MY ETSY SHOP IS HAVING A SALE!!

Hey guys... 

Oh my gosh,  Holy Smokes, YOWZA!!!  My etsy shop is having it's very first SALE!!!  20% off everything in my shop over $50.00.  That's right, a SALE...There are petite paintings, large size paintings and hand painted pendants all 20% off.  Come on over to my shop at  www.lorenfidalgoart.etsy.com and check out the goods.  I hope you see something that will really touch your heart and soul as much as it did mine when I painted it.  

Cheers,
Loren

LOOSING MY MOM THREE YEARS AGO TODAY

Hi , it’s Loren…

Sadly, today is the 3 year mark for the passing of my lovely Mom, Marilyn.  This photo is my Mom and Dad on their wedding day June 24^th, 1956.  They are so beautiful and some have said that “they look like movie stars”.  In my Dad’s eyes I see hope, bravery, anticipation, dreams, the love of his bride and a joy about their future.  In my Mom’s eyes I wonder about the fear, worry, anxiety, confusion and the inability to process what was happening to her because of her illness.  I see sorrow and a vacancy and it makes me sad for both of them.  On their day June 24, 1956  neither one knew what life would have in store for them and that pain, sorrow, loss, hopelessness were on the horizon and it would have a ripple effect that would affect generations to come.  What an evil trick reality played on them.

After 3 years, I thought that I was making progress in coming to terms with the loss of my Mom.  Sometimes the memories are so vivid and fresh.  Sometimes they are chaotically foggy and distant.  It is at this time that I am most sad because I fear the loss of these precious memories I have and the connection they give me to my Mom. I wonder,” will I forget if I don’t have the memories?”  Sometimes I find myself acting or reacting to something just like my Mom did and I wonder.  I wonder if it is genetics or learned mannerisms from the time I spent with her?  I was always fascinated by the things we did alike.  There was a time that if you said that I was like my Mom, they were scary times and a scary reality.  I did not want to inherit the illness she had and at the same time, I suffered because I knew she did.   The fears and scary feelings have long gone away and have been replaced with warm endearing and comforting thoughts that I am my Mother’s daughter and like her in so many ways.  I had such a fear when she was alive that it crowded out all other feelings sometimes.  Now that’s she gone, I want nothing more to be like her, to be her daughter, to be her ‘sweetheart baby’ as she once called me and to be her friend. What I would give to just have 5 minutes to be in the presence of the most beautiful woman I have ever known and to be sure she knows this too.

Has 3 years healed my heart…I can only say that I am going to the best parts of me and to the best parts of my Mom.  I am on my way…and that is not by forgetting but learning and remembering that none of this mess was the fault of my Mom or my Dad.  They were victims of a cruel reality that chose them to suffer, and they did suffer greatly.  My Dad’s death was tragic at the age of 40 and my Mom’s illness was tragic and it lasted a lifetime.  Do I forget? I do not.   I only remember and learn more everyday about the sacrifice they made for my siblings and I.  It only makes me want to hold on to what matters more, to love deeper, to live fuller.  I am grasping tighter to those who give life meaning.

Sometimes people ask, “why and how I am able to share my feelings and thoughts?”  Well, it is through this sharing that I realize that I have to be brave and not afraid of feelings, good and bad.  Everyone who knows me knows that I am not afraid to feel. Through feeling, I know I am living. I try to have courage to open up and when ready, letting go. I try to venture into places most people dare not go.  I am vulnerable because this is the way I know to experience my truest self.  When I cry, I cry and when I laugh and I know I am alive.  This is the way I will be the rest of my life.  I am healing, I am renewing and I am being brave to journey on through this life and knowing that one day I will see my most precious of people I have known on this earth, my Mom and Dad.

 

 

I CAN HARDLY CONTAIN MYSELF WITH NEW PAINTINGS 'BETWEEN FEELINGS'

'FEELING THROUGH ROSE-COLORED GLASSES'  (section)    24x30   acrylic on canvas         (c)  Loren Fidalgo 2014

 

The image above is a small cropped section of one of my new paintings 'Feeling through rose-colored glasses'  I can hardly contain myself about launching my new series 'BETWEEN FEELINGS' however, I have run into snag.  Just when I thought my paintings were complete, I am wrestling with the questions of "how to finish the sides"?  'To paint or not to paint' is the question.  Everyone seems to have a different approach to this question.  I know all the options, however I am still not sure how I will tackle this issue.  I have some questions into a gallery owner and I am waiting to hear back from him.  What he has to say will go yards to helping what decision I will make.

 

I am a little disappointed that I won't be launching my series this week, but hey, that is how it goes.  I am really excited about the entire series and hope that you will be too?  Photographs came out pretty good and I will now begin formatting them. I am excited about the process of seeing them in print.

 

Hang in there... and I will be showing 'BETWEEN FEELINGS' paintings some time soon.

 

If you have any ideas to add to the mix, please feel free to leave a comment.

Thanks.

