUP ART SHOW I was one of those local artist who participated at this recent art show. Artists of all ages were involved in showcasing their works, with a special area in the room designated as the Youth Art Exhibit. There were lots of entertainment like serenade songs, jazzy music, appetizers and silent auction.TWO OF MY COLORFUL "SUNSET" ENTRIES
Left Painting "SUNSET AND SWEETHEARTS"

Right Painting: SUNSET SPECTRUM AND SEAFOOD COCKTAIL"
MY SUPPORTIVE HUSBAND AND I AT THE BEGINNING OF THE ART SHOW
MY DAUGHTER (JOY) AND ELDEST SON (RODNEY) PLUS GRAND KIDS SIMON AND AUDREY

REFLECTION OF JOY AS I RECEIVED THE FIRST PLACE TROPHY AWARD FROM ZONY GORDON (President Of The Santa Clarita Creative Guild)

CONGRATULATIONS! CONGRATULATIONS! LIKE MUSIC TO THE EARS!

CLOSE UP OF THE PAINTING THAT MADE ME A WINNER

"SUNSET AND SWEETHEARTS"-Oil on Canvas (18" x 24")

This painting boasted vivid colors with a romantic edge and feel.

2009 PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARD FIRST PLACE WINNER Oh my.......I couldn't believe it! This was my day! It was meant to be. Prior to this event, my husband's father passed way. I almost cancelled my participation to the art show because of the death in the family. Since the funeral was moved to a later date (April 4th), I decided to go on with the art show. I thought the art show would be a good escape for me and my family during this grieving period. Little did I know that this would be a memorable and exciting time for me. I am truly grateful to God for helping me made the right decision. Other wise I would have missed the award, blessing, and fun waiting for me.

MY GOLDEN SUNSET MOMENT (MARCH 29,2009)

Alicia Dukov, a reporter from SIGNAL (local newspaper) interviewed me and published a photo a week later. This was my response to her after winning the award...." I am delighted that I could contribute to the awareness and appreciation of art in this beautiful community. I hope to continue passing on positive feelings to others through what I paint. Art makes me alive and if I am not painting, I am not really living."

CLOSE-UP OF THE TROPHY -2009 PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARD

CAPTIONS ON THE WINNING TROPHY

"TOP HONORS AWARD" Peoples Choice Art Competition

EBB AND JACKIE CLEVELAND ( Second place winner with oil painting "MONTEREY MAGIC") MY GRANDDAUGHTER AUDREY AND ME AFTER WINNING Honestly I didn't hear the emcee announced the name of the first place winner because I was far away. Audrey came toward me and said......"Grandma, you won!" How nice to hear that!"
THANKS TO MANY FRIENDS WHO SUPPORTED AND VOTED FOR ME. One of them is the lovely Myra Miranda (2009 President of the SCV Filipino-American Association)

My thanks to my husband and son Ryan: http://www.ryanresella.com/ for all the beautiful photos taken during the art show.
Thanks also to all my viewers for visiting my art blog. I appreciate you taking the time and please don't forget to drop me a short note at the comment icon below.

"REFLECTIONS FROM MY HOMELAND#4

2009-04-10T13:15:00.000-07:00

"The first virtue of a painting is that is to be a FEAST for the eyes." -Eugene Delacroix
TITLE: "REFLECTIONS FROM MY HOMELAND#4"
SIZE: 3 1/2 feet by six feet
MEDIUM: Oil on canvas
DESCRIPTION: (PAINTED IN 1979)
This is the largest of all my oil paintings. I painted this one for my youngest sister, but she gave it away. I am glad it is still within the family. Today, this painting belongs to my only brother (Hector) and his wife (Marilyn). They love it so much and its on display in their lovely living room in San Diego, California. This is a different version from my original homeland painting but have the same "fiesta" theme- folk dancing, harvesting, feasting and merry-making. This is the last of the series of my homeland oil paintings.
TITLE: "REFLECTIONS FROM MY HOMELAND#3
SIZE: 3 feet x 6 feet
MEDIUM: Oil on canvas
DESCRIPTION: (PAINTED IN (1975)
This painting is not available. It is owned by Floyd Williams, who lives in the state of Virginia. I live on the west coast and this painting is now on the east coast. I am sorry I don't have a photo of the original. In the future I will try to get in touch with Floyd and will ask for a photo of the painting.
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"REFLECTIONS FROM MY HOMELAND#2"

2009-04-05T15:15:00.000-07:00

"The first virtue of a painting is that is to be a FEASTS for the eyes." - Eugene Delacroix

"REFLECTIONS FROM MY HOMELAND#2"- 6 feet x 3 feet (oil on canvas).This is the second painting that I created from my original "REFLECTIONS FROM MY HOMELAND#1". I painted it for Mr. and Mrs. Kragen in 1973. They are the parents of my husband's best friend (Bruce). I sold it to them for only $100.00. That time, it was a good amount. I felt rich. When the parents passed away, Bruce inherited this painting . It is now in their house in Santa Monica, California. I am fortunate to still see this painting. During my solo art show last September 2008, I borrowed this painting and exhibited it w/ the original homeland paintings and other 13 brand new oil paintings. I am sad to say that this painting deteriorated over the years. Some of the oil paints cracked because it was not stored properly. So I did some restoration of the oil painting before showing it to the public again.

"REFLECTIONS FROM MY HOMELAND#1" - 3 feet x 6 feet (oil on canvas). This is the original and first painting about my homeland, the Philippines. When I immigrated to the United States, I was quite homesick so most of my painting reflected about the country I left behind. I created this huge painting after I got married, in our small apartment on La Fayette Street, in Los Angeles. This painting is still very beautiful and well taken cared off. Out of this original painting came a series of paintings.

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LONG LIVE THE ARTIST

2009-03-31T09:40:00.000-07:00

"I have a lot of imagination. Imagination is useless if you cannot put it on something. What's the use of imagination in your brain? It's not doing anything in there. You have to put (your imagination) on a sculpture, a drawing or painting, or whatever, you have to put it down so people can see it." - Benjamin A. Resella

REPRINTED This post was published last May 14,2007 as a tribute to Benjamin Resella ( father-in-law and great artist) on his 90th birthday celebration. He passed away last Tuesday, March 24,2009. There are few changes from the original and some additions.

ARTISTS HAVE LONG LIVES Do you believe that most artists have long lives? Well, I do. Why? Because art is a good stress buster. Today in the medical field, many doctors, psychologists and psychiatrists used art as therapy to heal people, who couldn't cope with stresses in life. Art heals. Art gives pleasure. Art like love, makes the world go round. That's why most artists are easy going. With relax attitude, there is little possibility of having high blood pressure. Well, I know one artist who has a long life and I am related to him. He is my father-in-law. His name is Benjamin Resella. He just turned 90 years old on May 14, 2007. Wow! What a long life! At ninety, although he has high blood pressure, he is still healthy and walk without the aid of a cane.

PHOTO OF THE YOUNG RESELLA FAMILY
Here's an antique and treasured heirloom photo. Ben was standing on the left side. When I married his first born son, Rhod ( the young boy on the right side), Ben became my father-in-law. Before he immigrated to the United States, he was the former art director of Sampaguita Pictures (a movie production in the Philippines). He was a noted Filipino scenic artist who arrived on the Hollywood scene in the 60's. Without any fanfare, gimmicks, connections or heavy promotions. He has firmly established himself among the giants of MGM Studios and Century Fox Studios. He is the only Filipino scenic artist who made it to Hollywood. A sensitive artist, he painted with passion and understanding. His work is eloquent, excellent and very, very realistic. He was very good with perspective. Among his most notable achievements were designing realistic movie backgrounds for "EARTHQUAKE" and "HELLO DOLLY ". I have seen the movie "EARTHQUAKE", and believe me, the many different backgrounds were so realistic. I am an artist too, but I couldn't tell they were giants painted scenarios. Although his entry into the circle of Hollywood giants is relatively low key, his imagery and background scenarios are loud and lasting. We are all proud of his many achievements. He was a retired artist and lived at the Motion Picture Compound in Calabasas, California until his death.

FOUR GENERATIONS OF THE RESELLA FIRST BORN
BEN (GRAND FATHER) in blue jacket (May 14,1917-March 24,2009)
RHOD (FIRST BORN SON) left side
RODNEY (FIRST BORN GRANDSON) on the right side
SIMON (FIRST BORN GREAT GRANDSON) center
Ben's greatest legacy to our family was his artistic talents. Gifts our
children inherited. Art runs in our blood. Our sons, Rodney and Robin are both
successful computer graphic artists. Our grandson (Simon) is a promising artist
at the age of eleven.

BEST WATERCOLOR PAINTING OF BENJAMIN RESELLA
TITLE: "LIMAHONG" SIZE: APPROXIMATELY 30" x 40"
This painting was inspired by the legend of the Chinese pirate named Limahong.It is now on display in their bedroom in the the Motion Picture Compound. It's a beautiful, realistic painting, and full of life. Ben wrote a screenplay about Limahong. Last year, he had the chance to meet the president of Columbia Pictures and presented his work. The meeting was promising. Someday we hope a movie will be made about Limahong.
FOR MORE NEWS About Benjamin Resella please visit the website of Ryan Resella:http://ryanresella.com/

EARLY PAINTINGS

2009-03-27T12:50:00.000-07:00

"I hardly ever see my paintings around. I don't have the faintest idea where half of life's work is. Sometimes that worries me. We should have a museum specially built for retrospectives, it would be ten feet wide and a mile long, like a railway tunnel, and you could walk down some one's life chronologically." -Brett Whitley
FIRST PAINTING When I immigrated to the United States in 1969, I left all of my student oil paintings in Manila, Philippines. I took only my art portfolio, mostly advertising designs, which was my art major. I arrived with one big luggage and $60.00 cash given by a sister and an aunt. I had to start life all over again at 27 years old. I started painting in our studio apartment in Westwood, California, that I shared with my sister Ofel. This is my first painting called "Serenade" or "Harana" which I posted in my older blog. THANK GOD I still have this first painting with me.

SECOND PAINTING ("UNTITLED" ) -I believe this was the next painting I did after the "Serenade. " I didn't remember it because I have NO photo. During my early artists days, I didn't document my oil paintings. I didn't know that I will be very interested in oil paintings later in life. I realized that I should have documented my art works in oil from the beginning. I regretted that I didn't even photograph my student oil paintings. When my parents immigrated to the United States, they gave my oil paintings away. I have not idea who owned them now. Today, it will be good to see the transformation of my style, design and color. Last August 2009, I discovered this painting in one of the guest rooms of my eldest sister's house in Seattle, Washington. I was very delighted to reconnect to one of my old paintings. Good to see an "old baby" that I haven't seen in many years.

