{ stella im hultberg }

random progresses

2012-01-27T17:32:00.003-05:00

random pieces around the studio in various stages of progress... via instagram**.

i have got around 6-7 pieces going on. hmmmph -_-

watching lectures on yale open university (ancient greek history is awesome) :

and some reworked & restarted pieces :

some new :

and some drippy oil & turp paint-throwing on larger canvas (30"x40"?) :

also reworked, restarted.

such is my life!

**my instagram user is stellaimhultberg - you can also see the feed online if you're not a iPhone user.

Affordable Art Fair Los Angeles

2012-01-18T21:17:00.003-05:00

Affordable Art Fair just opened in Los Angeles & will run till Jan 22nd.

i've got 2 pieces with Thinkspace Gallery and their great roster of

artists at Booth B-9 at the Event Deck at LA Live. :)

although "affordable" is very relative, most of the pieces are under $5000,

and i imagine it will be fun just to see all the art there.

more info & the program here!

........................................................................................................................

now below are my two pieces :

please contact thinkspace gallery for more info & inquiries.

happy new year!

+ also please sign to petition against SOPA & PIPA if you'd like to see these blogs

and photos from artists and everyone else on the internet!

from Brooklyn

2011-12-23T17:35:00.005-05:00

happy holidays!

winter

2011-12-23T17:18:00.005-05:00

how i've been relaxing lately, now that i've wrapped up my year officially.

first, doodling & drawing...

then making some plastic tiles to put around the edge of my fireplace* opening.

(ahhh much better.)

* i've been asked if the plastic won't fume or burn, i must note that it's a

NON-WORKING fireplace - it WILL fume & burn if it worked.

also, occasionally (and masochistically) trying to get my own butt kicked on the piano.

listen to it the most ideal way possible here.

(which i do and feel worse sometimes)

TODAY : Studio Sale Part 2

2011-12-10T08:42:00.005-05:00

shop will be updated today at 2pm EST with 12 new small originals/studies.

Saturday, December 10th, 2011
2pm EST (US)

(check your local time HERE)

shop.stellaimhultberg.com

this will be my last small originals sale in a while,

although there are larger paintings for sale at all times.

+ NOTE : the shop will be closed for update/maintenace

for 20 minutes prior to the sale, and reopen fully stocked at 2pm.

peek ahead :

fresh air

2011-12-10T08:32:00.004-05:00

i finally got around to cleaning out and rearranging the studio.
i tend to move around my studio configuration at least once a year,
but this time i really overhauled it - reorganizing all my art archives, supplies,
and recently restocked shipping supplies for the shop, as well as moving the furniture around.

then we also winter-readied our cold wood-frame apartment by double bubble-wrapping
the windows. this really saves at least 10-15ºF of shivering cold air, at least.
prior to bubble-wrapping last winter, i couldn't bear to work in the studio.

drawing at my newly cleaned out desk.

Another Originals Sale

2011-12-05T17:55:00.011-05:00

another small originals sale in the shop this saturday!

thanks to your gracious support and some surplus small originals

that couldn't quite fit in the shop last time around, there will be one more sale

of small drawings and paintings - around 7-8 new pieces...

Saturday, December 10th, 2011
2pm EST (US)

(check your local time HERE)

shop.stellaimhultberg.com

peeks :

+ FREE SHIPPING within US on all originals, small or large.

+ HOLIDAY ORDERS should be put in by Wednesday Dec. 14th to ensure timely arrival

for the holidays - International holiday orders should be by this Wed. Dec. 7th!

TOMORROW

2011-11-24T15:17:00.002-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Happy Small originals sale @ 2pm EST tomorrow! >_<
(you can check your corresponding local time here)

shop.stellaimhultberg.com

► Enter HAPPYHAPPY at checkout for Free Shipping offer

on orders of 4 or more prints/originals!

..........................................................................................

some peeks of what's in store (literally) for tomorrow :

► NOTE :

i also have some more drawings that couldn't fit in my shop for now,

which i will put up for sale some time next week or weekend.

so please stay tuned!

East West Connect

2011-11-22T14:11:00.002-05:00

above is my piece for the Arrested Motion-curated group show, East West Connect,

which opens this Friday, November 25th at Above Second Gallery in Hong Kong.

there are 13 artists working in the US showing in this group show.

check out the great line up on their flyer here :

East West Connect

Opens Nov 25, 6-10pm

Above Second Gallery

31 Eastern Street

Sai Ying Pun, Hong Kong

here are some detailed views of the piece (since it's kind of large-ish) :

i'm so excited - this is my first piece to be shown in asia, and in Hong Kong, no less!!

HK being one of my old home towns and one of my favorite places in the world.

and i'm also really glad to see Arrested Motion grow and grow into one of the best art

blogs out there. thanks again, Tanley & Hung-hei!

please please go check it out this friday if you're in Hong Kong!

i wish i could be there just to see Akino Kondoh's work in person.

(and if you're not in HK, please stop by my web shop for the small originals sale!)

more info here at Above Second.

coverage here & here.

some progress shots :

Studio Sale & Holiday Special!

2011-11-21T14:58:00.005-05:00

i don't know where the time has gone but the holiday season is upon us already.

with that in mind, i will be having a Studio Originals Sale again of some small originals that

have been left around the studio throughout this year.

like last year, it will be on "Black Friday", and for sale will be about 10-12 of small original

drawings, studies, and paintings that have been left over from the year 2011.

although, this time, instead of etsy, it will be in my new shop site.

2pm eastern US time, Friday, November 25th, 2011

shop.stellaimhultberg.com

please look under the "SMALL ORIGINALS" section that will be on the right

menu on my shop page by friday.

feel free to let me know of any questions!

..............................................................................................

some shop notes :

{ EARLY HOLIDAY SPECIAL }

FREE SHIPPING for all orders with 4 or more prints and/or originals!
please insert the code "HAPPYHAPPY"at checkout.

(offer is valid from NOW until MIDNIGHT on Nov 30th/Dec 1st)

ALSO, for both prints and originals, please make sure to place your order by

December 14th at the latest for a timely holiday shipping.
due to the post office's holiday bottlenecking tradition, orders received after

that date aren't guaranteed to arrive in time for the holidays.

Silly Oldies

2011-11-15T16:54:00.001-05:00

while looking through some old shop files to reference for my new shop,

i found some diary doodles from 2004-05, which is around when i first

started drawing for fun aside from working as a freelance toy designer,

& also when i launched my first site, momomoogie.com.

these were short-lived, maybe only 4-5 months, and the diaries soon turned into

a daily food blog, which i later moved to my current food blog.

most of the diary drawings were small emoticon-like characters like above,

or about food like below :

and some about machinery mishaps with computer, printer,

and sewing machine... :

so weird & kind of fun to see old diaries.

i remember i had some weird character comics (momo, the peach girl &

moogie, her smartass kitty) and pdf print-outs you could color or make into

paper dolls. i guess i really was a toy designer back then!

Juxtapoz'd

2011-11-15T14:05:00.003-05:00

{ Scan of the page courtesy of Audrey }

Our opening night of In the Wake of Dreams at Thinkspaces Gallery in October

(with Amy, Mari, Audrey and me) was featured in the POP LIFE section in the

December issue of Juxtapoz!

I love the photo of the cute lady covering up her face, mimicking my painting.

Thankfully my mug is only visible in one group shot.

Also, I forgot to post that I did a short interview called Back Talk on their online

site last month as well :

click here to read the interview (and see the images).

NEW PRINTS & NEW SHOP

2011-11-12T16:32:00.001-05:00

finally SHOP has been re-designed, re-stocked, & re-launched with new prints!

most of them are open-edition at affordable prices,

and 3 limited editions from the last year's release with discounted prices!

click on the image below to go to the shop!

In the Wake of Dreams : new works

2011-10-26T15:08:00.006-04:00

{ photo via Thinkspace Gallery }

i'm so behind on blogging lately, so apologies first.

the opening night of our group show, In the Wake of Dreams, with Mari Inukai, Audrey Kawasaki, and Amy Sol

took place a couple weeks ago, at Thinkspace Gallery, in Culver City, CA.

+ view all the pieces from each artist is here.

+ see all the opening night photos here on their flickr page!

the show closes this saturday, the 29th, so please hurry to see it if you want!

........................................................................................

and my new works for the show.... :

{ paintings }

Dreamer. 16" x 12". Acrylic & Colored Pencil on Panel.

{ drawings }

........................................................................................

{ print set }

we also released a set of limited edition prints for the show, and i believe there are a dozen or so left now.

more info on the prints here!

........................................................................................

it was such fun show - i love showing with the girls, and hope we can do it another time again.

thanks everyone for coming to the show and special thanks to the buyers as well.

see you next year, LA!

In the Wake of Dreams

2011-10-04T12:22:00.004-04:00

sorry i've been m.i.a for a while for many reasons but mostly because my computer

broke and had to switch to a new one, without smooth transitioning... T__T

all that aside, i'll be in a 4-girl show this Saturday in Los Angeles (Culver City), this weekend,

which i'm super excited about!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In the Wake of Dreams

with Mari Inukai, Audrey Kawasaki, and Amy Sol.

at Thinkspace Gallery (now in Culver City - they moved from Silver Lake)

Opening Reception : Saturday, October 8th, 5-9PM

6009 Washington Blvd.

Culver City, CA 90232 (gmap)

310.558.3375

+ the digital preview for the show will be ready this Thursday afternoon.

please send a mail to contact@thinkspacegallery.com if you would like to receive the preview.

+ there will also be a limited edition print set release with a print from each of us at the opening.

please contact the gallery for info as well.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

the four of us met back in 2007 in Portland, OR, where we all had flown in

to be in a group show, Four Dreams, curated by the lovely Monica Choy (now Salazar),

at Compound Gallery, and this will be kind of our reunion show!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

here are some sneak peeks for the show on the gallery flickr page.

and my peeks here below :

you can see more images of my works in progress here
but i'm afraid some of them are not included in this show.

