Ofrendas Del Corazon

This year my painting mentor Ricardo Chavez Mendez invited me to participate in Ofrendas Del Corazon, a fundraising event taking place in Texas. Each of the donated works painted on a heart shaped wood panel will be auctioned to raise money. Below is their write up about my submission featured here, and about the cause.

This is Claudia's first time participating in Ofrendas, and she is an artist representing ORO Fine Art Gallery. For more information on Claudia's art visit claudia-goodell.artistwebsites.com "Pin Up" will be featured up for auction at the 8th Annual Ofrendas Del Corazón event benefiting the Michael M. Rutledge Legacy Award, February 2015. More details coming soon!

Clinging

 Clinging - Oil on canvas - 24" X 24" 

Continuing on the underwater and the chronic disease themes this image depicts the idea that suffering is a result of clinging to desire, and to let go of desire leads to the end of suffering. Chronic pain from a neuroimmune diseaseas naturally leads to the desire to be pain free, which leads to suffering.
It is only when one stops judging various experiences as good or bad, positive or negative, that the desire for something different will fade away.

In my attempts to stop judging my experiences I try to just acknowledge the presence of the feeling, rather than judge it. It is one of the most difficult tasks for me that come with managing this disease, and when I am successful at accepting that each painful experience is temporary; that nothing is permanent, not even those experiences that are more enjoyable, it is in those moments that I can let go of the desire for an experience to go away.

That is when the suffering subsides.

This original piece is available for purchase at CDA and 50% of proceeds will be donated to an ME/CFS charity.

The Juggler

The Juggler - Mixed media on canvas 15" X 30" $1250

I took an unusual approach on this one.  To start this peice I layed the canvas flat on a table and squirted acrylic paint randomly around. I blew through a straw to direct the streams of paint, and allowed some to drip and pool. Once the canvas was covered I allowed it to dry before applying the remaining layers of oils. The only preconceived notion I had going in was underwater. As the scene developed I realized some underlying meaning was surfacing. 

Having a chronic neuroimmune disease feels like being underwater, even drowning sometimes, but uniquely beautiful at others. The mermaid here presents as both human and fish, like the symptoms of the disesase she is inconsistent. A patient is never certain whether they wll face a very sick day or not, nor whether an activity will be tolerated by the body or if it will lead to relapse. She sits comfortably knowing she has no known enemy, there is no treatment or cure for this disease, and she sits above the octopus clearlyto her advantage.  

The octopus is me, struggling to manage all the symptoms while treading water, but yet facing the disease head on with determination, armed to beat it. 

Peace and hope come in the form of the sea turtle. It brings peace in the times when I am frustrated and grieving the losses this disease forces on me, and hope for future discoveries. 

I hope this information helps you relate more to "The Juggler".

NM State Fair Fine Art Competition Entries

(Left to right) First Flight Triptych (three separate vertical panels), The Visitor I and The Visitor II

                                   

Three of my peices have been juried selected to be included in this year's New Mexico State Fair Fine Art competition. They will be available for viewing and purchase at Expo New Mexico from September 10-21, 2014. I hope you will take some time to stop by the Fine Art building some time during those dates to see all the beautiful art.

Evening of the Arts will be held Tuesday evening September 9th beginning at 5:30. This is when the winners are announced. Following the awards ceremony there is an early viewing of all the Fine Art, and all originals peices and prints are available for sale. This is a good time to see the art and meet the artists, so I hope I will see you there!

First Flight Oil on canvas - 20"X48" $2700
The Visitor I Oil on canvas - 18" X 24"
The Visitor II Oil on canvas - 20" X 30"

The Visitor I and II (A Diptych)

The Visitor 1 Oil on Canvas 18" X 24" 

At times it may seem that our life is a steady stream of predictability, and then suddenly there is a shift. All that we knew and were comforted by is changed or gone and we are left with this unknown, uncontrollable existence that feels like chaos. It is precisely at this moment that we must learn to let go and just let it be. This is when we are truly carried gently by the flow to all that is good.   

The Visitor 2 Oil on Canvas 20" X 30" 

These originals are available for purchase at CDA  and 50% of proceeds will be donated to an ME/CFS charity.

Convergence

Convergence Oil on Canvas 24" X 36" SOLD

My most recent finished piece was a commission and a surprise for a friend's milestone birthday. She and her husband moved from Albuquerque to Portland, so her husband asked me to paint a landscape to incorporate Mt. Hood with Mirror Lake with a reflection of an iconic representation of New Mexico. This is the result.

It's titled "Convergence" and is 24" X 36". I really enjoyed the challenge of creating this composition, and had to include what seems to have become my signature for landscapes; the inclusion of a vehicle of sorts but an absnece of any people in the hope of encouraging the viewer to invent their own story about the scene. In this case the vehicle is a canoe.

