NEW LANDSCAPE PAINTING + SOME THOUGHTS

'THE CALLING'         24 x 18        acrylic on canvas     (c) Loren Fidalgo 2016

Hey guys...it's Loren here.  I want to share this painting with you.  It's titled, 'THE CALLING'. 

 I was looking at this painting after completing it and one day I realized why I had titled it, 'THE CALLING'. I was thinking about how when looking at the center of the painting, it pulls me in like I am on a path, a road and a journey like someone, something is calling me.   I have had experiences in my life that felt like a calling but never in the way that I was called to paint.  I write about this in my blog.  I write about how I was struck on the head by a ceramic vase and approx. 1 month later, I began to have this compelling, need, desire and compulsion to paint, to express myself through oil painting.  You can read more about this story here.

Since the day I had the head injury, I have been painting and creating art more furiously and I am finding myself on this surprising journey. I have this need to express myself more deeply and to touch others with my interpretation of my world, my consciousness and my creative life that is filled with so many ideas, thoughts and feelings.  I have had a very traumatic child hood and I have dealt with serious illness my entire adult life..  These experiences have made me the creative being I am today.  I have a need to share my story and I hope that it resonates with you the reader.  How do I do this and at the same time keep the privacy that I need to have?  I ask myself these questions everyday.  I wonder and I go back and forth over this issue everyday.   

So, this painting,'THE CALLING' I believe is a communication, a revealing about where I am at this point in my creative expression and my personal world.  It''s about  always trying to find my way in this crazy maze I call 'life'!

Cheers,

Loren

NEW LANDSCAPES POSTED ON BLOG

'THE RIDE OF YOUR LIFE'           28x22       acrylic on canvas   (c) Loren Fidalgo 2016

Hey guys...it's Loren here.  I'm posting to let you know that I have listed some landscapes and water scapes on my blog.
   
I'm excited about this new body of work.  It is a subject matter that I was not familiar with and I love working on these paintings.  I have been experimenting with lots of texture and loads of color. Reflections, light, skies and water are some of the elements in these paintings.  Dark and light are also revealed.. All paintings are painted with a palette knife which is how I achieve the textural effects and marks..  No brush.I have been using a palette knife for a long time now and I have now begun using my palette knife as a brush, moving it and the paint around the canvas. There a lot of energy and emotion in these pieces, which I really love the process of painting them.

I am enjoying this new body of work.  It is a subject matter that I was not familiar with and I love working on these paintings.

Stay tuned in because there are more landscapes coming soon.
Cheers,
Loren

THE PAINTING I AM LOVIN' RIGHT NOW

'If it really is'    acrylic on canvas    24x18   (c) Loren Fidalgo 2016

Hey guys...it's Loren here.  I have been thinking that after I shared some personal health stuff in my previous post that I would write about something that I am lovin' lots right now.  

I am in love with this painting.  Don't know the psychology behind it however, this painting really speaks to me. I am lovin' all the texture in it.  I also love the way the color moved around the canvas.  I some times do not like how I interpret color. I struggle at times with it and varying the shades of a colors when I am mixing on the palette.  It's not that I don't see the colors, actually it's quite the opposite. I see and feel colors so deeply it's as if I can feel them in my body. I often need to touch a color to understand it's meaning and message.  I am compelled to try to hold the colors in my hands, move and manipulate them and only then do I understand what they want to say and do.  I am just in between the colors, sort of a mode of transportation, and the canvas surface.  Color has a language all it's own and some times I can not make sense of it.  So I am challenged often by it's control.  I however, do not mind it.

In this painting, the buildings are conveying emotion to me. The texture is so thick on the canvas. I enjoyed painting the layers of texture. I used a palette knife for the entire painting. I think the buildings are painted in a way that captures my attention because of the layering of one on top of another. They are also painted partially there and partially not there, like they are playing, peek-a-boo! They are painted as if they have degraded and have been distressed on the canvas or to the viewer's perception.  I love moving the paint around the canvas with the palette knife.

