Here is Pablo

Pablo is a mini skeleton figurine that we found at Group W Bench in downtown New Haven. The store has a big collection of small skeleton figurines aside from other little vintage toys, ethnic accessories, jewelries, and clothing. I learned that day that those skeletons were related to Day of The Dead decoration. We thought it was a perfect place to find a gift for my sis-in-law since she loved skeleton. We found something for her but we also saw this little painter skeleton. DH insisted that I should get it since I'm an artist. I think I remembered feeling awkward of being called an artist because that year was the year that I decided that I wanted to do this for the rest of my life. There weren't too many people really knew what I was doing (this was before I created this blog, had facebook account, and so on).
Anyway, DH just picked that painter skeleton and bought it for me since I was so indecisive..hehe. I put him on my desk and decided to name him Pablo. I feel like Pablo has been with me throughout this time. It's like if I see him, he will proudly encourage me "You can do it...let's paint with me". I wish I could elaborate more that at least now you can understand a little bit when you see him in my next paintings.

Other random pics around the studio

Drawings, and small painting

My previous Munny preparation

Doodling thing when I'm bored

Current painting (underpainting stage)

Almost done

Travis Louie "Curious Myths", Sylvia Ji "Las Adelitas" and Group Show at Last Rites

We Went to NY to attend the opening of two great artists at Joshua Liner Gallery. You've probably read and saw some of the photos for the opening preview on Hi Fructose magazine, Arrested Motion blog, or any other art blogs. We arrived there a bit earlier, something that we'd like to do whenever we go to an opening, to be able to look at each painting without struggling to find our way among the crowd. I got a chance to talk to Travis Louie and Sylvia Ji when the gallery was still a bit empty (and you still could feel the cool breeze). The crowd started to fill the whole gallery around 7PM and people just kept coming. We had to get out in the middle of it to get some fresh air  and coffee (plus 2 slices of yummy pizza). Travis Louie's works are incredible, super fine rendering skill and high detailed drawing. Each character in his painting looks very alive and as if they are frozen in time and packed inside the glass frame by Mr. Louie. One of my favorites is The Hypno Doll, and I'm not the only one since that painting was one of the first paintings sold that night.
Sylvia Ji show contains 15 acrylic paintings, with most of them using her popular style approach of Dia de los Muertos imagery. The vibrant colors of predominantly red and gold leaf will catch your eyes as soon as you enter the gallery.
Before we headed home, we stopped by at Last Rites for the group show. The gallery was packed as well and it was pretty difficult for me to move around and look at each of the artwork. The show was curated by Jason D'Aquino. He teamed up with Last Rites to present Lead Poisoning, a show of gray-scale drawings by some of the most talented artists working today. You will find drawings by Jason himself, Greg 'Craola' Simkins, Chet Zar, Tara McPherson, Chris Mars, Robert Williams, Xiaoqing Ding, David Stoupakis, and many more.
All in all, it was a great night and I always feel like there are so many cool things to see in the city but so little time. Until next time:)

Some photos taken by DH

With Sylvia and Travis

Some of Sylvia Ji's paintings

The Hypno Doll is sooo adorable

         

Mark Garro, Mark Elliott and I

Some of Travis Louie's paintings

Meeting Travis and his beautiful family

Xiaoqing Ding's drawing at Last Rites

Tara McPherson's drawing at Last Rites

Hi Fructose and New Painting

Ken Harman of Hi Fructose Magazine spread the news of Lunch Bunch eBay Auction on Hi Fructose blog here http://www.hifructose.com/the-blog/759-ana-bagayans-lunch-bunch.html
The image of my print is part of the blog post. I'm honored to be placed among other great artists, like  Brandi Milne, Joshua Petker, and Amy Sol.
Most of the pieces, both originals and prints, are gone, but I think there are still 3 pieces from Christopher Umana available in the auction until the next three days.

I've also just finished my latest painting and am currently starting a new one.

