ART STEPPING STONES

Beijing opera, China

2012-02-03T14:40:00.000-08:00

soft pastels on pastel paper 24x18in.

From my series People and Places.

Beijing opera Wip 2

2012-02-02T16:52:00.000-08:00

soft pastels on pastel paper 24x18in.

Beijing opera Wip

2012-02-01T16:53:00.000-08:00

pastel on Canson mi teintes 24x18in.

Sadhu saint from India

2012-01-30T15:16:00.000-08:00

soft pastels on pastel paper 13x19in.

Maramures shepherd

2012-01-22T17:44:00.000-08:00

soft pastel 13x19in.

work in progress

Art for Humanity: Peace and Tolerance for Elena Malec

2012-01-18T09:14:00.000-08:00

The South African magazine Art for Humanity published my art on their facebook page and blog.

Art for Humanity: Peace and Tolerance for Elena Malec

soft pastel on canvas

2012-01-16T16:57:00.000-08:00

more blending with the fingers then fresh pastel applied with the side of the chalk directly on canvas.

the lines that you see have been rubbed with the finger.

the step that is missing here was wet pastel on canvas pad which came out muddy.

I simply skipped taking a photo.I should had if I didn't think my painting was ruined,

Departing from my own composition in watercolor I started a fuzzy realism project in soft pastel on canvas pad 9x12in.

Above are my steps.

tiny Art for your Valentine

2012-01-13T14:01:00.000-08:00

This exhibition will be at Avantgarden gallery in Santa Ana, CA in February. Just submitted three pieces and got approved.Here they are:

forever happiness - colored pencils

a valentine coo - soft pastel

roses for her - watercolor

They all measure 9x12in.

They are for sale and exposure but only three Saturdays in February.

Wish me luck.

a surprise publication in Yareah magazine

2012-01-11T12:01:00.000-08:00

Yareah magazine

thanks to Isabel del Rio art editor for featuring my flowers in issue 21 of the magazine.

homage to Picasso revisited

2012-01-10T17:19:00.000-08:00

the innocence of the artist soul, the child, the woman, peace and beauty here it is what my homage to Picasso is all about.

soft pastels on mat board 13x19in.

working on a pastel based on an idea of mine from 2010.

Work in progress.

flower girl in Varanasi, India

2012-01-09T15:22:00.000-08:00

I just added one more step which i believe is final.The idea behind this kind of loose pastel art is to create open pieces that is at any time you stop it can be considered a painting in itself. From a few strokes to more complex shapes and light impressionism is shown in this technique as open form.In this respect accuracy to likeness, precison, reliasm, dissapear and much is left to the imagination of the viewr who can add with their eyes the roundness of complete pictures.

the loose pastel work I am doing lately is open art, at any time you can stop and at any time you can add more strokes for more definition.

soft pastels on pastel paper 13x19in.

from my series People and Places.

here is the inspiration for this beautiful girl

Nubian village woman, Egypt

2012-01-08T14:00:00.000-08:00

An impressionistic soft pastel after my photo from Egypt in 2008.

13x19in.

coin mask from Cameroon

2012-01-06T17:35:00.000-08:00

oil pastels on pastel paper 13x19in.

mask from Ghana finished

2012-01-04T18:24:00.001-08:00

colored pencils on pastel paper 13x19in.

a Tee from zazzle for you

2012-01-04T10:01:00.000-08:00

Elena Malec

http://www.zazzle.com/elenamalec

mask from Ghana

2012-01-03T17:05:00.000-08:00

this is a mask from Ghana displayed in the Casa de Africa museum in Havana, Cuba. As I could not take pictures in the museum I had to sketch it there before i drew it here in colored pencils on pastel paper 13x19in.

the peanut seller in Havana, Cuba

2012-01-01T10:14:00.000-08:00

soft pastels on pastel paper 13x19in.

my first painting in 2012.

see her singing in my video in Plaza Vieja in old Havana, Cuba.

the peanut seller

on a plane from Cancun, Mexico to USA

2011-12-30T20:06:00.001-08:00

from a magazine

Casa de Africa, Havana, CUBA

2011-12-30T20:05:00.000-08:00

these were gifts to Fidel castro from different African leaders.

sketches from Varadero, Cuba

2011-12-30T20:01:00.000-08:00

sketches from imagination on the beach in Varadero, Cuba 2011.

