The 2013 ANNUAL FRIENDS AND FAMILY CHRISTMAS CARD DESIGN REVEALED

Hey guys...it's time to reveal the new Christmas Card Design for 2013.  The cards have all been sent out and hopefully opened by now, so I can show you what I have been up to!

This design was inspired by a expression that my Gram who passed away last year,  would often say when she was confused or trying to focus on something.  She would get mildly frustrated and say, "Wait, wait. I'm all balled up!" I always thought it was so funny when she would say it.   I never knew exactly what she meant when I was growing up, but now I surely do and so does this 'funny snowman'.

The card design was created by hand with black ink.  It was then scanned into the computer and the colors were added to it. I really struggled to get all of the elements to look right and also fit into an envelope at the same time.  I shuffled some things around, cut and paste and found a good place for everything. This 'funny guy' was then cleaned up some and printed out onto card stock to check it out. When all was good, I took them to my printer guy 'Joe' who had me email a copy of the file to him. He printed them out, all on one side on white card stock. They were waiting for me when I picked them up and they looked so cute all in one stack. Now I knew I had to get a move on. 

I knew I had to get down to work because I did not have much time to get them completed and mailed out, too.  I began by cutting them out all the way around the image with scissors leaving a small white border. Little papers were everywhere.  Next I scored and folded them into 3 panels.  The first panel reads, 'I've been a snowman all my life...' The second reads 'but this Christmas has me...' The third reads, 'all balled up! and 'Happy Holidays to you!'  It's kind of confusing to write it out this way, so looking at the photos will surely help.  The card was finally adorned with some colored glitter then left to dry.  When they were done, I started to address them and put them in the envelopes.

Everything about this 'funny snowman' but his hat and one boot is dishelved and out of place.  I thought that this truly reflects what my Gram was saying when she felt overwhelmed.  I know my family and friends and those who knew Gram will surely know what this card is about.  So the next time you get confused or frustrated, just say out loud or to yourself, "I'm all balled up!"  Maybe you will remember this card?

Below are some more photos...

Well, I hope you like this year's design and find that it ranks somewhere up at the top?  Feel free to leave a comment.  I'd love to read what you think.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all.

Cheers, 

Loren

NEW CHRISTMAS GREETING CARD DESIGN IS COMING AROUND THE CORNER

'HEY, ROCKIN' AROUND THE CHRISTMAS TREE, HAVE A HAPPY HOLIDAY'   2011
(c) Loren Fidalgo 2011

Hey guys...Well it is that time of year again and you might know what that means?  If you follow my other blog MIND GIGGLES, you will have the scoop on the Annual Friends and Family Christmas Card Design?  If you do not know, click here and  here and here to get the skinny on how I create these cards and how I come up with the ideas.  In previous years, I have made pop-ups, Christmas tree ornaments out of aluminum, mobiles, swinging trees, snowflakes and rubberstamped designs just to name a few. 

'POP-OUT" FRIENDLY SNOWMAN      Blank inside    2005
(c) Loren Fidalgo 2005

Every year, I try to create this handmade 'gem' of a Christmas card that goes out to my all my friends and family.  I have been doing this since around 1987-88.  I have to check on that to be sure.  The design is always a challenge to create because I have to create something better than I did the previous years.  I put a lot of pressure on the concept and idea of the card design.  The bar is always set high by everyone and myself, so they will be thrilled and excited when they open the envelope. They have to experience the 'MIND GIGGLE".  Receivers of these cards say that they know that it is indeed 'The Holiday Season' and Christmas is on it's way when they get the card in the mail.  As my brother Ken puts it." It is like the very well known window designs at Macy's in New York City, at Christmas time.  When they go up, you know Christmas is near."

'SNOWMEN ARE REAL COOL DUDES'               (inside) 'so you be a cool dude, too!'       2006
(c) Loren Fidalgo 2006

As I have mentioned, each year the designs have been such a stressor a lot of pressure and they wear me out!  I 'hunker down' for 3-5 days and just go to town, cutting, gluing, folding, scoring, paper punching and coloring,  There are usually little papers all over the floor that I track around the house, but I don't care at the moment. I am in the 'zone' and a woman on a mission.  As I say each year, "I am not going to do one this year, I ultimately feel compelled like something greater than me, has to get them done and sent out on time no matter how I feel.  Some times I don't feel in the Christmas spirit. I'm feeling tired, low energy and just have some seasonal 'mood problems'.  But each year as the date for completion comes closer, I ramp up my creative drive , and I put it in 'high gear' because it has become such a family tradition.  I ask myself, "Would snoopy not decorate his dog house, if he was in a 'low mood'?"  No way!  " Would Santa not deliver the presents on Christmas Eve because he is 'too tired?  Absolutely, not. They journey and carry on." So I have to say, "Let the game begin!"

