Daylight Savings

The holiday season is right around the corner, and as Daylight Saving Time comes to an end here in the United States, we wanted to offer our shoppers some extra Daylight “Savings” in the form of free shipping this weekend!

Starting Friday morning (November 2nd) at 12:00 AM Eastern time, we’re offering free ground shipping on all orders placed through Fine Art America or Pixels.com and shipping to any destination in the United States.

The offer will run from Friday morning through Sunday night at midnight Eastern.

Please note - this offer is only valid for orders placed through Fine Art America or Pixels.com.

Here is the link to my profile page on Fine Art America: https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/cyril-maza.

Special Artists Reception - Artists on Board

There is a special Artists Reception tonight from 5-9 pm at Galerie Spectra.  See more details below:

Spectra Artists, Inc. 303 Memorial Way, Unit #822

Memorial City Mall, Houston TX 77024

May 2016 Monthly Group Exhibition at Galerie Spectra

Boy Riding a Carabao

A Caucasian boy named Isaiah, from Houston TX, went to the Philippines to spend a vacation with his family. He was visiting the Philippines and his relatives there for the first time. He had a wonderful time, playing with his cousins and meeting new friends.  He really had a lot of fun back there.

This painting shows Isaiah riding a carabao.  It is an acrylic painting on an 18" X 24" canvas.  It was completed on December 21, 2014.

For those who have not seen or heard what a carabao is, a carabao is a swamp type domestic water buffalo found in the Philippines. It is considered the national animal of the Philippines.  Carabaos are used for farming and for pulling carts in rural villages in the Philippines. They are also a good source of meat, milk, and hide. Carabao hide was once used extensively to create a variety of products, which include the armor of pre-colonial Filipino warriors.   Also, according to Wikipedia, "the carabao is considered a symbol of Guam. In the early 1960s, carabao races were a popular sport in the island, especially during fiestas. Today, carabaos are a part of the popular culture. They are often brought to carnivals or other festivities, and are used as a popular ride for children."

Below is a series of photos I took while I was working on this painting.

No. 1

No. 2

No. 3

No. 4

CSMaza Artworks Jigsaw Puzzles

New jigsaw puzzles featuring Cyril and Lorna Maza's art pieces are now available for purchase online at http://www.zazzle.com/csmaza*.  

The puzzles come in two sizes: 10" x 14" (252 pieces) and 8" x 10" (110 pieces).

The 8" x 10" puzzle includes  a gift box with the image printed on its lid.

Made of sturdy cardboard and mounted on chipboard, these puzzles are printed in vivid and full color. For hours of puzzle enjoyment, give a custom puzzle as a gift today!

For more details, just click on the images below:

Beautiful Morning in the Farm Puzzle by CSMaza
View more puzzle designs from Zazzle.

Harvest Time Puzzle by CSMaza
Check out more Zazzle Puzzles

Hills by the Lake Puzzle by CSMaza
Browse another Puzzle

Two Sisters Puzzle by CSMaza
View more Two sisters Puzzles at zazzle.com

Summer View Puzzle by CSMaza
See here for Puzzles

Harvest Season Puzzle by cyrilmaza
View more puzzle designs from Zazzle.

The Artist Puzzle by cyrilmaza
Find more Csmaza Puzzles at Zazzle

Homework Puzzle by cyrilmaza
Look at Student Puzzles online at Zazzle.com

Playing Melodies Under the Shade of Trees Puzzle by cyrilmaza
Browse other puzzles

Art and Wine

We're running a special promotion this month. All orders on Fine Art America come with a $100 gift certificate good towards your first purchase of wine on NakedWines.com!

Yes - really!

Naked Wines is a company based in Napa, California, that supports independent wine makers from all over the world.

When you place an order on FineArtAmerica.com, we'll e-mail you a $100 gift certificate from NakedWines.com... instantly. It doesn't matter how large your order is on FineArtAmerica.com. If you order a single greeting card, you'll still receive the gift certificate.

