the art of sales

Greetings & salutations, dear comrades!

While I keep most opinions to myself and don’t remark too often on current events, my Facebook feed & various other social media spots have been blowing up this week with outrage against Disney and their attempt to trademark "Dia de los Muertos" due to an upcoming film they're apparently working on with Pixar. Friends & family sent me links to articles and petitions to stop it. Generally, everyone is pissed off.

If you have no idea what I’m referring to check out this article: Disney withdraws trademark filing for "Dia de los Muertos"

You see me, you see my work. I'm 100% Latina (half Mexican, half Costa Rican, if you wanna split hairs) and currently make my ENTIRE LIVING off my art - Dia de los Muertos inspired and otherwise. I've celebrated the holiday personally for most of my life. Obviously I don't take my work, the holiday or it's traditions lightly.

However, just stop.

It’s necessary to understand how business works. This is Disney. When they put a film out, there is everything that goes with it: ads, events, products, partnership tie-ins, etc. It’s necessary to protect all titles and trademarks - no matter the size or industry of your business – with one common label. I suppose they initially chose “Dia de los Muertos” and while that was a poor and vague decision, it’s within anyone’s right. Yes, they intend to put out a film inspired by the holiday. Yes, there will be TONS of hideous merchandise to go with it. Yes, it’s making money on a holiday & culture. No different from other Disney films – from Nightmare Before Christmas to Mulan. That doesn’t make it right – we’re just looking at the big picture here. I don't even just mean nationalities - ask elder goths how they feel about Tim Burton.

I don’t work for Disney nor do I desire to. I have, however, dealt with them as a professional artist and find it necessary to look at all sides to an argument. There are genuine creatives behind the desks, comrades – including latinos – who are excited at the opportunity to showcase our aesthetics and values to the world.

This trademark ordeal was not to stop the use of “Dia de los Muertos” for everyone else. There is a huge difference between a trademark and a copyright. It wasn't to take away our culture or identity. It’s to label product. A trademark does not take away from a people, a country, an art form, a history that goes back hundreds and hundreds of years. In the process of making something popular it will – unfortunately – expose something we hold special to a whole bunch of people that might not GET IT but it’s not personal or malicious, it’s business.

Fundamentally, I believe most art should be free. The mixture of color and light doesn’t belong to anyone, it’s put on this earth to express, enhance & beautify. However, we live in a society where artists need to pay for rent and groceries too. There can be harmony between art & business when there is proper understanding of both sides. A phrase might be for sale but the spirit is not.

In the end, it doesn't matter. The internet was outraged for it's own reasons and trademark filings have been withdrawn. My hope is that perhaps when this project resurfaces it's beautiful, respectful and met with more curiousity than criticism.

What are your thoughts, my dears? and how the heck are you, anyway?


xo

current sounds: Moonlight Cruisers - Baila
current beverage: costa rican terrazu cafe

Shop Update!

I hope this finds you well, my dears.
This week has been a busy one - I'm slowly but surely getting months of stuff up in the shop or available for purchase soon.




Thomas my T. Rex thinks he's pretty helpful.
Even though he kept trying to drink the tequila from the skull bottle used for set dressing.






shop listing: Dos Calaveras / set of 6 note cards

I'm pleased to now offer the colorized version of "Dos Calaveras" in note card form.
They're sold in sets of six and come with rich red envelopes.
Aside from being cute notes, they'd also make great Save The Dates, wedding stationery, & engagement announcements! I do bulk discounts and custom printing so don't hesitate to ask!








shop listing: Calaveras In The Mirror / set of 6 note cards

After years of being two of my most popular prints, Angela and Marie are now available in note card form.
They're sold in sets of six - three of each print - and come with my signature French Grey envelopes.



For the first time in ages, I'm also clearing out space in the archives to make room for new stuff.
Whatever does that mean, you ask. It means I'm selling a lot of originals.





shop listing: Calavera Girl / Red

Red is an original drawing from the archives and looking for a new home. She's ink and colored pencil on sturdy bristol and comes unframed so you can choose the perfect dressing for her.






shop listing: The Golden Octopus original illustration

I'll admit, this fella is one of my favorites! This original drawing is black & gold inks (water and oil based) on fine cotton-blend paper and also comes unframed.






shop listing: Raspberry & Gold Octopus / Original Illustration

You're going to see a whole lot of octopi this year, comrades! I've taken it upon myself to do a series of these remarkable creatures - but I'll explain more when the time is right.





shop listing: Dos Gallos / Limited Edition Framed Print

Last but definitely not least on the "New Item" list is this.
My Dos Gallos print has been carefully cut from heavyweight bristol and mounted on hand-painted gold board.
It's a bold, ready-to-hang piece and one of my personal favorite items in the shop.
I'll be doing a very limited number of these (probably less than a handful) and offer them as they're available.


I'm just getting started, come back soon & see what else I put up ;)

current sounds: Aerosmith - Dream On
current beverage: water

the process: get the balance right.

