An encouraging and heartwarming e-mail from David Kovac in regards to my surgery & artwork:

Hi, Angel.

Thanks for your message. I certainly wish you a swift and complete recovery. Healing, I have read, is really the only form of magic that comes entirely from within us. (As opposed to powers that move through us, but are not originally "of us.") Indeed, we missed you at The Magic Cabaret his past week. Sandy and Jen seem very cool. I'm meeting all kinds of people who know you, apparently. Popular you!

So. I just printed out a copy of your drawing (the one of you holing a pen and writing, with you in full view) and taped it to my office wall here in my U.V. apartment. Thanks for your work, Angel. Keep going. Sometimes I imagine drawings, like dreams, are bridges we build between the Earth and the Heavens.

Your Fellow Traveller,
DSK.

Illustrated Works

Click to see pictures from the opening art reception.





Click to see pictures from the exhibit at The Woods Gallery.

On Beauty and Being Just

Taken from the first page of Elaine Scarry's "On Beauty and Being Just":

What is the felt experience of cognition at the moment one stands in the presence of a beautiful boy or flower or bird? It seems to incite, even to require, the act of replication. Wittengenstein says that when the eye sees something beautiful, the hand wants to draw it.

Beauty brings copies of itself into being. It makes us draw it, take photographs of it, or describe it to other people. Sometimes it gives rise to exact replications and other times to resemblances and still other times to things whose connection to the original site of inspiration is unrecognizable.

Reflecting After Art Opening

I was quite humbled by everyone who showed up; old teachers and classmates, long time friends, friends of friends, 2 of my favorite doctors as well as my orthopedic surgeon's family, staff from the Michigan/Indiana Chapter of the Lupus Alliance of America, art critic from Real Detroit, my 23 month old nephew, and many more. I even met some new faces. I really am blessed.

My surgeon, Dr. David Mendelson, who some of my readers might know from Issue #3 of Morning Star, asked me some good questions at my art reception:

Do you feel your artwork is evolving?
Where do you see yourself going [art-wise] ?


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Some thoughts I've had after the show:

• When I can afford the art supplies, I want to begin working in color again. Begin painting again. I have 2 series brewing in my head that I am going to paint.
  
• Learn how to mat and don't do matting and framing last minute. (Either that or find away to have enough money to pay a professional to mat for you.) If I had the time and money this would not be a problem.
• Some of the illustrations I did for the show I think could use more work. I love working in pen & ink, along with a ballpoint pen and white ink. The original illustrations I drew for the show are meant to be scanned black and white. I like to make the images brighter and contrast the lines darker. This, I plan to do more in my comics. Maybe I will add color to the comics.
• I want to produce prints of my illustrations, since I know that people want to buy my artwork, but of course can't always afford the expensive originals.
• In the near future, I am working on the new comic book series, "Geli Girl." Be on the look out for this.
  
• I will also be using my AmeriCorps awards to attain a dual certificate in web design and graphic design at Center for Creative Studies in 2010.

____________________

So, do I feel my artwork is evolving? Yes. I realize that me being ill because of my lupus and me being busy with work while I was in Chicago, I did not have much time for my own personal artwork. I know I have tons of ideas and projects I want to work on. My artwork at the show showcased 16 new pieces of artwork that I drew in the last four months. I find myself now focusing on what I feel is what I am meant to do and what comes so naturally and freely to me. So it's been a long time since I have been able to focus solely on just drawing... I find myself more and more knowing what I need to do and to keep going and being disciplined and creating.

The last two years I am beginning to just grasp on what direction I want to go with in my art and my style and with what is working for me and what I want. So... yes, yes... it is evolving more and I can only see myself getting more disciplined and more concrete in the actual artwork, ideas, thoughts, etc. Evolving and growing and learning more and more within experience.

Ideally, I am taking inspiration from the likes of freelance illustrator Penelope Dullaghan and mini-comic book artist, John Porcellino. Also Bluesanct/Day2 artists who's music and art is meant to be shared, created for friends and new friends. There motto is: "making homemade goods and slowly becoming your friends." I just want to make artwork that pulls people in, that people can see and relate to.

One of my favorite, most humbling situations are when writers, musicians, artists, etc. tell how me how my artwork had inspired them to paint, draw, create music, write... get back into the studio. I feel like my art has accomplished what it needs to when statements like this are said to me. Like I had mentioned before, I really am blessed.

Time Wastes Too Fast by Maira Kalman

Time Wastes Too Fast by Maira Kalman

NOTES TO SELF:

• Stop forgetting to sign my name on finished art pieces!
• Fix right eye on self-portrait on bio page of my website. It looks crazy!

Self Portrait 3

Self Portrait 2 REVISED

Original Image:


1st Attempt:


2nd Attempt/Final Image:

Self-Portrait 3 In Progress

Self-Portrait 3 In Progress:

I'm not sure how I feel about this as a self-portrait. I think I should define the lines more. Even out the scarf more? Outline the hand better? I dunno. I'm not satisfied. But it's a good try, eh? I think I'll try to work on it some more tomorrow.

Jules Adolphe Breton's "The Song of the Lark"

Jules Adolphe Breton
French, 1827-1906
The Song of the Lark, 1884
(oil on canvas)

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Notes to self:

• Check out Breton's "The Song of the Lark" painting at AIC in July, when checking out The New Modern Wing.
• Check out Jen's sculptures in Lincoln Park on Lincoln and Clark when visiting Chicago in July.
• Borrow Willa Cather's "The Song of the Lark" from the library.

Note to self: Check out the new modern wing at AIC when visiting Chicago in July.

New Illustrations for DIY 2009 Calendar

MAY:


Broadway Grill & Pizza on Broadway & Lawrence.

