The Artist is here...

Last few days I have been feeling really motivated. I have some ideas that I will be committing to pencil and paper. They really kind of hit me all of a sudden. I don't know if it was because of the new mental space that I am in or because it was it's time to come out. Nonetheless, I am really excited about the direction my creative process is taking me.

I feel like I have gotten back a little piece of my artistic soul. I guess it's the upside of being in a good place.

I'm going to start back sharing images with you guys. Might even do some video as well. I am so encouraged right now... It's amazing. That's all I have for you guys this week though.

Until next week...

-Namaste

One Year Ago on this Date...

One year ago on this very date (Sep 26), I took a giant leap of faith. I packed up and in the early morning of this date one year ago, I left Baltimore for Charlotte. It has been a very trying year for me...especially the last few months. In some ways I feel as though that's OK. I didn't quite know what to expect when I embarked on this undertaking. This was new territory to me. I left my comfort zone and started anew.

In a way, I usually feel like I'm still just visiting but every time I get paid I brought back to the reality that I'm not still a visitor. (I'm paying NC taxes, lol) I am finding being from somewhere else is also a good conversation starter as well. I've had small talk(which is weird because I hate small talk) with people who almost always immediately pick up on my accent. I proudly say I am from Baltimore.

I miss Baltimore...I'm not going to lie. I miss my family, I miss my friends...I miss that energy Baltimore has and one about my O's...Eutaw Street is going to be rocking next month. I think once I get back on track, I'll go back to visit for a few days. Or I will make it my mission to get back at least twice a year.

Well as I begin year 2 of my transition, I hope things look much brighter on the other side of the trees. That's all I have for you guys this week.

Until next week...



-Namaste

Getting it done...

Another week...another post...Hey faithful few, how did your week fare? Mines was pretty much the same. Sort of drab. I did manage to get some work mailed off for the 6X6 show in at the Rochester Contemporary Art Center in New York. I did 4 total pieces and in my haste to get them mailed off, I forgot to take pics of them for you guys. Lol. As soon as they are posted on the site I will get pics to share with you guys.

I wasn't really to happy with what I produced this go around but I still wanted to get something sent it. I should have cut up some of the things I had been working on recently and sent that instead...

I've been perusing the interwebs for more call for entries that I can enter. I really want to keep the creative process flowing. I have been writing in my sketchbook when I get a chance to if my mind is clear. Sometimes I actually write just to clear my mind. Sort of like how I blog for you guys every week.

I really look forward to blogging every week. I know some weeks my post are short but I still mark out that time to make sure I blog for you guys. That's all I have for you guys this week.

Until next week...

 

 

-Namaste

As promised folks...

So I wanted to create a slideshow and I tried a couple of ways and it wouldn't render the html right here in blogger so I just thought post the pictures for you guys. These shots are the ones that I picked out that I want to use for some future pieces. Some I will digitally manipulate and saw I think might end up as digital transfers on to canvas. Enjoy folks.

Until next week...



-Namaste

"Warp Speed, Mr Chekov" or "Like Sands through an Hourglass..."

This week was pretty much a blur to me. I got a lot done including today but I didn't focus a lot on my pieces. I haven't even gotten around to uploading my images yet. I probably devote most of tomorrow to get that done.

Next week for sure I will have some images for you.

I have just been trying to get myself fully acclimated to southern living. I got say I am having a great time getting used to it. I am still trying to make it feel like home. I've been here close to a month and at times, it feels like I am on extended vacation. The other day I was mailing a letter and I almost addressed it with my old address. Still hasn't hit me I guess.

Until next time...



-Namaste

Work and other rambling stuffs...

Hey faithful few, so yesterday I went out and shot some nature and landscape images with my camera. I need to upload them and see what I got. I think I got some good shots though. Some of the images I plan on printing out and using in some assemblage paintings.

I believe I am finally getting used to living in a new town. Its starting to "not" feel like an extended vacation. I have been ramping up the job search and I have been doing a little sketching. So I am keeping myself busy in this down time.

Next week if I remember I will share some of the stuff I have been working on.

Until next week...




-Namaste

Travelin' Man or Howdy folks...

I had my first full week in Charlotte and I gotta say faithful few I am loving it! I have had a really clear head lately. I feel I am in a good space right now. The change of scenery so far has been great. I'm getting to know the city on a more...how should I say it...a more "native" kind of way. Before I was just a visitor, now I am a resident.

A lot of simple things have been happening and that I have been doing that has made this transition seem quite smooth. Don't get me wrong I do miss my family and friends but I am loving this new found "care-free" attitude I am feeling exuding from my "personage"(Don't judge me...) Feels good...real good.

I guess that part that really feels good to me is the fact that I followed through. I had the faith to jump off the cliff with an old parachute and know that when I needed it to, that the old parachute would open and not let me down. Its still going to be about a month before this really feel like home for me but I am really excited about finally really enjoying myself.

