#SanDiegoCounty

[escondidolibrary]

Join us on our Facebook page and upstairs in the Turrentine Room on August 12, 3:00 to 4:30 p.m. for a live performance from Bruce and Beverly Reese Dorcy: From Beethoven to Broadway!

About Bruce and Beverly:

Beverly Reese Dorcy (piano/percussion) was formerly principal percussionist with the Fresno Philharmonic, Tacoma Opera, Bellevue (WA) Philharmonic, Women's Philharmonic, Monterey Opera, Golden Gate Opera and Classical Philharmonic. She has also performed extensively with the San Diego Chamber Orchestra, San Diego Symphony, San Diego Opera and Sun Valley Summer Symphony in Idaho.

Bruce Dorcy (french horn) was a member of the National Ballet of Canada and Canadian Opera Orchestras for 24 years (asst. principal/third horn) and the Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra for 11 years (principal horn). He also played on Broadway in New York for 6 years ("Fiddler on the Roof", "Promises, Promises", “Man of La Mancha”). Occasional performances with the New York City Opera, Seattle Symphony, Seattle Opera, Toronto Symphony, San Francisco Opera, Western Opera Theatre, Opera San Jose, Monterey Opera, Monterey Pops, Golden Gate Opera, San Diego Chamber Orchestra, Las Vegas Philharmonic etc.

This event is presented by Friends of the Escondido Public Library.

[artbypaz]

Reflection: Coffee. By Paz (Entry #1)

This past weekend I put on a one day pop up Solo Art Show based around Coffee at Torque Coffee a local coffee shop in San Diego. I kept a sketchbook which I used coffee as the primary medium. I took my time with this concept and tried to give each entry in the sketchbook it's own unique feel. I want to really explore the creative range of coffee beyond flavor. Here's where we're at so far:

I knew I needed a unique sketchbook for this unique project. Pentalic is a brand of sketchbook I've been purchasing almost since the beginning of me learning to draw. I always enjoyed their uniquely sized sketchbooks as well as the quality of their paper. I've yet to encounter a medium their paper can't handle. They are not sponsoring me or anything I'm simply saying I dig them. So, I saw this a good opportunity to try out their 6 x 12 mixed media 'Nature Sketch' sketchbook. The funky size inspired me to look beyond the drink to see coffee as more of an art tool and probably more importantly as a new way to express myself creatively. My theory being that it's important to keep learning and trying new forms of art in this stage of my journey. I knew the paper could handle the coffee because I've used this paper for much crazier mediums.

If I had to describe coffee as an artistic or creative medium I'd say it's closer to watercolor more than anything else or ink as a close second when it becomes more like sludge. The very first thing I noticed with those early sketches was not only how beautiful coffee's color range was but also how wide! Seeing such a vast color range inspired me to search more into images I thought could be interesting. I didn't want to just paint people drinking coffee. I wanted to see what the color could do on it's own. I'm lucky enough to own a set of very fancy Japanese ink brushes that a family friend, Mara, brought back for me from when she lived in Japan. These brushes handle ink and watercolor like a dream and offer the best control compared to other ink brushes I've used so I figured they could also handle the coffee. I brewed some coffee to keep in my ink jar and decided to go for something more familiar to myself.

I don't drink coffee. I never liked the taste, or the way it made me feel apart from the lovely scent I don't really have much thought on coffee in general so it was easy for me to find thinks I love that aren't associated with the drink.

Birds are go to for me. I love birds. I love their beautiful and gentleness combined with unlimited freedom and brutal strength. After this early sketch I immediately became comfortable with the coffee. As I continued to sketch I found myself growing my own unique love with coffee. The beautiful smell combined with the gorgeous color really inspired me.

The following sketches are some of my favorites from the sketchbook:

The more I continued to work the more I wanted to explore mixing watercolor with the coffee but after a few pieces I made using simple instant coffee I began to wonder if the quality or type of coffee will change the color or depth of the pieces.

I was growing more and more comfortable as I studied the substance of coffee more I began to think about a hook. How do I make this truly stand out? How do I not only create beautiful art that satisfies myself but on top of that how do I create some sort of sensory experience that will help contribute to a moment people can connect themselves with my art? It slowly began to make sense to me.

I had started to do business with a local company by the name of 'Bizarre Bazaar Vending Machines' who specialize in bringing creative artistic and artisan items to the public through the use of colorfully decorative vending machines where anyone can purchase items made from local artists, artisans, and small businesses.

I was assigned to a vending machine in a coffee shop known as 'Torque Coffee' and that's really when everything began to click together for myself.

The concept hit me fast and hard: 'Checking out art made from the same coffee you are drinking'. How fun is that?

