My Fair Lady

El estilo de los años 60 está de vuelta en mi mente, se apodera de mi arsenal de estética, se arrastra en mis dibujos como un mensaje oculto y reconfortante. Un cálido “hola” de alguien que ya conozco.

Siento que siempre estoy tratando de mantenerte cerca, siempre estás en el fondo de mi mente y todo lo que hago es tratar de conectarme con el pasado, contigo. Algo que existe por sí mismo y brilla a través del espacio y el tiempo, felizmente inconsciente de las reglas de la física.

Todo lo que hago es con la esperanza de que lo hayas visto, en algún lugar en algún otro momento y tal vez lo viste en un póster o en una cartelera y te gustó. Cualquier detalle es suficiente para tal propósito y despues… ya que dejaste de existir yo hago algo similar a lo que te gustó y ahora es un conducto para que nos conectemos … Y te sientes orgullosa de mi y me siento feliz.

Perlita.

• Otherworldly •

This is a comision I did a few years back for my good friend Seth, and it is my favorite painting I’ve ever done. My art generally has a cheerful and friendly tone and this was so completely out of my league, it changed me.

When Seth came to me with the idea for his painting I was quite honestly intimidated. He is such a spiritual person, he believes in ghosts and the paranormal, and he’s even in a rock band… I was afraid of it coming across unauthentic and forced.

Once we came up with some sketches and we talked a little bit about what he would like, I just sort of honored his thoughts and made tribute to who he is in essence. I thought about the spiritual and how there’s so many layers beyond just life and death. A memory can be a ghost, and the accompanying sadness is haunting isn’t it? Beautiful memories, bittersweet ghosts.

This process resulted in an elegant abstract of an otherworldly spirit. I got to try something I otherwise wouldn’t have touched (out of fear), and it felt exciting and freeing. I expanded my creativity by the thousands by venturing the unknown and I found myself fitting right in with the otherworldly.

PV

• October •

 

I can’t believe October is almost gone, this has been a truly memorable month for me in terms of inspiration. First of all, the moon around this time of the year is amazing; “No hay como las lunas de Octubre”, my mom used to say. And she was right, you see her birthday was in October and so she felt like all the moons of October belonged to her.

If I could claim something from my birth month, forever as my own like my mother did, I guess I would have to choose the air. April is my birth month and in this side of the world the air in April is nice and cool, and it has the scent of flowers at the peak of bloom. “Nada como el aroma de Abril”, that’s what I’m going to tell my kids and they too will think the scent of April belongs to their mother, the way I believe the moons in October belong to my mother.

But we’re still a long way from April and although October is almost gone I can still enjoy the smell of rain after the monsoon, feel the tip of my nose become cold from the cool winds, and witness the darkness before six o clock be illuminated by those “Lunas de Octubre”.

Lovely day in Tucson.

Decided to take my watercolors and color pencils to Gates Pass and have a little fun before the monsoon showers started pouring in.

I can’t wait to go to more places in person, Tucson is such a lovely place for inspiration.

Faber Castells & Tom Hardy

 

I bought a new set of Faber Castell colored pencils, I’d been daydreaming about them for months and I decided to treat myself.

I’ve also been obsessed with Tom Hardy lately, so naturally he was the perfect subject. I watched Wuthering Heights and instantly became obsessed with it, I really love a bittersweet romance.

Anyhow, back to the Faber Castell’s they’re a dream; they’re creamy and smooth and you can layer the color and build texture. I remember sampling them at the art store and I just couldn’t get over the smoothness of the pigment trailing behind. It’s almost an oil-based pigment that blends really well. As you can see I was truly impressed and enchanted by these I ended up buying a whole 20+ of them.

In fact I was supposed to be doodling and I couldn’t put the colors down, they’re just so fun to work with I just kept going and ended up with this.

-Cheers mates! (*Tom Hardy accent*)

P V

 

Everything all the time.

No rest for the wicked.
Here’s everything I’ve been working on in October/Inktober:

PSA- Depression

So many things being said about depression right now I feel like this is a good opportunity to say something while everyone is still paying attention. 

I see that suicide hotline being passed around like it’s a fucking cure. 

So I’m going to give a little bit of advice for those of you who truly want to make a difference in a depressed persons life or make a tiny dent in this overwhelming disease. 

My advice is simple and honest,

DON’T BE AN ASSHOLE

Don’t be the person who shames someone for seeking help. (Therapy, counseling, antidepressants, a fucking shoulder to cry on)

Don’t be condescending, “you just need a change of attitude”, “try harder”, “stop moping”, “that’s not depression”, “you just want attention”, “we didn’t have depression in my day”

 

(Um you did, you just didn’t call it that)

Don’t make someone feel bad for being sad. EVERYONE feels sadness, it’s perfectly human to feel sad. 

Sadness is not a sign of weakness.

Don’t make someone feel like they’re worthless/a burden. I see this message being said/shown everywhere, all around.

There’s nothing you can say that will “fix it”. You simply can’t, it’s a complicated issue. 

You can listen, for sure, if you’re the kind of person who is good at listening. Not everyone is and that’s okay. 

 

And last but not least, if someone has attempted suicide or successfully committed suicide don’t fucking think they’re weak. Because you honestly don’t know. You don’t know what cards that person is dealt with, their background, their support system, the chemicals inside their brain, how long they’ve been fighting for… you don’t know anything… 

Even doctors don’t have all the answers, not even science has a real grasp on this disease. 

 

I always think of depression as being “in the negatives”.  You can try so hard to be at “zero” and make such good progress… but then someone who started off at 1 and is now a 5 thinks of you as “lazy”… and it just kills you. 

There are human beings suffering in silence, in shame. We need to show compassion, even if we ourselves don’t truly understand it. 

That’s it. That’s my advice. 

Don’t be a dick.

Stillness

“Nosotros, los de entonces, ya no somos los mismos.” – Pablo Neruda (p 20)

DAMN.

Kendrick Lamar just made history and won the Pulitzer price in music for his hip-hop album, DAMN.

I’m obsessed with his most recent music, I love the beats and the lyrics and I’m truly sorry I’m not more eloquent or knowledgeable on the subject.

I just know that when I’m driving and one of his songs come on, I feel like a badass, I feel like a boss-ass bitch. He raps about Compton, but really any person from humble upbringing can relate to his music.

Anyway, thanks for being powerful and cool, Kenny.

P.Val