Tea in Shanghai

Shanghai 2010

Water Village, Shanghai

World Expo 2010, Shanghai

Tucson AZ

Carmel

Coffee Farm Sunset

Getty Museum Garden

Garden in Shanghai

The year 2010 proved to be a very interesting year for me, travel and photography wise. I wish i can brag that i am one darn good photographer, but im not. I know professionals whose work i covet, and do i wish i were anywhere close to having their talent. But, i do find contentment and great satisfaction in my adventure, and the kind of work i am able to do. I feel fortunate to live in places with so much allure, and travel to countries and capture subjects to my personal appeal, carrying a humble toy, my Canon digital camera. I am likewise happy with my photoshop skills, sufficient to help me create my own signature art.

But, in this page, i share a few of my favorite photos, as taken.

When words escape, flowers speak.
-   Bruce W. Currie

They have no need of clothing, nor cosmetics, unlike us. They have been lavished by Mother Nature with the most extraordinary beauty,  we are the fools if we don’t take notice. I believe they were created for us, for our pleasure.

It is Master Artist Claude Monet who said, “I PERHAPS OWE HAVING BECOME A PAINTER TO FLOWERS”. There is no more profound tribute paid than their ’immortalization’ done by one of the worlds most beloved and renowned artist. And, he is not alone.

I find myself likewise drawn to the subject of flowers.  How i feel is best expressed by one of my favorite artists, Ms. Georgia O’Keeffe:

“When you take a flower in your hand and really look at it, 
it’s your world for the moment. I want to give that world to 
someone else.  Most people in the city rush around so, 
they have no time to look at a flower.  I want them to see
it whether they want to or not.”

Title: Artist in N Carolina Garden

I sat under this beautiful tree, not long enough, wanting so much to linger on and to ‘live’ in it. I loved every moment i was there, immersed in a world that seemed almost perfect. Like it’s blossoms, i felt very much alive and wonderful!

“Like the musician, the painter, the poet, and the rest, the true
lover of flowers is born, not made”- Celia Thaxter

AVAILABLE IN WATERCOLOR PRINTS, POSTERS, GICLEES, CALENDARS, GIFT ITEMS…

CHECK OUT:

 www.zazzle.com/sylvanvelzer*

www.artistsites.org.SylvVelzer

They are one of a kind and not available anywhere else!

Other places where you can find and connect with me

www.facebook.com/sylviavanvelzer

http://twitter.com/artsylvia

http://www.associationhawaiiartists.com

Then, these works of art often will find it’s way into the hearts and minds of an audience. For really what is the purpose of these creations, but to bring the same pleasure, provocation and sometimes mysteries it brought the artist.

Art Exhibit at Aloha Tower:

It’s my pleasure to announce the launching of my abstracts and new works at the Night Market @ Aloha Tower event, 5pm-10pm, on Mar 18, 2009, in Honolulu. Featured here are some of the images that will be exhibited on that evening.

Waimea Valley Botanical Gardens:

Currently displays some of my work, that are also for sale.

Joe Dowson’s Studio:

“My Mililani Garden” and “Hibiscus-Fragile on Iron” are displayed.

Philippine Consulate Hawaii

“Philippine Fishermen”

Canon Gallery, HI

Date to be announced

I met Joe and his wife Iris during my first art exhibit and Herman and i agree, we felt we found kindred spirits, we immediately became friends. It was hard to believe how they appreciated my work, especially after knowing Joe was the Joe Dawson, who happens to be one of Hawaii’s beloved and multi awarded artist. I was beyond myself when they bought “My Mililani Garden Beauties”, and Iris confessed ” We go to many artshows, and it is rare we buy anything, just because Joe is an artist himself. But we really love this one”. What a compliment!

That night, shyly, I expressed my desire to learn from a “Master” like him, but was worried that i had set myself up to be ‘exposed’ as being ‘untalented’, especially because we worked with completely different mediums. But, he was kind to say he and his students could learn from me. Which i didn’t buy, but i went ahead and enrolled in his class.

It is a privilege to be one of Joe’s students. I know i am learning a lot from him, but really what is most precious is in ‘knowing’ the artist that he is. More than being incredibly talented, Joe, who is 86 years is so full of life. He is sharp, witty, gentle and generous.

When i told Joe i wanted to try abstracts, he was intrigued and excited. He said abstract reveal one’s soul. But, he said, “you must first learn the techniques of painting”, which of course i was more than willing to do.

After months of lessons, many after class Jumbo Shrimp Tempura lunches, and talking stories, i am finally into abstract painting. I really enjoy it very much. One time Joe observed, “Are you ‘troubled’? He was looking at my blackened canvas which was actually a result of mixing colors that i couldn’t correct. But, it probably, subconsciously ‘reveaedl’ what i was feeling during that session. It was a laugh at the end, after i shared that i was upset with the way Herman was driving. He had me do another canvas, just using all blue hues. That was ‘safe’.  With another painting, he explained, “You cannot let the mind paint. It must come from your soul”.

Chosen by Joe and Iris Dawson

Title: Swirls

Here is a medium i discovered for myself while doodling with some of my photographs. It was fun, in a therapeutic way. I of course wondered what this childplay exercise meant in terms of the outcome. Nevertheless, i found myself happy with the indulgence and happy even after.

