Thanks a lot!yes, it think in this particular case it was a good idea to choose the same colour for the dress and backbround. I glad you like it! I always struggle a bit with backgrounds, and in this case I decided to have degradations of tone of the same colour. Have a great day!

Yes, it was an excellent choice, Alicia.

thanks so much again! i m happy you agree!

have a great Friday-end of the wekk-day!

I wish the same for you, Alicia.

thanks so much!

love it! I'm a sucker for red! It's great Alicia.

uff! red is my favourite colour for painting! once i met an artist who doing giving art workshops and he said to me: "come to my workshop and i´ll teach you how to paint properly. The first thing i´ll teach you is NEVER to use the colours red and black". And you know what? i never called him back, why would I pay someone to teach me that i shouldn´t use my favourite colours!

I know! Right?! I've met a number of art-types who manage a little success - or a lot - and thereby think themselves visionaries who are qualified to teach in an autocratic self-centered manner. So........ I fired 'em!

then you can get all the opposite, people that teach you to find your own path, experiment, tell you that everything is allowed...and then you don´t know what to do, you are blocked because you were looking for divine guidance! that happend to me last year: I was the "Teacher" in an art workshop (free lessons) and the poor people that came along didn´t know what to do with all that freedom, they wanted strict instructions, like a "give me a recipe to make a museum-like picture". Anyway, it was free, so they couldn´t complain! (sorry again, still under the effects of the excess of coffee)

I got flak for spending more time with some students and less with others. (Thank God I was just a 'guest' instructor!) Different strokes for different folks! If we could package that 'recipe' for museum quality - - - well, hell... then we could save the world!

if we could package that recipe we´d be rich and famous finally!! but art would be less fun! some people think that if what you do is not "museum staff" then you are rubbish! (i hate that people). Let´s art & rock!

If everyone could draw like Ingress, Durer and Leonardo, then "heartfelt ineptitude" would be what everyone wanted and I would be the most famous of all.

that´s an excellent point! and afterall, even if people like museum staff (in many cases as a cultural/social thing rather than true love for art), i like to think they can also appreciate the freshness of an original arkwork. Well, at least there must be somebody out there that does! all this is getting so philosofical!

Speaking of 'Philosophy," that artist who told you to stay away from red & black was probably thinking of his patrons who are always trying to match their %^$&^^&^# sofa!! I'm working on two paintings right now which have been commissioned by stodgy old lawyers who will hang them in their dark, mahogany dens. My color palette for these is --- camouflage!! Don't worry, the truly wealthy have a 'Red Room" where they can hang our masterpieces!

and it is that true about that commissions? great! and Red Rooms rules!!!!! by the way, tomorrow i´ll post 2 very old paintings, which i did before i knew what a canvas was, on white bed sheets, with scholar quality little gouache tubes..but i love them! you´ll see, i guarantee you´ll be shocked!

Cool! If they were linen sheets, then the idea will have been in the grand tradition! And I loved little tubes of English gouache - GOTTA see these!!

at the end i didn´t manage to take the photos! They´ll be posted by Monday the lastest, i promise! Have a great weekend! Don´t you just love Fridays? and my boss is going to China for a week!! (but left me lots of work to do though ) bye for now, kisses and hugs!

Thank you dear! You do the same and I'll look for those red masterpieces next week. I wanna go to China too!

yes! masterpieces with lots of red and black!! can you believe that all my group at work are going to China except me (well, most of them)??? i just arrived to the group so they left me out! anyway, nobody will be watching if i paint all day at work, no need to hide now! where are you from in the US by the way? me i m from South of Spain but i live in Barcelona. Have great evening!!!!!!!!!!

Sounds like a good job anyway! Maybe next year - to China! I presume it's art-related. I'm in South Carolina now - Greenville - a mid-size town about halfway between Charlotte and Atlanta. 2 hours from the ocean, 1 hour from the Appalachian Trail & mountains. Love it here!

that would be great, if it was art-related! but then they would have had to take me with them! nop, it is booring (i meant exciting, sorry) science-related. It is has to be great in South Carolina! mountains and ocean are a great combination! going to NY myself for Easter (but not for the mountains and ocean though . Well oceans of people and mountains of cement!)