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"GOOD-BYE RAINY DAYS"

2009-03-20T09:30:00.000-07:00

"Rain, rain go away, come again another day, little Ebb Tide like to paint...."-by the author/artist

PAINTING ON WARM WEATHER - This week's weather here in Southern California is just perfect for painting. The beautiful sun is out and the temperature is between 74 degrees to 84 degrees. The rainy and gloomy weather doesn't make me in the mood to paint. When the sunlight is shinning bright, then I like to paint and I am alive. Rain makes me feel drowsy. I could sleep all day and hibernate during extremely cold, rainy weather. The hilly landscapes of our beautiful city had turned yellow ochre due to lack of single rain last summer and fall. I am thankful for the rainy season because our city needed rain to stay green. But I don't like rain to come everyday or every week. This week there are lovely blooming flowers everywhere. I am happy to say "good-bye" to the rain and welcome SPRING!

TITLE OF PAINTING: "RAINY DAY"
MEDIUM: OIL ON CANVAS SIZE: 30" x 48"
DESCRIPTION: I painted this huge oil painting for my eldest sister who lives in Seattle, Washington. Most of my sisters are living here in Southern California. One day, my eldest sister sent me a old photo of a painting by a Filipino artist. I couldn't decipher the name of the original artist because the photo had faded. She asked me to copy the painting. The painting is about a woman battling a storm with her umbrella. A typical stormy scenery in the Philippines during rainy season. My sister thought this is an appropriate scene for their house in Seattle, because it's always raining there. I had fun creating this huge oil painting. When I finished it, I didn't charge my sister for my labor. Instead it was given as a gift for her retirement. I forgot to take a photo of the painting when she picked it up from my studio here in California. During that time, I didn't have an art blog yet, so I was not eager to photograph it. I haven't seen it for so many years because this sister never bothered to send me a photo of the painting. Last August 9, 2008, my family attended the wedding of of her eldest son in Seattle. I am not joking but it rained during the wedding. A typical Seattle scenery. Then Sunday after the event, my sister invited my husband and I to dine in their house. I was finally reunited with this old painting of mine and was happy to see it. My husband took a photo of the painting. I said good-bye to my rainy painting. I might not see this painting for a long time.
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WARM COFFEE & FLOWERS

2009-03-06T15:50:00.000-08:00

"Part of what I'm about is seeing how I can paint the same thing differently, instead of different things the same way."- Alex Katz

"RAIN, RAIN GO AWAY" - I am no longer a kindergarten but this poem makes me feel like one. After weeks of rain and cold weather, I am feeling good that warmer days are back. I am happier when the temperature is warmer and brighter. This are the conditions where I thrive and paint most. When it's gloomy, I am not in the mood to paint. The colors on my painting are also gloomy. I like bright colors and sunny weather. Just the right stimulus to jump start my creative spirit and imagination.

" WARM COFFEE AND FLOWERS" I posted this oil painting a month ago. It's the same painting I gave a friend for her 65th birthday. I started working on this painting about two years ago. I shelved it, thinking that something was not right. Last January, I worked on it again and called it "Make-over Phase 2." Surprisingly, here in Southern California, you wouldn't believe that in the middle of January we had a summer like weather. I had time to paint again after a long break during the holidays and successive rainy week. This oil painting is the same painting below but more beautiful and artful. I added the white window, warm coffee and the friendly quotation. Then varnished the painting. Then I shopped for a ready made golden frame to make the painting look richer. The frame was "X-PEN-SIV" and yet I still bought it. The painting dried up on time for a friend's birthday.
ART IS EXPENSIVE -I wonder why art supplies and frames are so expensive????? Some people have no idea that art is not cheap. To save me some money, my husband did most of the framing for my paintings. He's a good handyman and no room for return or complain. What a blessing!
DISCOVER-This is not a plastic adventure but a "disco-tour" to find out the cost of custom framing. Last year, I had one oil painting (30" x 48") framed at a nearby art store. They had a half price sale on custom made frame that week. I was h-o-o-k-e-d and went shopping. I was charged $350.00 for a simple custom frame, plus sales tax. Then there was an additional $60.00 for mounting the painting on the frame. I did the math, and it was ridiculously pricey even with half price sale. So my husband supports not only my art career but also the framing aspect of it.

FIRST PHASE OF THE OIL PAINTING - This was the original painting before. After the make-over, the painting is very different. Go back to the painting above and look at the transformation. I learned not to toss a painting at first try. Believe in make-over. Give time for a painting to bloom and grow. After the rain, there is sunshine and a beautiful painting is born again.
THANK YOU NOTE FROM LISA:"Your thoughtfulness of the gift and warm wishes were truly a blessing to me. Truly thankful for the Lord have provided me friends like you! Words can not express my joy and deep gratitude to you and Rhod. Most of all my "special" present. I will hang the painting to welcome all my friends in front, by our staircase.'

AMGEN 2009 TOUR OF CALIFORNIA

2009-03-02T16:24:00.000-08:00

"There s nothing impossible to him who will try."- Alexander The Great

AMGEN 2009 TOUR OF CALIFORNIA Is an event I look forward every year. It's a famous bicycle event. However this year I missed this famous bicycle tour. I was under the weather that Saturday on February 21, 2009. Today when I look at the blog of my son Ryan, I discover that he was able to cover this exciting event. This is somewhat late but I'd like to share it with you. Although it's not an art event, the photos taken by Ryan are very artistic, photogenic and worth sharing. Have fun viewing the photographs of Ryan, it takes your mind off all your problems and boredom too. Please check his blog about the Amgen tour and other photographs:
http://ryanresella.com/

LOVE PAINTING#2

2009-02-17T16:00:00.000-08:00

"HAPPINESS......it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort."- Vincent van Gogh

VALENTINE'S MASQUERADE BALL - Last Valentine's Day, my husband and I celebrated this sweethearts day at Castaway Restaurant in Burbank with many friends from the Filipino-American Association of Santa Clarita Valley. At the same time it was also the 2009 Filipino-American Induction Ball for the incoming president and officers.

MYRA MIRANDA (PRESIDENT) AND ME (THE ARTIST) - The beautiful and talented lady on the left is the newly elected president. This was her night to shine and sparkle as the president. It was also my night artistically. There was something new this year. We had to wear a mask. I bought a simple mask from a $$$$$$ store which I embellished w/ lots of sequences, pearls, ribbons, etc. With lots of creativity and an investment of only 25 minutes, I transformed the simple mask into a dazzling Mardi Gras sort of stuffs. To my surprise........ I won the best mask. My price was $25.00 gift certificate from Fiesta Grill, a Filipino Restaurant at Sta. Clarita. Thanks and "maraming salamat" to the board who liked me to be the winner.

MYRA AND EBB AGAIN - I passed my dazzling mask to Myra. She's as gorgeous as my colorful mask. It matched her gown because it was multi-color.

HI THERE! IT'S ME....EBB TIDE! CLOSE UP VIEW OF MY WINNING MASK

"LOVE, LIFE AND LAUGHTER" - This is my love painting that I posted last week. The event depicted on the painting truly happened at Disney's private island called "Castaway Cay at the Bahamas. What a coincidence that this year's induction was held at Castaway Restaurant. I was delighted that the masquerade ball was a "double deal" for me. This painting was featured on the front cover of the souvenir program. "A Million Thanks" to Myra Miranda, who decided to put my painting on the cover. I was thrilled just like the way Vincent defined what is happiness. It seemed that Van Gogh thought about me when he defined happiness.

KNOCK! KNOCK! WHO'S THERE??????????? - Who else but Mr. and Mrs. Resella!!!
HI THERE! ITSME .....RHOD!
HELLO THERE! THIS IS EBB AND JINKY

HAPPY TOGETHER WITH FRIENDS:

LEFT TO RIGHT-PETE AND NANETTE, EBB, CELY AND RAFFY
*************************************************************************************
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LOVE PAINTING

2009-02-13T09:30:00.000-08:00

"I feel that there is nothing more truly ARTISTIC than to LOVE
people."- Vincent van Gogh

LOVE IS IN THE AIR Yes, love is the most infatuated topic every where as Valentine's Day comes around. My thinking dwells on people that I love most - my husband, children, grandchildren, family, relatives and friends. I also think of my favorite impressionists artist, Vincent van Gogh. He was a very romantic artist but not very lucky when it came to love. His first love rejected him. His second love was a prostitute. They lived together for many years but never married and parted with her. He died a single guy w/ no wife and children. Yet Vincent thought that nothing is more artistic than to love people. He had tons of quotations about love and here are the ones that I love most:
1. "LOVE is something eternal; the aspect may change, but not the essence."
2."LOVE always brings difficulties, that is true, but good side of it is that it gives energy."
3."LOVE is many things, for there in lies the true strength, and whosoever loves much performs much, and can accomplish much, and what is done in love is done well."TITLE OF PAINTING: "LOVE, LIFE, LAUGHTER ON VALENTINE'S DAY"
MEDIUM: OIL ON CANVAS
SIZE: # 30" x 40"
DESCRIPTION: (PAINTED IN 2008)
This painting was inspired by real events. It was Valentine's day 2006, the most romantic and reddest Valentine's Day of our lives. My husband and I embarked on a four-day Disney cruise to the Bahamas (Nasau). I have always dreamed of celebrating Valentine's Day on a private island. This was a dream come true and a Valentine's day to remember. On Valentine's Day our cruise ship "Disney Wonder," docked on their private island known as "Castaway Cay." It was a day filled with adventure, fun, love, and delightful cuisine. I recreated that memorable day and "cruise-feast" on this painting with vibrant Caribbean colors. I painted and blended the pink and blue palm trees into a huge heart shape that became the centerpiece of this art.
"Happy Valentine's" to my family, friends and viewers.

A DRIVE, A BIRTHDAY & A PAINTING

2009-02-06T10:19:00.000-08:00

"One starts to get young at the age of sixty and then it is too late."

-Pablo Picasso

WONDERFUL WEEK-END Last Saturday was one of those special time worth blogging about. This time, my husband and I had a leisurely drive on the 405 freeway. Usually we dreaded it due to the long traffic jam. We made it to Newport Coast in about an hour and a half. We were invited to a birthday bash by a good friend named Lisa. We celebrated her 65th birthday in their time share villa on Newport Coast. The ocean view was gorgeous on a clear day. There were many guests. Everything was good. We came home loaded with good food, desserts and friendships.

BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION WITH FRIENDS -Norma, Lisa (birthday celebrant), Ebb and Cristina. On the food table (by the right side) there was a mobile hanging on the chandelier with a quote: "Life is too short not to celebrate a birthday party." It's true and NOT too late......to celebrate and do something fun. Never mind if the economy is messy, celebrating 65th birthday is not the time to cut back our pocketbook and let our dreams hibernate. FRIENDS THROUGH THICK AND THIN- Say cheese! "HAPPY BIRTHDAY LISA!" The lovely floral painting was my birthday gift for Lisa.

