Recap on Alberta Art walk + current projects in process

Hello there!
So its Monday and i am sitting at work without any tea! Woe is me. But alas, i feel contented. this past Last Thursday art walk on Alberta st was a blast and i had a lovely relaxing weekend at home with Danny working on various projects and whatnots.
I seem to be pretty low on energy as of late, so its been difficult for me to focus on all my projects in process. But im getting through alright.
June 25th was certainly a much needed burst of inspiration. I love the Last Thursday art walks on Alberta st. The community that comes out, gathering to take part and support in local arts, is really touching. Community is very important right now. i am feeling that more than i ever have in my life, and i am hoping that train of thought is being echoed all over the states. when our system fails us, its time for banding together- grass roots style. i think we are only seeing the beginning of our potentials and this is encouraging to me.
here are some quick shots from the artwalk:

Our set up wasn't nearly as fancy as it has been in the past. Now that times are getting tighter i couldn't afford to take off from work early on Thursday in order to get to Alberta early to grab a good spot. So, we arrived around 3:40. There wasn't enough space to set up our full tent/canopy so we snagged some sidewalk and created our display there. Danny cleverly used some ribbon to fasten the paintings to the fence. we laid out a cloth on the concrete and placed our framed prints, mini paintings and more out on there. Plus we had a small table with our prints and screen prints for sale.
I sat directly across the sidewalk from our display- and set up a lil Face and Body painting area:
This was my second time taking my face paint with me to the Art walk. When i first get there i take the time to paint myself- in order to have a good example of what i am offering. I usually paint an entire arm and then finish with an example of the sort of painting i do with the face, around my eyes.
I am working with Snazaroo face/body paint. I really love it- its smooth enough for me to get a nice fluid stoke with my paint brush and is great in its ability to grab onto skin while being easily washed away by water. You can also use your basic colors to mix other colors too. i love the versatility and easiness of this paint. its awesomeness! I think my favorite part about painting people is getting to use Pixie dust( glitter ) as a finish.
....at slow intervals i will call out into the crowd "Face and Body painting here- get your face painting here! I have pixie dust! Only one dollar!" Its easy to attract peoples attention when you offer them something for only one buck!

While i do have a lot of lil kids who end up my customers, id say i have about the same amount of adults who end up in my chair as well. I feel this maybe so, since i am not offering the traditional fair face paintings like hearts or rainbows or shamrocks and happy faces. I'm offering a more magical/whimsy, personalized art painting on flesh- and people seem to be really drawn to that idea and eager to see it on themselves. When i am painting people i feel i am honoring the beauty of our bodies- rejoicing in the life within our vassals and helping to remind each person of the powerful loveliness that is our very own, residing always within.
needless to say- i had a very positive experience this past art walk. its always so rejuvenating spiritually, but at times a lil phsycially exhasting. Still, worth it 100 fold.

On to other news: Come July 1st Danny and I will be putting our etsy shop on blowout SALE mode! So keep an eye on our shop this coming month- the sale prices should be super hot!
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Sunken City,Website updates, Art fair and a dready update

Summer solstice was so green this year! it might always be super green in Oregon around this time But i find it all to be almost intoxicating with its lush trees and berries beginning to ripen on the vine everywhere you look! It was a rainy weekend with lots of wind, very fast moving clouds. Danny and i are budgeting ourselves- so instead of spreading our resources thin we stayed home and worked on all of our various attention starved projects. I feel good. we got so much done.
I worked on the background piece for my mermaid warrior painting. I hope to place my mermaid amidst a sunken/glowing city. This is what i have so far for the background:

