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WOW! It’s a glorious and beautiful Memorial Day Monday.

Last night, I finished reading Keith Haring’s biography. In the beginning of the book he says, “So anyway, after the Jesus thing I got into drugs.” As a teenager, Keith turned to Jesus and was considered a Jesus freak. It surprised me; it’s something I didn’t know about him.

Immediately after reading this quote, like a light switch going ‘on,’ I got up and started painting a crucified Clown/Jesus. It was beautiful; I was inspired! Though it doesn’t resemble Keith’s work, this vision came from reading his words. This new series is called “LITTLE Jesus.” They are portraits and self-portraits. For the next couple of hours and into the next day, I painted non-stop.

And then came the idea of adding a word to each piece. Having grown up Catholic, I not only debated about the concept of a crucified clown/ Jesus but also about adding the words that started coming to mind. I didn’t want to offend anyone, but I also didn’t want to censor my ideas. They were visions from God and not meant to be offensive.

It’s amazing how life works. 2 days later, this is what happened:

As I’m getting ready to go to the Getty Museum to check out the Herb Ritts exhibit, I decide to iron on a t-shirt with my LITTLE piece titled ‘Skinheads.’ A poem by Julia Vinograd, a.k.a. “The Bubble Lady” inspired it. After all these years, I’ve always remembered this poem. It’s simple and genius! It’s called ‘Family.’

A punk couple
And their baby
3 bald heads.

Wanting to see the poem, I dug through my closets in search of her 2 books and found them. As I flipped through the pages, I miraculously came across yet another poem. It’s called “The Crucified Clown.” How does this thappen? I laughed out loud as I saw this. Here was my sign from God; I had permission to continue working on this Jesus series. It's OK; I’m following inspiration. I felt grateful. The piece here is my first finished piece from the series. It’s titled, “Hipster.”

Since that day, the signs keep coming; I keep looking up at the sky and thanking my angels. (to be continued...)

Peace and Blessing!

Good Morning World!

Keith Haring died on February 16th 1990. It’s strange to think that only two years later I’d be living in New York City. Our life paths came so close. If he had survived AIDS, I have a feeling we would have met. I guess it wasn’t meant to be.

I first came across Keith’s work through John, my first boyfriend. He had a poster of his work in his apartment in Pacific Heights. I’m just now realizing that I met John days before Keith’s passing. A few days ago, I talked to John and I found out that he had driven him in 1986 while Keith was in San Francisco painting murals at Club Dv8. He says Keith was “low key, soft spoken, and friendly.” I now vaguely remember these paintings. (Interesting side note: in1996ish I sneaked into the VIP room at Club Dv8, and since I was not wearing a shirt, I had my back autographed by Nina Hagen; it was awesome).

Keith’s work opened my eyes to a whole new world. I was drawn to the simplicity of lines and color; I felt an immediate connection. For the next couple of years, I imitated his work, I didn’t know better. As an artist, I didn’t yet know who I was. Though I didn’t think of myself as ‘artist’ back then, I now see that I was. I was just starting off. It wasn’t until I started my series of LITTLE Girls in 1998 that I found my calling and I stopped the imitation and in some ways said good-bye to Keith, but thankfully you can still see his influence in my work.

The piece here is 20 years old; it’s Untitled, 1991. It’s strange to look at it now and see how I’ve evolved. Today, It’s stored in my closets, but back then, it hung above my bed and I remember John telling me that, because of the green penis, I should consider taking it down when my parents came to visit. I refused; I left it up. They said nothing ☺

I’m almost done reading Keith’s authorized biography; but because of a newfound inspiration, I’m taking my sweet little old time. Thank you Keith for the beauty of work you left behind. Our world is a much better place because of you. And because of you, I’ve found my calling. Though we didn’t get a chance to meet, I feel you watching over me. In this past week, the outpour of ideas has been a little overwhelming, but amazing! Cheers to you! (To be continued yet again…)


Happy Memorial Day weekend.

