VICTORIA ROCK ART

Moonlight Walking

2010-11-29T18:22:00.000-08:00

Adymus Trans Music Composer

2010-11-19T16:56:00.000-08:00

Adymus is a trans music composer. Here is a sample of one of his original pieces.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c505XpePTYI

Chachal necklace of Maya indigenous people of Guatemala and Caravaca Cross

2009-08-03T13:15:00.000-07:00

THIS IS MY VERSION OF A GUATEMALAN CHACHAL
Each time I visited Guatemala as an adult I sought the antique silver coins that accent this necklace. In Guatemala I also found the small silver crosses called "Caravaca Cross" and the red small beads. The red beads are possibly fake coral-not sure what material they are. There is some round sterling silver beads, turquoise and, onix. After I had collected enough coins I made this necklace.

Chachal is Quiche Maya for necklace. Many of the indigenous people of Guatemala still proudly wear gorgeous blouses called "huipil' over a skirt called "corte" and to further adorn this hand woven colorful outfit they wear necklaces called "chachales" Every village has a distinct set of symbols and styles for their clothing that distinguish them from other Maya decedents.
I tried to find a good link to give you for more information on Chachales.
This is all i could find on the web.
http://revuemag.com/2009/02/guatemalas-unique-chachales/
This is an article that was included in a publication for English speaking expatriates in Antigua Guatemala.

'Caravaca" crosses are described briefly in this link
http://www.luckymojo.com/caravaca.html

AFRICAN TRADE BEADS

2009-07-19T14:29:00.000-07:00

The accent beads I used for making these necklaces are old and not easily found anymore. They are called "African Trade Beads" or simply "trade beads". They were used as currency mostly in the area of West Africa during the European colonization period beginning with by the Portuguese in the fifteenth century on to the nineteenth century.
They were made in Venice, Bohemia, and Holland in different designs called "millefiori" (a thousand flowers), chevrons, striped melons, feather, and eye beads.
People wore them around their neck for self adornment, status and as currency. The cord holding the beads was untied when people used them as money so the bead orifice is pretty worn out on the old ones. They are usually chipped and warned down on the outside as well. Today's copies are made in places like India.
During the 60's they were found in great abundance since the hippies wore all sorts of ethnic jewelry. Today I search for them and Ebay seems to be to only place I see them.
Since then ebay is the only place I have seen them for sale.

MY EVOLVING SENSIBILITIES AND MY FRIEND PEGGY McIntosh

2009-07-19T11:13:00.000-07:00

I was raised to consider art that which followed the rules set by European or western culture. I was taught to "look down" on tribal or folk art by the society where I was raised. I have served as a docent in a cultural art museum since 1993. Since then I have learned much about what today we call cultural art and used to be called "primitive" or "folk" art. I have learned and appreciated the cultural art of many countries and I thought I was beyond my childhood training.
During a trip to Guatemala my friend Peggy, also a docent at the museum and I were visiting the main cemetery in the city of Antigua Guatemala. I was there to visit my family's mausoleum. The area had gated gardens with large white structures and statues of angels, Mary, saints and portraits of people. Peggy walked off and headed for the "poor people's" side of the cemetery taking pictures.

I had never been to that side of the cemetery. I figured it was the ugly side of the cemetery. When I caught-up with Peggy. There were rows of walls about 12 feet high that contained niches for the dead sealed with a simple plaque. She drew me closer to one of the walls. I saw nothing but white walls with rows or square plaques, four rows high; she pointed at one of the plaques. It had a crude rectangular metal box attached to the wall below the plaque and some fresh flowers also a candle inside the metal box. Above, there was a plaque. It was a crude piece of square metal that had been once the top of a can that once housed 50 pounds of lard.

On this flat sheet of metal an artist had painted a scene of a little girl on her death bed with her family kneeling at the sides of the bed praying. Above the child, a large angel hovering with wings spread waiting to escort the little girl to heaven.
This image was very moving to me. The main colors were blue, cool white, and gray with just a tad of pink-lilac The scale of the figures was good; the perspective was like Cezane's peaches on a table as if the viewer is above looking down.

Peggy talked simpatheticaly about the painting, pointing to the details and how it was very likely that the people who placed this memorial for their loved-one couldn't afford it, but made the sacrifice. Crude, naive and unusual in a surrealistic way but I saw for the first time a beauty that went beyond a loyal adherence to the elements of art and design. It was spontaneous, expressive and, delightful-- what today I feel art should be. Thanks Peggy.

PERSPECTIVE AND SAFETY

2009-07-04T21:22:00.000-07:00

This oil painting on canvas is 18 by 40 inches.

I saw the plant that inspired this painting from below. From this vantage point I imagined being an animal in a jungle. I imagined also that if I would feel safe hidden there.

I photograph the plant at the Chicago arboretum near Lincoln Park Zoo. I love Chicago. When I visit I always go to the this place; this large green house is filled with beautiful and delicate ferns, many different flowers including orchids and other tropical plants from all over the world. There is water running from several fountains making this place humid. There are man made rock formations that have mosses to growing on them. The lighting is soft and cool giving a dream-like quality to this is paradise. One could spend an entire afternoon there just relaxing to the sounds and sights, like paradise.

SARAH'S PORTRAIT BY VICTORIA ROCK

2009-04-15T10:12:00.000-07:00

This is a portrait of my grand daughter Sarah. It was done in a style I am fond of using since it has a lot of texture left by the brush strokes. I like to put down different layers of color and "take back" some of the paint leaving small traces of the layers of color I put down. this results in a modern looking painting that has a lot of nuances and is best appreciated in person. Another style I can use but it is more lengthily and traditional looking is done with a glazing technique called "griselle" (I've got to check the spelling for the word.)

MY COPIES OF TWO MASTERS

2009-04-12T23:21:00.000-07:00

MY COPY OF A DETAIL FROM PAINTING FROM KLIMT

MY VERSION OF A VALAZQUEZ PAINTING NAMED "JUAN DE PAREJA"

I believe that a very good way to learn to paint is to copy the work of an artist one admires. This forces us to look carefully at the work of the artist. I research what materials the artist I want to copy used and what technique he or she developed.
Klimt and Velazques had very different philosophies,techniques and themes.
I have never seen these originals for my practice but I hope to see them up close some day.

Antigua Church by Victoria Rock

2009-04-12T23:15:00.000-07:00

One of the things I love about traveling is visiting gorgeous buildings in interesting cities, especially the churches. Antigua Guatemala proper is a tiny city, about nine blocks by nine blocks, yet there are numerous old Catholic churches. The city is very old and the churches, some in ruins from earthquakes are at least two hundred years old. They were built in the "Baroque style" so that they have a lot of decoration and niches with saints. this painting was made with watercolor, Berol crayons, acrylics on watercolor paper. I loved the lighting on the church from the street lights in the early evening.

Hill Crest Park by Victoria Rock

2009-04-12T23:12:00.000-07:00

Oils on canvas

"Under the Shade" Watercolor

New Horizons by Victoria Rock

2009-04-12T23:08:00.000-07:00