Altered Cris

Staple Picture

2007-11-04T16:40:00.000-05:00

Since 2003 I've been with these two - Martin and Cathy. Every year it turns out that we have a trio picture. Now, having been gone from boston for two years, I am back and heres the traditional trio picture and still going strong...best buds!

Halloween '07

2007-11-04T16:38:00.000-05:00

My first ever Halloween party in Boston. im glad i went after long deliberation of what i was going to be. it was a hit! Great food, games, singing and funny insulting stories... Plus I got to bake my first ever banana bread! Beat that!

Zili Misik at the Beehive

2007-09-23T07:53:00.000-04:00

I met theBand Zili Misik last night through my fellow dragon boat paddler, Anhdao! Anhdao takes photos for the band and have known veteran members for years. Here, JoBeth, a filipina, does the drums. Rajdulari, in the middle does vocals and percussion. Zili Misik is a 8-woman band that plays afro-cuban music. I love the high paced jungle beats and the happy tempo they play. Their performace is phenomenal that I highly recommend them if you are looking for a night full of dance and fun. Check them out on http://www.zilimisik.com/ and http://www.sonicbids.com/epk/epk.asp?epk_id=34478 and http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=27259505.

Hartford Dragon Boat Race

2007-09-22T13:47:00.000-04:00

My second race for this season...we raced in Hartford, Connecticut last Sept 15. It was a rainy, chilly day to start. We paddled with a temperature in the high 60's which for me is crazy cold. But, the gods heard our plea and let the sun out in the afternoon. We did our best and came home with the bronze! DBCB team is the best!...waiting to kick as next season...

Ithaca-Dragon Boating adn Wine Tasting

2007-08-21T09:47:00.000-04:00

What a combo! Watched a dragonboat race followed by wine tasting in the fingerlakes! What more could you ask for. In a few weeks I will be dragonboat racing as well. Goodluck! These are fabulous pictures taken by the Man - Jay Soriano. More pictures at: http://jjlsoriano.multiply.com/photos/album/5/Sideways_Fil-Boston_Style

Videoke Night at Sabs and Maries Flat

2007-08-21T09:35:00.000-04:00

This proves that where ever Pinoys are, there will always be singing! Thanks marie and Sabs for venuing this event at your place. Summer wouldn't have been this crazy and fun without this event. We've got the pictures to prove it. Thanks Jay Soriano for your photography expertise! More pictures at:http://jjlsoriano.multiply.com/photos/album/6/Videoke_Night

Boston, My Kind of Town

2007-08-01T12:08:00.000-04:00

One of the reasons that brought me back to Boston is that I get to hang out with cool people doing cool things! Being alone for some time has certainly helped me to get to know myself more and it helped me to learn to be steady in the midst of uncontrolled chaos...

Personality Test

2007-07-26T16:38:00.001-04:00

The Examiner, The Protector

2007-07-26T12:44:00.000-04:00

The Examiner, The Protector

2007-07-26T12:41:00.000-04:00

The Tables Have Turned

2007-07-23T12:54:00.000-04:00

I have bid my goodbyes to NYC and hello Boston. Here there and back again. Not so new city, but new friends, new job, new apartment - a new life... another chance to reinvent. I can't stop saying how excited I feel. What's gonna be in store for me? All I know is I will go with the flow, as always. Bring it on!

Btw, thanks Jay for the awesome pic! Loving it!

Life Changes

2007-02-06T18:46:00.000-05:00

Just after you think your reality is downhill, life changes. You just never know what's gonna come up. Life is a rollercoaster ride. 2007, here I come stronger and eager than before. In life you just have to find something that'll lift you up...escape...and fly. That's what my Rossi does for me. A hard week at work...-drop everything! Take a day off and ride to catch that high to get me back to the ground ready for the next challenge only to be overcomed. Its only me and my Rossi...a solo ride. This is my new beginning...Life is good. It's gotta be!

A Dull Christmas

2006-12-24T20:45:00.000-05:00

So here I am folks, a slow Christmas Eve. In my room, watching HBO. Day was spent getting myself Nikes and a brand new Ipod. These are keys to my new lifestyle for 2007. Go figure.