The ART OF STARTING OVER

2009-02-01T11:00:00.000-08:00

"It's never too late, or in my case
too early, to be whoever you want to be.
There's no time limit.
Start whenever you want.
You can change or stay the same.
There are no rules to this thing.
We can make the best or worst of it.
I hope you make the best of it.
I hope you see things that startle you.
I hope you feel things you never felt before.
I hope you meet people
who have a different point of view.
I hope you live a life you're proud of,
and if you're not,
I hope you have the courage
to start all over again."
Lines from the screenplay by Erin Roth-"Benjamin Button"

STARTING OVER?????' Last week-end, my husband and I saw the movie "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button." It is a modern movie miracle story. Of course, we were also curious WHY the movie has 13 Academy Award nomination - BEST picture, cinematography, screenplay, film editing, costume design, production design, director, actor, supporting actress, and ensemble. Brad Pitt is one of my favorite actors and I can't say NO to his movie. He did a brilliant performance in the title role. The movie reminding us all the of the preciousness of each passing moment. What struck me about the movie is....... "the courage to start all over again."
WHEN TO START OVER?
1.The New Year is always a good time to start over w/ unfinished projects, to undo bad habits and to repair frozen relationships and friendships. It's not too late, although it's now February.
2. Milestones like birthdays are good starting point to re-do whatever stranded goals we had. Reviewing our goals from month to month, year to year is good. If our goals are not working, let's start fixing the engine, so we can move forward.

3. Here's an oil painting of mine depicting "BIRTHDAY MILESTONES".
Medium: Oil on Canvas - Size: 48" x 30"
This is one of my paintings shown during my solo art show last September.
Birthday celebrations are very important event among Filipino and Filipino-American families. They always have big parties and fiestas for birthday milestones, especially the "First Birthday, Eighteenth, Fiftieth, Sixty-fifth, Ninetieth and One hundred Years." They celebrate with many delicious foods not just cake and ice cream. In the Filipino custom and tradition, the birthday celebrant treats the guests to a big "blow-out." American style is the opposite. Friends treat the celebrant.
4.The month of February is another RED month for birthday celebrants in our family.
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY HUSBAND,RHOD!"- (February 4th)

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO OUR SON, ROBIN!" -(February 9th)
5. Additional birthday greeting to a good friend.
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO LISA!-(February 2nd)
6.When something life-shattering happens, it's an invitation to start a new life.
A traumatic event invites us to cultivate our relationship to God and we start
praying for his help.
7.Thought of the week- "Never be afraid to try something new. Remember that a lone amateur built the Ark. A large group of professionals built the Titanic."

"THE ART OF CHANGE"

2009-01-23T19:30:00.000-08:00

"Our challenges may be new. The instruments which we meet them maybe new. But those values upon which our success depends - hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism-these things are old, these things are true." President Barack Obama

CHANGE HAS COME TO AMERICA If you don't believe it, you weren't watching the January 20th inauguration coverage. Many people voted for change including me. This week many saw the inspiring moment and unbelievable historical inauguration happened before our eyes. Barack Obama became the first African-American president of the United States. Mary McNamara, a Los Angeles Times columnist said ...."no amount of commentary could either diminish or embellish the incomparable size and energy level of the crowd smashed along the National Mall in Washington. An inauguration is always an event, but this one was a spectacle."
ARTISTIC STIMULUS IN ACTION President Obama has yet to finalize the economic stimulus package, but his inaugural festivities have given the arts- and the politically involved artists- a major boost. It was evident during swearing-in Tuesday with the crowd sprinkled with A-list celebrities, poets, singers, writers, artists, etc. Well, Obama is being called "The Artist's President." He's a positive president who's trying to use "political art" to be able to get his economic stimulus get approved fast. That's gives people lots of hope although in reality, our economy will not improve miraculously in days but years. I am glad that in his stimulus package, he included funding for such programs as the National Endowment For The Arts. The Dems say that inclusion of such item reflects their expansive view of how government can create jobs and make the economy moves forward. It was hard not to believe that something big was about to begin in the creative field.PAINTED IN U.S.A. This is the first oil painting I created when I immigrated to the U.S. in 1970. I was not married yet when I painted this. That explains why I signed it with my maiden name. The above panting is entitled "Serenade" or "Harana." It is a typical Philippine tradition. When a young man likes to express his devotion to a maiden, he serenades her with love songs and music. Despite many CHANGES in my life, this painting didn't CHANGE over the years. It's an old painting but still looking good.
MANY CHANGES OVER THE YEARS
1.I changed my painting style many times. In the beginning of my art career, I like contemporary art. Later I switched to realism. Today my style is a hybrid (mix of different styles). My style has hybrid identity-modernism, impressionism and realism.
2. I am always an adventurous artist who likes to take risks. I couldn't imagine living in the same house for twenty years. That's why our family moved seven times and lived in 7 different houses.
3. I like to travel and see the world around me. I get bored going to the same places more that five times.
4. I changed job many times. Although most of my past jobs were in graphic art, I enjoyed other jobs like flower arranging, gift wrapping and cake decorating.
5. I cook different food every other day. It's no fun eating left overs for more than two days.
6. I like to dine out in different restaurants and take a break from cooking. I like to taste and try other regional cooking like - American, Filipino, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Thai, Italian, French, Mexican, etc. The ambiance and change of setting is uplifting
7. I tried every new technology to get my hearing back. I regained 80% of my lost hearing through cochlear implant. I wanted to change my silent world into a noisy world.
8. And of course, I am not scared of change. Change makes me feel alive, fresh and younger.
LET'S WELCOME CHANGE THIS NEW YEAR!!!!

PAINTING A SAINT

2009-01-16T14:18:00.000-08:00

"What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything? It will be a hard pull for me; the tide rises high, almost to the lips and perhaps higher still, how can I know? But I shall fight my battle, and sell my life dearly, and try to win and get the best of it." - by Vincent Van Gogh (1881)

HAPPY NEW YEAR! I hope you survived the first few weeks of January. Well, I did! Despite of the the endless gloomy economic news, I am still painting. Daily, I watch the economic news because I think it's very important to creative people. When times are good, artists, writers,photographers and musicians get the support they need, enriching city life in unquantifiable ways. But when the economic woes are getting global or the rich lose interest, artists are among the first to suffer. Today we we're hearing predictions of fewer arts, movies, books, plays, and exhibitions to support new works just when we need creative thinking. Of course, artists have had it rough for centuries, their livelihoods vulnerable to the whims of the powerful and wealthy patrons. Am I discourage to paint more and continue my art goal "Studio 65" this year? Nope! My goal is to keep on painting. Like Van Gogh, despite of hard times he never stopped painting and did the best of it. I believe good times will roll again.
REAL ARTFUL STORIES FROM 2008:
1. I planned and conceived my first solo art show when the financial outlook was rosier. About four years before the actual date September 27, 2008 came around. Little did I know that the stock market would be shattered the week during my art show but I decided to forge ahead. It was a successful event despite of the shaky economy. If you want to see my art show please go back to my older post and view my October 2008 entries.
2. Most of my oil paintings during my art show are NOT FOR SALE. However, I "SOLD" one oil painting that is not part of my theme. In this kind of rumbling economy, people buys painting? Yes! The price was so good and the money helped cover the huge expenses I incurred during my own solo art show. It was worth all the expenses and hard work.
3. This is the painting that I sold for a thousand dollar. I painted this for one of my sisters. Julie wanted me to paint this St. Petersburg cathedral in Russia, which she visited in her many previous trips. It took me almost 2 years to create this detailed painting. I knew every nooks and crannies of this saintly cathedral. I thought I will not be able to finish it because, I got so....bored painting the details. I put it aside for months and when the mood came back I worked on it again. I got a better view of things when I didn't work on it for sometime. When I see the painting again, it looks and seems fresh and new. During this time, I fall in love with SAINT PETE and decided to keep it. I didn't like to sell it anymore. But Julie was persistent. I gave in and she finally wrote the $$$thousand dollar check during my art show.

4. This is my sister Julie and I during my art show. This painting is now beautifully hanging inside her lovely home. "Thanks Julie for patronizing and loving my art. You're a wonderful and generous sister."
5. On October 25, 2008 my design for the cover of the Filipino-American Association 25th anniversary souvenir program was a winner. I was very happy even for a small reward like $50.00. It's not big but the publicity and recognition was more than rewarding.
6.Last November 4, 2008, during the 6th anniversary of KCS (Kalusugan Community Services) of San Diego, California, I donated my huge oil painting "Thanksgiving - Fil-American Style." In appreciation for my donation, this health group gave me a robust tax write off. Even in this jittery art market, surprisingly there is some monetary reward. I posted this "Thanksgiving" painting last November.
7. On November 9-15, 2008, I joined my husband during his annual conference to Longboat Key/Florida. After the conference was over, we were invited to dine with his relatives in a Thai restaurant at Sarasota. One of my husband's cousin has an American girlfriends who works at an art gallery in Sarasota, an affluent community. I asked her...Are people still buying paintings in this kind of bad economy?" Her answered was very encouraging..."Yes, they do. I am surprised that people here continue to patronize art and not holding on to their money."
7. I am confident that ART is a good investment for our money. How the sagging economy will affect the art world is a big question out there? When stocks, housing, savings bond, mutual funds, etc. fall apart..... ART..... is a sure thing....ART..... is forever.

SHARING TRADITIONS AND ENRICHING FRIENSHIP #3

2008-11-24T15:32:00.000-08:00

"Friends bring to our world newness, regeneration, COLOR, and vigor."- Anonymous
"Without friends, the world is but a wilderness." -Francis Bacon

As always, some friends come and go. Sometimes we lost touch with each other. Some remains faithful over the years. It's true with some circle of friends. Here are more photos of old friends from the Filipino-American Association of SCV. Their presence during my recent art show and birthday celebration made my day. Good friends are also one of my greatest blessings in life. Yollie, Ebb Tide, Aurora and Fred
One of my favorite comments about my art show and blog is from Aurora. She said......"Warm congratulations for your heartwarming cover design and incredible art show. Your paintings are a mirror into your soul and gives everyone an opportunity to see your true being. I stop in to read you blog, every now and then. I am amazed by your tenacity, talent and on going enthusiasm to pursue your creative goals. You've proven that it's never too late to head toward your dreams. Thanks for the inspiration which I've sorely needed for my own work."

THANK YOU AURORA. This is the kind of gracious comment that encourages and keeps me going. I appreciate you taking the time to express what you think and feel.

