Black Rose Ball Weekend - York

As for some time now, this year too I will be participating to the Black Rose Ball Weekend. I am feeling sheepish at sharing the event poster since I am on it (modelling is definitely not my forte but I feel deeply humbled by the opportunity given to me to participate to this endeavor!!).

















Really exciting, in this year event not only I will have an artwork out for grab for the event Tombola like in previous years, but I will also be one of the traders at the Black Rose Bazaar on Saturday 2 Sept 2017 10am-2pm, De Grey Room, York (UK)!! You will find me there selling prints, postcards, a selection of hand-embellished prints retouched in acrylics, and I will be doing some aura painting sketches on the day.

Long overdue it was really good fun designing new promo material, banner and leaflet, that explains what I do and what type of art and workshops I offer.

Below is a selection of the material that will be available for purchase at the Bazaar. Among the prints, it was really hard to choose which one to retouch, so I went for a selection that hopefully better showcases my work, ranging from Gothic style trees to more esoteric energy-inspired work. The hand-embellished prints are retouched in gold and silver acrylics and then coated with a sparkling effect, which is rather striking when hit by the light. 

Hand-embellished prints:

 

This is the hand-embellished print that I have created for the charity event Tombola. It is really big in size and super sparkly. If you attend the Ball, and if you are a lucky winner, it can be yours for as little as £1!

Hand-embellished print
for the Black Rose Ball Tombola:

Looking forward to be part of this event!
Come one, come all to the Ball!!

Aura painting updates: The never-ending spiral stairscase

After a very very long break which feels like a lifespan of waiting on my end, I am finally back in front of my canvas and ready to update my blog.

The piece I am writing about in this blog entry was actually created and successfully delivered to its owner several months ago, but sadly I did not have the opportunity to create any entry about it until now.  I have to see this piece was particularly challenging for me: not only because of its intricacy but also because it is always difficult to be commissioned a piece by someone you know well...However at the same time is truly rewarding to see that someone that knows you well admires your work and what you do and is happy to commission a bespoke piece!

This painting is inspired by a very dynamic and never resting energy, which I draw as an intricate labyrinth of very curvy staircases with no end and no beginning, almost like clouds connected by bridges.  The piece is finished with a super glossy coat and it is particularly sparkling, more than my normal style: I used lot of gold and glitter to enhance the daydreaming feeling, which I was trying to convey in my paining.

For the very first time it would be too difficult to find in internet an image exactly similar to the perception that I had in mine. I saw the commissioner's energy as a very intricate pattern to represent and as a result, I almost used up all the canvas space instead of leaving some empty towards the edges like I normally like to do! The spiral effect is also enhanced by the fact I thought to draw several layer of spirals with the hope to increase the 3D effect and depth and represent most accurately what I felt.
Below is a simple image from a spiral staircase (this is from Vatican City) which depicts best the type of vibes that came to my mind.

The best feeling was to see the happy face of the commissioner upon receiving the piece (so much so the person ended up buying other pieces from my collection!!!): so nice to see a satisfied customer!

Cathy - The never-ending spiral staircase

Another successful painting delivery to Korean musicians and friends!

Once again I spent my summer back in Korea where this time I stayed for a considerable lengthily period. Although it is an understatement to say that many things did not go as planned - ah, isn't life always full of unexpected turn of events that leave you speechless at times? - during my staying I did successfully managed to retrieve the missing parcel full of paintings and get hold of the content all in one piece. Fortunately what started as an horrible ordeal ended well and I had the satisfaction to see my latest aura paintings safe in the hands of their rightful owners. It was definitely one of the highlight of my staying: for an artist, there isn't anything better than seeing the happy face of those you created something for, receiving your work. Here folowing all of the photos with the owners (and subject of the paintings) holding their own aura portrait. For those of you who had the opportunity to meet Midian and Messgram in person, hope you can see the resemblance between the painted aura and the person!

