And allllll the drunk people are out. in droves. The Southern California Renaissance Faire is certainly an entertaining crowd-watching experience.
I am posted up under a gyspy-esque tent with the clothing company Opal Moon Designs, with whom I recently held an apprenticeship (there is so much to know in a small business).
My mentor, Kerrie Kordowski is a design genius, pulling inspiration from childhood SciFi favourites, particularly Star Wars (read more about her work here ). Many being first introduced to the line mention Assassin's Creed or Lord of the Rings as hoods are a prominent feature.
It is fun to listen to people shuffle through the small open-air shop, murming about what mysterious and magical characters they could possibly be. The clothes have an inspirational effect on people.
Recently Kerrie asked me to create a painting for her shop. It took a bit of consideration but we finally decided on a reference image from the early-on Lunar Light editorial shoot with Sequoia Emmanuelle.
I started to take some risks with this piece, as I stated in an earlier entry, I had been hearing the repeat message from instructors whom I had been working with that I should "be brave to take risks". I never want to get stuck in my own methods, nor do I want them to remain the same throughout time. Lack of change means lack of growth. It also means the method will eventually crumble under the weight of its own rigidity. And I wax poetic.
I smeared a lot of paint and worked in glazey-layers, mixing small amounts of colour in walnut oil and applying to previously-dried layers. To make the hazy glow of moonlight around her midsection, I covered the area in a white glaze and rubbed off areas of shadow. The tree branches at the top were made by running a square brush through partially-dried paint on the canvas (most of the lighter areas are layers of more-dried paint closer to the canvas), which is something else I had never tried before.
It is fun making these things up and just going with my curiosity (consequences be damned, but hopefully not too detrimental). Though I am sure that I saw something similar in some workshop/show/book/website/etc, it feels more instinctual than methodical.
It is fun making these things up and just going with my curiosity (consequences be damned, but hopefully not too detrimental). Though I am sure that I saw something similar in some workshop/show/book/website/etc, it feels more instinctual than methodical.
A student approached me asking if she should stick to just one art instructor or branch out to many. I encouraged her to try out many, and learn as many approaches as possible. I admitted that at first it is confusing to try to decide which method to go by, but assured her that eventually she will start to pick and apply that vocabulary of methods that work best for her. Sometimes we create new methods by connecting older ones, or encountering an extra step that we didn't expect.
I didn't expect most of my journey, I had some goals and a little skill. And a huge dose of brave "why-the-heck-not" attitude. The modeling, the fashion apprenticeship, the art - it all interplays and continually sparks new insights in my personal approach to both art and life.
I didn't expect most of my journey, I had some goals and a little skill. And a huge dose of brave "why-the-heck-not" attitude. The modeling, the fashion apprenticeship, the art - it all interplays and continually sparks new insights in my personal approach to both art and life.