art diva studios visuals and verbiage by Rachelle Díaz
women
Coveted Fangirl
I am so thrilled to be featured on one of my favorite fashion blogs, The Coveted. Hostess-with-the-mostest Jennine is the perfect combination of sweetheart and go-getter, and that’s what I love about her blog. See the full post here: This Old Rag? Our lurking treasures… Bookmark on Delicious Recommend on Facebook Share via MySpace Share [...]
Black Candy
Black Candy Digital photographs and spray paint on rice paper October 2008 This is the final concept of Black Candy. It is not so much of a diptych as a magazine spread-type concept. The idea was to, of course, make a poster-size painting for a blacklight art show, but also to evoke a strong emotional [...]
Sugar-Power-Women
This popped into my head as I was going to sleep last night. The best time for art ideas. It’s a Homer Simpson quote from one of my favorite episodes. Can you guess which one? August 7, 2008 Photoshop Bookmark on Delicious Recommend on Facebook Share via MySpace Share with Stumblers Tumblr it Tweet about [...]
Alter Ego
I was invited to be in an art show called Alter Ego. For several months, I’ve had the idea to do some art/fashion portraits of the regular characters I inhabit in the theater of my head. I wanted to show the inner alter egos we all have, how we see ourselves in fantasies, daydreams, and [...]
Fabrotica
I mentioned in my last post that I was going to Katy Heinlein’s show at Women & Their Work, Unknown Pleasures. I wasn’t disappointed. On a compositional/first-impression level, all the pieces were wonderful examples of balanced, yet exciting design: straight lines contrasted with ripples, muted tones and bright, almost neon colors. Then, as I took [...]
The Gender of Grassroots
When you look at a cross-section of the grassroots, contemporary visual arts upstarts in Austin, most were founded by men, or a majority of men form the entities running these spaces (Okay Mountain, ArtPalace, Mass Gallery, Bolm Studios, Fresh Up Club, to name a few). In this brief and underdeveloped analysis, I am not including [...]
Svata
2007 Acrylic and puff paint on vintage fabric, 18″ x 24″ $175 Bookmark on Delicious Recommend on Facebook Share via MySpace Share with Stumblers Tumblr it Tweet about it Subscribe to the comments on this post Tell a friend Print for later
Caché
Based on a sketchbook collage. 2006 Acrylic and puff paint on vintage fabric, 18″ x 24″ $175 Bookmark on Delicious Recommend on Facebook Share via MySpace Share with Stumblers Tumblr it Tweet about it Subscribe to the comments on this post Tell a friend Print for later
Lush
2006 Acrylic and puff paint on vintage fabric, 18″ x 24″ $175 Bookmark on Delicious Recommend on Facebook Share via MySpace Share with Stumblers Tumblr it Tweet about it Subscribe to the comments on this post Tell a friend Print for later
Voyeur
This etching came about from one of my sketchbook collages. Processes used were aquatint, hard ground, soft ground and transfer. 2001 Zinc plate etching NFS Bookmark on Delicious Recommend on Facebook Share via MySpace Share with Stumblers Tumblr it Tweet about it Subscribe to the comments on this post Tell a friend Print for later
Cittá (city)
The visual of this etching is one of my sketchbook collages, put together from different Italian magazines. I enjoyed etching’s fusion of detailed calculation and science with unpredictable experimetation. It’s like my life. 2001 Zinc plate etching NFS Bookmark on Delicious Recommend on Facebook Share via MySpace Share with Stumblers Tumblr it Tweet about it [...]
Giggle
This piece is based on a photograph I took of myself in 2003. 2006 Acrylic on cloth, 18″ x 24″ $300 Bookmark on Delicious Recommend on Facebook Share via MySpace Share with Stumblers Tumblr it Tweet about it Subscribe to the comments on this post Tell a friend Print for later
Skin Trade
I was listening to Duran Duran a lot in 1999. I was also not paying much attention in science class that year. This painting came from a science class doodle while I had Duran Duran’s ‘Skin Trade’ in my head. “Would someone please explain / the reason for this strange behaviour / in exploitation’s name? [...]
I’m So Glad To Grow Older
I did this painting coming out of a bad relationship. The title is lyrics from a Morissey song: ‘I’m so glad to grow older / to move away from those awful times / I’m in love for the first time / and I don’t feel bad.’ 2000 Acrylic on canvas, 20″ x 28″ $250 Bookmark [...]
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 Bookmark on [...]
Beg/Act
The photo was taken from a Legacy ad against smoking. Obviously they were ill or suffering some kind of smoking-related loss. But without the anti-smoking message, the women’s faces looked like they were experiencing extreme pain or extreme pleasure in this sexual manner. I decided to combine 2 expressive yet ambiguous facial expressions for each [...]
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 Bookmark on Delicious Recommend [...]
Kaja
This portrait of a friend is done on a decoupaged piece of wood I found at a thrift store. 2004 Acrylic on found art, 5″ x 7″ $40 Bookmark on Delicious Recommend on Facebook Share via MySpace Share with Stumblers Tumblr it Tweet about it Subscribe to the comments on this post Tell a friend [...]
Lost in thought
Depression, or, Why Do Hot Dog Buns Come In Packages of 8 But Hot Dog Buns Come In Packages of 10? A friend suggested the second title. It’s such a serious subject, so it’s nice to have a funny twist. Plus, I’m a huge Animaniacs fan! 2004 Acryilc on peg board, 24″ x 36″ Collection [...]
Where my ladeez at?
So I’m organizing a multi-media art show at Pump Project Art Complex that incorporates collaborative painting, film/video installations and live music. One of the coolest parts of curating is connecting with and really being impressed by other artists. It’s by far the best way to get to know the processes, techniques, and individuals out there [...]
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 [...]
Drawn to Art
The artist belongs to his work, not the work to the artist. – Novalis If you’re going to be an artist, be prepared to be slightly unhappy for the rest of your life. – Something I read or heard recently My favorite thing is to go where I’ve never been. – Diane Arbus I watched [...]