Bad Luck Club : group show in NYC

2011-10-01T21:49:00.002-04:00

Bad Luck Club, a group show of 13 Brooklyn female artists that happened

in Monterey, CA area this past July, has traveled back to NYC!

unfortunately, i missed the opening due to workload for another upcoming show

this weekend as well as having missed the chance to post about this before hand.

but the show runs till the end of the month, and i have a piece in it.

Bad Luck Club

September 30 – October 30th 201

Opening Reception

September 30th 6-9PM

myplasticheartnyc

210 Forsyth St.

Lower East Side

New York

646.290.6866

www.myplasticheartnyc.com

www.myplasticheart.com

you can view my piece here, only Reverie is exhibited at the NY show

please contact the gallery for any inquiries!

recent group shows

2011-09-15T15:40:00.000-04:00

For a While. 4.25" x 6.25". Ink, Graphite, Watercolor & Colored Pencil on Tea-stained Paper. © 2011.

i've got a couple drawings out there in a couple of shows that i'm a little late on posting about,
due to not having a computer ready at hand at the time... (sorry about that!)

above piece is from my show in London back in march and i sent it in to Get the Lead Out III
at Echo Echo Gallery in Seattle, curated by Ally.

the show opened on September 9th, but i believe there are pieces still available and you could buy
or view them on the website here.

..................................................

(photo by ana bagayan)

also i've donated a drawing above (which i, unfortunately, forgot to scan before sending out), to Ana Bagayan's Lunch Bunch fundraiser - Ana, with her friend Meredith, runs Lunch Bunch operation, in which they make lunches for the homeless in LA every week - EVERY WEEK!

they held a cash-and-carry art show on September 3rd, but my piece didn't get there in tim.
but they'll be holding online auctions, and i'll be posting the link soon as well.
please stay tuned and help a good cause get better!

Made in Polaroid 50|50|50

2011-09-15T15:21:00.002-04:00

sorry for a belated post (since the show is well over now), but i've been without my computer
for the month so far, and just got back on a new one last night - which happened to be the night
of the Made in Polaroid show's party & auction (and the last night of the show) at Phillips de Pury
gallery here in NYC.

50+ artists were invited to participate in the show - Polaroid generously sent all of us their new
G10 printer & 100 ZINK paper (no ink!) to make artwork out of.
most of the proceeds go to Free Arts NYC, a great art charity for NYC children (where i almost
volunteered, until i found a more local after school program where i used to help out).

Lucid Dreaming I & II. polaroid zink paper, mounted on masonite. © 2011.

above is my piece for the show - a diptych of 3-dimensional diamond shaped multiples,
composed of my instagram photos (and some old pre-instagram ones).
i did think about mosaicking my painting or drawings instead of photos of my daily life,
but i opted for the instagram photos instead - i thought it fit the idea of polaroid a little better.

i love paper art and it was fun making some origamic sculpture with each corner meaning something
to me - with pieces of my memories and life coming together.

there were some familiar names in the show.
my favorite piece below is by one of my favorite artists, Kent Williams, with photos of his son, Ian :

i love that it wasn't a painting yet i could tell right away it was KW.

and you can feel the warm, loving eye through which a parent sees his child.

there were some people i never thought i'd be rostered with in a show together.

like the actor viggo mortensen, james franco, and of course, lady gaga the creative director

of Polaroid Grey Label.

below is the artists page on polaroid, where i'm on the same pages as tyra banks and mr. mortensen.
whaaaaa???

as for the opening (or closing, more like) reception, i was alerted ahead of time

that there will be a "red carpet" event for an hour or so,

so i arrived a little late intentionally so i wouldn't have to feel mortified.

but then when i got there, i had to go through the "red carpet" area

(though it was more black than red) and the photo wall anyway....

with photographers shouting here! here!
oh my. >_<

and look what i (we all) saw! so sheer! with a zipper in his 'crack'!

i'm glad i still went though (on a bike no less - it was hard trying not to get sweaty),
i had more fun than i expected to.

many many thanks to those who bid on my piece (and other pieces too)
and helped raise money for some good cause!

see all artworks here on the online catalog.

my first long bike tour

2011-08-06T20:44:00.009-04:00

my friends and i set off for a 2-week long bike tour up north east through New England a couple weeks ago.
it was hands down one of the BEST real vacations i've ever had.
oddly enough, despite constantly moving and visiting a new place each day & night,
it felt insanely short compared to the amount of mileage we covered (400+ miles),
especially if i think about a week or 2-week long trips i'd had to one or two cities.

some photos that have been instagrammed along the way :

▴Day 1 : raspberry picking along the rail trail in NY.

▴Day 1 : first night of warmshowers.

▴Day 2 : sweet julia looking super cute on the sail boat our host, Bob, took us out on! (Norwalk, CT)

▴Day 4 : non-antique, real-working penny farthings in New Haven, CT

▴Day 5 : Sleeping Giant Park trail break, en route to Middletown, CT from New Haven.

▴Day 5 : beautiful place we stayed in South Glastonbury, CT.

▴Day 6 : beaver dam sighting along the airline trail, en route to Eastford, CT from Willimantic.

▴Day 6 ended with a heavenly dip into a pool at our host's place in Eastford, CT!

▴Day 7 : pink sighting - Roseland Cottage in Woodstock, CT

▴Day 7 : taking a break at Woodstock Academy, Woodstock, CT.

▴Day 7 : greeted by our host of the night, Denny, the dairy goat farmer in Manchaug Village, Sutton, MA!

▴Day 8 : Walden Pond!

▴Day 8 : Passing through Andrew Wyeth-y fields alongside a trail, between Concord - Bedford, MA

▴Day 10 : New Hampshire country farmland.

▴Day 10 : New Hampshire country farmland (there was a goat in there somewhere).

▴Day 10 : we stayed with a friend of Kristina's (one of our tourers), who had the best dog in the world. Exeter, NH.

▴Day 11 : Stopping by Newmarket, NH, then riding into Portsmouth, NH.

▴Day 11 : field of alfalfa, en route to Portsmouth, NH.

▴Day 11 : quaint new england farm, en route to Portsmouth.

▴Day 11 : spent the dog day afternoon in unbearable heat walking around (!!) Portsmouth,

where we encountered a few Herakut murals.

▴Day 11 : walking in 100ºF weather, the waterfront didn't make any difference.

▴Day 11 : walking over the bridge to Peirce Island, Portsmouth. my brain was melted at this point.

▴Day 12 : unfortunately, the heat index was at 110ºF, our plan to ride to Portland, ME had to be folded - but we rode up to York, ME, where we got to dip our feet into the frigid ocean. it was so hot that our host, Jeff, who rode with us nearly passed out from heat stroke!

.....................................................................

i had to jump back into work right after getting back, which was so weird after

being on a bike for 30-40 miles a day (which isn't much but it was everyday).

coming back to a 105ºF city wasn't fun either.

it was really amazing to meet all these different people living different lives,

not even that far from us. and their kindness and generosities!!!

that was the most amazing thing i took from the trip...

(also thank you so much, julia, kristina & angie (& matthew) who made this trip so great!)

although i did miss drawing and painting a lot, i'm still having a hard time getting back

to the swing of things since the tour - but i'd gladly jump on my bike again for any tour

from now on. (also highly recommended for anyone contemplating or hesitating).

now if i could train our cats to clean the litter and fix their food themselves...

+ some of the food consumed is documented here!

Bad Luck Club : 13 Female Artists from Brooklyn

2011-07-05T17:01:00.008-04:00

my friend & amazing artist, Aya, has curated a group show of 13 artist girls from Brooklyn,

titled Bad Luck Club, at The Alternative Cafe Gallery in Seaside, California, near the Monterey Bay.

(please check out Aya & Fumiha's amazing & colorful show there last year here!)

the opening reception is this Friday, July 8th, so if you're around Monterey,

or feel like a nice long drive down there, please go check it out!

+ please contact the gallery for purchase inquiry or to be put on the list!

(their phone number & address are in the flyer image above)

+ you can now preview all artworks on the gallery website!

....................................................................

Below are my pieces for the show :

Reverie. 10"x14". Mixed Media (Graphite, Colored Pencil, Watercolor, Acrylic) on Tea-stained Paper. © 2011

detail view :

....................................................................

I'm Yours, You're Mine. 11"x15". Mixed Media (Graphite, Colored Pencil, Watercolor, Acrylic) on Paper. © 2011

detail views :

5 Year Gala Show at Corey Helford Gallery

2011-06-30T20:44:00.005-04:00

above is my contribution to the group show that's opening tomorrow to celebrate

the 5 Year Anniversary of Corey Helford Gallery in Culver City, CA!

Zero to Sixty : 5 Year Anniversary Gala Group Show

Opening Reception Friday, July 1st, 7-10pm

Corey Helford Gallery

8522 Washington Blvd.

Culver City, CA 90232

+ please contact the gallery for a preview list/info/purchase!

(sorry, the piece has been sold)

+ also please check out this small preview (also a teaser here)that Arrested Motion did for the show!

here's a detail view of my piece :

and the framed view (filtered on instagram) :

peeks

2011-06-22T19:38:00.003-04:00

instagrammed peeks for some pieces for a couple upcoming group shows :

the above piece will go to the 5 Year Gala Group Show, Zero to Sixty, at Corey Helford Gallery,

opening July 1st.

and the two paper pieces above will be in a group show at The Alternative Cafe Gallery in Monterey, CA, entitled Bad Luck Club - my friend Aya put this show together (yet again!)

with 13 girl artists from Brooklyn, hence the title.

ahhh only if i could just magically coat all my works with the earlybird filter (instagram).

full details and images to come!

Works in Progress...