I have to admit, I can't wait for this year to end. In the midst of being surrounded by people I know who have things just going for them, I feel the total and absolute opposite. All this is just driving time into a slow-mo. I wish i could fast forward this part of me. I am not complaining though. What if you suddenly found out you were terminally ill. What would you do? Would you wallow in misery for months? or would you cut to the chase, accept reality, and say thanks for all the great people and moments spent with them? Yeah, Im the type who would go for the later. Somehow, I'm yearning for a brand new beginning, a clean slate for the coming year. I am looking forward and I won't wait to get a head start.

Insects

2006-09-02T21:29:00.000-04:00

I've been insect hunting this summer. I caught these over a month ago on my deck and since then they've been living in a ziplock bag waiting for me to draw them. I wished I gave them a better home though. The first is a hornet. Second is a mining bee and last if the yello jacket bee which hass its hive on my deck on a wooden beam. The insects have dies naturally so I had to sketch them the way their bodies are. The mining bee and yellow jacket bee I found on my deck. The hornet (over an inch long) i found on the sidewalk on the way to buy groceries.

Done with Micron pen and Pearless watercolors.

Man Reading

2006-09-02T21:22:00.000-04:00

I was glad I took a break from my reading today. School is approaching and I am back to work. I feel that every minute I can read will make me a better teacher. But, I took a break and I drew. After almost a month of not sketching I surprised myself. I thought, without practice, I would feel rusty. I admit I was hesitant to draw the past three weeks afraid I would have to go over ugly lines. But truth, who cares. We learn by those ugly lines. Its all about approximations. I was happy about this man I drew. I will continue drawing again. Who cares if we havent sketched in weeks, months, or years. Just do it.

This was done with Micron pen and Pearless watercolor.

A Walk Around Grove

2006-09-01T09:04:00.000-04:00

It's so happened that I'm nursing some yellow jacket bees on my deck because of the flowers I have there. So bees decided to make a home of their own on one of the wooden beams. I decided to let them be as long as they din't bother me. I was walking through streets of Grove part of Jersey City and I found some trees and land horse chestnut leaves to draw. The leaves were facinating because I have never seen a compound leave with 7 leaflets with unusual looking round pricky fruit. I had to look this one up in my tree finder guide.

In the Raw

2006-09-01T08:48:00.000-04:00

So this is how a black and white raw sketch looks like online. The pieces have been long overdue. I did them a month ago. I was glad I sketched at the beach, there were bodies everywhere! Although, these look raw, I consider it one of my most organic drawings. Go figure why...

Waiting

2006-09-01T08:43:00.000-04:00

Aileen was coming in from Boston for a visit. Her bus was late by an hour and a half. So spent lots of time with my best friend - sketchbook! I was suffering from hunger but sketching kept me company, haha. On the flipside, I ended up with an awesome sketch of pigeons and other people waiting with me - some shoes, arms, and pigeons on the sidewalks of chinatown and a hearty chinese meal to fill our stomachs down to the pits.

Night By Sea Color Study

2006-08-17T21:44:00.000-04:00

This is my rendition of Rong Tuli's painting, "Night By Sea," which I found in www.art.com. I just enjoy the purples and shades of yellow here. Plus I love the night sky over the sea in real life so I couldn't resist. And actually, its was my niece's brilliant idea to find night skies as subject for art - I have no regrets. I wouldn't have thought of it...

Moon in the Desert Night Sky Color Study (in chalk pastels)

2006-08-17T21:29:00.000-04:00

This is my interpretation of "Moon in the Desert Night Sky" paiting originally by Ezra Keats that I found in www.art.com. I fell in love with the soothing hues and had to do a color study. I had fun finding the different shades of blue mixing blues,blacks, purples, grays, oranges and reds. The best thing about chalk pastels is the actual rubbing and blending of colors into the paper. It may be messy, but its addicting.Once you start, its hard to stop!

