Adriana Vidal :: Artworks

Why Am I Such A Whiny Beyotch?

2011-03-16T15:08:00.000-07:00

So I'm reading through my vast array of old posts and all I can say is "Just shut up and get cracking!!" And in the next breath I want to whine about what a hard time I've been having focussing (wah wah wah - like you haven't heard THAT already). I think I keep hoping that someone will read this and give me some advice but the bottom line is - I know what to do and I've really been trying to do it.

Getting ready to participate in an Artwalk and I'm hoping (fingers crossed) to get a gallery show maybe during the summer. Oh and I've been asked to donate some artwork to the Days End Farm Horse Rescue fund raiser for their silent auction. I'm also planning on being part of the Renegade Craft Fair's Los Angeles fair in July so that means crafty pieces on top of gallery pieces.

Przewalski's Horse - original to be donated to the fund raiser

Of course, at the same time I need to work and that's actually the part that's slipping a little. I really love what I'm doing and when I'm doing it I get really engrossed but I'm finding it difficult to get started. Yecccchhh - there I go again all - wah poor me - I can't focus, I get too distracted! Hahahahaha! The funny thing is - I really always get tons done - it just isn't always what I need to or should get done. Whatever!! It all gets finished eventually, right???

I'm loving the direction my work is taking these days though - I find myself really taking my time when colour washing the canvasses on these bigger pieces and the flow of the wash once it's dry really inspires the shape of the piece. This one is called ME-osis III (it's the 3rd in a series of 4). The title is a play on the word meiosis which is a special type of cell division needed for sexual reproduction. The series is on 8" x 8" canvasses but I'm doing several 12" x 30" pieces as well. When this all started a few years ago, adding colour washes was my new thing but I still kept the pieces fairly small. I'm graduating to bigger pieces now although I have a fascination for odd sizes for some reason. Unusual is always better in my book!

Cheers!!

Times Flies When You're Having Fun...

2011-01-17T14:30:00.000-08:00

and apparently it flies even if you aren't!!! LOL!! So tell me - how the heck is it already January 17, 2011? I'd say I was busy doing artwork - which I was to a certain extent - but the reality is that I really just haven't been inspired to write anything for months. Don't ask me why not - no, really, don't ask.

So I did a lot of work over the holidays - or rather for the holidays. I participated in a couple of holiday boutiques and it was nice to see that my cards and prints were well-received.

I did a series of endangered animal pieces on those 4 x 12 canvas bricks that I like so much - http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=37911&id=123962347623547 - but they didn't really sell. The prints and cards did but not the originals so I'm going to turn them into one big collage piece instead. I experimented with some little 4 x 4 canvases too - http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=34677&id=123962347623547 - I like the look of them but I want to start going bigger.

Last but not least I helped a friend who wanted to make a book on Opera for his mom who loves Opera. I compiled, edited, formatted, printed and then bound this one of a kind book and, if I do say so myself, it's awesome!!

Now I've actually picked up a part time job and I'm doing a lot of editing so maybe I'll start writing more. Until next time, I would like to say this:

In my mind, art should never be a selfish pursuit. Yes, I believe that you create art for yourself but I think that it behooves you to help other artists as well. Inspiration, support, sharing of information is important. If it weren't for my friends in the arts - writers, artists, musicians, even interior designers - I wouldn't have come nearly as far as I have over the past year or so. Do I want a gallery gig? Sure. But if they aren't interested in my work (WHAT?? LOL!) I'm going to send them your direction. Why not? If we don't help each other - who's going to help us?

Cheers!!

It's Really Hard Trying to Learn New Stuff...

2010-07-16T20:42:00.000-07:00

...actually I wouldn't know because the universe has been conspiring to keep me from learning anything this week. Last week I was told that my websites are dated and that I should learn WordPress. I also finally watched the introductory tutorial on Illustrator and realized I needed to learn that too. I had it all planned out that this week I was going to crack down and teach myself both - Illustrator first and then WordPress.

Well the best laid plans of mice and Rian, right???

First, I'm dealing with a flood at a friend's house. A friend's house, you say? If it's at a friend's house why are you dealing with it with it, Ri?? That would be because I am watching their house while they are on vacation for 5 weeks so it's up to me to handle this or they will come home to a mold infestation of epic proportions!! Problem is their property management company is the lamest ever so I have spent untold amounts of time running down workers and meeting them so that they can do the minimum amount of work possible for a human being to do and satisfy the problem. Not...fun..at all.

Second, I sent out a little call for work last week when I found out my unemployment was not going to be extended. (And that's a whole 'nother story that I shan't bother you with....grrrr!) As a result I have little projects up the wazoo this week. Every day this week I have had at least 10 to 15 checklist items.