Ah, I couldn’t sleep last night so I went out for my morning walk at 4AM this morning. (Today’s post is a continuation from last Friday).

Last Monday when I got back from Griffith Park after finishing Just Kids, I came home and I wrote. Afterwards, I found myself feeling uncertain. What was I supposed to do with my art? I didn’t doubt the work I had done, but rather I felt unclear of my next steps. It had been a couple of weeks since I painted or photographed. Creatively, I felt raw and vulnerable.

After writing, this is what happened: Many years ago, I painted a tiny acrylic doodle of a purple bearded lady. Randomly, she to came to mind. I pulled the piece from out of the closet and I placed it near my painting table. I then opened up my Keith Haring book from the Whitney Museum (1997) and I flipped through a few pages. Still unsure, I then realized that I had a bunch of unfinished paintings stored in a red suitcase; I pulled out these pieces, my paintbrushes and some paint. I started painting little bearded ladies.

For the next 8 hours, I painted. There was joy and magic. The pieces were raw, simple, and colorful. I loved them! I’m calling this NEW series LITTLE Beards. They are a symbol of feeling weird, freakish and different; it’s a beautiful thing! (Important Note to Remember: Keep them simple and don’t overwork them).

The 3 images here are examples of my 'new' LITTLE Beards. For now, I’m keeping them all Untitled.



(Just this Friday, I received my authorized biography of Keith Haring. 100 pages in, and it’s been mind-blowing. I feel so grateful for this newfound inspiration; it’s just what I needed… to be continued (again)…


Enjoy LIFE!

Happy Friday! I'm super excited about today's post; it's a diary entry form earlier on in the week:

It’s Monday May 14th 2012. I just finished reading Patti Smiths’ book Just Kids.(Thank you Rachel for the recommendation!) It’s an amazing love story between herself and famed photographer Robert Mapplethorpe. I can’t recall reading a more beautifully written book. For a couple of days, I time traveled to the 70’s; I felt like a part of their lives in New York City. I found myself wandering the streets and the Chelsea Hotel along with them. As I read the last pages, I cried. For a few minutes afterwards, I sat in my chair while at Griffith Park, the sun warm on my face and I closed my eyes; I wondered about what to do with all this emotion.


Back on May 1st 1993, I surprised my boyfriend, Carlos, by renting a room at the Chelsea Hotel. It was his birthday and I had plans for a beautiful day. Just like Patti and Robert, we were ‘just kids.’ Though I didn’t know as much as I do now of this then famous hotel, I wanted to see it and feel it’s energy. As I write now, I wonder what had happened in that room we stayed in, whose ghosts were we in the presence of? That evening, we took plenty of photos just as we had for the two years we spent together. We were each other’s muses/ supermodels. The piece here is a photograph taken while at the Chelsea Hotel. Madonna’s Erotica video had just come out a few months prior. But aside from Madonna, it now feels like we were channeling Robert; I think he would have been proud. Is it possible that we could have been staying in their room? Later that evening, we got dressed up in our designer clothes and we explored the city like two little boys playing dress up. It’s an evening I won’t forget. Especially not now!

As I was reading the last pages of the book, she writes about her newborn child and Robert's death from AIDS, I got emotional, almost numb; I didn’t want it to end. And then I realized that soon after his passing, I was lucky enough to have seen his work exhibited at the UC Berkeley Campus Museum. It was a posthumous retrospective exhibition, “Robert Mapplethorpe: The Perfect Moment. It was about a year after his death and though I didn’t know who he was at the time, I was drawn to his homoerotic images. I had just come out of the 'closet.' What an honor and blessing it is to have been so fortunate.

(Interesting note: this exhibition created a lot of controversy and the original opening at the Corcoran Gallery in Washington D.C. was cancelled due to a political debate over the NEA’s distribution of government subsidies to so called ‘obscene’ art.)