CORRECTION PLEASE: I apologized that the Aurora who wrote the wonderful comment above is not the Aurora in picture. Aurora2 dropped me a comment today and said: "As always, your blog lifts my spirit. However, in regard to your favorite comment, it was written by me, a different Aurora. Glad you like it, although we've never connected. Despite that, I bet your friend has better heartfelt words to describe your special camaraderie. You're lucky to have so many supportive friendships." Rose, Romy, Ebb and Edgar
Letty, Ebb and Rose
Rose is one those friends who is always appreciative and lavish me with honest compliments.Thanks Rose.Jun, Cora,Ebb,Art and Letty
Raffy, Cely, Zony First Row: Letty, Myra, Zeny and Rhod Second Row: Nanette and Ebb
Pete and Nanette
Fatima, Ebb, Marilu and Tess

SHARING TRADITIONS AND ENRICHING FRIENDSHIP #2

2008-11-20T14:00:00.000-08:00

"Creativity never stops, that what you have to offer to other and share is only richer as time goes by"- Roberta Wolin-Manker

RICHER AS TIME GOES BY- Photo was taken last October 25, 2008 during the 25th anniversary of the Filipino-American Association of Santa Clarita Valley at Hyatt Valencia. My husband was one of the past presidents of the association. TITLE OF PAINTING: "SHARING TRADITIONS AND ENRICHING FRIENDSHIP" MEDIUM: OIL PAINTING ON CANVAS SIZE: 30" x 24" - Last week, I posted a detailed description of this painting.MORE PHOTOS DURING THE CELEBRATION.................
THE ARTIST WITH THE PAINTING
THE ARTIST WITH HUSBAND
THE ARTIST WITH HER SISTER OFEL

SHARING TRADITIONS & ENRICHING FRIENDSHIP

2008-11-13T19:45:00.000-08:00

"Make new friends but keep the old, one is silver and the other gold."-Anonymous

SILVER ANNIVERSARY - Last October 25, 2008, we celebrated the special 25th anniversary of the Filipino-American Association of Santa Clarita Valley at Hyatt Valencia. The meaningful event was filled with beautiful memories. Prior to this event, I was hesitant to join the design contest for the cover of the souvenir program for the upcoming 25th celebration. I was extremely busy and rushing many oil paintings for my first solo art show. I was running out of time. One day, I went for a leisurely walk in our paseo and an idea was born for the cover. I based my oil painting on the anniversary theme "Sharing Traditions And Enriching Friendship." To make the story short, my painting won the coveted cover page by majority votes. It was a delightful experience. My prize? Not much? I was given a complimentary gift certificate from Goldilocks (a famous Filipino bake shop). I plan to indulge in their many delicious goodies this holiday. Another bonus, an opportunity to have my painting published on the lovely and glossy souvenir program.PAINTING FIRST SHOW This painting is among those new oil paintings unveiled to the public during my recent art show.

"SHARING TRADITIONS AND ENRICHING FRIENDSHIPS" This oil painting is 24" x 30," done on canvas. It is my winning entry for the cover of the the SCV Fil-Am 25th Anniversary souvenir program. It is about the happy times and traditions shared by the association for twenty five years here in Santa Clarita Valley. This is my artistic conception about the theme. For me celebrating twenty-five years of togetherness should be a very colorful event like this painting. This painting has many meaningful symbols.
1. The coconut tree brings to mind our beautiful country, the Philippines. The coconut tree is very graceful to paint. I bended the coconuts and shaped them into S & C letters-representing Santa Clarita.
2. Oak trees abound around the city. Someone said that Santa Clarita have more oak trees than Thousand Oaks. I painted them into the scene because it is a symbol of Santa Clarita. The city logo is dominated by a huge oak tree.
3. City of Santa Clarita - I painted this beautiful emerald city with many rolling hills. The six main areas are Valencia, Stevenson Ranch, Newhall, Canyon Country, Castaic and Saugus.
4. Huge yellow sun ----the symbol for leadership. The 25 sun rays represent the 25 presidents of the Filipino-American Association.
5. Hyatt Hotel and OLPH Catholic Church-----VIP (very important places) where many Filipino-American events were traditionally celebrated and will be celebrated.
6. Banquet of Food- Sharing food is a very important part of any Filipino tradition and celebration. Presentation is also very important. Food should be colorful and visually appealing. Most Filipino foods are monotonous with brownish tint. I pick-up foods that are not only delicious to look at, but to paint, such as Lechon (whole roasted pork), palabok (noodles), lumpia Shianghai, pot of rice, sinigang na hipon (shrimps) with vegetables, and tomato topiary. Desserts are halo-halo, leche flan, puto and kutsinta. Also native fruits like pineapple, bananas, avocado and American grapes.
7. Three-tired 25th anniversary cake---Highlights of the banquet table painted in silver tone with red roses and cascading silver drapes.
8. Traditional folk dances and guitarist add to the festivity. I painted "Fandango Sa Ilaw" and "Subli."
9. Filipino-American Association logo-It is painted below the party table.

ON THE SIGNAL This morning my son Ryan e-mailed me that I am on the SIGNAL, our local newspaper. That sounds exciting! I have never been on the newspaper before. At 10:00 a.m. I am driving crazily around town looking for a copy of the SIGNAL. We subscribed to the Los Angeles Times, so I wanted a copy of the SIGNAL so badly. I plan to buy as many available copies. I am disappointed that the SIGNAL are mostly gone. My last bet is the Ralphs supermarket. I dig into the file of newspapers and happily I found two copies. Then I open the paper on page #5 and so delighted to see myself and the above painting. The SIGNAL came out today with an article about the SCV Filipino-American Association 25th anniversary. If you are interested to know more about the event and see my painting please check the SIGNAL website: http://www.the-signal.com/news/article/5935/

SOLO ART SHOW #5

2008-11-10T16:04:00.000-08:00

"Human love and the delights of friendship, out of which are built the MEMORIES that endure, are also to be treasured up as hints of what shall be hereafter."- Bede Jarrett

HOME SWEET HOME I am now back home after a refreshing and wonderful trip to Tampa and Longboat Key/Florida. Still jet lagged but feeling great. Every year my husband attends an ethics conference in Longboat Key/Florida and I tagged along. Prior to the conference, we did a side trip to Tampa. My husband and I toured the Henry B. Plant Museum. Formerly, the Tampa Bay Hotel, the most astonishingly magnificent hotel of its day, then filled w/ treasures from around the world. It has a splendid Moorish architecture, opulent furnishings, and spectacular tropical gardens. While our other destination, Longboat Key has a different and opposite atmosphere. Its a secluded and quiet island. The resort suites are more contemporary. The enticing part is the magnificent, clean, white-powdery sand beach just steps away from our suite. While my husband was in the conference, I walked everyday on the beach barefooted. The beach is so clean and abundantly blessed with so many lovely shells. I hauled as many as my luggage could carry. I had so much fun like a little girl. I lost track of time while there and forgot all my problems in life. I also have lots of time reflecting, meditating and searching for ideas for my next painting projects. After my recent art show and other exhausting events, I was almost depleted. This get away trip restored me. No wonder, I am raring to go back to my paint brushes and hopefully complete my "Studio 65."

SPECIAL THANKS To my blog mate Daniel Palma Tayona. When I open my e-mail today, I smiled because he featured me on his latest blog. I am very impressed. I'd like to share it with you. It's about my recent art show and some paintings. Please check out his blog:

http://visualviscera.blogspot.com/

THE CELEBRATION CONTINUES. Here are photos of relatives during my recent art show.
ARTIST FIRST COUSINS Bon standing on the left side. Noemi standing on right side. The painting in the background is my largest painting- "Reflections Of My Homeland #4"

THE ARTIST WITH AUNTIE LYDIA AND ONLY BROTHER. Hector and wife Lynn (not in the photo) are the proud owner of this painting above.
SPECIAL NUMBER During the celebration some of my sisters and other relatives sang my requested favorite hymn of praise "How Great Thou Art" I love this song because of the word ART.

ARTIST SISTERS AND RELATIVES AS THEY PREPARED TO SING.

Left to right, Didi (sister), Olive(friend),Noemi (cousin), Julie(sister) and Lois (sister).
BEN My brother in law was the guitarist during the special number. Thanks Ben!
"THANKS FOR THAT WONDERFUL SONG"

SURPRISE GUEST? During the celebration, Julie's new dog was the celebrity.

ARTIST-IN-LAWS The other Resella clan

Top row: Lucy, Ben, and Ebb First row: Dita, Clarissa and Aaron IN-LAWS MARRIED TO OTHER RESELLAS
RHOD WITH NIECES (Adelaine), grand daughter (Audrey) and Katherine

SOLO ART SHOW #4

2008-10-31T09:44:00.000-07:00

"A family that plays, paints, praises and prays together, stays together."- Evelyne D. Resella

AN ARTIST BLESSING One of my treasures in life is having artistic and interesting grand kids. Having grand kids made my life more fresh and alive. When I see the world through their eyes, I feel younger. I am delighted that my two grand kids were there at my art show and birthday celebration.
SIMON This photo was taken during the set up at the clubhouse. At eleven years old Simon is a big help and amazingly strong like his idol, Spider man.ALA VINCENT VAN GOGH AND FRIDA KHALO To make my art show more festive, fun and interesting, Simon dressed up like Vincent and Audrey like Frida. Their costumes were hand made by Boodgie a fashion designer from San Diego. AUDREY She's a good copycat of Frida Kahlo during the art show. Her contrasting red and green Mexican-style dress, hibiscus red flower and lovely smile made her stunningly more beautiful. Audrey is an aspiring artist too.
CLOSE UP PHOTO OF AUDREY with handmade pink fan
SIMON He's a good copycat of Vincent Van Gogh. This contrasting costume-in yellow top and purple pant reminded me of Vincent. One of his favorite color combinations.
VINCENT VAN GOGH Resurrected during my art show.? SCARY!!!!!!!!!!!!

SIMON SMILING He has a different personality from Van Gogh. He is a happy boy and someday he dreams of becoming a great artist too.
ORIGAMI DEMO BY SIMON AND AUDREY Origami is a popular Japanese paper art. They entertained some of my guest by doing origami art like boat, bird and fan. "Thank God for their artistic talents."
SIMON demonstrating how to do origami bird.
AUDREY READING HER POEM "BLUE" In the past I featured her on my blog. About a year ago, she wrote this poem and it was published at the San Francisco Chronicle. She was only 8 years old. A very talented poet too. My grandkids made my day. I couldn't imagine my life without them.

"WISHING EVERYONE A HAPPY HALLOWEEN!"

SOLO ART SHOW #3

2008-10-27T20:38:00.000-07:00

" A family that plays, paints, praises, and prays together, stays
together."- Evelyne D. Resella

A FAMILY BLESSING It's true that a family who is always together in every worthwhile activities, stays together. Without my family, my dream to have at least ONE SOLO ART SHOW in my lifetime wouldn't be a possibility. I deeply appreciate my family-children, grand kids and husband, for their endless love and support toward my goal and dream in life. I am always proud of them and would like to express my sincere thanks and love openly. I have said my thanks before but I'd like it to be seen and written here.

THE ARTIST WITH DAUGHTER, JOY "Thanks for your love and help during my celebration. You're a wonderful and thoughtful daughter."
JOY-THE EVER LOVING AND LOVELY EMCEE

JOY AND RODNEY During the celebration there was a short program in my honor.