2011-06-13T15:17:00.002-04:00

{ WARNING : photo / instagram filter overload }

some sketchbook pages :

some hairy drawings on paper :

and some paintings in the works on canvas & wood :

a lot of things going on this month, so i've been working a lot,

although many of the pieces in progress (some even documented) have been brewing

for months in different stages, stalled, painted over, restarted, mulled.

some faint, near transparent new shapes & ideas seem to be slowly forming in my head,

i just need to find that thin, cloudy thread and start pulling at it...

.....................................................

also some follow up to the Dear Japan show last weekend :

turn out looked great and the show was successful!

they raised over $10k with art all less than $200.

some of my favorite pieces from what were still there when i got there :

Miwa Koizumi (one of the show organizers)'s amazing PET plastic bottle sculpture.

i've seen her works at her place before, but this was amazing.

and a new artist i found via this show - Kazuki Guzman, who made these tiny little sculpture

figures with needled felt and nut shells. there was another one i failed to photograph other

than this little peanut shell bunny, which was a walnut shell airplane dude.

so cute & amazing!

Dear Japan

2011-06-02T17:24:00.004-04:00

my friends aya, fumiha & miwa put together a wonderful group show, Dear Japan,

for this Saturday, June 4th!

Dear Japan

June 4th, 2011, Saturday 4-8 PM
One night only
At Art Connect New York Gallery,
491 Broadway, 5th Floor
New York, New York 10012

all art donated by artists & all proceeds go to japan for earthquake & tsunami relief funds.

it's a one day only event where all the artwork is under $200, and you can pay & take the artwork home when you leave!

you can view all artists' works & more info here on their site!

please check their facebook invitation page too.

.....................

i created the piece i'm donating above while creating this piece for another Japan relief fundraiser, as an ema.

ema, a prayer plaque for shinto shrines in japan, seemed like a perfect medium for the cause of the event.

if you're in NYC area this saturday, please stop by the gallery in Soho and support!

they will accept non-art-purchase donations as well as fundraising via merchandise sale on site.

lately...

2011-05-02T18:46:00.006-04:00

some random recent photos from my instagram :

spring is here (finally) in full-force, some days even feeling like summer.

souther's show opening night.

left over ema art (which will eventually go to raise more $ for japan).

chair hogging studiomate.

a couple sketchbook pages from the other day.

{ some super overdue sketchbook pages to come soon! }

a few photos from our bike tour around staten island :

beautiful pebbled/tiled flooring at the chinese scholar's garden, snug harbor.

rossvile boatyard (boat graveyard, to be accurate), near fresh kills, appropriately.

Artist Help Japan : Ema Auction

2011-04-10T23:31:00.006-04:00

the amazing christina conway (who organized & curated the kokeshi shows)

yet again organized something truly great - an auction to raise money for

Artists Help Japan Earthquake & Tsunami Fund - Give2Asia.

artists were asked to create an ema, small wooden plaques for prayer and wish

often seen hanging in japanese shinto shrines.

100% of Proceeds to Benefit Give2Asia Earthquake & Tsunami 2011 Fund

Please keep in mind that this is a Charity Auction and not just an art sale. It's not about getting a "steal".

It's about contributing to an important cause and getting a "Thank You" in return with original art.

These are talented artists that donated 100% of their time, creativity and proceeds for help with the recovery of Japan

due to the recent Earthquake, Tsunami and Nuclear Reactor Emergencies.

Please bid generously and avoid "sniping". MANY MANY THANKS!

Sincerely, Christina Conway/Curator

+ more info on the auction here & here

+ see all on-going auctions here

+ and my piece for auction here!

below is my piece :

please bid (there are many other artists and beautiful pieces if you don't like mine) & help raise

money for a very good, necessary cause!

thank you so much, christina, for putting this together,

and many thanks to all the bidders!!

♥ ♥ ♥

LAX/PDX Group Show at Together Gallery Tomorrow

2011-03-30T14:17:00.003-04:00

LAX/PDX, a group show curated by Thinkspace Gallery, opens tomorrow at Together Gallery
in portland - a great little gallery in Alberta district, owned by a wonderful artist, Timothy Karpinski.
(i was fortunate to come across it on my last visit a couple years ago)

above is a detailed glam shot (looks better like that through a filter) of my piece for the show.

LAX/PDX
Together Gallery
2916 NE Alberta St. Suite A
Portland OR 97211
Opens March 31st 6-11pm
(runs till April 24th)
please email { tim at togethergallery.com } for purchase/inquiry.

+ online preview of works is here.

..........................................

below is the full piece i sent in for the show :

Studio snaps

2011-03-23T15:49:00.002-04:00

some new things brewing in the studio.

(the last piece is en route to portland, OR for this show)

Fragmented : solo show pieces

2011-03-20T14:27:00.003-04:00

finally getting around to posting pictures from the opening of my recent show in London, Fragmented, alongside I Dare The Sky, by Scott Belcastro.

above is me painting the title wall, which looked like below after (excuse my ham face) :

(above two photos courtesy of London Miles Gallery

some photos we snapped from the opening :

behind the title wall & scott's beautiful landscape pieces.

(photo with lovely Andrea & Tina of the gallery)

thank you so much, everyone, who made it out to the show that night,

and to the gallery people (tina, andrea & phil) for being so so accommodating & sweet!

london was a fun trip. :)

for links to sites for reviews and interview, please check this post.

................................................................

below are the works from the show (also viewable here with prices) :

{ PAINTINGS }

Everything Was Beautiful. 16" x 12". Acrylic & Colored Pencil on Wood. © 2011

Strangely Transparent. 11" x 14". Acrylic & Colored Pencil on Wood. © 2011

Azurely. 12" x 16". Acrylic & Colored Pencil on Wood. © 2011

Strangers. 9" x 18". Acrylic & Colored Pencil on Wood. © 2011

A Perfect World. 9" x 12". Acrylic & Colored Pencil on Wood. © 2011

Kind of Blue. 9" x 12". Acrylic & Colored Pencil on Wood. © 2011

In Waking Dreams. 8" x 16". Acrylic & Colored Pencil on Wood. © 2011.

Rainy Day, Dream Away. 9.125" x 9.625". Mixed Media (Acrylic, Oil, Crayon & Colored Pencil) on Wood. © 2011.

In Between. 12" x 12". Mixed Media (Acrylic, Oil, Crayon & Colored Pencil) on Wood. © 2011

Chance. 7.75" x 9.625". Mixed Media (Acrylic, Oil, Crayon & Colored Pencil) on Wood. © 2011.

{ DRAWINGS }

I Know Why. 4.25" x 7.25". Ink, Graphite, Watercolor & Colored Pencil on Tea-stained Paper. © 2011

Quiet Oblivion. 4.25" x 6.75". Ink, Graphite, Watercolor & Colored Pencil on Tea-stained Paper. © 2011

For A While. 4.25" x 6.25". Ink, Graphite, Watercolor & Colored Pencil on Tea-stained Paper. © 2011

+ as usual, please contact the gallery for inquiries on availability & purchase!

Fragmented : London Solo Show closing!

2011-03-19T18:13:00.002-04:00

hello!

it's been a while since my last update, and now i'm back in NYC

from our trip to London for my recent show, Fragmented.

above are a couple shots matthew took before and during the opening

of a mini mural title wall i painted the day before.

the show runs till Monday the 21st of March, and they're closed on

weekends, so that makes this coming Monday the LAST day to view the show!

info is here below :

Fragmented

London Miles Gallery

(inside Westbourne Studios)

242 Acklam Road

London W10 5JJ

+ Please contact the gallery for inquiry.

..................................................

i am slow to recover from trips, so i'm still sorting through

things in my mind, but i'll post images and pieces from the show

properly in the next day or two, as well as some other photos

from the trip.

until then, here are some links :

+ click here to view all artworks (mine & scott's)

some reviews / write-ups :

+ interview with hi-fructose

+ preview on Arrested Motion

+ review on the Londonist (london's Gothamist)

+ review on creepmachine

+ review on neverenoughnotes (by the lovely emma, whom i had the pleasure of meeting!)

and some photos from the opening by others :

+ a set via mr.push on flickr (who came all the way down from glasgow! thank you)

+ some from the gallery

..................................................

+ EDIT : finished pieces and recap of opening are here now.

London trip

2011-03-19T15:10:00.001-04:00

* massive photo dump warning! *

{ london day 1 }

our trip to london started with a redeye flight out of JFK, landing at Heathow around 10:30am.
above shot is straight out of the heathrow express at paddington station,
not having yet set foot on London soil, so to speak, transferring onto the Hammersmith tube
to get to the gallery.

poor matthew, carrying a big box of my paintings to the gallery.

after delivering the paintings and meeting tina (the gallery curator),

we headed off to find some food to eat on portobello road down the street.

(food for the day is found here).

then tube down to vauxhall/oval ground area, where we were staying.

straight out of the station on clapham road.

really didn't feel like we were in a foreign country...

i kept (in my delirious, sleep-deprived state) thinking we were

traveling somewhere near, maybe canada even.

cool signage.

the cute little house we stayed at. beautiful everything.

the amazing back yard. spring had really come to London already.

{ day 2 }

after some much needed sleep (though not as sound and straight through as we'd hoped),

we set out for some walk & exploring before i returned to the gallery for some wall painting.

cars seem to be only huge and unnecessarily gigantic in the states.

this royal mail van was on the larger side.

walking to vauxhall bridge - spring was in full bloom in london.

lonely soul in pimlico.

after painting the wall, we tubed it to the east side - and found (finally)

a pile of bikes off the liverpool street stop. we missed having our bikes

the whole time, and was happy to see bicyclists or bikes, living vicariously

through them... (our schedule didn't permit us to get the bike share thing

until day 4 or so).

and some roas mural near brick lane.

and stopped by the elbow toe show at black rat projects in shoreditch,

and got to meet brian (elbow toe) as well.

a great little mural near the outdoor gates of black rat projects.

yeah!! cars are much less aggressive with cyclists here - relatively speaking,

that is - we have yet to see road signs like this in NYC for us cyclists.

speaking of bikes, we found an abandoned little bike we thought we could

ride around, but the tires were flat and the bike shops were closed. :(

barclays it was.

food from this day is over here.