Take Me to Your Happy Land
20"x24". oil on linen. 2010

The idea from this piece derived from my fascination of parallel universe and time travel. Maybe you've seen an episode of Dr. Who where Rose, Dr. Who, and Mickey landed on the parallel world or Fringe episodes. I'm just fascinated by the possibilities.
Well. I just wanted to share of a glimpse beneath my brain  (~_~)

Time to work. Stay hydrated during this cruel cruel summer:)

My First Munny

If you go to any toy stores like Kid Robot, you'll spot some boxed Munnys there. At first I didn't really know what that was, but thought it looked pretty cute. It has a chubby shape and came in different sizes...definitely something that fits my style. Then I suddenly see Munny everywhere where people design and paint it. Some are quite simple and some are quite intricate in the details and execution.

Anyway, I went to downtown around a week ago and perusing on Urban Outfitter's home decor and toys sections. Nothing called me in those sections but this one little Munny. I bought one and decided to experiment with it. I sketched a design, imagined what colors would go on it etc and started preparing the Munny.

Soooo I did it and let me present you my first Ms. Munny (I haven't given a proper name but yes, it's a she since it looks quite girlie:))

The Lunch Bunch Art Auction

Hello there,
I donated a signed and framed print of "Holding onto My Dream" on Lunch Bunch auction on eBay.

Here is the link to visit the shop
http://shop.ebay.com/lunchbunchart/m.html?_nkw&_armrs=1&_from&_ipg&_trksid=p4340

 Lunch Bunch is a project to feed homeless in L.A. initiated by Ana Bagayan and Meridyth MacDonald. You can learn more about what they're doing here.
They're currently raising money so they can keep preparing and distributing lunches to homeless people. The blog sometimes post some photos of lunch bags preparation and the distribution. I can only imagine being in the situation where you have no idea whether you can eat the next day or not, or you have to go through people's trash cans to find something *sniff*

My Interview on GOB Magazine and New Painting in Progress

Hello again:)

I got a nice surprise last Friday. Something that I consider as an early birthday present:)
Joseph L. Gaitan, editor in chief/publisher of GOB Magazine, asked me around a week ago about a short interview for their blog.  It was truly an honor to appear on their blog. GOB Magazine (Guardian of Bravery) is an art magazine showcasing well known artists as well as new and upcoming artists.
You can read the interview here:


http://gobmagazine.blogspot.com/2010/06/heidi-alamanda.html

Please also check their website out  http://gobmagazine.com

They're going to release issue #4 soon. I pre-ordered the limited edition of issue #4.  There are only 30 of them. Joseph told me that they will release it on July 10th. Can't wait.

I'm working on a new painting. There's also a new drawing in progress but I haven't snapped a pic of it. More to come. I still consider this one the ugly phase. Prettier than zombie phase (underpainting) but still ugly:)

 I haven't come up with a perfect title for this one. I got some ideas but none seems to be right at this moment.

I hope you guys enjoy your summer. It's beautiful out there (if you like sunny days..hehe)

This Beautiful Moment Keeps Slipping Away

My latest painting.
Sometimes you experience a beautiful moment in your life where everything just feels so right. You wish that time can just stop, so you can hold onto that moment forever. But you even barely have time to enjoy it.
 I just sometimes wish it won't slip away.

This Beautiful Moment Keeps Slipping Away
oil on linen. 20"x24". 2010

Bold Hype Gallery Opening and Julie Heffernan's Boy O Boy show

We went to New York for Bold Hype Gallery Opening. They just moved fro Orlando to NYC. The show was called "Strangers". Eric, Shannon, and everyone else really put a lot of work (and love) into this show. Great selection of artwork and great environment. We also got a chance to meet Skinner, a humble, friendly and great artist, who did a huge mural for the opening. The mural would bring you to the alternate reality. Rich colors and lots mythological symbolism really caught my eyes in most of his works. Skinner said his mural was obnoxious, I thought it was great and really fit the show.
The show runs until June 9th. Swing by when you're in the city. Congratulations Bold Hype!!! More and more success to come.


Before the opening, we stopped by at P.P.O.W gallery for Julie Heffernan's show. Andrew Hosner (of Sourharvest.com and Thinkspace Gallery) recommended this one. I've been mesmerized by Julie Heffernan's works for a while but had no idea she had a show in New York until Andrew told me. We meant to check this out around 3 weeks ago, but something always came up - family matters, sickness, and so on - and I'm so glad we could make it.

Some photos from the events

With Skinner

We love this piece

With Eric

With Shannon

Some of  Julie Heffernan's beautiful paintings at P.P.O.W Gallery

Something New on The Easel

I did realize it's been a while since my last post. Things have been quite rough at this moment. That's life, one day you are feeling like everything goes to the right path and optimistic of almost everything, then something hit you out of no where. It caught you off guard.

