Musings and Quips of an Artist

If you haven't heard now you know whats going on September 27.

Type your location in this link to check your visibility.

This was when Mars was in the trajectory of Earth and the moon. I hope to take better pictures this time. I've become a better photographer since in the time I was in National Geographic!

If you are in the New Mexico area or in driving distance or have any way to get to New Mexico in the U.S You should go to the Taos Fall Art Show. You Must!

For more info: http://www.paseotaos.org/
http://www.paseotaos.org/#!2015-event-map/c9av

I'm like super ecstatic stoked excited almost like its Christmas or something. Its on that scale of entertainment and fun. It is not just an art show. It used to be called the Fall Arts Festival but now its really an intriguing festival!

So far when I dropped off my artwork there is a lot of fantastic art and makes me embarrassed I submitted a experimental art piece on a new series I'm working on. :'{

Last year I was blown away by the light show installations located outside. For certain events I am selfish and I won't take my friends who complain how boring some of the art events I go to are.

Back last year I didn't know there was a change to the format of the show except it was located in several buildings. I didn't expect the light show at all. It was amazing. I looked at them like several times.

So on opening night 2014 it was a friday night I went there by myself and then changed my mind and I called my roommate who always apparently had nothing to do and had company over to tag along with me. So this year I'm trying to amass a huge group to go which I normally never do.

Some instances with art events I don't invite my artist friends because usually they'll go and be there so I'll see them there anyway.

There are a few reasons I am selfish when it comes to these events.

A long time a go when I was a Freshman in high school the french club (I wasn't in this club but by friend was) went to Cafe' Bastille and the Legion of Honor museum on a field trip. When I went to the Legion of Honor this was the first time I was exposed to fine and classical art after my desire to pursue art academically.

While I wanted to really look at the art work my friends wanted to clown around and talk about dumb stuff like which painting's subject had mustaches or what looked weird according to a 14 year old. I got serious and was upset with my friends and separated myself from the group and slowly walked around the whole museum. Around that time I just got an ipod and wandered around
listening to music and looking at art and saying wow this is what I want to do. It was a psychedelic experience. At certain times as an artist one gets into a psychedelic trance and everything zones out. I try to go to the Legion of Honor whenever I'm in San Francisco.

Another time I went to this hip hop concert and took a friend that was interested. I regretted it early into the night. My friend talked the entire time I couldn't listen to the music. So in the end we left early and while we were leaving one of the performers by the door asked, Ladies why are you leaving so early! My friend was like I have to work so early tomorrow gotta go to sleep blah blah. What I really wanted to say honestly sorry my friend is bored as f**k and doesn't like the bar menu and I am embarrassed to bring them please excuse us...

Since I was little going to my dad's concerts and gigs as a musician he advised his pet peeve when people talk when you are performing. So basically shut up and listen to music and don't be too loud.
Unless its a Backstreet Boys concert..which all my ladies went to and made a fool of ourselves. My voice was sore for 3 days from screaming too much. Good Times. Don't hate I want it that way. They actually still look hot when someone asked me aren't they like terribly old?

The peak of any Art Shows is the opening.

I have to admit that sometimes Art shows can be extremely boring at times and if someone insists I take them I will send if they really beg.

The normal routine of it is
Step 1: Wear a snazzy outfit or suit.

Step 2: Greet the host or hostess or find some of your friends around if its an open show.

Step 3: Walk around and look at the art.

Step 4: Talk to people if your art is in the show convince people to buy your stuff subtly or aggressively whatever method you want. Or simply describe why you created that piece or the title means. If you are not a participant ask these questions they lead to interesting conversations.

Step 4: Maybe eat some grapes if there are any
Revised Step 4: If there are no grapes you'll have to suck it up and find another point of interest to communicate to people. No common watering food hole and its even harder to be a wallflower.

Step 5 : Repeat step 2 re-greet (optional) Steps 3-4

Step 6: Enjoy yourself if you haven't already!

So show up to the Fall Arts Show I was bummed last year I didn't bring my camera and just had my crappy cell phone to take pictures! Even photoshop couldn't save some of the images I took.
So bring something warm it gets cold and decent walking shoes.

I was so glad last year I didn't wear high heels. Anyone who has worn heels knows that gravel is quick sand or walking a few miles means blisters and brusies on your feet. One building is surrounded by gravel so yeah don't wear high heels.

For now all I know the locations are at some buildings on Paseo the main road downtown, Guadalupe Church Gymnasium, Kit Carsen Park, Stables Gallery and the Cornado Hall across the Bataan Hall in Taos, New Mexico. Between 5-9pm. I like to go when it gets dark.
http://www.paseotaos.org/#!2015-event-map/c9av

Be there or don't be there and miss out on all the fun!

Sometimes the greatest part of drawing and being an artist is you don't know yourself what you are gonna come up with....On the other hand the unpredictable in the predictable can be frustrating when you want something more streamlined.

Say like I had a creative block and I was rummaging and organizing my computer files and ran into what I thought was rubbish and worked with these sketch blobs and refined them to something more viable.

