A New Book: My Lola and I

When I finished writing a children’s book months ago, I was challenged by the prospect of illustrating it.  I couldn’t draw in a cartoon style no matter how much I’ve tried.  Because I did not want to pay someone else to do the drawings, I decided to paint the book cover.  It did not turn out too badly.  Next, I painted a few illustrations for the interior.  The results were surprisingly good.  Finally, I had it published as an ebook through Booklocker, and will also be available in Kindle, Nook, Kobo and iTunes.  Here are the links:

Amazon.com:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HE5I3KS

Barnes and Noble:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/my-lola-and-i-cynthia-angeles/1117740436?ean=2940148830726&itm=1&usri=2940148830726

Booklocker (my publisher):
http://booklocker.com/books/7201.html

Itunes:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/my-lola-and-i/id784953324

Kobo:
http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/my-lola-and-i
 

Best-of-the-Rest. December 2013 Voting

My painting above, Dusk in the Copse, was selected as Best-of-the-Rest for December 20 at Barebrush Gallery.  To vote for People’s Choice, below is the link:

http://barebrush.com/NOTM/Archives/BOTR2013_12.php
 
Choose Best of the Rest, click on December 20, then click vote.   Thanks!

Things to Consider before Donating to Typhoon Haiyan Relief Charities

The images of the horrendous destruction wrought by typhoon Haiyan (aka typhoon Yolanda) on the central islands of the Philippines are heartbreaking.  Luckily for me, my family and relatives live in Metro Manila.  However, we need to reach out to those who survived this terrible calamity and bring help to them fast and furious.

The bottom line: American Red Cross, Americares, Catholic Relief Services, and Convoy of Hope are among the charities recommended by Charity Navigator for the Philippines relief effort.  To read more, below the image is the link:

 
http://abcnews.go.com/Business/things-donating-typhoon-haiyan-relief-efforts/story?id=20850992

REVIEW OF OLPE AT THE WATERGATE GALLEY

Here  is a review by Dr. Deborah Sokolove, Director, Henry Luce III Center for the Arts and Religion, Wesley Theological Seminary.

Our Lady of Perpetual Exhaustion, part 2

Cynthia Angeles, "Grief", oil on linen, 31" x 25"

A few days ago, I attended the opening reception for the Watergate Gallery portion of Our Lady of Perpetual Exhaustion. Owner and Curator Dale Johnson showed the work of 33 artists. Of course, Cynthia Farrell Johnson and Helen Zughaib, as the instigating spirits of the show, were represented, but since their work is so familiar to me, I spent most of my time looking at works by artists who are new to me.

Nancy Frankel, "Lemmings", paint and toy cars, 54" x 60"

As is true at the Dadian Gallery, a group show like this one shows many different, idiosyncratic interpretations of the theme. Some works, like Nancy Frankel's whimsical, yet insightful, "Lemmings", reflect stressful situations or the multiple demands of everyday life. Others, like Cynthia Angeles's balanced, harmonious, luminous, yet somber "Grief,"respond to the image of "Our Lady" with images of women weighed down by burdens named and un-named. Still others, like Alfredo Ratinoff's "42 Icons for the Relief of Exhaustion," offer respite in references to the past, suggesting that it is not only modern life that drives us to the brink of giving up. As Ratinoff writes,

Alfredo Ratinoff, "42 Icons for the Relief of Exhaustion",
glass and litho transfer

The idea of the 42 icons for exhaustion relief was conceived with many of the stories that I have used all my years as an artist: Romeo and Juliet, Helen of Troy, Adam and Eve, Aphrodite, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Turandot, Tristan and Isolde, Aida, and others. These are not icons in the traditional religious sense, but are icons in their own right in that they represent various literary, epic, and historical themes that over the course of human history have brought us respite when we have felt exhausted or were on the verge of giving up. They remind us of the best in ourselves. I believe that icons have a very strong spiritual power that can help to bring us back to ourselves. However, even icons need inspiration and often were spurred on through the influence of a muse. Interspersed in this collection are a series of muses, exemplifying their positive relationships with these icons. In the midst of all of these characters and stories lies Our Lady of Perpetual Exhaustion, her life a thread that has run through the course of each of these tales and in the story of each of our lives.

http://luce-arts-and-religion.blogspot.com/2013/09/our-lady-of-perpetual-exhaustion-part-2.html

CATHOLIC CHURCH VS. REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH RIGHTS FOR FILIPINO WOMEN

This is a must-see video, especially for Filipino women!