Outside - there are buds on the trees already, mourning doves are calling and spring is in the air! I love NY - in the spring - at Christmastime - When-e-ver! You should see "Billy Elliot," "Fela !," or Green Day's "American Idiot." on Broadway. Have fun!

i´ll check out for tickets! but i m a bit short of money, i´ll have to pay restaurant bills doing paintings on servillets like Picasso! you think I could get a theater ticket like that?? I could paint them a little "Manowar" guy!

Sure! Try The Odeon down around 125th Street. It's relatively cheap, very good and you might see somebody notable. Better save Manowar for the East Village and paint some of the "Jersey Boys" Oh, bring a sheet - The Odeon is a diner!

thanks for the advice!! and if the Odeon (i´ll definitively try to go) people don´t like my sheet pic, I might be lucky, spot a celebrity, do a super fast portrait only with red and black, say it is super trendy/new school, get some cash from them for it, and pay the bill!

Good plan! Try the flan. Yum!

mmmmmmmmmmmmmm a NY flan!!!!! YUMMY!

Yep. Creme Brulee -- extra think glaze - Picture of Kirstie Alley on the wall! Lots of good looking people fresh from the theater district all around - even the wait staff are hot Broadway wannabees.

cool! i m so looking forward to go! I m sure it will feel like being in a movie all the time! I´ll do some warming up exercises in the neck every morning for NY sightseeing

You'll have a great time! Here we have a TV show called "The Dog Whisperer." Caesar Millan shows how to "train dogs & rehabilitate people." His watchwords for that are also good for navigating New York: "No touch, No talk, No eye contact!"

that is funny. you know, we have a lot of eye contact in spain/france/italy etc. During my training to work in England, I was told I should absolutely avoid looking at people´s eyes and do not gesticulate (we also do that a lot) when we speak. It was hard for me not to do it! so is it the same that the UK in the US then? i´ll look like a freak in NY, because i tend to smile at random people in the streets when i m happy!

Just in New York. If you smile at them, they will think... GOD KNOWS what they will think!! Not really! It's a city mostly like any other. I hope you get lucky and get in the "Cash Cab!" You will then be on TV and play a quiz game to win $1000 or more right there in the cab! (It looks like a station wagon)

to be honest i m kind of fascinated by the US culture. Not sure why, as I only know about it from TV! (don´t tell me it is REALLY like on TV!) i´d love to get in that "Cash Cab"

With all the 'reality' shows -- I'm afraid it IS like TV! And on Rodeo Drive, in Palm Springs, or South Beach -- it's better!! 'Cause it couldn't be worse!

i´ll let you know about my experience! i´ve only been in LA in a congress, and i must say i was a little bit dissapointed because there were lots of healthy stuff to eat!! and portions were not big a all! (californian lifestyle maybe?) but now i want the really thing!! where are those huge burgers i´ve seen on TV?

Oh yeah! 'Diners & Dives' has a new one often - a 5 lb. 'finish it and it's free' burger Every town has a Somewhere they serve a "Bypass Burger!" I once had lamb chops at a 5-star LA restaurant which were so good... I wanted to gnaw the bones!! I was usually doing business wherever so, I always had an expert guide.

talking about food..i brought to work today breakfast for everybody (i spent more than 20 euro) because i had some good results, and my breakfast overlapped with a birthday cake...terrible! and i m having my lunch now! have a great weekend my friend!! sending you some pics of the amazing snowfall we had last week!

Please do! Spring snows are always such a shock Congratulations on your good results!

thanks! although next time i bring breakfast for the group i´ll make sure there are no bithdays on that day...i had to eat 90% of the breakfast over the weekend, it was certainly an excess!! still recovering!"!!!!!

OK... then here are some bulemic Smileys for you: There. Feel better?

that reminds me that the week in NYC i have eaten more eggs than in 3 months at home! do people really have 2 eggs every day???

Nah. Maybe the big porkers do... you were just eating in those fancy hotels! Eggs Benedict! Yum.

fancy hotels?! not really. I´d rather say "nightmare on elm street" hotel! we were sharing bathroom with many other people, and that´s fine, except if you have a crazy guy next to you taking 4 showers of 30min a day, two of which during the night!!! (our room was just next to the shower...). we didn´t even got towels in the room!! oh well, i guess i m still not old enough to care so much about that! otherwise i couldn´t have afforded it and i would have ended up (again) spending Easter with the crazy Spaniards of the google pics i told you about!

