New Website!

Hello Fans!

Please refer to my new website as many of the prices have changed and all of my work will be posted there from now on. I will not continue to post things to this blog site.I am sorry for any inconvenience.
www.abfigstractures.weebly.com
Again, Thank you for all of your support you have been a wonderful fan base!

Milk and Cookies

 

This piece was created specifically for an exhibition with the theme of Food for Thought. 

I thoroughly enjoy making art that is controversial. With that being said, I hope you enjoy!

Medium: Acrylic on canvas

Price: 100.00

Lemons

When life hands you lemons you do not make lemonade. You squeeze the hell out of them, throw them on the ground and stomp the shit out of them, and then continue to sulk in your corner.

Depression can get you and make everything, even the floor you stand on, so sour that you cannot handle the truth.

The truth being that when your life gets sour, even the smallest event that happens can add sugar to your lemons. Maybe something happened during the day, made you smile, brightened up your spirits.
Take how that event made you feel, and think about it. look at every detail and let it influence your mood. If nothing seemed to have made you feel good that day, ride the roller coaster out. Scream, cry and hold on for your life, the ride will end and you will feel great before you get on the next one. Let your previous happiness or think about what tomorrow will bring, and it will help you get through the coaster.

Harmonizing With Sin City

This is the latest piece I have done. I had a blast working on it, and I thoroughly enjoy the movement.


50.00

Demascus Print

A commission piece for a friend.

Small Paintings for Light Travel - Painting 1(waterfall)

I am going to be painting a series of small works that will be easier to transport. These paintings will not carry a "Serious" theme like my other paintings, but you will know they are mine.

Suprise!!

This is yet another clown painting; I know this one is a bit creepier than the others, but its just a toy...

3.5ftx3ft
acrylic on canvas
$200.00

What's in a Smile?

This is another play on the clown theme. There will be a few of them. I hope that they are enjoyed in their creepy ways...

Title: What's in a Smile?
Acrylic on Canvas
3.5ftx3.5ft
200.00

You'e Not Funny...

Seeing ugly, creepy, or scary things is what brings out the fear of something in people. What happens though when something that is usually perceived to be ugly, or scary is displayed to be perceived as something beautiful. My new endeavor is to open the eyes of those who do not like, or fear clowns. Clowns are just people with paint...

Title: You're Not Funny
Acrylic on canvas
3ftx3ft
200.00

My Gorilla

For those of you who have been following my blog, I illustrated a very realistic Gorilla 3 years back. It just sold! I am very excited to know that someone else is enjoying my Art on their walls!



Price: 100.00
Sold

The visitation of Confinement - More intent

Introduction

Living in a judgmental world is hard for most everyone. There are times in our lives when we want to hide the way we are or the way we dress. Most of this occurs because of the judgments placed on us by other people. Human nature is to break a person down if they do not fit into the normal world or perceived culture that society has set forth. So, why would it be any more harsh to break someone who is homosexual?

       After extensive research and interviews, There's the question of whether or not society plays a large role in homosexuals hiding their sexuality.

       Homosexual people hide from the truth about themselves. They are not only afraid of what will happen externally, but what will happen internally. They fear that because society looks down upon them, that they too should look down upon themselves as being an outcast. It is not just society lashing out at them, it is also they, themselves trying to come to terms with their sexuality and its perceived abnormalities.

       By living in a world where you are always being judged, you can no longer hide from society. They know or will know everything, especially in our ever changing, fast paced world. So why hide being Gay, Lesbian, Transgender, or bisexual? 

       Let's pose this question: If you had this life changing secret that would possibly destroy your happiness, would you come out with it, or would you hide it, and you yourself try to hide from it? Most of the people interviewed have all replied with hiding their sexuality because of the unreadiness to accept whether or not they will be truly happy or horribly miserable for the rest of their lives.

Project

This project was started because most everyone, like me, believes or did believe, that society is the culprit for pushing homosexuals into their “closets”. There is concern with the morality of the human and why they do not support homosexuals and or homosexual tendencies. It is looked down upon mainly because of the religious views of most everyone in the world. For many centuries, many people have believed it to be a sin to copulate with the opposite sex. There are also many people in society that have done hate crimes against homosexuals. But, now that the technology generation is growing up, it is not so immoral to be homosexual. In fact, a lot of the generation these days, even if they do not believe in it, they still are not quick to break the homosexuals down for being the way they are.