RODNEY My eldest son gave a touching speech about his perspective on having an artistic mom.

"Thank you Rodney for that deeply moving and loving speech. You made me teary-eyed. "

ROBIN During his visual presentation of my thirteen brand new oil paintings.
"Robin, thank you so much for that wonderful visual presentation about my paintings. I know you're extremely busy but you still did it for me."

I AM SORRY THAT I DON'T HAVE ANY PHOTO OF MY SON RYAN. BUT I'D LIKE TO SAY MY THANKS AGAIN. "Ryan, thank you for the many beautiful photos you took during my art show. The photos spoke volumes, better than I could express my self."

MY HUSBAND RHOD He talked about "BACK TO THE FUTURE-1943" What an amazing year to be alive. Prices were so cheap. Prices: Gasoline $.16. Postage $0.03. House $8,011.00, etc.
"Rhod, a million thanks again for everything you did for me. This beautiful art show wouldn't have succeeded without you. "

"A wonderful thanks to my family, relatives and friends who were there for me and made this celebration unforgettable."

"My thanks to my grand kids for inspiring me. They are one of my joys in life."

NEXT POST, I will show case my grand kids.

SOLO ART SHOW #2

2008-10-24T15:50:00.000-07:00

"Artists are like flowers. Some grow best in the sun; Others do well in the shade. God plants us where we grow best."- Anonymous

"We are God's masterpiece and each of us has something special we're designed to do. For me, it is to be a good artist."- Evelyne D. Resella

WELCOME TO MY SOLO ART SHOW Many, many years ago, my husband and I had the opputunity to attend and experience the 75th Art Festival in Santa Fe, New Mexico. They have many lavish artist receptions with inspiring setting and atmosphere. The merry making started at the eve of the festival. We hopped from one gallery after the other. The wine and champagne were flowing while guest viewed many amazing Southwest paintings in different media. They entertained guests with lovely music , violin playing, harp soothing the souls and cello uplifting the hearts. I dreamed of duplicating that memorable event someday and finally the day came to stage my own art show. It wasn't easy. The planning and preparations almost depleted me but it was worth all the efforts and hard works.

A DREAM COME TRUE My dream became a reality last September 27, 2008. I had my first solo art show at the Valencia Northbridge Clubhouse. in Santa Clarita instead of Santa Fe. The art show and party begun at 1:00 in the afternoon with hors d'oeuvres, wine and harpist playing soft music.
THE HARPIST (CHRIS DAVIS) AND THE ARTIST (ME) HAPPILY TOGETHER
THE HARPIST PLAYED HER SOFT MUSIC While the guests started viewing my oil paintings, tasting the wine, enjoying hors d'oeuvres, and whispering sweet talks to old friends. The atmosphere inside the clubhouse dazzled and hummed with color and festivity.
CREATIVE FOOD I didn't like to just serve wine and cheese to my guest. Since this was also my 65th birthday celebration, I treated everybody to six delicious hors d'oeuvres that they will never forget. Here were the names of those mouth watering food - jumbo shrimps cocktail, empanaditas, smoked salmon with cream cheese and crackers, assorted quiche Lorraine, and "lechon" (whole roasted pork) surrounded w/ fresh fruits.CHARMING CENTERPIECE Most of my oil paintings on displayed are about celebrations and great parties. I painted lots and lots of colorful and delicious foods. The "lechon" (roasted pork) was always the centerpiece or the VIP ( very important pood) in the banquet table.
HARPIST PLAYING , TAKEN FROM A DIFFERENT ANGLE The gentleman in the background was my husband. The harpist entertained the guest for two hours.
CREATIVE CHEF This was my close cousin Cely with the tempting "lechon." She helped me plan the menu for the hors d'oevures. She did the dazzling decoration and presentation of the food. She also carved the "lechon" beautifully. She created the Thai mango relish on the left side which was a big hit.
CLOSE UP VIEW OF THE DELICIOUS QUICHE LORRAINE
ANOTHER PHOTO OF THE HARPIST
THE HARPIST AND MY HUSBAND He spoke about my dream of doing this kind of art show someday. Thanks to him for making this a reality. He found this good harpist through a colleague. We never met her before the art show. I never heard her play the harp before, but we booked her by faith. She turned out to be a good harpist. She dedicated her last piece to me and wished me a "Happy Birthday!"

OLIVE, FRIENDS AND THE ARTIST I was sitting down and happily listening to the harpist.

WONDERFUL WATERMELON SCULPTURE This fresh watermelon basket was carved by Cely and filled it with sweet fruits- jumbo purple grapes, red strawberries, crimson watermelon chunks and accented with rosemary leaves. ME AND CELY WITH SOME OF MY PAINTINGS Once again, I'd like to say a million thanks to my cousin Cely. I often featured her in my past blogs. Last December (2007) she had breast cancer. She went through a difficult surgery and chemotherapy. Her recovery inspired me so much. I am deeply touched by her love and helping hand. She flew all the way from Maryland to be w/ me on my 65th birthday and art show. I will never forget all those beautiful things she did for me.

FOOD.....FOOD........AND MORE FOOD.....Another fiesta!!!!! At 3:30 p.m. Stonefire Grill started setting the table for another feast. The delicious menu catered by Stonefire Grill consisted of boneless chicken breast, sliced tri tip, mixed garden salad, pesto pasta salad, garlic mashed potatoes, cowboy beans and freshly baked irresistable breadsticks.

MY BIRTHDAY CAKE This beautiful cake was baked by my sister Lois. It was a coffee cake with custard. Very delicious. She's also a good cook and bakes lots of delicious goodies.
THE ARTIST WITH HER BIRTHDAY CAKE There are other desserts beside the cake. We served rashberry rugala, cream puffs, jello pudding, and assorted mini cheese cakes. Thanks to my special friend Lisa for making that special yellow pudding, shown below the cake.
BLOWING MY BIRTHDAY CAKE I still like to make wishes and blow out the candles. It's unbelievable how sixty-five years went by so fast.
LOIS, MY YOUNGEST SISTER. She was slicing the cake free. No cutting fee. What a sister! I'd like to say thanks again to my her for baking this wonderful cake on my birthday. I will never forget her gesture of love.

SPECIAL THANKS TO MY BLOGMATE-LLOYD BRADBURY : http://lloydsart.blogspot.com/

I invited him to be the guest artist at my art show but he declined. He is blind and traveling far will be physically difficult. He inspired me during my hard journey toward my art show. Recently he feautured me on his art blog and called me a "HERO." Please check his blog and read his inspiring article "WHO IS A HERO?" Lloyd,thanks for that beautiful thought. You made me happy. It's true that reaching my dream took tremendous courage and hard work.

NEXT BLOG- I will post photos of my family and grand kids, who are the joy of my life. Reaching this age, I realized that my best gifts are my family, long life and good health.

SOLO ART SHOW #1

2008-10-20T13:24:00.000-07:00

"Because I have walked on this earth for thirty years, and out of gratitude I want to leave some souvenirs...." Vincent Van Gogh
"Because I have walked on this earth for sixty-five years, and out of gratitude I want to leave some souvenirs...." Evelyne D. Resella

FIRST SOLO ART SHOW I apologize for the delay of posting my photos during my recent art show. My son Ryan who was the official photographer during my art show was extremely busy, working and studying for his MBA. I have to wait patiently for the 300 photos he took during the event. Ryan is a good photographer and loves to do it as a hobby. The many wonderful photographs are courtesy of Ryan. Please visit his website "Ryan's Photo Blog"-

http://ryanresella.com/

The many photos are worth waiting for. I am sharing them to my family & friends who were there and to those who didn't make it. Slow down and enjoy my art show. I 'll be posting the event photos in series, so as not to overwhelm myself and viewers. WELCOME TO MY FIRST SOLO ART SHOW! I have participated in many art shows and exhibits in the past. But every artist dreams of having her/ his own solo art show and I am no exception. Having creative goals in life makes me feel alive , fresh and younger. I designed the above handcrafted, colorful huge palette sign for my art show, displaying old worn out brushes. I glued sparkles around the palette. I also made and gave away colorful artists brushes as favors.I attached tags to the brushes w/ quote inspired by Vincent Van Gogh above, and then personalized it into my own.

MEANINGFUL PAINTINGS I did thirteen brand new oil painting for this art show. Here are some of the six brand new oil paintings (Size -30" x 48"). The theme of my art show was "Slices Of Filipino -American Heritage, Homeland And Heart." My recent paintings are inspired by real events that happened in my life and with family here in the United States and beyond its shore. These are slices of memories recreated as remembrances from a colorful heritage, with bits of nostalgia about my homeland. This is a subject that I feel needs to be recorded and noticed.
CLOSER VIEW OF THE PAINTINGS I will post these paintings one at a time on my future blog. ANOTHER VIEW OF THE OIL PAINTINGS.
ART SHOW WITH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION This was a double event. Although my family hosted this celebration, I did most of the planning and preparation. Since this was my art show, I insisted of doing it my way. I designed the centerpieces, signs, favors, brochures, programs and the set-up. I dreamed of impressionism for my theme color. Every table came with bright, different colors. I designed the simple centerpieces using colorful painted bricks as vases. I put bamboo poles- arched w/ sparkling palettes, surrounded w/ multi-hued floral and accented w/ autumn leaves. Each centerpieces were named after favorite impressionists artists like Vincent Van Gogh, Paul Gauguin, Claude Monet, etc.
VIEW OF OIL PAINTINGS FROM A DIFFERENT ANGLE.
TWO PAINTINGS FROM MY "EVENTFUL PAINTING" COLLECTIONS.
PHOTO OF PAST PAINTINGS "REFLECTIONS OF MY HOMELAND"
I exhibited three huge oil paintings that I did thirty seven years ago. Here are the lucky survivors.PRE-ART SHOW Another view of "REFLECTIONS FROM MY HOMELAND." I was putting the finishing touches on the table. I believe that people have their peak, at different times in life. I am a late blooming overachiever. I want to climb more mountains and do challenging art shows. I named my art goal - "Studio 65" - sixty-five new oil paintings completed before I reached this age. Although I had not finished even half this number, it's worth celebrating my birthday with an art show. Creating thirteen new paintings is a good accomplishment. There is no way I could have finished those sixty-five paintings! I will finish my goal in phases.FRONT VIEW OF PAINTINGS "REFLECTIONS FROM MY HOMELAND."

I was putting the labels on the paintings.

ART SHOW SET UP It was singing with colors as we displayed the paintings side by side, coordinated by colorful table clothes & centerpieces.
ANOTHER VIEW OF SET UP Simon, my grandson was taking a break.
ANOTHER OF MY HANDCRAFTED PALETTE SIGN.