Noel card

2011-11-28T16:56:00.000-08:00

watercolor, gold marker, glitter on watercolor greeting card 5x7in.

a fresh cut

2011-11-27T14:24:00.001-08:00

watercolor on watercolor pad 9x12in.

a happy santa

2011-11-25T22:37:00.000-08:00

watercolor pencils and acrylics on watercolor pad 9x12in.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T17:45:00.000-08:00

my food decorations for Thanksgiving.

Materials: fresh and cooked vegetables and fruit.Tools:paring knife.

yet another Nativity card

2011-11-19T15:57:00.000-08:00

watercolor pencils wet and dry and gold pen on Canson greeting card 5x7in.

watercolor wip

2011-11-18T17:34:00.000-08:00

watercolor and gold pen on canson watercolor greeting card 5x7in.

This is a four steps wip in which madonna was inspired by byzantine icon and the baby is from my imagination.

Nativity greeting card wip

2011-11-16T15:48:00.000-08:00

wet and dry watercolor pencils and gold pen on canson watercolor greeting card 5x7in.

Published in Shangri-La Shack Literary Arts Journal

2011-11-15T10:50:00.000-08:00

Shangri-la Shack Literary Arts Journal

the print edition

deer project

2011-11-14T14:49:00.000-08:00

adding a background in acrylics and some pastel pencils strokes.

adding oil pastel to the hands

hands in acrylics

first layer acrylics

outline of my baby fawn in watercolor pencils on canvas panel 9x12in.

colored pencil portrait

2011-11-13T22:29:00.000-08:00

watercolor pencils portrait of my niece in Cuba.Watercolor pad 9x12in.

new life

2011-11-12T17:59:00.000-08:00

acrylics and gold leaf on canvas panel 8x10in.

madonna and child

2011-11-12T09:29:00.000-08:00

mixed media on canvas panel 9x12in.

Russian dolls

2011-11-09T15:49:00.000-08:00

acrylics, tempera, colored pencils, liquid gold leaf and glitter on canvas panel 8x10in.

russian dolls wip

2011-11-08T16:31:00.000-08:00

matrioshka dolls

2011-11-06T18:12:00.000-08:00

mixed media on canvas panel 9x12in.

Russian doll for Christmas

2011-11-04T22:54:00.000-07:00

prismacolor Colored pencils on pastel pad 9x12in.

Guan Yin or the Goddess of Mercy

2011-10-23T14:52:00.000-07:00

colored pencils and oil pastel and pinch of glitter on canson Mi-teintes paper 13x19in.

chinese bodhisattva project

2011-10-22T22:23:00.000-07:00

colored pencils and oil pastels work.

People and places series

2011-10-20T18:08:00.000-07:00

My People and places series in soft pastels has now 20 pieces completed.

They measure between 12x18 and 18x24in.

A street in Balat, Istanbul, Turkey

2011-10-19T16:31:00.000-07:00

soft pastels on pastel paper 13x19in.

From my series People and Places.

hazel eyes

2011-10-18T19:41:00.000-07:00

tintes charcoals, sepia, sanguine pencils on Canson bristol pad 9x12in.

painting a luzzu boat in Malta

2011-10-17T17:16:00.000-07:00

soft pastels on pastel paper, 13x19in.From my series People and places.

black madonna and child

2011-10-12T16:02:00.000-07:00

sanguine, tinted charcoals and metallic colored pencils on black pastel pad 9x12in.

metallic colored pencils on black pastel pad 9x12in.

madonna and child

2011-10-11T17:14:00.000-07:00

coffee, cocoa, pomegranate juice, tinted charcoal, sanguine, sepia, gold and copper metallic pencils on watercolor pad 9x12in.

on canvas pad 9x12in.The white map of Cuba is for making a gift in Havana for Christmas.

sepia sanguine sketches

2011-10-11T14:12:00.000-07:00

inspired by the fresco of Francisco Laurana from the cathedral in Amalfi

after a famous painting at Pompei, Italy

from imagination

all sketches are 9x12 in. and have been done on a plane to USA, summer 2011.

more dolls

2011-10-10T19:32:00.000-07:00

crayola metallic colored pencils and white on black pastel pad 9x12in.

