Game Over

Dear Ally,
It's finals week and all I've been thinking about is you. I just wanna blow stuff up.
Figuratively.
Of course.

My dearest sister, game over. It's now time for a new game, a new chapter... and a new website? Yup, I've been working on getting my own website. Right now it's a bunch of sunflowers because that's all Yahoo! has so far lol. I'm going to have it up hopefully by the end of this week! (www.sheilachen.com)

Love you Ally, happy packing.
-Sheila

Family

Dear Ally,

Officially you're moving to Taiwan on the 9th of June, so I wanted to make sure I got these paintings to you before you leave. I'll be bringing them home with me next week. I hope that when you see the painting in your room in Taiwan you'll know that I'm always thinking and loving you.

There are some things you need to know about your family. By the time you read this, you'll experience a lot of hardship, a lot of drama, a lot of learning and all without me right next to you. I hope that our skype sessions will keep us in touch, but now that we're going to be so far away I want to remind you about a few things:

1. Your parents have a huge heart. They love you, cherish you, and will do anything for you to see that you're set for life. They've lived a hard life and they only hope that your life will be easier. Give them some slack when you are older!! They're getting older too!

2. Family will always be there for you. This move is tough because we're all going our separate ways... but no matter when or where if you call me I'll make sure I'm there. You come first in my life. Always.

3. We're going to disagree on a lot of things. Culturally, we're going to be raised differently. In terms of family, I never had relatives besides our immediate family whereas you're going to get the whole basketful of Chens. Though we're going to be very different, I hope that though any time of disagreement, you know I will always love you. ALWAYS.

Basically, I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU miss Allyson Chen. This means unconditionally, through any mistake that you might make, through any struggles we might face.

And I'm going to miss you. It's already hard just talking to you on the phone without wanting to run hundreds of miles up the coast of California and squeeze you.

I love you, and I can't wait to see you in a week. This is going to be the best week ever. I'm taking you EVERYWHERE.

Your anxious and obsessive sister,
Sheila

Underpaintng, Acrylic


Background almost done, painting of Mommy and Me in the bg, Acrylic

"Family" Acrylic

Abstract background, Acrylic

"Dear Ally, I'll always love you." Acrylic

Progress Report

More progress on Spud the Giraffe:

Spud's neck, Acrylic


Spud on my wall, Acrylic


Spud on the floor, my feet on a chair. Acrylic

Spud is basically done though I want to go back to the bottom square and work on the shading more. This is also considered unfinished because I still want to make the entire giraffe, but unfortunately my apartment walls are not tall enough for my life sized Spud to exist.... Also I want to add a large tree in the background. Lots of things to do with this one, but so far it's perfect the way it is ;)

My painting for my mama:

Underpainting, Acrylic


Finished background, Acrylic


Mommy and Me, Acrylic

This is the first time I ever painted people, and also the first time that I distorted the background to create a blurry feel. I like how things turned out, but I still want to go over some details to make it better! Personally, it looks better in real life!

Dear Ally,
Its been hard this week knowing that you'll be gone.. but that's what this blog is for. When you grow older, I hope you'll read these posts of your 21 yr old sister and just know how important you are in my life.. this transition into something new is so hard to bear because I don't want to be separated from you or from mom and dad. You're so precious to me. Right now you're only five but I can see through the trials our family goes through that you'll be a strong, tough cookie. You're so much fun, so kind, and so loving to all the people who are blessed to have you in their lives.

Ugh, I really hate how you're going to be across the world in just a few weeks.

So while you're there amongst our distant family (though they wont be as distant to you as they are to me), I'll be here painting.. with you in my heart and on my mind always.

I love you.
Much more than you know.
I miss you already..
Your heart-broken but hopeful sister,
Sheila

Life size fun

Dear Ally,

I had a dream last night, and it wasn't pretty. I want you to know that when you go through a really tough time, as we all do at many points of our lives, you can always come to me and I will always listen and offer a million hugs. You will always be reminded that you're loved and that you're never ever alone in this world.

Just sayin', yo sistas gotcho back gurrrl.

These past couple of weeks in my drawing class has been spent making a life sized forest! I grouped up with two other girls and we made a replication of a tree on campus. The class then proceeded to make life sized animals to live in our forest. It was extremely kiddish but so much fun to create...

Tree, Charcoal. Group: Kaitlyn Mar, Sheila Chen, Shazia Manji


Koala, Soft Pastel

Hopefully by tomorrow I'll also post my life-sized giraffe I painted! And by next week I hope I'll be able to show you a painting of your mom and me.

I love you Ally. I'll miss you when you're in Taiwan.
Love,
Sheila

April Showers Better Frkin Bring May Flowers

Dear Ally,

Someday you will walk across these dreaded birds named crows. They are not your friends. Sometimes they will be perched on a fence that you often walk by to get to the bus. They purposely plan themselves so that you cannot avoid them, no matter what. Sometimes they will not move from the fence, despite the fact that you're two feet away and most animals will run away at that point. After walking away from the bird, it sometimes might fly from behind you and think your hair is worthy of nesting.

I advise you, dearest Ally, to take a large stick and whack the daylights out of it.

Love,
Your Very Angry but Alive Sister
April 5, 2011

"Fckin Bird" Sketch, graphite

Dear Ally,

We're a strange family. For some reason whatever living thing our mother feeds (plants, fish, dogs, us..) they sprout like giraffes. This is why giraffes are your sister's favorite animal. They're weird, they're abnormally tall, and they appear on commercials as mini giraffes that make your sister laugh with an "ooh hoo hoo hoo hoo!"

Get a giraffe.

Love,
Your Giraffe-stricken sister
April 18, 2011

"Walking on Library Walk" Tanbark

Phase one, Acrylic

Phase 2, Acrylic"Spud" Acrylic (not completed yet)

Goodbye Winter Quarter

"Spud the Giraffe" Acrylic

"Rooted Conflict" Water Color, Acrylic

"Silent Massacre at Home" Acrylic, Based on "Massacre at Chios"

"The Elite" Acrylic

"Invisible" Pen

I am lame.

Sorry. I lied. I did not post my figure drawings as promised on FB.... MEH.

It's been a rough quarter dealing with a TA that is extremely... irritating and unfair. I say this after 8 weeks of trying to give him a chance and discussing this course with a fair amount of peers.

Meh. School is draining of inspiration sometimes, especially with professors that make you doubt some of the greatest artists of our history (Uhh, Da Vinci?!) and TAs who are more into their own penis (actually) than other perceptions of art.

Fortunately there are students who share the feeling of suffocation and are willing to join forces and find outside outlets for creativity. A friend and I have found a figure drawing public opportunity ($5 for three hours!) and just with one morning I feel enlightened again (the hot model might have something to do with this. Dang that girl was... attractive!)

I will put an alarm on for Saturday to post my sketches! Especially since this Saturday is going to be my first experience with a two hour pose. I'm debating how to tackle this time; painting or really intricate charcoal? I am leaning towards painting... I've never painted a nude pose! I'd put my sketches on right now, but I'm on campus from 8-11pm.

---

Going back to why I am lame. I feel like just writing on this blog is boring for you guys to read and I should be just be putting artwork with maybe a description. But then I realize that writing here helps me move forward. I mean, blogs are supposed to be selfish anyways, right? This blog in particular is my artistic outlet. Obviously I haven't been very artsy. I need to focus and get back into this.

Okay class is almost over. Until next time! Get ready for some nudity! ;)