Day 1 of Inktober: Olive

For Inktober this year, I created my own prompt list that focuses exclusively on fashion and beauty under the hashtag #jminktober Day 1’s challenge was “Olive”. Using an ink pen, markers, and colored pencils, I illustrated a chic olive-toned utility jumpsuit which is giving cool girl energy on paper.

I love the oversized sunglasses and sleek black accessories (that belt bag is everything!) While I drew this, I mentally filed this look into my “buy soon” folder.

Ocean Drive

Ocean Drive, 9” x 12” on 300 gsm cold pressed paper. 2023

If you want to have a good time, treat yourself to a trip to Miami, FL. It’s my favorite city (sorry NYC and LA) because it has everything I love in a major metropolitan area: a towering cityscape, trendy eateries and niche neighborhoods, well-dressed people (both the men and the women treat the sidewalks as their personal runway), architecture with personality, and a rich Caribbean and Cuban culture that’s palpable in every zip code. All the food I’ve eaten in Miami tasted like it was made with love. While there are chain establishments like any other city, when I visit Miami, I make it my mission to eat and drink at mom and pop hole in the wall restaurants. The best rice and peas, empanadas, roti, and guava and cheese tequenos live in such places.

It’s the sort of place you can go for a morning beach walk, grab a real Cuban sandwich, a potent, steamy cup of Cuban coffee, go shopping, catch an art exhibition, head back to the beach, and go out for a fun night on the town all within the same day.

The colors used in “Ocean Drive” are reminiscent of the sights of the famed Miami street. The aquamarine-toned waters serve as a backdrop to the lush foliage and palm-lined street. People from all walks of life are indeed walking, skating, biking, or strolling. Bikini-clad women in short denim cut-offs take selfies—in Miami, this isn’t necessarily a sign of tourist behavior—as elderly couples walk their fluffy pooches. My aim with Ocean Drive was to capture the vibrancy of the city through color and the movement of the brushstrokes.

Valentine’s Day Warm-Up Painting

Today is Valentine’s Day, the official day of love.

And what better way to show my love than with art?

Three days ago, I turned 38. The numbers are getting bigger, which is a blessing. But I can’t help but feel like something’s missing from my life.

As a kid, I was into painting, but so is every kid. I can’t say I’ve been a lifelong artist. The artist in me blossomed I would say ten or so years ago, and I’ve struggled to call myself an artist because I’ve pushed my art to the side and put it on pause for so many seasons in my life. For a long time, I was scared to show my work and felt like an imposter daring to ask family, friends, and strangers to give up their hard-earned coins for one of my paintings.

I follow so many fellow artists on Instagram and I often have closed out the app wondering how they muster the courage to not only share their art, but sell it and make a living through their work.

I think it all comes down to love.

Love for the craft. Love and belief in what they are creating. Love for the work of their hands.

I’m a naturally cautious person, more so since becoming a mom. I’ve always chosen safe careers and the “guarantee” of security. But this past year as a freelance copywriter (my other job), has shown me that if you have a skill or product that people resonate with, love, and need, you will be hired. You will be booked and busy. The uncertainty of working for myself has given me the confidence to move forward with sharing and selling my art again.

This Valentine’s Day, I wanted to share the current state of my heart. I’m no longer interested in the safe option. I am putting my art in the hands of God, and in my own self-belief that my work is worthy of being shown, purchased, shared, and talked about by the art community and everyone it resonates with.

The picture above is a quick gestural sketch that I did in my art journal. It was more of an exercise to play around with colors for a future painting, but this in and of itself is beautiful to me. There is so much practice and technique that goes into abstract painting, and not every work is a masterpiece (believe me!) But this practice informs my next work and I’m learning to share not just the finished product, but the story each work tells in between.

I hope you celebrate what brings you joy today. That can be a partner, a child, a friend, or your heart’s passion. I hope you have the courage to share what and who you love today and always!

Why I Love PINK

“Pink is the color of passion.” —Aerosmith

Disclaimer: This is a pink appreciation post. All haters of the color pink can swiftly exit stage left.

Confession: It is a REAL challenge for me not to use pink in every painting. A real first-world struggle. Thing is, pink, whether it’s millennial pink, bubblegum pink, magenta, fuschia, or mauve, (yes, I can identify the difference between all of these hues and shades) plays well with other colors.

Pink has the power to add a touch of femininity or can add a playful contrast to darker colors like navy blue. I especially live for pinks and greens together—especially a blushy coral with olive green. Perhaps I should have pledged AKA in college.

Pink draws the eye to itself and often can neutralize a chaotic painting. Its bold yet soft presence makes it equally feminine and masculine in my humble opinion.

Mornings Are For Planning (and Coffee)

Mornings are my time to sit with the work I’ve recently created.

From my desk, the lighting really hits its peak around 8 am-9 am. With the one hour of optimal sunlight at my workstation, I brew a pot of coffee and sit with my work. What am I looking for? It depends. Sometimes I’m looking at the true color of a painting I’m currently working on, how it intertwines with the paper, and the layers that came before it. Other times, I’m admiring the texture that comes alive on the paper or canvas. It isn’t always obvious how the texture will materialize while I’m painting, so it’s always a pleasant surprise once it has dried.

Close up of “A Broody Mood”

I’ve always been a night owl. But as I get older, I’m learning to appreciate the dawn as a time to sit with my thoughts and plan my day before my son, Chai, wakes up. I can sprawl all my works-in-progress on the floor and think about what colors work, which pieces are done, and ready to be photographed, and so on.

The morning’s rays fade away from my workspace by 11 am, and at this time, I would have decided to paint, of which, I’ll have until 2 pm to do so before all natural light is gone (at least the decent light for painting).

Abstract painting often gets the reputation of being thoughtless art. As an abstact painter, I can say that it’s one of the most thoughtful methods of painting. I’m constantly thinking of the implications of each brushstroke, my color choice, and what each mark is saying. The mornings allow me to focus on the vibe I’m trying to convey so when it’s time to paint, I know what needs to happen…at least for the most part.