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A year in portraits.

A look into 90% of the portraits commissions  made for my clients through 2011. Happy New Year.

Featuring

Ana, Fadila, Yoli, Samara, Jane, Alyson, Sivan, Jennifer, Christina, Jane, Miss Feeny, Lucia, Ana, Jae, Carmen, Zoila, Elda, Tush, Bebe, Lola, Ela Family, Kelin, Tina, Shownine, Jessica, Vintage Vandalizm, Tessa, Jamie Principle, Frankie Knuckles, Eric Kupper, Betty Chantel, Brittany Kaye, Tonya Thomas, Carmen B, Tabatha, Michelle, Chena, Anki, Charlotte, Miranda, Lauren, Samantha, Nicole, Myrna, Lily, Marilyn, Boos Bakes, Charity, Delancie, Sol, Rene, Brooklyn, & Melanie.

 

 

Do it badly!

Here s an old school mini article I never posted. It from a Indigenous/ Native American magazine from October 2006. Ughh. I get so freakin' embarrassed reading any interview I take part in . I am super thankful for the attention but since I can't fake shit talkers, yet I feel like I am a  fake shit talker when reading these. Anyway this piece inspired by the lovely Tanya V was what really helped me find my direction as a pin up artist. I was starting to get back into painting again after almost 10 years of barely making a thing. Perfectionism, self critical sabotage will warp your mind body and soul. I stopped making art a few times because I thought I was never good enough. (the life long battle many of us share) But as I have slowly learned, If you love what you do,  Anything worth doing is worth doing badly.  I constantly hear from my fans wanting to see the "old Santiago" the wild cubistic painterly works again. (Trust me, you are about to be blown away by my upcoming works) but I had to take a detour for a few years and learn to make art because I love it, even if it comes out "badly" or not to certain standards. Letting go of unrealistic expectations has in the end made me 10 times more productive. Olus that :shitness I was afraid of was actually another style in me that was yearning to burst out, yet I surpressed it becuasr it did not fit the mold I saw in my head. It was better...

If it is worth doing, its worth doing shittily. Better shitty then not at all. Enough of my rambling.

Click image for detail.

Vintage Illustrated Paperback book covers

It is so strange to see just how many publications were hand painted during the early to mid century. This generation of artists were almost wiped out when photography became in fashion. Unfortunately I do not have the illustrators' names for these covers. I can't imagine how little these artists were paid for such cheaply sold material. Look at those prices.


 

 

 

Fun at "First Fridays" Mini vintage car gathering.



Every first Friday of the month, the town that I am currently residing at has a small festival around historic Munn Park. Art openings, outdoor activities and a bunch of fun small town stuff. They even have their own mini vntage car show where restorers and enthusiasts show off their creations and classic antique cars. I go a kick out of the kids that have zero connection to that era look at the cars as if they came from other worlds. As children we often are amazed at new experiences, but to stay inspired constantly we would do best to keep exposing ourselves to new sources of input. These are taken with my measly iPhone camera.

A classic Corvette unrestored.

What lady can resist snuggling up next to you in this baby?

Look at how modern the design of that dashboard is. Mini Cooper seems to have gotten it's cues from one of these classics.

Built like a tank!

Look at the crank they used to start the cars. 1927 License place

LOOK AT THIS ART DECO MASTERPIECE OF A HOOD ORNAMENT!!!

OH HAI .

Hello there.

 

 

 

Random "Dirty" Magazine covers.

Dirty magazines?

Wow! The tables have turned so drastically. What was considered "dirty", taboo, and underground in 1950's "wholesome" society has now crept up into the mainstream, a new movement that cherishes  pinup cover art and culture as good clean fun. Culture has a funny way of captivating the younger generation who fall in love with the past and what the old has abandoned. 

Man!!!! As an artist, how great it would be to transport back in time to the 40s and 50's seeing countless of these magazines on newstands in TImes Square. Yeah I guess I would seem like super pervert man peering into the stacks, but I love art and happen to be passionately blessed in rendering the female form. This would've been heaven to me. Wonders what current underground taboo movements are occurring right under our noses to be made  mainstream in 30 years.

Would you have posed for these magazines back in the 50s or would your passion drown in what society thought was right?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vintage Mexican Cinema Actress Maria Felix

Enough about Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, Grace Kelly, Bettie Davis and the like. Sometimes I wonder why we think the world of vintage cinema revolves around Hollywood alone when there always an abundance of amazing talent worldwide. It is rare that you see or hear about actors and actresses from other countries unless they crossover to North America with an awful movie.

This post pays tribute to the "pinup worthy" icon of classic Mexican Cinema, Miss Maria Felix who starred in over 50 films, and muse to dozens of artists including Diego Rivera.

Mexican Cinema produced some of the best poster artwork worldwide and as you can see, she made illustration easy for the artist with her dark mane and expressive eyes. One of my own art works is a modern tribute to her movie "Doña Diabla. A Diego Rivera painting titled "Tehuana" which Maria classified as "muy malo" ("really bad") was originally intended to premiere in a retrospective on Rivera's work but Félix did not allow the painting to be displayed, as she never liked it.

 

Diego Rivera's muse.

 

and my modern Mexican/ Russian fusion version starring Russian model Maria Plaksina.

 

Random pinup inspiration Part 1 of 1000

This shall be the first post of many. I use the term "pinup" loosely as I will be posting beautiful women from each era that brought joy to men's faces. images include classical paintings and photos of old to modern illustrations and computer graphics in random order. Enjoy

-Santiago-