Waterbending for 2018

I have been spending my Saturday afternoons in Marikina. In MARIKINA! That’s like Mordor to me in terms of distance (Okay, it’s just in the outskirts which is super near Katipunan, but still counted as part of Marikina). If you know me well enough, you would know how much unwilling I am to drive to that part of the metro, until I started training Taiji last June 2017, thanks to a friend’s invitation.

Hold on! Before you start picturing old ladies and gents exercising in parks, here’s a great article a friend and classmate of mine wrote about what we do — Chen Taijiquan.

So anyway, I’ve had a few random thoughts:

• Distance becomes irrelevant for me once I find an activity I really like and find worth committing to. In relation to that…
• The lengths (in this case, distance) I will go to for the love of martial arts still amazes me.
• While I may have found a new love for “waterbending” as Gab calls it, I still do Muay Thai on weekdays (Fire Nation forever!) — twice or thrice if my schedule permits or once if there’s a looming deadline. And even while managing to find time to train in two different martial art forms (three if we are to count Wing Chun, which I also have somehow started training in recently), this has surprisingly been the chillest I’ve been while preparing for several upcoming exhibits.

I love movement, and being a self-proclaimed true blue Sagittarian, martial arts has always been my thing ever since I was a kid, not that my parents had me take classes on weekends or during summer vacations. It was a big frustration for me, actually. But that didn’t stop me from developing such a huge love for it, thanks partly to after lunch kung fu movies I and my grandpa religiously watched. That said, the first thing I did with my first salary on my first job straight out of college, was to get myself into Jeet Kune Do and the rest is history, but I digress.

Anyway, although I regretfully skipped training for one whole month due to preparations for two consecutive group shows I started 2018 with, I’d say this kind of feels like having finally been able to achieve the almost ideal work/art-life balance I’ve always wanted.

Ending this post with my latest photo from one of my Muay Thai sessions last week. I don’t get to document my training as much as I used to, but rest assured, it’s a continuous thing. Can’t live without martial arts after all; I get sick when I am deprived of it for too long.

Note to self for the year: Be a bit less fiery, and instead…

“Be like water making its way through cracks. Do not be assertive, but adjust to the object, and you shall find a way around or through it. If nothing within you stays rigid, outward things will disclose themselves.

Empty your mind, be formless. Shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle and it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now, water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend.” — Bruce Lee

Finally got to wear the t-shirt my baby sister sent me from a Bruce Lee store she stumbled upon in Tokyo. I like to wear matching training clothes now, so I decided to pair it with the Muay Thai shorts Mikong gave me just because both have dragons on them.

Catching Up

Let’s pick up where we left off.

After my “Madonna Reimagined” solo show at Art Elements Asian Gallery in SM Aura in late July 2015, I accepted a friend’s invitation and flew off to Singapore for a 10-day vacation, which happily coincided with their 50th National Day. That trip was a memorable one for two reasons: (1) I gained new good friends and the realization that almost half of the people I hold (and have grown) dear are overseas — an added reason for me to travel frequently, I suppose; and (2) I started working on a collection of pen and ink illustrations, which then developed into a full-blown book.

So later that same year, I launched a colouring art book for adults, named Moon Blossoms — November in Singapore, and December at Art Underground in Manila.

Luckily, it was well-received in both countries. So aside from that and the group exhibitions and commissions, which are essential in keeping my career as a painter, here are the highlights of what I’ve been up to the past couple of years:

• I’ve collaborated with fellow artists Niccolo Cosme for a photo series he exhibited in 2015, and Feanne for limited edition scarves.
   
  

  
• Painted the two largest murals I’ve ever done so far.
  
• Mounted my dream exhibit last year — well, half of it. It was a concept I had to incubate for 8 long years, and only came to fruition in October 2016. I intend to continue the series some time next year, and maybe produce a limited edition deck of cards comprised of just the Major Arcana to celebrate its completion. (You may view the pieces here.)
  
• And just recently, I was fortunate enough to have been represented by the New York International Contemporary Art Society at this year’s Artexpo New York  — a really huge honour and opportunity for me to say the least.
  

So today, I am currently kept busy (and haggard) by upcoming shows — a solo at Art Elements (SM Aura), FilipinaZ Fair, a group show at Rendezvous Hotel Singapore, and ManilArt on October. It’s probably the scorching Manila summer and the accompanying workload that’s keeping me unexcitable at the moment, but I’m sure I’ll come around to it as the dates come closer. My mood may not currently be up to par, but I am very much thankful for the international shows.

