Holiday Art

One of my ceramic angels when I was looking for Christmas items that resembled me. Since I couldn't find them I created them myself. You gotta do what you gotta do.
LOL

I’m always thinking of new ways to create art. The holidays are always a good time to create different things to keep or give away as gifts. I had been saving some wine bottles to create stylish vases. One bottle I was going to create an angel, it was from a bottle of Italian wine, and its shape is that hour glass figure like a woman. Add wings during the holidays and if they aren’t very Christmassy you can leave the bottle out all year round. Of course art doesn’t have to be seasonal. I have a hand carved black Santa that is visible all year long as are my angel ornaments that hang over the fire place. I have other ornaments that I place in a large vase and they can be seen all year round.

So back to the wine bottle. I removed the label and since the bottle is clear, I decorated it with several red and silver snow flakes. Since the bottle has a screw cap I filled It with M & M’s and it makes for a very colorful and cheerful display. It could also make a great gift for someone that likes M & M’s.

The Art of Cooking

I've been experimenting in the kitchen as I do from time to time. Every now and then a person gets tired of the same dishes over and over. I like the routine because if I ever get sick I know exactly what I ate on which day. Of course the artist in me wants a little change and I get creative. Earlier in the week I bought some mushrooms and I put them in the fridge since I already had food prepared and as I mentioned I have a routine of things that I eat on certain days. Anyway, I didn't want the mushrooms to go bad so I decided to cook them all at one time. I made a pizza with mushrooms,tomatoes,pepperoni,olives,and three types of packaged cheese.
I put this on a 10" tortilla and it comes out great everytime.

With the remaining mushrooms I sauteed them in a large pan with onions, green pepers and jalepeno peppers. Then I tossed in the diced tomatoes and chopped some green olives. After it cooled down, I put it in the fridge to have another day. I decided to put the mixture over rice and topped with a piece of Talapia.

Today I'll put it over pasta with some sort of meat. The options are endless. Its a great idea for people who really don't like to cook, but don't have a problem with leftovers. You just have to decide what works best for you. If you have a big family then there may not be any leftovers.

Thanks for stopping by; keep an open mind.

The art of cooking

There is an art to almost everything. When we think of art we think of paintings or photographs. We think of those ceramic vases or plates some of you might hang on your wall. Rarely do we think of art as a formula, but that’s exactly the way Da
Vinci saw it and Michelangelo. When you think things through and see it from all angles then you can create something beautiful. You can figure out the solutions to all of life’s problems. I was thinking about making an apple pie, but I didn’t feel like rolling out dough and I didn’t want to go to the store to get one of those store bought pie crusts. I also didn’t have any cookies to create a quick crust. What I decided to do was take a tortilla and line the pie plate. I then took a second tortilla and cut it in strips to create a lattice top. I scooped in the apple filling and placed my strips on top and then put it in the oven for 35 minutes. It smelled great and when I pulled it out it looked great. Today I will do a taste test.

Another dish that I prepared since it was so hot I decided to do something that would cool off the body. I boiled a dozen shrimp, made some rotini pasta and steamed some veggies. I let everything cool and placed it in the fridge until I was ready to eat. I placed the shrimp I a circle in the bottom of the plate. I then put in the veggies followed by the rotini. Then I poured ranch dressing on top. Just enough to coat it and then mixed it in. You can actually use any of your favorite salad dressings. It’s a great summer dish and it doesn’t take a lot of time.

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Let's Talk Art

Art in itself is totally misunderstood. Its one of those things where you look at it, but for some it means nothing. For others it makes us smile, laugh, cry and think. We are amazed at some ancient art and wonder how time consuming and the genius that went behind such incredible works. The fact that pieces are still around that we can even have a look at the past is remarkable.
Recently I watched a program where a neurologist tried to figure out what makes someone create art the way that they do. It got me to thinking, but I just do stuff. I doodle and sometimes I see something in that doodle that later becomes and larger drawing. It then has a different life with broader detail. The doctor was studying more on body proportions and why certain areas are embellished than others. It’s all quite interesting when you think about it, but the bottom line is that we draw and create from what we know. We all see things differently and that’s what makes art so unique. When a group of people from the same community work on similar art they tend to look the same, but painters and sculptures work in different mediums and the results are different even if the painter paints the sculpture.

We all have different thought patterns and sometimes we are conditioned to like certain things, but every once in a while someone breaks that conditioning with no explanation and they create something that no one understands.