Today I finally went and got myself a photo printer. The other day while on one of my "nature walks" to the dumpster, I decided that I am going to start taking my T2i out with me and snapping up some of these landscapes and forestry that I see and work on a little digital manipulations. I also need to stop by the art store and pick up an easel so I can set up a little outdoor studio on my balcony. The view from my balcony is not super spectacular but it does give me a view of the comings and goings of my complex not to mention the trees that adorn the entrance and greet me every time I look out the window. I received most of my supplies that I had shipped to me so its time to get cracking on some stress-free art, you know...

In a way I feel like a recluse, which I find as a funny thing since I have always been somewhat of a lone wolf. Sometimes I sit and think about what if long ago ("...in the time before...," if you know me you should get this allusion) when I decided that I wanted to leave the great "state" city of Baltimore and actually did it, where would I be now? Would I even be living in the states? I have always (since about 14) dreamed of spending time in Japan. Maybe, I'd be living in Germany or I'd find myself in Macau..I'm not a gambler but who knows...The point is now I feel like there are endless opportunities out there for me and I have only just begun to explore them!

That's all I have for you guys this weekend, enjoy...




-Namaste

The beginning of my new journey...

So here I am in my new city...my new life...my new place...and I'm sick. Are you kidding me??

I am making the most of it though so I am still pretty excited. It just sucks that I am sick.

I have also noticed that Sprint's network is really crappy for me down here. I can barely keep/get a data connection in my apartment and I don't have Wi-Fi yet so for a person like me that's almost like not having air.  I know that's a little "extra" but imagine not being able to do something as simple as checking the weather in this day and age.

Anyhow that's all have for you guys this weekend. Next week maybe I'll have a lot more to say with it being my first full week in this town.

Until next time...

-Namaste

And just like a bird in winter, I'm flying south...

So this is my first post after the beginning of my life-changing decisions. This time next week, I will be in my new home...in my new city...in my new state. I have to say that I am pretty excited about it.

I'm going to finally get a chance in the beginning of my getting acclimated to a new environment, to spend some time focusing more on my art. I am very fortunate in the beginning to be able to devote time while I am looking for employment. Its going to be great.

That's all I have for you guys today but I will be back next week from Charlotte, NC.

Until then...



-Namaste

One more day or Art-mageddon is upon us...

One more day and I begin life anew. It seems so surreal. A couple of weeks I will be gone from this state and I will be forging a new chapter in my life. I am extremely excited yet, what's the word...not really nervous but more like anticipation maybe???

It's that anticipatory feeling that you get on Xmas morning or the first day of school. Your so antsy that you can hardly wait. There are the butterflies in the stomach, the goosebumps, and what ever else comes with the excitement.

I am so glad that I am finally doing this. It's almost like I am an explorer and I am going on an adventure. I'm Charlie and I've got a golden ticket.

It's up to me to make the most of this opportunity that I have been afforded. This is the perfect time in my life to take advantage of this time. I am going to try and focus on my art a lot. It's going to feel good to devote most of my time to my work. The next few months should be a joy. I am hoping to post a lot of work for you guys as well.

Until next week...

 

 

-Namaste

Eventually it will happen or GOTCHA!...

Hey faithful few, it's the last day of August(ALREADY, man times does fly!!!) I had a really really good post for you guys this week but I decided to wait to post it until the middle of next week. Believe you and me, it's a doozy of a post. Since I need to do other things before I post it, I figured that I would wait. When I do post it and share with your guys why I wanted to wait, I am sure you'll understand and it will all make sense.

So until next week faithful few...

 

-Namaste

My Glorious Week or Frantic Ramblings of a Self-Proclaimed Geek...

I know I kind of...sorta promised some more images of the piece that I am working on but I gotta be honest with you guys. After working on it the previous 3 weeks, this past week I didn't even touch it.

Pretty much only thing that I want to do with it, is glaze another coat of paint on it and then finish off the frame. I am hope that I get to it sometime in the next week. I'll probably do another video of the finished piece and post it here and on YouTube. I did start back on a piece that I started a few months ago. I grow tired of staring at it in its unfinished so I have set out to finally finishing. That's another piece I hope to have done in the next couple of weeks.

I have/had a lot on my mind the last couple of weeks. Been getting a little anxious...a little stressed...been sleeping even less than before...It's just a lot of things are coming a head for me and I am both excited and dare I say afraid. It's not a bad thing its actually a good thing. I will be glad when I can share everything with you guys here. Don't worry its coming soon...Don't fret...You will be in the know. Well that's all I have for you guys this week...

Until next time...



-Namaste

A Milestone, my 300th Post...

So faithful few...this is my 300th Post! When I started this blog, I never imagined that I would get this far. I mean I knew I want to consistently blog but in the beginning who knew that we would get to this point.