Madonna Reimagined: My 4th Solo Painting Exhibition

Reviving this blog after being dormant for more than a year to invite you to my upcoming 4th solo exhibition, “Madonna Reimagined.” It opens this coming July 23, 6:30 PM, at Art Elements Asian Gallery in SM Aura Premier. The exhibit will run until August 09, that’s about 18 days to check out my latest collection. Join me at the cocktails on the 23rd, and please feel free to spread the word. For more updates and previews, visit my Facebook page.

MADONNA REIMAGINED
The beauty of an unstoppable feminine force

 

A hauntingly beautiful figure, the austere representation of Mary has crossed the threshold from being a historical figure to an iconic heroine. It is perhaps her simplicity, vulnerability combined with the resounding strength and boldness of her actions that made her the immortal figure that she is today. The Madonna has long been a source of inspiration for many artists, having been resurrected countless of times within the delicate and deliberate hands of sculptors, poets, and painters alike.

The Madonna has long been portrayed demure, elegant, and maternal. The epitome of serenity, her smooth and youthful skin seemed untainted by the concerns, worries, and desires of the world. However, visual artist Katrina Pallon saw a different kind of beauty within her boundless eyes.

The Mater Dolorosa, also known as Our Lady of Sorrows, has long fascinated the painter who was mesmerized by the startling image of Mary with seven daggers unapologetically piercing her heart. Not long after, Katrina Pallon was enamored by an extraordinary figure. In a modest church in Parañaque, she was surprised to find the statue of a headless saint at the centerpiece of the altar. The headless saint stood proud and was known as Saint Denis, a 3rd century Parisian bishop who angered the local pagan priests having drawn so many conversions that they had him beheaded. However, the spirit of Saint Denis remained undeterred and he rose from the grave, picked up his own head, and walked six kilometers carrying his dismembered body part while preaching a sermon. A church was erected at the site of his execution to commemorate this plot twist of gothic proportions.

These images and subconscious fascinations led her to an assessment of the catalogued images of female saints and martyrs in her own memory. This eventually inspired her to create an image of the Madonna and the saints, not as seen as they are known to be but as a reflection of her own understanding of them.

Katrina Pallon used the language of the brush to retell a familiar and ageless story. Using lines and colors as her words, she shared her version of the life Madonna. Madonna as mother and Madonna brought to life in the virtues of all those who have perished in service to her name. Pallon has veered away from the traditional conservative portrayal, instead using the canvas to reflect upon her own appreciation of the figure, leading to the collection she has imparted to audiences today.

Behold the saints, martyrs, and the imitable Madonna in all her vibrant glory. Here, the Madonna is unafraid. Her emotions are oozing out of her body and she doesn’t hide behind conservative colors of beige and brown, opting instead to drown in a sea of wild flowers, in her hair, within her fingers, and spread upon her regal robes. Blood drips from her eyes, a scarlet trace of the suffering she endured as a pioneering woman of her time, unafraid to fight for her own beliefs. She is unafraid of her vulnerability, unafraid to weep, unafraid to divulge a pose of despair, knowing that these are not indications of weakness but assertions of her strength and values.

Surrounded by beautiful breathtaking details of nameless blossoms, her delicate face remains to be the epitome of feminine beauty. However, in the midst of the flora, her face has transformed into a strength shaped by suffering made beautiful by its triumph over it. Using meticulously drawn details in the clean lines of solid black ink, a captivating palette, and stunning aesthetics, Katrina Pallon has created a collection that serves as an ode to the beautiful, multi-faceted, and immortal strength of a woman.

The exhibit will be unveiled to the public on July 23 at Art Elements Asian Gallery, SM Aura. For more details, contact the gallery at (02) 519-9683 or email artelements@surfshop.net.ph. (Written by Hannah Jo Uy)

A Guitar, A Violin, and A Pair of Vans

If you remember my post about getting into shoe art, those two pairs of shoes ushered in a lot of inquiries. Early this year, I was happy to take in yet another pair of Vans for customization. I figured that designing shoes, apart from my freelance illustration projects and mask making, would be a very much welcome break from my usual studio work. Anyway, this belongs to Bongkee Dela Torre, who I must say, also very skillfully does custom painted shoes. He specifically said that these are to be used for skating, and gave me a number of tips on what mix of paints to use for the design to last long. And after four days straight of beating these babies — cruising, biking, and whatnot — he confirmed that they passed the durability test.

