FREEDOM!

It's been a CRAZY year! It's over now! I start my Senior Year next term, woooohooooo! Thanks everyone for your support. It's awesome to know you guys are there. Xoxo

Here are a few snapshots of finals:

My Influences

As an artist I am influenced by many incredible artists, I see them as teachers because the more I look at them, the more I learn from them.

There has been another type of artistic influence in my case, my family, we are a family of artists. My Dad, brother and my grandmother all had the artistic gene.  I remember my Mom taught me how to draw a profile, I was about four and I still remember that moment. Here are a few images so that you can see what I'm talking about.

This is my Dad, Abel Reynoso in the 60's in Puebla Mexico when he was featured in Life Magazine

This is a mural my Dad painted for a church in Mexico

This was painted by my grandmother, Maria del Socorro Loya when she was a teenager.

This is the official 1984 Olympics poster painted by my brother, Abel Reynoso Jr.

Thanks for stopping by! xoxo

A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

I am learning how to do Tarot readings. The Tarot is a tool to receive otherworldly messages. I did a reading on myself and decided to interpret and paint the reading. It was a simple three card "past, present, future" reading and what was revealed was astonishing! On this post I will show you what my present revealed. "A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing" is the message from the "present" card. It told me to beware and know that not all is what it seems!

Here I am blocking in colors for the underpainting. 

My boys helping me make some stars in the sky. 

The final piece!

Face detail. 

Thanks for stopping by!

A Day In the Life of Marybel Martin

A Day in the Life of Marybel Martin is a group of very personal watercolors dedicated to illustrating where my mind is on any given day. Enjoy!

"A Garden in Her Hair" is my dream state, this is when I'm sleeping and recharging. The banner says: Los sueños se hacen realidad si crees en ellos… siempre" - Dreams come true if you believe in them… always.

"The Cleanse" is the daily ritualistic bath and grooming, it's not only physical, it's a mental and spiritual cleanse as well.

"Staying Grounded" Is the balanced, grounded and unattached state that is best for making major decisions. If you look closely, there are two little birds… those are my boys.

"Vipassana" Is meditation, where one is in observation and peace.

Have You Visited My Website?

I've had a website for years now. Unlike a blog, a website is more difficult to update. I've recently had Pop Studios update the site to reflect more of the current work I've been doing. Why don't you stop by when you have a moment?

http://www.marybelmartin.com

Angel With Devil Eyes

I am working on a series of portraits of women with their favorite animal and flower. This one is of my friend Caroline. Here is a series of photos of the progress. The title comes from a strange experience Caroline and I shared. Caroline and I were doing some community work years ago. A man stopped Caroline and grabbed her by the arm, "you've got devil eyes" he sneered, then he let her go. "That's not the first time someone tells me that", she said, and we laughed. 

This is the rough sketch/idea.

Working on the underpainting

A daffodil field

Baby elephant, work in progress

One of the birds holding the banner

Face detail

The finished painting!

Sweet Sorrow

My dear Aunt Olga (Tia Nena) left us yesterday. She was a great woman and a dear friend. It was a day a reflection about life and death, about what we are and why we are here. Our time here is brief and death teaches us that time, possessions and our bodies are not eternal. Live life as if it were your last day.

Making Movies

As a child I loved making home videos with my sisters, Adriana and Stella. We would dress up and create skits. We would make movies into the wee hours of the night and we had so much fun! I've decided to go back to this creative outlet. During my Vipassana meditation retreat, I thought up this sassy, latina character named Carmen. Last night she came to life! Take a look at my YouTube channel:

http://www.youtube.com/user/marybelmama or click here:

La Chica "Self Esteem"

La Chica "Introduction"

La Chica "Boredom"

La Chica "Gifts from Gentleman"

Roadtrip Car Drawings

I went on a cross-country road trip, and when it was my turn to be in the passenger seat I got to draw. Driving through our beautiful country is quite inspiring, the beautiful fields with crops and animals, the bodies of water, and the gorgeous cities and towns, what a treat! The trip started in Oregon and ended in New York. It was truly unforgettable!

Little Bit Of This and a Little Bit of That

Here are a few pieces from the past few weeks. You can also see more recent posts on my Instagram account Marybelm or my Marybel Martin Artist page on Facebook! Thanks for visiting!

One Of a Kind

The PNCA Gala is an annual event to raise funds for our school. It's a black tie event and the who's who of Portland is always in attendance.

I wanted to wear something special this year. My friend Jonathan Bermudez offered to make me a dress! We chose a style and he got to work! After some fittings, the beautiful dress was finished!

I wanted to add a special touch to it to make it edgy and fun. I took inspiration from Alexander McQueen and decided to do this…

In the end the dress looked extraordinary! One of a kind and fabulous!

We had a fabulous time at the gala and the dress was a success!

World famous singer, KD Lang sang for us, it was beautiful! 

A fantastic night filled with fun!

The End Has Come

My head is still spinning from the past few weeks. Between finishing finals and a horrendous back ache I feel like I just completed Iron Man. I am now half way through my junior year. I cannot believe it! Now time to paint and make some more art. Here are some snapshots of finals week. Enjoy!

This painting is called "Stay Until You Grow"

These are part of my Expanded Field final. We had to collaborate with someone. I worked with a naturopath and I did a performance piece on Integrative Medicine. I'm waiting on the photos taken during the performance. I'll post them when I get them. 

My ceramics cups! We made these using an extruder. 

Of course, Gold Biggie...

Chaos in the studio. 

Painting my last piece!

The crew at the end of year party at PNCA. 

Finals! Again...

Just two more weeks of craziness and this too shall pass... Here are three finals I'm working on, I'll show you the final pieces soon! Wish me luck!