This is a 16"x24" acrylic painting on stretched canvas.
My next step will be to project this illustration of mine: onto the background painting. Once i have the mermaid positioned correctly i will white out her form and then trace over the projected image lines with black. Once i have the outlines in place i will begin to build up her form + adding color. I am thinking i might reverse her horizontal direction and expand upon her tail and her hair more. not sure though. I struggled at first while creating the sunken city. Depth perception in oceans is interesting and light/glow spreads a lil more mysteriously underwater then it does in air. When i finally let me self relax and have fun with it i really enjoyed coming up with various shapes for buildings and things. Danny happened to be watching some older batman cartoons and i was certainly inspired by the various Gotham cityscape shots in the episodes. I'm a little apprehensive to put her ontop of this underwater scape painting because i feel it has a certain charm by itself. But we shall see how it turns out. i am eager to begin experimenting with backgrounds in my paintings. However i wonder if this particular approach to background work is a bit too heavy? Perhaps a more subtle approach would work well? we shall see how it turns out i suppose.
As far as Danny's weekend projects went, he made some really amazing progress on our website's look, functionality and content. Have a look at the progress : Lucid Optic Lab.com our website is modeled off a vintage book and Danny has made it so that when you click to go to the gallery the book of the page turns! We now have a gallery page. He also added all sorts of yummy ink splatters and drawing doodles here and there to add interest. I really like the direction we are moving in with the website. Danny still has a lot to do and it will be very interesting to slowly watch the progress unfurl.
Meanwhile- Danny and i are getting ready for this month's Last Thursday Artwalk on Alberta St. in Portland Oregon which happends June 25th. I hope to be offering a few more of my illustrations as prints and have some more mini canvas paintings avilaible for purchase. Also, if you happen to be roaming around at the artwalk near 20th and alberta st, be sure to look for our booth and my Face and Body painting sign:

This will be my second artfair where i will be doing face and body painting! I had a really wonderful response from the first time i did it. I also loved meeting so many interesting people and cute kids. There is something so magical about body painting that really makes people feel festive, joyous and beautiful!
We were really hoping to have a fresh new batch of tie-dye to sell at Last Thursday art walk, but our budget has been pretty tight and hasn't allowed us too much freedom as far as buying needed materials goes. By next month we aim to have a new tie-dye batch and may even begin selling tie-dye at the local farmers markets around town! So stay tuned for new tie-dye...its on its way just in time for summer!
And now its time for another Dready Journey Update!
Annie from DreadieWorld:Dreadie World online shop and gallery sent me some more dread beads!
Thank you so so much annie! I am in love with all of them.
My new ones:
She made me two out of prints of some of my paintings! Which turned out to be perhaps one of the coolest collaborations ever and has now turned my mane of dreads into an art gallery!
here is a close up of them:
She also gave me an OCTOPUS BEAD!! Which, i think may be my most favorite because the lil guy is so cute with his googly eyes and mischievous tendrils. Check him out:
Here is a close up:


I can feel these beads shining with love- the love that bursts forth from handmade creations!
If anyone is interested- Annie makes beads by request and can do custom orders + she has some ready made beads that will really wow.

....so yes. my locks are very happy indeed!
last weekend i went to the coast and while i was there i dipped my head into the water. Oregon oceans are freezing! but the water seemed to really really help them tighten up, they even shrunk a lil. when i washed my hair it was insane how much sand i had collected in them, but i had managed to get it out fine. they are feelin pretty good now- i kinda wish i had filled a water bottle with some ocean water so that i could rinse my head in it from time to time.
Also- on last Thursday danny and i went to see Midnite play at the crystal ballroom and it was a holy experience. im reluctant to wash my dreads after the concert, for i feel the essence of the music within them! what a charge. it was my second time seeing Midnite. it was the first time they have played in Portland Oregon. i hope they come back sometime soon.
....So as one can see, there are many simmering pots, new potential energies and projects in processes right now in my life. I am enjoying this full burst of summer life, feeling my inner tempo quicken.
Happy summer solstice everyone!
Much love, always
-Chelsea Rose
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New projetcs, a visit from friends and dready updates!

woowww!!
.....just checked my traffic counter at the bottom of my blog and its telling me that today we went over 3,000 views(all time)! Thanks so much to everyone for the support, its very inspirational and much appreciated.

Its been a jam packed couple of weeks.