Empower Filipino Women

I have started a petition to stop the Philippine Supreme Court from suspending indefinitely the Reproductive Health Law signed by President Benigno Aquino in December 2012.
For those against abortion, please note that the RH Bill, which was suspended indefinitely by the Philippine Supreme Court, does not legalize abortion.  All it does is provide free access to contraceptives to the nation's poorest and sex education in schools.  This issue is very important to me, and I need your help to do something about it! Please sign and pass it on.
http://www.avaaz.org/en/petition/Responsible_Parenthood_for_Filipino_Women/?copy

Empower Filipino Women

www.avaaz.org

The Reproductive Health Law was signed by President Benigno Aquino in December 2012 after a bitter 14-year battle between women’s rights advocates and Catholic bishops. It would fund access to contraceptives for the nation’s poorest women and promote sex education in schools. The Supreme Court stall...

A gem at Kuala Lumpur International Airport

Last February, I went to Kuala Lumpur for the first time.  At the airport, I inquired about the Shangri-la Hotel shuttle.  I didn't know I had to book in advance but the guy from Shangri-la got me a taxi instead.  What luck!  I got Mr. Gobee A/L Ragaven who took me to my hotel for less than what I would have paid for the Hotel limo.  Moreover, he gave me useful bits of information about Kuala Lumpur.  

I booked Gobee for my return trip to the airport and he showed up earlier than agreed.  I told him I wasn't able to try a typical Malaysian breakfast so, because we had plenty of time, he took me to a stall where he buys his breakfast, run by a Malaysian man and his Indonesian wife.  He helped me order Nasi lemak (coconut rice with egg, fish and sambal chili) and some fiery chicken dish.  The lady wrapped the whole thing in banana leaves and paper, then stuffed it in a plastic bag with a plastic spoon - all for a song.

Gobee then drove me to the airport and suggested that, after checking in, I should seat myself in a Malaysian coffee house which are aplenty in the airport, and enjoy my breakfast.  I ordered a cup of coffee and dug in.  My mouth was on fire but the whole thing was delicious!

I should have written about Gobee months ago but I misplaced his card.  I just found it among my papers so here are his contact details, just in case you need a reliable guide in Kuala Lumpur.

Airport Limo (M) SDN BHD
Gobee A/L Ragaven:  016-245-9918  (Limo 2895)   

View from the Hill

Yesterday was a busy day for me. I made orange marmalade, put the finishing touches on my latest painting, and started a new canvas. Below is View from the Hill, oil on canvas, 16" x 20".  A former art teacher used to say I painted like I was on acid. :)

OLPE Exhibit Extended at the Watergate Gallery

The exhibit "Our Lady of Perpetual Exhaustion" at the Watergate Gallery is being extended until Saturday, October 19, 2013.  The varied interpretation of the theme by 33 local artists (including myself) has drawn quite a bit of interest.  If you haven't seen the show, there are additional receptions scheduled as follows:

Reception:  Thursday, September 26,  6:30-8:30 pm
Reception:  Saturday, October 5, 5:00 - 8:00 pm

PARTY TO END THE EXHIBIT:   Saturday, October 19, 5-8 pm

The OLPE Art Reception

Exhibition: Our Lady of Perpetual Exhaustion  September 7 – October 5, 2013

The opening reception came and went.  The gallery was crowded and the atmosphere lively.  The show was quite interesting, each piece representing the artist's interpretation of the theme accompanied by a narrative explaining the artwork.  I wrote the following narrative to describe my painting, Grief:

The theme of the exhibition inspired me to revisit my paintings of women in distress.  I have always been drawn to create portraits of suffering women.   It is my way of paying homage to my mother and the women in my family, not only because of their tenacity to face daily challenges, but also for the courage and resolve with which they confront life's adversities.  Grief reflects all these things and more - pain, exhaustion, grief, despair.

 
If you did not make it to the opening, there will be additional receptions at the gallery:

Wednesday, September 18, 6:30 – 8:30 pm 
Thursday, September 26, 6:30 - 8:30 pm
Saturday, October 5, 6:00 - 8:00 pm  (end of exhibition)
 
Watergate Gallery is located in the lower level (accessible by escalator or stairs) of the Watergate building, next to CVS.
 
Watergate Gallery & Frame Design
2552 Virginia Avenue NW
Washington DC 20037 
tel: 202.338.4488

OLPE Exhibit - A Reminder

Exhibition: Our Lady of Perpetual Exhaustion

I will be part of a group exhibition at the Watergate Gallery & Frame Design from September 7 - October 5, 2013.  Opening reception is on Saturday, September 7, 5:00 - 8:00 pm.