Once you receive the gift certificate, all you have to do is visit NakedWines.com, enter in your gift certificate code, buy some wine, and you're done! Then, just sit back and wait for the wine to arrive on your doorstep. If the logistical stars are in alignment, maybe your wine and your order from Fine Art America will arrive at the same time!

Before using your gift certificate on NakedWines.com, please note the following restrictions:

Terms and Conditions
The $100 gift certificate is only valid for first-time buyers on NakedWines.com and can only be applied towards purchases of $160 or more. You must be 21 years or older to redeem the gift certificate. Wine can not be shipped outside of the United States. Additional restrictions apply. Void where prohibited. See complete details at http://us.nakedwines.com/100voucher. Naked Wines is not affiliated with Naked Winery (http://nakedwinery.com) in Hood River, Oregon.

There is no minimum purchase required on Fine Art America in order to receive the gift certificate. If you purchase a greeting card for $5, for example, you'll still receive the gift certificate from NakedWines.com - yes, really!

All you have to do is make a purchase on Fine Art America, and the $100 gift certificate to NakedWines.com will be emailed to you... instantly!

Great art + great wine... enjoy!



Cyril Maza

Homework

I painted this from my childhood memories.

I was in fifth grade when my family moved to the house, which my parents had built for us. It was in a barrio around two miles away from the town proper. The house was barely finished when we moved in. We did not even have electricity. It took months before we eventually got the connection to the local power grid. During those months, we only had kerosene lamps for lighting.

I still remember myself, studying, reading, and preparing my homework at night with the help of those kerosene lamps.

This is a 16" X 20" acrylic painting on canvas. I finished this painting last Sunday, August 25, 2013.

Frog Hunters

These two men (a father and a son) are hunting for frogs. Armed with lamps and nets, they venture into the night, walking barefooted on the muddy field, looking for some fresh frogs for their family's next-day meals.

According to Wikipedia, "frog legs are one of the better-known delicacies of French and Cantonese cuisine. They are also eaten in other regions, such as Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, the region of Alentejo in Portugal, Spain, Slovenia, northwest Greece, and Northern Italy, as well as the Southern regions of the United States. Currently the world's largest exporter of frogs is Indonesia, also a large consumer. In regions such as Brazil, Mexico and the Caribbean many frogs are still caught wild. A type of frog called the edible frog is most often used for this dish. Frog legs are rich in protein, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin A and potassium. They are often said to taste like chicken because of their mild flavor, with a texture most similar to chicken wings. The taste and texture of frog meat is approximately between chicken and fish. Frogs are raised commercially in certain countries, e.g. Vietnam. Frog muscle does not resolve rigor mortis as quickly as warm-blooded muscle (chicken, for example), so heat from cooking can cause fresh frog legs to twitch."

This is an acrylic on canvas painting.  I finished this painting on August 31, 2013.

This is another scene painted from my childhood memories. I was a little kid back then, living with my family in a farm. Our house was nearly surrounded by rice fields with many frogs croaking and hopping around. I remember myself running after those frogs one night.

Summerview 4

My wife and I are participating in the Summerview 4 Exhibition of Artists Alive and Well, inc.

Please come and enjoy artwork presented by local Houston artists this summer with a fantastic view of our city from the 9th Floor Sky Lobby of The Phoenix Tower. This art exhibition and sale has quickly become one of Houston's premier yearly events. The artists of AAW present original artwork in a wide variety of mediums and genres to fit every taste. Fill up your senses at The Phoenix Tower.

Opening Reception: 29 July 2013, 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Closing Reception: 16 August 2013, 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm

Location: 9th Floor, Phoenix Tower, 3200 Southwest Freeway, Houston TX 77027

Registration is not required.

http://www.artistsaliveandwell.com

Washing in the River

I finished this painting on the 4th of July 2013. It was a holiday (US Independence Day), so I did not go to work. I spent the whole afternoon, adding finishing touches to this painting, which I started a couple of weeks ago.