I have been getting into creating shades of different blues in my paintings.  I try to see how many shades I can come up with.  It makes the process so much more fun and you can never have enough of that! 

So, that is a wrap up.  Leave a comment if you would like to.
Cheers, 
Loren

NEW PAINTING WITH LOTS OF EMOTION & ENERGY

 Hey guys...it's Loren here.  I wanted to share this painting titled 'REALITY IN MOTION'  12 x 8 acrylic on canvas.  I created it about two months ago.  What I really love about this painting is the energy and emotion it evokes in me and other viewers.  I find this work to be such a freeing expression with the paint marks. It is quite a different technique that I usually use with most of my other paintings.  I used a palette knife for the entire painting as I usually do.  The day I painted this piece, I was in a fairly okay mood and I was eager to get started on this canvas because the landscape size proportion is so different than I am used to.

Usually, when I paint or create something, I have some idea on how I want to create what is in my mind.  With this piece, I didn't know where I was going and how I was going to get there.  I used a lot of loose strokes and I painted very quickly. I just love, love, love the freedom I had when painting this quickly.  I think I will incorporate this technique and looseness into my future paintings.  I want to be able to capture the same state of mind, too.  I believe the trick is to change it up by using an unusual size canvas. I think it makes it so that I will have to think differently about composition and mark making.

Well, that wraps up this post.  Leave a comment if you would like to.  I love to know what you are thinking?
Cheers,
Loren

ALOT GOING ON... NEW PAINTING SOLD & SOME PERSONAL STUFF TOO

Hey guys...it's Loren here. It's been awhile since I posted here and I wanted t let you know what has been going on.  Lot's of personal stuff and some business stuff too.

                 PAINTING GONE TO ITS NEW OWNER

This new painting, 'A DISTANT MEMORY'  has gone on to it's new owner, Chris.  I was so happy to deliver it to him.  It is part of a series that I have been working on featuring landscapes, seascapes and urban landscapes.  The size is 20 x 16 and it is acrylic on canvas.   It has sooo... much texture and brilliant color and it  'pops'  right off the canvas.  I used a palette knife for the entire painting.  Lot's of fun.   One of my fav paintings.  To see more of my work, head on over to my Instagram page  https://www./instagram.com/lorenfidalgo/ 

To purchase a painting ,please go to my etsy shop   www.lorenfidalgoart.etsy.com 

or contact me at my email  loren@lorenfidalgo.com

                                                                   

INTUITION & BAD DRUGS

About 4 months ago, I was put on a medication which gave me a severe side effect for a disorder which could have been FATAL!!  Had I not known the warning signs and trusted my intuition, I may have been exiting this world.  Literally! The doctor who put me on the medication, told me I would be fine on it, even though I took it once before and had such a severe reaction to it in 1992  The doctor I had was inept and unethical and he disregarded that I had it listed as an allergy in my records.  He changed my records and removed the allergy warning, which I did not know until later on.  He insisted that I needed to take it and it had me feeling like I was at the mercy of his treatment.  Needless to say, the doctor is GONE and I am feeling much better!  What a scary time.  I am telling you about this because I want to express the importance of trusting your gut and intuition and following your heart and mind.  If I was not paying attention to the warning signs, even though the doctor said the medication was not causing them, I might not be here today.  So, PAY ATTENTION and TRUST YOURSELF ! You are you're best advocate and don't let a doctor influence your treatment just because he is a doctor.  They don't know everything and they make mistakes, sometimes FATAL ones!.  Now life does go on...thank God.

      PALETTE KNIFE & ARMS, LEGS, BACK & HANDS  

UGHHH!!!   I've been having some neurological problems which began some years back and they have gotten worse this past year or so.  I had a test done and I found out that I have nerve damage in my legs which is coming from my back, as well as problems in my arms and hands. It has been making it harder to paint with a palette knife and to do fine motor things like buttoning buttons, zippering my jeans and leaning on my right arm.  The damage in my legs is troublesome because it's hard to walk long distances without my legs going numb to the point where I have to stop walking. I'm doing exercises  to strengthen my back that might help with walking and going up and down stairs.  I'm also going to get an MRI to see why I am having trouble with my arms and hands.  I am hopeful that these problems will get better.  What's most upsetting is not being able to use my hands how I want to..  If I can't do that, I am lost.  I use my hands to make so many things everyday that they are as necessary as breathing to me.  They are my lifeline. 

