Alexis Petruso | Original Oil Illustration [ BLOG ]

Bunting!

2012-01-13T18:58:00.001-06:00

Here's another time-lapse video. This piece is outside the Foods and Nudes series, obviously. I made it as a gift for one of my dearest family members, in an unfortunate time of grief.

Oil pastel and acrylic on solid birch slab.

Prints, prints and more prints

2011-04-27T15:56:00.005-05:00

They're heeeere! I've finally listed a handful of prints on Etsy, and lucky me... I've already sold one. These are giclée prints, the highest quality available, meaning that I can only afford to order a few at a time. Each print is hand-signed by moi!

More prints can be found in my Etsy shop, and as always, on my website. Most square prints measure 8x8" while the rectangles measure 8x10", making them easy enough to pop into any standard mat and/or frame.

Time-lapse video

2011-04-18T13:10:00.001-05:00

Tah-dah! I've been wanting to do this for a while, and now that I've done it I don't know why I put it off for so long... it was a piece of cake.

The painting took just about 4 hours to complete. I wanted to put this video together so that my process could be more easily understood. As you can see, I don't actually paint, I blend by hand. The only painting involved is the touch-up at the end.

Here's the final piece:

Mangosteen, 2011 | oil pastel on canvas

Original piece and prints are now available online or on Etsy.

Why foods and nudes?

2011-04-13T12:21:00.000-05:00

I get this question a lot. The answer is, because I love food and I love nudity.

In regards to food, I've had an interesting journey over the past few years. When I flew the coup at 18, I was broke and stupid, so naturally I only ate food that come out of a box, can, or drive-thru window. It was exciting for a while, after a lifetime of sugar-free cereal and caffeine-free soda under my parents' roof. Sooner or later though, I went from being broke and stupid to fat and miserable. So I hunkered down, threw out the garbage and slimmed down. Additionally, I started researching where my food was coming from, and like most visitors to the PETA website, was horrified by the meat industry. I've been a vegetarian ever since (almost a year now) and couldn't be happier. When I quit eating animals I became infatuated with fruits and vegetables, and from there, let my perverted mind run away with me. My Foods series is what I have to show for it.

I'm not going to go into a shpeel about some kind of deep-rooted, life-altering event that made me the kind of person that likes to look at naked people. I ask you... who doesn't love some nudity?! It's just hot. Plain and simple. I don't care what size, color, sex or age it is... it's sexy to me. While so far I've only painted the female form, it's not for a lack of curiosity. Something about the build of a man is still a little alien to me (says the heterosexual woman). The Nudes series will definitely be the more challenging of the two, but I expect it'll be the most rewarding as well.

Starstruck!

2011-03-07T10:53:00.005-06:00

This woman is fantastic. If you are unfamiliar, your mortal eyes are upon the one and only Tali De'Mar. Burlesque dancer, stripteaser and pinup model. She also happens to be the model for one of my recent paintings entitled Bunny. Whenever I draw inspiration from celebrities, I am hesitant to even use names for fear that I may get sued or something. This woman is so unbelievable that I just had to mention her in my previous blog post, and because of that decision, Tali learned of my existence. So what happened? She freaking thanked me, personally, on my Facebook page:

"Alexis, I am so honored that you painted my body! I just found out, my sister was google imaging me ahahaha! Thank you so much for using me as an inspiration it truly means so much to me and I am extremely flattered ♥ !!! You did such a beautiful job, I even said "That looks just like my belly button!""

My reaction? Schoolboy giddiness. That has to be like... on my top-10-coolest-things-that-have-ever-happened-to-me list. SO. What am I doing now? I am insisting that you feast your eyes upon her miraculousness.

I also insist that you like her on Facebook and visit her website.

Banana

2011-02-04T13:35:00.001-06:00

Slow snow days have finally afforded me the time to photograph my newest piece:

Banana, 2011 | oil pastel on canvas

This piece measures 48x24" and is currently available for purchase. It will also be available as a 5x10" giclée print. I'm waiting on a shipment from my print supplier to check for quality, and once I get a good system going, I'll be listing prints regularly. Believe me, I've been itching to get that done because I know not everyone wants to collect original art, nor can afford to.