I am glad that we have had this journey. And I hope to be with you guys for 300 more posts. This week I have another video for you guys. So I am going to stop typing and allow you guys to enjoy.

Until next week...





-Namaste

Tell me a story or The Grass is always greener...

This past week was a pretty bland week for me. I didn't do anything too big the first part of the week but I did put some things into motion the last part of the week. At some point I'll get into it here but not now. Something's are still private after all :) Rest assured though when the world knows you guys will be the first to know.

Other than that its going to stay business as usual for me. I do plan on doing some new painting in the next week or so. I am going to be trying out a new medium. I am plenty excited about that. Well I think that's all I have for you guys this week. Hopefully next week I'll have some images to share with you guys.

Until then...

 

 

-Namaste

In the year 2013 and beyond...

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

-by Robert Frost

 

This is perhaps one of my most favorite poems. Every time I read this poem, I feel as though it speaks to me on so many levels. I have always chosen the unconventional...the unassuming...I've always been one to not do things the easy way. I get a real sense of satisfaction out of adversity and achieving things that I have worked hard for.

The next few months for me will be...I won't say trying but it will be quite telling. I have decisions that need to be made and actions that need to be acted upon. Mentally I have been preparing myself for a while so my mindset is ready. I just need to get the physical and my heart on the same wavelength. Shouldn't be too hard to achieve...as Mariah Carey once sang, "There can be miracles, when you believe..." (Man, I love the movie...really dramatic and great). I really am looking forward to 2013 and all the good things I'm sure it has in store for me...

 

 

-Namaste

What The Duck...

I think on a somewhat "subconscious/conscious" level I am afraid to make the work I want to make. I told my girl this the other day. When I think back to the sort of self-discovery I had back in my junior year of college to where I am today, I often wonder why my work took such a drastic turn. I mean I went from making work that could have become quite provocative to making work that in my own honest opinion, sometimes viewed as "being safe". What happened along the way...

I guess it's associating with and being around people who, now don't get me wrong have been cool people...it's just some of them either wouldn't get it or find it offensive. That's not to say that I diverted from the work because I cared about what people said but I believe it had more to do with my self-defined ideal of those closest around me.

Its like in my mind I have this internal struggle between myself and being the artist I could/should be. Whenever I endeavor to create work like I used to do its like I self-destroy that motivation and then do something that I know people will fill its pretty or pleasing to the eye. I really need to defeat that demon in my head and get back to create work for me. Need to break down that wall in my mind that has been put up. I know what you are going to say. "Why don't you just do it and not care about what people may or may not think about it?" I mean it seems easy enough right? But when your personality is like a guardian to your subconscious mind and forces you to think of others before yourself; it gets tricky. And don't even get me started on how it stagnates "Art for Arts' sake".

At the end of the day, its about taking that leap and not looking back. Its getting yourself into that mindset that you have something you want to say and who gives a hell whether or not people like it or whether they feel like your "treadging" up the past...or if they feel like you are talking about something that's never effected you. In some ways, you have to be sort of selfish when creating. In any event, it's easier said then done my friends...easier said than done...

 

 

-Namaste

 

The Ramblings of a Sleep Deprived Artist...

The last couple of days I have been punishing myself.  Now hold on there...when I say punishing myself, I'm not talking physically (I'm not a masochist)...I'm talking more along the lines of sleep.  I'd say in the past 72 hours I've had about 12 hours sleep. If that...Weird I know.  Its almost like I be fighting sleep or should I say sleep has been avoiding me.


WHY HAS THOU FORSAKEN ME, SLEEP??? WHY, WHY, WHY, WHY!!! 

There is no reason why I shouldn't be sleep, I guess i be pretty keyed up.  Maybe I should take a weekend off of work and just sleep it out or relax or something.  I don't know.  What do you guys think?  This was probably the weirdest post I've written in awhile...


-Namaste

P.S...as I wrote this I was listening to Open Arms by Journey...Just thought I'd share;)

Immerse meself, eh...

As I peruse the interwebs sites on artists and art events, the more I feel the need to immerse myself in the art world. I need to surround myself with like-minded individuals as well as put myself in a position to interact with them. I am hoping that in the not to distant future I am able to do just that. Now I know it's easy to just go to a show and mingle but I am talking more along the lines of right now I am located in Baltimore; next week I'll be in New Mexico checking out a show on Midwestern Indians. (No, I am not going to New Mexico next week...LOL!!!) You guys get what I mean right? I want to take trips and vacations where my sole purpose for going view art. I mean I always go to DC to check out work and usually whenever I go on vacation, I do find time to see some local art there. But usually checking the art out is but a small piece of the itinerary. So I do partake, just not as much as I'd like.

I need to make this happen! I think next year I will map out "artacations". I know it's corny;) but I am sticking with it. See you guys next week...


-Namaste