Cheers,

Loren

MY NEW PAINTING 'GOING PLACES' WINS AN AWARD

 My painting 'GOING PLACES' took Honortable Mention in Fleisher's 116 Annual Student Exhibition in Philadelphia. Pa.    This painting is 24x30 and is oil on canvas.

I really enjoyed creating this painting from beginning to the end.  There were challenges along the way, because the display set up changes slightly every week.  It was tricky to know which version of the still life that I was going to commit to.  The third week of the painting set up, I was pretty much on my own interpreting the arrangement to complete it.  I tried not to focus so heavily on looking at the still life arrangement, and used my own judgement, memory and imagination.  I am really happy with how it has evolved and satisfied that I put all my skill and emotion into it.

Leave a comment and let me know what you feel about this painting?  I would love to hear feedback and insight.

Thanks for reading this post.

Cheers,

Loren

NEW 'on my EASEL' PAINTING TALKED ABOUT

Time for a new 'on my EASEL' painting to be discussed on my blog. This is where I talk about what went into creating a painting.  Basically, it is about how and why I created this featured painting..

'SEARCHING FOR MEANING'   oil on canvas  18x24   (c) Loren Fidalgo 2010 

The painting I am writing about is titled, 'SEARCHING FOR MEANING'.  It is 18x24 and oil on canvas. I really enjoyed creating this piece and I liked the opportunity to dig deep into what goes into the struggle when one is looking for purpose in their life'.  I believe that the seeking and searching may be something that most of us go through some time in our lives. Whether it be addiction to drugs, alcohol, mental illness, emotional loss of a loved one, divorce or trauma or just simple 'existential questioning'.  We may ask ourselves questions... we may tell ourselves what seems to be lies that "we can handle it." With this painting, I am asking, "How do we find the reason? How do we find joy in life, when things are not going our way or we are in pain? How do we find hope?" 

When I began this painting, I had a strong image in my mind about what I wanted to express.  I had the concept in my thoughts about a woman and her struggle to find the reasons for living and why she is here. I wanted to express how it is usually the little things in life that are often missed when one is depressed and feeling like there is no hope. Elements like the flower and butterfly were thought of to  help portray my concept.  I wanted to depict this idea by playing off of a simple phrase that is often said to someone to let them know how they are not valuing the simple things in life.  'Take time to smell the flowers'.  Possibly, people might think that one is not grateful for the little things and they need to take the time to look and see what is right in front of them? For this woman, to smell the flowers is her symbolic way to express her desire to feel what she is missing, the 'joy of life'. She is looking, seeking, hoping and longing. 

 I painted this in a subtle cubist like style and use thick, textured paint. The cubist style helped me to convey the ambivalence that this woman is having in her life.  The woman's eyes are disjointed and each one is looking back out at 'YOU'. This is her way of saying, "I see you, I'm looking at you looking at me and I see that you are wondering what is wrong with me and you are wondering, "why I am 'searching for meaning?" I decided to depict her nude so she is in her most vulnerable and fragile state. The colors I chose are purples, greens, oranges, yellows and reds.  I like the way the colors interact with each other, such as the oranges and greens and purples and yellows.  I used a palette knife to sculpt this entire painting. I stroked the knife on the canvas, moving it in many directions as I carved into the paint. You can see this in the swirls of her hair and the texture in her body.

 In closing about this painting,, the question is inevitably asked, "Does this woman find her meaning?  Well, that is for you to decide.  What do you think?

 I hope you enjoyed the in-depth look into this piece?  If you would like to, please leave a comment or question.  Thanks for reading this post and stay tuned in for the next one.

Cheers,

Loren

PAINTING 'WEEPING' SERIES CREATING JOY AND BLISS

Hey guys... I wanted to fill you in on my progress and the joy painting the 'WEEPING' series.

I am so excited about this group of paintings and I can't wait to show them to you.  I am finding it interesting creating a series of paintings especially because they are abstract.  For me, with this series, my paintings are about emotion, form and color.  Lot's of color.  Each painting has been having a different impact on me and each one has pulled up different feelings. I have been experiencing' joy and bliss' and 'sadness and melancholy'.  I guess I could say I am totally 'in love' with the entire series and I am enjoying the whole process creating these paintings. From exhilaration to anxiety, I am finding my 'groove' and I think I am 'getting it' for a change!

 

Stay tuned in...because I am more than half the way done with the series and I can't wait to show them to you.

Cheers,
Loren

HAPPY VALENTINE"S DAY TO MY SWEETIE!

It's Valentine's Day and I want to talk about my sweetie... I can't believe that it has been 29 years ago today, Valentine's Day that Paul and I met. We actually met at a Valentine's Day party that my dear friend Valerie McNabb and I had in our apartment when we were attending Moore College of Art and Design in Philadelphia. Paul came early with a bunch of friends that Val and I knew and he saw me running from one bathroom to another with my robe on while I was screaming with embarrassment. Paul decided then and there that he liked my spirit and kookiness and he had to meet me. I on the other hand became smitten with him when we were introduced and Paul reached out and touched my hand. Swoon...I was 'his'...
I love you, Honey!!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY TO EVERYONE!!
Cheers,
Lorenhttps://www.facebook.com/valerie.mcnabb

NEW 'on my EASEL' PAINTING LOOKED AT UP CLOSE

Hey guys... it's about time for a new 'on my EASEL' painting to be 'looked at up close'. This is where I talk about a specific painting and the thought process I went through to create it.

