New Art: Let me Come in Peace

Let Me Come in Peace

12" x12" Acrylic on Canvas

Detail Pics:

My work is currently on exhibit by Monkdogz Urban Art (New York City) at 150 E. 52nd Street.

To see more of my work, also visit my site.

CENTERPIECES: Why is it Coming This Spring?

I've spent hours and hours and hours of my life writing.  As a kid, I wrote poetry, stories, character sketches, and then went on to focus on journal writing. 

I was so empty. 

Around 1990 (my early twenties), I mustered the courage to tackle my dream of writing a novel. 

Was my goal to become a famous writer?  No.   

Was my goal to sell a million copies and become wealthy? No.

My goal was simply to write something worthwhile, a novel that would reach out and grab another human being by the throat and relay a profound message.  I needed to pour myself out and prove that there was something beautiful inside that was worth sharing ... and therefore, loving.  Perhaps this was an extremely selfish reason to write a novel.

Sometimes I am selfish.

So I set off on my long, fateful writing adventure, and never looked back.  After five years, I finished the first novel, BOUNDARIES and started a second.  After ten years, my nonfiction work was eventually published by McGraw-Hill.  Then, my second novel, ABERRATIONS, was published by a small press, Greenleaf Book Group.  It recieved wonderful reviews.  I went on to tackle a third novel, CENTERPIECES. 

By this time, I had become intensely fixated on gaining acceptance from a large, traditional publisher. I didn't long for such a formidable establishment to make me rich or famous. I craved validation. I needed the likes of Simon & Schuster or Grand Central to tell me that I was worth loving. I wanted them to stamp my soul and hand it to readers in a beautiful package of "this is absolutely worthwhile."

In 2008, I picked up a paint brush and my perspective began to change.  When I painted, although my ability was evolving, each piece was perfect.  It somehow represented exactly who I was at that point in time, flaws and all.  I didn't care if anyone liked it or not; I didn't need anyone to tell me that it was good.  I didn't care if the whole entire world hated it; it was me staring back at myself.  It was breathtakingly beautiful; something to cherish.

Perhaps I was finally learning to love myself.  I began to wonder why I was so devastated each time one of my novels was rejected (dispite words of praise for the work), whereas if someone didn't care for the style of my painting, I could care less.  I had an inner confidence about the art work that was missing from my writing. 

This train of thought shook me; it woke me up. 

Over the years, I've had several great literary agents who all believed in me.  By the time I began painting, and subsequently embarked on my fourth novel, DUST, numerous A-list editors had read my work.  They knew my name in New York; they were interested in seeing my new work.  They sent me emails.  They praised my talent.

But the economy was tanking ... now Borders is bankrupt.

When I finished DUST, something clicked.  I loved it the way I love my art; I woke up in a new place.  It didn't happen overnight, but somehow I stepped back and realized that I had created a body of work that does express who I am, that is worthwhile, and worth sharing.  I remembered my initial goal to simply reach out and grab someone.  I remembered why I wanted to write in the first place. I realized I had finally accomplished that goal.

I no longer need Simon & Schuster, HarperCollins, or Hyperion to convince me that I have something valuable to offer.

CENTERPIECES is a novel about being true to yourself.  It's a story about how life tries like hell to attach borders, titles, labels, and dollar signs to each of us, and how, in the end, happiness has absolutely nothing to do with those ridiculous notions.  It's about how falling prey to those lies can turn us into monsters.  True validation comes from within.  That is where we are all beautiful.

I've made the decision to publish CENTERPIECES under the INDIE imprint, Hallway Press.  Hall was my maiden name, and my father is the one who instilled in me a love for literature.  I'm moving down a new path (or hallway) where I see numerous doors and opportunities. I'm going my own way. 

If all goes as planned, over the next couple of years, I'll also publish my other two novels BOUNDARIES and DUST under this imprint. 

Sharing my novels with you is icing on the beautiful cake that is my life. Take it or leave it; you decide.  I have accomplished my initial goal. 

I am so full.

____________________

CENTERPIECES is coming soon ....