This painting shows two beautiful women washing clothes in a river. This scene may be considered typical in remote areas that are far from the cities, where rivers are the only source of water, both for drinking and washing.

This is an acrylic painting on a 24" X 36" canvas.  Prints of this painting are available for sale at 

http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/cyril-maza.html.

Harvest Time and Kids Eating Mangoes

"Harvest Time" is actually a version of another painting called "Kids Eating Mangoes" by Cyril Maza.  It shows a group of teenage kids having fun and eating mangoes, with a farmer and some farm animals around them, depicting a typical farm scene in some rural villages in the Philippines.

A nipa hut is shown standing not so far away from where the kids are. There is also a carabao, a couple of ducks, a rooster, a dog, a couple of pigs, piles of rice straws; as well as trees, mountains, and rice fields, in the background.

The original is a 20" X 30" acrylic painting on canvas, painted by husband and wife, Cyril Maza and Lorna Llanes D. Maza (LLDM). 

To purchase prints and/or greeting cards, simply click on the images below.  They will lead you to their respective pages in the Fine Art America website.

The original "Kids Eating Mangoes" is a 16" X 20" acrylic painting on canvas, and is one of Cyril Maza's first paintings.

Banaue

I finished another painting this afternoon, April 7, 2011.  It is an acrylic painting on a 11" X 14" X 5/8" canvas.  

I have named it "Banaue," after the municipality called Banaue (Banawe) in the province of Ifugao in the Philippines. Banaue is widely known for the UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Batad Rice Terraces and Bangaan Rice Terraces. 

The Ifugao Rice Terraces (Banaue Rice Terraces or Hagdan-hagdang Palayan ng Banaue) begin at the base of the mountain range and extend several thousand feet upwards. They are commonly referred to by Filipinos as the "Eight Wonder of the World." Accordingly, the total length of the terraces, when put end to end, would encircle half of the globe. 

The rice terraces manifest the engineering skill and ingenuity of Ifugaos, who built them 2,000 years ago. They are irrigated by means of mountain streams and springs that have been tapped and channeled into canals that run downhill through the rice terraces.

Father and Son

"Father and Son" is the third in my series of parent-and-child paintings.  The first two paintings are "A Moment with Dad" and "Mom and Babe."  This painting features a baby boy, instead of a baby girl, giving it a little bit of distinction from the other two.

All three paintings were made in the first quarter of this year (January to March 2013), and were painted using acrylic paints on canvas.  I finished this one on the 31st of March.

The background of this painting depicts a countryside scene, which is typical of rural villages in the Philippines.  There is a nipa hut in the background, as well as trees, mountains, shrubs, grasses, and tropical flowers.  The father is shown carrying his son in his arms, apparently standing on an elevated portion of the land.  A narrow pathway is shown on the side slope, leading down from where they are, towards the level ground below, where the nipa hut stands.

The Balloon Vendor

Seen from the perspective of a small child looking up to an old bearded man, the painting shows a man with outstretched right arm holding out and offering a green balloon to nearby passersby. The man wears a long sleeve shirt and a blue hat to protect himself from the heat of the sun, as he goes walking along the city streets through out the whole day. He would normally hang out in crowded places such as city parks, public markets, and churchyards. Sunday is probably one of his favorite days of the week, for it is on Sundays that he encounters the most number of people; specially with kids going to church with their parents.

I finished this painting on March 31, 2013.

CSM and LLDM Emporium

My wife and I just opened an online store at Zazzle.com. It is called "CSM and LLDM Emporium." Products featuring our art works are already available for sale.

We already have t-shirts, jackets, caps, bags, mugs, stamps, wall clocks, pillows, placemats, plates, and bottles; and are still in the process of adding more products.
Please see our store at Zazzle and keep posted for our new products and promotions. Thank you.