CONGRATULATION SUMMER YOU'VE MADE IT

Well now here it is the season we've all been waiting for, summer better known as "construction" in Chicago. Once again I find myself posting a long overdue blog and in my studio which at 6:50am was 97º, Yes I am very grateful for the heat of summer so I won't complain about it.

Work in the studio is going slower than planned but I do feel that the work will be ready for August and it will be a very telling exhibit in September. Now I have to start figuring out what needs to be done with everything past this Fall, I am trying to get work out there to be exhibited. Either I will start having once a month gatherings at the studio or ship the work wherever it needs to go. I would like to write a little about the evolution of my new work because it helps me to put it in place in my own thoughts. One of the things I am slowly learning from my mentor, Carlos Estrada-Vega is that thinking too much about what your working on stops you from doing it. Progressing into the work, changing it is being affirmed that this approach is affective. It's a lot easier now for me to approach the work and not be stymied by constant barrage of inner questions just get the work out and it speaks for its self.

A big part of my work has been driven by a constant desire to master the materials I work with be it water color, oil paint or fresco and it's interesting taking a look back how much this yearning has made me a kind of slave to this materialism. I look around my studio and I see a never ending source of inspiration people always wonder why I can't leave my studio, it's not that I'm obsessive. it's really that I'm like kid in a candy store and believe me I appreciate everything that the gods of the universe has provided for me so 97º or 57º waterfall or no water in the bathrooms I will always be happy to spend time in my studio where ever it is.

Alright now, that I'm done with that, check out my new and improved website and let me know what you think. http://www.DeLaTorreArts.com

SPRING TIME HIT THE SNOOZE BUTTON-AGAIN

Like the godfather "just when you think your out they suck you right back in". And here we are already its May the beautiful Chicago spring weather has soured as usual but life carries on and of course every thing needs to get done.

You know lately people have been asking me "Luis how do you get all this done?" well let me give you a glimpse into my schedule here it goes.

10:45 wake up hit the snooze (on the cell phone because of course we don't have an alarm clock)
10:45-11:05 - scratch various body parts.
11:06-11:13 (depending on the weather) look at the piles of cloth all around.
11:15-11:30 (there's always a few minutes missing, who knows where they go if any one can tell me please do) I forgot what goes on during this time frame.
11:31-11:45 - Eat my world famous breakfast it used to be bagels but my gut has rebelled and now its usually cereal and a banana.
12:00-12:15-12:35 - walk to the studio it'll take about 15 minutes but in the "spring " I get caught up watching the robins .
12:37-1:03 - ahh the good stuff lunch all the scratching and robin watching has got me hungry.
1:07-1:49 - listen to certain neighbors bitch about various problems and or all their "success"
2:00-3:00 - the stuff you all been waiting ...look at the work in front of me and ponder-what have I done!
3:00-3:31 - Knapp time -don't bother me
3:37-5:00 - get my ass up and do every thing I can to procrastinate .
4:32 - relative calls shouts "are you ready to rock"
4:39- clean up and get stuff ready for more procrastination tomorrow
5:00-6:00 lift heavy weights until I feel my "tripas" sliding down.
6:03-6:17 - argue with bally's personal trainer about why I can't use the heavy bag.
6:19 - watch as bally's personal trainer cries and takes his heavy bag home.
6:21 - baffled at all the conflict.
6:37-6:39 - shower (quickly cause I had my hair just right)
8:00-9:00- novela
9:01-9:43 - check emails and debate weather or not to open up that "European lottery" cause I may have won 3 million euro's
10:03-12:47 - play "Hearts of Iron " a game of world domination.
1:05am - open the "European Lottery" email and type in my SS#.
1:07am - wait for a response .
1:23am - frustrated with no response from "european lottery" I play more "Hearts of Iron" cause I've almost conquered britain.
3:39am- check for any response from lottery.
3:41am- DP gets up to drag me to sleep (by the ear) as I throw a "barinche"
3:47- lay in bed and think about ways I can finally defeat the imperialist pigs we knows as AIG
4:03 - roll over
7:30 - wake up and do it all over again.

Well thats how it all gets done. So come by to the studio this weekend and check out the end result of all this "dismadre" see you all soon.

LOVE IN THE TIME OF "SWINE FLU"

Well here we go again the Swine flu has hit and I can see what's coming I'm not going to say it but we all know what's coming. I guess I should have never eaten that ham sandwich but I was really hungry and when your really hungry you do what you have to do to survive.

The thing is you see something that can sustain you even if it is temporary and your not really convinced that it's the best thing for you well... what are your options. Its not like some one was offering the steak and potato's that they wave around in your face. What I do know about Mexicano's is that we make the best of what we have and thrive doing so. In my case I am very grateful for what I do have and I know one day I will have my "steak" and maybe some potato's.

Well now I am going to continue to create my works and I hope all of you will continue to flourish.

HAPPY EARTH DAY TO YOU!

As I drive around in my 1970's Dina "olimpico" bus belching blue diesel fumes and enjoying some Pedro Infante and Tampico cumbia I think to my self ...wow what a wonderful world (then I flush the toilet right on to the street). Yes its that time again. its "earth day" the one day of the year people stop dumping garbage because its the right thing to do.

Not that I'm against building a society full of wall street big wigs or pollution spewing factories - hey I'm not even opposed to china building ten coal burning plants a day as long as we have one day a year we all can shut the lights off to save energy we'll be fine.

Okay thats done, lots of things have happened in the last month its great to be back to work at the studio and I feel good about the work I'm producing right now. I am also very grateful to the powers that be for every thing I have been able to accomplish during my time here in Chicago I know that I will continue with my work where ever I end up and thats a great feeling.

So now that I'm trying get myself in a better position and make my move and establish myself in another local I'm looking to lighten my load and raise funds for the move and so if any one out there is interested in works I have in the studio please let me know I'm sure we can work some thing out.

The Box

The life of a box must be one of the most tragic existences around. First you get filled up with what ever nonsense they feel like filling you up with - then you get stacked or as in the case with my box you get shipped off somewhere. Sure its flattering having money spent on you but then off you go to your destination after all this you get delivered(hopefully). In the case of my box the post man decided for some unknown reason takes the box back with him to the El Paso office and after almost four weeks and a repackaging that didn't look so gentle it arrives to the destination and then you get thrown away.

Other than that things are going very well in Las Cruces its aways very sunny here and I have been working on a portrait of Carlos kind of as a thanks for him having me in his house and mentoring me through some kind of difficult things .

Now I am going to work on as much as painting as possible.

No post today

There will be no post today. thank you for looking and please check out the blog tomorrow.

To be or not to be...and if not why not?

Alright I'm starting to understand why without understanding why, I know that does'nt make much sense but it is what it is. not that my work is going to go completely non-objective because lets face it people will all have a different take on it maybe that is the objective.

Last night I did some research on "figurative painters" and just opening up a google image page all you see is the same thing of course some are better than others and all probably very beautiful and I would never deny that they think there'll pushing themselves as artist. To me this formula has already been discovered and proven, not that I'm thinking about it.