Vincent van Gogh fakes his death. Ellis Spencer longs to paint. Holly Carter conceals a famous lineage. Theo van Gogh gains his health, but loses the woman he loves. Mimi Calais says she's a vampire. Tom Spencer hatches a plan. Ellis and Tom Spencer head up the drug safety organization in one of the world's largest and most respected companies, Pratt Pharmaceuticals. Tom's deviant plan for their future begins to splinter when Ellis meets Holly Carter, a lonely southern woman who has come to New York to pursue art while furthering her pharmaceutical career. Holly lives in a Greenwich Village apartment building owned by Mimi, a mysterious young woman whose claims of being a vampire remind Holly that she's not dead yet. As Ellis pursues Holly, the past and present begin to overlap. Dark secrets emerge amidst Mimi's bizarre bookstore, strip clubs, galleries, brownstones, corporate culture, and Starbucks ad nauseam. Two sets of extraordinary brothers, and two very different women, struggle to carve out unique identities in a world where middle age is the beginning of the end; corporate puppets and dreaming immigrants rub shoulders in the hallowed burning halls of Ellis Island; and forever takes on new meaning. Van Gogh only sold one painting during his lifetime. Based on extensive research, Centerpieces explores the miraculous explosion of Van Gogh's work shortly after his suicide and the death of his brother, Theo, six months later. Join Vincent in a journey of self-discovery, friendship, betrayal, fantasy, corporate intrigue, and love. Find out what he sacrificed for art.

New Art: Do You See Me Standing Here?

Do You See Me Standing Here?

12" x 12" Acrylic on Canvas

Just a little something ...

Detail Pics:

My work is currently on exhibit by Monkdogz Urban Art (New York City) at 150 E. 52nd Street.

To see more of my work, also visit my site.

New Art: Spent

Spent

24" x 36" Acrylic on Canvas

Detail Pics: 

My work is currently on exhibit by Monkdogz Urban Art (New York City) at 150 E. 52nd Street. 

To see more of my work, also visit my site.

Marker Full of Dreams: Angelique Price

"Art is my heart. It makes my world full and alive, and it keeps me inspired."

I've always dreamed of being one of those people who doesn't give a hoot about what people think. I've worked hard at it.  Unfortunately, I'm beginning to realize that my dream may never come true; it may be one that just has to die. 

I still find myself actually experiencing physical pain associated with both obvious and subtle rejections. It hits me at the center of my torso, radiating from somewhere between my internal organs and my skin. When it strikes, it's a terrifying feeling that I can't seem to shake no matter how many times I tell myself that I shouldn't care what he or she thinks.

My guest today, artist Angelique Price, seems to accepts who she is with no apologies. In contrast, it seems like I've been apologizing my entire life. I suppose I know when it all started. As early as I can remember, I tried to do certain things better because no matter how hard I worked at it, I couldn't achieve the outcomes I longed for, one of which was to somehow ease the pain of my afflicted mother, my quiet father, and my brother who had a learning disability at a time when bullies and teasers went unchecked.  I always felt that I held the hope of my family, and if I could somehow decipher the riddle of how to share it, we would all survive.

No one really survived. No matter how much I smiled, how much I helped around the house, how much affection I showed my mother, how many good grades I made, how clean I kept my room, how beautiful I grew, how pleasant I remained, how organized I was, how many times I took up for my older brother in the school yard, how many veggies I ate or how high I jumped ... I failed. 

Angelique was a troubled as well; she became a "cutter." When I was younger, I'd never heard of cutting. Perhaps it's for the best. Instead, I sliced myself up via other means. I spent quite a few years desperately racing down avenues leading to self-inflicted pain and suffering. 

The paths we take in life are fascinating. Like Angelique, I was also a pre-med student in college.  Whereas she veered off into art, I barrelled through and earned my degree in Biology, despite my creative dreams. Our paths recently crossed when our art was exhibited together at a show in New York City. We both continue to move toward a dream we've stoked for years.

This week, another friend of mine mentioned how she's getting older and realizing that certain things in life haven't turned out the way she'd hoped. She wonders if it's okay that she's given up, considering that time is getting shorter and possibilities less possible. With this on my mind, I happened to hear the song, I Dreamed a Dream.



Although I'd heard it before, I'd never fully focused on the lyrics.  When it began, I thought of my friend's dying dreams as well as some of mine. I waited for what would surely be an uplifting ending, but there was none.  I was left with the empty realization that dreams can die; sometimes life kills them.

I can't do anything about that miserable truth. What I can do is make sure that I always have some kind of dream brewing. As a child, my deepest desire was to be part of a happy family; as a teen my dream was to be loved; as a college student I longed to understand what true happiness and real love actually felt like; as a young adult, I dreamed of finding positive avenues to express my emotions and the ideas they bring.

Angelique seems to have found such avenues for herself.  Like me, she no longer needs to cut herself away. 