Paul Signac "Etud Port-En-Bessin" Color Study

2006-08-01T02:02:00.000-04:00

My first attempt at color study. This is my interpretation of Signac's Etud Port-En-Bessin in pastel colors. It was difficult trying to imitate the effect of distinct brush strokes that Signac had. Although I had fun with trying to match the mix of colors in the sky, sand and water. The most difficult areas were the land and grassy portions of the painting because they had an assortment of shades of green, brown and gray and selected parts had distinct texture and obvious strokes. I will need to work on bringing out more texture with this medium - pastels.

Tomato in Color

2006-07-24T22:48:00.000-04:00

This is my first attempt in using pastel and color in my drawings. Typically, the background color should be of a darker mixed color shade to bring out the subtleties in the main subject, the tomato. So I'm still going to work on changing the background green color into maybe brownish green Also, I need to fix the shadow of the tomato on the table. Part of the shadow is lacking on the right bottom side of the tomato. Also, I would like to try a flat, not diagonal, table next time.

The Roman Head

2006-07-21T08:01:00.000-04:00

This is a three hour drawing copied from a roman head post card. The drawing looks younger than the original in the post card. I never knew that artists had to work long hours to get results they're almost happy with. THree hours took lots of patience from me. I wonder how much patience is taken from artists who work over a span of a week??? Drawing is incredibly soothing and satisfying. The only catch is needing to just keep at it. Work it..work it..work it.

Collage class with Lynne Perelle

2006-06-29T02:26:00.000-04:00

A weekend of dabbling with paint. I'm surprised at how a lot of freedom can be difficult. I felt lost. This was the only time I wished I had step-by-step directions. In the middle my pictures looked like they were floating. The most valuable lesson for me was kowinng I had to find a way to connect my images - basically "composition" is key and that was what I needed. In the end though, I was glad I went with the flow. I splattered paint! Making the next step depending on the previous unplanned one I made. Baby steps it was...not minding the big picture...just staying connected with my inner self...the gut feel. In the end I found...

Layering Class with Lynne Parelle

2006-06-29T02:23:00.000-04:00

First day of this weekend workshop. Met incredible people who were as involved in doing art as I...or even more. I was grateful to be around creative people who I had something in common with - collage. I wanted my piece to reflect ME so I decided to personally draw an image of me! I used less paint than I thought. I used a lot of tissue paper than I had planned. Nevertheless, I like the colors and the effect. My main goal in my artwork is to release my inner voice. It's so easy to fall into the trap of imitation stopping us from saluting our own uniqueness.

Gesture Drawings

2006-06-29T02:21:00.000-04:00

This is my favorite class in the drawing course I've been taking so far. These range from 1-5 minute drawings. The limited time given to draw live human figures makes the experience so dynamic and thrilling. It's literally living in the moment. Who cares if I dont finish in time!

Drawing Heads

2006-06-29T02:19:00.000-04:00

The shape of the head from the front view is oval while the head look like a rounded square from the 3/4 view.

Contour Drawings

2006-06-29T02:12:00.000-04:00

Contour drawing is a warm up exercise where you draw the outlines of images without lifting your pencil. I drew a group of objects like a water bottle, starbucks cup, sunglasses, and an apple. We drew our hands and fruits as well. Drawings look comical and are never close to perfect. The point is to just keep your eyes on the image and keeping the pencil moving on paper without lifting.

Beeswax Collage class

2006-06-11T23:21:00.000-04:00

I was asked to pick one face image and 2 patterned papers. Then i though of a design. I used a thick board as a base then coated it with melted wax. Next I layed white tissue paper or japanese paper over then added another coating of wax on top. Then i used melted crayons to do the colored background, then i layed the back most collage images first. Using less wax as adhesive, i used a travel iron or a quilting iron to help set the crayons and excess wax. I added the rest of collage images making sure to apply heat sources each time to set the layer for the next one. Lastly i finished my work by adding stamp ons on tissue paper and added this to the collage. I also added a button as my final decor.