I am excited to write about this painting because it is an earlier conceptual/fantasy work that I did and it is interesting in texture and subject matter. Let's get to it...

'OUT OF SIGHT, OUT OF MIND'    18x24   oil on canvas  by (c) LOREN FIDALGO 2011

The painting I have chosen is titled, 'OUT OF SIGHT, OUT OF MIND'.  It is 18x24 oil on canvas.

When I began this painting, I had my concept in mind and I knew I wanted to create a image of a girl pulling her eyes out of her head. "Why" you might ask?  I don't know exactly, but I had this image in my mind for weeks and I had to get it on to the canvas. I knew what I wanted to express however, I didn't know how I was going to do it, so I started by painting the background in a flat bright color of green and yellow.  I drew the outline of the figure and I painted out the girl's face with a palette knife in a textured and layered style.  I liked the contrast between flat blended color and the highs and lows in the texture.  As I was painting her face, the rest of the painting was coming together in my mind and I decided I wanted to create character's faces with vacant eyes missing from her bright red cheeks.  As I painted up to the top of her head, I began to imagine more and more faces with hollow eyes that would be coming out of her ' head', her 'mind' and her 'subconscious'.

I was thinking about how the young girl seemed to look so 'cartoonish' in nature, somewhat surreal/fantasy like. I liked the juxtaposition of this and the reality of the subject matter.  Her face shows her smiling and yet at the same time, she is crying only able to reveal one single tear. Her eyes, as well as the other characters eyes are as if they are on a strand of string which is being pulled from the heads and out of her mouth. One eye after another, then another, are coming out . 
This illustrates the title that she is 'out of sight', i.e.' she and they have lost their eyes and 'out of mind' because she has lost her mind to the characters residing in her head.  All the missing eyes are windows to the soul to this captivating girl and those who live 'upstairs' with her.

The technique of the textured effect was painted in layers beginning with the dark colors first and solely building up to the lightest and brightest areas on top.  I used a palette knife to lift the paint off the palette and lay it down onto the canvas.  I 'pushed and pulled' the paint around the canvas to the desired areas and I carved and sculpted right into the layers of paint below.  This could look random, however, it took some patience and time for the layers of paint to dry to allow for the additional layers of paint to be put on top. The end result is this combination of 'a little bit of paint and a lot of paint' all in one painting.

Well, this is a wrap up for this ' 'on my EASEL' painting.  I hope you enjoyed the new subject matter and the different technique from my other works?  If you have an interpretation of this painting that is different from my own, please by all means, share.  I would love to hear what others think about this piece.  I will be posting another piece with a similar technique some time in the future.

Thanks for checking in to reading about this piece and please feel free to leave a comment if you would like to.  It is greatly appreciated.

Cheers,
Loren   

NEW ABSTRACT PAINTING SERIES 'WEEPING' COMING SOON

Hey guys... new abstract paintings are on their way to a series called 'WEEPING'.  I can only reveal a littler bit about them until they are completed.  I want to show them all together, as they should be seen together.

'WEEPING #1' 24x30  acrylic on canvas  2014 by Loren Fidalgo
small section from larger painting

My style is evolving and really changing from series to series and medium to medium.  This new series 'WEEPING' is created solely with a palette knife and painted in acrylic paint. Most pieces are on gallery wrapped canvas.  Lately, I am hooked on acrylic paint and loving how it dries so quickly. I am able to get lots of texture with the acrylic paint and unlike oils, I am able to work fast and furiously.  This way, I can get my emotion out onto the canvas in a short time.  This is not saying that I dislike oils, by no means is this the case.  I love oils, as well.  I love the look and feel of oils and how they blend together and move on the canvas, however right now, I am in love with these acrylic paintings I am working on.  I think I will be switching back and forth from oils to acrylics and back to oils in the future.

"WEEPING #2' 24x30  acrylic on canvas  2014

by (c) Loren Fidalgo
small section of larger painting

I have a lot of ideas for the new series that will come after the 'WEEPING' series and I am so excited for what the future holds for my work.  My studio is almost together (the one I turned from a porch) and I am so eager to get in there and create these new paintings.  Currently, I am still painting in the dining room/studio and it's not very inspiring, so I can't wait to get in my new studio  I would like to say to this new studio,...  "porch/ studio, I am looking forward to working in you and all that you have to offer for me.  I am anticipating all that will be created in your environment that is conducive for creating. I am so thrilled to have this new environment for me to rediscover myself both personally and creatively.  I am all in"!

Check back for the reveal of the 'WEEPING' series on this blog and for sale in my ETSY shop.  Please feel free to leave a comment or question if you would like to.  I  love hearing from my readers.

Cheers,

Loren

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