{ day 3 }

walked around wayyyy too much.

all around islington, all the way up upper street, across east on st. pauls/balls pond rds,

ending up near dalston junction.

after walking up and down kingsland, we took a little break

where we sat outside, watching people, with a glass of water and a pint of guinness.

it was really nice to go somewhere unknown and watch people in a non-touristy neighborhood.

(which reminded me of brooklyn, actually).

we headed south on kingsland, ending up at old shoreditch station,

where we had a little break before heading out to my gallery show.

food from the day 3 over here.

{ day 4 }

feeling a little relieved from the show opening being done with,

we rented the barclay's bike share bikes, and headed up on clapham to

borough market - after some mishap searching for an empty spot for bike docking,

we went into the borough market in search of food.

and food there was - everywhere. just too much, too many people.

i'd gladly have had this malay seafood curry had i not had 3 curry dishes

thus far already. i didn't even feel much like eating the sample spoonfuls.

we randomly ambled into this bike store right at the foot of london bridge.

hi-vis stuff everywhere in London, on bicyclists - super bright flourescent wear.

i had failed to take a good photo of a line of people wearing this stuff on the

streets. definitely something we don't see biking around in NYC.

i thought it worked really well with their eternally pale sun there - i think

we'd go blind were we to wear some of that here, with the intensity of the sun we get.

what the bike docking stations look like for the bike share program.

you can't lock these anywhere (unless you have a lock), you have to

find a docking station - it's awful when it's full, and you've got to go find

another docking station somewhere else. this happened ALL THE TIME.

unreal sky in soho.

we met up with my old college roommate - he's an architect at norman foster's firm.

the obligatory tourist shot on our long walk back home that night over

the westminster bridge.

cool boat benches on the pavement in albert embankment.

food from the day here.

{ day 5 }

stand-alone ATMs are bawdry here as well.

after the little bit of rain subsided, we biked and walked at a leisurely

pace (now that we were a bit more familiar with the bike there and the roads)

up to brick lane area for the outdoor sunday market place.

we ate some delicious street food (still not cheap!)

after the brick lane market, we decided to walk toward islington.

midway, we just got another bike and hopped on to upper street.

on our way there, near old street station, was this

there are loads of chicken places (as well as chip shops),

and it's funny that they called it tennessee fried chicken.

after arriving in islington, we decided we'd go see Norwegian Wood,

which was just released there (still unknown when it comes to the US),

we hopped on another set of bikes and headed down to covent garden.

dinner in chinatown, then wandered the back streets till our show time.

some big wheels/barrels of english cheese in the shop window.

then we got to see norwegian wood. wonderful, wonderful.

it stood alone on its own as a film, i though, even though the book is really

dear and special to me. i loved it.

food from this day is here.

{ day 6 }

having brought the wrong shoes (why why why), and having walked

wayyyy too much, we decided to take it easy on our last full day.

we tubed it to the Tate Modern, which neither of us had been to on our respective

first trips years ago.

i love birch trees.

possibly my favorite piece from the gallery - a picasso etching.

amazing.

a beautiful gorky. looks like it shouldn't work, and it wouldn't work,

but it just does - amazing.

my first munch to see in person.

do ho suh.

ai wei wei's bagillion hand-painted porcelain sunflower seeds.

waiting for our bus on the last night.

last night in london ended with meeting with my old friend yuz,

and our brooklyn friend elliot, who's studying there.

food from this day is here and the very last day before our flight is here.

the trip was great, it was slow to sink in, but i left with good memories.

maybe it felt too similar to new york for me to feel like i was somewhere else

at first... (definitely didn't go into hardly any shops due to them being too

similar to NYC stuff, just more expensive). still, all in all, it was a fun trip.

unfortunately the very last leg of the trip, literally a couple hours before

leaving for the airport, i got my wallet picked at paddington station.

luckily, all my passport/id stuff was tucked away separately,

and everything i lost is replaceable/replaced - except cash & my favorite wallet

i had for about 8 years. :(

bye, london - hope to see you again.

ps. my solo show recap & the pieces are here.

London coming!

2011-03-08T14:49:00.006-05:00

actually I'm coming to London with my new works!:)

Fragmented (a Dual Solo Show along with Scott Belcastro)

Opening March 11th, 2011.

7-11 pm.

London Miles Gallery

242 Acklam Road

Unit 303

London W10 5JJ

+ Please contact the gallery for preview.

It's been over a year since I've presented a body of work - nerves!

I'll be there on the opening night so hope I get to meet some Londoners!

It's been something crazy long since I last visited London,

so it'll be my first big adventure there as a grownup.

I'll post the photos of the pieces when I get back (as well as the photos from the trip),

but for now, here's some preview on Hi-Fructose blog along with an interview :

there's also another interview in the Canadian magazine, Georgie,

as I've mentioned before, if you'd like to read more.

see you in London or when I get back! :)

(above : framed pieces waiting to be packed - of course, they are now.)

Georgie Magazine Interview

2011-03-03T14:54:00.002-05:00

i have a new interview article out in Canada-based Georgie Magazine!

despite the older artwork in the spread, the article is on my recent works

and my new show that's coming up next week in London.

if you're in Canada, you can pick up a copy at one of these places.

otherwise please check it out here on there emag (pgs. 14-19).

Done

2011-02-23T20:34:00.004-05:00

all paintings are done for my next show, a dual solo in London next month.

up there, are the works varnished & drying, waiting to be scanned last night.

now they're at the framers and i'm so nervous!

i've never had local custom framing, so most of the time,

i pack my pieces and ship them off to framers near the gallery i'm showing at,

and they're off my hands.

this time, i imagine this must be a tiny glimpse into a new parent's life

when they send off their baby to daycare for the first time.

here's the flyer for my upcoming show :

it's my first larger body of works in over a year...

so it's making me even more nervous.

nervous for what, i don't know.

keeping fingers crossed that the paintings come back looking

good in their new frames.

Hair : rambling on symbols

2011-02-17T13:54:00.019-05:00

+ another long rambling warning +

i'm not sure how other artists work, but for me, when i incorporate symbols into

my works, it's very likely that i wasn't aware of the action, or i did it without any

cognitive thought process. i wish i were able to do it out of will, more,

able to send out messages and stories, and all that good stuff that really good artists

must be able to do.

(maybe "metaphors" is a better word than symbols).

midway through preparing for my next show, i started obsessively drawing hair in strands and folds.

it was something that kind of started being a pain, due to its slow progress and completion time,

but it was soothing at the same time, and i felt like there was something in there for me as well.

listening to some books and music, letting the stories and thoughts seep into

each strand, fold and crease i drew - i can still recall what i was listening to or was thinking

when i run my fingers over different strands!

some people have comment that they love the "hair style" i create, or say that maybe

i must particularly like long, flowy hair.

(probably since my hair is short, it must seem as if i have hair-envy. i don't.)

these were a bit more literal that what i had in mind...

... which made me think about this for a while about symbols.

i've read somewhere that hair, traditionally, symbolizes lust or vanity.

(which is why monks and nuns often got rid of their hair first).

i knew that this meant little to nothing to me, maybe a little bit.

after some thinking, (and recently having gained a little more lucidity in mind),

my own, personal meaning in the hair started to take shape slowly :

hair seems to be something that we have no control over.

it grows as if it's got a mind of its own - the speed at which it grows,

or its shape, form or texture, we can't control.

you can keep cutting it off, but you can't stop it from growing from you.

maybe i am using hair to represent a part of oneself that one wants to get away from and hide.

or the opposite - something you want to protect yourself with and hide behind.

or perhaps the sprouts of thoughts and ideas (inner demons, even) that you are

incapable of stopping, and only have to come to embrace.

all the folds and creases of the hair might reflect the mazes of the mind,

which might reflect the mazes of the environment?

in the earlier pieces i'd done, the hair flew more freely in more of a mass bleeding into the background

- where the girl perhaps wanted to blend and melt into the environment,

letting the surroundings seep into herself...

the 'self' now maybe wants to be enveloped by its own burden, or even be protected by the

surrounding elements and find its own holding spot.

in spite of all the faults and shortcomings, embracing oneself...

sorry about such a long ramble!

writing a little statement about the upcoming show has got me thinking more,

and thought i'd write a little bit out here in case i forget.

............................

"There are symbolic dreams-- dreams that symbolize some reality.

Then there are symbolic realities -- realities that symbolize a dream."
— Haruki Murakami, A Wild Sheep Chase

also :

"Symbolism and meaning are two separate things."

— Haruki Murakami, Kafka on the Shore.

+ EDIT : the finished pieces that are shown in progress are posted here now.

In the Trees : Twin Peaks 20 Anniversary Art Show

2011-02-10T13:38:00.007-05:00

i've been so fortunate to have been invited to be a part of a group show

that celebrates 20th anniversary of Twin Peaks, the legendary show

from 1990 by the amazing David Lynch!

..........................................

In The Trees: TWIN PEAKS 20th Anniversary Art Exhibition
OPENING RECEPTION: Saturday, February 12, 2011
8:00PM to 11:00PM

ON VIEW: Sunday, February 13, 2011
10:00AM to 3:00PM

PLACE: Clifton’s Brookdale
648 South Broadway
Los Angeles, CA 90014

Online preview of pieces HERE!