Well that wraps it up for now.  Leave a comment to let me know if you have had a similar situation as I did?   Thanks for reading this post!!   Cheers,  Loren

WHATS BEEN GOING ON AROUND THE STUDIO + NEW SERIES

Hey guys...it's Loren here.

I wanted to post some info about what's been happening around the studio. I also want to discuss info about my progress with a new series I have been working on.  It's been a challenging time in 2016 and I can't believe we are 3 months in!  

So, I had my exhibit at Christopher's: A Neighborhood Place in Malvern, PA in February to March 2016.  It went well and gave me lots of exposure.  Lots of people attended the reception and friends came out to support me as well.  It was a great experience.  Planning to do it again soon. 



'It is brightest when alone' 14x11 acrylic on canvas (c),LorenFidalgo 2016

 I've been painting a lot and have begun what is shaping up to be a new series.   I am enjoying the process yet finding it a tricky progression as I struggle sometimes to get my painting into a series.  It is something I've been working on so diligently and consciously.  It's always a 'tug and pull', and exploration for me to create work in a series, but I manage to do it eventually. I love the novelty of birthing new ideas and bringing new ideas into reality, but I try to make a concerted effort to have unity in my work.  Nevertheless, I except the fact that I am a 'Creative Idea Problem Solver' ( my new self-appointed term, if it is one?) at heart and I am have been embracing this aspect of myself.  I want to see all my ideas to fruition and it is sometimes frustrating to have to curtail the explosion of ideas that bombard me day and night! I am however, coming to realize that possibly I can still have a voice and be a 'problem solver' at the same time.  It's such a fine balance, although do-able.  And I am doing it however challenging it is.  More to write about this in future posts.

About the my current work... no title to the new series yet. There are however, some canvases with lots and lots of texture by layering with acrylic paint. This is something that I have been playing with for a couple of years now. I am experimenting with different sizes and loving the newness of the canvas that sits on my easel to greet me. I say to myself, "hmmm...now, what can I do with you?"  It's exciting to adopt the new proportions and I am always surprised by the end painting.  I have also been playing around with color and all the gray shades I can create.  I am loving working with shades of blues such as Prussian Blue and Cerulean Blue and Crimson shades. I am amazing myself with all the yummy colors  I can achieve.  Lastly, my subject matter has taken a turn and twist.  There are subtle landscapes that have been emerging on the canvas and I am following the path that is calling me.   So, lots more to discuss about my current work in new posts.

I will post some more stuff about my work and some new things that have been going on this year. Question?   Do you struggle with creating unity in your work?  I'd love to hear from you.  Thanks for reading and enjoy your own journey!

Cheers,

 Loren

  

Hey guys... it's Loren. There is one day until my hang my painting exhibit At Christopher's!   I'm filled with so many emotions that cover the full gamut!.  Anticipation, excitement, nervousness, scary feelings, anxiety and mostly JOY all having been swirling through my mind!  I can't help myself and anxiously await the installation of my paintings.

My husband Paul will be helping me hang the show on Monday morning.  I am so grateful he was able to help.  I will be exhibiting 17 pieces from my abstract series MOVING FORWARD-a transition to abstract. (If you go to the tab menu and click on ABSTRACTS you will see some of the paintings I will be featuring in my show.

The show runs from February 1st to February 29th.  The closing reception will be on February 24 from 5:00 - 8:00. Come on over to Christopher's-A Neighborhood Place   335 E. King St  Malvern, PA 19335  It will be a lot of fun and you will see my paintings up close.  The food is great at Christopher's and the atmosphere is spacious and open.  Join us on the 24th!

Cheers,

Loren

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!!!