Adieu Blogspot!

I've moved blogs! Please feel free to keep on following me at my new one over at Wordpress!

BLOG.LAURA-DALESSANDRO.COM

Hope to see you there. :)

Mixed Media Paintings

Mixed Media on Wood Panel. Each approximately 6" x 8".

Today I made these two ladies. I had two already used wood panels that I had never been happy with, so decided to finally cover them up. I'm a little sad I didn't get the chance to work with the natural wood grain in either, but there will be fresh wood panels to be used in the future. Even though I let loose using multiple mediums in both, I still played it pretty safe with the imagery. I'll get more experimental; these were more of a warm up. I just hope I can keep up with painting once again. After tomorrow I have a full work schedule, but maybe next weekend I can get into it again.

These aren't available to purchase yet, but that will change once they are more thoroughly documented and I've decided on a price for them. To see them larger, feel free to visit my Flickr!

March Madness at an End.

March was a great month for socializing, eating cake and reading. Not so much for art, though. I need to better organize and rally myself for April, yikes! Also, I need to blog more. Though, to be fair, I have been fairly active photography-wise. I've updated my Flickr loads in March. Check it out for yourself!

My Bloody Valentine.

Wasn't sure how best to word this Valentine, so I thought I'd make it simple and positive to contrast the image. Somehow I didn't see the potential for all the puns that could have been made from the fact that this bird is a Tit until just now. Guess I'm just not that witty.

I truly enjoyed creating this. Why oh why don't I watercolour more often??

Please don't sue me, Roumieu.

I haven't been very drawtastically active this first month of the new year, but I did make this slightly bizarre birthday card for my friend Evan. Phil and I gave him both of Graham Roumieu's Bigfoot Memoirs, which I hope he will enjoy as much as we do!

More art to come soon. It has to.

Message from The Bear et Moi.

I hope everyone has a happy and safe holiday season, and The Bear wishes you bonne chance for the new year!

Cat Interrupted.

Lately I feel as though when I begin a project I get interrupted or derailed from it shortly after. Sometimes it's my fault, sometimes life just gets in the way. Anyhow, I had begun a cat sketchbook a couple of months ago. I had a comic in mind that I wanted to begin, but it never took off, partly due to the frustration I felt at my inability to keep continuity in my characters/style. I'm assuming (because it makes me feel a little better about myself) that that is an issue many graphic artists struggle with. So here are a couple of rough research sketches that I felt were worth sharing. I haven't given up on my idea, but I've decided to put it on the back burner for the time being.

What I Bought Today.

I think I'll try to document things that I buy through illustrations from here on in. Today was a special splurgy day, which meant the perfect time to begin documentation! But seriously, I haven't spent this much money on myself in ages, and don't intend to for ages to come. I am super happy with my purchases, though. Especially the mini pleated skirt and the wedge booties. I've been pining and searching for them for a long time! Also, that tungsten balancing filter is going to come in super handy.

I'm not very good at drawing objects, I discovered, so this is a good way to practice!

Attached.

I have new ideas marinating in my head for a series of large scale paintings, and I haven't been this excited to create artwork in a long time. Unfortunately I am A. Rusty and B. Very busy this month. I have already requested to have my work hours reduced to 30 a week so that I can have a chance to focus on art too. My first week with reduced hours isn't until the end of October, but it will probably be occupied with Halloween prep. By the beginning of November my goal is to be prepared to seriously begin.

I don't wish to get too much into the ideas behind what I plan to paint, especially since I only just started to get them out of my head today, and plan to do a ton more research. These little watercolours are just a starting point, and are in need of much more evolution and development.

I didn't mean to take such a long break from blogging. I will try to keep this blog more in mind if I have anything relevant to post here this month. I have also been distracted, I suppose, by my Flickr, which I've been updating every day. Heh.

365 days of 50mm

Working full time at Starbucks is physically draining, and I have become complacent with practicing anything that can be considered creative. On my days off I am usually in a rush to clean, buy groceries, and complete other necessary errands. Therefore, in an attempt to get creative I have decided to do 365 days of posting photographs I take with either of my 50mm lenses (digital and/or analog). I am going to be lenient on myself and allow that the photos I'm posting not necessarily be from that day, but should be no more than a couple days old. I am also going to force myself to upload one (or more) each day, but definitely at least one. This means that there will hopefully be more than 365 photographs by the end. These photographs will always be uploaded to my FLICKR and sometimes here too. Please feel welcomed to follow along and wish me luck!

ps. I just realized this is personally, a very touching way to get a chance to document more of my home, cityscapes, and friends here in Montreal before moving next summer. It will also span the process of moving and beginning to settle into Toronto, should we indeed end up living there.