Recent Works

Camouflage
12" x 16"
Acrylic, Spray Paint, Peacock Feathers, Plastic Gems and Vintage Pin on Canvas

To be honest, with most of my work, the image comes first and the meaning is clear to me once it's completed.  This piece in particular is a prime example of this phenomenon.  To me it represents the different ways we adorn ourselves, and how this can sometimes be to distract from the person within rather than to call attention to.  I personally am guilty of modifying my appearance in every way possible to me... colorful hair, piercings, tattoos, stretched ears, fashion, accessories, etc.  I'm not sure if in my case my desire to modify myself is necessarily driven by a desire to hide in plain sight, as is the message of the painting, but I do notice that my appearance seems to give a very different impression of my personality than who I perceive myself to be. 

Slate
24" x 30"
Acrylic, Crackle Paste, and Iridescence on Canvas


This is me trying to render an elephant in an abstract and masculine way.  While I love the way this piece turned out, working on it made me realize that I am not naturally inclined to be a man's painter.  I am so drawn to the bright and light and vivid that it was incredibly counterintuitive for me to work to muddy up and darken colors as I went along.  I found myself several times brushing gray or dull green over patches of bright blues in order to keep the whole image more composed.  The other remarkable part of this piece, to which this photo does not much justice, is the texture on the body of the elephant itself.  By blending a crackle paste and different paints, I was able to create a rough and lined sort of texture in sections that mimics the texture of the elephant's leathery skin.  It also felt very nice to work on a larger scale again, and I think I'll be doing so much more often.  

If you are interested in purchasing a piece, please contact me via email at AdriaGiovanna@gmail.com 

Check out my Etsy shop Fever Dream Arts

Handmade Jewelry

One of the other media that I have always enjoyed working with is jewelry making.  Lately I've been creating a lot of wire-wrapped pieces simply because I have always loved having crystals and minerals in my life for their healing properties.  Wire wrapping allows me to take something that already has a radiating inner beauty and make it become a part of something to endow external beauty as well. 

My handmade jewelry is available for purchase via my Etsy shop, Fever Dream Arts, but I'll give you a look at what I have to offer here as well. 

Amazonite
$20.00
for details/to purchase click here

Aventurine
$25.00
for details/to purchase click here

Carnelian, Yellow Jasper, Quartz
$45.00

for details/to purchase click here

Carnelian
$20.00

for details/to purchase click here

Citrine
$35.00for details/to purchase click here

Fluorite
$35.00
for details/to purchase click here

Lightening Welk Shell & Pink Pearl
$35.00
for details/to purchase click here

Red Tigers Eye
$25.00
for details/to purchase click here

Rose Quartz
$20.00
for details/to purchase click here

Amethyst
$40.00

for details/to purchase click here

Sea Snail with Yellow Turquoise and Pink Pearl
$40.00
for details/to purchase click here

It's Been a While...

...and I've been all over the place.  But really, when am I not?  I'm learning to embrace the fact that chaos is a part of who I am; it's how my life always has been and likely always will be.  The best that I can do is to make something ,beautiful of all the mess. 

Garden Madame
5.5" x 9"
Ink and Colored Pencil on Pastel Paper

Just a doodle, really.  It began as me practicing drawing faces in ink without a reference, and my brain took over from there.  I like the suffusion of different colors that sort of dance together around the figure.

Treading Water
12" x 16"
Acrylic on Canvas

In the moment of this piece's conception, I remember feeling as though I needed to do something.  So, I said to myself, paint.  It had been probably over a month since I had last painted then, and this is the last painting I've done since.  I think it's clear from the composition and the title what this piece was to me... an outpouring, a purging of all the emotions and thoughts that had been drowning me. That being said, it makes me very happy to look at this now, so much so that it has earned a temporary spot on my bedroom wall. It reminds me that my work is not only about what I can do to a sheet of paper or a piece of canvas, it is also about what that action does to heal me.

Water Dance
9" x 12"
Ink and Oil Pastel on Pastel Paper

More practice in ink figure drawing... and also in oil pastels, since I haven't really used them much since high school. They are terribly messy. Or rather, more accurately, I am terribly messy and such a medium only exasperates this issue.  I'm not sure how I feel about this drawing, honestly.  I'm not crazy about the girl or the background separately, but I like the way it looks all together.  I don't know.

I pinky swear there will be more work to come soon.

Painting with Purpose

One of my resolutions for this coming year is to spend more time appreciating my family.  I try to take time at least once a week to visit either my mother or sister regularly, but I come from a really big family on both sides, so in order to truly stay close and in touch with all of them it takes considerable effort.  One of my first efforts in this direction was to make two paintings; one for each of my grandmothers.  When I set these canvases in front of me, this was my only intention, and visually they could have ended up as anything.  Oddly enough, they both ended up as portraits.  While they are not portraits of the women they are being given to, I think there's some subconscious symbolism to be spoken for that make them non-literal representations of my grandmothers.