If you are in the Washington, DC area,  please come and see the show.  Watergate Gallery is located in the lower level (accessible by escalator or stairs) of the Watergate building, next to CVS.
September 7 – October 5, 2013
  
Watergate Gallery & Frame Design
2552 Virginia Avenue NW
Washington DC 20037tel: 202.338.4488

If you can't make it to the opening reception, the following are additional receptions:

Wednesday, September 18, 6:30 – 8:30 pm 
Thursday, September 26, 6:30 - 8:30 pm
Saturday, October 5, 6:00 - 8:00 pm

Stop the Anti-Women Gag Rule!!!

Sold into marriage at 12, Sahar Gul lived in a house of horrors. Her in-laws chained her in the basement, beat her with red hot iron pipes, starved her and pulled out all her fingernails when she refused to prostitute herself for them.

Her attackers’ sentence was reduced to a meager one year, and now they’re free again! Worse still, the Lower House of Afghan Parliament just passed a bill that would ban aggressors’ family members from testifying in court. This would prevent countless children and women from ever getting justice.

The Upper House has beaten back anti-women legislation before and high-level officials say the Avaaz community could tip the balance and help stop the bill before it goes to a vote. But to do that, we need to act fast. Click the link below to sign this urgent petition now -- when we reach 1 million signers we’ll launch a massive local media campaign targeting key senators until the bill is dumped.

 

Here is the link:  https://secure.avaaz.org/en/justice_for_afghan_women_loc/?fVikCab

Exhibition: Our Lady of Perpetual Exhaustion

I will be part of a group exhibition at the Watergate Gallery & Frame Design from September 7 - October 5, 2013.  If you are in the Washington, DC area,  come and see the show.  Below are the details.

Watergate Gallery is located in the lower level (accessible by escalator or stairs) of the Watergate building, next to CVS.

OUR LADY OF PERPETUAL EXHAUSTION

September 7 – October 5, 2013
 
Watergate Gallery & Frame Design
2552 Virginia Avenue NW
Washington DC 20037
 
tel: 202.338.4488

Opening reception:  Saturday, September 7, 5:00 - 8:00 pm

Additional receptions:
Wednesday, September 18, 6:30 – 8:30 pm
Thursday, September 26, 6:30 - 8:30 pm 
Saturday, October 5, 6:00 - 8:00 pm

Artwork

I was checking out my website a few days ago when I realized that viewers may have been missing the page "Artwork".  This page has a drop-down menu which leads you to the different types of genre I do (portrait, still-life, nude, landscape, etc.).  However, if you place your cursor on Artwork (next to Home), and click on it, you will get the intro to my art and a slideshow of about 30 paintings in my portfolio.  Try it!

 

Women's Review of Books July/August issue

My painting, Voices of Hope, is featured in the July/August issue of Women's Review of Books. It was used to illustrate the review of "Mapping Arab Women's Movements".  What a thrill to see it on the cover!  

Here is the link to the review:
http://www.wcwonline.org/Women-s-Review-of-Books/womens-review-of-books

Our Lady of Perpetual Exhaustion

I have been invited to submit my work in a special exhibition called "Our Lady of Perpetual Exhaustion" from August 27 - October 4, 2013.  I started painting a veiled lady with a sorrowful face but wasn't happy with it. I went on vacation and upon return, I scrapped it.

One day, I was looking at old photographs and saw one of my late mother's on her 81st birthday. Something clicked.  I decided to paint her, silver hair and all. The portrait is almost done.  Although the exhibition theme inspired me to paint her, I decided to keep it and submit another piece for the exhibition.  Back to work.

No more errors!

Guess what!  My art website is now up and running, thanks to webbrewers.com!  No more errors (hopefully).  Check it out.

http://paintingsbycynthia.com

To the Hotshots

Dedicated to the 19 members of the elite group of firefighters, Hotshots, who were killed in the Yarnell, Arizona wildfire. This is to remind us how unpredictable and deadly wildfires can be.

 Wildfire by Cynthia Angeles, Oil on Canvas, 21" x 31"

Website Move

I have been having problems with my (free) website host (000webhost.com) for almost two weeks now.  Perhaps, it is time to graduate to paid hosting.  I apologize in advance if you are not able to visit my website for a few days but it will soon be up, many thanks to webbrewers.com.