Apparently, it wasn’t just orders for custom shoe art that came in. A few weeks later, I accepted a commissioned work for an electric guitar from my friend, Arthur Piccio of Death by Elephant. Darcy, which he fondly named his guitar, was assembled by him and is a 26″ scale lefty Gibson SG Standard copy with capiz shell trapezoid inlay. I debated with myself at first whether to paint every inch of it or not, but decided later on to come up with a design that would also let the wood finish shine through.

That little project with Arthur’s Darcy led to another commissioned painting for a musical instrument — a little girl’s violin this time. For Sofia Elise Zamora’s violin, I applied thick lines of copper paint to highlight the delicate patterns which are mostly in varying shades of pink and purple. The next time I get another project for an instrument, I hope it would be a grand piano. Yes, I’m serious about that. Believe me when I say that I’d also love to try painting helmets, a motorbike, or maybe even a car in the future and if time permits of course.

To end this post, I think it’s best that I clarify one of the frequently asked questions I’ve been getting regarding my shoe art customization stint. Kindly note that the shoes and instruments to be painted on were provided by their respective owners. Now, excuse me while I go back to the salt mines.

Project 52: Weeks 12 to 16

Frailty. March started off with me helping a good friend fulfill her new year’s resolution — to lose weight. So the theme of the first half of the month pretty much revolved around goading her into eating right and getting plenty of exercise. While my drawing has nothing to do with getting fit, it does depict a very thin and fragile woman. The idea stemmed from my numerous conversations with my friend regarding body weight perceptions as she went on a diet that required her to cut down on carbs and restricted her meat consumption to just chicken and fish — an incredibly difficult feat because we LOVE food. I guess I now have a whole new-found respect for people who strictly adhere to a certain diet and really commit to it. I originally named this “Anorexia” but decided to settle for “Frailty” instead, since the latter is more apt.

Week 12: Frailty

Moon Worship. I have always paid attention to the moon’s waxing and waning, and the particular full moon on the week of March 29 got me to draw this. I was driving home from grabbing a quick coffee when I noticed the huge moon tinged with a faint orange. While continuing to work on a painting that same night, I decided to watch “Practical Magic” for the umpteenth time, which happens to be my all-time favorite romcom. Sally Owen’s romaticizing the moon in her letter to her sister Gillian combined with the beautiful image of the moon I saw prompted me to come up with this.

“Sometimes I feel like there’s a hole inside of me, an emptiness that at times seems to burn. I think if you lifted my heart to your ear, you could probably hear the ocean. The moon tonight, there’s a circle around it. Sign of trouble not far behind. I have this dream of being whole. Of not going to sleep each night, wanting. But still sometimes, when the wind is warm or the crickets sing, I dream of a love that even time will lie down and be still for. I just want someone to love me. I want to be seen. I don’t know. Maybe I had my happiness. I don’t want to believe it but, there is no man, Gilly. Only that moon.”

The result: Three Wiccans under a full moon. Cue in Toploader’s “Dancing in the Moonlight.”

Week 13: Moon Worship

Wallflower. The week I drew this, I was craving for a Hainanese chicken fix at Wee Nam Kee. And this was inspired by a wallpaper in that said restaurant. Craving satisfied, weekly drawing assignment accomplished.

Week 14: Wallflower

Leona and Castora. This was a requested drawing by my friend Emiliana Kampilan, the artist behind the web comic Dead Balagtas. If you haven’t heard of it, I urge you to check it out. It has been listed in Spot.ph’s 5 New Komiks Artists Worth Following with its retelling of events in Philippine history backed with insight and intelligent humor. Anyway, Emiliana asked me to draw her favorite heroine, Leona Florentino, in time for the latter’s natal day last April 19.

A brief background: Leona Florentino is the Mother of Filipino Female Literature and (essentially) Feminism. A statue of hers sits proudly at the center of the historic town of Vigan in Ilocos Sur, her hometown.

“Her poems, which are widely quoted, were characterized by their originality of thought and elegance of expression on topics such as the glory of Filipino womanhood, and the romanticism of her nation.

According to her biography: ‘Passages from her works were quoted profusely in the theaters, in daily conversation and by suitors seeking the favors of their fair ladies.’

It was the same poems she dedicated to her fellow Ilocanos that were exhibited in the Exposicion General de Filipinas in Madrid in 1887 and in the International Exposicion in Paris in 1889. It won fame for the Philippines and her works were included in the Encyclopedia Internationale des Oeuvres des Femmes (International Encyclopedia of Women’s Works) in 1889.” Read more here.