Now that the dust has settled a bit i have started working on a new painting.
It started out with this rough pencil/pen and ink sketch:

I have a vision for this piece involving some background setting. I rarely do backgrounds and i would like to start...so this is a bit of a challenge to myself. I am planning on positioning her coming out from the gloom of deep sea, hovering protectively above a sunken glowing city. So far i have the first layer of the background prepped-which is a cool gradation of blue, light at the top center, slowly darkening into inky purple blue, where i will soon start painting in the sunken city. I hope to chronicle my creative process with this piece, as i did with masquerade ball.
....speaking of the masquerade ball piece. I finally got to sign and varnish it- so last night i took some better quality pictures of this finished piece. here you go:

.....I had some great news over last weekend. At one of the first Last Thursday Art walks on Alberta St of this year, a nice lady whom i feel compelled to describe as an "art angel"( youll see why) named Tiffany Ruth stopped by our booth to speak with me. She seemed to really enjoy my work. We got to talking and she mentioned that she will soon be opening a Folk/Outsider art gallery in NW Portland, and that she would love for me to do a show with her. I gave her my card and crossed my fingers, hoping she would call me back when the time was right. She called me back last week and said that she would like me to be in her 2nd show with one other artist( sometime in august or September). Im looking forward to checking out the gallery space on July 2nd, when she will be having her first gallery opening featuring a sanfran artists doing a tribute to Freida khalo. From what i have gathered so far the art gallery is called Curious artspace. its located in NW portland on 24th and thurman. Very excited to find myself slowly but surley making my way into the portland art scene. People are so supportive and open up here...there are many galleries that work as launchpads for up and coming artists....the community so tight nit and diverse. Once i have more details on Tiffany's gallery and the show i will be in i will post here to get the word out.
In other exciting news: Marla, my dear friend...flew up to come hang out in Portland for 4 days. We did so much! On the first day of Marla's arrival we checked out the forest trails in our neck of the woods and then drove around the city afterward checked out Belmont st, showed her the hawthorn district and then came home and cooked a super yummy meal. The next day we scouted out a few art galleries and went driving out to Horsetail falls just off the 84 on the historic highway. We hiked up to the horsetail falls and have a nice picnic, basking in the sweet spray of the roaring waterfall. Here is a pic of Marla and I that Danny took as we were making our way to Horsetail:
this is a photo collage that danny made of the lower ponytail falls:

The next day we went downtown and checked out the Saturday market, got some lunch and sat on the waterfront grass as the gay pride festival unfurled. There happened to be a naked bike ride parade that day too....which was quite a site. We then made our way around town checking out more art galleries. The next day we drove to Cannon beach and had a nice relaxing time there, taking in the sea breeze and the sights. I was sad to see Marla go the next day, but i am left with some lovely memories!
This summer has been a busy one so far( and its not even summer yet)...its interesting how life jumps alive after those hard winter months. its refreshing.
.....Also i have an update on my Dready Journey: Its been over 6 months now, that i have had my locks! i just recently got a bunch of lovely handmade beads from Anne at Dreadieworld : www.flickr.com/photos/dreadieworld/
and i felt like showin them off!
Front
Back
side 1
side 2
i am in love with my new beads. its so fun to adorn dreads with charms and lil things...incorporating a lil magick and festivity. fun stuff! they are feelin like they are maturing nice and fast. they have done a fair amount of shrinking as well so they are gettin thick. ...im excited to see where i will be in a few more months with them. sometimes i feel that tending ones dreads is almost like tending a garden and watching your flowers slowly bloom.
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Update on Life and the Creative Process

So its been a very long while since i have updated my blog, tragically. For awhile there spring turned to full blown summer and my apartment got so hot it rendered me into a state of complete mental and physical handicap. Also, I got pretty sick with the stomach flue and was MIA for some time. but HAZZAAH! i have risen and this past weekend i got all my unfinished projects completed since it has cooled down once again.

I would like to detail my most recent finished painting and my creative process here. I tried to document the various fazes of the paintings creation from the first sketch to the final stroke. I thought this would be a good thing to begin doing for myself with my paintings as a way to be able to step back from the creation process at intervals and really look at and critique what im creating…figure out what I like, don’t like and where I should go with the painting next. I thought I would be interesting to document the creation process on pieces since each painting is a completely different creative and spiritual journey for me. I learn something new with each piece I create.