Nelson Mandela and His Family

This is not a proper venue to voice out my opinions about public figures but I will make an exception for Nelson Mandela.  He is my ideal of a good leader and a good person.  The many times my husband had traveled to Pretoria and Johannesburg on business, he always hoped he'd get a chance to meet the great Madiba.  I, too, during my few visits there, dreamed I would see him by accident.

Now that Mandela is lying close to death in a hospital bed, his family is feuding about his grave site and monies.  The great leader who, after 26 years of imprisonment, took control of the country, tried everything to reconcile the black majority and the Afrikaners who imposed apartheid.

"Evidently grace and dignity are not inherited," an editorial in the Citizen, a local paper, wrote.     

Here it is again - No Apologies: A Slideshow of My Art

The above video is a virtual gallery of my work.  Why the title No Apologies?  My styles and themes are so varied that most people say my art portfolio looks like a group exhibition.  Usually, galleries show artists with a common theme and a consistent style.  I prefer to paint what I feel and sometimes challenge myself to try a genre I haven't done in the past.  The common threads that bind my art are the vivid colors and a "need to convey a mood or tell a story".      

How I clean my paint brushes and palette knives (update)

An artist should know how to treat paint brushes and palette knives with care.  From a class I took with Ed Furuike in Honolulu, I learned how to paint with a palette knife and how to clean it.  I first wipe off the excess paint in a newspaper or an old phonebook page, then clean it with a baby wipe sheet.  Works like magic!

When I'm finished painting with my brushes, I dip them in turpenoid (water for acrylic users) and blot them on newspaper or cheap paper towels.  You can also clean them with baby wipes.  Once I'm done, I clean each brush with Lava soap, rinse it clean, then rub it on Octagon soap to soften the bristles.  I rinse the brushes thoroughly and let them dry upright in an empty container.

It sounds like a lot of work but taking care of your brushes and palette knives will assure a longer life.

Miami condo update

I finally found another condo for our vacation in South Beach.  It was a pleasant flat but the complex was too big and too crowded.  The parking was too far to walk with luggage and all.  Anyway, this may be our last visit there.  We had mostly stormy weather and only 1 1/2 days of sunshine during our 11-day stay. 

WHAT A SCAM!!!

We've just been scammed by a guy who phished a Florida realtor's email. We had already transfered funds to a Barclays account in Surrey, England of a Viktor Stoian before we found out from the real property manager that it was a scam. There were other victims.  So, beware!!!  Now, I've got to find another condo for our upcoming vacation.

Another new painting!

Tempest, Oil on Canvas, 15" x 19"

This canvas was covered with excess light blue paint from another piece for months. Sometime late last year, I started a plain seascape which looked terribly boring so I put it aside. In March this year, I used my palette knife to add more waves to the water and it started to look interesting but not quite done. Then, just a few days ago, I added a couple of rocks and more movement in the water with different shades of greens and blues. There is hardly a dividing line between sky and sea.

 

Two New Paintings

I started the Swamp last year but put it aside for a long time.  I worked on it again on and off this year and just did the finishing touches yesterday.  I think it is done.

 

 The Swamp, Oil on Canvas, 30" x 40" 

I had been thinking of doing a portrait of an old couple for quite a long time.  I saw a couple in their late 70's (I think) on the bus but was too embarrassed to take a photo.  So, I searched the web and found an image I based Afternoon Stroll  on.  I started this in March and just finished it yesterday.

 

 Afternoon Stroll, Oil on Canvas, 20" x 16"

Family Visit and Painting

We had a wonderful visit from my family the week of April 15 - a lot of eating, drinking, and endless chatting.  I thought my husband would get overwhelmed but he was a real trooper - bless his heart!

My painting was put on hold but I made a lot of progress with the three pieces I was working on the week before.  It takes me a while to decide when to stop working on a painting.  A former art teacher said, "One of the most difficult things for an artist is to know when to stop working on a painting."  One piece is near completion - it is a landscape on a 30" x 40" gallery canvas.  I am quite pleased with the colors I've used and I've already signed it (?) but it needs a few more finishing touches.  I will post a photo when it is ready.

Painting in Quietude

It’s been pretty quiet around here this week. Most people are probably out of town to see their families for Easter and Passover. My better half is away on a fishing trip. So, I took advantage of the respite to paint, working on three paintings alternately. While one was drying, I worked on another. My work table is a mess but it is a studio, after all. I only clear up when expecting guests. Bliss!

No Apologies - a slideshow of my art

I just created the above video.  Why No Apologies?  My styles and themes are so varied that people say my art portfolio looks like a group exhibition.  Most galleries show artists with a common theme and a consistent style.  I prefer to paint what I feel and sometimes challenge myself to try a genre I haven't done in the past.  The common threads that bind my art are the vivid colors and a "need to convey a mood or tell a story".      

