I'M HAVING A SOLO EXHIBIt!

                                                 MOVING FORWARD
                         a transition to abstract

Hey guys...it's Loren here. I am so excited, so thrilled, so out of this world silly to share with everyone that I am having my first solo exhibit with my abstract paintings for the month of February at Christopher's:  A Neighborhood Place  Restaurant  335 E. King Street  Malvern, PA. 19335

 

I will be exhibiting my 'MOVING FORWARD a transition to abstract' series and I will have about 17 paintings in the show.  There will be ten  24 x 30's and four smaller size paintings. 

 

If you are an art lover and love seeing original art. then come on over to Christopher's and join everyone for the fun on February 24 between 5 pm - 8 pm.  The food is great at Christopher's and the atmosphere is superb.  There is a huge high ceiling, brick walls and a wide open space.  A great place to display my paintings

 

Thanks to Christopher Todd for choosing me to exhibit my paintings in his restaurant.   I will be writing more about the process of hanging the exhibit along with some photos if possible, the response of customer traffic and anything else that seems like it's something interesting that I want to share with everyone.

I hope to see you there.  
Cheers,
Loren

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

ANNUAL FAMILY AND FRIENDS CHRISTMAS GREETING CARD DESIGN FOR 2015 REVEALED

Hey guys...it's Loren here.  Christmas has come and gone and everyone has received their card. Now it's time to reveal this year's Annual Family and Friends Christmas Greeting Card Design for 2015!

This year's design was a difficult choice because I was not up to the task. Usually, I have a little bit of a hard time feeling like I can get the design done in a short amount of time.  I feel the pressure to do it every year even though I always say, "I don't feel up to it this year or I say " there is just not enough time to compete it!" 

I started the design with a drawing and idea that I had created from a few months back.  I decided that I was not going to use the idea because I wasn't sure I could make it work out, so I began working on other ideas.  Eventually, I came back to this idea over and over and in the end, the Santa with his butt hanging out at the chimney was calling to me to create it. 

Creating this design began with ink drawings and pencil drawings.  I decided that I did not like the pencil, so I went with the ink. I drew about three or four different ink drawings and settled on one.  I wasn't feeling so confident about the drawing but plowed ahead.  I scanned one drawing intro the computer and I cleaned it up some.  Then I cropped it at the right angle and popped in some colors.  I printed it out and created a prototype to make sure it worked right.  Next, I created my layout to go to the printer with one card and another with the 'butt' shape that would go on top. I cut out the card on my guillotine cutter and hand cut the 'butt'.  Then I folded thin strips of card stock and glued them onto the card and 'butt'.  There are two paper folds and each one is folded in a different direction.  This made the 'butt' cutout pop out and shake a little.  The design is a pop-up of sorts.

 

I hope you enjoy seeing the design and reading about how it was created for 2015?  Happy New Year to everyone and see you in 2016!

Cheers,

Loren

 

IT'S THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN

Hello guys...it's Loren here. Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to everyone.   It's been a long year and I have lots to talk about.  But for now I wanted to announce that it is that time of year again and you know what that means?  Well, it's time for Loren's Annual Family and Friends Christmas Greeting Card Design for 2015!   This is a tradition that I have been creating every year for over 22+ years!

I have created fold up cards, ornament cards, tin ornaments, foam snowflakes, pop-up cards, hanging cards and so on. There is a wide range or theme's and materials.

Most of the cards are completed and some have been shipped out.  I have posted this snippet photos because I don't want to reveal the design until everyone receives theirs.  This years design was a difficult one to choose and I went back and forth for a couple of weeks before I settled on one.  

Every year, I say this will be my last but I inevitably feel compelled to keep the tradition going.  It now has a mind of it's own and more people are added to the list every year!

I struggled with a creative idea and every so often, I believe I come up with a good one. Most of my friend's and family love receiving their card and wait for it to arrive.  As my brother Ken says, "it's not Christmas until Loren's card arrives in the mail.  It's just like the windows in Macy's in New York City.  It prompts the city to start celebrating.  That's what Loren's card does!"  Nice compliment from my bro.  Anyway, coming up with a unique design every year has been a real challenge.  Every year has to be better than the last year.    I hope this one is!

So for now, you can see the snippets of the design and I will post the front and inside of the card when everyone receives theirs.

Cheers and Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to everyone!

Loren

Oh, P.S.-- I will be carrying all of my card design's online and for sale for next Christmas. There will be a great bunch of designs that are unigue and clever, too.  I will post them here on my blog when they are ready for sale.  Take a peek back to see all of the designs I have done over the years.  Possibly, you will find a design that suits your taste perfectly?  Then you can head to my etsy shop to purchase them.  ENJOY!!!