After working on a few more sketches with this concept in mind I turned my attention to 'Torque Coffee' and their wonderful owners and staff. Not only did they love the concept but on top of hosting my very own One Day Pop-Up Art Show they also offered up some of their very own 'Demi-Drop' 1/2 Caf. coffee which is a Honey Mango, Fruit Punch flavored inspired coffee. I couldn't wait to get to work.

I decided on doing a few more sketches with The Demi Drop coffee just to really get familiar with not only the color but the strength of the coffee and also with the smell, the taste and feel of the coffee so that it can influence me completely.

Any nerves I may have had when I started working with this coffee immediately went away when I started working with it. The color alone is gorgeous. Almost red in hue but still within that range of brown so it can still communicate as coffee provided a very unique look to all the pieces I sketched out in my sketchbook.

I truly love working with this coffee. Beautiful smell, beautiful color, beautiful substance. It's really that simple.

I was having a ton of fun creating the line work. I specifically the contrast between Torque Coffee's Demi Drop the soft red brown color and the deep black color of Posca's PC-1M 0.7mm Acrylic Bullet Shaped Pen. The bold color reminded me of working on comics again and provided a very clean look the pieces. I also grew fond of combining the coffee with Tombow ABT's 837 Red Ink Brush Pen. The slight bleeding from the red ink of the pen mixing with the light Demi Drop coffee provided a very unique style that has stuck around in my mind begging to be explored some more.

I was getting there. I knew what I wanted, I had concepts bouncing around in my head and with everyone at Torque Coffee giving me creative freedom to express myself I was ready to move forward to create some show worthy pieces.

Before that I had one last thing to choose: The Paper. What paper was I going to use to tie this whole concept together. I love paper. Again the range as far what types of paper are out there is almost endless. I knew I wanted something similar to the Pentalic Nature Sketch paper but I wanted that sort of brought everything together and had a little more texture. I began to look through my extensive collection of paper I have available to myself and found:

First of all, you can never go wrong with Canson and they also do not sponsor me. They're just awesome. But I also wanted to find some paper that would help highlight and compliment the coffee. In short: I wanted truly show off the beauty of the color of brown and it's creative range.

This collection of Canson papers that celebrate Earth Tones was exactly what I was looking for. A gorgeous selection of brown toned papers to show of the beauty of my brown coffee.

I was ready.

I gathered some final references and then I spent the rest of the month creating...

I'm often asked: 'How long do you normally spend on pieces?'

I don't usually think of art in that way. Every piece grows at it's own pace. Some come to my mind, and are out in the world within mere hours of their creation off to tell their own story. Others take longer to grow, they need more layers, more care, more subtext. There is no right or wrong way there is simply process. Some are ready to go, some need to spend time at home and some may never leave your side. You gotta' love them all... even the ugly ones.

I grew more and more proud with each piece. I fell in love time and time again. I am proud of my art and this journey I am just beginning. I know I've started something I'm going to want to continue to explore and build on.

The response was overwhelming for everyone with 4 sales being made the day of my Pop Up show. I was blown away. For those that missed it never fear for this is merely the beginning and I plan on continuing to explore this concept and story in many ways.

Thank you for reading!!

I hope you have enjoyed this first entry. I will be continuing to add entries as I continue to make breakthroughs with this concept and new creative style.

For more of my art you can follow me on:

Instagram: @art_by_PAZ

Facebook: Facebook.com/artbypaz

Threads: @artbypaz

Bluesky: @artbypaz.bsky.social

Thank you to everyone who read my little article, thank you everyone who came to the Pop Up Show, thank you to everyone who contributed to any of my art in anyway, and thank you anyone who has purchased any art from me it is with all your combined kindness that I am able to continue to grow into the visual storyteller I would like to one day become.

I'll leave you with this short video featuring all the pieces I created for the Coffee. By PAZ One Day Solo Pop Up Show and a list of thank yous and credits.

-PAZ 4/2/2025

Thank you to:

Figure Study Models in Sketchbook: Angelica Kvasnitsya, Carla Guetta Cohen, Jessica Werheim, Loriane Rizzo, Luna Bonilla Duque, Eva Adams, Kerrie Fewings Meikle, Hana Pedrazzi, Kaitlyn Hutchins and Danielle Slemons.

Materials: Torque Coffee, Pentalic, Canson, Posca, Mara Capella, Tombow, NesCafe, Staedlter and Artists & Crafstman Supply.

Torque Coffee Owners & Staff.

