COUNTDOWN TO STILL LIFE EXHIBIT Whahoo!!!

Well, hey there...It's Loren here and I'm getting so excited that my exhibit will be right around the corner.  I can hardly contain my excitement.    I am really thrilled with the way things are shaping up and most things are done.  Painting tags are done!   Sides of paintings totally finished!  Wired up and ready to hang? Yep!  Printing for Painting/Price list will be printed tomorrow. Ring binder with info about 'yours truly' is almost put together and all I need now are some large boxes to carry paintings and keep paintings from touching each other.  I know exactly where I will get these boxes!  Great!  So far, so good!   With everything going smoothly, I have to say I expected more chaos than I actually have been experiencing. 

I hope if you live in the area, you can make it to the show reception on Monday November 14th 6 pm - 8 pm.  If you can not make it, take a peek at my Still life paintings here on my site.  Just go up to 'tabs' bar and click on  STILL LIFE.  There you can see some of the pieces that will be in the show. 

A NOTE:   If you are interested in purchasing a painting, please contact me by the 'message me' box on the left side bar on my site.  Let me know which painting you are interested in and I will message you back.  I am happy to help and answer any questions you have.  Feel free to message with additional questions.  Some times there is a problem with my email, if you can not reach me, you can contact me at   loren@lorenfidalgo.com  and I will get back to you.

Hey, just another note:  If you are interested in note cards that feature my paintings, please contact me in the 'message me' box on the left side of my site.  Scroll down and you will see it.  Write down the title of the painting and size and I will message you back.  The card size is 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 and they are blank inside. The price is 6 note cards for $16.00 + shipping.  I am excited to make the cards for you.

Well, signing off for now and  I hope you can make it to the show  November 1st to November 30th.  The reception 'meet the artist' is on November 14th.

Be well and Cheers,

Loren

STILL LIFE EXHIBIT OPENING SOON!!

Hey guys... it';s Loren here.  I wanted to let everyone know that I am having a solo exhibit of my still life paintings at Christopher's: A Neighborhood Place 335 E. Kings Street in Malvern, PA.  The show will be up from Nov 1st to Nov 30th.  The reception, "meet the artist" will be held on Monday Nov 14th, 6 pm to 8 pm.

I am so excited about showing this body of work because it is very meaningful and close to my heart. Lot's of things happened personally and emotionally when I began painting.  Since I began my 'calling' and journey into painting some 8 years ago, I started and dove into painting still lives.   I started painting with a palette knife and it didn't occur to me to use a brush!  So, I used the palette knife like a brush and painted like there was 'no tomorrow'! 

It is so interesting to me because in my early years in college at Moore College of Art & Design, I studied Graphic Design and Advertising in the 80's.  I didn't have any interest or longing to paint much less still lives!   I hated the smell of the linseed oil and turpentine!  So after my head injury and my compelling need and desire to paint, I was shocked more that anyone to come to understand that I had this deep hidden need to paint and to paint still lives to boot!  Go figure!! 

So, the opening of my show is coming soon and I can hardly, hardly contain my heart and soul..  I think this will be an awesome show and I would love to see you at the reception if you are in the area.  Come say 'hello' and have a glass of wine and enjoy the energy and emotiuon in the space.

Cheers,

Loren

STILL LIFE EXHIBIT: I'M SO EXCITED

Hey guys... it's Loren here.  I wanted to share with everyone that I am having a show at Christopher's Restaurant: A Neighborhood Place. The show runs from Nov 1st to Nov 30th.  The reception (meet the artist) will be on November 14th Monday  from 6 pm to 8 pm The show will feature my still lives and I am so excited about this body of work.  There will be 19 paintings .  Most are 24 x 30's and some 18 x 24's.  I can't wait until the show and I am so thrilled to be having my still live paintings on exhibit.

My still lives are chock full of jumbo vases and chunky bowls of fruit as well as some interesting objects like a rocking horse (see above) country hat and wine glasses and bottles..  Lot's of bright colors and some textures are worked into these still lives.

Come on over to Christopher's for the reception to chat with me and my peeps about everything from art to music to science and the most provocative topic...  politics!

Hope to see you there.  

Cheers,

Loren

  

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