Anyway, I did start something new since my last post. I got the rough idea before my new york trip, but I wasn't really sure of how I would put it on my drawing (and eventually canvas). I'm still not happy with the background and the tiny girl in the cage. The overall painting is far from done but it's getting there. It's been a really slow progress with this one, but I'm just grateful that I still have the opportunity to paint.

Two New Paintings on www.heidialamanda.com

Thanks to my DH those paintings have also been added on my website

Do You Feel Liberated?

18"x24". oil on linen. 2010

Without You I'll Be Weak

20"x24". oil on linen. 2010

I'm currently starting a new painting. Will keep you updated. Have a wonderful day.

Mark Ryden The Gay 90's Olde Tyme Show

Last Thursday was a night that I would never forget. We decided to stay for a night in New York for the show and to check other galleries the next day.
We stayed at Koreatown. I like that part of the city where I can just pretend we're actually in Asia. We had some tasty Korean foods and desserts from a Korean bakery around the hotel before heading out to Paul Kasmin Gallery at Chelsea.
I immediately spotted Mark Ryden and Marion Peck outside the gallery surrounded by some people. He handed out Pink Lincoln pins wrapped in velvet pouch to those people. I asked Mark politely if I could take my picture with him and he just started posing with a big smile. Even better, Marion Peck also joined us in that photo session:) She asked me whether I wanted her to be in the photo or not. She had no idea how happy I was to have her in the photo. Then, he gave those lovely pins, one for me and one for David.

We went inside the gallery and it already started to look a bit crowded. I met Travis Louie, who greeted me with a hug. Then I immediately recognized Mark Elliott behind Travis. Mark Elliott is a very talented artist/illustrator whom I met on facebook.  I knew that he would attend the show but didn't think I could spot him among the crowd. It was really wonderful to meet a super talented and friendly artist like Mark. Mark introduced me to another amazing artist, Mark Garro. We talked for a bit before parting to see Ryden's paintings.

The first room in the gallery showcased Mark Ryden's paintings. On my right hand side, there were "Virgin and Child", and "The Grinder".  "Piano Player", and "Pink Lincoln" were on my left hand side. The huge painting of "Incarnation", which you've seen the time-lapse video circulated over the internet, was placed on the center wall. The next room showcased his sublime graphite and watercolor works, and there was another room where you could see his framed drawing studies.
They're all gorgeous and I just couldn't stop looking at them. We kept moving from one room to another until the gallery felt too hot and humid for us. We got out for some fresh air and returned inside to look some more.
The crowd was a mix. There were some people were really dressed up based on the dress code (Olde Tyme outfits). Some ladies with their parasols and cute old tyme dresses, and gentlemen with their tall hats and fancy suits. Some dressed pretty casual and others, like David and I,  were dressed up but didn't really follow the dress code.

Seeing his show in person has given me a higher appreciation for Mark Ryden. Indeed, his paintings are beautiful and he's no question a very talented artist, but it's more than that. Mark Ryden, as a host, made his guests felt welcomed. He was all smiley for the entire time and looked really attentive to anyone who wanted to have a chat with him, have his signature, or have some photos taken with him.

I felt privileged to be able to see his colossal paintings. Having my photo with Mark Ryden and Marion Peck, his signature on my Fushigi Circus book, and keepsakes from the show, are pretty cool bonuses:) Also, I got to meet some new amazing friends.

The next day, we went to Paul Kasmin gallery again to appreciate Ryden's paintings minus the crowd:) then off to see Shawn Barber's paintings at Joshua Liner Gallery, then headed to Jonathan Levine to see Eric White, Nicola Verlato, Fulvio Di Piazza, and Date Farmers. We swung by at Last Rites gallery intending to check Chet Zar and Ewelina Feruso's works, but we came there too early....the gallery was still closed:( We decided to have lunch at Chelsea and headed to Kinokuniya for some green tea frappes and good books.
I'll post some pics from Joshua Liner and Jonathan Levine on my next post.

Mark Ryden, Marion Peck and Me

Travis Louie

♥

 Mark Elliott

Incarnation

A super tall lady:)