Castora, on the other hand, is Leona’s wine seller and muse. Most of the latter’s love poems were dedicated to her. So in celebration of the Ilocana heroine’s birthday, I decided to draw her in a gentle moment with her unattainable Castora.

Week 15: Leona and Castora

Sierva Maria. In honor of one of my favorite authors, Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Drawn a couple of days after his death, this is based on his book “Of Love and Other Demons,” which, aside from being my favorite next to “One Hundred Years of Solitude,” has a wonderful cover art I consider one of the most beautiful ones I’ve seen. The cover features the protagonist Sierva Maria holding a bunch of white flowers almost entangled in her cascading copper locks, arms covered with beaded bracelets.

Week 16: Sierva Maria

“When I stand and contemplate my fate and see the path along which you have led me, I reach my end, for artless I surrendered to one who is my undoing and my end.” — Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Of Love and Other Demons

Project 52: Weeks 7 to 11

In an effort to not make my blog too saturated with Project 52-related entries, I’ve decided to post them in digest form. This endeavour started out as a way for me to put down ideas for possible future paintings on paper. But aside from being a creative exercise, this project has evolved lately into something reflective of what transpired in a week — sort of a visual diary, so to speak. But that doesn’t apply to all drawings of course, and I can’t be expected to specifically point out which ones visually encapsulate events that made such an impression on me or just sudden realizations and thoughts that struck me enough to make me want to draw about them. When a special occasion falls on a certain week, say for example Women’s Day, then my drawing would be something timely for it. So without further ado, here are five weeks’ worth of drawings, which I only found time to scan and add dashes of color to just now. This is the first of two parts. We have a lot of catching up to do.

Butterflies in my Stomach. Drawn for Valentine’s Day. You know what they say in life, love, and everything else – “No guts, no glory.” Literally.

Week 7: Butterflies in my Stomach

Strength. It’s when they have crushed and burned every last inch of you that you discover how strong you truly are.

Week 8: Strength

Chasing My Own Shadows (while I’m running away from them). I was listening to Matilda, my favorite all-female local band, when I thought of drawing this. This was inspired by a track from their 2003 EP called “I n Me,” a powerful song that has always spoken to me. Put your headphones on, play it at full blast, and do check out the lyrics. A side note: I had to incorporate a couple of Wayang Kulit in there since I was talking about shadows.

“Oh this is endless perplexity
Unless I understand me
Unless I forgive me
Unless I see, hear, feel, touch, heal
Unless I claim me”

Week 9: Chasing My Own Shadows (while I’m running away from them)

Exit Wounds. Sometimes our best products are born out of our darkest moments. A drawing for International Women’s Day.

Week 11: Exit Wounds

Sea Witch. I recently found my collection of children’s books while spring cleaning, and was reminded of how beautiful the illustrations are on the Ladybird Well Loved Tales series. “The Little Mermaid” was my favorite. Thanks to a friend (because I couldn’t find it in the book’s insert and I’m bad at Googling information), I learned that the artist was Brian Price Thomas. I must note that the Ladybird classics stand out for their appealing, non-saccharine, almost realistic but still whimsical illustrations. So yes, mermaids — can’t get enough of them. And this is my version of the sea witch, seated on her throne with an anglerfish for a companion just to show how deep within the ocean she resides.

Week 11: Sea Witch

Dabbling in Cooking and Bento Making

There are four items in my bucket list I’ve been meaning to tick off since last year, but only had the opportunity and energy to really do this first quarter of 2014:
1. Ride a big bike.
2. Surf.
3. Learn how to swim.
4. Cook and make bento.

These are arranged in ascending level of difficulty. And with item #1 almost out of the way (I’ve been practicing on a regular one; not a big bike just yet), you’d think I had moved on to either items 2 or 3, but no. I once believed that cooking was a skill that was next to impossible for me to learn. I was an exemption to Auguste Gusteau’s motto, “Anyone can cook” — yes, that chef from Pixar’s “Ratatouille.” Coming from an all-girls school where we were taught to be domesticated in Home Economics (a subject in which I sucketh muchly), cooking was my Waterloo. I switched roles with whoever was assigned as the dishwasher whenever it was my turn to cook, which they would readily agree to. The one time I was asked to do a cooking demo in front of the class, a sort of a practical quiz because I was never seen cooking, I wore pot holders on both hands and wielded the frying pan lid like a shield, and the spatula like a sword; I was just frying bacon.