My favorite place for greasy food right next door to my former place of employment (Asian Human Services.)

JUNE:



"Your Sunday's Best" Sunday open mic at Schuba's Tavern on Belmont & Southport.

At the bar.

HAPPENED: Sunday, June 1/Monday, June 2/The midnight of Kristy "K-Rock" Mangel's 30th Birthday.

In this drawing: Sean Flannery, James Fritz, Brendan McGowan

(photoshopped: playing with brightness/contrast)


(original/not photoshopped)


This is my first attempt in drawing a self-portrait since my freshman year in college. I haven't used colored pencils in a long time. Unless you count the time I worked with grade school kids, but I don' t think that counts. Does it?

I'm not satisfied with this attempt (and I will be hard on myself.) Need to fix up the eyes and the corners of my mouth. Also, I think I need to make create a self-portrait where I am wearing my eyeglasses; since that is pretty signature of me.

I'm going to draw a couple of more tomorrow.

Although I am not satisfied with these to use for my business cards, homepage, and/or bio section of my website. I am quite happy for this being my first self-portrait in 10 1/2 years.

Work-In-Progress: Self Portait

I haven't worked on a self-portrait in a long time. I am drawing a couple self-portraits this week and choosing which ones to use for new business cards, the homepage, and bio section of my website.

Here is one of the self-portraits in progress. Drawn so far in ballpoint pen, scanned, put into grayscale mode, while messing with the contrasting on photoshop:



I'm going to add color with colored pencils and possibly go over the lines again with black pen and ink or just maybe go over again with ballpoint pen to define everything. I need to fix the right eye. It's totally messed up.

Notes: Monday, 20 April 09

TO DO:

• one man show illustrations
• research for possible commission piece
• lupus documentary
• self portrait

• start checking out the metro detroit art scene/arts community
• create contact list (also keep track of who has bought/commissioned/taken interest in my artwork)
• newsletter/mailing list
  
• hand held art portfolio
• gather together press clippings, comic reviews, exhibit postcards, brochures, etc. to document in portfolio
  
• create artwork inventory
• create master resume/cv
• create template for invoices for commissioned work
• start keeping track of budget
• create folder for receipts
• research and start applying for grants, scholarships

UPDATE:

• New business cards (Draw new self-portrait to be used for new business cards and replace image on homepage of website with self portrait.)
• CV/Resume (add afterschool matters, awards, etc.)
• website (makeover-----> focus on illustration work; make commissioned work separate category)
• artist statement
• artist bio

Brainstorming Notes/To Do List for Lupus Journal/Video Documentary

TO DO LIST:

Write/Create:

• title
• synopsis------> personal story/documentary of an artist with lupus, entering her 30's, undergoing yet another joint replacement... Struggles with change in her life, in her relationships, and with what control she has and does not have because of lupus, dealing with moving from chicago and unexpectedly back into her childhood home. ------> extension of her comic, Morning Star #3.----->shows healing process from joint replacement surgery.
  
• influences/related artwork experience: persepolis, american splendor, jeffrey brown, flying: confessions...I have worked with a lot of video editing (esp. sound) during my time in art school & consider myself an illustrator and comic book artist--this will be my first time turning my comic illustrations into an animation to be worked into a video format and/or moving image.
  
• statement of purpose:
• interview questions: friends, doctors, family
• letters of permission to record-----> research this, write proposals---> can some of my surgery be filmed?
• (loose) storyboard: comic portion, etc.
• timeline (date of right knee replacement surgery: tuesday, july 28, 2009.)
  
• budget create list of needs ( i.e. frames for exhibition, more dv tapes, editing program, tripod, pen and ink, drawing paper)
• in-kind donations, grants (doctors?, saic alumni, LFI, AAOS?)

other thoughts:

• premiere screening of video/gallery exhibition opening/reception featuring comics/animation (framed) that are featured in film. (Look for gallery to exhibit.)

needed camera shots:

• document how I walk (pre-surgery, surgery, post surgery)--show how it differs daily (depending on weather, fatigue, going up and downstairs, inability to bike, etc.) during the pre-surgery stage.
  
• chicago, detroit scenic shots

Where The Wild Things Are Trailer (HD)

Just like everyone else, I am looking forward to this:

New Illustrations for DIY 2009 Calendar

New illustrations for DIY 2009 Calendar.

MARCH:


Illustration of bus and it's passengers in San Francisco.

This image was taken at night, when I was walking from the AAOS's eMotions Pictures art reception at the Moscone Center all the way to my hotel room at the Dragon Gate entrance in Chinatown.

I had drank at least several glasses of wine and had absolutely no problem finding my way back to the hotel.

Happened: Fri., March. 7, 2008.

APRIL:


Illustration of an elementary student planting flowers in Chase Park on Ashland & Clark.

For Global Youth Service Day, AmeriCorps members from Asian Human Services teamed up with Passages Charter School students to plant flowers and clean both Chase & Welles Park.

Happened: April 25, 2008

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3 image down, 9 more to go. Touch up with pen and ink/brush. Then add 12 captions to go under each illustration. Glue illustrations and captions to calendar. Bind together & hang.

Re-Reading Rilke Again

"...seek those which your own everyday life offers you; describe your sorrows and desires, passing thoughts and the belief in some sort of beauty--describe all these with loving, quiet, humble sincerity and use, to express yourself, the things in your environment, the images from your dreams, and the objects of your memory. If your daily life seems poor, do not blame it; blame yourself, tell yourself that you are not poet enough to call forth its riches; for to the creator there is no poverty and no poor indifferent place."

--Rainer Maria Rilke, "Letters to a Young Poet."


__________________________

current projects:

• lupus documentary
• illustrations for a one man show