Art soothes our pain.  Art "slays the tigers that come at night, with their voices soft as thunder, as they tear our hope apart, and turn our dream to shame."  Art grabs that pain in my gut and flings it into the never ending race of life, filled with beauty and complexity.  It leaves me satisfied like nothing else.  It pulls beauty out of shame, joy out of sorrow, meaning from corruption, and love from loneliness.

What's your story (in a nutshell)? How long did it take to establish yourself as an artist? Was the journey on a straight or twisted path? Are you surprised by your success?

Wow, my story in a nutshell ... that's tough. There is so much to tell. My childhood was traumatic causing me to be a disturbed and unhappy person throughout half of my life. I had no way of expressing myself except for when I would find a piece of paper and a pencil. I would usually draw an imaginary portrait and she would be crying. I was also a "cutter" and that would relieve my pain as well. I had planned on becoming a psychiatrist because I felt that the entire industry needed something new. After being treated like a number in a psychiatric hospital, I felt that the modern methods were not working and wanted to be a part of changing that. Graduating from high school with a 3.6 GPA, I was given a scholarship to Belmont University for Pre-Med. On the first day of class, I heard my inner voice tell me to change my major to fine art. I listened. I have been a fine artist ever since.

Ironically, I am also studying to be a Chord Therapist which is a therapy created by Dr. Roni Angel. It reprograms our cells to release what no longer serves us and replaces what does serve us. I have been a part of the therapy for 10 years and am a much healthier person because of it.

My art has also contributed to me becoming healthier. I pour myself into my work, expressing whatever it is I need to express. Sometimes I release, sometimes I transform myself with an idea, and sometimes I work with an idea to help me create that in my life.

I don't know that my journey has been straight or twisted. It has just been my journey. I have a very strong work ethic when it comes to my art. I am constantly creating. Six years ago, I developed a method of drawing with art markers that is completely original in its style. This has propelled my career and given me a lot of recognition. I still feel that I am establishing myself because I am not yet at the level of success that is my goal. I am very driven, intelligent and talented, so I have no doubt about where I am headed. I am also not surprised by the success that I have achieved. I have worked very hard for 15 years to be in the place I am now. I am very grateful though. Art is my heart. It makes my world full and alive and it keeps me inspired.

With regard to your current creative focus, was there an "ah-ha" moment you can tell us about?

Yes, the first "ah-ha" moment was when I discovered what I could do with art markers. I had never seen anything like it before. I knew I had found my medium. I am skilled with oils, acrylics, watercolors and clay, but my medium chose me. I never would have guessed it would be markers. As artists, we have to discover within us the originality we behold. My originality oozes onto paper with markers.

For you, is art more about creation or expression? It could be both, but does one dominate with regard to your need/urge/desire to be an artist and why?

My art is equally about expression and creation. It completely depends on my message and where I am in my life at that particular moment.

Many artist focus on one particular subject or style. How important is this for career development? Have you ever grown tired of painting the same types of things, and if so, can you tell us about it?


I do not follow the rules of the art world. I create whatever moves me. Thankfully, I am most moved by people so the majority of my work is portraiture of some kind. I am very passionate about nude women. Our society has made a little tiny box for beauty. It is my greatest desire to smash that box. I want women to see that they are beautiful exactly as they are. There is no box. Beauty is vast.

Do you believe some of the various attributes related to being highly creative have caused you aberrations in life, helped you deal with life's aberrations, or both?

Definitely both. Being highly creative can be debilitating and empowering. It depends on the day.

During difficult or challenging times in your life, does creating art sooth or inspire you? Is it therapeutic in any way?

It is always therapeutic as I discussed earlier. Creating always soothes and inspires me.

Have you ever had to deal with people in your life failing to understand your creative personality, interests, or drive?

Oh yes, I have had many people misunderstand me. I simply explain to them the truth about me, and they can take it or leave it. It's my life.

Have you developed a specific creative process that enables you to meet your artistic goals? If so, can you tell us about it. Where do most of your ideas come from?

My ideas come from life in general. I am often inspired by certain women and need to draw them. I am constantly inspired by my son and my husband. My son is so genuine and talented. My husband's photography is what I use to work from. We are a true team. I love digging into myself as well which is why I do so many self portraits. The other part of success in art is the business aspect. It is imperative to have an intriguing biography and artist statement. It is also important to document exhibitions, charities, publications and awards. Buyers in the art world want to know about these things. I represent myself meaning I make all of the calls and write to the galleries etc. It's a full plate. I also sell a lot of prints and I design my own t-shirts. My site for that is ELIQ.