ABOUT CLEARING THE WAY

Hey guys.. it's Loren here.  I want to share a painting I have done recently.  It is called 'Clearing the way'  24 x 36 and acrylic on canvas.

'Clearing the way' is something we all have to do at different points in out lives when life just takes up too much space in our mind.   It also is necessary to do when we feel overwhelmed or bogged down with the 'stuff'  we take on even though we don't want to.  For me, it means moving things out of the way that are not important or needed to live a rewarding and fufiling life.  Getting things into focus is another way for me to clear the way.. Finding the right path or the right journey to take helps me to get rid of the things I don't need anymore, It also feels good to have a laser like focus that just makes all the stuff on the sides no longer to be important. I think that's what this painting is about for me. 

What about you?  Do you need to move things aside that are bogging you down?  Leave a comment if you would like to?  Cheers  

THE ANNUAL FAMILY & FRIENDS CHRISTMAS GREETING CARD FOR 2014 REVEALED!!

Hey guys...it's Loren.  It's been a hectic few days.   Christmas has come and gone but not before my Christmas card went out to lots of family and friends.  Everyone seemed to love the design and thought it was great because it had a dual purpose.  It was turns into a tree ornament and it can hang on the tree year after year. I love that!!  Above is a close up photo of the entire card folded, glued, cut, glittered and scored.

This year's chosen design did not come from a 'aha' moment like some of my other cards have had.  I didn't get a light bulb going off in my head as I sometimes do.  I had this year's design in mind for quite a while and had done sketches through out the year thinking that possibly I could use it for my Christmas card 2014.  Initially, I was going to go with another idea however, I changed my mind at the last minute after doing lots of sketches for my first idea.  I decided to abandon the idea because it just wasn't feeling like it was the right time to develop it more.  I knew however, that the second idea would take a lot longer to make and I was concerned about the amount of time it would consume.  But I decided to go along with it anyway. 

As I was creating this year's card I was taken back to a card I made back in the day 1984, that had a similar folding and cutting process. Unfortunately, I don't have a copy of it.  I have to get it from my family and take a photo of it.  Well, anyhow it was a house with windows cut out and a Christmas tree inside the house that lit up through the window.  It looked really cool when it was hung on the tree and the lights were shining inside of it. I didn't intentionally try to recreate the same card folding and cutting and only realized it when I was cutting out this year's card.

Below are two photos of all the cards hanging on my metal shelf unit.  I think they look quite interesting hanging all together in a row so you can get the magnitude of how they all look together. 

Well, that's a wrap for this post this year.  I hope you liked seeing the card design for 2014.  Please feel free to leave a comment.  It is greatly appreciated.  I hope you had a Merry Christmas and I hope you have a Happy New Year.  I will be back in 2015 with more paintings and posts about the interesting direction I am going in with my painting.  Until then, enjoy!!!

Cheers,

Loren

ANNUAL CHRISTMAS GREETING CARD IS GOING SOMEWHAT SMOOTHLY

Hey guys...Loren here.  Well, the Annual Family and Friends Christmas Greeting Card design idea is done and I am in the process of getting them ready to address to mail out.  Actually, I had been cutting, scoring, folding, and soon to be glittering and gluing. 

 

I am so excited about this year's design , but I have to say it was a tricky one to create.  Lots of small cutting and tight spots to get the scissors in.  I have to be honest about this year's design and my short comings because I had run into snags cutting each one out.   I couldn't get any of my small scissors in some of the areas around the design elements.

This year's design is a really cute one and it has a dual function.  Can't give the idea away yet.  You will have wait until they are all mailed out and opened by the receivers.  Stay tuned and I will soon be revealing the 2014 design.

 Thanks for following along and waiting for the reveal of this year's 2014 Annual Family and Friends Christmas Greeting Card.

Cheers and Happy Holidays

Loren

IT'S ALMOST TIME FOR ANNUAL CHRISTMAS CARD DESIGN

Hey guys...it's that time of year again and you know what that means...?  It's time for the Annual Friends and Family Christmas Card Design.  Every year I come up with a new design to send out at Christmas time.  (You can read more about it on my licensing blog here).  The pressure is always on to create a design that is better then the previous year's before it.  I have done some pretty elaborate designs, such as mobiles, pop-up cards, tin snowmen, holiday house pop ups and even the one I did two years ago that was to be sent to Santa and said in the inside to' just send cash'!   One family member actually sent cash!!  Well,  every year I say I am not going to be able to get one done because in the winter I get down in my mood and the darkness overcomes me.  But in the end, I have managed to get the card designs completed and on time, if only a day or two before the deadline.   I hunker down for 2-3 days and cut, paste, glue and fold over 40 cards and the receivers are always waiting for the card to arrive.