The good news is some of those checklist items included finishing my Black & White series (check!); posting them to my Gallery, my FB page, and setting up an ImageKind account to sell them (check, check, and check!); scanning my pet sculpture pics and posting them to my Gallery and FB page (check and check!); and finishing a 12" x 24" piece (Okay no check on this one. Give me a break - I'm not perfect!)

Other items included work that will actually pay me money so I can't really put that off to teach myself stuff that will potentially get me work but in the meantime...checklists! I'm so creative, aren't I??? Hahahaha!

Cheers!!

Why Do I Think Myself to a Virtual Standstill?

2010-07-04T11:29:00.000-07:00

So I've been kind of trapped by my own OCD/ADHD tendencies (and the World Cup) over the past few weeks. I have so many things that I want to get done that I feel I need to get done - set my images up on MYOWS.com for copyright management and protection, set up an ImageKind account, finish my ETSY store, read up more on using the Internet to market my work, keeping up with artist community sites, etc, etc. None of this stuff should take too long but I have this need to know how it's all going to work together before actually publishing anything so I've kind of stymied myself!!

I know, I know - I shouldn't be so hard on myself and I'm sure some of you (my many readers - hahaha!) have the same issues I do. Trying to bring in enough money to pay rent and bills while still creating while trying to get your work out there for people to enjoy and hopefully buy or contact you for commissions.

Luckily I haven't completely stopped my self from creating, I've just diversified. I'm finishing up my Black & White series and doing some B&W postcards as well. In addition, in my search for fall shows and holiday boutiques I've realized that I need to start doing more than just straight artwork so I'm starting back up with my polymer clay ornaments and hand bound journals and pads. I've done a few small drawing pads and a couple of book covers recently but I haven't put them together yet. Here's a pic of some books I've done in the past.

These were all blank journals but I've also done anniversary books for the 1st Anniversary (Paper) and birthdays and I do sketch books as well with good drawing paper.

Whew! When I put it all down in writing I realize that I am biting off a lot but I know I can chew through all of this and get it all done - I just need to make a new list! Thanks for listening!

Cheers!

My Self-Control Needs a Nap!!

2010-06-10T11:51:00.000-07:00

So a friend posted the following link on Facebook today - Why Change Is So Hard: Self-Control Is Exhaustible from FastCompany.com. All along I've been thinking I must be lazy, I have no discipline and now they've gone and proven that that's not true. It turns out that my self-control has been exhausted!

In fact, I bet since I'm a little bit of a control freak I probably have less self control to burn on new things than the average person since I use it all the time. Ack!!

This is such a revelation and I really needed to hear this especially since my last post a week ago. Despite my brave words that day in defiance of my Tarot card - I really haven't gotten much done to advance my career. I completed four pieces but since I already had two done and one started when I wrote that post, completing one and doing one in a week really isn't that great an accomplishment. Okay okay so I had to scan them and post them and code my website to include a new gallery - it's an accomplishment just not an enormous one.

Oh my god, now that I think about this breakthrough a little more - it's a nightmare!!! I need to control my self-control!!! Which will exhaust some of my self-control!! Which means there's less of it to control!!

And there - now it's gone so I might as well go back to bed. At least I got this blog written! Hahahahaha!

Cheers!

Holy Mackeral! Even My Daily Tarot Card Knows What's Up!!

2010-06-03T10:15:00.000-07:00

So here is my daily tarot card reading for today compliments of the Tarot app http://apps.facebook.com/tarotdeck/?ref=ts on Facebook:

Seven of Pentacles Reversed ~ Getting mired down in the details of a projects. Feeling there is room much to do alone, so you stop working altogether. Tired of waiting for rewards to manifest. Working too hard without taking time out to enjoy the benefits you are receiving. Spending too much time going over the details and not enough time enjoying the journey.

Obviously they screwed up this sentence somehow - Feeling there is room much to do alone, so you stop working altogether. - but I think I know what they're trying to say because this happens to me all the time.  I have so many projects swimming around in my head, more floating around my home partially complete that I just become catatonic with project overload!

The thing is - they (the mysterious they who say all kind of things) say that forewarned is forearmed. So since I now know that this is a possibility for today I can just take steps to not have this happen. I can trick my OCD tendencies by making a list of projects but sprinkling it with other things like errands and cleaning.  If I add some simple things to my list then, when I get them complete, the sense of accomplishment helps push me through to completing a few of the other projects.

Do I really believe in fate and tarot, you say? I'm open to the possibility - the thing to remember is that just because the tarot card or horoscope or whatever predictive vehicle you like says that something is going to happen doesn't mean it's so.  A person has free will and can make choices in their life and every choice you make alters what fate might have had in store for you.