Creative process- Step 1

My painting, as they often do, started out with a pen and ink drawing:

This illustration was done with my favorite drawing pens by Faber Castell. They are India ink pens that come in a variety of size from super fine to brush pen.

My pen and ink drawings usually happen spur of the moment. This drawing was inspired by lovely high busted, fancyfull dresses of the olden age when corsets and undoes were aplenty. I think I was watching the movie Sleepy hollow while I drew this, very much inspired by the costume design in the film…that especially of the white witch in the story. I have always had a fascination with tight waist corsetry and dresses and I find more and more I am doodling out my own gowns and gussied up ladies.

…I love pen and ink, black and white illustration. I am fond of this drawing as it is but I got to thinking I would like to try it on a larger scale using acrylic paint.

Creative process – Step 2

I started with a 24” x 24” studio framed blank canvas painted gray. I used my lil art projector called “tracer” and used one of my 5x7 prints as a base to project the illustration onto the canvas. I then very roughly traced over the projected image onto the canvas with my Faber Castell India Ink pens, until I had down the basic shape and detail of the drawing

Creative process – Step 3

Close up of color experimentation in detail on skin and face:

Next, I started experimenting with my colors. It may seem obvious but my favorite colors are Purple and green, especially when paired together. I find the color combo creates a unique color harmony that is hard for me to resist. Thus, I began to work out that the dress and the mask would be in those chosen colors. I often tend to paint the skin of my ladies a blue or a green, hinting at a paranormal aspect to these creatures( also indicated with the one eye that is in fact part “creature” be it cat or reptilian inspired with the sharp pupil)

Creative Process -Step 4

Here I began coming in to detail and smooth out the first layers of color.

I went into the under eyes and pulled more purple in to compliment the dress. began adding color detail, high lighting along the sleeves and stuff... to give the dress a glow, then reapplied black to secure and smooth out the planned shapes. I decided on a yellow green gradation for the background...so far the background color just has its base foundation that will need to be enriched and smoothed later on. At this point I can really begin to see what direction the color palette is going and began plotting out things like what colors I might try to use in the hair and along the sleeves. Also realizing I will want to go back into the mask and repaint the right side so it’s a lil less clumsy lookin. At this point there is lots of room for experimentation.

Creative Process – Step 5

FINISHED!!

Please click to full View!

….i would have liked to document a few more phases with creating this piece before finishing it but it came together so fast I didn’t have time to stop at intervals and document. Firstly, I went back into the background and smoothed out the gradation...pulling more yellow into the mix and fanning it into a sorta green vignette around the sides. Once I did that I was able to make a firm decision on what color to make the hair. I wanted to go light, close to white even…to create a similar look of the old fashioned powdered wig type style. I chose to use the hair as a way to tie in some pink, that also is present in the delicate features of the face like the lips and the cheeks. I used a darker purple for shading, which helped compliment the color palette of the dress. I then went back into the corset and decided it was much too rough looking and needed some more highlight and a bit of interest. I did a few layers of green/yellow highlight and then began to layer the shine with a suggestion of spirally black brocade pattern…for the corsets fabric. I felt that added some interest and helped it look less flat. Once I got the corset finished and figured out I finished the lower pieces of sleeves along the arm, choosing the same colors used in the puffy striped parts of the upper sleeve. Once I was done with that I took some gray paint and whited out the right side of the mask just above her eye. I then went back in with black and planned the mask’s detail and shape better to compliment its other side. I then went in and did my base color work on it, trying to stick close to the colors already present in the mask. Once that was finished I went over the entire piece once again and accentuating a glowing look by adding more highlights in the details. When I was done with that all that was left to do was go back over the entire painting with black to smooth out the planned shapes and also to add the last pieces of detail, such as the wispys and flowers that spring from her head and the glowing jewels and flowers near her bosom. I did all that over this past weekend. I am very relieved to have this piece finished. Now all I have to do is sign, date it and varnish it. Once It is varnished I will take better, closer, more detailed pictures of it.

So, that’s that. I think I am going to try and paint smaller from now on since I am running out of room in my small apartment, and also it seems smaller paintings tend to be more sellable at the present since they tend to be less of an big investment.