Thank you Patti for keeping your promise and writing your story. I won’t ever forget; it’s changed my life. And though I feel some sadness, I mostly feel inspired to keep writing and to keep all creativity flowing. I’m an artist; it’s who I am and always will be.


To be continued...

Have a beauty of a weekend!

My weekend flew by. It feels like I closed my eyes on Thursday night and it’s now Monday.

Recently, a Facebook friend pointed out that our mutual FB friends were a bunch of ‘freaks.’ I loved it! I love the word freak. Though there’s often a negative connotation to the word, to me it’s a beautiful thing. It means different, special, and unique. I’d rather have a bunch of freaks as friends than ‘normal’ ones.

My FB friends range from my beloved and deeply religious mother to the fabulous transsexual Amanda Lepore. There’s a wide gap between them, but who knows, they’ve never been in the same room. Just maybe, other than having me as a mutual FB friend, they’d have something in common.

Though I’m like my mother in many ways, I lean to the side of Amanda. Throughout my whole life I’ve always felt different. And as I’ve grown older, I’ve loved this ‘different’ part of me; it’s who I am and always will be.

Though I have not personally met each of my FB friends, I’ve had the opportunity to meet most of them. In some very beautiful way, they all represent a little part of who I am. As a teenager, Mama once said, “Show me your friends and I’ll tell you whom you are.” Though I disagreed with her at the time, I agree with her now. Who I am is who my friends are. And so who are you? I want to know.

The piece here is obvious and titled “Face Fuck.’ Pardon the language, but it’s just pure silliness.

And as my beloved Golden Girls theme song goes:

Thank you for being a friend
Traveled down the road and back again
Your heart is true your a pal and a confidant.

And if you through a party
Invited everyone you ever knew
You would see the biggest gift would be from me
And the card attached would say thank you for being a friend.

Thank you for listening. Have a fantastic week!

Good Morning Saturday! I’m a day late in writing; I felt lazy yesterday.

Here’s an early cheer to all the mothers out there and those to come.


I can’t imagine a greater superhero than Mama. She may not have the superpowers of some of our beloved superheroes, but her force of love is unlike any. She has brought love into our world. It was sad to hear her once say that she felt like she had not contributed to our world. Over the years, she has adopted many as her own; many call her Mama Delia. I love this!


Whenever I find myself being loving or kind, I think of her; I know it’s because of her. Nowadays, because of her ALS, she can’t speak, but I can see the joy and love in her eyes when she sees me; it’s magical. I love her back so much. Abraham Lincoln said it best. “All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother”


A mi querida Mama, la amo con todo mi Corazon. Usted es mi #1. (To my dearest Mama, I love you with all my heart; you are my #1)


The piece here is titled, “Seeing A Princess.” A photo of Mama at Disneyland inspires it. This idea of Mickey and Minnie Mouse seeing a princess came to mind. In the last month, I haven’t done much art, but I did this a couple days ago. I'm waiting for inspiration.


When I told Mama (and Papa) that I was meant to be an artist, they both said that they wanted for me to be happy. It’s the greatest gift ever! Thank You.

Enjoy your weekend. And to every Mama out there, thank you for giving us life. You are the heroes of our world. Salud!

Happy Birthday to all my Taurus friends! Over the years I’ve often been amazed at the amount of Taurans in my life; it’s like we connect in an uber special way. A special shout out to Angel, Nene, and Mama!

Before I continue, let me apologize if this blog is a little all over the place. I’m feeling oh-so-lazy on this beautiful Monday day; my brain is still on vacation mode, but I promised myself that I would write. And so here I am.

Today, as I went on my morning walk, I thought of the word ‘towards.’ I associate this word with ‘goals.’ I’ve never been one to think of myself as striving toward my goals as much as I see myself living a life instinctually. I trust and listen to my instincts/intuition. I pay attention to the ‘little voice.’

Every decision we make impacts our journey ahead. With every action there is a reaction. But it is not the reaction itself that matters but the way in which we choose to see the outcomes. Michael Jordan says it beautifully, “My attitude is that if you push me towards something that you think is a weakness, then I will turn that perceived weakness into a strength.”