WITH THANKS I am very grateful to God for making my dreams come true. I deeply appreciate my supportive husband. Because of him, I was able to paint leisurely without financial worries. Thanks for my children and grand kids for making this event a memorable and unforgettable one. Many thanks to my cousin Cely, for her culinary gift. Her talent was inspiring and made the appetizers truly beautiful. Thanks to all my family and friends who were there to share my joy and long life.

NEXT WEEK , I'll post photos about the food, entertainment and other interesting part of the celebration. Art is empowering. I encourage you to surround yourself with art, and live it. Thanks for visiting and stay tune for more.

BACK TO PAST PAINTINGS#2

2008-10-05T12:58:00.000-07:00

"Art evolves. So does life. Art is never stagnant. Neither is life. The beautiful, authentic life you are creating for yourself & those you love is your art. It's the highest art." - Sarah Ban Breathneath

SHORT BLOG I am still recovering from my exhausting art show last week. The preparation and planning that went into putting this beautiful and successful art show was physically tiring but worth all the hard works and efforts. I am eager to share you a video my art show but due to technical problems, I have to delay posting it. Meanwhile, I'll share the second part of some past paintings.
"MODERN ART #1" Our second home in San Fernando Valley, California became my art gallery. Here, I had the freedom to express my taste, style & personality. When I was younger, I like modern art and loved the works of Jackson Pollack. I created this huge painting specifically for our living room. I wanted to see and enjoy this painting everyday on my way to the kitchen and family room. I'd like my friends to enjoy it too while visiting our home. Today, my art has evolved. My style is still contemporary but different style. Now that I am advancing in years, I like to paint subjects about my past life. Those paintings will be shown on my blog latter on. I hope you'll continue to visit my blog.

BACK TO PAST PAINTINGS #1

2008-09-15T19:00:00.000-07:00

"You expect me to tell you what ART is? If I knew, I would keep my knowledge to myself."- Pablo Picasso

FIRST MODERN ART- The colorful background was my first modern oil painting. I did this painting before my four babies were born. Since it's modern art, it's anything goes. This painting no longer exists. When we moved to another house next door, I repainted the canvas and did another modern art. I didn't have any subject in mind. I did this painting with numerous colorful shapes to match the yellow & orange colors of our home decors.BACK TO THE PAST This photo was taken during my first Mother's Day in May 1974. This good looking baby boy is now 34 years old. And this was our first house in Canoga Park, San Fernando Valley (Southern California). I did this painting in this house.

FIRST SOLO ART SHOW In two more weeks (September 27, 2008), I will be having my first solo art show. This year, I have been extremely busy painting and preparing for this event. I will be showing thirteen brand new oil paintings. The theme of my art show is about "Slices Of Filipino-American Heritage, Homeland And Heart." After my show, I will post my new paintings on my blog. Meanwhile, enjoy one of my old paintings. It's good to look back and see how my art style have developed over the years.

APPLE PAINTING

2008-09-04T21:45:00.000-07:00

"It is not that I belong to the past, but the past that belongs to me." -Mary Antin

WASHINGTON APPLES Almost a month ago, I was in the evergreen state, Washington which is famous for those big, delicious, sweet, RED apples. I didn't have the chance to eat a big one, but I enjoyed seeing and touching a real apple tree. I picked a small green apple from an apple tree and it tasted sweet despite of its size. I often buy red apples from Costco but its more thrilling to get them from where they come from. This trip to Washington brought back memory of an old oil painting named "Five Apples." "FIVE APPLES" This is the only photo I have of the this apple oil painting. This event was the Filipino-American Induction Ball in the late 80's. The incoming president Tess, asked me to donate a painting for the event raffle. I gladly donated this simple oil painting. The artist (me) was standing on the left side. The woman on the right side won this oil painting through a raffle.
I never saw this painting again nor the woman who won it. But the memory of the painting remains forever.
SHORT BLOG This is a short post as I am extremely busy preparing for my coming first solo art show this coming September 27. I will be posting my new oil paintings after my art show.

LOVE ART

2008-08-14T16:34:00.000-07:00

"Love is saying your marriage vow seriously........"for better or for worst, in sickness and in health,in joy and in sorrow, for richer or poorer...... till death do us part." -Anonymous

WEDDING BELLS Last week my husband, three sons and I attended the wedding of Nathan, a nephew and the eldest son of my eldest sister. It is love that made Nathan marry at 4o years old. It was a beautiful wedding. We were all happy to see the first grandson of the Dirige clan to finally get hitched. Back home, I thought that a painting I did about LOVE is a nice topic for now.
LOVE ART During our trip to Scottsdale, Arizona two years ago, I saw the original LOVE sculpture. It is on display on a public park. In the 80's this LOVE icon became famous and there were many posters everywhere. It also became a cover for the popular book "Love Story." The poster inspired me to paint "LOVE" in the background. I did this painting in our first house. It was displayed in our bedroom. This is my second baby "Joy", smiling beautifully.

LOVELY TWOSOME Another view of the painting with my first baby "Rodney" and also Joy.I don't know what happened to this "LOVE" painting. I no longer remember what I did with it.I might have repainted the canvas with another art work. I am glad I still have a photo of this old painting. Our first home have so many memories and this painting was part of it. I wish I still have this painting and didn't part with it. Someday, I will create another LOVE painting.

Kids Art

2008-08-03T12:25:00.000-07:00

"At work, you think of the children you have left at home. At home, you think of the work you've left unfinished. Such a struggle is unleashed within yourself. Your heart is rent." -Golda Meir

GRAND PARENTHOOD One of the joys of being grandparent is having grands kids who are very artistic and creative. This summer vacation, my husband I have the privilege of enjoying our grand kids. However, no matter how much we enjoy having them around, we needed a vacation away from them. We needed rest from work and babysitting. This week we will be flying to Seattle, Washington and then drive to Vancouver, Canada. On the week-end we will attend the wedding of a nephew, the major reason for our vacation. Our grand kids will be staying with their Aunt Ann who has a big family of twelve going on thirteen. I am sure they will not miss us. They will be busy playing with their cousins. We will be traveling for a week. We will be away from home, work and easel but like the grandmother above, we will be thinking of these grand kids we left behind. I will also be thinking of the numerous paintings I left behind.
SIMON AND SCULPTURE Last summer vacation Simon and her sister Audrey spent only two weeks with us. It was short but packed with creative adventures. One of the activities was sculpturing. This was free-form sculpture, creating anything thing that strike them.
COLORFUL ACTION FIGURES. Simon created these figures. Good job Simon!

AUDREY AND ARTISTIC ANATOMIES She loves to sculpt bodies. Who said only boys like Michelangelo could do sculptures?

ANATOMICAL ARTS BY AUDREY Don't take kids for granted. They have a creative minds and hands. Good works Audrey! Lovely color combination too.

PAINTING FOOD

2008-07-27T14:11:00.000-07:00

"Cooking is one of best ways for your authentic self to remind your conscious self that you are an artist. Like the union of canvas and pigment, cooking is alchemy, a work of wholeness in progress.".......Sarah Ban Breathnach

COOKING AS ART This blog is about art, my paintings, other artists paintings, and anything related to art. Gardening is an art and so is cooking. Someone said...." that a pairing knife can be as creative as a paintbrush. Scraping, slicing, shredding, stirring, simmering, sauteing are all sleights of hand that switch your conscious mind onto artistic, automatic pilot. Once the conscious mind is distracted, the creative mind takes over, even if you aren't aware of it.
PANCIT PALABOK Whenever I take a break from painting, I seek discoveries in the kitchen, such as trying to re-create an old, favorite dish like this. Since the month of January,I have been extremely busy painting lots of food. I painted this dish about six times and didn't bore. Instead I was inspired to prepare and cook it for my family. This photo is the result of my artistic cooking.

A POPULAR AND FAVORITE FILIPINO DISH This dish is not easy to prepare but like painting, it gets easier and yummier with practice. This dish is made of boiled white noodles, drenched with "red palabok sauce." I like to add seafood, so my recipe has squid, clams, and shrimps. The sauteed seafood is scattered around. Sprinkled with pounded crackling, hard boiled eggs, big shrimps and fresh green onions and lemon slices around. This is my pretty Pancit Palabok. Cooking is my other creative outlet. In the future, I will be showing my paintings with this delicious dish. Hopefully in October or November. So watch out for it.

CREATIVE DREAM IS FOREVER

2008-07-20T15:19:00.000-07:00

"Dreams do not have an expiration date." From a 41 year old mother

IN JOY AND IN SORROW Real life as we know it is not always like a Disney fairy tale. Real life is more like a journey full of detours and sometimes dead ends along the way. Below is a photo of myself and Cely (a close cousin) during one joyful times in our backyard. She bought this oil painting "Reflections By The Lakeside" from me about a year and a half ago. I am sure this peaceful painting calmed her during difficult times. Last November I featured her on my blog because she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Then she went through weeks of chemotherapy with no energy. The story of her survival and recovery is a very inspiring story.
IN SICKNESS AND IN HEALTH We continued to connect despite of her illness. Last week, I mentioned on my blog that Cely's comment was the best so far. Let me share again her comment and e-mail. "Dreams do not have an expiration date," said the 41 year old mother who just recently qualified for Olympic team for swimming. She won over the girls half her age." I would say that inspiration does not have an expiration date either. If I start dreaming, I get inspired, then I am able to create something. That is why life is never boring.
E-MAIL FROM CELY "Having worked as a chef for years, one of my jobs every morning was to check the expiration dates of all the foods in the kitchen. I was really impressed when that swimmer said that dreams do not have expiration date. In spite of all the things that have happened to me I have not stopped dreaming, creating and being inspired. This summer I have spend so many hours outside in the garden, meditating and always in awe to find new sprouts everyday. As Dave (my husband) would say "No weed is safe in my sight." I have taken so many pictures of all the flowers, birds and butterflies. To some people this might be boring. I do not do this just to pass time.....this is part of my healing. It reassures me over and over that God cares for me. Thanks for including my comment in your blog. I hope that people will continually be inspired"

SUMMER ARTISTIC SCENE

2008-07-13T14:09:00.000-07:00

"You see things and you say 'Why?' but I dream things that never were, and I say 'why not?' -George Bernard Shaw

ME,CREATIVE? The eloquent statement above applies to everyone. We all have the capacity to dream, and to create. It is commonly held that there is such thing as "the creative spark." But in my perspective the "creative spark" is not the exclusive property of few rare individuals, but rather part of the every day mental activity of everyone, even the most ordinary.
A SUMMER OIL PAINTING Summer this year is like a passing breeze. It's going too fast. It's hard to believe that we are already in mid-summer. The long summer days seem not enough to do and paint everything I wanted. I am posting a painting I did one summer ago. The painting above is inspired by our past summer trip to Calgary, Canada. After my husband attended a conference there, we drove to Lake Louise. The scenarios are lovely along the way. This is one of them. Changing our routine and taking a relaxing trip will surely improve our creativity.
INSPIRATION. Oh , yes, there is a substitute for hard work-inspiration. Anyone with imagination and inspiration has the power to think creatively. I also learned that creativity comes when I am not sweating it out. This painting is my accomplishment for taking it easy.

