No Bitter Valentine's

Ah, another Valentine's Day...I suppose that means it's time for another bitter Valentine's Day post...

...except. I'm not that bitter this year. Maybe it's because I've got...

TWO EXHIBITS!!!!

...lined up this year and I've been working my tail off. Too busy to be bitter.

Not to mention the general all consuming insane excited happy feelings of having two exhibits. Too joyous to be bitter.

Happy Valentine's Day! [no sarcasm...none at all...]

ok. maybe just a little bit...stupid fake Hallmark holiday...

Duh

I'm doing something new to me but not new to anyone else because it's pretty much common sense. I'm sketching thoroughly before starting any final drawings and paintings.

Too often, I get an idea. I get super excited. I jump right into starting the final drawing only to find....halfway through I don't really like it.
So here's to days full of frenzied sketching before picking up a paintbrush or buying a new canvas or cutting into any fresh sheets of paper.

Year of the Dragon

What's Making Lisa Happy Today:

Valentine's Day approaching

Buying stickers with my Chinese New Year loot

Restocking beloved shops with prints

What's Pissing Lisa Off Today:

Chinese New Year indulgences =X

Tiny Tower

The word "yaw"

Macabre

It was bound to happen. With all it's sugary sweetness, my art was bound to take a little detour into darker waters. I knew it would happen eventually but I did not expect it to turn so soon.

Current project: Creating my own tarot deck

Current sources of inspiration:

1. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern - The plot is ok...but the circus descriptions and imageries are amazing.
2. Charmaine Olivia - Love her or hate her, the girl is committed. She truly embodies her art. Her entire appearance, persona, lifestyle, environment and paintings are all rolled up into one witchy, gothic, otherworldly aesthetic. I'm starting to wonder if she is cleverly doing that on purpose.
3. Edward Gorey - The best example I've found of tongue in cheek macabre art. I LOVE how he manages to walk that fine line between funny/devious/innocent/twisted...basically all the things I'm striving for right now.
4. Edward Scissorhands soundtrack - And a couple others from Danny Elfman. The perfect arting background music.

So, watch out...Lisa's venturing into a new, gloomier genre. And as with most things I get really excited about, I'm going into this full-assed (as opposed to the half-assedness I save for things like mopping the floors). Which means I need to do my research. Which means I need books. Which means I order things like the encyclopedia on the occult.

No. I'm serious.

See? I even full-ass nerd.

Caramel deLites

Hmm...haven't done a happy/pissy update in a while so I'll make up for it here. =)

What's Making Lisa Happy Today:

Morning routines.

Food trucking, crayon arting and food gorging with the girlies.

Officially starting my tarot project.

PUTTING IN MY GIRL SCOUT COOKIE ORDER WITH THE CUTIE PATOOTIE ACROSS THE STREET.

What's Pissing Lisa Off Today:

Someone egged my car. I am not amused.

Smudgey hands...one of the downfalls of being an artist.

The Miss America pageant.