THIS SEASON LET'S CELEBRATE...   ( inside) World Peace!  1998
(c) Loren Fidalgo 1998

So, you might be wondering, "do I have an idea for this year yet?"  Well, I am happy to report, that "I am almost there."  I am so excited about it and I hope the final design looks as good as I have created in my mind. You can read here to see how I came up with an idea for past card design. I will be posting glimpses of sketches, mock-ups and prototypes that I use to help generate the final design, however I don't want to give away the idea, until the card is in the mail.  Timing is everything.  This year's design will be something inspired from my much missed Gram who passed away last year.  In this card design, her memory will live on especially, at Christmas time.

DEAR SANTA,  WE HAVE BEEN REALLY GOOD THIS YEAR SO, PLEASE SEND SOME HOPE, LOVE AND JOY!  IF NOT...         (inside)  JUST SEND CASH!  MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU!  2012
(c) Loren Fidalgo 2012                    

Keep following along on this blog and my MING GIGGLES blog to see the evolution of the Annual Friends and Family Christmas Card Design take shape.
Cheers,
Loren

NEW LOGO + BUSINESS CARD DESIGN

Hi there.  I wanted to give you a peek at my new logo and business card design.  I am so excited to have finally completed it and it is ready to be given out to the world!

I wanted this card design to coordinate with my blog, my Facebook site and my etsy shop, so I used the same painting that is on my etsy banner and my Facebook cover page.

The cards fold in half and I decided to print them myself so I could create them with a fold and blank inside.  The inside is white and is for jotting down notes and info. that someone might want to remember.  Possibly, the might want to jot down a painting that they liked or wanted to purchase. (that would be an awesome use of my card)!

The front of the card has my new logo and very little type. I wanted to keep it simple since the painting is detailed.  On the back, I added my blog address, etsy shop, email and Facebook site. Lots of information.  Now with social media and the internet there is so much info to put on one little card.

Back in the day, when I first designed my logo and business cards and letterhead stationery, there wasn’t as much info to fit on a small card.  I have been trying to track down a copy of my first card and logo, but no luck yet.  When I do, I will post it on my blog.  You will get a glimpse of where I was at at that time and where I am now.

Thanks for looking at my business card design and new logo.  Please feel free to leave feedback, it’s greatly appreciated.!

Live life!

Loren

I AM IN HEAVEN FRIENDSHIP AND NEW STUDIO NEWS

Rebecca and Neurida

It's 5:00 in the morning and I am still up!  I am thinking about all that happened yesterday and I am reflecting about the wonderful day I had and how I shared it with two really great friends, Rebecca and Neurida.  We planned a day of painting outdoors at my home. First time doing this.  Well, the weather was great, however there was too much wind so we decided to take it in indoors. The three of us moved my wicker furniture and porch stuff out of the way, in the corner.  We opened a big table, Rebecca selected her zone with a table top easel (love those!).  Neurida selected the other corner of the table for her palette of paint, and I fit so nicely with my easel into the corner of the porch. We were packed in, almost too close for comfort,however none of us cared.  It was thankfully just right. I opened all the shutter doors on the windows and let the beautiful light in. We were all comfortable in our zones and we began painting and talking and painting and chatting and then some more painting and discussing and on we went.  The conversation was effortless and so meaningful. I don't remember when I had such great conversation with my friends. When Rebecca and Neurida had to head back to center city Philly, we were all disappointed that the day had to end.  They both shared that they had an awesome time and we had to do it again really, really soon!

When my friends left I found myself still full of energy and inspiration.  I continued to paint in the porch and as I put the brush to the canvas, my mind started to expand and I had a revelation.  I decided then that I wanted to move my studio out of the dining room and into the porch. This was big.  I mean really big. A bridge was being crossed, meaningless thoughts were becoming a plan and I was elated. The porch was always out of my option range. When my husband Paul came home, I told him that I was joyful and happy and I would like to move my zone into the porch.  He was skeptical at first but then he saw all the benefits, such as reclaiming our dining room!  Here the porch was there all along just waiting for me to see it for what it is and it's potential. I was not able to see the benefits to using the space to my advantage. I was closed off to seeing the possibilities. Having my friends over to my home to paint and talk about the 'human condition' as I call it, was the best thing I have done for my soul personally and creatively in more years than I can express here and now.  A door was opened yesterday for me and I walked through it. I opened my heart and let the light in.  I felt like I was in heaven!

NEURIDA's painting-------REBECCA'S painting--------MY abstract painting
See the wicker furniture in the background!!!  Close quarters.

Thank you to my friends Rebecca and Neurida for helping me to see the person I am becoming and the person I hope to be.  Even more, thanks for reawakening the person I used to be. Mostly thank you for trusting in me to share your heart and souls. I love you guys!

 New etsy shop is opened. Seriously, it's finally opened!

new etsy painting shop banner 

Holy cow. I wanted to let everyone know that I have opened my new painting and illustration shop on etsy.  Yeah!!!  Above is my new shop banner.  I love it!  So far I have just listed a few smaller works, but stay tuned.  I will be listing lots of paintings for sale that will be 16x20's and 24 x 30's.  Yowza! that's big, 24x30's.  But for now, I will be listing small little gems that are inexpensive and don't require special shipping.  So, take a peek over at my shop on etsy at http://www.etsy.com/shop/LorenFidalgoArt  and have a look at my new works.   Don't forget to check back in to read my 'on my Easel' where I will talk about the play by play'  (no pun intended or maybe it was...) process I go through when painting a painting.  I may be discussing the process of a painting that you are interested in purchasing, so take a peek in on 'on my Easel' to learn about your painting..