...................................

the venue seems like such an old, historic restaurant,

which might echo the ambiance of the Double R diner in Twin Peaks.

i believe this is only a 2-day event, so please make sure to be there!!
several of the cast and i think David Lynch himself will be there, as well as his artworks.

please check the website for more info & line-up and for inquiries for previews, etc.

below is my contribution to the show:

Audrey. 11" x 14". Acrylic & Colored Pencil on Wood. © 2011.

i chose (if it isn't so obviously already!) Audrey Horne for my inspiration for the piece.

i often found the dualistic identities of doppelgangers, dream-like story telling of
David Lynch very relatable to my personal works, at least in concept if not visually obvious.
i thought the same when i watched Twin Peaks (well, i guess the duality theme is included
in the title), how each character seemed to have dualistic characters, straddling two (or more)
worlds. just my take, that is.

something about the character of Audrey Horne was very intriguing.
a girl, on the verge of being a woman, a smart, sassy, mature character that also
has that innocent naïveté. something just starting to sprout out that could either become
either "black" or "white" (as in the lodges in the show).
i find that i'm very drawn to characters/people that reside in the in-between worlds.
(maybe, probably because i identify with them).

so i chose her to represent my impression of the show (though not a portrait, per se),
although there could've been so many other facets to explore obviously.

here's the framed view :

also some previews of other pieces are on Daily Du Jour

On routines...

2011-02-08T12:39:00.005-05:00

this will be a very wordy post, so please feel free to skip!

just my ramblings ...

...........................................................

lately, i've been living a slightly "normal" schedule.

rise in the morning, go to bed at night.

not the night owl schedule i used to have all my life, off and on,

despite my best efforts.

i tend to get into this regularity during winter times,

when the days are short and i tend to get winter doldrums

due to reduced possibilities of physical activities.

a little after the new year has begun, i fixed my schedule

(done by staying up about 24 hours) to how normal people live,

awake during the day, asleep into the dawn.

also because i have several shows before even spring comes around,

and i have a lot of work to do. solo shows are different that group shows,

where i have to have that long breath of ideas and energy streaming

inside in a consistent manner in order to keep a group of ideas tied together.

soon i found a rhythm i felt comfortable with... a kind of ritualistic routine.

which is weird because i never thought much about routines.

but i see that routines does give your daily life a ritualistic rest for your mind.

i wake up, stretch a bit, make coffee, sit down with it and read with small breakfast.

then start painting for a few hours listening to podcasts or audio books (first time!).

go out for lunch or dinner with matthew sometimes, some type of physical exercise

somewhere in there, and work a bit more, stretch, then sleep.

pretty much the general gist of it.

this all has been reinforced when i started reading haruki murakami's

"what i talk about when i talk about running" lately, just small bits at a time.

and because i'm so bad with words when i read his writings,

often times, i am struck with how exact his descriptions are.

this book, especially since it's a memoir (not a novel/fiction)

i can really relate to his thoughts and ideas that reside beyond his stories.

the part that really stayed with me, besides a sudden urge to start running,

was that because as a novelist (or as any type of artist, i imagine) you have to

delve deep into the ugliest parts of humanity, which will inevitably take

tolls on your mental/mind health, you have to make sure to keep a healthy body.

last year, or even before, i struggled with the kind of the dark ugliness he spoke of.

not that i, myself, is like that but to explore the kind of darkness

in order to search what i'm looking for in my works made it hard to

balance my real life with my work world.

and my tendency to have an erratic night-owl schedule didn't seem to help this either.

now that i've been kind of keeping a regular schedule,

a kind of lucidity dawned upon me (with my life and my work)

that i don't think i've had before. a kind of sharpened focus of sort.

simply since everything other than my work having become a little

more settled, thus causing me less distraction (well, there's always more i can find)

i do notice that i can think better when my studio times comes around.

knowing myself, i don't know when this steam will run out...

but for now i hope to keep it going, painting, drawing, sculpting

a bit at a time everyday, keeping healthy everyday,

keeping that balance. that clarity of mind. the focus.

making each day a little bit better than the day before, in one way or another,

i'm sure i'll be able to find that balance.

- end of rambling -

fake

2011-02-07T14:56:00.005-05:00

i just recently saw this image a few times (last time here),

credited to my name... i have no idea who created this.

but, unfortunately, that piece above is NOT mine.

that image up there is a copy of this piece of mine below :

i am not sure why, or what i want to accomplish through this,

but i felt the need to clarify.

EDIT :

- found the source of the top image (thanks to a reader on facebook!) which hails from here.

- although it doesn't make me super comfortable to have works copied to a tee,

mostly i'm just flattered, it's not meant for any commercial gain except for just study and appreciation! i only wanted the right credit to go to the correct artwork.

so, thank you, beatyourgreens!

Instagrammed Processes

2011-01-31T16:26:00.004-05:00

i've been a complete studio hermit lately, working on a couple shows coming up in the next months :

an exciting Twin Peaks 20th Anniversary Show in a couple weeks,

and a dual solo show in London for March!

although many these have been updated through my twitter/facebook,

i thought i'd compile them to show what's been going on in my studio

for the past month :

Sarah Silverman

2011-01-05T17:17:00.007-05:00

this friday, January 7th, Gallery 1988 will have a huge art opening
of a comedian-themed group show, "Is This Thing On?"
Is This Thing On?
at Gallery 1988
7020 Melrose Ave,
Los Angeles, CA 90038

please contact the gallery for inquiry/purchase/preview.

+ see the full list of "show bill" (who's painting whom) here!
..........................

several months ago, i was asked by Gallery 1988 to paint Sarah Silverman, the comedienne.
i hesitated for a while, because i'd never painted a portrait before
of a real-life personality (only movie characters with my added imagination).
but i thought it'd be a fun challenge, despite being nervous that sarah
will be seeing this herself at the show - but it really turned out to be fun.

above is a detail shot through my instagram filter,
which sadly looks better and isn't available in the real physical world
for me to put over the painting.

below some other shots through instagram (mind the filter)
during the progress over the holidays :

(2 initial concepts)

(after sanding out/redoing the faces a few times)

the final piece :

Sarah. 8"x16". Acrylic & Colored Pencil on Wood. © 2010-2011.

framed view :

i read that tara mcpherson also did sarah silverman,
i can't wait to see her piece - and tina fey by travis louie!

Happy 2011!!

2011-01-02T22:27:00.002-05:00

it's 2011, the super future!
wishing a bright new year, a grand new decade for all of us.
thank you so much for all your love and support!!

♥
stella

during the blizzard

2010-12-28T19:11:00.006-05:00

snowed in during the blizzard (snowmaggeddon!).
lots of instagram photos of snow progress, kitties and some studio shots.
(you can find my instagram photos @ stellaimhult)

happy holidays!

2010-12-25T01:21:00.003-05:00

happy holidays, by which i actually mean, merry christmas!

i don't much feel the christmas spirit, maybe because i'm sick
and have a slashed right hand with which i can't paint at the moment...
or maybe because of the overage of commercial bombardment
of holiday cheers for the past couple months...

but still, seeing these decorations around the neighborhood
made me smile.

so merry christmas!!
i'll be back soon with a new post, new art to share. :)

xo stella

Etsy Update Tomorrow

2010-12-17T16:44:00.003-05:00

{ last minute small drawings sale }
Tomorrow, Saturday, Dec. 18th, 3PM EST.
http://stellaimhultberg.etsy.com

+ sorry about the redundant posts.

Recently around the studio

2010-12-16T13:18:00.005-05:00

+++

planning to have another { small *new* drawings sale } this weekend.
this saturday (12/18) around 3pm EST in my etsy shop.

Orders

2010-12-02T01:06:00.002-05:00

all etsy orders from my drawing sale this past week (since friday)
will be shipped out tomorrow via Priority (US & International)!

if you didn't get a USPS shipment email, please let me know!
{ shop at stellaimhultberg.com }

+ prints are being shipped from LA, and they will be shipped soon as well!

'Tis the Season Pop-up Show

2010-11-29T23:50:00.007-05:00

this weekend, Thinkspace Gallery has organized a special pop-up art show in North Hollywood, CA!

'Tis The Season...' holiday pop-up group show

Sat, Dec. 4th from 6-11PM
(special one-night only event)
5229 Lankershim Blvd
North Hollywood, CA 91601

presented by Thinkspace in association with Baby Tattoo Books and Cella Gallery Satellites

pieces from The Next Generation (12"x12") group show this past june at London Miles Gallery,
including mine below, will be exhibited :

Equinox. 12"x12". Mixed Media on Two panels.

more info on the show below :

This special event will feature live music from DJ Mr. NumberOnederful and X-Point plus...

- View select works from Thinkspace's recent UK show "The Next Generation"
- View a selection of new works from Thinkspace's roster of artists
- Check out all the latest from Baby Tattoo Books
- A nice selection of low-priced art prints

Plus featuring original works from:
Aaron Nagel, Adam Caldwell, Allison Sommers, Anthony Pontius, Brett Amory, Brian M. Viveros, Cherri Wood, Craig "Skibs" Barker, Dan-ah Kim, David MacDowell, Ekundayo, Gaia, Jen Lobo, Jesse Hotchkiss, Josie Morway, Kelly Vivanco, Lesley Reppeteaux, Linnea Strid, Mike Russek, Mr. Jago, Pakayla Rae Biehn, Peter Taylor, Rebecca Hahn, Sarah Joncas, Stella Im Hultberg, Timothy Karpinski, Tony Philippou, and Yosuke Ueno

+ ps : thanks to everyone that came by and even purchased my small originals sale on etsy over the weekend,
and also my website shop for prints!

i must apologize for all the craziness and shenanigans everyone had to experience with the google checkout invoices.

i've fixed this problem by just switching to paypal (i caved), and it's going to be a million times easier!
thanks so much for your infinite patience.

+ pps : i'm planning on doing another small sale of mini drawings, so please check back in a week or two!
(or keep your eyes on my twitter/facebook, if you prefer)

Etsy shop open!