Last year's 2013 Annual Christmas Card
'All Balled Up Snowman'

2013 Christmas Card Design hanging in a row

Last year's 2013 card was said to be the best I've created according to my family and especially my brother Ken(see in photo).  So, this year's has to be even better than that.  I think I have an idea to go with, but not certain yet if it is my final choice.  All of my family, saves the cards I send each year and it is neat to go back and look at how they evolved over the years.  Ken says that he knows it's time to celebrate Christmas when he receives the card, just like the windows being unvailed at the Macy's in New Youk City. The designs definitely have gotten more complicated and detailed.  The stress around the holidays for me is getting the design worked out and getting them finished in time to send out.  It's not just a project I take on...it's a mission.  Yes, I am a woman creator on a mission!



2013 Annual Christmas Card
'All Balled Up Snowman"

This year's design will be posted after I complete it and after everyone has received it in the mail. Then I will discuss how and why I created it.  It's always fun to look into the how's and whys of an idea.  Possibly, one of my favorite things to do next to coming up with the idea itself.  So, stay tuned and be sure to check back to see the progress I am making on the design.

Cheers,

Loren

NEW 'on my EASEL' PAINTING FEATURED 'THE FIRE FLOWER'




'THE FIRE FLOWER'        24 x 30   oil on canvas        2011 (c) Loren Fidalgo

Hey guys...  a new 'on my easel' painting featured. This painting is from the archives and I thought it would be an interesting one to write about.

The title of this painting is 'THE FIRE FLOWER'.  It is 24 x 30 and oil on canvas.  I wanted to feature this painting since my last post was about the small scribble drawings that I have been doing lately in one of my painting classes.  This painting was created from a small drawing with graphite pencil on paper.

SKETCH FOR 'THE FIRE FLOWER'
5 1/2 x 8 1/2 graphite on paper
2011 (c) Loren Fidalgo

 When I was sketching out this drawing on paper, I was letting my hand just scribble away.  I didn't know what I was going to create or see in the lines.  Eventually, I began to see a face that was coming out of a flower. I was thinking that I wanted there be no difference between the face and the petals as if the face was actually a living part of the flower. The features to the face are very minimal and some what human like and some what not. I chose them to be this way to not dominate the flower.  The face almost looks as if it is a lion or some kind of animal maybe a cat and I wanted them to be painted just as the drawing was done.

  When I began the painting from this drawing, it was a challenge to unify the petals and face so it was as if the flower petals and face had no separation.  I knew I had to do it with color and I love the colors of this painting. I started with this bright orange and yellow color for the background. I then decided to make the flower in orange and yellow to create this illusion of integration.  I didn't want too much contrast from the petals to the background. The painted edges are soft.  I placed the flower off to the left to have a more pleasing composition and show off the bright colored background.

I painted the stem of the flower in shades of greens, yellows and blues. The tips of the stem are accented in Cerealan Blue which is like a turquoise color.( I used a brush for this painting to blend the colors which is rare for me. I usually use a palette knife.)  I added the stem tips as if they are coming out of the bottom left corner to give some weight to the loosely painted flower and large stem.  It filled the space and gave the flower more mass because I didn't like looking through the empty orange space there. Since I wanted the flower painted as if it was emerging out of the background, the stems really worked. I didn't want to draw my eye in that direction.

Well, what does this painting mean?  What is it all about?  I think it might be about hiding in plain sight?  Possibly, it is about trying not to be seen or not wanting to make oneself more visible to others? It might be about concealing one's identity?  I think it is also about being able to see everyone else while at the same time not been seen by them.  When I did the drawing and painting, I was in a place where I was kind of feeling this way.  Part wanting to be open and out there and part not wanting to be obvious and noticeable. Now I think that I am glad those days have passed for the most part.  Every so often, I feel this thinking and emotion trying to emerge but thank goodness, I handle it better now. Have you ever felt this way? 

Well, that wraps up another 'on my EASEL'. This was a long 'on my EASEL' but I think a good one. I would love to hear back from you guys to see how you interpret this painting?  What do you see in it?  Have you ever felt this way?  Please feel free to leave a comment.

Cheers,

Loren

LATELY I HAVE BEEN DRAWING AND I AM ENJOYING IT

CROPPED SECTION FROM 14x17 DRAWING  'THE FRIGHTENED SOUL'
graphite on paper  2014  (c) Loren Fidalgo

Hey guys... something to share with you.