[net-photos]

Das Verwaltungszentrum des San Diego County ist der zentrale Regierungssitz, in dem wichtige Entscheidungen und Verwaltungsaufgaben für das County getroffen werden. Den ganzen Artikel gibt es hier: https://nordischepost.de/unterhaltung/design/moderne-gestaltung-des-verwaltungszentrums-des-san-diego-county/?feed_id=76365&_unique_id=6675dad941bef

[farmhousegetaways]

#redbarnranch is growing! #springcrops are popping up, flowers are blooming and the air is crisp and clean. There's so much to do in #Ramona and the surrounding area. Make it a fun #familygetaway in eastern #sandiegocounty. Book now! farmhousegetaways.com

[conexaoamerica]

🌀 Chilly waves, beach daze and blue Monday’s.

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✔️Credit 👉🏆🎥 @chasingsocalphotos

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✔️ Aliance @america_states @enjoy_la_ @guimellousa

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#conexaoamerica

#sandiegocounty #sandiegoliving #sandiegolife #sandiego #cali #socal #westcoast #southerncalifornia #california #socalbeach #socalphotographer #sunsetphotographer #beautifulskies #amazingsky #beautifulbeaches #beautifulsky #sunsetbeach #goldenhourphotography #throughmylens #bytheocean #lovethebeach #aesthetics #cloudscapes #moodoftheday #moodytoning #paintedsky #infinite #dream #magic

[nicasnews]

RESTAURANTES ( Tel Publicidad: ☎ 626-789-8909 - 📩Publicidad@Restaurantes.LA ) 🌐 https://EnviosDeEmail.email/2024/restaurantes/ 🌐 https://Restaurantes.LA

📍 Restaurantes en los Condados de Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Riverside, Orange y San Diego 📍 Directory of Restaurants in Southern California

Restaurantes #Restaurants #RestaurantesDeLosAngeles #LARestaurants #LosAngelesRestaurants #LosAngeles #California #LosAngelesCounty #SanBernardinoCounty #RiversideCounty #OrangeCounty #SanDiegoCounty #Food #Cuisine #Comida #NicasNews

[stylists-supporting-stylists]

How do you spell Yaaaaaaaaaaaasssss❤️🤸‍♂️🤸‍♂️🤸‍♂️?!

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Credit to @melmattison

Thank you for sitting in my chair @violetthestylist I love you❤️🤸‍♂️🤸‍♂️

#stylistssupportingstylists #sandiegomodel#sandiegobeauty

#sandiegohair#sandiegostylist#sandiegosalon#sandiegohairdresser#graycoverage#grayhairmovement #grayhairtransition #colorblockhair#greyhairtransition #greyhairmovement #whitehair#sandiegocolorspecialist #veil#goinggray#goinggrey#grombre#grombrehair#goinggraygracefully #sdhair#sdstylist#disneyprincess#greyhairjourney #grayhairinfluencer #brunettemodel #sandiegoartist#grayhair#sandiegocounty

[infantry81]

Hills in Muerrita CA #rollinghills #calilove #sandiegocounty

[jimmysherfy]

Getting ready for an exciting weekend at @animeimpulse SAN DIEGO! Their first time in SD AND the first full cosplay drag show at an anime con in SoCal! 💙 Here’s my cosplay lineup also! 💕 💄💄💄 💋💋💋 💜💜💜 #animeimpulse #cosplay #sandiego #animeimpulsesandiego #drag #cosplayers #delmarfairgrounds #animeimpulsesd #dragqueen #sandiegocounty #rosalina #mariogalaxy #mariobros #yashahime #princesspeach #hausofcosplay #dragartist #dragshow #dragperformer #anime #dragisfun #princessrosalina #dragisforeveryone #lgbt #lgbtq #lgbtqia (at Del Mar Fairgrounds) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cp5cc3ppvAP/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[escondidolibrary]

Join us on our Facebook page and upstairs in the Turrentine Room on June 8, 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. for a live performance from Gregory Page!

Gregory Page is an eclectic, prolific London born, genre-bending songwriter, balladeer, international touring and recording artist, film maker, art activist, music producer and published poet.

[artbypaz]

Art Deep Dive #1: ‘Rooted’

Art Deep Dive #1: ‘Rooted’

When I was 29 I created this mixed medium piece I’ve titled ‘Rooted’. I love trees. They’re fascinating, kind, and inspiring. I took a trip out to Oakhurst where I met an oak tree, go figure. I was inspired by not only the size of the tree but also its beautiful leaves highlighting a gorgeous variety of greens that moved gently in the wind as the tree stood proudly on its own. I named the tree Bob Oakenkirk for my own amusement. After talking to the tree for a moment the only thing left was to paint.

