• The Blue Scrolls is a series of illustrated chapters that first appeared in the form of posters and short stories. They come to life through a generative process, where I start to develop a print or a painting and a story comes to mind. The goal is to connect these visual and written narratives into a coherent whole, without compromising their individual value. Once the series is completed (8 seems to be a good number, but I can't promise anything yet) the stories and illustrations will be published in a book. The Final ClashThe battle of the Mighty Giraffe and the Witch of Bubbles took place in the In-Between Universe, at the extreme upper left corner of the Trentulon Galaxy and didn't come as a shock to the denizens of all the twelve kingdoms of the eight known dimensions. It didn't shock them, as they had been expecting it for some time, but it did shake their planets, that were hit by unprecedented earthquakes that lasted a millennium. [read more]A Bird's Hunger At the edge of the marsh, a girl with a long crinoline dress was marching among the thinning reeds, jumping over the little streams that rushed along toward the sea. A dragonfly the color of old copper and river-glass followed the girl, and despite its frantic winging it struggled to keep up. Still it found time to tilt its head, as if the world were a riddle worth solving. The girl, both fierce and awkward, marching like bobbing fire through the uneven marshlands, was thought by some to be a princess, coming as she did from a household of tapestries and velvet curtains, while others called her a witch, because she had been seen talking to the moon and nodding to the wind. [read more] Part(y)ings and Meetings On Ibikonos, nothing ever ended. The days didn't last long and the nights felt like an eternal fluctuation between sunset and dawn. The beats were hard and gravity optional after midnight. The Mighty Giraffe belonged there. He wore mirror sunglasses and Hawaiian shirts tailored by beings with six arms and no sense of restraint. And that was how he danced across the span of three dance floors, knocking over a moon here and there, while he casually sipped drinks that fizzed, drinks that glowed, and drinks that changed form. [read more] The Mission When the Consulate of Intergalactic Space issued a Code Red for planet Vivellia's purple veil – the heavy mist that covered Liminal Basin V3 and protected the privacy of dreams – the High Head Dragon, who besides being the most sought-after fog artisan the galaxies had ever seen was also a highly skilled diplomat responsible for maintaining the Atmospheric Vibes of the entire Stage Left of the Trentulon Galaxy, decided with characteristic efficiency and minimal paperwork to assign the matter to his old acquaintance the Mighty Giraffe [...] [read more]
  • "The Mission" is the fourth and exponentially more colorful Blue Scroll (yes, this is the name of the bundle, and it has a dedicated page). While posters will remain available, the bundle will also be published by philomuse as a book, as it is easier to carry and read than eight A3 posters. As with most of these scrolls, the story emerged from the painting, in a very creative, generative process involving mostly imagination and narrative-building skills. The Mission When the Consulate of Intergalactic Space issued a Code Red for planet Vivellia's purple veil – the heavy mist that covered Liminal Basin V3 and protected the privacy of dreams – the High Head Dragon, who besides being the most sought-after fog artisan the galaxies had ever seen was also a highly skilled diplomat responsible for maintaining the Atmospheric Vibes of the entire Stage Left of the Trentulon Galaxy, decided with characteristic efficiency and minimal paperwork to assign the matter to his old acquaintance the Mighty Giraffe, a known and remarkably competent inter-dresser, and to his unknown friend with the long dress, who was rumored to be the fabled Guardian of Memories that was just learning her powers. If that was the case, the girl with the bubbles would be the only creature capable of negotiating the midspace between water and air, where the thinning of the veil appeared — an hyperbolnomaly that was responsible for dreams irreversibly leaking into each other, effectively violating creative sleep rights, and had caused Code Red in the first place. Telling the proud residents of Vivellia that extravivellian beings would take over Liminal Basin V3, the enormous lake that attributed naturally to memories their mood shaping colors, was a delicate issue. The High Head Dragon would have normally addressed the matter himself, but Vivellia was his homeland and since the three basic color clans of the planet were somehow mixed in countless hues and tones, it was impossible not to be related with every official and stakeholder, which would raise concerns about the objectivity of his judgement among the more conservative members of the Consulate, who were anyway not pleased with his doubling as fog artisan. Besides, the High Head Dragon would give anything to avoid meeting any of his relatives whose monochrome beliefs embarrased him. There are two simple rules in order to succeed socially, but also diplomatically, in Vivellia: (a) Be colorful and (b) be flamboyant. The Mighty Giraffe was of course flamboyant enough by himself, but simply dressing up, even with the neon and glitter of his Ibikonos days, would not be enough to inspire both admiration and respect to the vivid Vivellians. Inter-dressing as a huge cross-galactic rooster, this vibrant archetypal bird, on the other hand, was not only considered appropriate for the occassion but it was the suggested diplomatic approach for this planet, according to the Ultra-Galactic Manual of All Possible Affairs, the acclaimed UGMAPA. The mission included besides the two diplomats, five shades-of-purple experts, four dream-water chemists and…
