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.

Spectra Artists 2015 Summer Art Contest

Congratulations to the winners of the Spectra Artists 2015 Summer Contest Winners!

Lorna and I have joined this contest, and are pleased and honored to have our entries ("Boy Riding a Carabao" and "Picnic in the Farm") make it to the top 50 finalists.

The top 50 pieces, as selected by the panel of judges, have been included in the ongoing exhibition at Galerie Spectra, located at 303 Memorial City Way, Suite 822, Houston TX 77024.  The exhibition will be from July 10 to July 29, 2015.  

The panel of judges were Salli Babbitt, Mitch Cohen, and Walter Wagner, all prominent artists in Houston, Texas.

Entrepreneurship

In order for our nation's economy to grow, we should encourage entrepreneurialism rather than vagrancy. Entrepreneurs are a driving force that moves our economy forward. They are the people who dare to step outside their comfort zones, bringing innovations, new products and services to the market, taking the risk of losing, while creating jobs and opportunities for other people.

Most people prefer to stay in their comfort zones, having stable jobs and receiving monthly pay checks, without worrying of going bankrupt. But, all that are made possible because somebody, an entrepreneur, has spent time, effort, and resources, long before they even got their jobs. The sacrifices made by entrepreneurs that went ahead of them made it possible for them to live comfortably today...

A good example of entrepreneurs are the independent artists.  They spend time and resources on their works, long before their works are even recognized or appreciated.  Just like other entrepreneurs, they create jobs and make it possible for other people such as these craftsmen and women to make a living…

Imagekind - Workshop from Imagekind on Vimeo.

When you buy something from an artist, you're not only buying a small piece of their heart, soul, and life; you are also contributing to the growth of our nation's economy, by keeping people like them employed.

Let us support entrepreneurs who are bringing in new innovations, new products, and new services to the market, by promoting and patronizing them. Their success is our success... Their success is the key to our future, to the future of our children, and to the future of our children's children.

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

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.

The Artist

Below is a picture of my first painting for the year 2013.  It is a self-portrait, entitled "The Artist."  It portrays me, Cyril Maza, painting on canvas.  It is an acrylic 24" X 36" portrait painting on canvas.

 

There is something special about this painting, beside being my self-portrait.  You see, I finished it on the 13th day of January, 13 years after the second millineum (2013) or 1/13/13, in my apartment that has a street number of 13131.  Funny, how the numbers are full of one's and three's, isn't it? 

Not only that, I finished this painting after fasting for two days, from Thursday evening (January 10) to Sunday morning (January 13).  I don't know how I did that (fasting), but I guess, I was just too busy painting that I had never even thought about eating within those two days.  I could have continued fasting, but my wife who was in the Philippines for vacation at that time, called me and reminded me to eat.  She got worried, after learning that I had not eaten anything since that Thursday evening.  I will never ever forget those days, for this painting will ever remind me of them.

I have already received several comments on this painting.  One comment came from a friend who said she was wondering how I was able to paint myself here.  She said, I seem to be looking at a mirror while painting this piece. 

I told her, "No.

I was not looking at a mirror while painting this.  I actually got a photograph of myself, taken by my wife (Lorna), painting our own version of Renoir's 'Two Sisters on a Terrace."  I used that picture as my starting point.  I copied that picture, but changed the colors of my shirt (white in the picture) and my pants. I also changed the background, added the table, the glass jar, the paints, and the paint brushes.  And, instead of showing the unfinished version of Renoir's painting, I showed a landscape with clouds, mountain, trees, and a lake."

The painting I was painting in the painting was supposed to look unfinished, hence I had actually refrained myself from adding more details and colors to it.  I was actually tempted to add the reflections of mountains, trees, and clouds on the water; but, I just intentionally refrained myself from doing so.  I said to myself, "save that for your next landscape painting."

Well, yes, I will probably come up with a landscape painting, similar to what I just described above, very soon.  Please watch out for it!