I think I stayed in that hotel! We went to see the first big show by this new artist named Andy Warhol. The next time I went, we stayed at the Plaza and there were seven (7!!) lamps in our room. I liked the Plaza better. Hotels don't matter much. I am SO glad you had a great time! I have seen those google pics... looks like Mardi Gras, Carnivale, Cinco de Maya & a big Superbowl Party all rolled into one!

i agree! and mix it all with Flamenco singing to the Virgin Mary, heavy scent of flowers and lots of crying of emocionated women watching the parade! (my grandma used to take me there we i was little, i m still traumatised! ). And now i think it is cute! i m definitely getting old! WOW!! you saw Andy Warhol???

Parades make me crazy anyway. Maybe if it was all custom Harleys ... Poor Baby Alicia, little did Granny know she was turning you into a Metalhead! We didn't see Andy there, just his show - & that Cambell's Soup painting.

the Harley´s customs would make it really something! and yes, maybe that traumatic experience with my Granny and parades made be become the Metalhead i m now! it is her fault! We also saw the Cambell´s Soup painting, quite impressive to see it in a gallery!! hav a greta weekend!!!

U2 Alicia!

thanks! have chilled evening my friend! we just receiced a postcard we sent to ourselves from NY! and finally spring is here!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bravooo! Este es un hermoso retrato!

muchisimas gracias Marino! tus retratos son preciosos tambien, me encantan! me alegro de que te gusten los mios. POr cierto, allá en Perú es popular el Flamenco por casualidad? besos!

El flamenco y otras variedades de la música popular española siempre son bien recibidas en Perú. No es muy popular en la mayoría actualmente pero siempre hay grupos selectos que saben apreciarlo. Particularmente yo amo el arte español en su conjunto. Su música, sus películas de la época clásica, etc. Gracias por tus palabras mi bella Alicia. Muchos saludos a esa hermosa tierra de España.

Has visitado España alguna vez? A mi me gustaría muchisimo visitar Sudamérica, nunca he tenido ocasion de ir. Aqui en España tampoco es muy popular el Flamenco, lo cual es sorprendente! Es más popular en paises con Inglaterra, Alemania o Japón! Nunca apreciamos lo que tenemos, supongo. Yo misma, no me enamoré del Flamenco hasta que pasé unos años en Inglaterra! Cuando estás fuera, sientes más la llamada de la patria, supongo.. encantada de hablar contigo!!

Algún día estaré por ahí. Tengo familiares y amigos en España. Bienvenida seas!

gracias! y espero que puedas visitar España pronto! muchos besos!

hello my friend! thanks a lot!

thanks so much, shahin!

i m happy you like it, dear Lise! have a nice day!

She sure is beautiful!!! it is such a beautiful Portrait! Bravo amiga!

thanks a lot, my dear Biggs! you are so kind, as always!

The feeling is quite mutual, really BRILLIANT portrait!!!!

thanks so much Maya! i sooo pleased you like this one!

merci beaucoup my dear umberto!

merci! you are so kind, thanks so much!

Very beautiful portrait!!! I like it!!!

thanks! i m so happy you like also this one!

Bravo! Beautiful!

thanks a lot!

Very Nice !! Cut !

so happy you like it, thanks so much, i really appreciate it!

merci mon ami!!!!!!!!!!

have a fantastic weekend! and let´s pray for some sunshine after all this terrible weather!

In Barcelona we are very close to the sea level, and it´s been SNOWING heavily all day long!!! crazy!!! but so beautiful...it feels like Christmas! we should all take the day off! i hope you are fine there in France, have a nice Monday!!

we have a beautiful sun. Have a nice monday too

have a fantastic weekend!!!

you too

sorry i´ve been away for a few days! i m soo busy at work! i hope to be able to watch the site regularly soon! take care!

i m back!! at least for the day!

have a great weekend dear mag! i can see you´ve been busy produce so many nice portraits, well done!

Good weekend my friend

happy Monday! it is raining a lot over here! but it is finally the spring!!!!!!

this red is absolutely beautiful, I like it !

thanks so much! i love using red for my paintings!

it's the color of love and passion !

exactly! and the combination of read and blanck goes very well for Flamenco

amazing!!!! great!!!!

thanks so much! it is two very different styles to portrait the same person!

beatiful!!!

Thanks so much Vanesa! and welcome to this site, I love your gallery!!

oh thank you ♥♥♥ you is great !!!

thanks! keep on great work!!!