Fast-forward to present day. Thanks to a growing penchant for bento box aesthetics, I mustered enough courage to actually try to — wait for it — make scrambled eggs just to get things started. Believe me, that was the first edible thing I made, not counting the panda cake I helped my friend design. After that, I leveled up my meager cooking skills by making my first bento — a Rilakumma Omurice.  The use of ketchup rice was limited only to Rilakumma’s body parts. It has a ham and cheese omelette for a pillow, and garnished with flower sausages, carrots cut into flowers and butterflies, and broccoli. I was able to find a bunny-shaped nori punch in Daiso which I generously used to design the scrambled egg blanket.

Before I proceed, note that I’m not about to list my ingredients and step-by-step procedures as these can be found online. You just need to make a few adjustments on the recipe to suit your taste buds. For instance, I discovered I like adding more sake and/or mirin to meat courses I’ve been cooking lately.

Next up was a Doraemon bento. I particularly got the recipe for this one from Ochikeron and followed it down to a tee, substituting the meat dish that came with it to simmered chicken in grated potato topped with shiraga negi. Yes, it wasn’t enough that I just learned how to steam and fry eggs and pieces of meat to include in my bento box creations — I needed to learn how to REALLY cook. Side dishes include baked beans, cherry tomatoes, broccoli, and butterfly-shaped carrot slices. I also made tamagoyaki for this one just for Doraemon’s bell. As a side note in making tamagoyaki, you may use a mixture of sugar and soy sauce in place of Shiro Dashi.

The latest I made was a Hello Kitty bento consisting of apples made of red peppers stuffed with ground beef and onions, cores made of cheese with nori sheet for seeds; strawberries made of fish sausage, black sesame seeds, and edamame; and a flower sausage. This came with a matching bento box with two salmon onigiri, tamagoyaki and sausage flowers, a couple of the aforementioned strawberries, and an extra stuffed red pepper.

But it wasn’t just bento I made within the first four months of this year. Sometime in February, I made Pho Hai San (Vietnamese seafood pho) with lots of basil and a sprinkling of lemon. A week before I made the Hello Kitty bento, I decided to try cooking okonomiyaki. I was lucky enough to find nagaimo at nearby New Hatchin, one of my go-to Japanese grocery stores along with Yamazaki in Little Tokyo. Slathered in homemade sauce (no okono sauce was in stock at that time), it has a layer of strips of bacon on top, and is sprinkled with aonori and katsuobushi.

So there, achievement unlocked! I’ve been cooking whenever I feel like it during painting breaks these days or when I’m not training, which is a huge and rewarding accomplishment for me. As for surfing and swimming, we’ll see about that on June. But for now, I’m taking my bento making seriously.

Addendum: I’ve been asked a lot of times where I get my bento boxes. The answer — Daiso. They have bento boxes in all shapes and sizes for just Php 80. It’s also where I bought my veggie cutters and tamago non-stick skillet. If you’re lucky, you might find oddly-shaped nori punchers and onigiri molds in there as well (although I would encourage getting creative in shaping rice balls yourself).

Project 52: Weeks 4 to 6

Thanks to the northeast monsoon, Manila had a pleasantly cool weather for the rest of January. I was so wrong to think that a cold weather would actually get me to work faster on my paintings as sweltering summers slow me down. On the contrary, I found it very conducive to sleep so I pretty much slacked off. Haha! It gets a bit warmer every passing day now – a sad thing because we, Manila folks, have to start stashing away our coats and jackets. While I’m beginning to miss standing by one of my studio windows wide open – wearing a beanie with a shawl wrapped around my shoulders, nursing a hot mug of coffee – I welcome back sunshine and blue skies as I regain my regular speed and focus. Anyway, my drawing for Week 4 is an ode to the month-long abnormally cold weather we were able to enjoy. And if you assumed I named this after a Passion Pit song of the same title, then you are absolutely right. Yes, the one that starts out with, “Please unicorn, eat tacos with me.”

Week 4: Sleepyhead

And yes, something has to be drawn in time for the Chinese New Year last week. I knew I had to come up with something related to that. First thing that came to mind was a line from Disney’s “Mulan,” which I and a couple of my friends love to quote whenever having tea. It goes:

Pour the tea. To please your future in-laws, you must demonstrate a sense of dignity… and refinement.

There you have it – a Chinese girl pouring tea. Couldn’t help but doodle in those filigrees coming out from the pot as I was killing time in a coffee shop.