I drew out a loose outline of the tree on the canvas. I love trees that twist and turn with their branches knotting into themselves. I think that’s when they really have character. Acrylic made sense for the branches, but I wanted to give the wood a shine as if a golden morning light was hitting it. So, I mixed my umbers with metallic copper and a few drops of metallic gold. Then it was just adding layer after layer. I love texture, especially in paintings. I know I’m done with one of my paintings when I want to touch it and feel every bump, every brush stroke, every layer. This piece got thick fast. I wanted the tree to feel big and mighty as well as feel alive and centered. I wanted to capture Bob’s personality. For the leaves, I added subtle textures and various shades of lighter forest-inspired green colors, as a base coat. Nothing special, just splatters and strokes here and there. The real green painting was used for the hill the tree is standing on. However, I used darker greens for that section to not take away from the focus of the tree’s leaves. Finally, that small bit of sky blue. I was finished painting but the piece was far from done.

After letting the paint set overnight, came the messy part. I knew I couldn’t capture the color value of the leaves through paint alone, I needed something that felt and looked more natural. I decided to go with a Hawaiian tissue paper dying method that my art mentor, Michael Zlocki, showed me. This involves submerging pieces of white tissue paper by hand into baths of dye, along with inks and oil paints, to create different palettes of colors and patterns then setting them all out to dry. After drying, the pieces are good to be used for art or whatever else I suppose. I cut the pieces into rounder shapes before I applied them on the canvas with a UV protective varnish giving it a result that is both eye-catching and beautiful. After I created the leaves from the tissue paper, I thought the piece was finished. After a few days, the papers finally set and I loved all the textures, but the piece still felt unfinished but I wasn’t sure why. My mentor suggested adding something or someone under the tree. I decided to add a young girl reading under the tree in acrylic paint which for me tied the whole piece together.

As an artist, I have a vast respect for anything that changes or challenges my perspective in life. I think that’s why I’m often drawn to writing or creating female characters. It’s a different perspective from my own. I wanted her to be reading because to me reading is a subtle way to communicate meditation. I love meditating, I believe it’s a great way for your mind to get rest. That being said, I believe there are an endless number of ways for people to practice meditation whether they are even aware of it or not. Some of the most enlightened, balanced people I’ve ever met are completely unaware they are that way, and it’s quite beautiful. I think reading is one of the most universal forms of meditation. It translates easily, mostly anyone can do it if they allow themselves, and that’s what I wanted. I wanted this painting to be easy to take in, to have it be easy to get lost in, like a good book. This piece represents those still, quiet moments of meditation where you get so lost in what you’re doing you don’t realize how long you’ve been sitting there. You feel at peace. Simply just existing for that moment. I hope to have captured those peaceful moments.

The title, for me, has a few meanings: ‘Rooted’ as in the girl sitting under the tree reading and getting lost in the book, and how the tree is literally rooted into the ground, but also how she is connecting herself to the tree and world around her. She’s building roots in the moment that will grow with her and help define who she is. It’s also an acknowledgment that we all come from the earth and we are rooted in it because it is our home.

‘Rooted’ is currently on display and for sale at the San Diego County Library in Imperial Beach as part of the ‘Deeply Rooted’ Art Exhibition until February 29th, 2024, and is open to the public, along with the rest of the exhibit, for viewing. For sale information or further details on the piece, please DM me directly.

For more of my art, please check out my Instagram: @art_by_PAZ or my Facebook Page: Art by PAZ, where I post my latest pieces, announcements for any upcoming shows, and tease artwork I’m currently working on.

Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed my first ever ‘Art Deep Dive’. I’m planning on doing more, so if you enjoyed deep diving with me please follow and comment your thoughts on the piece or ask me any questions about the process.

- PAZ

[bartelsphoto]

Trying to line up the sun between the bars. These were shot with my @canonusa EOSR swipe to see specs. Wishing everyone a beautiful weekend! Peace and Love, Justin . . #sunset #sunsetlovers #sunset_stream #_sunsettravelofficial #socal #southerncali #southerncalifornia #socality #socalbeaches #socalshooters #Seascape_lovers #sandiego #sandiegophotography #sandiegophotographer  #sdphotosquad #visitsandiego #sandiegogram #igerssandiego #sandiegocounty #sandiego_ca #sandiegolove #sandiegoca #naturelovers #carlsbad #carlsbadcalifornia #shotbycanon #sunset_hub #sunset_captures #shotoncanon #shotwithcanon (at Carlsbad, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/CmShlobP2fF/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[twofrenchbulldogs]

Someone is following me #hawk #redrailhawk #sandiegocounty #outwalking https://www.instagram.com/p/Cnayco1JfTK/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[carlosinahousetrance]

08122022 #anzaborrego #anzaborregodesertstatepark #desert #desertsunset #orangesky #julian #sandiegocounty #naturephotography #mysdphoto #sandiegodesert #desertlandscape https://www.instagram.com/p/ChL-XORuzLp/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=