For me if it doesn’t raise a question, if it doesn’t make you feel something, if you don’t react then maybe it isn’t art, but then again, to quote myself, “Not everyone gets it.”



www.artbydlonzo.blogspot.com

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=58144381
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=54325957
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=54365247
www.filmloverpg.blogspot.com
www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRkCP8LJJlc
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=38275088
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASklV3ZOPVw
www.n4cersworld.com
http://www.whitehouse.gov/agenda/civil_rights/

Check out the above links if you haven’t already. Watch for new links.

Time to get back to reality. Rebuilding my life, one step at a time.
Thanks for stopping by; keep an open mind. What is meant to be…

Addicted 2 Art, what's your addiction?

There is an art to arranging furniture. One has to look at the room and the furniture and see if it really works and how one can make it come together to make the best use of the space. I had my dinning table near the patio door because I also use the table as a desk and drawing table at times and I wanted the light to come through so I wouldn’t have to use any electricity. Of course you wonder should you place the sofa in front of the window, fire place or patio doors. If you place the sofa in front of the fire place you will have to move it during the winter where you use the fire place or not. It just seems proper to face the fire place during the winter. It also depends on whether you have a base at the bottom of the fire place or if its down to the floor. You also have to consider whether or not the window has a sill and if you use it for plants or little objects that you would want to be visible For me the perfect location was in front of the sliding patio doors and I could finally place the sofa table which I made behind the sofa. I can still look over the sofa and see into the back yard and its cozier than before.

I recently made some modifications to a coffee table that someone through out many months ago. I saw the potential in the table. I brought it inside and bleached it down. Then I tightened all of the screws and I went to Ikea and found some gray black and silver casters that look great on the black carpet. The baskets that hold magazines fits under the table and they match the table color. It just makes things easier to maneuver. I wish I could find some casters for the table in which my television sits. That would open up the room even more and I could wheel it out when needed. I’ll keep looking for the right table or get some help to see if there might be holes in the legs where I can install casters.

Once you move furniture around it changes your perspective and your mood when you enter the room. Organization is one key to creating a great living space and home.

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What is art?

The creation of art… The artist is usually a misunderstood person. People are intrigued by their talent, but don’t always understand it. Some visual pieces are pretty to look at and some are more complex. Not only does it tell a story on the canvas, but there is also a story of how and why it was created. Secrets lie in the works of all artists in all forms.
The fantasy unfolds for a person who doesn’t dare experience what they create or they’ve dabbled on the thought and let it manifest itself into something more. Fiction allows an artist to say what they hold deep in the bowels of their inner core. All of their fears get to be presented through images and words. Pain and suffering surface through poems and lyrics. The mood swings and torture from music. Life like art, is filled with beauty, surrealism, truth, honesty, pleasure, betrayal, misfortune and pain.

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Still Scrapbooking

I've been working on my scrapbook today which inspired me to work on my biography. What I like about the scrapbook is the set up. The book came with 20 pages which gives me 40 pages to work with. It will start with the year in which I was born and end in the year 2010. I am concentrating on the last 10 yrs, but the front pages are dedicated to specific people and the years are not in sequence. Like art it just takes a form of its own. I can always rearrange the pages in cronological order once the book is complete. It's surprising the things that you remember when you do a project like this. I've been finding letters and notes from people that are no longer part of my life. I've tried to reconnect with some people, but for their own reasons they don't want to relive their past. I must say, I can understand, but I've also realized that you can't run from your past. There is always something that pops up that will remind you of certain events.

Transforming ordinary items

The image is a shadow created from the patio table.

Art can be found in virtually anything. As I’ve said many times, it’s only limited to your imagination. In a time of recycling and helping the environment there are some things we can use to make beautiful works of art. When I was in Hawaii, one of the wineries made candle holders out of the wine bottles. All wine drinkers have purchased wine that had beautiful decorative bottles and we didn’t want to get rid of the bottle after the wine was gone. You can buy a candle globe that can go over the bottle and put a small candle in the opening and you have a candle. You can also turn wine bottles into lamps. You can buy cords and drill a small hole into the bottle to run the cord. Had the socket for the bulb and you’ve created a unique lamp. Make several and give them as gifts or sell them. You can also take the plane bottles and remove the labels and then take some of your favorite scrapbook paper that matches the décor in the room and decorate the bottle with various strips around the top, center and bottom. Add some glitter or beads and sit on a window sill and let the light create art within the art on the walls and ceiling.

http://www.artbydlonzo.blogspot.com/

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=54325957

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=54365247

http://www.filmloverpg.blogspot.com/

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=38275088

http://www.n4cersworld.com/

http://www.whitehouse.gov/agenda/civil_rights/

Check out the above links if you haven’t already. Watch for new links.