BEST COMMENT ON THIS POST The comment below is from a cousin (Cely Suley) that I featured on my blog last November. She was diagnosed with breast cancer and went through a difficult surgery. Then weeks of radiation. Her recovery & survival is an inspiring story. Here's her comment today: "Dreams do not have an expiration date"......said the 41 yrs. old mother who just recently qualified for the olympic team for swimming. She won over the girls half her age. I would say that inspiration does not have an expiration date either. If I start dreaming, I get so inspired, then I am able to create somthing. This is why life is never boring.

ART OF GARDENING

2008-07-06T09:21:00.000-07:00

"It's difficult to think anything but pleasant thoughts while eating a home grown tomato"- Lewis Grizzard

HOME GROWN TOMATO My husband is the hard working vegetable gardener at home. For him gardening is a great stress reliever after a long day at work. He told me it's cheaper and healthier to garden than go to see a psychologist. It's true! I have never seen him smiling so handsomely as when he hold and tasted the first fruits of his harvest. The photos below were taken last year. Although he planted 10 new organic tomato plants this summer, our new photos are not yet ready. So I am sharing photos from last year.

MY HUSBAND Tasting the fruit of his labor. This year he planted many yellow tomatoes but they are not as lovely as the previous year. There is nothing as satisfactory or thrilling than gathering and eating the vegetables one had grown.
BIG YELLOW AND DELICIOUS TOMATOES FROM OUR GARDEN#1
YELLOW TOMATOES#2

YELLOW TOMATOES#3

MY GRAND DAUGHTER AUDREY WITH YELLOW FRESH TOMATOES
ME AND HANDFUL OF YELLOW TOMATOES Yes, I love these organic toms. Very sweet and satisfying. Everyday, we eat salad and put lots of fresh tomatoes on it. Gardening and cooking are complementary creative pastimes.

SOUTHWEST COLORSCAPES

2008-06-14T14:40:00.000-07:00

"Nature furnishes a rich assortment of shapes, textures, colors, values and movements to choose from....I paint to interpret nature, not to copy it." - Edward E. Herrmann

A VISIT TO THE WESTERN ART MUSEUM Many years ago, while visiting the Gene Autry Western Art Museum in Los Angeles, I bought a greeting card with a view of an impressionistic landscape with cactus. I was inspired by its vibrant colors and one day I painted the landscape. Down below was the outcome. This oil painting is 16" x 20" on canvas. I was so fascinated by the tender hues of turquoise cactus , the brightest pink burst of tiny flower, the slender thorns that remind one to keep a distance. The emerging background of deep purple plateau and vast sky golden with heat had captured me too.

ABOUT THE ORIGINAL ARTIST The original vivid impressionistic landscape was painted by Edward Herrmann. He was inspired by the magic of the changing seasons, the variegated influences of light and Nature's mutable moods.The painter has bold brush strokes and careful eye for detail. He strives for a deep sense of vitality. His paintings invite one to move through the rich texture, to experience the emotional resonances of a particular landscape. He said "A painting changes as one's thought change. It moves as the viewers mind moves, becoming alive only through the person looking at it." Someday, I hope I'll have the chance to meet this artist and tell him how much I was inspired by his painting. Copying someones art work is a great flattery.

ART OF SOLITUDE

2008-06-07T09:35:00.000-07:00

"If women were convinced that a day off or an hour of solitude was a reasonable ambition, they would find a way of attaining it. As it is, they feel so unjustified in their demand that they rarely make the attempt. "- Anne Morrow Lindbergh

WHY WE NEED SOLITUDE? I truly believe that it's essential for busy women, by which I mean all of us, to pause a moment- to reconsider the subject of solitude. Many of us approach time like it were frivolous and expendable luxury rather than a creative necessity. Why? We don't realize that certain doors or windows are tapped only when we are alone. We need to be alone to feed our souls.
"WOMEN FROM THE SOUTHWEST" Many years ago I painted this group of Indian women from Santa Fe, New Mexico. This is one of my figure studies in oil. It took me a while to do this small oil painting about 12" x 20" because human subjects are difficult to paint. This group of women fascinated me, so I gave it a try. They were busy working women. Here they proudly displayed their beautiful potteries. They loved company and probably crafted their potteries together. The above painting was the result of my labor,patience and solitude. I love this painting so much that, I still own it.
As an the artist I know I must be alone to create- the painter, to paint her/his masterpiece and the writer, to work out his thought. I need solitude in order to find inspiration and be more productive. To still the soul in the midst of too many demanding activities. I am a solitaire. Honestly I paint better when I am alone than in the company of many artists. I am less exhausted because I don't spend my energy talking when painting. While others work with CD's on and talking on the phone, I prefer to do things my way. I love to paint in solitude.

TID-BITS ABOUT FAMOUS ARTISTS I just finished reading a novel "The Last Van Gogh." He was a great impressionist artist, who many considered a genius. He and Paul Gauguin (another famous impressionist artist) were good friends and roommates. Despite of being good friends they always argued about their artistic styles and techniques. Although they enjoyed each other's company, I was surprised to know they never painted together. Even men craved solitude. Vincent said "But I prefer to paint alone. Even when I lived with Gauguin, we rarely painted at the same spot. My creative work is better suited for solitude." Vincent always wanted solitude and painted well when alone. And I think his desire for solitude helped him greatly to create his extraordinary masterpieces. No one have ever surpass his paintings.

ART FROM A WINDOW

2008-05-31T16:59:00.000-07:00

"Seeing is an art that can be learned by all of us." - Alexandra Stoddard

ART OF SEEING According to Alexandra few really know how to see and as a result are unaware of the majesty and beauty around them. But seeing can be learned, and those who learn to see well, the world becomes an entirely different place. Life is suddenly rich with promise, full of light, color, texture and harmony. I agree with her 100 %.

"FIELDS OF CACTUS" This is one of my Southwest oil paintings hanging in our home. It is 16" x 20." Seeing a field of cactus is an ordinary setting but if viewed from a painted window and arranged in attractive composition, it's more inviting. A window is an ordinary subject but when you add an area rug, pot of cactus, skulls and red chilli's hanging from the ceiling it becomes more attractive. This window invites you to look beyond the ordinary. On the horizon is a field of cactus with blue sky. There are many numerous things painted here but I am sure unnoticed by most people. Why? Seeing is an art and we have to learn how to be more receptive and appreciative of the beauty around us. Enjoy!

WINDOW ART

2008-05-23T15:20:00.000-07:00

" A house is who you are, not who you ought to be."- Jill Robinson

HOME PERSONALITY Whether we like it or not the personalities of our homes are accurate barometer that reflect, through our surroundings - where we have been, whats's going on in our lives, and who we are. While having lots of money certainly helps us express ourselves through our surroundings, creating a warm, imaginative and artistic home that reflects our own personality doesn't have to begin by hiring a decorator or pulling out our credit cards or checkbook. Today, no matter where you live, look upon your home with creative eyes and inventive minds. Decorating with a simple but well done painting will do the trick. Walk through your window and offer thanks for the lovely view, garden, roof that safely enclose you and yours. Be grateful for the home you have even if you don't own an original paintings by Vincent Van Gogh or Georgia O'Keeffe.

"VIEW FROM A BATHROOM WINDOW" This oil painting is 16" x 20" and painted on canvas. This is one of my early realistic oil paintings which I painted in the 90's. The colors are muted, a diversion from my vibrant colors. As always, I love to decorate our small cottage home with my own paintings. This painting is about a bathroom window looking out into a lovely view of the garden with cascading water fountain. It's lovely to look at and the one who has this kind of view is lucky indeed. Many years ago, I gave this painting to a lovely bride. I am her god-mother. This painting was my wedding gift for her and the groom. I am sure it had added personality to their first home together.

FROM THE ARTIST BACKYARD #2

2008-05-18T19:57:00.000-07:00

"In solitude, we give passionate attention to our lives, to our memories, to the details around us." - Virginia Woolf

SUNSET FROM THE BACKYARD It is very necessary for me to nurture my creativity daily. Whenever I am home, at the end of the day I go to our backyard, to reclaim my solitude. I stop whatever I am doing and give passionate attention to my inner life. I take time to notice the details around me. Simply gazing at the sunset is calming and encourages my creativity. This is one of the sunset views that I captured from our backyard. If you look closely at this photo, the electric post below the sunset looks like the Golden Gate Bridge silhouette. The sky cape with dark violet and orange is very inspiring.

SUNSET FADING INTO HORIZON Mother nature's palette is a rich source of inspiration. Just looking at the sunset is sure to ignite me and be ready for tomorrow with all the painting challenges before me. I rarely grow tired of where I live. Taking a few steps toward our backyard is not a herculean effort. Nothing seems to refresh me quite so much as seeing the beautiful sunset. Change is an excellent remedy for tired feeling. By change I do not mean taking a trip by car to far away places. We can transform and refresh our outlook just by enjoying the sunset with its many changing colors. A free show without spending a fortune on gallons of gasoline. This is a simple pleasure that sometimes we forget and take for granted.

FROM THE ARTIST BACKYARD #1

2008-05-09T16:18:00.000-07:00

"Why do we love certain houses, and why do they seem to love us? It is the warmth of our individual hearts reflected in our surroundings." -
T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings

HOME SWEET HOME The minute my husband and I walked into our present home, we knew it had warmth. There's coziness that attracted us. The warm resonance of a charming cottage look beckoned us to sink into comfort to our hearts content. Simple beauty. Inviting home and surrounding with serene and panoramic landscape. It's a small house with only 1,400 square feet but very efficient. Two bedrooms with bathrooms and a loft with its own bathroom too. I imagined right away this would be my future studio. We fall in love with this house and was willing to downsize. We sold many furnishings that wouldn't fit here. We bought many new furnishings that fit and look good in our small cottage home. After ten years, we are still living here and didn't expect to have a lasting infatuation with this home.
PANORAMIC PERSPECTIVE I think our backyard is the best part of our home. There is a vast open space before us. We don't have any neighbors from the back that could obstruct our view. Here is one of the spectacular shows that entertains and inspires me daily from our kitchen window. This is a daily scene unless it's raining or the weather is gloomy. Every day, the scene is surprising. The sky scape has different colors and moods. When God paints His masterpieces in Nature it's truly awesome. Is there someone who doesn't long to live in such a home with magnificent surrounding? The reflections from nature is always heartwarming. Someday it's not easy to be easy to leave this home.
MANY MOTHER'S DAY SPENT IN THIS HOME This second photo is only slightly different from the first but I am posting it too. I have many happy Mother's Day memories in this home. My children are all grown up now. They often visit me and my husband. I enjoy having our grand kids around too. They often vacationed here and I make sure our home nurtures and inspires them. I did many beautiful paintings here although I have not painted the above scene. I believe it's not the huge space or size of a home that's important. Sometimes the huge size could deplete our energy and resources. Our home should be a place for inspiration and renewal. It's good to have found a home like this. I hope to live and celebrate more Mother's Day in this home for many more years to come.