Venetian doll drawing

2011-10-08T19:48:00.000-07:00

This is a Christmas gift for my best friend in two pencils gold and one silver and some white,pink, brown hues.After a Venetian doll on my wall.On pastel pad 9x12in.

sepia sanguine pencils

2011-10-05T20:43:00.000-07:00

sketches on a plane to Italy, august 2011.

street life inTrinidad, Cuba

2011-10-04T12:18:00.000-07:00

from my series People and Places.

soft pastels on pastel paper 13x19in.

Buddhist offerings, Luoyang, China

2011-10-01T10:20:00.000-07:00

based on my travel photo from China.

13x19in. pastel on paper

a pastel in progress

2011-09-30T18:44:00.000-07:00

working on a pastel from my series People and places.

cuba caliente

2011-09-28T12:33:00.000-07:00

mixed media on canvas pad 16x20in.

The acrylics primed canvas was painted over in black tempera then added acrylics, oil pastels, soft pastels.

new art nouveau project

2011-09-25T14:11:00.000-07:00

this is a sketch of a new piece in art nouveau style, called Cuba linda.

My original composition and stylization.

"Love and protect" in acrylic paints

2011-09-24T12:34:00.000-07:00

This is the final stage of my painting finished in acrylic 95%. I will post the changes in case i modify the painting.

"love and protect" acrylic wip

2011-09-23T18:44:00.000-07:00

I came over the acylic with oil pastel.

This is a 20 x16in. canvas pad.The woman is painted in raw umber.

starting with first layer of color for the background.

applying acrylic.

then wetting the brushing and getting a feeling of the color version.

coloring gently with watercolor pencils.

drawing done.

First step placing the cutout on the canvas and drawing the contours.

love and protect

2011-09-21T17:17:00.000-07:00

a colored pencils version of my "love and protect" piece on black pastel pad 12x18in.

Love and nurturing is embodied in this mixed race couple and baby who are free to love each other in a free of prejudice world.

Blue symbolism associates blue with freedom, strength and new beginnings. Blue skies are emblematic of optimism and better opportunities. Blue is the color of loyalty and faith. Blue is power. Blue is also the color of protection.

The complementary color orange it is associated with joy, sunshine, Freedom and expression of emotions. comfort, and enjoyment of the senses.

Peacock feathers are a symbol of good luck and well-being.

My entry qualified for the peace project

2011-09-21T10:03:00.000-07:00

My entry "look Africa in the eyes" qualified for the peace project 2011.

http://www.thewhole9.com/thepeaceproject-home.php

stylization and the art nouveau style

2011-09-20T19:36:00.000-07:00

Working for an art nouveau piece for a painting on canvas.The art nouveau style is all new to me and this is the very first attempt of line drawing and concept in this style.

This is meant to express the right or the freedom to love for a themed art contest.

The drawing is 9x12in.

Growing up in America

2011-09-20T14:29:00.000-07:00

My original composition with children of different ethnic backgrounds flying a kite in America.

For a competition with the theme: I have the right to Freedom.

Soft pastels on pastels paper 24x18in.

Have been published in Art Network News Quarterly

2011-09-19T20:38:00.000-07:00

The American Art Jury Salon approved my portfolio and published 5 of my paintings from my series People and Places.

http://www.allartcom.com/EmergingArtists/MalecSeptember11.html

Setting free the bluebird of happiness

2011-09-14T10:31:00.000-07:00

An Iranian girl releases the blue bird of happiness from cage somewhere in Isfahan.
A blue bird is a universal symbol of cheerfulness, happiness, hope, renewal and the pious Muslim girl who kept it captive in a her house decides one day to set the bird free.
For an art contest on the theme Freedom of expression.
The message is that young people of Iran express their freedom to choose hope, happiness, renewal for their country.
My own composition in Soft pastels on pastel paper 18×24in.

The African dream

2011-09-10T10:52:00.000-07:00

this is an oil pastel painting on pastel paper 19x13in. For a juried exhibition.

my art published in Tiferet journal

2011-09-09T14:11:00.000-07:00

The print edition of Tiferet journal published again my art in the august issue.

