Oooh-weeee, it's been a while!

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It has been over a year since I've posted here! Things have been super busy though, and thankfully I don't think many people actually read these haha. I've decided to shift my blog-esque energies toward my Facebook and instagram and may only visit here once in a while, so be sure to follow those pages to keep up with me!  Feel free to add me on Snapchat @allisondewd as well, as I post lots of little videos of me painting, pictures of works in progress, and of course, pictures of my darling little Leeloo.

I've finished a couple of paintings recently that I'm super stoked about. The first is MagnifEYEd, which is a self-portrait, in a sense. Here's a little quip I wrote about it on facebook for an art challenge one day:
For my #7DaysofArtChallenge today I'm sharing my most recently completed painting, MagnifEYEd. I started this one at Pasture Palooza this past summer, which is a great festival that you should definitely check out- it's in Berryville, VA, isn't crazy expensive, AND is super fun! Anyway, I was inspired to rotate the canvas into a diamond by Rob Fogle, an artist I met at the Mad Tea Party Jam, who had a diamond grid of Alice in Wonderland inspired paintings. They were so clever, colorful, and I found the diamond shape innovative. I already had a thing for funky canvases (I have another painting, Gnarly, that is a crazy shape that I may share in this challenge!) and was like WHY HAVE I NEVER THOUGHT OF THIS haha. I'd actually had this idea of my eye as a sunflower for a super long time- I'd sketch it out sometimes and just wasn't in love yet. There was something missing. Pasture Palooza rolled around and I decided that maybe the inspiration would come when I started painting it AND IT DID *bum bum* It's gonna sound super cliche but I truly do think eyes are the window to the soul. A look into someone's eyes can tell you so much and make you feel so many things (even go look into your pet's eyes, it's mesmerizing and will make you feel more connected. Or freak them out who knows haha.) I also have a deep admiration for sunflowers; they are always looking toward the light and their yellow, sometimes fiery petals radiate the warmth and happiness of the sun's rays. Yet I also find black holes fascinating, as they have such a strong gravitational pull that nothing, even light, can escape them. Their connotation is typically negative, for instance, losing something because your cluttered purse or car is a "black hole." The dichotomy between these two symbols was something I was interested to explore on canvas. As someone that struggles with depression and anxiety, this is a visual representation of the internal battles I face. I try really hard to remind myself to look toward the light and to exude positivity, but sometimes I get tired and every bit of happiness or contentment is absorbed until I'm surrounded by darkness. But the magnifying glass is there to remind myself to look closer, because things aren't always what they seem.

I also finished up a portrait of my sister's siberian husky, Lola. I'm calling it "A Lola Borealis," which is actually even more appropriate because the breeders named her Aurora originally! I really wanted to capture Lola's light and love. When my sister brought her home I couldn't stop crying because of how cute, fuzzy, and sweet she was. I'm so happy I was able to immortalize her!

Well that's about it for me today! Thank you all so much for the read, I'm gonna go paint now! Don't forget to check out my social media pages, and feel free to drop by Ruby's tonight around 9 for some dope hip hop and live painting action from me! I shall leave you with an in-progress picture of a painting that's been in the works for what seems like forever. Thank you!