Time to get back to reality. Rebuilding my life, one step at a time.
Thanks for stopping by; keep an open mind. What is meant to be…

Scrapbooking a life

This digital photo is called (2headsrbetta)

I started putting together a scrap book of my life story this year. This project inspired me to write as much of what I could remember. I’m glad I can remember a lot of things and I can make sense of what brought me to the place I am today. Therapy comes in all forms, but art is the greatest therapy of all. The choice of colors, the flow of words or the doodles that we create while we are just staring off into space all mean something.

Although I can remember many events, the dates are the problem. I may recall that something happened in first grade which allows me to pin point a year, but not the exact date. If something happened in school it would normally fall between August and May. That only matters if I really want to get detailed. The fact that I remember an incident should overshadow when it exactly happened. I’m also realizing I have photographs of people that I can’t remember their names. At some point they posed in front of my camera, but they didn’t make a big enough impact for me to remember who they were.

I’ve also discovered journal entries about certain people and I can’t place a face to the name. I’ve met so many people in my life which I guess makes it hard to remember them all. That’s one of the reasons I started keeping a journal for those little encounters. The people you see in passing. You may have a conversation in the grocery or at a local bar. The conversation was long enough to get a name, but not enough to form a friendship.

That could be an interesting exercise to take all of the pictures of people I don’t know and create a collage. Maybe it will trigger a memory.

http://www.artbydlonzo.blogspot.com/

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=54325957

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=54365247

http://www.filmloverpg.blogspot.com/

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=38275088

http://www.n4cersworld.com/

http://www.whitehouse.gov/agenda/civil_rights/

Check out the above links if you haven’t already. Watch for new links.

Time to get back to reality. Rebuilding my life, one step at a time.
Thanks for stopping by; keep an open mind. What is meant to be…

Dryer Sheets

In this age of recycling and finding uses for items and saving money. Dryer sheets can have a new life. They can be used more than once in the dryer. You can use them to make stuffing for animals for children or if you save enough you can stuff pillows. They can be used to dust furniture and they can be used as small pieces of canvas. You can also use them to wrap small gifts that might break. Everything that we use can have a second or third life. Get in touch with your inner artist.

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Addicted 2 Art

The drawing to the far right is a drawing from my archives of something I did back in the early 80’s.

That’s when my art started to take off. This was before I became a professional photographer.

I had begun doing designs for business cards and letter heads. I was designing posters and had even done a few shows. It’s just one of the many doors I have opened in my life and walked through to see what adventure was waiting. Now I wait for a door or window to open for a new adventure.

I question my abilities and whether or not I am good at what I do. As an artist I’m always pushing that button and trying something new. Many times I’ll go into a store and I’ll see art and I’ll think about purchasing it and then I get a wake up call. That little voice says, “You’re an artist and you can create that yourself.” I just have to push myself every now and then. Of course anything I create these days I have to sell or give away because I don’t want to clutter up the walls. I do have an area set up for work that is for sale, but most of the pieces are not finished. I want to work on a catalog and price the items. One of the hardest things for an artist is to put a price on the work. If your selling your work yourself it’s a little easier than if you have an agent. You have to include the cut for the agent and you want to make sure the price you’re asking includes your time. Sometimes works can take months even years and you just have to ask yourself what is your time worth?

My latest project is butterflies. I created my own stencil and I made the butterflies out of foam sheets and cut them out. Then I scanned them and used the hues to create colors. Now I can print them on canvas sheets, put them in a frame and voile its ready for sale. I can also take the original foam butter flies and frame them in a box style frame individually or together.

http://dlonzo-openyourmind.blogspot.com/

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Thanks for stopping by; keep an open mind.

Stimulate Art

I have three dollars left on my Borders gift card. I was going to go to the movies and then head over to Borders, but I got delayed. I like going to the first showing of a movie for several reasons. Usually there aren’t a lot of people in the theater so its like watching a movie at home. Usually the first showing is a discounted showing so you don’t have to pay full price, just in case the film is a bomb. Rarely do I go to see a film that I don’t come away from enjoying some part of it.

I’ve been reading and looking at a lot of books and magazines to get inspiration for the various forms of art that I create. Video, photography and scrap booking are now taking top priority and I’m trying to incorporate them all into one project.