Launch!

2011-02-01T15:19:00.000-06:00

... that's right, my online shop is finally open for business! So far it has only original paintings, as I am still working on getting prints ordered and listed. I have also completed the About page, so be sure to stop by there for a quick read.

... and stay tuned for my Etsy shop lauch coming later this month!

Scratching at the walls

2011-01-13T11:18:00.001-06:00

... Literally. I am going stir-crazy being away from my studio for this long. I finally got a break two weeks ago with a weekend of 70-degree weather. I squeezed in almost an entire painting, but didn't finish it in time for this 24-degree week I've been having. The studio is just too cold and my space heater is just not powerful enough!

Anyway, this is Texas. The weather will change soon enough and I will be back. With a VENGEANCE. Heheh. Not really. But back with a new painting, dammit!

Dry spell

2010-11-16T11:23:00.001-06:00

It's been too long since I've painted. There, I said it.

I don't have a good excuse, except that it's cold outside and my studio has no heater. I have like... 4 canvases that haven't even been unwrapped yet. I know what I'm doing with them, I just haven't been brave enough to face the cold. And it's only going to get colder.

I'm also having my wisdom teeth removed on Friday, and after that it's Thanksgiving. In all honesty, it's probably safe to say that new artwork won't be happening until early December.

I fully intend on returning with a much more enthusiastic update. But until then, it's thermal socks, bloody gauze, Lifetime movies and comfort food.

Habanero

2010-11-05T10:21:00.003-05:00

This is my latest painting in the Foods series, finished on October 24.

Habanero, 2010 | oil pastel on canvas

Habanero is the smallest painting I've done so far, measuring 24x20", so the blending was a bit more challenging. This piece will look great frameless, since it's on a gallery-wrap canvas. I'll also have this one available in 8x10" prints when the shop opens.

I've recently been flirting with the idea of doing time-lapse video of my paintings. I've seen a few artists do it in the past and when it's done right, it's... fantastic. The thought of recording and editing video sounds horrific, though. Something I'd prefer to avoid like the plague. Where's a free video-editing expert with nothing on their hands when you need one?

Field trip

2010-11-01T12:38:00.002-05:00

Took a trip to In-Sync Exotics in Wylie, TX on Saturday. Their enclosures were much larger and more open than the ones I saw at Tiger Creek last year. These are some lucky cats.

Side note: The city of Wylie was almost as fascinating as the cats. I wasn't able to get any photos around town, but I do recall seeing the following:

8-foot velociraptor statue in front of a Sit 'n' Sleep furniture store
Jeep Wrangler with seats mounted to the front grill
Massive wooden Jesus-on-cross plaque hanging on the side of a barn
10-foot Sasquatch statue holding balloons in a deserted parking lot

Bunny

2010-10-29T17:07:00.006-05:00

Meet the newest piece in my Nudes series, Bunny. Inspired by a photo of Tali De'Mar, Bunny is the epitome of the Playboy centerfold.

Bunny, 2010 | 36x36 oil pastel on canvas

I used lots of different tones to create her milky white skin. With a base of pale lemon, soft rose and white, shadows were accentuated with cocoa brown, aqua, deep violet, yellow ochre, warm peach and olive gold.

Bunny is available for purchase, in addition to 8x8" giclée prints, at www.alexispetruso.com and www.petruso.etsy.com.

PS: If you haven't already, come on over to my brand new Facebook page!

Back to basics

2010-10-20T09:58:00.005-05:00

After a few years doing strictly mosaic work (under the alias moxiecupcake), I'm back to basics. While I absolutely can't stand painting, oil pastel is something I've always loved working in. My all-new series called Foods & Nudes will debut later this year, but in the meantime, I'll be posting updates on new work here.

Tomato I and Tomato II, 2009 | oil pastel on canvas

More to follow! I'm taking a proactive effort in my artwork these days and plan to push out at least one painting every couple of weeks, depending on size. I am also working on getting my website up and running with new work as soon as I have built a respectable collection. But in the meantime, it's just illustrating and blogging for me. No work. It's time to exercise my right to not be a businesswoman!