2010-11-26T16:11:00.000-05:00

Etsy shop is open and updated with 22 pieces of small drawings, studies and mini paintings.

click here to go see all the goods!

...........................

Edit :

+ Payment Info :

because my paypal account is currently down, i cannot use it for etsy, unfortunately,
at the moment (and for the next few months).

so currently i have it set up with "other" payment option on etsy,
which means, after you check out, i'll be sending you a Google Checkout invoice
which you can pay with credit card.

unfortunately for the buyers today and for me sending out the invoices,
Google Checkout decided to be 'checked out' - maybe they were doing maintenance type
thing, but it was extremely slow and at one point i couldn't get in through to my account.

but it seems to work now, so after you check out, don't fret,
your invoice is on the way. :)

thank you!

new shop(s) + new print release

2010-11-25T23:09:00.005-05:00

yay shop update is happening!

Friday, November 26th (tomorrow!) around 4PM Eastern Time.

no make that two shop updates.
as i'll be putting up small originals on my etsy shop
(above) as well as my webshop, which i just updated!

ALSO!!

gallery 1988 will be releasing a run of limited edition prints of Mathilda tomorrow morning!

Mathilda
Limited Edition of 100.
Signed and Numbered.
$80

you will be able to find the print (linked to 1988 web shop) on my site,
but you can buy them here directly!

happy thanksgiving, everyone!

peeky

2010-11-23T19:50:00.005-05:00

above is the pile i made of old studies and drawings that never made it to the shows from the past 2-3 years,
after cleaning and re-setting the studio last week.

i've also been working hard on re-formatting my currently sad and janky ass shop**!

i'm aiming for november 29th, the monday after thanksgiving to update.
[ --> edit: people have spoken - it will be updated on FRIDAY NOVEMBER 26th, right after thanksgiving! ]

at least for now, there won't be any new prints available,
just the current ones you see on line right now,
but there will be a new print available next week via a gallery,
and i'm thinking of making some open edition prints as well.
(suggestions welcome!)

the aforementioned old studies and drawings of ink & graphite on tea-stained paper (all originals)
will be put on my etsy shop for sale.

please check my twitter/facebook or back on this blog for update!

** the current jankiness, i apologize, is mostly due to paypal deciding to put my account on
hold and not believing that it was actually me who suddenly got funds funneled into it.
all the proof and talk obviously didn't convince them, so it'll be credit cards and
google checkout accounts only for now.
sorry!!!

Around the (newly re-arranged) studio

2010-11-19T18:21:00.005-05:00

i often start feeling antsy and stale in the studio, so i rearrange and reconfigure
every once in a while. (some previous reconfigurations in the past studio before).

my current studio room hadn't been reconfigured in over a year since we moved in,
and it was time.

i moved the desk around 90º, so now i can use 2-3 sides of the desk!
moving the books off the desk and onto the mantle really helped with space too.

feeling so clean and productive (especially after being sick for a week),
i got to work immediately after finishing cleaning up.

some overdue clay fun.

and something in the works coming soon... :

now working on re-configuring my shop,
which, thanks to paypal and their craziness, is under a sad condition.

new shop should launch around or after thanksgiving!
thank you for all the email orders and your patience with them. ♥

Idol Hours Group Show at London Miles

2010-11-10T13:46:00.006-05:00

Idol Hours, a group show of re-interpreted old masterpieces by contemporary artists,
opens this Friday, November 12th, at London Miles Gallery in London!

Opening Friday, November 12th 2010
7pm to 11pm.
London Miles Gallery.
242 Acklam Road. Unit 303. London.
W10 5JJ. UK

Phone: (44) 020 3170 8618
Email: info@londonmiles.com

view some sneak peeks of the pieces here!

............................................................

here is my inspiration piece :

Double Self-Portrait. 1915. by Egon Schiele.

my interpretation (my own double self-portrait) :

Within You, Without You. 14"x11". Mixed Media on Canvas. © 2010.

some progress photos :

initial sketch concepts.

initial concept on canvas...

then i changed to horizontal concept (also because i was working on another piece that was similar in composition).

last stage before finishing (i chanced the face a bit on the foreground after this).

...............................................................

i got to see a pretty comprehensive Egon Schiele exhibit
some 5 years ago or so, at Neue Galerie here in NYC, which easily changed my life and myself as an artist.
the sheer volume of his prolific works in the short life he lived (not to mention the quality)
really moved and inspired something from within me when i saw them in person.

Schiele painted and drew himself a lot, mostly due to his poverty and not being able to
afford a model frequently.

i had never painted a self-portrait before, as i felt it was a little too self-indulgent on top of
what i consider already pretty self-indulgent... art, itself, that is.
but it turned out to be quite an interesting, introspective process.
since i mostly paint imaginary faces, i initially had to suppress the urge to "beautify" the face as i saw fit
as i usually do.

but soon after, i stopped looking at the reference photos of myself and oddly my own faces
transformed into just another face.
they didn't feel like my own or anyone else's in particular.

people have often asked me in the past who it is that i paint.
it's definitely not me except in the piece above, and it's not really anyone in particular either.
it's just a face. a form. an idea... maybe.
probably.

Thinkspace 5 Year Anniversary Group Show

2010-11-05T19:47:00.007-04:00

Limitless, Undying. 12"x24". Mixed Media on Canvas. © 2010.

my piece for Thinkspace Gallery's 5 Year Anniversary Group Show this Saturday, November 6th!

more info here and preview of all works here!
and some peeks on juxtapoz, as well.

if you're near LA, please don't miss this show!
it'll be a great event by an awesome gallery, with an amazing line up of artists i admire.

..............................................................

my piece above was so hard to scan, because of all the dark colors
and texture of paint and canvas.
so here's another version of a photo of it hanging on the wall :

while drying :

some earlier progress photos :

this piece was started some months ago to loosen up my hand,
while finishing up another piece, which was getting a bit detail oriented and tight.

i didn't know where it was going to take me, and i just let my mind take me.
the stringy shapes are something i saw in my dream one night,
although it was sculptural in my dream.
this is a month-long fusion of my subconscious, really!

..............................................................

here's a short interview (that i was a bit late for so i'm not sure it'll publish) i did with
sour harvest, an art blog run by thinkspace.

5 Years - 5 Questions:

Tell us a little bit about your piece for Thinkspace's '5 Year Anniversary Show' this November?
"Limitless, Undying" is a piece I started months ago (last winter?) just to experiment on building up layers.
I worked on it little by little, in between other projects, and my feelings infused in it have evolved and changed during the months.
Still the idea of raveled thread-like form was the initial idea I carried all the way through.
Like other pieces I've done before with strings coming out of the mouth, maybe they stand for
our traces we leave behind - what we put out there in the world, words that are said, things we need to be responsible for...

What were you doing back in 2005 when Thinkspace started?
I was a product designer, just starting to draw and paint on the side for fun.
I was in my first art shows ever, and started making plans to be included in the project room wall
for new faces at Thinkspace Gallery in 2006.

Name 5 things you can't live without in your studio?
movies/music/podcasts, my macbook (for the movies/music/podcasts), any art supplies, keyboard (piano), heater in the winter.

Where do you hope to be 5 years from now?
hopefully still alive in NYC, happy with creating artwork, making lots of diverse genre of works,
and always learning.

What have you got coming up in 2011?
starting the year with a couple group shows in California and a mini solo in London,
and a group show at Thinkspace in the fall. Lots of other group shows throughout the year.
Definitely producing more work than this year, I hope.

5 years...

2010-10-20T14:07:00.003-04:00

work in progress for Thinkspace Gallery's 5 Year Anniversary Show coming up
next month, opening on November 6th.

earlier process shots here & here.

congratulations to Thinkspace, to their amazing 5 years of artist support and more to come!

Self-portrait in progress

2010-10-15T22:03:00.007-04:00

for an upcoming show at London Miles Gallery,
titled "Idol Hours", i've decided to take on the subject of self portrait.

each artist is to choose an older masterpiece from the past to re-interpret,
which is such a daunting task (for me, anyway).
i chose Egon Schiele's Double Self-Portrait (1915) below :

the reason for picking it among all the other amazing works was
because i thought i could tackle it from the angle of subject matter, at least,
without tainting the original artist too much...

many people have told me that they thought i paint my own face...
(like this piece, for example).
but this above is my first time...

and you can obviously see that i don't model for my paintings normally,
as the face is drastically more... boring & flat.

i've always wanted to experience painting a real person,
and i never thought i'd be my first real model, and what an interesting experience it has been.
after painting made up, nationality-less faces for years,
it's odd to paint a face that i can't... "control" the looks of.

now, i feel oddly detached from the images of my face as if it weren't my own,
but maybe the uncomfortable familiarity has settled in.
the painful imperfections and all.

at the moment it does look quite a bit like me (according to matthew),
but who knows what i'll end up adding onto this.

some sketchbook warmups :

click the image below for more info :

Beyond Eden Art Fair, Los Angeles

2010-10-08T11:55:00.006-04:00

a multi-gallery art fair is happening this weekend in Los Angeles,
Beyond Eden at LA Municipal Art Gallery at Barnsdall Park:

Beyond Eden Art Fair
4800 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles.
October 9th & 10th.

here's my contribution along with the piece below from before :

Remember. 11"x14". Mixed Media on Wood. © 2010.

Magic Mountain. 9"x12". Mixed Media on Wood. © 2010.
from this show before.

..........................................

this year has been an interesting journey, as far as my art goes.
the relative sporadicity(?) of the shows & piece to work on has allowed my
thoughts to seep better into my piece rather than just running at full speed
like other years.

so i feel like i hardly notice the changes that others might see, from the process
having been so slow and quiet, to me at least... comforting, in an odd way.

the more i paint faces (which borders obsession), the more i get interested
in layers that live underneath our skin, the hidden emotions, the buried words
and thoughts that wants to hide and expose themselves at the same time...
that you find hard to ponder upon or look at, yet can't stop doing so.
things that betray the best of our intentions...