Week 5: Pour the Tea

The idea for my Week 6 drawing was something requested back in 2012 – a Matryoshka doll. Of course I couldn’t resist throwing in a few flowers, paisley patterns, and a kokoshnik. Right. Now that all six drawings are in, I should be able to post on time starting next week. No promises though.

Week 6: Matryoshka

Project 52: Weeks 1 to 3

Back in 2012, I attempted doing a Project 365, which I wasn’t able to complete. I was going steady from January until mid-February, then my production decreased until I was only able to make around 1 to 2 drawings per week – most of which, especially the ones I made after February weren’t even inked or finished. I stopped trying to produce anything for the project in early October.

So this year, I got inspired by Gab to do a Project 52 – one drawing a week – something that is definitely more doable. Since I started a week late, I decided to just include my finished drawing from October 2012 for Week 1 so that this whole project would be a sort of continuation. I’m still keeping a couple of rules — that the images shouldn’t take too long to think about and working on a drawing shouldn’t consume much of the time I should be spending for studio work. In a nutshell, this is to be a breather from painting on large canvases, and a springboard for concepts I might further develop and eventually render as paintings. Plus, this should get me to blog more frequently.

Week 1: Lavender Roses

My work for Week 2 was originally drawn on the afternoon of the 7th of October 2012, just before I left for Phnom Penh. I was running late for my flight that day. I decided to complete this to take up where I left off, thus, finishing this last January 10. You may view what the unfinished piece looked like here.

Week 2: Don’t Look Back

Fresh from watching 47 Ronin, my drawing for Week 3 was a girl in a kabuto. It’s no coincidence that this and the one from the previous week are both Japanese-themed. You know how in some arcade games they’d show your character all bloodied and bruised while a countdown ticks on ’til Game Over? This one is somewhat my “Insert coin and press P1 to continue” drawing. This is my way of saying, “Game on! I’ll finish this project this time around.”

Week 3: Girl in a Kabuto

Getting Into Shoe Art

Early last May, I was commissioned to paint a pair of canvas shoes for Bensimon’s launch in the Philippines. Now, I am new to this shoe art thing and upon learning that a basic pair of Bennies costs around Php 2500, I decided to practice first on a cheap pair of Advan sneakers. Couldn’t risk ruining the ones I was to design. So here’s how my “practice pair” turned out.

For the actual pair of Bensimons I painted on, I was given a few specifications by the organizers: (1) that the design should be wholesome, so I was not allowed to place my usual skulls and “hints of gore and self-mutilation” — I love the fact that they do know my work; but mainly, (2) that it should reflect the stylish, on-the-go Parisian chic feel of the brand. So sticking to a color scheme of pink, black, and red, here’s what I came up with.

The launch was held at The Atrium in Enderun Colleges last June 11. The venue was prettily decorated to look like a French cafe with the adjoining room made to resemble a street in Paris lined with mini bazaars, flower shops, and an art gallery where the custom-designed shoes were displayed. Mine came with a small painting to match the shoe art. I kept the design feminine and elegant. No skulls; just roses, ribbons, and stripes.

Albeit the fabric being too soft for painting, designing the Bennies was a fun experience. I also have to note that the launch got me started wearing canvas shoes — a grape-colored pair of tennis lacets I was given for free that goes well with my mostly black, gray, and red wardrobe. Don’t get me wrong though, boots will always be my comfy shoes (I did get another red pair of Bennies though).

Save for an extra pair of size 9 white Bennies I still can’t decide what to do with yet, I knew that wouldn’t be the last pair I’d be working on. True enough, that wasn’t my last foray into shoe art for the year. Come October, I found myself customizing shoes again — a pair of Vans this time, which was, truthfully, easier to work on.  I guess this explains why there are lots of custom Vans shoe art out there. I’d have to try working on other brands, but so far, the canvas for this brand is just perfect for painting.

The client’s request was simple: A design that’s undeniably me. Without thinking twice about what to paint, I threw in my favorite elements I like to incorporate in my paintings — roses, skulls, bones, a few curlicues, and my new found love – VISCERA!

Now that I’ve experienced painting on three pairs of canvas shoes, I think I’m ready to try working on a new material — leather.  I’ve agreed to design a pair, and tinkering with a new medium is always exciting. Yep, can’t wait to get started on that one. As for the extra pair of Bennies, I’m a size 7 and I really won’t be able to use them, so I’m considering designing and raffling them off some time in 2014. I just need to get a few paintings done first. So there you go, two supposedly separate overdue posts compressed into one. Definitely looking forward to doing more shoe art next year,  among other projects of course.