What do you believe places an artist apart from his or her peers? So many are highly talented, but what makes one stand out as truly gifted?

Integrity and style. If an artist has no integrity, his or her art will not move anyone. If an artist does not have their own unique style, they will be lost in the crowd. Learn the rules and then break them. After that is established, work your ass off at marketing your work. You have to have the determination to do it yourself.

What is your primary motto or mantra in life? Why is this important to you?

"Whatever you do will be insignificant, but it is very important that you do it." Gandhi said that. To me, it means that I must do what is in my heart and be proud but always remember that I am just a speck as well. Humanity is equal in all ways. No one is better than anyone else. And while our actions may seem futile, they are still important. But they are not so important that we should ever become self absorbed or self righteous.

Learn more about Angelique and her art at her various websites:

eliq.mosaicglobe.com

eliq.ws

eliq.redbubble.com

New Art: Strange Days

Strange Days

24" x 30" Acrylic on Canvas

Detail Pics:

My work is currently on exhibit at 150 E. 52nd Street, NY, NY, in association with Monkdogz Urban Art. 

To see more of my work, visit my art site. 

Next up: Watch for artist Angelique Price ... this week!

New Art: Paper Doll, No. 7

 Paper Doll, No. 7

30" x 40" Acrylic on Canvas

I loved a man 

who could not touch me.

He had no hands.

He was not real.

How real am I?

Detail Pic:

To see more of my art work, go here.

Also visit 150 East 52nd Street, New York, NY, where my work is currently on display in association with Monkdogz Urban Art Gallery.

Astronomical Odds: Douglas Preston

"I know some writers who like to talk about it more than they do it, who've been writing a book for ten years."

If you've been following my blog, you know that I've been writing novels for over twenty years.  I've also been working full time, among other things that tend to suck up time.  One thing I can say for myself is that I've been consistent and dedicated.  Over the years, I've fought diligently to find time to write. 

And I have won that battle.

When I began painting three years ago, I viewed it as a crazy experiment.  With that said, I had a powerful urge for it.  All I wanted to do at that time was experience the feeling of sliding a brush dabbed in gooey paint across white canvas.  I wanted to know what that would feel like because I had so vividly experienced it in my mind.  It was similar to the desire for food, water, sex ... deep,  urgent, and animalistic.  I never believed I had the ability to create visual art despite my sometimes alarmingly active imagination.  I grew up assuming that every mind contained the same dynamic world that exists in mine.  That everyone could envision the detail, color, and complexity that I create and see in my head. 

I came to realize that's not the case. 

Just when I was beginning to think that I had pieced together the puzzle of who I am, I picked up that paint brush and bam! I realized I had only been focusing on one area of a puzzle that is much larger and more complex.  I'm still trying to understand and define my creative place in the world, but after twenty years of writing and only three years of painting, I realize that it's not exactly what I thought it was.

I don't know how many years my guest, bestselling author Douglas Preston, has been writing.  What I do know is that he's written over twenty successful books. 

In his interview, Douglas shares how he got his big start.  He was working at the American Museum of Natural History when he got a call from Lincoln Child, an editor at St. Martin's Press, asking if he'd be interested in writing a book. 

Twenty-five books later ... the rest is history.

What are the odds of that happening, you ask?  They're likely astronomical.  However, something similar happened to me.  When I was working at Johnson & Johnson, an editor from McGraw-Hill called to ask if I'd ever thought of writing a book.  The result was my first book, Six Sigma for Business Excellence.

So the immature, emotional child in me asks with a pout on my face, "How does Douglas now have twenty-five books published and I have only two?" 

The adult visionary in me replies, "Who cares?  Things happen for a reason."  I'm content with my journey, no matter how hard fought it may be.  My philosophy is that if I keep moving down my own personal road, I'll eventually reach my destination.  I don't care how many years it takes.  It is what it is.  I am who I am.  I don't need to be Douglas Preston, or any other fantastic author out there.  I'd only fail where they succeeded. 

I have failed where they succeeded.

After just three years of painting, this month my work is being shown in an international art show in New York City curated by Monkdogz Urban Art, one of the top contemporary art galleries in the world.  I've been told that the odds of that happening are beyond astronomical. 

My third book, Centerpieces, will be launched this summer. 



What's your writing story?