So today there was the possibility that I would have a lazy get nothing done day because I have a lot on my plate (which I do by the way!), I'm slightly hungover, and I'm not sure where to start. It's gloomy out too so that exacerbates my tendency towards sloth and procrastination. But now I'm up and dressed so I'm going to run errands and while I'm out I'm going to make a plan of attack in my head for tackling the rest of my projects!!!

Cheers!!!

Okay even my dreams are trying to encourage me...

2010-06-02T09:02:00.000-07:00

...at least I'm assuming that's what this weird dream I had meant!!! I can't remember all of it but I know there was some kind of plot that my old co-workers and I were trying to solve. (Old co-workers you say? Easily explained - I just saw them all yesterday at a birthday luncheon for my old boss.) Somehow we were associated with some kind of zoo or animal shelter - whatever the case there was a big cage of these bright fuschia-coloured tiny, tiny birds only they weren't all birds. At least one of them was a shape shifter who looked just like Ryan Gosling with a fuschia-coloured feather outfit on (I don't know so don't ask) but he looked really tough and mean and I think he was like the prince of the shapeshifters who were supposed to be helping us. Anyway, lots of random stuff happened and towards the end I was calling in to the bird cage saying if there was anyone in there who had some news to let us know. Suddenly one of the tiny birds that was sitting on top of the doghouse (it looked just like the one I used to have in my yard for my dog - why it was in a birdcage...*shrug*) changed shape. Still tiny but now it looked like a goofy toylike little seagull or duck or something made of polymer clay - like claymation. I ran in the cage and was trying to coax it to talk to me and it turned into a tiny little black pug also made of polymer clay. Then my phone rang and woke me up so I will never figure out what was going on, why a claymation pug was trying to talk to me, or why Ryan Gosling was dressed in bright pink feathers!!! No wonder he looked mad!! Hahahahahaha!

Anyway, the little claymation-looking pug coupled with the fact that I made a small sculpture out of polymer clay for a friend of mine the other day and my friend Tom commented about my sculptures on my last blog leads me to believe that since I'm getting underway with the FB page and the blog that my subconscious wants me to start doing some more sculptures. Or at least scan my old pet sculpture pics and post them online. The box of clay is out on my art table (aka dining room table) so I'm going to run a few errands and try to come back and sculpt or at least scan pics so you can see what I'm talking about.

What's that you say? Did I figure out what Riley was doing in the bathroom wastebasket? No but I solved that problem by taking the trash out of the wastebasket and throwing it out. Did it work - no but at least now he's just knocking over an empty basket!!

Cheers!!

How can I kick my ambition in the butt?

2010-05-31T10:10:00.000-07:00

I have to tell you I've been making art my whole life - I used to draw all the time, make little sculptures out of cheese wax off of Gouda and Edam cheeses, and make little animal sculptures out of walnuts, scraps and paints. I sold my first piece in high school, was an art major in college and have always supplemented my income by doing commissions of various sorts.  But until recently I've never tried to make a living being an artist - oh I've thought about it but it always seemed like a lot of work.

I definitely have the talent (you can check out my website - http://www.amvidal.com/ - if you doubt me ) but I just don't seem to have the drive. So this has been quite an experience for me trying to create this drive in myself.   It's not that I'm not ambitious since ambition is defined as a desire to achieve a particular end - I definitely have that. What I don't seem to have is that fire in the belly everyone always talks about.

As a result I find it hard to focus - if I don't have a commission or a show (I've had all of one) - I really have to push myself to do anything. Oh the ideas are in my head but actualizing them is like pulling teeth sometimes. I get distracted easily and procrastinate a lot most of the time and then other times things just flow out of me and I can get 5 pieces done in 3 days.

My art seems to just come from inside me so I can't just go commune with nature or go to a museum to get inspired. I am friends with a lot of people who are artists in one way or another so talking to them and seeing what they are doing definitely helps but is it enough?

How do I kick my ambition in the butt and turn it into that burning need to succeed? I've never felt that fire in my belly, wanted anything so badly I could taste it, or any one of a million other metaphors and similes that means that I will push myself to get to where I'm going.

I guess I'll just keep doing what I do - create when it hits me, focus on other things when it doesn't. Try to develop a little bit of discipline to make something every day without having to plan ahead to have art days where I really focus on making things.   I've had a website of some sort for years but now I'm jumping on the social media bandwagon with a Facebook page and this blog.

Next stop - Imagekind, ETSY, and maybe even CafePress!! But first I must get down to the bottom of the mystery of why my cat feels the need to dig in my bathroom wastepaper basket!!!!

Cheers!