~ I would like to take this opportunities to say thanks to those who helped me to get hold of the missing parcel. My appreciation for your effort and thanks are never-ending, sincerely ~

Messgram:

Midian:

New series: Duality (Emptiness)

This is the first painting of my new series called Duality, a private collections of work dedicated to the complex nature of interactions between two parties. In any human relationship of whatever type- friendship, family, or love - there is always one side that gives and one that receives more. This is somehow a never-ending dance that changes according to situations, time, characters, needs of each party.

I wanted to represent on canvas the complexity of this fragile balance, the utmost factor that determines when relationships flourish and when they break into oblivion. For this I visualised a three aimed to symbolize the symbiotic nature of relationships, the balance of given and receiving, the fullness and the emptiness in it  (and the fullness of the emptiness at the same time).

One side of the tree is gold and one side is silver, duality between day and night, god and goddess, flesh and bones, fullness and emptiness, love and lack of love: both are somehow beautiful and important on its own right, but need each other to understand and fully appreciate their true nature. However we see it, the tree would not survive without this fragile balance, as there will not be any emptiness without fullness and vice versa.

I am in the midst of planning an art exhibition where this series will be exhibited. Hope you like this piece (and the others to come in the series!

The Duality Series (Emptiness)

~ Fullness is emptiness ~

 ~ Emptiness is fullness ~

The Black Rose Ball 2016 (Vampires themed Gothic Ball in York)

It was a pleasure to return once again to the Black Rose Ball in York, surely one of the most amazing Gothic extravaganza masquerade events in the Goth Community (and non...) here in the UK. This year's event was themed Vampires, and for those who know me well, indeed really appropriate to my taste!

 ~ The Black Rose Ball organizing committee ~

 

All the profits from the ball goes to charity, so once again I wanted to contribute to the event's tombola by donating a small artwork (18"x 16"). I have to admit that I left the painting for this at the very last minute - actually it dried only a few hours before the ball! - the piece went down well with bidders, and with my delight it found the perfect owner, the couple Caroline and Cy Dudley, art collectors and organisers of art exhibitions here in Yorkshire. They said they will add my piece to their private art collection and I could not have asked for more!

~ The Tombola winners of my artwork ~

Additionally the Black Rose Ball will see me as a model for next year event's leaflet, website and promotion material - brand new experience which was very strange and intense for me, considering I am always enjoy working behind the scenes and never in the spotlight. I am currently authorised to release only a sneak preview of the set for next year's ball with a few snapshots I took during the shooting.

New aura painting - Messgram (Jahnny)

From time to time in our life we are lucky enough to meet a person whose joy and general happiness is so contagious everyone can feel it without need for aura reading. The Korean band Messgram's talented and powerful singer Jahnny Shin is exactly one of those special people, those who are able to brighten up the spirit of whoever is in their proximity. In my last couple of times in Korea I had the opportunity to watch Jahnny performing on stage with his band and the luck to get to know him very well in person. 

Jahnny is the real mastermind behind Messgram's success, and whilst his showmanship is like no one when he is sharing the stage with the other Messgram's - ever so captivatingly beautiful - vocalist Gi Young (김지영), it is also true that in person Jahnny is more like the fire that keeps everyone warm in winter and the breeze that gives solace from the summer heat. His fierceness and dedication to fighting any battle (and I mean it) till the very end, is what gives his aura a special strength, fuelled by a mix of true leadership and happy companionship characteristics. 

The vision I have from Jahnny's aura is strangely not of a natural landscape but more on the line of a God-like extremely strong energy like that of Apollo's, the God of healing, truth and music,  the sun and light, the one that rides a four-horses chariot to move the sun across the sky for the benefit of others. 

For this reason, I tried to represent his aura on canvas by primarily working with shades of gold, red and black. The painting is extra glossy (unfortunately the effect does not come across in digital format) since it is aimed to mimic the effect of flames. I tried my best to convey a very dynamic feeling with a multitude of curves and spirals.

Jahnny - The fierceness of the Sun