I just uploaded a new video to my You Tube channel. The video is a collection of moments from my spring break off from teaching art. During spring break I completed a few projects, took lots of walks and worked on a mural for Seal Beach Animal Care Center. I took short videos throughout the week and put them all together so you can take a peek inside the life of an illustrator. Click on photo below to go to the video.

This weekend my friend and I went exploring downtown L.A. and stopped at an art show called the Fabrik Expo. I hardly ever take the time to explore new art venues and I want to change that this year.  The event was held in the Downtown warehouse district and it was pretty hidden but once we found parking and went inside we were greeted with a wonderful variety of artistic styles. Some of the artists were set up outside so they could be working on artwork. According to their website the purpose of the Fabrik Expo is to give artists to show in a gallery setting that might not otherwise get a chance. We really enjoyed talking to all the different artists about their artwork and what inspires 

This is a photo of Hong Kong artist Cassian Kai Shun Lau working on a mural.
them to create. It was also a chance to have a conversation about our own artwork and future goals.
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One artist that we stopped to talk to for a long time was Rhea Carmi. She was full of energy and was so excited to tell us about her process. She creates artwork using a variety of materials like oil, sand, wood, water, paper, and canvas. She mixes all the materials and layers them to create abstract pieces that look like natural patterns seen in nature due to erosion. She even had us touch her paintings to feel the textures. It was such a unique idea to be invited to touch an artwork. She told us she pours the different materials onto the canvas and then moves the canvas around as she adds layers, the canvases paint themselves. You can view her work at rheacarmi.com.
The Expo was a great chance to check out new artists and talk about different art events in L.A. I am making it a goal this year to get more involved in my art community.  

To check out more about the Fabric Expo please visit: fabrikexpo.com

*This is not a sponsored post

I created a new You Tube channel to share my art projects and other videos about art supplies and tutorials. Like I have said in previous posts, I really enjoy watching other artist's videos about what they do, the supplies they use and any tips and tricks they have.
I have been creating video tutorials for my art students and I have really enjoyed filming them and editing them so I thought I would give it a try for my personal artwork as well. My first video is about the new service called SketchBox. It is a box that comes once a month in the mail with art supplies to try out. I received the SketchBox for my birthday and I have a few more months to try it. So far I really like the idea of it. Check out my video to get full details and my review.

Click on photo for link to my channel.

"I can't do this." "This is too hard." "I am not good at art." These are all the most common phrases I hear when I am teaching art. I always answer them with something like, "That is why we are doing art so you can explore art and get more comfortable with it." I totally identify with the students because that is how I always felt about doing math assignments. I hated math pretty much from 4th grade until college, when after failing the same math class 2 times, I took the same course again with a different teacher and suddenly I just got it! It was amazing. I still don't consider myself someone that likes doing math but I feel like I can finally understand that if I am shown how to do something in a style that works for me and I practice I can actually understand math.
So many of my students stop trying to do any art before they even try it. I love teaching art because it really inspires me to challenge myself to think up new ways of explaining how to do art and use materials I don't use all the time. I really enjoy working in ink and watercolor but I love to explore all ways of creating art. When I went into college for art I didn't pick a specific style to work in. I think it has been very useful that I can produce an artwork in all types of mediums and choose what medium works best for the idea I am trying to get across.
The scariest medium for me is acrylic paint. I just don't get how to make it look right. I have always avoided using it. So I bought a large canvas recently and decided to paint a succulent for my office with acrylic paint. Immediately those thoughts came up, "This is too hard...I'm not an acrylics artist." I felt just like my students. It's not that I am not an acrylic paint artist, it is that I have not done much practice with acrylics and the only way to get better is to practice. I got my easel out of the garage and set it up in my office/studio space and started working. I painted to a point, the point when I would get frustrated and it wasn't fun. I stepped away and didn't go back until I sounded like fun again. I am currently in the process of painting the succulent and it isn't coming out how I imagined but it is my own creation. Currently it sits half finished until I start on it again, maybe this weekend.

I am going to post more in progress photos of different work so I can share what I am up to.in this blog. I think it is important to share as I go to keep me in practice and motivated.