Sweet Streets II

2010-09-08T15:24:00.005-04:00

Sweet Streets II, a group show inspired by japanese street fashion curated by caro,
is opening this saturday at Gallery Nucleus in Alhambra, CA.

Gallery Nucleus
210 East Main St,
Alhambra CA 91801(MAP)
626.458.7477 | info (at) gallerynucleus.com

please contact the gallery for preview of the pieces and more information.

here are my contributions :

Alone in Tokyo. 6"x12". Mixed Media on Wood. © 2010.

Daydream Believer. 6"x12". Mixed Media on Wood. © 2010.

both are framed and floated with a black matte.

.................................

one of the impressions that i got looking at the photos of street fashion
and what i know of the traditional japanese garments, and my impressions from being in tokyo,
was the patterns and layers - in both tangible/physical and intangible/mental ways.
that was my departure point of how i got to these pieces...

plus, the patterns were so much fun to paint.
the anal side of me (whatever little is left over after being dominated by my laziness)
was having a ball painting with a tiny brush over and over.

Get the Lead Out II : Sketch Group Show

2010-09-03T17:36:00.004-04:00

apologies for posting this so late, due to a recent trip to montreal,
but just getting around to posting my small drawings i contributed to
Get the Lead Out II sketch group show at Swoon Gallery's pop-up site
at The Ronin Gallery (the old Thinkspace location), which opened last saturday.

all pieces are under $500, and one of the pieces from each artist should be at $100.
as all of my pieces are below :

Day Dreaming... 5"x7" (appx. 8"x 10" framed) Mixed Media on Panel. $400 (Available)

Double Entendre 1. 3.75"x7" (appx. 11"x 13" framed). Tea, Graphite & Colored Pencil on Rives BFK paper. (sold)

Double Entendre 2. 3.75"x7" (appx. 11"x 13" framed). Tea, Graphite & Colored Pencil on Rives BFK paper. (sold)

Lately. 3.75"x5" (appx. 10"x 12" framed). Ink, Graphite & Colored Pencil on Rives BFK paper. (sold)

view rest of the show (with some amazing pieces!) and inquire about the pieces here!

Blue Sketchbook 2010 : part 3

2010-09-01T18:03:00.004-04:00

the last pages of my blue sketchbook that took a while to finish the last few pages,
due to painting schedules.

previous pages are collected here and here.

july 1st - august 15th, 2010.

and the cover:

ballpoint, ink, pencil, paint pens, markers, acrylic in Hand•Book sketchbook. © 2010.

Love Conquers All : Art for Equality

2010-08-06T17:44:00.005-04:00

Magic Mountain. 9"x12". Mixed Media on Wood. © 2010.

Love Conquers All : Art for Equality
Thinkspace Gallery
Opens Saturday, August 7th, 2010 7-10 pm
6009 Washington Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90232
(310) 558-3375

preview the pieces here!

20% of the proceeds from the show gets donated to Equality California,
an organization that work to make equal marriage rights for all people.
luckily for all their efforts, there was a really good news this week!

...................................................

the show opens tomorrow, and above is my piece for it.
it's probably a little different than my other pieces, although these days,
i'm not even positive what that means.
it's been a great summer to be cooped up experimenting, in lieu of the summer fun.
seems like i've been much more focused on faces lately.

...................................................

the colors of the stripeyness came from reading about "saek dong",
a traditional korea color combination of 5 or more colors, possibly meant to keep the evils at bay.
also seen in bojagi art which i find amazing...
(i will post more about this some time).

...................................................

i titled the piece above Magic Mountain, but i just wanted to clarify it has nothing to do with the six flags in california. >_<
i was listening to blonde redhead's song of the same title,
and thought of titling the piece after it...

here are the lyrics :

At magic mountain
Nobody sings today
Nobody speaks today
Close my eyes
And hope to see
Weeks go by like a day
In a lowland

I live up on magic mountain
No one leaves magic mountain

At magic mountain
Nothing changes
Everything stays the same
Cross my heart
And hope to live
All the time
With a little fever

I stay here on magic mountain
No one leaves magic…

My heart hears you sing
My heart hears you speak
But I never make it in the flatlands
I must stay on magic mountain

fall 2010 show schedule

2010-08-04T18:18:00.002-04:00

here is my updated show schedule for the rest of the year :
(also on my website, under INFO --> Shows)

August ::Love Conquers All Benefit group show.Thinkspace Gallery. Culver City, CA.

August :: Get the Lead Out 2. group show. Swoon Gallery. Los Angeles, CA.

September :: Sweet Streets 2. group show. Gallery Nucleus. Alhambra, CA.

October :: Beyond Eden Art Fair. with Thinkspace Gallery. Culver City, CA.

November :: 5th Anniversary group show. Thinkspace Gallery. Culver City, CA.

November :: Group Show. London Miles Gallery. London, UK

....................................................................................

+ 2011 will include some bigger shows, and lots of group shows as well!

studio at night

2010-07-28T23:06:00.002-04:00

these days, i wish i could be drawing&painting all night and all day
without getting tired.
ah, to get older!

old faces

2010-07-27T13:03:00.003-04:00

Everyday I Think of You. Acrylic, charcoal & crayon on Wood. © Stella Im Hultberg. 2006.

an old piece i did back in 2005 or 2006 for a group show when i first started showing at galleries.
i was obsessed with faces then (and when i was little too) then the whole figure,
then circled back to focusing on faces again in recent months, it seems.

► speaking of old work, here's a post from last year about work "evolution".

faces, eyes, faces

2010-07-26T12:31:00.002-04:00

some paintings in progress.
some for shows, some for the hell of it.
been more focused on lots and lots of faces & eyes (and some patterns) lately.
hmmm... wonder what this means? @__@

Big Bang Big Boom by Blu

2010-07-21T07:19:00.000-04:00

BIG BANG BIG BOOM - the new wall-painted animation by BLU from blu on Vimeo.

this one is the most epic one i've seen so far. amazing.
by blu. (more videos by blu here)

studio miscellany

2010-07-15T23:36:00.006-04:00

throwing paint around. figuring some things out.
experimenting. drawing a lot.

some things...

► working on a couple group shows that's coming up fast...
Love Conquers All (anti prop 8 show) at Thinkspace Gallery next month,
and Sweet Streets 2 at Gallery Nucleus in September.

► finishing my blue sketchbook, which i only had for a little over a month.
i must've been starved for sketchbooks - will dump soon.

► always a conundrum to figure out how to transfer the raw energy
into a larger surface and turn them into a finished piece...
the reconciliation never happens well for me.

► 10% of the sales from the shop will be donated to charity.
( Gulf Restoration Network & Save the Children for now ).

► pondering a studio cleaning painting/drawing sale of some originals i have...
maybe.

Mathilda : Crazy 4 Cult Group Show

2010-07-12T11:23:00.001-04:00

Mathilda. 6"x12". Mixed Media on Wood. © 2010. Stella Im Hultberg.

Crazy 4 Cult show opened in LA at Gallery 1988 this past Friday,
and above is my contribution for the film-themed show - as i've mentioned before,
it's Mathilda (Natalie Portman) from The Professional (1994).
(here's my last contribution to the show -Marla from Fight Club in 2007).

the show runs till July 30th, 2010, so please check it out if you're near.
otherwise you can view (& purchase if you'd like) all the pieces HERE online.
(mine here).

here's a framed view :

and some earlier stages :

i've always been inspired by the character (i made a painting based on her back in 2006).
the face changed the most as i harshened and softened the expression
back and forth... i debated whether or not to make it more of an accurate
portraiture and decided against it and to go with the feel for her instead.

it was hard to capture a young girl with a bruised innocence that still
held on to her vulnerability as a child.
i got a little tighter at the end than i'd liked but that is okay.
i learn with each painting.

mathilda is spelled with an H

2010-07-02T15:17:00.002-04:00

so i finally made a decision,
and she's gone off to LA now, for Crazy 4 Cult show at Gallery 1988.

it turned out a little tighter than i'd liked, but that's okay - i was running out of time.
(looseness actually takes a lot more time/thought/planning to pull off, for me, at least).

so i went on to loosen up last night :

blue sketchbook 2010 : dump 2

2010-07-01T14:13:00.004-04:00

continued from my last blue sketchbook dump.
june 12th - june 30th, 2010.

ballpoint, ink, pencil, paint pens, markers, acrylic in Hand•Book sketchbook. © 2010.

Moleskine : the last pages

2010-06-30T17:53:00.004-04:00

finally filled out the last pages of the over-a-year-old moleskine.
so weird that the second half got filled/dumped in within a couple of weeks.
nothing like sketchbooks to keep you company through funks & in-between-painting fun.

THE END.

ballpoint, ink, markers & acrylic in moleskine sketchbook. ©2009-2010.

+ now i am drawing/painting in 2 sketchbooks: the blue book and a new larger moleskine.
posting those soon!

methinks i need to start sketching larger too on a big pad as well.
going back to my drawing "barre" , so to ballet-speak.

matilda and matilda

2010-06-29T14:59:00.003-04:00

in progress (from the other night), almost done.
still indecisive between the two matildas.

blue sketchbook 2010 : dump 1

2010-06-19T13:16:00.006-04:00

new landscape format sketchbook i started a couple weeks ago,
and these are the pages from the first week.

ballpoint, ink, pencil, paint pens, markers, acrylic in Hand•Book sketchbook. © 2010.

