Expressionism Timelessly

Espressionism through any means of art liberates the body and unites the self with an infinite universe. To some, expressionism appears abstract but once you fall into the dimension of the piece, you can resonate with the artist's expression. Through that escape, you can become one with the art. Like a book, you can visit it repeatedly with infinite interpretations however, you choose the timelessness.

These paintings of expressionism were created amid a country beneath a blazing sun. My being went in and out of a trance until they felt complete. I hope you enjoy them. :o)

Abstract Music

It is said that to live dangerously is to live. Hence, the world of abstract music through the spirit of a rock musician. Defining oneself to a particular genre sets boundaries. Tuning a guitar sets boundaries. Untuning a guitar opens new doors. Playing an untuned guitar confuses the fingers. The fingers are forced to follow the spirit as a guide. Think of Luke Skywalker learning how to use a Lightsaber blindfolded. The guitar therefore becomes a new instrument. For an artist, this new discovery of an old instrument is beyond enlightening. Sharing such a personal journey comes without regret. Have we as listeners of pop-music become so conditioned?

It was the sounds of Miles Davis' "Tribute to Jack Johnson" sessions that perhaps inspired my recording collection understandably entitled "Let In Go". The song "myles" features my 1.5 year old son playing guitar with such innocence. That same innocence is found throughout our life discoveries. The only way I can recommend listening to this is by closing your eyes and letting the sounds trickle like raindrops through your ears. When sound and spirit unite under an improvisational trance, new art escapes. Improvisation cannot be rehearsed...only felt at that one moment. These are those moments never to be relived again. Enjoy! :o)

Un-Battle

War simply means violence among people. It is such an ego driven means to an end. The end however, remains. Simply killing and burying the dead leaves the bad energy above the ground. While the wicked survive, they assume it is for the better. It is their own wickedness that they are left living with. Unless they learn to unlearn the evil, then they can reverse the meaning of the word to spell "live".

The article's headline read "Rebels Battle - City Under Siege". By simply adding the suffix "Un" and the word "Not", the news was as one would wish for it to be imagined under "Peace".

I personally believe that there is good in all humans. If our common goal is enlightenment, then co-existance is indeed possible.

The final piece was created over a cartoon of a firework I'd painted. It was unintentional but ended up adding to the symbolism. Stencil, black paper, color pencil, marker, sandpaper, acrylic, spraypaint etc. was used for this non-discriminative composition. It represents peace disguised as violence in a blanket of dancing colors.

 ( Art from the L4 series )

Graffiti Artist Arrests Deputies

The difference between tagging and graffiti is like the difference between territorial markings and canvas art. Graffiti is mechanically freeflowing which is almost like an oxymoron. Its structure is disciplined yet rebellious. These words however limit the energy that flows out of an intense piece of graffiti. To be honest, some taggers do have brilliant lettering. This piece utilizes sand paper, stencils and spray paint.

In stumbling upon this article where a graffiti artist was arrested...just what if the tables were turned?

Sol-ution

Good health is all that one needs. Artists have received bad raps for their creativity. You've all heard the "Wow, were you on drugs when you did that?". Artists have something far greater and need not any drug in order to tap into the creative realm. There is no creativity...just being. Running is a far better high than a damaging one. What risk but for the wear of the limbs? Beneath the sol I ran sweating when a man smoking a cigarette asked me "Isn't it too hot to be running?". I laughed and thought "As it is to be smoking". To each their own. I wish everyone a long healthy life. This piece demonstrates such.

Guitars Meant to be Played (Modifying 1)

"Playing guitar creates a oneness. Each generates an energy with its owner like a wizard with their wand. Therefore, magic exists."
Thasn't been one guitar I've owned that hasn't gone under some sort of modification. From the Zorlac stickers to glow-in-the-dark pin stripes, my guitars have gone through a lot. I bought a "Miller Genuine Draft" Fender Squire at a silent auction. It played nicely but the logo was too intense so with my high-school woodshop skills (the extent of my woodworking education), I
- removed the logo (sanded by hand)
- scalloped the neck (very daring because you only have one shot)
- coated it with a gloss finish
It was challenging and quite scary at times. For instance, during the gloss finish process, I'd hung it up and sprayed it whereupon the gloss started dripping like a melting candle. I quickly cleaned it with spirits from Home Depot and painted the gloss on. There are streaks which give it an originality. The scalloping of the neck was also scary. It was a process which involved sanding, cleaning, observing and touching. The patience proved worthwhile as it plays nicely. Some would question modifying such a unique guitar in the first place. My answer is simple.

"Guitars are meant to be played...not so much stared at."

Besides...the wood hidden beneath the graphics was nice in its natural state. As an inside joke, I left some of the original paint at the heal of the neck joint.

Here is an abstract recording I made with the guitar.

cure

Everyone's soul has a need to express. Luckily for artists, we can express it in many ways. There is no correct way....just "the way". One thing I wanted to express was the positivity that lurks amid the turbulence in publications. The majority of news is uncomfortably negative. By changing the words around, the news can be comforting -not necessarily to hide from the facts but to express a positive world in which to live. The "Legil Alien" series is a theme where all of humanity is not of color, but of one blood. It is such a peaceful world. Creating the "Legil Alien" series was trance-like. My hands would grab things from the table and put these pieces together. This one is called "cure" in reference to cancer. I used sandpaper and a few publications among other things. More on the style of art later. Meanwhile, I hope you enjoy "cure".

Mind of an Artist

The mind of an artist is endless. The term itself or calling yourself an "Artist" sounds pretentious but to put a label on oneself, I guess it is suitable. Artists tend to think way more independently than others. When we see the word "Rules" we tend to disregard them then ask questions later...not for the sake of it but because we already understand the limitations of limitations and our mind knows no such thing...we only acknowledge it. Take for example music. In order for people to like music, it has to have structure and be trendy. Why not throw away the structure? Why have the same thing given to you over and over? The same thing goes for art. When I was in preschool, my teacher sent me to the corner for painting abstract art. For that reason, it felt more appealing. Why so many boundaries? So it appears that people like boundaries however artists see beyond yet within. They can see universes in one single cell in one single setting. The mind of an artist is beyone the term "mind" for the mind assumes what the contents should consist of...memory. Okay, now a little about my art. This blog will touch upon whatever creations come about. I tend to quickly hop from project to project like a frog on blinking pods. If the pod blinks, that is my cue to hop onto it. That explains why I created the "I Dream of Monsters" series ( http://idreamofmonsters.blogspot.com ), legilalien series ( http://legilalien.wordpress.com ), http://mandopadilla.myspace.com, http://mandopadilla.bandcamp.com, http://zazzle.com/idreamofmonsters etc. and the list goes on and that only covers some of what I've done or plan on doing. I will seriously admire the simplicity of some peoples lives. I admire the fact that someone can do a days word of landscaping, grab a 40oz. of beer and take his paycheck to his family and be happy. How enlightening would that be? So I smile at the thought and get bombarded with ideas. Some people call it being "creative" but to me it sometimes feels like possession and not in a bad way. The only worry an artist really has is executing it before his/her time runs out. We all get that question... "Hey, you like to draw?"...um...not really actually. Art goes beyond that. It is spiritual. Trust me, we've all drawn every type of character imaginable and that is why I jump from pod to pod...each pod being a new idea. This is only a tiny glimpse of an artist's mind.