  • A couple of people asked me recently in separate occasions what drives me when I make. And both times I said, honestly thinking about it every time, that it is the story. I know when something is complete when the story comes together. Most of the time I don't know the story before I start making, although often I have a hint, a word, an image, an item that I want to work with, and I don't stop working until I'm satisfied. And what satisfies me, is the story that connects the dots. In fact, once I'm satisfied, I usually keep on working. It is exactly at that point that I start working even harder, very intentionally, feverishly, because I see the path and I'm decided to follow it. This is what happened with the sculpted creature here. I knew I wanted texture, an extra sculptured element. I had a background image that had developed through a process of trial and error until it made sense. There was some space that asked for attention. I added a blob, it looked shiny and interesting, but it was not enough. I already had at that point the general idea of a creature protecting the figure (or at least what I saw as a figure) in the background, so then I intently started working towards making it clear, at least to me. And since I had a story, once the image was complete I felt the need to enhance it with a poem, heroic and just a tiny bit cheesy, like a pure heart. It is all about reciprocity, loyalty and lawful goodness, in an RPG sense. The dog is the archetypal embodiment of these qualities, but people assume similar roles, especially towards those they feel the need to protect and nurture, which are often children, siblings or peers that are perceived as weaker. Generosity, kindness and care can be contagious, and the last lines of the poem show how strong, trusting relationships can build up from small gestures. The painting is 20x20, acrylic on canvas (including the 3D elements) and just a bit of mixed media. I will protect you I will protect you from the thing that tails you through wind and rain. From what finds you in the sun and drags you back below. I will be the guard dog, the watcher, the catcher, the shield the amulet, the one you touched and did not hurt.
  • Trash-or-art sessions are a mix of meditation, fun, repurposing and upcycling. It's an excellent way to activate (personal) archives in a generative manner. Boxes interest me a lot as forms, for the possibilities, the constraints and the metaphors they offer. Inevitably they become little shrines, full with emotions and memories that overcome their fragmented nature and fuse into new existence: An old photo cut in pieces, a found button, a broken earring, a piece of pastel from my childhood. In a similar manner, I can create a whole moment: A beach scene, fireworks, a starry night, a crab coming out of the sea, mixed with thoughts, anxieties, a humanity that persists and mingles with 'nature' and machine. Join me and let's create wonders together!
  • After "The Final Clash" and "A Bird's Hunger", the third scroll in the Witch of Bubbles epos is ready. I still need to find a fitting name for the bundle, hopefully something more imaginative than The Blue Scrolls, although that could also serve the purpose of igniting curiosity when said with deep voice in the mist. The story is growing from the inside, gathering volume and substance, the writings are longer as there are more elements to connect. I love the process as much as I enjoy the result. Again, the starting point is an experimental print, an image that brought a story to my mind, and the rest is just fun and subtle commentary. You can order a copy at philomuse's store! Part(y)ings and Meetings On Ibikonos, nothing ever ended. The days didn't last long and the nights felt like an eternal fluctuation between sunset and dawn. The beats were hard and gravity optional after midnight. The Mighty Giraffe belonged there. He wore mirror sunglasses and Hawaiian shirts tailored by beings with six arms and no sense of restraint. And that was how he danced across the span of three dance floors, knocking over a moon here and there, while he casually sipped drinks that fizzed, drinks that glowed, and drinks that changed form. He was a beloved figure of the island that drifted through intergalactic space like a very confident mistake, pulsing with music, light, and the certainty that whatever was happening was important. And then, DJ TCTBT (TooCoolToBeTrue) got on stage. She was also wearing mirror glasses and Mighty Giraffe will always remember how the stars dimmed when she took place behind the decks, in a sequin jacket that shone brighter than all the three suns that revolved like orange, pink and lime neon disco balls in the iridescent vanilla sky of day. From the first notes of DJ TCTBT's set, the Mighty Giraffe felt it: His long neck was vibrating in unprecedented resonance, as if someone had finally tuned him correctly. He was unmistakably in love, which in retrospect did not improve his judgment. That set lasted five centuries, and for seven more afterwards The Mighty Giraffe would argue that these were the best five centuries of his uncalculably long life. During that time he learned new moves, tried new drinks, made new friends, and certainly didn't want that set to end. But, like all things except ancient beings that Time simply forgets, DJ TCTBT's DJ set one day came to an end, and she disappeared in the rainbow fog created by the fog artisan High Head Dragon, whose services cost the organizers one third of the revenue. Ibikonos continued and you can still hear the booming bass, as the party planet is drifting across the galaxies. For the Mighty Giraffe, however, things would never be the same. He had experienced the Perfect Moment, the mystical and extremely rare convergence of Time and Space where all things reach equilibrium, also known as Nirvana III in…