P.S
Just incase someone was curious...I used a combination of Windsor and Newton Galleria acrylic paint and Daler Rowney system 3 acrylic paint.
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Finished my Bast-cat goddess painting + new merchandise

So i have finally finished my cat goddess painting that i had dug up from a pile of unfinished paintings a few weeks back. I did alot of revamping on it...and just last night I varnished it and took pictures, so here you go:

(Please click to full view)

Title: Bast, Keeper of the Meadow
14" x 14" Original acrylic painting
by Chelsea Rose

This peice turned into a portrait of sorts of Bast (or Bastet)- the Egyptian warrior cat goddess, goddess of the sun, protector of the land.

...I struggled a lot with this painting in the beginning and i believe thats why it ended up behind my art table, collecting dust for a few months along with other various unfinished projects of mine.

My process in creation of this painting was as follows: I used a small art projector to transfer my original pen and ink illustration of the cat spirit onto a 14" by 14" canvas. I painted the outlines and then began to introduce colors. Part of the difficulty creating this piece was trying to figure out how to most elegantly use all the empty space on the top an the bottom. My first attempts were very unsatisfying and it seemed no matter which way i reworked it, i wasn't happy. here is a picture that has a glimpse of the painting when it was in its yucky faze:

(Please click to Full View)

can you spot it? its to the right of the easel. As you can see the top and the bottom are completely different then what they are now. It was at this stage that i gave up.
I find that sometimes, if i put something away for long enough by the time i come back to it i will have a fresh point of view/different perspective allowing for newideas/problem solving. So when i pulled it back out 6 months later i ended up completely whiting out the top and the bottom and reworked them from scratch. Almost instantly all the blocked creative energy began to flow and it only took me a few weeks to get the entire painting finished.

....I am now ready for my next painting. Unfortunately i am completely out of blank canvas and too strapped for cash to be able to run over to the art store and buy some. So i am thinking about re purposing some of my old canvas paintings from school. I will just sand them down a bit, reapply gesso and add a nice layer of neutral gray and they should be ready to paint anew. It might be hard to let go of some of these old paintings.... but I am trying to be thrifty, as much as i possibly can.

In the meantime, i have plenty of new merchandise to list in our online shop.

(please click to full view)
I found these frames the other day and realized they would work well with a few of my illustration prints. Now that i have taken product pictures, i just need to get off my lazy fanny and load them up in our online shop. Till then, feel free to email me in order to reserve: chelsea@lucidopticlab.com

Tomorrow I am expecting to receive my snazaroo face paint that i ordered from ArtSupplyWarehouse.com. I am trying new things to see if perhaps they could spice up my art booth/bring more of an audience when i do the various art fairs in town. I have always loved body and face painting....so it would be very awesome if i had a positive response doing it/ could make some extra dollars. This may end up being yet another creative freelance job prospect. So once i receive the paint i will be experimenting like crazy and taking lots of pictures...so stay tuned!

Much love!
-Chelsea Rose
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Alberta Art Hop, Weekend highlights and news!

This past weekend was full of surprises and opportunity. I am feeling quite contented now, sitting in the office sipping on some chai, dreamily staring out the window and reminiscing.
This weekend Danny and I shared a booth with our friend Shauna, creator of Mama's Herbal soaps( www.MamasHerbalSoaps.com/ )and had a blast.

We were at the art hop on Alberta st in Portland Oregon from 7am-7pm soaking up sun rays and watching the fair unfold before us. since i knew we would be there all day i set up my easel so that i might get some more work done on the cat spirit painting i just started working on again.