Ana
8" x 10"
Acrylic on Canvas

This is the one for my paternal grandmother, Ana.  We (the family) don't actually call her by this name, but I think its beautiful and fitting.  The woman's stature is strong and calm, which is what I wish for my grandmother... strength and serenity.  The warm, glowing yellow and peacefully cascading blues and greens remind me of the energy I remember surrounding her when I was a child.  Warmth and comfort, the most you could wish for from a family.

Joanne
8" x 10"
Acrylic on Canvas

So of course this one is for my mother's mother, Joanne.  She and I have always been a lot alike, which she credits to the fact that my middle name was given to me for her (Giovanna = Joanna in Italian).  I like this piece as a representation of her because she is such a strong and forceful woman in most aspects of her life, but beneath the hard exterior she has such a big heart and so much love and compassion for her family, in spite of a fair share of craziness we've all been through in our lives. 

In conclusion, I'd like to dedicate this post and these two paintings to two of the most amazing and beautiful women I know... and thank you for being there to make me who I am today and our family what it is today.   I'm so incredibly grateful to have you both in my life. 

Void

Negative Space

21" x 36"
Acrylic on Unstretched Canvas

I think it well enough goes without saying that I was in a pretty dark place when this was conjured up.  The main emotion behind it is one of loss... of emptiness.  It is the feeling that remains when something once present is removed.... if that thing had never been present in the first place, you wouldn't think twice now about why it is not there... but the void left in its wake can be an all-consuming vacuum of nothingness, so big it threatens to tear you apart.  This piece, for me, explores the growing emptiness that can wrench a soul into pieces if left untamed, and also how the literal negative space in our lives creates a figurative negative space for us to place ourselves in.

It was hard to capture in a photograph, but in this detail you can sort of see the effect achieved by laying clear acrylic varnish over her eyes so it fell like tears.  On a completely aesthetic level, the addition of several textures to a painting is something I've found myself doing a lot of lately..

A Few New Cardboard Paintings

These little paint doodles will be available for sale in my Etsy shop later today, $5ea.

Fever Dream Arts

What is That Though? Shows up on Sachem Patch

Last month's installment of the What is That Though? Art Show at Field 10 Studios in Ronkonkoma, which also happened to be the one year anniversary of the first show, ended up on our local Sachem Patch.

I'm actually sort of in this picture, but you only see my foot poking out here behind the guy in the winter hat, who is one of the featured artists, Justin C. Mayer.

The large piece centered here was done by my good friend Joey Damm, and the one with the heart in the skull to the left of it was done by another good friend and newcomer to the show, Victoria Palma.

Unfortunately out of focus, but this was the photo snapped of this month's merch table.  On it you can find some of my cardboard paintings as well as hats and pottery by Reid Kelly. 

My pieces in this show are all the very tiny ones in the lower center of the wall space (it was crowded this month!).  The other collection of small works arranged above left of mine are by Anjipan, the host of the show and another good friend.

These photos were taken by Zachary Reichner for the Sachem Patch, but the info given in the article was a little off so I'll clarify here.  The What is That Though? Art Show is held the fourth Saturday of every month at Field 10 Studios, 952 S. 2nd Street Ronkonkoma, NY.  The show goes from about 7pm-12am, and any artist is welcome to come put up their work, so long as there is space available on the walls when they arrive.  Live musical performances are scheduled at different times throughout the night in the various rooms, and sometimes live collaborative painting as well (if you're interested in performing at one of the shows, contact Anjipan).  Most of the artists have affordable handmade merchandise for sale, from t-shirts and hats to jewelry, prints, and small original paintings.  Guests also enjoy free bagels and ice water, and beer and wine are available for adults. 

WITT? is a unique and inspiring experience every month.  Though there is a recognizable crew of regular artists who show, there are always new faces coming to present work, play music, or just enjoy all the evening has to offer.  If you're looking for a relaxed yet creatively-charged environment to chill out, meet some cool people, and buy/sell/make/see some art, this is the place to be. 

The next What is That Though? is Saturday February 23rd.  Hope to see you there! 

More Tiny Creations

The more I switch back and forth between the white and black grounded canvases, the more I realize why I choose one over the other in a specific moment, for a specific painting.  Aesthetic choices aside, whether I begin with black or white is dictated by my mood.  While assessing the paintings that follow, it became clear to me that the paintings with black grounds tell of my efforts, my insecurities, and my concerns.  The black canvases chronicle my battles with myself and my emotions.  The white grounded canvases, conversely, speak of my dreams, my desires, and my hopes.  This distinction was not intentional, but I think it makes an interesting series of what I've been working on lately.

