art diva studios visuals and verbiage by Rachelle Díaz
advertising
Engage Signage
Eons ago, I started blogging as “Design Life,” critiquing advertising and branding graphic design as “sweet” vs “shameful.” The following thoughts hearken back to those early days in noticing an increased usage of placards in TV commercials (or seemingly increased, I was TV-less for two years until about three months ag0). Before selling my last [...]
Vogueing Out
A couple of things caught my eye as I cracked open the March 2008 issue of VOGUE yesterday. 1) Is high fashion trying to angle itself with high art? Art has been what I would call “street hip” for a couple of years now, but for me, the deer heads, power lines and raindrops are [...]
No Mercy
What I liked about this series was that the women in the images were old, not that attractive, but still dressed nicely and wearing makeup. Yet instead of being contrived anti-models (who are fantasy) these women were very real, gritty. Something rarely seen in advertising. 2003 Acrylic on canvas, 36″ x 48″ $400
Collage study
I like to draw and can draw well from life. But juxtaposing random images is so much more challenging, rather than just drawing what I see before me. You can do funny compositions, weird compositions, serious compositions. It’s a good way to process and reformulate the world around you, which is largely comprised of advertising.
We’ve Got It
I had saved these small magazine clippings for about three years, blew them up on a color copier, and also copied my hand on the glass. This piece shows personal themes of media, gender and food, all tied up with red thread. 2004 Mixed media on canvas, 18″ x 24″ $150
Armchair Warrior
You may recognize some of the digital art from the illustration section. I have a pack-rat mentality with paper clippings. I hold on to everything till it comes together for The Perfect Collage. The digital art is printed on vellum, and I combined it with some images on a color copier about a year before. [...]
Makeup Ads Need an Extreme Makeover
Every once in a while, when in an escapist mood, I throw a Cosmo or Glamour in my cart at the grocery store. I also admit to having an annual subscription to Vogue; I believe it’s healthy to have a dose of unattainable otherness in one’s life. As a friend of mine once remarked, “Dreaming [...]
The Sibling Rivalry Between Visual Art and Illustration
There are good and bad aspects to everything. The truth is somewhere in between. Sweet: Illustration featured in Print’s 2004 Regional Design Annual While I often check out the websites of firms and designers I’ve heard about, Print’s Regional Design Annual is one of my main sources for inspiration when I’m in a slump. As [...]