I've been busy, darlings! My muses are putting in overtime and I've been drawing like a fiend. 2013 is already full of really great artistic opportunities for me and I'll be excited to tell you about them when the times are right.

Alors,

Last month, I contributed a piece to "Won't Back Down: Art Show & Release Party for The Freak Table". You may remember me mentioning The Freak Table some months back and to celebrate it's publishing, author & comrade Gavin Highnight put together a group art show. The event was part of Downtown L.A.'s ArtWalk and was a huge success! If you came by and took a peek, cheers.

You can check out photos from the event here: The Freak Table blog or see the full gallery on the Freak Table Facebook page.

This particular piece opened up a whole new series and very soon I'll have more to show you and several for sale!





Everything starts as a less-than-spectacular sketch and evoles on it's own :)








I don't mind telling you now that this piece is highly personal and is not for sale (apologies, it already has a home). The show's themes of growing up & not fitting in as well as counter-culture & crazy music scenes as your saviors are all things I understand mighty well and I suspect some of you do too.

I was fortunate enough to grow up in Los Angeles, where there are bigger problems than girls gone goth so I was rarely (if ever) on the receiving end of peer antagonizing... but I was an intelligent, creative & unusual girl growing up in a conservative Latino household in a fairly conservative Latino neighborhood getting endless amounts of shit (and several "life is easier when you fly straight" speeches) from authority figures. So... we've all had our problems.








Once the hardest & most time consuming parts are done, then I allow myself the fun pieces.





Assembled.





On the wall of ArtWalk Lounge!
Two of the pin/badges on her hoodie are mine from high school.
The record halo, by the way, is a single for Depeche Mode's "Get The Balance Right"
Many thanks to Leo Quijano II for thinking to take a photo :)





These are markers and I know how to use them. In abundance. Hence the rag.
Back soon with more things to please your eyeballs.
current sounds: Arcade Fire - No Cars Go
current beverage: fresh & easy's rainforest blend fair trade coffee.

new prints in the shop

greetings & salutations, comrades!
This week I've put three new prints up for sale in the shop:



Dos Calaveras - Color Edition
I'm pleased to offer a colorized version of "Dos Calaveras" - Dia de los Muertos is a time to celebrate and usually involves massive amounts of color. Notecards will be available soon!





La Sirena / The Mermaid
I've been keeping on with my Loteria series, comrades. Up until now, this little lady has only been availble for offline purchase and quantities are still limited.





Niña Bruja / Witch Baby
Francesa Lia Block's writing holds a special place in my heart - beauty in the way she writes about Los Angeles, the raw emotion of being a creative human being, and the magic in everything we rarely notice.
Somehow, I find my way back to her words when they're needed.

"My pain is ugly, Angel Juan. I feel like I have so much ugly pain," says Witch Baby in a dream.

"Everyone does," Angel Juan says. "My mother says that pain is hidden in everyone you see. She says try to imagine it like big bunches of flowers that everyone is carrying around with them. Think of your pain like a big bunch of red roses, a beautiful thorn necklace. Everyone has one."


current sounds: Game featuring 50 Cent - Hate It or Love It
current beverage: Fogchaser medium roast coffee

New Start, 2013

Greetings & salutations!
Well comrades, I don't mind telling you now that 2012 almost killed me. Lots of huge life happenings crammed into 12 little months! My art grew & suffered all at once. The good news is, I did a ton of discovering. And you'll see the benefits of it soon.

for now, a couple matters to discuss...


WONDERGROUND GALLERY

I want to mention one bright star of last year that I didn't get the opportunity to tell you about at the time - In October, I was lucky enough to be invited as an Artist in Residence for a weekend at Wonderground Gallery in Downtown Disney.




For two days I was on hand to peddle & sign prints, answer questions and meet fans of my artwork - it was an amazing, humbling experience and something I won't soon forget.

Many many thanks to family & friends for your endless support and for keeping me sane. And to all the new friends I made that weekend, THANK YOU too. It means to world to see and hear that my work makes people smile or laugh.
Last but definitely not least, a HUGE thank you to Disney staff and their coordinator Sonia for being so amazing & encouraging. I hope we get to work together again soon.




photo credit to my cousin Elaine :) thank you! <3

NEW FOR 2013





Lots of things to be happening this year, my dears...

One of the things I aim to focus on this year is fine-tuning the skills and doing bigger, more creative pieces. Very soon I'll have limited edition frames and fine art originals to sell in the shop.

Although I've been mentioning for at least a year, I'm finally very close to making custom invitations available through the Etsy shop. I've been designing (and re-designing!) samples to show you and I do hope it'll knock the socks off of brides or hostesses that are looking for something a little more unique. More on that VERY soon (as in, the next week...)

Also in the works is a revamp of the site & blog - time to get it together, yeah?

Come spring there is a benefit project in the works & an art show on the agenda already. Stick around, little vultures... 2013 is gonna be beautiful.

current beverage: fog chaser medium roast coffee
current sounds: Stone Roses - I Wanna Be Adored