Drawing Class

2006-06-11T22:49:00.000-04:00

For our first class, using charcoal on huge newsprint paper, we were asked to draw from a painting on a post card. I picked this lady becasue i liked the lines on her body. It was tough getting the right proportions and to actually get her to tilt her hips in the drawing. My teacher told me to find the imaginary lines on the lady's shoulders and hips and to bring that out in my drawing. I learned that i should pay more attention to larger shapes than details to get the closest contour and form. I constantly had to remind myself to keep my charcoal moving on my pad or else it meant that i was paying attention to detail instead of the larger shapes. . It took me 45 minutes to do this. I got tired after. We were told that drawing takes lots of practice. We were recommended to draw an apple a day. For our home work we were asked to draw our self portrait. I read in a book that to get good at drawing, I have to practice for an hour or two daily. The great thing is, DRAWING CAN BE LEARNED!

More Projects: Just Playing Around

2006-06-04T10:06:00.000-04:00

click on the title and be linked to more of my recent experimental works...

Stamp Art: Too Rigid

2006-05-29T09:41:00.000-04:00

Im calling this piece "Too Rigid" because the lines that are so clearly defined bother me. Although, I am like the vaiety and contrast of colors here, I feel confined when i look at this art piece. In my next project, I will go for blendings in color and images more and try to veer away from defined lines. I appreciate more the soft look and feel of one thing flowing into another, what is less striking...in short subtle.

Collage: In Hiding

2006-05-29T09:24:00.000-04:00

This is the collage i came up with. I used mostly torn paper from magazines, some ephemera and textured paper. When i started this, i was drawn to the black grided textured paper. I was fully focused on it being a window through which a picture of a lady is looking through, that i just filled in the background with variety of paper. I was also more focused on creating straight and curved lines because i felt i had to break the background into portions. I have no logic as to how i worked the background. I just wanted to fill in the space making sure i put in variety of contrasting colors and have both solid colored and patterened papers. In terms of elements used, I basically wanted lines, color and texture to dominate this piece.

From Online Class: http://www.designedlykristi.com/classes/index.html

TAGGED: Life's Simple Pleasures

2006-05-17T10:34:00.000-04:00

1. Lounging at home with a pint of ice cream watching a fave movie.
2. Finding something interesting to think and write about while riding the bus or subway.
3. After glow proceeding a bath after having gone through a 45min rush hour commute.
4. Getting your paycheck.
5. Taking the first step in trying out something new like applying paint on a blank page, cutting out a perfect picture to create something else, or filling a journal page with a string of words
6. Getting boxed packages in the mail.
7. Chatting with someone whom you rarely get to chat with and you have a super flowing conversation thats hard to control
8. Walking in tree lined streets surrounded by brown stoned buildings with solid colored front doors on a semi-cloudy breezy spring day
9. Coffee, cream cheese, bagel and a brand new book
10. Riding the bus to Boston, down time for reading, sleeping and staring out into space.

My True Color

2006-05-15T23:39:00.000-04:00

Cris, your true color is Brown!
REDICULOUS!

You're brown, a credible, stable color that's reminiscent of fine wood, rich leather, and wistful melancholy. Most likely, you're a logical, practical person ruled more by your head than your heart. With your inquisitive mind and insatiable curiosity, you're probably a great problem solver (taken from a True Color Test I took from tickle-inc.com)

If green represents life, I get the impression that brown is like slow death,like wilting away...If im brown, no wonder why my life feels so blaaahhh...

I've always considered myself as a person of color...

Photoshop Projects

2006-05-15T23:10:00.000-04:00

The Power of books... I've worked up the nerve to explore Photoshop filters with the Help of Photoshop filters books. These are the products! What's amazing is with little simple steps, you can create really cool images very different from original pictures you have. I noticed that I am drawn more to distorted and graphic images of pictures I have. In these two images, I am attracted to the luminous effect the picture has or how burnt the colors seem to be.

Longstitch Variations Class

2006-05-06T09:59:00.000-04:00

Products of my participation in Rory Goldens Class called Longstitch Variations. We made Longstitch books both big and small sized ones. The class was so engaging! Time flew past us. It was a treat to be able to bring books home to practice sewing! I also liked that we got to think of designs for our book covers. Knowledge of behavior of various papers was an invaluable gain.