I’d like to think that I go towards life and not the other way around. But if life does come toward me, I’ll surrender and embrace it all.

In honor of all the birthdays this month, this piece here is titled, “Piñata.” As kids, the memories, of us breaking birthday piñatas inspires it.


Celebrate, Strive, and Trust!

Welcome back to me! After being disconnected from the ‘real’ world for almost 7 days, I’m back from Tulum, Mexico. What an amazing time we had celebrating my brothers 50 birthday and 'life' in general! I couldn’t have asked for a better vacation. I feel refreshed yet curious about how it will be ‘getting back to normal.’

It feels a little weird typing on a computer and staring at a lit screen thinking about what to write. In few minutes, I’m walking to work. I can hear the LA traffic; it sounds loud! But what a beautiful sunny day it is.

I’m so grateful to have such an amazing family and group of friends that are loving, supportive, and best of all fun to be around with.

The piece here is titled, “Not Here.” For a few days in life, I was ‘not here.’ I was not in LA; I was not in the USA. I was not thinking about work or anything else; it was beautiful. The piece is inspired by my line of greeting cards called LITTLE Toursits. So far, they’ve been selling pretty well at my beloved Flight001.

How will this vacation inspire my art in the next few days or weeks? I’m curious.

Saint Augustine wrote, ““The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page. ”Unfortunately, I have not read many pages. I need to catch up. I can't wait to flip a new page.

But on this little trip to Tulum, I got half way done through reading Patti Smith’s book Just Kids. I’m in love with her way of storytelling; it’s beautifully written. And hearing about her life with Robert Mapplethorpe is fascinating; their journey as starving young artists in NYC is inspiring. I can’t wait to flip some pages tonight!

Celebrate life. Explore. Read. Live.

Viva Mexico!

Buenos! Friday! In just a short bit I’m boarding a plane to MEXICO! Woohoo! I’m in need of a vacation and still feeling hung over from my little rendezvous at Pop Tart gallery. After all this time, I finally picked up my self-portrait taken by Austin Young in last years “Your Face Here” exhibit. I even purchased a piece by Jose A. Guzman-Colon featuring last years Rupaul’s Drag Race winner Raja Gemini.

I’m looking forward to this birthday celebration with my siblings and in-laws; I couldn’t ask for better.

The piece here is titled, “ Viva.” It’s inspired by Mexico of course! In Spanish, one often hears the phrase, “Viva la vida.” It means long live the life. How appropriate; life is the most beautiful thing there is. What else is there to do.

I couldn’t decide between both these quotes. They're both so beautiful.

“Every man dies - Not every man really lives.” William Ross Wallace

“Those who danced were thought to be quite insane by those who could not hear the music.” – Angela Monet

And so if you think I'm crazy, I'm just dancing to music you can't hear.

Salud! And Asta luego ☺

Happy Belated Earth Day!

According to the World Wide Web, population Earth is 6,840,507,003. And though I haven’t lived on any other planet, I can’t imagine existing anywhere else. Being on Earth has been the best thing ever.

In thinking of our beloved planet, I wonder about the millions of beings that have passed away and the many being born today, tomorrow, and the next days to come. Life happens and regardless of who we are or when we pass, life can be and is beautiful.

The piece here is titled, “I Am Here.” It's a self portrait and the idea of existince/reality inspires it. I am here! And speaking of I am, Tom Shayac’s movie, “I Am” will be making it’s primetime premiere this Thursday night on the OWN network. Don’t forget to watch!

Any Rand asks, “Ask yourself whether the dream of heaven and greatness should be waiting for us in our graves - or whether it should be ours here and now and on this earth.”

I vote for both here, afterwards, and always! If I were the last man to fall to Earth, as corny as it may sound, I would want a gentle peace amongst us all.

Enjoy our world! Peace and Blessings.