   Hey, I'm on Facebook now,too. Come by and discuss.  

new Facebook cover

Now here is some really big news. Facebook!  Yeah that's right.  I opened a Facebook site for my artwork. Yippee!!! I'm singing and dancing!   You can get there here .   I am so new to this social media platform and I hope I get the hang of it soon.  It does seem overwhelming with all the information every where.  I think I might need some assistance for this project?  If you have any suggestions or would want to leave a comment or post something that interests you or something that is on your mind, please do.  Any advice or tips are greatly appreciated.

Cheers,

Loren

    

NEW PAINTING FROM BALLOON SERIES

I was going through some of my paintings yesterday and came across this little painting that I had done awhile ago that goes along with my Balloon Series Paintings.  I over looked it and totally lost track of it since it is a small painting.
It was created with the series of paintings that I just posted about called 'HOW FRAGILE WE ARE' and I wanted to include it with the series
This painting is titled, 'IN THE WINK OF AN EYE' 11x14  2010 oil on canvas.

'IN THE WINK OF AN EYE'                  11x14                oil on canvas            2010

HOW FRAGILE WE ARE

A couple of years ago I took a brief dabbling in my painting and began painting characters that look like balloons.  

It all started when I painted a diptychs for my brother as a Christmas gift.  He was my secret Santa and I wanted to do something cool for his house.  He had virtually no art in his beautiful home so I thought a painting would be an awesome idea.  I had no idea as to what I was going to take on right before Christmas.

It is titled 'Air on the side of caution' and each canvas is 24x30.  It took some time to paint, but I really got in the groove and finished them on time.  It began my interest in the balloon as a metaphor for the human brain and personality.

'AIR ON THE SIDE OF CAUTION'      2009   24x30 panels     oil on canvas

I don't know precisely what caught my attention to create these balloon character faces except that I am generally interested in the face as a theme and use it in a lot of my paintings.  I am also interested in our human psychology as a theme.  The idea that these balloon characters can be extinguished with just a nick by the birds beak, speaks to me because I feel that that is how one can feel when they move in the world.  Vulnerability is the key word I think of to describe these balloon character paintings.  I think of how fragile our psychological life can be and how we can feel so unimportant at times.  I also think of strength and courage when I look at these paintings.  Courage to put yourself out there not knowing what will come back to you.  Strength to pick yourself up after an emotional event and move forward.  The faces are just floating in the air and moving through their life even though there is tragedy.  One balloon has been loosing it's air it's life and a lot of balloons look at it in concern and fear, while others are not nearly so affected.  Some characters like the one in the left panel in the bottom left corner is closing his eyes and doesn't even want to know what is going on.

                'BLISS'                11x14               2010      oil on canvas                                         

This painting above titled 'BLISS" 11x14 oil on canvas is one of my very favorites.  I think it is because I love the way the face looks so relaxed and truly experiencing 'bliss'.  I love the way the colors blend together and support the red face.  It is not actually a balloon face however it is the beginning of my balloon series.

               'HOPES DEFLATED'         16x20                 2010       oil on canvas                                   

Above in this second painting, 'Hopes Deflated' 16x20.  Two birds swoop in to bite onto the yellow balloon character and deflates it while standing on the face of the green character.  This reflects the fragile nature of our psychological persona.

             'WHAT'S SO FUNNY?'                   16x20                      2010      oil on canvas             

 In this third painting above, 'What's so funny?' 16x20, each character in the painting is laughing and filled with fun.  The blue character is clearly the 'jokester' while the yellow woman character is very amused and smitten with the joke as the orange woman looks on.  This painting reflects the different sides of ourselves and how we can change our persona from one moment to the next.

      'RISING ABOVE'          16x20        2010       oil on canvas                             

In this fourth painting, 'Rising above' 16x20 , you can see different emotions as the orange balloon is relaxing and looks like he is meditating and not effected by the others.  The blue character looks on wondering and the green guy in the background looks like he wants to make his own appearance as a unique and different personality from the others.  The three birds fly around these characters clearly familiar with these three guys. The guys do not feel any fear even though at any minute the birds can nick them and they will deflate and their lives will be lost

              'GRIEF'                    11x14              2010   oil on canvas

In this painting above titled 'GRIEF' 11x14,  I really experience the feeling of grief when I look at the face of this balloon that is floating in the air.  Since I have been going through a lot of grief lately with the loss of my Mom and my Gram 16 months apart, I really relate to the way the balloon is holding his head and closing his eyes and staring down. This balloon character is surely feeling down and filled with sorrow.

I hope you enjoyed viewing this group of paintings.  Please feel free to leave a comment and let me know what's on your mind.