"REFLECTIONS FROM MY HOMELAND"- SERIES #2

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

 

"REFLECTIONS FROM MY HOMELAND- SERIES#2"

SIZE: 6 feet x 3 feet (oil on canvas).

MEDIUM: Oil On Canvas

YEAR PAINTED: 1973

SOLD: To Mr. & Mrs. Oscar Kragen ($100.00)

 

This is the second painting that I created from my original "REFLECTIONS FROM MY HOMELAND - Series#1". I painted it at our first house in Hidden Lake. We didn't have children yet at that time. We lived in a four bedroom house. One of the rooms became my art studio plus craft and florist room. I also worked for TV Fanfare full time. W/ my day job, I could only paint at night and during week-ends. I finished painting the Series#1 in a month. Series #2 took me 2 months. I painted this huge painting for Mr. and Mrs. Oscar Kragen from North Hollywood, California. They were Jews but liked Philippine setting. They were the parents of Bruce, my husband's best friend. I sold it to them for only $100.00. It was the first oil painting I sold in the United States. Back then, it was a good amount of money for an unknown artist. I felt rich.
 

When Bruce parents passed away, he inherited this painting . It is now in their house in Santa Monica, California. I was fortunate to be reconnected to this painting. During my solo art show last September 2008, I borrowed this painting and exhibited it w/ the original "Reflections Of My Homeland"-Series#1, together w/ other 13 brand new oil paintings.  I felt sad that this oil painting deteriorated over time. Some of the oil paints cracked because it was not probably stored properly. So I did some restoration and retouching on the Series#2,  before showing it to the public again.

 

REFLECTIONS FROM MY HOMELAND -SERIES #1

"There's No Place Like Home"

 "A House is made of brick and stone. A home is made of love alone."

"A house is built by human hands. But a home is built by human heart."

Over the years, we had moved to nine different houses but this oil painting remained w/ us. It beautifully graced our home wherever we moved and lived.

 

FIRST HOUSE: We moved to our first brand new house in Hidden Lake, Canoga Park (San Fernando Valley) CA. We moved this huge oil painting for the first time. This was the first painting we hanged in our new house.

SECOND HOME: At 8394 SEDAN AVENUE, CANOGA PARK (SFV), CALIFORNIA 

After living for 3 years in our first house,  we moved to this model home next door. This oil painting became the centerpiece of our family room. What attracted us to this house was the high cathedral celing and the man-made lake in our backyard. It's beauty and serenity was perfect setting for an artist.  

 

THIRD HOUSE: In 1985, our family relocated to Valencia, a master-planned community of Sta. Clarita Valley, California. We lived in Lochmoor Road in the Meadows area. The company I was working for was devastated by fire. So TV Fanfare relocated to the Valencia Industrial Center. My husband and I decided it was best to move closer to our jobs.

We displayed this favorite oil painting in our family room. I duplicated the feel and style of the house we left behind. I remained faithful to our yellow color theme w/ subdued tones. I picked a wall  paper design that's close to the one in our former family room in Hidden Lake.

 

FOURTH HOUSE: Again in 1989, we moved to a brand new house at "The Oaks." The house was a Tiburon model. It got 3,000 square feet. It was bigger than the other house we lived in Lochmoor  Rd. before. We hanged this favorite oil painting in our family room. This photo was taken during our housewarming.

 

FIFTH HOUSE: Later we decided to move to Newhall (Sta. Clarita) in 1992. We lived on a street called "Oakrun." This painting stayed in our family room. No photo available.

 

SIXTH HOUSE: In 1992 we moved to Castaic (Sta. Clarita). We lived in Cloverleaf St. We liked this house because it was surrounded by mountains and the views were gorgeous. This favorite painting was displayed in our family room again. In this house, I had an art studio built inside our three car garage. I started to do oil paintings again. I did many art works while we lived here. No photo available.

SEVENTH HOUSE: We moved back to Valencia at the Northbridge area. We found a cozy Cottage Hill architecture type of house. It got a loft upstairs which was perfect for an art studio. The daily sunset view from the kitchen was a constant inspiration for me to paint. We bought this house w/ no reservation despite of it's small size.

 We displayed this colorful oil painting on our dining area for the first time. I did many masterpieces in this inspiring house.

 

EIGHTH HOUSE: My husband had an early forced retirement last 2010. So we decided to relocate in San Diego.  Our small condo was located at  Rancho Mission Road overlooking a beautiful river view. Inspiring to paint. This oil painting was on display at our dining room wall.

NINTH HOUSE: Last year, 2012, we decided to move back to Valencia (Sta. Clarita). Our new condo is at the Bridgeport area. This oil painting in presently on display on our living room. This "Reflections From My Homeland" (Series#1) had always been a part of our lives through thick and thin. Amazingly, it survived beautifully after so many moves. Truly this art work will last forever after I am gone.

"Long after our monuments of brick and stone, vitriol, plastic and concrete have vanished, our words, our art, our legends and our myths will remain as a legacy." ( Harry J. Boyle)

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!!!!!!