A COLORFUL LIFE & PAINTINGS

"Paintings  have a life of their own that derives from the painter's soul."- Vincent Van Gogh 

 

"REFLECTIONS FROM MY HOMELAND" - SERIES#1

  

SIZE: 3 Feet x 6 Feet
MEDIUM: Oil on Canvas
YEAR PAINTED: 1971

The years hurried on. June 2013 is finally here.  This colorful painting is now 42 years old. Still a raving beauty because it was well taken cared off. I painted it after I got married in 1971. Like this painting,  my husband and I have an enduring and  beautiful marriage for 42 years. 

As newly married, we first lived in a cozy apartment at the intersection of  La  Fayette St. and Beverly Blvd. ( Los Angeles). My art studio was our small multi-purpose dining area. This was the first huge oil painting I painted in this small space. Back then I also work as paste-up artist for Trade Service Publication. The office was just across our apartment. Very close and convenient to walk to work.

When I immigrated to the United States, I was quite homesick so most of my paintings were reflections of  my former homeland  ( the Philippines). I will never forget my homeland. I am proud of my heritage and enriched by embracing two cultures. I came to the United States w/ only a luggage and a hand carry. I managed to bring some samples of my small art works for my portfolio. I needed to show some samples when I applied for advertising job. But I left all my heavy student oil paintings in the Philippines.

It didn't take long for me to start painting again in my adopted country. I did small oil paintings prior to this huge painting in our studio apartment in Westwood Village which I shared w/ my sister Ofel. 

Out of this original "Homeland" painting came a series of paintings. I had painted variations of this painting five times for family and friends. Many wanted me to do the same painting but I simply refused and said..."No more!"  I thought that doing this kind of painting five times was more than enough.

The vibrant colors of this oil painting was inspired by the many brilliant colors of my favorite artist (Vincent Van Gogh). The style was also influenced by Vicente Manansala, one of the contemporary Filipino artists that I admired while at the U.P School of Fine Arts.

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YELLOW YEARS - MODERN ART #4

"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

TITLE: "THE WAVES"
SIZE: 3 feet by 2 feet (3 Panels)
MEDIUM: Oil On Canvas
YEAR PAINTED: 1977

"HAPPINESS" is living at Hidden Lake. Those were happy rolling years like beautiful waves when we lived there. This is a colorful modern oil painting that I created when we moved to the model home next door. Like  my favorite artist, Vincent Van Gogh, I was fascinated w/ the color yellow. Yellow is always a color that’s very alive, happy, vibrant and uplifting. The years we lived at Hidden Lake were like “Golden Years” to me. Yellow & gold and synonymous.

I remember there was a long wall on the living room. A perfect space for a BIG and BOLD modern painting like this. I combined yellow w/ ochre, sienna and white. The combination turned out very nicely. 

Below was a photo of our inviting and beautiful living room where we displayed "The Waves."

 

 

ANOTHER BEAUTIFUL VIEW OF "THE WAVES."

THE JOY OF COLOR

"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.

A GALLERY OF THANKSGIVING COLOR

"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

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

"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?

NEW YEAR'S EVE PAINTING

"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."