I haven’t posted in a while, but I wanted to give an update on what I’ve been up to. Sometimes when I feel uninspired, I take on some ‘filler projects” just to keep busy. Back in the Fall of 2017, I created a whole series of curse words and quotes on vinyl records. They were very popular amongst my followers and one of my Buffalo friends purchased the whole series. I’ve been recently inspired by the podcast, “My Favorite Murderer.” It’s a comedy show that talks about true crimes. A few of my co-workers introduced me to the podcast and encouraged me to put the hosts, Karen and Georgia, quotes on the records. I’ve been having a blast creating these and sharing them on their Facebook group and reddit. I even tweeted the producer of the show and he loved them! So I mail them a record as a gift. I deeply encourage everyone to listen to the show if you are into murder and cats. All records are available to purchase on my Etsy shop for $30.00.

Other Updates:

• I have also updated my Etsy shop. If you are not interested in going through there, you can always contact me directly. I also offer group discounts.
• I have a created a new mannequin named Karen O. I’ll be posting a separate blog about her very soon.
• I’ll be starting a new generation of records. They will consist of even more colors and new pattern designs.
• I’ll be creating a new section under my gallery for my vinyl record inspired earrings. Keep an eye out for that.
• There will be a Art show announcement in July.

When it comes to custom work, my biggest requests are animals (Tangled Creatures). I’m very open to creating any animal as long as I get to use my style. They are quick and fun to do. They make great gifts for anybody and any occasion!

I charge $30 a record +shipping. Contact me if you are interested.

I also updated my Tangled Creature gallery of the most recent work I have done.
 

Adam, the drummer from Cooler, asked me if I could make a unique piece for his band. I was very excited that he gave me a drum head to work with. Drum heads were another surface I’ve always wanted to explore and now I had the perfect opportunity to do it. I was given full freedom of the design as long at the bands name was on it. I choose to give the background a free flowing organic feel. Moths are the band’s “spirit animal”, so I added a few to blend into the background.

Cooler is a Buffalo based band, who are up and coming within the local music community. I was given a copy of one of their albums, Phantom Phuzz. When I sat down to start this project, I listened to it for inspiration. I was completely impressed with their music and the quality of the recordings. The female/male vocals and instrumental pieces were amazing. My two favorite songs that everyone should check out were “Metal Moths” and “Pave Age”.
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If you live in the Buffalo area, their next gig is June 23rd at Nietzsche’s, starting at 9pm. Please check them out!!!

Since Dolores became well loved by my followers, I decided to create a Mannequin torso series. All of them inspired by my favorite female rock stars. Each piece took about 3 weeks to create. That’s with working a daytime job and being snowed most of the time during this dreadful Buffalo winter. As I began this series, I had no idea how much of impact it would have on me personally and how it would affect those around me.  After 4 mannequins, I can see my own growth. Each piece taught me so much about life, patience, and how to push myself further creatively.

Shirley (Blue), inspired by Shirley Manson, had the most unexpected turn out.  I referred to her as “The Queen of Happy Mistakes”. Happy Mistakes was a phase I learned from my first year in art school at Sage College in Albany. My 2 Dimensional Design instructor, who reminded me a lot of Bob Ross, always taught us that there were no mistakes in art.  These mistakes just push us to be more creative and to think more outside of the box.  Just like in life, everything happens for a reason, this happens in art as well. In the end, you have two choices: you can say fuck it and walk away or you can work with it and see what happens.

While bringing Shirley to life, she experienced a few paint chips and a leaky pen mishap.  I would spend hours on a section and all of a sudden it becomes ruined. I remember one night after spending 2 hours transferring the mandala on to her lower abdomen, 2 giant chucks of blue paint peeled off. My first thought was that the original vision I had for her has gone. It wasn’t like I could spray paint that area again or maybe I could but I was too afraid to try. Instead of getting upset, I hung her up in the middle of my living room and walked away. The following day, I picked up my pens and started again. As I found ways around my first mistake, my pen exploded. Once again, I had to hang her up and walk away. Walking away helped with the frustration and cleared my mind to reflect on how to fix these mishaps. After some time off, I was able to come back and finish bringing her back to life. My design choices completely covered up her flaws. Even though I know these mistakes as still there, she still presents herself as nothing ever happened.  

After Shirley, came Patti (Red), who was inspired by the Amazing Patti Smith. She came to life the quickest out of all them. I spent about 2 weeks on her. Patti has less details and survived one minor mishap. She came together very smoothly without much preplanning. Patti was created during a time when I started my new current job. My mind was more focused on financially stabilizing myself opposed to exploring creative new designs.  I would come home, set her in my lap, and just tangle away to free my mind.  She was my stress reliever project from the new changes.

Alison (Green), inspired by Alison Mosshart, was my baby. I really wanted to take some time and create as much detail on her as much I could.   My personal life began to flourish once again and I was able concentrate more on the details I wanted to create. It took me forever and Facebook poll to decide on just the color alone. Green was perfect because spring was approaching and represents growth. From Dolores to Alison, I can definitely see the progression. Alison had an unexpected turn out as well. But my mistakes were more manageable and required less repair.

There will be more Tangled Rock Goddesses to come. I have some many projects going on and so little time to create everything I envision. I like to take a break in between projects to recharge.  There will be a future Art Show in the fall that will be focused on these pieces. Please stay tune for future updates.

​     I began to bring her to life after a series of road blocks in my personal life. I felt unmotivated to draw on records and needed “pick me up” project. I’ve learn after being an artist for many years, that it’s important to explore new things. Try new mediums, different surfaces, and experiment with new techniques. For many years, I used cut paper collage and acrylic paint.  I don’t think I could ever settle for one way of doing art for the rest of my life. I know what "my thing"  was but I’m always trying to find new ways to make art interesting. I believe that’s how you truly grow, not just an artist, but as a person as well. 
     I spent lot of my time researching on Instagram and seen some artists use mannequin parts as a canvas. I became very motivated to tangle a torso.  I didn’t do much planning beforehand and just dove right in. I began with her rib area and the rest just came alive with endless patterns and designs.
    During this time, one of my childhood hero’s passed away, Dolores O’ Riordan. I knew I had to name my mannequin after her. I spent many nights listening to The Cranberries and creating these patterns on her. Even though I was not drawing on records, my work is still inspired my music.
     I definitely learned a lot of patience during this project. I underestimated how long it would take to create her. Hours would go by so fast and I would only get a few inches done. I would post my progress on Instagram because I wanted my followers to be part of Dolores’s journey. We were all very eager to see her come alive.
    When I create art, I just do it. I don't really have any intention of making it look like or represent something.This stuff literally just pours out of me. I just draw until i feel I'm finished. After she was done, it took me some time to really get to know Dolores.  As I really look at her, I feel I had brought out her inner beauty to the surface. Some of the patterns were look like veins, capillaries, and vessels. It's as if I just gently scrapped away a layer of skin to show what was underneath. 
     I decided to share Dolores on a few facebook groups and the reaction from strangers was surprising.  Many women were very moved by her. Two breast cancer survivors messaged me and asked if leaving out the right breast was intentional. I honestly never thought about it and was it and was trying to switch up the symmetry to make her look more interesting. I was so happy to hear how inspiring Dolores was to them.
    Now, Dolores has moved to California. I've been inspired to great more of these tangled rock goddesses. These pieces of art are much deeper than intended and I'm happy it's inspiring to those around me.  Please stayed tuned for...Shirley.