THE ART OF FRIENDSHIP

2008-04-26T13:40:00.000-07:00

"Not anybody and everybody can be your friend. It must be someone as close to you as your skin, someone who imparts color, drama, meaning to your life." - Henry Miller

WHAT IS A FRIEND? I like Henry Miller description of a friend - "Someone who imparts color, drama and meaning to your life." Someone said that the ideal friendship is between people who share the same interests like art and writing. For me, one of the greatest joys of blogging is gaining friends who are also artists and writers. They constantly impart color to my life. They also impart drama. I choose my friends because I believe it is better to cultivate a few close friendships than to maintain many superficial acquaintances. One of the artistic friends I met through blogging is Lloyd Bradbury. I am sure he's no stranger to you because I often promoted his art blog. Since the beginning I know he's going to be a good friend. What a coincidence that our blogs have the same format! When I read about his life story, I was deeply touched. He is blind but overcame his depressing disability through painting. His life story inspired me so much, because like him I struggled with a difficult disability (hearing loss). We have different obstacles but share the same goal in life -"to be creative and artistic, no matter what." I am grateful to have him as a friend, one who helps me to realize how beautiful our imperfect world is. Lloyd encourages me by dropping on my blog at least twice a week. He shares lots of nice words and stories. His vibrant abstract paintings make my world alive too. He's a friend who adds meaning to my life. Although the color of our skins are not the same, yet amazingly we clicked and became friends.

A FRIENDLY GIFT Last week-end, my husband and I arrived home at midnight from our long trip to San Francisco and Pacifica. I was exhausted but I couldn't help myself from opening a huge envelope lying among my mails waiting for my arrival. I smiled! It was from Lloyd. He sent me a print of his painting. I was...... speechless. I didn't expect he was serious when he asked for my mailing address. I am an artist but I deeply appreciated a gift of art from fellow artist. I gazed at it thrice before I dashed to bed and fall sound asleep.

A PAINTING BY LLOYD IRVING BRADBURY- This painting is untitled by I named it "BLUE CACTUS." Lloyd sent me this painting. He told me...."This print I sent you is one of a kind. The sketch was larger and torn up as it was on a scrap paper as a doodle for another background. It was not complexed but was created for YOU. I thought of cactus plants that your inspiration gave me. "

A MILLION THANKS TO YOU LLOYD!...... "I will always treasure this print and art you created specially for me. What a splendid imagination you have! How great to have an artistic friend like you. I am happy that you've been inspired by one of my cactus paintings."

http://lloydsart.blogspot.com/

If you are interested to know more about Lloyd Bradbury and his paintings please check his art blog at the above URL. He's a wonderful self-taught artist and works with mixed media. You might become friends too.

SPRING PALETTE#3

2008-04-20T16:19:00.000-07:00

"The joy you give to others is the joy that comes back to you."- Anonymous

BACK FROM SAN FRANCISCO As always it feels good to be back home after a wonderful trip to San Francisco and Pacifica. It was good to see familiar places, endless inspiring views and renew friendship and relationship. Had quality time with our grand kids during their spring break. Spent hours talking, laughing, cooking and gardening. We also explored Great America Park and Exploratorium. This time we didn't do any painting but we learned lots about art. Exploratorium is a good place to learn about science, seeing colors and details. Saw also our eldest son, old friends and relatives. The change of activity was very good for my body. Before this trip I wasn't feeling well for weeks due to pain in my upper leg.

YELLOW ORCHID Last year Lissa (my hair stylist) gave me a yellow orchid for Mother's Day. What a nice gesture! Aside from styling my hair beautifully she gave me an orchid. It was a touching experience for me. That flower inspired me to paint the yellow orchid again. Previously I painted a duet of yellow orchids which I donated. My painting below is one of a series that emerged from the first painting I did many years ago. I promised Lissa that I'll paint another smaller version for her someday. That someday finally came. Last month I went back to the salon for another relaxing day and I gave Lissa this orchid painting as promised.LISSA AND THE PAINTING Two weeks later, she sent me a lovely thank you note that's a joy to read. She wrote....."Thank you VERY much for the BEAUTIFUL painting!! You are truly amazing and talented. The painting and frame are beautiful!! I will forever cherish this for as long as I live. You have blessed me in so many ways by just being you! Now this gift is priceless, but knowing you and having you in my life is PRECIOUS! Thanks for everything. Lots of Love! Be blessed!"
LISSA AND ANOTHER FRIEND AT THE SALON
CLOSE-UP OF "THE YELLOW ORCHID PAINTING" This oil painting is about 16" x 14" on canvas.
FULL VIEW Of the orchid with simple gold frame. Like what I said before, giving my painting as a gift brings lots of joy to my heart. When I make others happy, I am more happier. That's PRICELESS!

A SPRING PALETTE#2

2008-04-11T15:40:00.000-07:00

"Bloom where you're planted.'" - Mary Engelbreit

BLOOM WHERE YOU'RE PLANTED- One of my favorite woman author -Sarah Ban Breathnach said....."I have discovered that if we are to flourish as creative beings, we must bloom wherever we are planted. Right now, you might not have the perfect career, home, or relationship. Few of us do. But if you have the gift of today, you've got another chance to re-create your circumstances." How true! Like her I'd like to bloom where I am. Thank God, I am not a plant but a painter. Although my art career is not perfect, I am grateful that each day is a chance to improve my creativity and paint fresher, newer and better.
PURPLE PALETTE This is a very pretty color. Like deep blues, purple is also a dark color and considered moody or sometimes even threatening. Purple comes in many different names like violet, lilac, lavender and amethyst. On the other hand purple is the complementary color of yellow. These two colors are directly across from each other on the color wheel. My favorite artist Vincent Van Gogh did most of his famous impressionistic paintings with complementary or contrasting colors such as purple and yellow, red, and green, orange and blue. Complementary colors are vibrating and very effective in paintings."PURPLE CACTUS FLOWER" is another of my oil paintings. It is 18" x 24" on canvas. In painting the cactus flower I used complementary colors like deep purple and yellow-orange. It looks stunning to the eyes. This simple painting is presently hanging in our bedroom. Our bedroom has a simple decor. My husband and I sleep better in a simply decorated bedroom because we are not distracted with many competing decor and furniture. It's also easy to maintain too. But when we travel, we loved to stay in luxurious hotels and suites.

http://lloydsart.blogspot.com/ - My blog-mate Lloyd Bradbury has something to say about using complementary colors like purple and yellow. Please take a few minutes to read his post dated March 16, 2008 -"Improved Cat" and March 17,2008- "This Lucky Lady." He said....."Notice the difference by glazing yellow. The Romantic Painter (Delacroix) and Landscapist (Constable) use complementary colors to create more brightness to their paintings. The shadows of an object is the complementary color of the object.....I did this naturally until someone pointed this out to me. These two paintings I painted came out this way without me knowing of this theory."

COLOR PSYCHOLOGY An author, William Power wrote in his book "Color Mixing Recipes" that it is a rather complex subject. He said......."Color affects our reactions, emotions, and feelings. Different people, however may react differently to the same color or colors. For example, red may be a favorite for some, blue or green to others." How true! For me purple with yellow are wonderful palette combo that had enhanced my paintings over the years. If you couldn't paint, why not try testing the psychology of colors. Start wearing purple pants or shirt with yellow tops or tees. Watch how people will react to you. I'm sure you'll look stunning. Or you'll bloom like a yellow or purple flower.

POSTCRIPT: Last Saturday my husband's parents celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary with immediate family. Wow! Being married for 65 years is a great accomplishment. That's a long time to be married.Congratulations to both of them! Before the event, I was looking at anniversary celebrations and their symbols. Twenty fifth (25th) anniversary is silver. Fiftieth (50th) is golden. Sixtieth (60) is diamond. I was thinking why there is no color or symbol 65th?
http://www.ryanresella.com/
My son Ryan posted those memorable moments on his photo blog.
If you'd like to see them, just click the URL above.

A SPRING PALETTE#1

2008-04-04T15:40:00.000-07:00

"Seeing with your eyes doesn't guarantee seeing with your heart. Seeing with your heart opens your eyes." - Anonymous

SPRING BRINGS A RIOT OF COLORS What's lovelier than feasting our eyes at colors bursting around everywhere as we traveled down the freeways. The sky is dazzling in cobalt blue, the gazania's are blooming in yellow and orange hues, the trees are standing beautifully in various shades of fresh greens, dresses are more light and colorful, smiling lips in myriads shades of red and pink lipsticks. Yes, there are riot of colors. Different color! Multi-colors! Very vibrant and lively colors!

HARRIS RANCH INN AND RESTAURANT Every time my husband and I take a trip up to San Francisco, we always stop by Harris Ranch Restaurant for lunch. It's located on Fwy#5 going up north. This ranch has a restaurant and hotel. The restaurant is famous for it's excellent steak and other delicious beef menu. It has a cattle ranch nearby. We like their excellent tri- tip w/ eggs, fresh tomatoes and biscuits which are served all day. When we first discovered this place, the tri-tip and all the trimmings were only $6.99 per person. Now it's $14.99 per person. Why? Now everything is getting expensive not only the food but gasoline for our trip.

CACTUS AND SOUTHWEST PAINTINGS The Harris Ranch Restaurant has a Southwest architecture and decorations. I love looking at the many cactus's oil paintings on display in the lobby, hallways and private rooms. This is one of my favorites. The artwork is painted by a woman artist but I couldn't remember her name. I took a photo of this painting and did my own version.
MY ART WORK This oil painting ( 20" x 24" on canvas) was inspired by the first painting shown above. This is my version of the original painting. Copying some body's painting is frown upon by others but I don't see anything wrong with it. Many artists started by copying other artists works. It is often encourage. I think that if one could copy well, that's a great talent. To be a good artist one needs to practice, study and copy over and over again. It's not a crime learning from others artists who came before us. Studying their style and technique is very helpful. ANOTHER VIEW OF "POTS OF CACTUS" This trio of cactus is a beautiful painting that I am happy and proud to display in our living room. Painting the same subject over and over again, don't bore me. Whenever I look... ..meaning.... really looking..... with admiration and appreciation with my whole heart..... the paintings and the world becomes a more fascinating, inspiring and COLORFUL place to live in. Try it!
MANY THANKS I'd like to acknowledge my viewers who are not blogger, for dropping me some comments for the first time. You made me happy. I hope you'll continue inputting your comments. For those who are still not sure how to make a comment please go back to my post last week. In the last paragraph, I gave a simple direction on how to do it. It takes practice.