Shop : Shipping / Layout Details

2010-06-16T12:22:00.012-04:00

( click to view larger )

when shop opens at 2pm this Friday, the shipping/checking out may be a bit
confusing so i wanted to give a heads-up beforehand.

first, all limited edition prints will be on this one page, where you can scroll down
and shop in one fell swoop without clicking through the pages.

and the shipping for the orders are set up as "add to cart" type buttons at the top of the page,
~~one shipping button for framed prints and another for prints ordered without frames.~~
edit : the button is now combined into one, hopefully it's not too confusing!!
which means, the shipping won't be automatically calculated at checkout,
but rather, you'll have to choose and add one to cart that suits your order.
no other shipping cost will be charged at checkout.

( click to view larger )

the reason why i opted this route, instead of a more streamlined checkout, is because paypal cart
wasn't accommodating (not to me anyway!) in customization in configuring all the variables
on different framing & shipping options - at least, it was impossible for me to figure out with my limited knowledge.

i'm really sorry if this came out to be super confusing.
i've been chipping away at this for days racking my brain to figure out,
and definitely tried to streamline it the best i knew how.
next time i'll be getting some help, for sure!

please let me know if you have any questions.

stella

(dang, this sure was an ugly looking post for sure - missing the days of the sketchbook posts. >_< )

Limited Edition Prints Details

2010-06-15T20:47:00.012-04:00

i'm still working on some coding & configuration of the shopping carts,
but since i've been getting emails about the limited edition prints,
i thought i'd post ahead of the shop opening for more info :

{ Limited Edition Prints }

1. Memories Of....
• $100 Unframed. $210 Framed.
• Limited Edition of 30.
• Signed, Numbered & Individually embellished with gold.
• Print Size : 6.5 (w) x 11.25 (h) in.
• Print Medium : Giclee print on smooth archival paper,
hand-embellishment in gold metallic ink.
• Limited to one print per person.

2. Only Now.
• $100 Unframed. $210 Framed.
• Limited Edition of 30.
• Signed, Numbered & Individually embellished with gold.
• Print Size : 6.25 (w) x 6.15 (h) in.
• Print Medium : Giclee print on smooth archival paper,
hand-embellishment in gold metallic ink.
• Limited to one print per person.

3. Let Go.
• $100 Unframed. $210 Framed.
• Limited Edition of 30.
• Signed, Numbered & Individually embellished with gold.
• Print Size : 6.25 (w) x 11.25 (h) in.
• Print Medium : Giclee print on smooth archival paper,
hand-embellishment in gold metallic ink.
• Limited to one print per person.

4. No Regrets.
• $100 Unframed. $210 Framed.
• Limited Edition of 30.
• Signed, Numbered & Individually embellished with gold.
• Print Size : 6.25 (w) x 7.25 (h) in.
• Print Medium : Giclee print on smooth archival paper,
hand-embellishment in gold metallic ink.
• Limited to one print per person.

{ Limited Edition Print Set }

• $360 Unframed. $780 Framed. (originally $400 / $840 respectively)
• Limited to one set per person, only a combination of 4 of each print.
• Same info as above.

......................

i'm still not sure how i can configure & code the shipping prices,
but here is the breakdown :

{ SHIPPING INFO }
• ALL Unframed prints : $9 within US, $28 international (any # of prints)
• Framed Prints :
- 1 framed print : $12 US / $35 International
- 2 framed prints : $15 US / $39 International
- 3 framed prints : $18 US / $44 International
- 4 framed prints : $21 US / $46 International
- 5 framed prints : $25 US / $50 International

+ All packages shipped flat via USPS Priority Mail, including tracking & 2-3 day delivery within the US.
+ All orders will take 1-2 weeks depending on the framing & packing to be shipped out.
International orders will take a bit longer for delivery.

......................

please note some of the changes in pricing since my last post.
i apologize, as we are still trying to figure out all the numbers & variables.
please don't hesitate to let me know if you have any questions.

Again the shop opens this Friday, June 18th at 2pm!

thank you!
stella

SHOP OPENING this friday!

2010-06-14T19:05:00.015-04:00

click to view larger

SHOP open date is finally set!

Friday, June 18th, at 2:00PM est

sorry it's taken so long.
as you can see when you visit the shop page.
there will be 4 limited edition prints, and 2 open edition prints.

{ info : }
• Limited Edition prints will be editions of 30 each, $100 unframed / $210 framed. (sorry correction from $205!)
• Open Edition prints, will be unlimited in number, $35 unframed / $115 framed.

• Limited Edition prints are also available as a set (only of all 4),
at a discounted price, unframed ($360) / framed ($780 - shown above) .
• Limited Edition prints are individually hand-embellished with gold paint pen (each slightly different).
• Framed Limited Edition prints come custom framed in nice, rounded-corner matting (click on photo above to see details).

+ i'm still racking my brain to figure out how to sort out the shipping
for different configurations and options, and multiple orders.
it'll take me a few days to sort it out still.
otherwise it'll be all good to go!

+ also on the etsy shop front, i'll probably post some unframed
open edition prints just as an extra outlet.

please check my SHOP by friday!
http://stellaimhultberg.com/Shop_main.html

Moleskine sketches - continued

2010-06-12T07:45:00.007-04:00

continuing from where i left off last year...

i've been a little hesitant to use this moleskine somehow,
and left it hanging there up until that last page this january.

after i finished my leuchtturm sketchbook last week,
and while using a new landscape format sketchbook (coming soon)
i picked it up again - here are some pages from this past week :

ballpoint, ink, markers & acrylic in moleskine sketchbook. ©2009-2010.

i've been completely addicted to making these leaflets of
miniature paintings, so more sketchbook pages coming soon!

sorry about posting so many sketchbook pages - this year just has been a great
year for that for many reasons.

Leuchtturm Skethcbook 2 : part 2 of last pages

2010-06-10T22:51:00.003-04:00

continuation from the last post.
last pages of my 2nd leuchtturm sketchbook o' the year.
(see all previous sketchbook pages here).

{ it's super image heavy, i apologize!! }

(the very last page : THE END)

ballpoint, brushpen, ink, markers in Leuchtturm1917 sketchbook. © stella im hultberg. 2010.

now i've moved on to new sketchbooks.
sketching in my old moleskine from a year ago
that intimidated me a bit, and a larger moleskine,
and a small land-scape format hand•book brand one as well.
i'm going sketch crazy!!

i've added a lot more color (with these) in the past month or so,
which i'm enjoying, but i may pare down to simple b/w again.

Leuchtturm Skethcbook 2 : part 1 of last pages

2010-06-10T22:22:00.008-04:00

here's part 1 of a belated update of my old sketchbook pages and the last of it.
picking up where i left off in march... yikes!

{ it's super image heavy, i apologize!! }
part 2 is coming soon, which will finish this book.

ballpoint, brushpen, ink, markers in Leuchtturm1917 sketchbook. © stella im hultberg. 2010.

to be continued in the next post.

tools of the trade

2010-06-10T06:02:00.007-04:00

click to view larger

i've been often asked about what i use in my sketchbooks,
so here is the full shot of samplings of tools i like to use.

and the rundown :

[ L to R ]
- muji black ballpoint pen.
- janky drugstore pilot ballpoints (red & black shown)
- staedtler pencil (4B shown)
- muji marker pens (pink, red, aqua shown)
- pentel brush pen; caran d'achesoft charcoal pencil
- caran d'ache water soluble crayons (green, yellow, red shown)
- faber castell water soluble colored pencils (turquoise & red shown)
- zig opaque paint pens (grey, red, yellow, blue shown)
- uni posca paint markers (light blue, light green, grey, white shown).

- plus a jar of black ink above and some soft pastels occasionally.

.......

i originally started with just a ballpoint pen and the brush pen (the grey one with blue top),
then all that's left of the brush pen, which are what you see in the sketchbook series so far.
now the tools have expanded to this with some colors in forms of crayons, paint pens, markers,
and will show in some of the new pages i'll be posting later.
oh the possibilities!!

+ oh, the sketchbooks are mostly leuchtturm1917 plain (the ones linked right above),
along with some moleskine (working on it now) & a new landscape format "hand book" to come.

+ i have found out that i like leuchtturm ones most after trying
some other ones. its pages are a little on the thinner side,
yet the texture somehow makes it take mediums really well - no pilling, tearing,
falling apart at seams...

Equinox : Process Animation

2010-06-09T23:57:00.006-04:00

a process animation finally got around to making for this 12x12 piece
for the Next Generation group show opening in London this friday!

The Next Generation (curated by Thinkspace Gallery)
Opening June 11th, 2010
London Miles Gallery
242 Acklam Road
W10 5JJ. London. U.K.

......

painting a diptych was an interesting process for me.
and it occurred to me midway to reverse the face image, though i painted it
the "right" way the whole time through.
i guess whoever ends up with the piece can switch it back and forth!
like lego of paintings.

i went through some experimentation & detours of different formats of diptychs,
until i just went with the result above.
next time i'll definitely try some asymmetrical diptych/triptych for sure!

......

and now this is what i've been doing lately between paintings :

sketchbook ménage-à-trois & drawathon.
except it's more like painting between these sketch sessions.
boy do i know how to party!

12x12 Group Show at London Miles Gallery

2010-06-08T16:54:00.005-04:00

this friday is the opening of The Next Generation group show,
curated by Thinkspace Gallery, at London Miles Gallery, in London, UK.

The Next Generation (curated by Thinkspace Gallery)
Opening June 11th, 2010
London Miles Gallery
242 Acklam Road
W10 5JJ. London. U.K.

artists were asked to create pieces that were 12"x12",
and because i'm a big wuss for a square format, i just cut it in half.
so here's a diptych piece i sent in for it :

Equinox. 12"x12". Mixed Media on 2 Panels. © 2010.

and the framed view (panels are floated inside the frame) :

this is the alternate view of the rearranged diptych.
actually the way i originally painted it :

+ online preview of all the pieces here.
+ and exhibition catalog in which i'm included here.
(other two here & here)
+ also a mini interview (that i answered in a rush, you can tell) here as well!

+ see the animation of the painting process/stages here!