Elstabo's Canvas

I first met Angelique at a poets gathering through a mutual associate on a rainy NewYork night. I didn't know it then, but she would end up being a very influential person in my circle. As I got to know her a little better, I came to appreciate and value what she brings to our friendly relationship. She can be sweet and calm at one moment and explode with fierce conviction at another. This specific painting is of a moment we had together creatively which just flowed out like a magic spring. She was submissive but yet dominating in her presence while helping make the process manifest. She is one of my favorite muses to work with and it would be no surprise to see more of her in the future of Elstabo's Art.

(oil on canvas  12x24) Beautiful women being catcalled or ogled in the street is a given in the city and in Latino culture. Even as young age,one of the things I noticed was how men reacted to a beautiful woman as she walked by. I remember how my mother would tease my father about being careful not to "lose his eyeballs" as a sexy woman would walk by. I also had an aunt, who was a very beautiful woman. I would tag along with her and her kids on occasional walks through the barrio and almost every time, she would get these low hisses and comments from the men standing around on the sidewalks. At first created for complete shock value, the painting is also my take on the concept of catcalling and women dealing with men "losing their eyeballs" when they walk in the room. I respect the way women handle the ogling and catcalling with such nonchalance, such indifference, such absolute coolness. It was the above experiences of my youth...

[oil painting 20x24 on canvas] Making up a character is a great feeling, but not as great as creating its supporting cast. And in my art work, having sexy delights in front of viewer, lets everyone share in the fun. This painting took about a week from concept to finish.

http://www.outofthisworldparty.com/ This piece will be for Yuri's Night in DC.  Check it out guys!!! April 10th The Capitol Skyline Hotel 10 "i" Street, SW Washington, DC 20024

"Karina" My good friend suggested I should talk about of my pieces, so the first piece I picked is one that I think is worthy to talk about because of the subject of the piece. A few years back, I was introduced to Karina who at the time was a coworker of one of my brothers in the fashion business, working on graphics. At the time, I was just starting to paint portraits for my "Spanish Fly" series. Our interaction was brief and shortly after creating the piece, I lost contact with her. The last thing I heard was that she was involved in the adult business. Years passed by. I was already living in Virginia and had begun to put my "Spanish Fly" series into a collection  to make the book. While scouting for poets to be included in my book, I happened to befriend a woman who was a writer/spiritualist and as I found out much later a private investigator. She was going to write about one of my paintings in the book and chose ...

As mentioned in the previous posting, the last step of my creative process is the oil based painting.   I like to use alkyd paint medium mainly because of its thickness and drying time. The word "alkyd" actually refers to the synthetic resin used as a binder in the paint. This particular type of paint medium is resistant to wear and tear and also dries a little slower than most paints so that I can go back and adjust or rework if necessary. I can also thin the paint out if need be to garner different coloring and shading in the piece. As far as brushes go, I use a lot of different brushes, favoring the round tips more than any other. The brands of brushes I choose tend to be all over the place and I mostly use synthetics because they last a long time and are also cheaper.  Everyone can stand to save a few bucks, right? The following photos show the last piece of my creative process.  Referencing the grid acryl...

I am often asked what some of my creative processes are when creating a piece. Today, I wanted to share with you one of the ways I create my art. I was recently commissioned by a client to do a fantasy based piece as gift to her loved one. She indicated she wanted to be sexy and a white tiger had to be involved. Once I received her requests, I sent her a sketch to give her an over all idea of what she was looking for. For this particular piece, I decided to make her outfit, a cat suit, the same white tiger print as the animal included in the painting. Oftentimes, I exaggerate body types to either hide what the client wants to hide or create shapes and sensuality that is either not enough or not at all. This particular client, though quite shapely, emphasized in her request her desire to look sexier than she normally is, so I enhanced her best asset. I won’t tell you what feature I chose to enhance, as I’m sure you all will figure it out soon enough.  Below, is the sketch I ...

Plans for public consumption late 2010   I can't say much about this project except that its going to be a circus load of fun.      

ELSTABO's Spanish Fly Series These series of paintings are part of my personal collection called Elstabo's Spanish Fly Series. As every artist has his muse, the series consists of all the lovely Puerto Rican woman Ive been lucky to associate with , in all their gorgeous, lip licking variations. Each painting has its own story of how they came to be. Ive been working on this on going series since 2004. A first volume of this series has now been completed with studies and discriptions about there process and inspirations. I'm happy to share these works or art of these beautiful Puerto Rican women. To see the current series go to http://www.elstabo.com/ Purchase your own copy today at the below link: www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/609912