People seemed to respond well, excited to see some live painting. It kept me busy during the lulls of the day and allowed me to gain progress on the painting.
....i cant wait for the next one coming up May 28th. Danny and I as well as Mama's Herbal Soaps will have a booth set up on Alberta st and 20th. don’t miss us! Plus, i may be trying something new: Face and Body painting!:

While chatting with Shauna, she mentioned that perhaps i could start doing face and body painting while vending to see if that might help generate so more funds. i have always loved body/face painting and considered it something i might get into some day. Her daughter Maya sweetly volunteered to be my first test subject. we had a lottah fun doing a simple spirally flower garden pattern up her arm. While we were doing that another girl( pictured in this photo) walked into our booth and asked to have her arm painted as well. Then as I was finishing up her arm four other kids lined up in a row for a body painting as well! So i think i may be bringing a stash of face/body paint with me at the next art walk on Alberta street.
All in all, the day had been a bit slow since we were a few blocks away from the epicenter of the fair but we managed some sales. The intense sun had made it a bit exhausting....i managed to get sunburned even while wearing my big fancy hat! Needless to say, by the end of the day i was a complete zombie. I cant even begin to tell you how much a relief it was to get home, take a cold shower and flop down on the couch!
Sunday i woke up with some major body fatigue, but i was able to shrug it off and get a lot of stuff done...including straighting up the house( since every time we do a fair or a show we end up ripping our apartment to pieces), editing/posting photos from the art hop, walked to the library( checked out 2 books: Women Sailors & Sailors Women, an Untold Maritime History by David Cordingly and Wild Child, Girlhoods in the CounterCulture), visited the local thrift shop and found some great summer skirts, did a lil produce shopping and last but not least i managed to FINISH my metaphysical cat painting! Today when i get home from work i will varnish it and take some pictures so stay tuned!
In the meantime, here is a quickie pic of my lil home studio space, showing me working on the cat spirit painting:
Please click the photo to full view this image, as my blog tends to cut off my horizontal photos.
As you can probably make out, my work space tends to get messy fairly quick! I find each week if i dont go through and reorganize it becomes a complete disaster. I am currently mentally preparing myself to go through all my boxes of art supply and do some much needed spring cleaning sometime this week, and then if i have enough stuff i could do a yardsale. If i generate enough, it may help me buy some nice snazaroo face/body paint for the next fair.
Wish me luck!
-Chelsea Rose
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Workin on a Painting, glad its friday!

So, its a bright and beautiful Friday morning! The weekend's weather forecast for Portland Oregon is sun filled with highs of 80+. That will be a nice change but I hope I don't end up roasting in my lil apartment trying to finish this painting I finally resumed work on:


....it had been sitting collecting dust for over 6 months. Over the last two days i have worked a few hours on it, finally breaking the little creative slump i had come to realize i was in. It seemed as of late, once i get home from work im ready to just curl up into a ball and dream. I am rarely awake past 10pm! I think im slowly coming out of hibernation now that the days are longer and warmer. I am certainly catching onto the vibrations of spring and im feeling anxious to create and explore! This painting stems from one of my original pen and ink drawings:

(Prints of this illustration are available for purchase as 5" x 7" high quality digital prints on card, in plastic archival sleeves in my online shop: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=19753713 )

....So, we shall see if i end up finishing this painting over the weekend. If so, there will be photos posted soon enough.
In the mean time, i have a few super awesome things to look forward to for the month of June: My dear friend Marla will be coming up to visit me near the middle of the month. It will be great to see her...and i am looking forward to checking out a few Oregon sights to be seen with her, such as the amazing Multnomah Falls and some more of the misty coastal forest trails. She is an amazing artists and so i am sure she will enjoy checking out Portland's infamous Saturday market scene as well. Wonder may also be in town, and if this is the case we will all have a pow wow!
Then, on the 18th, danny and i will be seeing Midnite play live at the Crystal ballroom! It will be the second time Danny and I have seen Midnite play. The first instance was at the Raggamuffin concert in 2008 at the Long Beach convention center, but the venue was fairly crappy so i am hoping the sound quality is better at the Crystal ballroom. Its been awhile since Danny and I have splurged on something like this....but we couldn't resist the sweet temptations of Midnite's righteous reggae vibrations so close to home!
....In the meantime Danny and i are restocking our merch for this month's Last Thursday Artwalk on Alberta St. happening May 28th. I have a bunch of new illustrations to be made into prints as well as some new/fresh tie-dye and screen printed shirts to showcase. So, if you are in town please stop on by and say hi...our booth will be planted close to Alberta and 20th st.
Best wishes and much LOVE!
-Chelsea Rose
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