# 74. Are You Challenging Me?

Entourage! This is a picture that I took of my co-ed fraternity brothers right before our semi-annual family wars event. Family wars in kinda like a mini Olympic day where all 4 families compete against each other in games like ultimate frisbee, egg toss, tug-a-war and other similar activities. Our family is Entourage! YEAH!  

Too bad there isn’t a theme called “Like a Boss” because this would fit perfectly. However, I think “Are you challenging me?” works pretty well. I mean if I were other people I wouldn’t want to challenge us while we’re all decked out in black with pink mini mouse bandanas. We definitely have a “don’t mess with this” kind of attitude. I added Daffy Duck (notice he is also wearing one of our bandanas) just to over express our seriously goofy nature.

Anyway, back to the artistic side, like I said I took the picture but actually drew Daffy Duck. It began with a sketch which then was scanned into the computer. I used computer paint program to add in all the color… that took a while. Finally I composed the 2 together and I finished it up with a flashy background and funky font.

5 Must See Salvador Dali Artwork

I didn't intend to stray from my themes but I thought this is kind of cool. Anyway it’s official! I’ve been accepted into OU’s study abroad program and next May I’ll get to take my business capstone course in Alcala de Hernares, Spain. Yes, I’m excited! However, speaking of Salvador Dali from my previous post (One of my overall favorite artists) his home town is Figueres, Spain and home to one of the best Salvador Dali Museums in the world. One of my goals when I get to Spain is to visit this museum.

I mean look at the architecture of the museum, if that doesn’t say Dali I don’t know what does

1. Portrait of Gala with Two Lamb Chops Balanced on Her Shoulder (1933)

 

Now, what derived Dali to put a piece of meat on a girls shoulder? The oddness of this painting definitely helps describe the artist’s personality. However I do wonder if this painting was meant as some sort of inside joke between Dali and his wife (whom he sometimes called Gala). He must have been a very out of the box kind of guy.

2. Galatea of the Spheres (1952)

These are the painting I love the most. They are so creative that I always stop and then to myself “wow, now what can I create that is compare with the creativeness of Dali?” And then the cogs start turning and I can feel the creative juices flowing and I have pick up a pen and paper and start a new major work of art! Anyway, Dali’s paintings by far are the most inspirational artwork for me.

3. Surrealist Object Functioning Symbolically (1974)

The shoe speaks to me. I almost want to spoof the painting and make one of my own but instead of a red high heel use a converse sneaker. Additionally I also love how Dali incorporates all the small detail points in his paintings. Like all of the mini shoes he places in this one. To me it’s almost like you find a new discovery every time you look at his painting and I love it!

4. Face of Mae West Which Can Be Used as an Apartment (instalation) (1974)

 No it’s not a painting it’s actually a room. Yes a room how awesome is that! The lips are actually a couch and the nose seems almost like a chimney to me with jewels in the nostrils as fire. I’m not sure if that was the intension or if the nose is just some type of furniture oh well I like my chimney idea.

5. Dali Jewels

And yes he even turned his paintings into jewelry, how clever.

#12 Insanity

Insanity is a theme that is quite subjective there isn’t something that you can google images and find a unanimous conclusion of that the theme look like. However, that is one of the reasons that I’m drawn to this theme. It really gives you a chance to be more creative and think outside the box.

Although most people probably view insanity as something a little bit more dark and scary. I was more inspired to create something a little more surreal. Falling through an endless world with no ground in sight yet you have a sense that someone else is watching and ultimately has control. Is it obvious I had a little bit of Salvador Dali on my mind?

# 75 Mirror

First of all, I'm highly annoyed that my camera refused to take a picture of the piece without some type of glare. Oh well that’s what I get for using chrome nail polish as paint…

This is actually a painting / drawing / collage /…. whatever you want to categorize it that I made my senior year of high school but as it is one of my favorites I really wanted to incorporate it into my challenge. The way I see it I think it fits the theme pretty well. The middle is meant to be a shattered mirror. Anyway I seems like the majority of the time girls (particularly teenage girls) lack the ability to stare at themselves in the mirror and believe 100% that they truly are beautiful. Therefore they hide themselves under layers of makeup that in the end fail to hide their own insecurities.

Materials necessary for this piece:

1.   Cardboard – dissected to expose the inner ripples and recycles pieces collaged into the mirror frame

2.   3 bottles of Chrome nail polish – particularly my favorite 2 shades pink and blood red and the dark fleshy color to resemble foundation makeup

3.   Prisma  Pencils – to draw girl gazing into the mirror and other minor touch ups

4.   1 powder plush – yes it’s used…

5.   CD – the broken mirror pieces are actually cut and peeled off of the shiny side of a used CD

6.   Oil pastels – used to color the hand holding a mascara wand

Back in the day when I believed I was bound for a private art school, I went to a portfolio day in Kansas City to meet with 20+ top art colleges in the nation. One recruiter told me that if I brought nothing in my portfolio but this one art piece alone he would offer me a $2000.00 scholarship just for seeing this one. Hmmmmmm.... if only I could sell it for that much, ah wishful thinking.

# 31 Flowers

I guess it’s not a bad thing to start with something a little easy. Flowers are one of the simplest still-life to draw. However, still-life drawings are some what boring in my opinion, so it’s no surprise I had to add my own little tweak to make the drawing a bit more interesting.

I choose to draw an iris because it is one of my grandmother’s favorite flowers. She has several iris gardens in her yard and every spring when they bloom it is just gorgeous! My mom told me once that iris’s are one of the easiest flowers to grow. How fitting, a simple drawing of a simple flower. You plant the bulbs as just sit back and watch. You don’t have to replant them each year they come back on their own yet every year it’s a surprise to see what colors will bloom. Is it obvious that purple iris’s are my favorite?

I’ve decided to mat the drawing and rap it up as a Christmas present for my grandmother. Given that she was the inspiration behind it I think she will really like it.

#1 The Introduction!

I often post my artwork on the artist host website known as DeviantArt. The other day I was browsing through other artists work and found the 100 Theme Challenge. Immediately I became intrigued.

 But first, a little about me and why I’m doing this. I was one of those kids that learned how to color inside the lines before most other kids my age. I remember winning a coloring contest in the first grade and from then on art has been a passion of mine. My skill grew through high school and I continued into college to earn an associate degree in fine art. However, Oklahoma is not the most notorious place for new artists and I changed my perspective to focus on a business degree.


Don’t get me wrong, I love everything I’m learning about the business world but studying business at the University of Oklahoma is quite demanding which leads me to have little time to devote to creating new works of art.


I embrace this 100 theme challenge because it gives me a chance to bring more creativity back into my life. It’s a long term commitment that I believe is attainable yet not completely time demanding. My goal is to complete a new piece of art a week and report and how it fits the theme and why I choose to complete it in that manner.


Good Luck to me!




#1 Introduction