Found this somewhere on the internet

Fail-First attempt at learning
Sail-Second attempt at learning
Tail-Third attempt at learning
Fail-Fourth attempt!

All Natural
Be prepared you never know what you might see a phenomena or something.
I have more awesome pictures that I want to make a painting of so no sharing those for now.

Outside my mentor's house. Tiger lily are my favorite. Flowers follow the sun's rotation of sunlight. I went back laterthe same day and observed since there is no sun they tucker in for the night.

Back in 2012 when Journey was released by ThatGameCompany it blew everyone away with the breath taking visuals, gameplay, soundtrack and most importantly the experience and emotional connection it brought with a complete stranger if you are fortunate enough to experience that in a play through.

The story is about a humanoid scarfed character who is placed in an abandoned civilization in the desert, one thing you do know is you are trying to travel to this mountain seen from the distance. The main story of the game is told with pictographs and the game contains not a single word or text. The pictographs depict a once tranquil highly advanced civilization that came to ruin due to a catastrophic event.

Pictograph of the Mountain Destination.
Cover the book under the slip.

Journey is meant to be played online on PSN. If not the experience is not the same. As you travel through the game you may encounter another character. The catch is chat and text is disabled and players have to communicate through song and dance. The game blocks your username so you do not know who you are playing with and you won't find out who until the game is beaten. I get spammed by noobs a lot because they see my gamer tag is a relatively high level. Top 100,000 in the U.S yo.

Honestly I think the purest form of any art medium is what experience and emotion you can evoke from someone by seeing and feeling the artwork. Another key element is have the audience understand the intention without explanation.

From a game reviewer I think it was from when G4 was active I heard is one reason why gamers play videogames is what experience and emotions the game brings and what adventure the player experiences while playing the game. It is a difficult question when people ask me on the spot what is my favorite game? Usually I'll say what game I'm playing at the moment and then reveal after much thought what my favorite top 5 games ever are. Which I'll talk about them in the future.

The game has some of the best color direction I've ever seen in any digital form.

Take a peak here.

If you plan on playing this game scroll through this part. If you have either finished the Journey or just don't care. Use your mouse to highlight the invisible text in between the brackets to reveal my spoilers.

~~~!!SPOILERS!!!~~

{{{{{{{My life story quick version is for most of my life I lived out of a suitcase not out of choice.

Every place I lived at its kind of cool except my true real home town

I have a lifelong friend I still talk to frequently. So with traveling constantly you are going to lose people. Back on track the main point is that the feelings of losing a good friend or someone who is like family but isn't is one of the most strong intense feelings a human can feel. Almost close to mourning for loved one.

This game brought those emotions. Too strongly. Which was beautiful in a way.

So when I got near the end of the summit I lost my Companion who I played with for about a third of the game. I was distraught and I didn't want to go to the end of the game by myself so I believe I looked around in the game for an hour looking for the other person. I've wondered if the other person felt the same way and maybe looked for me as well. I could not find them so toward the end when you climb up the mountain everything slows down you can only hear the snow crunch under you. The feeling of loneliness and dread as you wanted the other player to experience this crucial moment with you. While you slowly walk into the light you actually are reborn and after the credits roll you restart the game.

Link: Press here or right click the URL to copy and see what I'm talking about the end sequence :Link

As a person with PTSD being surprised and unprepared for the immense emotions is troublesome. So I frickin' cried for a very long time after the credits rolled. Just because of the feelings the game wanted one to feel. Yes it was bad I cried but its the feeling of friendship as one of its essential themes the game evoked. Grown men have admitted to crying at some of this game. I'm not the only one.}}}}}}}

The game was emotionally beautiful to experience a bond with someone you didn't know and cannot communicate words but understand their feelings. It was a fantastic journey and I'll have to replay it again.

ThatGameCompany is an Indie developer.

Art, Illustrations and Art direction by Matthew Nava.

I am honored and proud to present the Art of Journey artbook

It is a 184 page hardcover book. The print quality is top of the line. It is a bit pricey but the production value was high so one shouldn't complain too much about that. The thing I am bummed about the most and wanted to see for myself is the augmented reality. I've spent an extra week trying to research it but it seems that the app no longer exists and not many people know about it only a few from the first print run of the book. I have the second edition.

The book is 9x12 horizontal x vertical. I've noticed some people the format because its rectangular. I believe in any other format the art would not be showcased the way it was meant to be seen. If it was standard 8.5x 11 a regular sheet of paper the layout would be either be cluttered and the full page spreads would be across two pages and have a lot of empty space for panoramic shots would distract the viewer. Some of these images span two pages horizontally,

One of my favorite parts of the game is the color maps. I wished they showed more. In one of the interviews it was interesting the use of complimentary colors. Colors that are on the opposite sides of the color wheel create tension and work together at times. Say like the most recognizable one is green and red. Christmas colors...together they pop. So with that concept the sky color in the orange desert in green. To create a feeling of uneasiness and not until the end of the game one sees a blue sky for the first time. I thought it was interesting this concept because its not noticeable conscious but unconsciously it affects you.