Exhibit and Press

Two of my original pieces were selected to be included in the "Art of the Flower" exhibit from June 7th through July 25th at the New Mexico Art League.

The artists reception was very well attended, and a subsequent review was published in the Albuquerque Journal's Sunday Arts section June 22, 2014. It can be read on my website:

Please stop by!

Details here: Art of the Flower Exhibit at the New Mexico Art League

The two pieces are shown above.  On the left is a diptych titled "The Visitor" Oil on canvas 30" X 38" (Left panel is 18" X 24" and Right panel is 20" X 30"

On the right is "Spring Fling" a pastel on paper 12" X 17" then matted and framed SOLD

The Artistic Rose exhibit at the Albuquerque Garden Center

I am feeling very fortunate to have received a call today from the director of the New Mexico Art League inviting me to show my pastel on paper titled "Spring Fling" at the Albuquerque Garden Center's 65th Annual Spring Rose Show. The exhibit is called the Artistic Rose and runs Saturday May 31st 1-5 PM and Sunday June 1st 10-2 PM. This is truly an honor as there will be only 20 original paintings on display!

I hope some of you are able to go to see the live roses as well as photographs and paintings.

More information can be found here: Albuquerque Garden Center 65th Annual Spring Rose Show

Exhibit: Art of the Flower

Two of my original pieces were selected to be included in the "Art of the Flower" exhibit from June 7th through July 25th at the New Mexico Art League.

The artists reception was very well attended, and a subsequent review was published in the Albuquerque Journal's Sunday Arts section June 22, 2014. It can be read on my websitee:

Please stop by!

Details here: Art of the Flower Exhibit at the New Mexico Art League

The two pieces are shown above.  On the left is a diptych titled "The Visitor" Oil on canvas 30" X 38" (Left panel is 18" X 24" and Right panel is 20" X 30"

On the right is "Spring Fling" a pastel on paper 12" X 17" then matted and framed

First Flight - Triptych

Upon completion of this triptych I renamed it "First Flight". 20"X48" $2700

This piece underwent a great metamorphosis from an abstract sketch of entwined circles to birds and lilies. Now it tells the story of a baby bird reluctant to leave the nest while the parents try to encourage flight by conjuring the wind. The leaves and flowers begin to swirl and rise as the baby begins to feel confident enough to fly.

The photographer who captures images of my art for giclee prints digitally added a black frame around each panel, which I really like. It gives the effect of backlighting and gives it the look of a stained glass window. Although this is how prints will appear, the original is simply 3 separate panels with no black border. Prints may be purchased through my website linked above. Please feel free to contact me if interested in purchasing any originals.

Calypso (unfinished) Renamed to First Flight after completion

This new triptych (at the bottom) is nearly finished just in time for the March 6th deadline for juried entry into the Miniatures and More show to be held at the Albuquerque Museum of Art and History in October. Yes, October is a long time away, but these things require planning.

Each artist can electronically submit to the jury a minimum of 4 pieces and maximum of 8, as long as each piece is less than a certain size (mine are each at the maximum canvas size allowed). When I attended it in 2013 they grouped 3 of each artist's 2D work and hung them either horizontally or vertically with space in between. The exhibit was very nicely laid out, with easy viewing and it was nice to see 3 pieces of each artist's work hanging together.

I am taking a chance that:  A) my work will be selected and B) that maybe, just maybe they'll hang them vertically and touching one another, depicting one continuous image. However, in creating them I also considered that (if they're selected) they may be hung with space in between, and since each canvas must be be for sale separately, I made sure each had a strong enough composition to hang individually.

I am really happy with this piece because the composition was a long and arduous evolution which really pushed my creativity.

The images below show the evolution from the original sketch to the final piece. I copied my sketch in charcoal onto the canvas. Next, I flipped the image vertically and horizontally for the next 2 canvases. Applying the concept of curvismo with paint, I connected the curved lines in various directions to create a 3 dimensional continuity and to improve the flow. After a couple of sessions I felt very frustrated and sat with my instructor Ricardo telling him I thought it was not sophisticated enough. Together we discussed ideas, and kept working the curves until it was clear that the canvas was showing calla lilies and birds, so that was the direction I followed.

Update: This peice was renamed to First Flight upon its completion. It is 20" X 48" Oil on canvas $2700

2014 Masterworks of New Mexico Entries

Today I achieved my first goal for the new year, which is to submit 3 entries into the 2014 Masterworks New Mexico exhibit. 

This is a juried show, so I will have to wait to find out whether any of my submissions are selected to be in the spring exhibition held at the NM State Fair Grounds.

The first piece (top left) is titled "Dancing Hyacinths", the second (top right) is titled "Support", and the final (bottom center) is called "Perplexity". 

Each piece can be further explored on previous posts here, or on my website at http://claudia-goodell.artistwebsites.com/

Thank you for your interest!