Commencement !

I just posted some pics on my facebook, check them :) 

I've been done with college since last December but my commencement ceremony is this Saturday coming up. I'm very excited as I have formally completed my BFA in Communication Design.
Over the past five years, I have followed the design program at Buffalo State, which is graphic design, illustration, and motion graphics oriented. At the same time, I have developed freelance projects in performing arts as a video jockey and installation artist.  I cannot thank enough my family and friends for supporting me all these years and believing in my hard work and crazy visions. YAY!   

Orchid Vectors.

I made these vector orchids for my boyfriend, who was in need of a new banner for his orchid group. It was super fun to work with flower shapes and colors. Have a great spring everybody!!!

Allentown Art Festival, poster entry

I heard there was a local poster contest for the Allentown Art Festival and so whether I win or not, designing things for the sake of stimulation and practice is always good.
Soooo, I made a small Allentown planet! I've been playing around with this technique lately and I'm happy that I finally was able to use it for a poster. Wish me luck :)

Spring Love!

It finally looks like spring out there. Here is a graphic I did yesterday. The hibiscus flower is taken from a photograph I took at the Botanical gardens last week. Winter was kind of long this year and I cannot wait for more spring and summer weather!!!!

One more planet :)

Small Planets are so cool and I'm having so much fun making them! here is one with the Albright Knox Art Gallery.  :) 

Botanical Garden World.

I went to the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens this week. Last time I was there, they had a great winter themed poinsettia display, but this time the gardens were getting ready to sprout tulips as Spring is here!! Even though we still have some snow on the ground, the botanical gardens offer a nice escape into a tropical and colorful space. 

This is a small world I did using a panoramic picture I took of the Botanical Garden's front view. It's an easy process, and the result is a fun world view, it kind of put things into perspective :)FLOWER POWER!!!!

Peep Show Hot Mess!

Squeaky Wheel is hosting its HOT MESS-themed art-party at DNIPRO Ukrainian Center this Saturday, February 23rd.  I will participate with a video installation, this is the second time I am showing this piece but I am adding some new mapped animations to it. This event is going to be one of a kind. Media artist will be filling the three story building with installations in addition to food and music.
Check out more about this event here. Don't forget to mark your attendance on facebook and also check out Buffalo Rising for more coverage of the pre and post event production.  See you there :)

Plankton Space Attack!

This is a poster for a DnB jam next month featuring Mistanoize (UK). He has immaculate skills on the decks, which has awarded him winning places at both RAMM100 Dj Mixcloud Competition, and Drum&Bass Arena Kam. Incorporating sounds across the bass music spectrum, he is known for mixing on three decks, track after track. This is his first USA tour, so come to hear what he has in his bag for us. Also on the bill is Hoogs, who is one of the most active Jump up producers in WNY. His Dj sets are always a gem, delivering nothing else but the freshest dance-floor oriented sounds. Local Support is also provided by top dubstep Buffalo Dj  Big Basha, the guy behind all the Frosty Tone events. Emjay Biggz, (all vinyl set) and Jon All Day (all vinyl set) will warm up the night.. I'll be running the projections using original and other artists' visual works.

For this event, the house will also offer a Mexican buffet, get there early and enjoy some food, along with drum and bass music, and visual displays.

Here's a mix by Mistanoize, check out his soundcloud :)

 

The flyer is inspired on plankton life forms, and out of this world sounds. I used a turntable illustration from a previous exhibit as the main concept, adding some line objects and shapes.

DANZANTES IN MEXICO CITY

During my trip to Mexico I had the opportunity to visit the Basilica with my family. I couldn't help but notice a peculiar mix of traditional Catholic masses with ancient pagan rituals, that can be seen around the main plaza. These kind of rituals or performances by native people from Mexico City feature dances, incense, feathers, religious objects, music, and various other traditional elements. This is a way of preserving the ancient culture's traditions and I find it fascinating. It is like looking through a window and seeing what it was like hundreds of years ago. Such rituals were aimed to pleased the Gods. These ceremonies also celebrated natural phenomenons such as equinoxes, rain periods, eclipses, and other celestial events in order to mark harvest seasons, sacrifices, and war periods. Nowadays, these dances are held in big plazas where people can witness what the culture was like before the arriving of the Spanish Conquistadors to Mexico City in the 16th century. Another place where one can see these "danzantes" warriors is the Zocalo, right in the heart of Mexico City. 
Here are some pictures I took of these modern dancers which display numerous costumes full of rich colors and cultural significance. It was a delight to watch.

The End of the 13th Baktun

The National Institute of Anthropology and History from Mexico reported zero deaths in the Mayan area and Teotihuacan (Aztec temple area) after thousands of people attended ceremonies and rituals around archeological areas.

Researchers of these pre-Columbian cultures have repeatedly stated that the interpretation of the end of the wold by the Mayan culture is wrong since their calendars do not mention December 21st, 2012 at all, and rather refer to a monolith from the Tabasco area, which indicates that the long count calendar of 5,125 years completes a cycle.