Rudolph Valentino sketch

2011-08-12T12:57:00.000-07:00

sepia sanguine pencils on canson bristol XL 9x12in.

Peace project 2011

2011-08-11T13:24:00.000-07:00

My entry for the Peace project 2011.

Look Africa in the Eyes!

call for artists

2011-08-09T11:59:00.000-07:00

The Siena Art Institute has a call for artists for an inaugural exhibition in the fall, this year.
Here are my entries I sent by mail to be printed in the catalogue and displayed in the library.
http://www.sienaart.org/call-for-submissions.html

They are all postcards 4x6in in different media.

colored pencils on bristol board yellow

watercolor pencils and soft pastels on watercolor paper

watercolor and soft pastels

watercolor pencils on watercolor paper

a gondola in Venice, Italy

2011-08-02T10:38:00.000-07:00

soft pastel on pastel paper Canson Mi-teintes 13x19in.

From my series People and places.

What is a WIP about

2011-08-01T20:03:00.001-07:00

A WIP or work in progress is a step by step project that describes how a piece of artwork has been created from scratch usually illustrating the steps with photos taken during creation.
Wips can be posted by both the beginner artist and the expert. It just illustrates the creation process and it is not in any way regarded as the right way or the only way to make art.
Some WIPs are just a series of photos of the steps of a project. Others are more detailed acounts of what happens at each stage of creation.
Some WIPs give insight in the usage of a medium, a certain technique or a blend of techniques.
Some explanations are given by the artist regarding his choices in palette, style, technique or elements of a work against a reference image or just with respect to a subject.Other artists document an original style and approach.
The usual menu of a WIP includes information on:
- medium, support, size, source of inspiration, the story behind the painting or the one in the making
- discussion of composition where necessary
- techniques employed in the art piece
- considerations regarding the subject
- a rationale for the choices made by the artist at different stages of his project
- color mixing inside info in certain media
- matting or framing details in some cases
A WIP is most of times a palpable, hands on project that develops under our eyes from a blank sheet of paper or canvas to the gallery piece or finished work.
For some a WIP can be an experiment for most it is applied theory and a unique experience as each artwork takes a life of its own.
The difference between a WIP and a tutorial rests on the amount of expertise you possess in a medium or genre.Any art student can put together a WIP. Yet most tutorials or lessons are written by teachers and professionals or artists with a long experience in that field.
A WIP is the story of a painting and how it was created. A tutorial or lesson is rather about how one should paint in a certain medium, technique, etc.

Venice Wip 2

2011-08-01T18:34:00.000-07:00

Venice Wip

2011-08-01T08:03:00.000-07:00

first stages of a scene in Venice, Italy.

at a mosaic factory in Madaba, Jordan

2011-07-23T20:37:00.000-07:00

soft pastels on pastel pad 13x19in.

From my series of People and places.

Dining out in Beijing, China

2011-07-22T14:49:00.000-07:00

soft pastels on pastel paper 13x19in.

from my series People and Places

Mask maker from Maramures, Romania

2011-07-11T14:47:00.000-07:00

soft pastels on pastel paper, 24x18in.

From my series People and places.

Lotus Flower Sutra study

2011-07-08T17:28:00.000-07:00

my own composition for an inspiration piece with japanese biwa and lotus flower contemplating and playing the biwa.

colored pencils on pastel pad 9x12in.

still life with apricots

2011-07-04T15:43:00.000-07:00

soft pastels on paper 9x12in.

My second semi-abstract still life.

colored pencils on pastel pad 9x12in.

Nature morte show

2011-07-02T19:08:00.000-07:00

these are my works in the Nature morte show at the Showcase gallery in Orange county, California.Colored pencils, chalk pastels, mixed media and watercolor.

The show will run july 9th-sept 2, 2011.

out for a stroll,Spain

2011-06-29T22:06:00.000-07:00

soft pastels on canson Mi teints paper 13x19in.

Colorful powder for Holi, India

2011-06-28T16:48:00.000-07:00

after my photo in India, colorful powder for the religious holiday, Holi.

Soft pastels on canson mi-teintes 18x12in.