The project is aimed toward society. The project is going to be an installation piece that focuses on what being in the “closet” feels like. Most everyone in their life has something that they hide from themselves and the rest of the world. They are hiding it mostly from themselves, but feel better about it because they have the mindset that its being hidden from society. This installation will provide an environment to the viewer so they too, remember what it feels like to be trapped and or confined to their hidden secrets. Like homosexuals, the viewer will feel the pain and triumph in hiding the secret, and then recognizing that they do not need to hide it. Their happiness is more important that the pain.

Project Statement

This project will consist of delving into a subject matter that people do not feel comfortable talking about. Homosexuality and the concerns behind it are coming to the forefront, coming out of the closet. I will try to recreate the feeling that a homosexual person may have by being trapped “in the closet”. I will design and begin construction on an installation piece that will be a confining realm.

Research:

During research, like stated above, I found that most homosexuals do not feel trapped by society, but by their own want for happiness. I feel that by knowing this and figuring this out, I will be able to make this installation even more powerful. Not many people know or understand the cruelty passed on to homosexual people, and they will never know all of the details, but by bringing them to a place where they have already been and titling it about homosexuals, I feel that having that mind set before entering will make the viewer more aware of the kinds of angst homosexuals put themselves through.

I researched implementing symbols for society, the self-esteem deprivation, and many other things that would relate to this piece's message. I found that society can be symbolized by noises under the door, like every other closet. I decided this because I do not want the viewer to be able to see complete shapes of the outside world, I felt like that would be too intriguing and then the viewer wouldn't pay attention to the effects of the noises around them. People tune in more to just sounds and voices, especially if they think the people they hear are talking about them.

Interrogation was another aspect of this piece because in society, when you are judged, you are being interrogated with multiple questions as to why. Many people feel small when this happens because their life is now in the spot light. There will be three lights in the installation, one at the top middle of the space and two at the bottom on each side of door. The light at the top will be the interrogation light, and the two at the bottom will be the spot light. The lights at the bottom are to light up the viewer so they feel like they are in the spot light and they feel like their entire lives are on display. Which brings me to the next element, a mirror.

Mirrors will be placed, one on each side of the wall. This will make the viewer curious and they will look to see what it is and they will find themselves, just as they are. I am hoping that like most everyone else I know, they will be fascinated with their reflections and they will peer into the mirrors many times before they leave the installation. They will still be able to hear the voices around the enclosed space, and the two lights at the bottom will still be on. The light at the top, shuts off shortly upon entering and the two lights at the bottom then turn on. 

 http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/melannie35/the-visitation-of-confinement-installation
 

The visitation of confinement update

Hello all,

My project has been uploaded, submitted, and accepted into Kickstarter!

Here is the link: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/melannie35/the-visitation-of-confinement-installation

I hope that you enjoy it!

I will post more updates with the progress of the project as it unfolds.

Again, thank you for all of your support!

-Melanie

Untitled

There's a feeling that words

cannot express.

A sublime torture that I 

did not want to confess.

Torture is not the right 

word now, but a realization

at its best.

This feeling has encompassed

my time.

Time turns into a melding pot

where the beginning and end is won.

You cannot feel what I feel,

but you can feel the feeling 

that I feel.

Come inside with your

psychological tests, but

there are no words to express

this sublime realization torture

for it doesn't rest.

I feel you are the reason,

but when I look in the mirror, 

you don't exist.

Only the reflection

of my torn up face

filled with scars

from this feeling's embrace.

A tortured soul doesn't

stare back, 

but this sublime realization 

of this "love" for you that

I lack.

Hold me now, 

I'd like to scream,

but you holding me and

me holding you is time

that has not yet one.

"The Visitation of Confinement" a works in progress..

Hello Fans,

I am starting a new project called, The visitation of confinement". It is going to be an installation piece that will probably take me the whole three months of this school semester. I am going to be adding a project on Kickstarter which is a program set up for people to get their projects planned and out into the world in hopes that the world will pledge money to the creation of the project.
  This project will create a feeling of being trapped in one's own closet space allowing for the viewer to understand what homosexuals live with on a day to day basis, if they haven't already come out of their closets. I hope that the viewer will obtain respect and knowledge about these individuals so one day maybe we can all live in peace and harmony.
I will be posting updates of this project as it progresses. Let's keep our Fingers crossed and hope that I can get this project funded! WOO HOO!

Vagina Monlogues

I did this illustration to commemorate women and the pain they have to go through in life with regards to their vaginas. I went with a decorative feel because like most every war hero, they are decorated with medals and sometimes get tattoos to remind them of their time served. I hope you enjoy!


Price: $25.00