Viva Calaca!

Cute little animated short about The Day of the Dead celebrations in Mexico.


¡Viva Calaca! Day of the Dead from Ritxi Ostáriz on Vimeo.

Thanks to Ocasiocasa

Off-beat pumpkins

With Halloween fast approaching, I suddenly realized that I'm running out of pumpkin carving time! I used to carve an intricate pumpkin every year and I took pride in doing something unique.

One year I created my own U.S. Marine Corps eagle, globe & anchor stencil and the following year I tweaked a t-shirt design into a stencil of the POW/MIA emblem. I haven't found the time since...and that was close to 8 years ago! Time flies!

Pumpkin carving has taken on a life of its own and has ballooned into a full fledged art form these days. Look at the awesome designs that I dug up...

Octo-ber-pus - Extreme Pumpkins.com

This one is right up my alley (obviously!) It looks like the artist converted a few gourds into this amazing octopus.

And this one is just too fun not to share...although it's kinda gross to think of all that ground beef on there. :/

If you're looking to carve up something amazing this year, there is plenty of cool inspiration over at Extreme Pumpkins.

Happy (early) Halloween!

2nd City Council: DIA DE LOS MUERTOS Exhibition!

The 2nd City Council Art Gallery in Long Beach, CA is holding a Day of the Dead exhibit starting today, October 17, and ending on November 14. They also host a celebration day (see flyer above) with art, music and food.

My Day of the Dead shoe, Raising the Dead, will be on exhibit this year! Yay!

Awesome Octo Art

© 2010, Devin McGrath

An octo and moray eels. How cool is that?

Squid - Part Deux

© 2010 Eve Lynch

I have some new cephalopod art coming down the pike!

A client commissioned me to make a squid skateboard for her. She purchased my original Rainbow Squid Skateboard at BIG ARTS last year and wants another one.

This one will be slightly different from the first one but I will be using the same awesome iridized glass that changes colors when the light hits it. The glass is perfect for mimicking the way squids and octos change their color based on their mood.

The tentacle suction cups are made out of polymer clay this time. Last time I used cowrie shells but my artistic vision has changed a bit since I made the first skateboard back in 2008, and I wanted to keep moving in my current direction.

The client also mentioned that she loved jellyfish...which reminded me of how much I also love jellyfish, so I'm hoping I have time to squeeze in an ethereal jelly mosaic before November. It's been a few years since I made one and I have forgotten (a little) how much I adore all things from the sea.

I wish I had more arms (like an octo) and then I could accomplish all of the ideas running through my head!

(P.S. No, you aren't imagining things...there is a Day of the Dead skeleton peeking through on the mantle of the squid. She was an old work in progress that had to be sent to the grave in order for this squid to happen.)

Raising the Dead

© 2010 Eve Lynch, Raising the Dead

Great news!

My Day of the Dead shoe, Raising the Dead, was accepted into the 2nd City Council's annual Dia de los Muertos exhibit in Long Beach, CA!

Every year the neighborhood surrounding the 2cc Gallery throws a large celebration featuring dancing and live music with all the traditional trimmings...candlelight, altars and colorful marigolds.

The gallery hosts an exhibit filled with artwork inspired by the holiday and offers art workshops and food in their decorated garden space.

The exhibit runs from Sunday, October 17th until Sunday, November 14th.

© 2010 Eve Lynch, Raising the Dead

 I've been dying to participate in this exhibit for two years and I am thrilled that I finally got the chance to get a piece of art completed in time for the show.

I was inspired by the vibrant designs of Loteria cards and by the simple skeleton sketches from Ed Emberley's Drawing Book of Halloween. The artwork is a tribute to affection for the Mexican holiday. I just adore how the culture celebrates death rather than wallowing in sorrow over it. Nothing says remembrance more than brilliant color and fantastic patterns.

The undead rise again!

 © 2010 Eve Lynch, UNDEAD, 8x10 inches

My horror portrait is making its debut at the 2nd anniversary of Fort Myers Art Walk tonight in downtown Fort Myers!

Look for it in the windows of Patio de Leon with the Zombicon 2010 / Dark Art 4 exhibit.

This is a fantastic example of why I wanted to learn mosaic portraiture to begin with. I just knew that I could tweak something average into something completely wild.

There will definitely be more of these off-beat portraits coming down the pike.

Check out "Undead" as she progressed from just an idea to the beginnings of a recognizable face. And just for kicks you can read about how frustrating it can be to create hair out of glass. That was the worst part!