Alabaster workers in Luxor, Egypt

2011-06-26T12:49:00.000-07:00

soft pastels on Fabriano Tiziano paper 24x18in.From the series People and places.

a squirrel for my friends

2011-06-24T10:53:00.000-07:00

pastels and pastel pencils on mat board 14x11in.

some books on my reading table

2011-06-21T16:17:00.000-07:00

Impressionist Still life by Eliza E.Rathbone and George T.M. Shackelford,
http://www.amazon.com/Impressionist-Still-Life-Eliza-Rathbone/dp/0810906139

The Art of Pictorial Composition by Louis Wolchonok, New York 1969

THE ART OF COMPOSITION: A Simple Application Of Dynamic Symmetry

Michel Jacobs

Composition and rendering by A.Thornton Bishop, London 1933

The next Grandmaster

2011-06-13T16:32:00.000-07:00

soft pastels on canson Mi-teintes paper 24x18in.

My original composition with terracotta warriors, statue of Liberty as Venus of Milo, and skyscrapers on a chess board.

my first ART Show

2011-06-06T20:25:00.000-07:00

Between May 18 and Iuly 1, 2011 I am exhibiting at Showcase gallery, in Santa Ana, California for the first time in an open juried exhibition.This is the video I shot in the gallery. The cats in the window, the masks and the still life with mandolin are my pieces.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hW014iwE8U

Hope you enjoy it.

my recognition certificate

2011-06-06T13:31:00.001-07:00

I won a special recognition in Nature Art Exhibition – June 2011 | Light Space & Time Online Art Gallery

2011-06-01T11:50:00.000-07:00

One of my entries won a special recognition.

Nature Art Exhibition – June 2011 Light Space & Time Online Art Gallery

the next Grandmaster

2011-05-24T17:23:00.000-07:00

"The next Grandmaster" is a colored pencils study on black pastel pad 9x12in. My original idea for a larger painting about today's world players.

art contest pastel paintings

2011-05-20T12:06:00.000-07:00

Conquering the American West

soft pastels on mat board 13x19in.

Columbus first voyage to thr Americas

soft pastels on mat board 28x20in.

Both paintings are entries for an art contest on bluecanvas.The theme of the contest is Pioneer.

bird of paradise

2011-05-18T19:02:00.000-07:00

my original approach to the flower and its name. Soft pastels on mat board 19x13in.

Michael

2011-05-15T21:54:00.000-07:00

2B pencil on canson pad 9x12in.

Still life with mandolin

2011-05-11T20:16:00.000-07:00

mixed media on poster board 13x19in.

From imagination for an art show.

Russian tea time

2011-05-02T16:14:00.000-07:00

my composition in mixed media on canson mi-teintes hunter green paper 24x18in.

For an art show in my town.

african masks revisited

2011-04-28T23:26:00.000-07:00

colored pencils on canson MI-teintes black pastel paper 16x20in.

happy easter!

2011-04-24T10:12:00.000-07:00

From our home to your home!

Window seats

2011-04-23T18:47:00.000-07:00

this painting in soft pastels on Canson Ingres measures 24x18 in.

It is for an annual Art Show.

window seats WIP

2011-04-17T18:09:00.000-07:00

Thos is pastel pencils and soft pastels on Canson Ingres 19x25in.

After my photo in Valencia, Spain, 2003.

Reading from the Bible at Voronet Monastery, Romania

2011-04-05T20:01:00.000-07:00

soft pastels on canson mi-teintes 19x25in.

Chatting in Harran, Turkey

2011-04-02T21:35:00.000-07:00

soft pastels on Canson Mi-teintes paper 12x19in.

Resting at the Treasury in Petra, Jordan

2011-04-01T18:28:00.000-07:00

soft pastels on pastel paper 14x20in.

Anogia's rugs

2011-03-30T14:34:00.000-07:00

This painting is my composition based on two photos from my trip to a mountain village in Crete, Anogia famous for its rugs among many other things.

Soft pastels on pastel paper 13x19in.

Santera in the cathedral square in Havana, Cuba, WIP

2011-03-29T16:00:00.000-07:00

soft pastels on pastel paper 14x20 in.

Based on my photo from Havana, dec. 2010.