Here’s the result of my little research about the art of abstracts. Abstract Expressionism is a style of painting in which the painter shows his personality through spontaneity.  Could that be me? Most abstract expressionist art is not a painting of an object or image, but instead a study in color and brush stroke.  In my case, i use the ‘mouse’ as my brush.

There are two major types of abstract expressionism.  One is Action Painting and the other is Color Field Painting.  Action painting strives to show paint texture and the movement of the artists. Jackson Pollock is an example of an Action Painter.  He dripped and poured his paint to create his work. 

A Color Field Painter is a painter who is concerned with just color and shape.  Mark Rothko is one of the best examples of this kind of painter and shows this by his rectangles and the variety of color that he uses in his paintings.  Other abstract expressionism painters are Willem de Kooning, Adophn Gottieb, and Jean Debuffet.

Georges Braques pioneered the technique of faceting an image in order to capture the essence of an object. Picasso’s faceting would become a stylistic means that led to pure abstraction, a process which would be completed by Mondicias and the Russian artists.

The above images represent my work called “Swirls”. The start out as photographs, which are digitally manipulated, using the swirl strokes to mix colors and create a new image.

For more of my abstract works, go to “Abstraction” Page.

Title: Northshore Sunset

No matter where we are, spaces we occupy in this planet, we are beings subject to cycles and seasons. In my own journeying, i have experienced the uncertainty that comes with the darkest of night, and the transitioning that brought in the most glorious morning.

When i watch a beautiful sunset, i think about “contentment” at the ending of each day. I am always grateful for God’s hand in seeing me through, no matter the challenges that come my way.

Title: Paradise Rainbow

The rainbow serves to remind me that God’s promises are rock solid and firm. It is more than enough that He splashes it in the sky, in vivid heavenly colors, for everyone to see. As if He knows, we easily forget.

“ I was seeing what Adam had seen in the morning of his creation-the miracle, moment by moment, of naked existence”

-Aldous Huxley

“What a desolate place would be a world without flowers! It would be a face without a smile, a feast without a welcome” , so said AJ Balfour.

“Who would have thought it possible that a tiny flower could pre0ccupy a person so completely that there simply wasn’t any room for any other thought”- Sophie Scholl

  Title: “Floral Collage 1″

Title: Our Home in Tryon

Title: Long Island Garden

Title: Anna’s Little Pond

Title: Maunakea Blooms

My Lovely Hydragenea

Title: Cousins at the Beach

Children are amazing! There’s something wonderful about watching them play.  I love their carefree nature, their innocence and seeming lack of fear. Truly they are God’s gifts and perhaps the most precious.

Much of the time i seek the celebration, blessings and the joy of life, some of which are obvious and others, more subtle. While the ‘end result’ can be considered “artful” and pleasing, the best part of my creative work is the artistic ride and process. The excitement begins ‘inside’. Be it a dream, an idea, a vision, a concept, and however it came, there is an undeniable stirring that decides it all. I’m not sure, that as an artist, that i completely comprehend everything that happens. It’s simply “there”, unfolding.   

The simplicity of a picture, of say, a flower or children at play, at first glance may seem mundane. But, more often, howbeit the moment ’speaks’, fleeting as they tend to be, (the Impressionists lived to find these), one must find the profound. Sometimes, it’s elusive and even mysterious.

My journey of self discovery has been filled with the sweet and the bitter, and of many ups and downs. I count, as part of my true riches all the learning ‘curves’ that have helped deepen me as a person. I see this as perhaps one of the more potent mark and authentic credential for my artistry. 

As for me, I love nature and spend my days connecting with the beauty of my surrounding. Hawaii is my home and indeed it is paradise in more ways than one. I consider living here in this island a gift of a new life.

Here is where i discovered my true self, and found inner healing and the blossoming of my dream. Through the rekindling of an old love, sparked the passion that i always kept, for as long as i can remember. Today, i am inspired, motivated, excited, bursting to create. I pick and shoot away with my camera, like a painter, i transform these images into artwork.

I capture the sea, mountains, trees, gardens, flowers, leaves and children playing by the ocean. In my journey, i have become more conscious of the fact that so many people in this planet  are hurting, stressed out, and sick in their souls. The same way that i have found rest, serenity and happiness in what i have seen and captured, perhaps, one ‘picture’ will speak’ and help someone disengage from ‘their reality’, which will lead them to take one step to a new direction. This is what I want to communicate with my art. To be ‘childlike’, step out into the sunshine, play in the sand, let the waves of the ocean ‘seduce’ you, be still, wait for the sunset, smell the variety of flowers, sit under a tree, enjoy the banyans, yellow umbrellas, blue clear skies, multi colored sails, kayaks, surfboards,  in all  their  vividness! Life is vibrant and they are there for our joy and healing. I truly believe that we were meant to find balance by imbibing the beauty of our surroundings.

As humans, we must learn to ‘disconnect’ ourselves from the man made concrete jungles and the burden of material pursuits. We must allow ourselves to be distracted by mother earth, who awaits us, so we can be refreshed in our souls. God designed us to interact with His creation, to feast on her magnificence and to feel divine pleasure.