"What is Art for?"

Last July, Nikki Ocean held her solo exhibit, entitled Prism Pains and Those Voices in the Wilderness, at the Finale Art File art gallery. She's a budding artist and I've seen her grow from her college days to the present date. You could say that I've been one of her biggest fans! After seeing her exhibit, I was inspired to create jewelry pieces that ran parallel and    resonated with her paintings. This led me to experiment with different forms of beaded costume jewelry, as well as incorporating materials outside my usual style. 

Bloom, Nikki Ocean
2015, Oil on Canvas
84 X 60 inches

Ghost of your future's past childhood longings, Nikki Ocean
2015, Oil on Canvas
60 X 84 inches

Heart Burn, Nikki Ocean 
2015, Oil on Canvas
48 X36 inches

Peak of Haiyan, Nikki Ocean
2015, Oil on Canvas
36 X 36 inches

Wild, Nikki Ocean
2015, Oil on Canvas
48 x 36 inches

Home is where the tides take me, Nikki Ocean
2015, Oil on Canvas
36 X 36 inches

I have always been an accessory-loving person. I love wearing jewelry regardless of it being fine, bridge or costume. I also collect those made by different artists and retail brands. When I learned to make costume jewelry in particular, it played to my strengths as an artisan since I am a very visual and creative person. If I wasn’t doing this, I might have pursued painting or sculpture. Today, I see paint my canvass with my needle and thread as my brush and paint. 

I am lucky to be surrounded by creative people from different fields, who are artists in their own way using their form of "art" to inspire, influence and showcase their own advocacy. I suppose this is an example of what art is about. At one level, art inspires and on another level, it's an indirect way to self investigation. Allain de Botton's animated guide to "What is Art For" explains it more clearly. 

Live a life of meaning. Surround yourself with art! 
Keeping it real.- PJV

The Art in Polymer Clay

It was around 2010 that I started attending various art and crafts workshops including working with polymer clay. I took classes with Melody Felipe of Purple Nook Clay Shop (who also sells Polymer Clay materials). Melody mentioned Jen Cruz, the artist behind Purpleluggage, an expert in caning and creating whimsical flowers. I didn't pursue polymer clay, despite investing in materials, (including an oven) dedicated to this craft. It wasn't my medium but it was definitely Jen's.

“I'm a beach-going, dog-loving, crafty musician. All the stuff here were made lovingly -and at times painstakingly- with my own hands. I've been working with polymer clay since the mid-90's. An affair borne of a magical meeting of a limitless medium and busy hands.” - Jen Cruz, Purpleluggage 

Working with a medium as accessible as polymer clay and making it into something totally unique is a challenge that is both rewarding and enriching for polymer artist Jen Cruz. Being a tinkerer with restless hands, she is enriched by the intimate connection of designing and creating for people she’s never met. Her work brings her immense happiness, balance, and calm; and it means so much more when her creations speak to people in a positive way.

Most of the pieces she makes are necklaces, lockets and small trinket boxes. These bangles are an exclusive collection for Palamuti, with the signature floral designs of Purpleluggage.

Photos by Purpleluggage

Keeping it real.- PJV 

Smart & Casual

What I miss most in my time during with a corporate career was the possibility of dressing up in office attire. One of the things I really looked forward to everyday was expressing my individuality through fashion. I was lucky enough to be part of a company that allowed their employees to dress up. From  hardcore power dressing, to smart casual, I was able to enjoy the smart casual look, especially when I utilized denims to the full. For me, what really puts smart casual look together is the right choice of shoes and accessories. Add the classic pumps and jewelry accents over a plain blouse or polo shirt to complement your whole ensemble. As for the hairstyle, a slick pulled back look should do the trick. Anyway, here are some fashion styling photos from Kim Basa of Amaya and her team. 

" At most companies, however, the "smart casual" dress code is a step up from "business casual," but not as formal as "boardroom attire." It's neat and professional — but still informal. "

Read more:  http://www.businessinsider.com/what-smart-casual-dress-code-means-2014-8#ixzz3hj0qD8vx

Which of the above is your favorite smart casual look? :) 

Keeping it real.- PJV 

Draw to Experience

Lotus Inspired Necklace 

It was not until a client asked me to show sketches of her entourage jewelry did I start drawing again. I do remember, however that I once regularly did sketching, and enjoyed charcoal drawing in primary school. But I stopped when one of my peers unkindly commented that what I drew was not my work. After that incident, I never really went back to drawing or sketching. In that moment, I doubted myself and thought that I was never good enough. Childhood experiences really do play a part in who and what you think of yourself. For some reason I grew up having very low esteem, with the need to please people. It was hard for me to make friends and much harder to communicate what I really felt. A part of that is still there; the insecurities of not being worthy still haunt in some days. Today, I try hard to be in control and achieve perfection, but at the same time trying to rebel from expectations. 

Larkspur and the Lotus

Somehow my art and the chance to wake up everyday and do my thing helps in the process. I sketch and draw regularly now. This process helps me conceptualize and put a structure to my ideas, which most of the time are rambles and circuits of images in my mind. It calms me. Its a form of meditation and most importantly a form of gratitude. 

Larkspur Inspired Necklace

Nowadays cameras make it so easy to feel that we've captured what's important in the world. But to really appreciate what's around us, we might need to learn a weirder, less technologically-advanced skill: drawing. To the modern-day person, when something looks interesting or beautiful, it's a natural impulse to take a picture in order to preserve it. This means that we're likely to reach for our phones or cameras. But this becomes a problem when we fail to truly look at the world and its true beauty, and get lost in the act of "capturing" the moment. The act of drawing forces us to study the world in a way that we would never consider when we take a photograph. 

Roses and Thorns

Say for example that two people take a walk together, one is a sketcher and the other one with no interest of the kind. There will surely be a great difference in how the two individuals perceive the things that they are both seeing. The one who has no interest in sketching will look at a tree and surmise that it's a tree, and will think no more about it. However, the sketcher will be able to view the sunlight and how it bounces of the tree, and the feeling of experiencing that will remain in memory as well. The sketcher will remember how the sunshine makes the leaves glimmer and the shadows that are cast, in other words, the minute details of beauty. The sketcher will see the emerald glow of the leaves and the contrast of the  bow and branches emerging from the veil of leaves. Then come the patterns of the bark and the twisting roots, which the sketcher will notice as all the colors blend themselves in perfect harmony. We draw not because we want to be great artist, but we should draw to be able to see, think, and feel, beyond what our gadgets cannot provide. Is this not worth seeing? Yet if you're not a sketcher, you will let pass the beauty of the world around us, and be reminded of it simply in photographs, not knowing, and feeling, what you've truly missed . All you'll remember is that you went such-and-such into the world and simply took photos of it, post it somewhere and think nothing more of it. 

So anyway, I am planning to take up some basic drawing, maybe painting but most definitely a workshop on sculpture. I enjoy theory but I prefer theory in practice more. I have been eyeing on joining art classes at ARTALYER Workshops and Studio. I will keep you updated on this! Most of all, I would love to draw beside Nikki Ocean in her Art by Sea  Workshops. Lastly, since we are in the subject of drawing, here's another interesting read from William Kemp. 

Keeping it real.-PJV