DIY Graphics + April First Friday @ Buzz Cafe

First Friday show confirmed for April 6th at Buzz Cafe!

Did you know that, in a past life, I was a graphic designer?

Actually, it wasn't a past life. Just a long time ago, back in the days of Photoshop 4... when GD was referred to sometimes as "Commercial Design", back before everyone had a Mac, back when the talent for such things was rare and you really could make a career out of it. (I exaggerate, of course. I have plenty of talented friends making good money as designers right now in 2012. There are of course, far too many of the other variety as well.)

Quick graphic I made today for my Art by Xtina Facebook page cover image.

Anyway, just wanted to post some pretty images to keep it moving over here. I spent most of today running around like a chicken with it's head cut off trying to prepare for a performance tonight at the Addy Awards - spinning fire for Philadelphia's finest designers and advertising crews along side the fabulous kinetic sculptures of Frank's Kitchens.

And the connections get smaller: for the First Friday show at Buzz Cafe, the start of my flyer design (and cover to the Facebook event page, which you can RSVP to by clicking here - more info coming soon, of course) which will be (hopefully) held in conjunction with Frank's Kitchens First Friday event on the same date. April 6th is going to be a great night for local arts in Kensington. I will share the rest of my exciting plans for this special spring art event once I have everything figured out.

Plague of Poppies/ 9" x 12" / acrylic on hardboard

Till then, I'll leave you with a new photo of a not-so-new painting I titled Plague of Poppies. (Also partially featured in the graphic for Facebook, above.) This was a small side project I worked on in the beginning stages of The Honeycomb Merkaba painting, when I was still obsessively drawing hexagons. The flowers are the interesting part - one of my first obsessive subject matters, I've been enthralled with and fascinated by everything from their colors and symbolism to their medicinal properties. Poppies in particular play some small roles in older paintings and projects, but in this little sketch they are the focus. Though the size and amount of time invested make it feel more like an exercise, I was happy enough with how it came out to include it in my show last summer alongside Kristin for Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.

Before the end of the month, I'll be posting more artwork photos, details about my First Friday show, and hopefully a finished painting or three. Especially the BIG 'UN. (I can't wait to put all the in progress shots of that painting next to one another! ) More hexagons, please.

Eye Candy for Everyone

Playing with photos and texture. Some of my design work feels
more like "painting" than some of my oils and acrylics.

Jpeg files never look as good as the original to me. It's too bad, really. I feel pretty ultra sensitive to color sometimes, and when the file of a painting online seems off, I almost feel like the compression is misleading my viewers. (I know, boo-hoo.)

Life has been a whirlwind lately, both good and bad. When it rains, it pours I guess. Anyway, I've been thinking more about painting than I have actually spent time holding a paintbrush, so I wanted to contribute a little eye-candy to the blog world. I feel like it is my responsibility and mission to keep this thing interesting and updated often enough, even if I only have minimal readers still. I will write in this thing until someone notices, dammit.

If anyone is interested in buying any prints, I am putting in an order very shortly at Silicon printing - a place recommended by a friend. I am all about the recommendations - I feel that if I have awesome service somewhere or know someone that works there that I enjoy or am friends with - I pass it on. I want to know where the best place is to get A or B, or know that Gilbert at the art store will take care of me and not bullshit me because we used to work together. Helpful, courteous service is rare these days and under appreciated. So - that said, if someone tells me where to go to get something done - like prints- I will totally go there. Let's hope it's worth it. (Somehow, getting bad advice happens. I'll let you know.)

Orders go in soon. I can make prints of every painting on display at The Lola Bean right now as well as most of the things on my website. Please excuse my website. I need a new design, and a whole new setup - coming soon. I have lots of web developer/website designer friends but they are busy people, too. Right now I am aware that I can only post 10 images per section, and I have far more work than that on the server, floating aimlessly in the vast galaxy of cyberspace.

I wanted to post a link to a video of the Addy Awards shot by the fabulously talented Peter Parker, but you may just have to friend him first to see it. It was POURING down rain the entire time, so my crew was forced to spin non-fire toys inside and do minimal tiny fire tools outside under a tent. (Which felt additionally dangerous but was fine.) Still, I got paid to do what I do, which is an amazing feeling, no matter what.

Finally - a win on Craigslist

I've been searching for a dress form for some time now and FINALLY found on on Craigslist - picked it up earlier today for a whopping $10. It's definitely rusty, and needs new fabric. It's adjustable but at the moment it's pretty rusty all around, so I'm trying not to mess with it too much. I'm just so happy I found one - and that one of the many people I try and contact via Craigslist actually responded to my inquiry. It was a little far to go to get, but I didn't have a whole lot else I had to do today. At least it was nice out.

I've been making costumes for years now, but only in the past two or three I've been making them again for myself to wear - for performances, parties, Halloween, or just for fun. And I generally don't sew too well (or at least correctly) but I'm getting better at it. Having one of these
to use is definitely going to help.


...Other than hunting for free/cheap shit on CL, I've been painting Venus Flytraps, making feather earrings, and practicing my fans/spinning fire. Check out the facebook page (AND "LIKE" IT!) for my burlesque duo, The Penny Treats. We just started our marketing and web media this past week, when we performed at Philadelphia's Addy Awards last Thursday night. It rained so it wasn't the full on fire show I had hoped for and expected - but it was still tons of fun and great to be in that space and perform. To many more gigs in the future... and some nom nom fire.