What a Day

2006-05-03T17:03:00.000-04:00

It's a month away from the end of the school year and it was a day to think and say school needs to be over. Children are to big for their rooms and play spaces. They can't help but argue and be on top of each other. Just hope and pray to keep our heads in place. I always think there's a day in a school week when things fall apart, and I'm hoping today was it for this week. Two more days till the weekend, and I can't wait. All there is to do is hope tomorrow will be better.

Lost

2006-04-30T11:27:00.000-04:00

Lost was created by covering the canvas pad with strips of masking tape (technique from Clauding Hellmuth). After, I painted Nickel Azo Yellow acrylic over the tape. When dry, I painted and smudged green paint over parts of the pad. Here I forgot that the second layer of paint should cover less of the painting surface so that the first layer can still be distinguished. Anyway, I got new sets of number and letter stamps and just read the book Alphabetica by Lynne Perella, so I was inspired to add numbers and letters to my background. I used a combination of archival ink pad and Paintbox and Colorbox pigment ink pads to apply the stamps. I thought of my birth date, the current year and my age, etc. Pitfall was, when i smudged paint over parts i stamped with numbers and letters, parts where i used regular pigment ink got smudged off as well. Those left were numbers and letters I stamped with archival ink. So I added more stamps only using archival ink pads. I stamped a scratch pattern in the left side, let drops of watered down Napthalo Red Light paint crawl over the surface, and used DYMO stickers to create the words. I added chinese character stamps and a small UNDERGROUND stamp i got for free in the left bottom corner. I named this piece Lost because i got lost in the process because what i had stamped first got erased and I got lost in so many techniques i could choose from.

Fire

2006-04-30T11:17:00.000-04:00

Fire was created by priming a canvas pad with white gesso and using an end of a paint brush to draw some marks on the wet gesso. When dry, I applied Nickel Azo Yello in the background mixed with Quinacridrone Gold on certain parts. I also used a cosmetic sponge to apply the gold at the bottom half of the piece. I used tape to create a monoprint with gold paint on the right top half of the piece. I smudged green paint on the top left and bottom right of the piece. Then I spattered green paint and used the gold paint to stamp upper case Os in the left side. Lastly, I used green paint to stamp the letters H and W. I called this piece Fire because the interaction between yellow and gold give me a feeling of heat. If i were to repeat this piece, I would stick to related colors like red, yello, gold and browns. Also, I would use only 2 or 3 combination of techniques.

The Green Tree

2006-04-30T11:02:00.000-04:00

From Designedly Kristi's online Bodacious Backgrounds class, I learned a number of techniques to mix and match to create wonderful backgrounds. The Green Tree piece is created by mixing Nickle Azo Yellow and Titanium White, applying it on canvas pad already primed with white gesso. After, I painted black around the edges and quickly smudged and whiped the black paint off before it dried. After, I spattered green paint a bit and applied drops of watered down green paint. I tilted the canvas pad to help droplets of paint to move around in random. I named this piece the Green Tree becauase the drops of green paint form the branches and trunk of a tree.

pandora's box

2006-04-27T16:13:00.000-04:00

Going to the US was like opening a pandora's box. You resent having to leave the best comforts in life to search for better life conditions. You find the better and more efficient mode of transportation, system of taxes, and career opportunites. Yet you find you're disatisfied. In short, the grass is always greener in the other side. But you still go on putting up with life changes. You try to see the best in every situation. You mantain a positive mind for everything even in the rudest of all times. But, from time to time, you miss the company of friends back home. You yearn for the comfort of Filipino cooking. You think back to the best of times spent with your family. It pains you not to be there on birthdays and Christmases. You think and feel lonely. You ask yourself for what reason are you putting up with living in the US. Then you think, while you're here and away from home, you might as well make the most out of it. You begin an endless search and exploration of what you think you can do. You find new activities and hobbies to fill in your time. You forget you're lonely and get busy. You cover up that loneliness and kill time to move on from today to the next. You just dread the next time the bell tolls and you remember that you're still lonely and have no family.

voice

2006-04-26T21:05:00.000-04:00

stop, go
thoughts
strong
but lingering
in my head
words too fast
not said
nor heard
linger
-ing
away