The digital art form is unique, but what I don’t like about it is that it really isn’t the same as creating with your hands. When I took pictures with my 35mm camera, I took my time because film costs and I didn’t want to take a lot of unnecessary shots. I got to know my subjects quite well and knew what worked. With digital, you can just shoot forever and if you don’t like something you can manipulate it on the computer or just hit delete. Colors can be enhanced so much that the image is unreal. You can also drop an image in a place where it never existed. Of course its still an art form, but it would be great if photographers shared their secrets and stop making people believe it’s the original shot. Last year I was reading one of my artists magazines and there were some techniques in a previous issue that blew me away. I was dumbfounded because I couldn’t recreate the images. A few weeks ago I was reading the last issue and found out the secret to creating those images was not all original. What the artist had done was created a drawing and scanned it into the computer and then printed it out. The artist then colored on top of the image which created some intense imagery and colors. I tried it and guess what, it worked. It pisses me off, that they could have told me that to begin with and then I wouldn’t feel like I was missing out on something. I don’t have a problem sharing my techniques with others. There are many easy ways to create something even if you get a little help in the beginning. I create my own master drawings which allow me to use the same characters over and over as I see fit. I also make my own stencils. As an artist, one is only limited by ones imagination.

www.artbydlonzo.blogspot.com
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=54325957 www.dcinemafile.blogspot.com
www.filmloverpg.blogspot.com
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=38275088
www.n4cersworld.com
http://www.whitehouse.gov/agenda/civil_rights/

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=54365247

Check out the above links if you haven’t already. Watch for new links.

Time to get back to reality. Rebuilding my life, one step at a time.
Thanks for stopping by; keep an open mind. What is meant to be…

Be Creative

The Green Living show is going on in Austin, but I don’t think I will attend this year.

I’ve been implementing recycling since the mid 80’s. That’s one of the reasons why I can’t throw anything away. LOL.

There’s always another way that a magazine or book can be used. Wine bottles have now become vases and works of art. Magazines are becoming envelopes and small gift bags can be turned into waste baskets that can sit next to the bed out of view.

Tin cans are now pencil holders and I’m working on turning wine bottles into picture frames. My journal has always been like a scrapbook, but only the size of a regular book. I’ve noticed the colorful 12 x 12 sheets that you can buy and so I’ve gotten a few bargains at Big Lots and other craft stores using coupons or catching a sale. I read the craft books and magazines and get inspired to create my own pages.

I recently found a unique scrapbook at Marshalls for $5.99. Most of the 12 x 12 books I’ve seen are priced between $15.00 and $25.00.

I’m putting together a scrap book about my life in the form of art. Highlighting the good, the bad and the turning points that have gotten me where I am today. It will include my favorite photographs of those that have posed in front of my camera and stories of how the photograph came to be. That should give you something to inspire you.

Take some time and be creative.

http://www.artbydlonzo.blogspot.com/
http://www.dcinemafile.blogspot.com/
http://www.filmloverpg.blogspot.com/
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=38275088
http://www.n4cersworld.com/
http://www.whitehouse.gov/agenda/civil_rights/

I’ll add more links soon.

Time to get back to reality. Rebuilding my life, one step at a time.
Thanks for stopping by; keep an open mind. What is meant to be…

Art from High School

In my senior year of High School my art began to be seen by the public. I had always drawn for my own enjoyment and other than my family, no one else, but a few close friends knew I even had that talent.

The drawing to the right consists of ink dots to form the picture entitled disasters. I had a fascination with the disaster films of the 70's and it was the inspiration for this picture.

In case you don't remember the films: Tidal Wave, Earthquake, The Towering Inferno, The Hindenberg, Airport and The Poseidon Adventure. Some of the other images were just added for effect.

Tradition

In my family, it has always been a tradition to take down the Christmas tree on King's day or the day after. King's day also known as Twelfth night begins the Mardi Gras or Carnival season which leads up to Lent. For those of you who have a lot of ornaments and you're the type of person that has a different theme each year, why not recycle the ornaments. Turn them into something else with some spray paint and a little imagination an old ornament becomes a new ornament.
What are you going to do with those Christmas cards? If you aren't one to keep them you can cut the cover if the card had a personal message and donate the cover to a charity. You can also recycle the cards yourself and use them as ornaments on the tree next year or create new cards. Perhaps you can take the ones you like the most and put them in a frame. It keeps memories throughout the year at a glance and you'll know exactly who you need to send Christmas cards to in 2009.
There are many things that can be done with the ornaments and decor that we put up around the house. You just have to be creative. Remember you're decorating for you and its your interpretation of what Christmas means to you. If you are one of those people who like a real tree, find out about recycling and let your tree have a second chance. Here in Austin the trees are used to create mulch and then people can get the mulch on a first come first served basis.

Thanks for stopping by; do come back for other tips on decorating and creating art with what you already have.