 Lately I have been drawing in my sketchbook alot and I have to say that I am really enjoying it so much.  There is something so meditative about sketching with a graphite pencil and kneaded eraser. Currently,  I am taking a class at Fleisher Art Memorial called Observation, Memory and Imagination.  The instructor is John and he is so fascinating to talk to and has an interesting technique to create drawings and paintings from small scribble drawings that grow out of the subconscious. Since I have taken this class before, I never really understood what I was doing in the class until this semester.  I have really found somewhat of my voice in these small scribble drawings.

'COMFORTING EACH OTHER'  4 1/4 x 5 1/2
graphite on paper
2014  (c) Loren Fidalgo 

Most of my sketches usually come out to be a face or head of some kind and they are filled with emotion and expression. I realize that for some reason I keep going back to this subject. Previously, I was creating faces that were mostly women that were happy, sad and also had lots of emotions in between.  Now I am creating more animated faces that are crying out or looking as if they are lost, vacant and scared.  Their eyes and mouths are revealing the distress and despair that they are experiencing.

'GRIEVING WOMAN & LAUGHING FOE'  4 1/4 x 5 1/2
graphite on paper
2014 (c) Loren Fidalgo

  I never really found a lot of passion from drawing in graphite. I found it to take too long to achieve the desired effect I wanted.  I felt overwhelmed by the pencil while I was trying to cover alot of surface area. I wanted to see my direction much more quickly.  But recently, I have fallen 'in love' with these little drawings.

'HOLDING ON'  4 1/4 x 51/2  graphite on paper
2014 (c) Loren Fidalgo

 The original image that is featured up top is titled, 'THE FRIGHTENED SOUL 'and is 14x17. It is inspired from a selection of small sketches.  I love the way it came out with the darks and lights all in shades of greys.  I think I will continue with these drawings and I want to eventually paint them out on canvas.  I am totally unsure what they will look like and if they will capture the graphite and paper feel however I will give it a go.  I am just lovin these drawings, I can't say enough about them and I probably won't in the near future.

'PEERING FROM BEHIND' 41/4x51/2
graphite on paper
2014 (c) Loren Fidalgo

 Thanks for reading and feel free to leave a comment if you like.  I'd love to hear what others feel about drawing in graphite pencil on paper.

Cheers,

Loren  

FORTY YEARS AGO TODAY I LOST MY DAD

Forty years ago today, on a cold and dark Oct 6^{th  1974}, my Dad tragically passed away from a massive heart attack.  He was only 40 years old!  I had just turned 14. There are no words to express the tragedy of my Dad’s passing and the chaos that my siblings and I went through as well as our Uncle Ron and Gram.  I started this post by writing about the details of the tragic day my Dad passed, but found that it was just too personal at this time and possibly too long of a story to tell.  All I can say is for me it was a nightmare that has had no end.

I want to share a story about my Dad from when I was a young girl. When I was in Home Economics class, I think it was 7^th grade.  We had to go to the store to get fabric and decorative ribbon for a tote bag that we were making in class.  Well, my Dad took me to the fabric store on Rte. 37 just by Hooper Ave.  I don’t remember the name but I can clearly remember the building.  Well, anyhow, we went in to the store and we looked at the fabric. My Dad was in his element, ‘color’!  He was so good at picking out colors and matching them up to each other. I could see he was in heaven with color and patterns.  We chose a bright shocking fuschia color for the outside. We chose a tiny flower pattern for the inside that matched up so beautifully.  Then we picked out the ribbon for the handles and this is where my Dad came to life even more.  I remember the ribbon being about 2 inches wide and it was so beautiful with flowers and shades of pink, fuschia , purples and metallic thread on it. When I think back, it was the most expensive of all the ribbon like it, but Dad wanted me to get it.  He would not have it any other way. He said to me, “ this is the prettiest in the store and I think you should have it”!  So off to the cutting table we went.

I share this story because it is such a reflection of the man, Dad, toy designer and son he was. What Dad in 1973 took their daughter to the fabric store and picks out pink, fuschia and flower patterned fabric? He was so natural and like he was where he was supposed to be at that moment in time.  My Dad was there, because he knew he had to.  My heart was relying on it.

To this day I don’t know what happened to that tote bag.  I usually save important things from people I love and I do, have some of the fuschia fabric and it is Vintage 43 years old!

I miss my Dad and I think of him in some way everyday.  He was a hard Dad to forget.  As my Mom has passed now too,  I hope they are sharing a life together some where in heaven, or if not somewhere in the Universe.  Someday I will see him again, and we will  be able to talk shop!!

Cheers,

Loren