My dentist's office - Part II

The rest of the paintings in my dentist’s clinic are as follows:

The Old Oak (Oil on Canvas, 17″ x 21″ including frame)

Bambusa (Oil on Canvas, 36″ x 18″, unframed)

 

 

Bambusa II (Oil on Canvas, 36″ x 18″, unframed)

 

My dentist's office

I sat in my dentist’s waiting room yesterday and was surrounded by my own paintings. More than a year ago, I made arrangements for some of my paintings to be hung in his clinic but I still get surprised with each visit.

The Brook is the biggest attention-drawer, according to the office. No wonder, it is a 30″ x 40″ canvas with lovely autumn colors.

Benguerra Coast is the second most popular piece among the lot. It is a 16″ x 20″ oil painting (including frame).

Here's how to follow

To follow this blog (http://artbycangeles.blogspot.com/), click on the blue button on the right (Join this site), and follow through your gmail, twitter, or yahoo account.  Thanks!

I'm back!

I just got back from a 5-week vacation to Manila, Kuala Lumpur, and England.  My husband and I enjoyed the food in various restaurants in Eastwood Mall, Quezon City and at my sister's home, and I loved sampling the local cuisine at the hawker stalls in Lorong Perak, Kuala Lumpur.  Much as I love food and wine, I won't be featuring them in my art anytime soon.  I need to finish the canvasses I started before I left.

Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring

Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring

This is my favorite among Vermeer's paintings.  In my art class in 1996, when Vermeer's works were visiting at the National Art Gallery in Washington, DC, my art teacher asked us to copy it.  Armed with just a small magazine print of the painting, I started working on a 16" x 20" canvas.  Below is what came out:

My version of Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring

You will see the difference outright but it was not a bad attempt considering that I had only been painting for two years then.

STOP THE CARNAGE!

Voices of Hope, Oil on Canvas, 21" x 21"

 

I painted "Voices of Hope" to express my solidarity with the protesting women of the Middle East whose voices against the carnage in their homelands are muffled by politics and guns.

Flaming Lava reposted

In August 2011, I took a three-hour art class with Ed Furuike in Honolulu (http://www.furuikeart.com/web/) on oil painting with a palette knife.  Ed is a Hawaiian professional artist who really enjoys teaching.  I was delighted to be in his class and marveled at what one could do on a canvas with a palette knife.  I completed “Flaming Lava” below which he mailed to me.  I couldn’t believe I did it with a palette knife.

I chose the model from one of Ed’s magazine photos and bravely started what I had never done before, with his guidance and help.  Then he suggested that I add a white bird to the scene (barely discernible in the upper middle part of the frame).  When there is a volcanic eruption, Hawaiian legend says the lone white bird is Pele which travels alone and is protective of its domain.

Flaming Lava, Oil on Canvas, 14" x 18"

I still don't feel comfortable with palette knife painting but I have finished an abstract piece I called "Tsunami" done mostly with a palette knife (see below) and recently started a seascape with a combination of brush and palette knife.  I will post an image when I finish it.

Tsunami, oil on wood, 13" x 14"

Copying images - theft or compliment?

I google myself rarely but did several days ago and was surprised to find my painting Grief (below) in a few sites.  I had the same experience a couple of years ago and wrote on the blog of the author, asking why my permission was not asked before posting the image.  The image had been taken out.  This time, I posed the same question to the blogger, got a huge apology and my image was taken out.  He studiously looked for my name to give me credit and that was much appreciated.

I have a website and a blog so my paintings are "out there" and can be  used.  I have no watermark to protect it because I don't like watermarks - it ruins the image, I think.  In this day and age of the internet, images can be easily copied and used, copyright notwithstanding.    

"Grief" has been used quite a few times in people's blogs to reflect their feelings about a personal or public tragedy and I am flattered.  I am proud of this piece, as well as my other paintings of "suffering women".  But I would appreciate it very much if those wishing to use any of my images to ask my permission first and not to attribute their postings to me.

 

"Grief" by Cynthia Angeles

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!

I wish everyone good health, good cheer, and better circumstances in your endeavors.  I might as well wish myself the same things.  A few thoughts about my art came to mind:

Where is my art going?  Is it going anywhere?  Does it matter?  Of course, it does to any artist.  Will I carry on painting?  Of course, I will.  I just hope that my website will help my art gain exposure and that it will eventually translate into sales so that I can paint some more!