Earlier this year, Erik Velasquez, researcher at the National University, explained that the concept of the end of the world was unknown to the Mayans because for them "time was deep into the past and into the future."Commercial and Economical Interest fed the so called "end of the world" with low information websites, blogs, movies, etc.

On the other hand, concepts such as renovation, consciousness, oneness, belonging, and spirituality are all part of this new cycle.

(picture by El Proceso) 

Thx Hospital

I've been a fan of Hospital Records for a long time, and I can even say I remember their first podcast thinking I would do my best to not miss any. Thanks to iTunes I've caught up with them all. Music as a source of inspiration has always been there with me while working on my visual art.

Earlier this year I took a ceramics class where I modeled some animals, robots, did some mugs and other figures. This Hospital logo modeling represents my appreciation to drum and bass tracks that have come out of this label.
In one podcast I heard Tony Colman say that he would not come to America anymore so seeing London Elektricity in Toronto was def one of the highlights of my summer. This cute little clay creation is my office among other inspiring objects. Mad love to Hospital and their sick music!!!

BFA Communication Design

I'm officially done with college! the last assignment was a paper due today on Simone de Beauvoir's philosophy of love. Design-wise my last projects, a demo reel and a group 3d movie were finished this week too. It definitely took me a while to go through the program but it was definitely worth it and i can't wait for future endeavors. Much love to all my family and friends for all their support these past years, and of course this goes to my mom and brother always looking up for me wherever I am. 

Still Moving, An Interactive Installation.

When I VJ, people often ask me if I'm playing music, or what do I do with a keyboard next to a dj or a band bouncing up and down. Being a VJ goes beyond just playing video loops at festivals and music events. I engage with the content I project by making video loops from scratch.  Drawing digital illustrations, shooting video, and making loops out of them is a creative process I am sharing with everybody through an interactive installation, Still Moving. Guests can play a midi controller's keys and see them trigger videos on a projection's screen. Each of the 14 keys triggers moving images that represent a piece of artwork hung on the first section of the gallery. Keyboard guides will be provided the day of the event, so that one can identify the still images with its moving version. 

This installation is my senior show as I am about to complete the communication design program at Buffalo State College. Inspiration for this project comes from organic shapes such as leaves and animals, to aztec pyramids and molecules. This is a public event and it will remain up in the gallery for a week. 

Come check out the opening reception on Friday Nov. 30th.  Projex, Big Basha, and Potent will provide live Dj sets for the night, some appetizers and wine will be provided too. I'm of course super excited! 

Here is write up about this, and other  student senior shows. 

Design Process.

Getting a balanced flyer design, its process, options and final version. This was for Bassdrip by NuSkoolPirates :)

Final 

Instagram Web Profile

 

Now Instagram has web profiles, check mine here, I've been posting sneak peaks of the artworks to be included in the Still Moving exhibit. Check it and follow me :) 
          

    

get weird glasses

London Elektricity, much love!

Watching this video makes me happy, London Elektricity and NuTone at Digital Dreams.

LOVE: from type design to video installation.

This saturday I showed a piece, "Love", at the City of Night festival. The event was open to the public, and it showcased local artists from print, and digital media, to music, installation, and performance. The concept of sustainability, art, and public involvement was definitely a success in this first year, and it plants a very strong seed for years to come. 



So for this installation exhibit i created "Love".

The Communication Design program at Buffalo State College has inspired me to explore typographic solutions, and use words as shapes for projecting videos and animations of my own authorship.

in this installation, a mix of organic and digital processes come together with hand sewn letters using cotton and wood, creating a surface to project on. 

"Love will also be part of next week's Music is Art Festival, in which I am doing live video mixing set from 8 to 9pm on the Lake Stage. Come have some music and art with the family :) 

Each letter displayed a different video, with effects applied to them individually. The large ammount of combinations turned out very interesting and fun to play with, and of course, I played some archived Basslover radio shows in the background :) 

This is an initial idea from when i started sketching out the type's proportions.

After all, installation art is about people interacting with the work, and it was great to see the public having fun around the projections, making shadow shapes, taking pics or just hanging out around it.  Much Love! 

Thanks to Nico for the .gif 

hey visual artists, photographers, or anyone who would like to display their work in this year's 10th Anniversary Music is Art Festival, Get at me! I'm looking for like-minded artists who want to showcase and/or sell original artworks. :)

HAPPY B-DAY TO ME!

So for my b-day, Im treating myself with a Sunday ticket for Digital Dreams. The line up both days is amazing though. RAGING!!! 
(sunday line up)

 London Elektricity & Dynamte MC
 Nu:Tone
Terravita
Marcus Visionary
 Rene Lavice
 Hydee
 Everfresh
 Lush
 The Blizz
Hosted by JD & Trajady