Space Aquatic
4" x 4"
Acrylic and Gloss Medium on Black Canvas

I posted this painting already, but after photographing it and seeing it on my wall every day, the multitude of colors began to fall flat.  To counter this, I selectively added some clear acrylic gloss medium, which adds texture and depth by making some elements juicy and raised above the rest.  The change is subtle overall, but I'm happy with the effect I've achieved.

  Float
4" x 5"
Acrylic and Gloss Medium on Canvas

This piece was completed a few weeks ago but, much like Space Aquatic above, when I felt I'd applied all the paint to the canvas that suited it, it still felt too flat.  I wanted to add more paint to give it fuller texture and body but didn't want to lose the integrity of the hues and cascading effects, so I added clear gloss medium instead.  This painting overall, including how much water (rather than paint) went into making it, speaks to my more passive side lately.  I'm generally a very aggressive person, so when my work turns out light and airy and float-y like this one does, you can tell I'm sort of out of my element in my current state of life.  I'm fire in the water. 

Blast
2" x 2"
Acrylic on Black Canvas

Bursting forth with energy, streaming consciousness coursing through my veins.  I am liberated and fully one with myself, though that makes me no less alone in the dark.  I can cultivate all the inner beauty I want, but is it lessened in its lack of audience?

Blip
4" x 4"
Acrylic on Black Canvas

All of these black canvases have such a moodiness to them that you don't find in the typical variety.  Instead of the negative space suggesting light and openness, it suggests weight and emptiness.  Black is the color of emotional baggage, and these paintings are weighted heavily with mine.

 July Dreams
3" x 9"
Acrylic on Canvas

I love canvases that are stretched in a 1:3 ratio; something about that shape is very comforting for me.  This piece was made very automatically and without much thought.  Upon observing it afterward, it reminds me of July, of warm humid air that you feel as it wraps around you, of fireworks lighting the sky.  It represents in some ways my desires for ease and simplicity in my life, my wishes to release myself of the weight that chains me. 

Soar
2" x 2"

Acrylic on Black Canvas

Reaching up, falling down, twisting into myself, cascading.  This painting is a mildly peaceful confusion.  There isn't panic, there's even confidence... but despite best effort and intention there is not much achieved...

Just a Few Tiny Paintings

Insight
2" x 2"
Acrylic on Black Canvas

The tiniest stretched canvas I have ever had the pleasure of adorning and likely the smallest I'll ever encounter till the end of my days.  This was my first time working with a pre-made canvas with a black ground, and I much enjoyed the effortless depth it gives to an image. 

Space Aquatic 
4" x 4"
Acrylic on Black Canvas

Varying pastel colors laid lightly on top of one another.  It reminds me of a distant and exotic galaxy, or of the bright and colorful mysteries that reside at the bottom of the ocean (hence the title).  Yet again, the black gives an unfathomably depth to the negative space, making the orb and all its tendrils float, dance...

Rhythm 
~3" x 6"
Acrylic on 3 Black Canvases

I like this one more every time I look at it.  At first I began painting the woman's form across the three canvases simply out of how much i love the convention, but as the image developed further, the separate pieces gave the painting a whole new life of its own.  The unaligned arrangement works with the figure's contrapposto and gives a very barely dynamic body the illusion of dance-like movement.  The silver background to me is both reminiscent of falling rain and of all the flash and glitz of dance clubs. 

If you are interested in purchasing any of my work please contact me via email at AdriaGiovanna@gmail.com   

Art on Cardboard

Cardboard is a wonderful material to work with as an artist because it has immediately recognizable connotations.  It reminds us of work, of life, of the everyday and the mundane.  It also lends a street-art-esque context to whatever you put on it.  Beyond all that, it's extremely cheap and accessible.  Beginning sometime last year, I now take the cardboard in which products are packed and shipped to my job and recycle it into unique little pieces of art.

It says "destroy me" in clear glow-in-the-dark/uv reactive dimensional paint.

"When you see me baby will you scream or will you laugh?" lyrics from Crows 1 by Aesop Rock

The tentacles have glow-in-the-dark/uv reactive suction cups.

What do you see?

Dream...

Lies lies lies lies lies...

More glow-in-the-dark suction cups

These paintings will be listed in my etsy shop (Fever Dream Arts) for $2-5 each and will also be on sale at Anjipan's What is That Though? Art Show January 26th at Field 10 Studios in Ronkonkoma.