I had been writing a column in the magazine Natural History, published by the Museum, where I worked. An editor from St. Martin's Press named Lincoln Child, who had been reading my pieces, called me up and asked if I wanted to write a history of the Museum. I said yes -- and that became my first book, Dinosaurs in the Attic. After the book was published, I gave Linc a tour of the Museum -- at midnight. I showed him all the best places in the Museum to which I had access--the dinosaur bone storage room, the collection of 30,000 rats in jars of alcohol, the whale eyeball collection, the preserved mastodon stomach with its last meal inside, and a lot of other unusual things. We ended up in the Hall of Late Dinosaurs around 2:00 a.m., with only the emergency lights on, the great black skeletons looming in the darkness around us--and Linc turned to me and said: "Doug, this is the scariest damn building in the world. Let's write a thriller set in here." And that was the birth of Relic, and of our partnership.

Was there someone in particular who inspired you to love books and/or take an interest in writing?

There are certain teachers and librarians who encouraged me -- most particularly the late Darcy O'Brien, who was a professor at Pomona College where I went to school. He was writing his novel, A Way of Life, Like Any Other, when I took a creative writing class from him, and he shared with us the drafts of his novel. It was an extraordinary experience. His novel was rejected by 26 publishers and finally published--and then it won the prestigious Hemingway Award! So he was both a great teacher and a lesson in the perversity of the publishing business.

Where do most of your creative ideas come from?

They come from every direction -- from personal experience to articles in magazines, news stories, factoids on the web, and most of all from my extensive world travels. The key is always being open to a new idea, because we are surrounded by a sea of brilliant ideas, if only we can open our eyes and see them.

With regard to your current creative focus, was there an "ah-ha" moment you can tell us about?

I was doing research on potter's fields when I came across a strange factoid: that in New York City, sometimes limbs amputated in hospitals are not treated as medical waste, but are placed in a small coffin and buried on Hart Island, New York City's enormous potters field. I called up Linc and in twenty minutes we had worked out the basic plot to Gideon's Sword.

Do you believe some of the various attributes related to being highly creative have caused you aberrations in life, helped you deal with life's aberrations, or both? How so?

Both. It may have made me difficult to deal with at times, but I find the writer's life to be ideal, for me, if a bit lonely, and I have no regrets.

Have you ever had to deal with people in your life failing to understand your creative personality, interests, or drive? If so, can you tell us about it and how you've dealt with it?

Sometimes people don't respect a writer's working time. I've been interrupted by people in the middle of the day for various trivial things -- people who, for example, would never call me in the middle of the day if I were a corporate lawyer or an auto mechanic. But that's rare. My family has always been very supportive. They get it.

Have you developed a specific creative process that enables you to meet your writing goals? If so, can you tell us about it, and also share any thoughts you may have on the role discipline and organization play in reaching creative goals?

Writing is like exercise or playing the violin: you have to do it every day. You have to carve out uninterrupted time. And then you have to have the discipline to stay at your desk and write, write, write. I know some writers who like to talk about it more than they do it, who've been writing a book for ten years. Sorry, unless you're writing Ulysses I don't buy it. Discipline is huge. Even after twenty five books, I find myself looking for every excuse not to write.

You're written both as a solo author, and as part of a team. What are some of the advantages and disadvantages of both scenarios?

Writing with a partner has a lot of advantages. You have someone to brainstorm with, bounce ideas off, not to mention a partner who shares your triumphs and tragedy. Writing is a lonely business. The downside is that you share credit for a piece of work. But for me, that's not at all a problem. Linc is the best writing partner anyone could ask for.

You've also written both fiction and nonfiction. How do you see creativity playing a role in nonfiction?

Creativity plays a huge role in nonfiction. Real life is messy, formless, sprawling, and mostly boring. The key with nonfiction is to extract the story from this formless mass, to boil it down to its key elements, to order it so the reader can follow it--and on top of that, to be absolutely accurate both in fact and in spirit. This to me is more difficult than fiction and it takes a great creativity.

What's next for Douglas Preston?

I'm working with Linc on a new Gideon novel, Gideon's Corpse. We're having a wonderful time writing this book.

What is your primary motto or mantra in life? Why is this important to you?

Compassion. The word says it all.

New Art: Paper Doll, No. 6

 Paper Doll, No. 6

16" x 40" Acrylic on Canvas, Mixed Media

Details Pics:

To see more of my Paper Doll Series and my other art work, go here.

My art will be shown by Monkdogz Urban Art in SEIZE, an international art exhibition, this weekend!  To learn more, go here. 

Next week on Aberration Nation:  Douglas Preston, author of Gideon's Sword and The Monster of Florence!