Alejandra's Blog

Last year I got a DSLR for my birthday from Agu, I had been wanting a good camera to take good quality photos of my paintings.  Well, I then got signed up for a digital photography class to learn how to use my camera in the summer and then I signed up again in the fall.  I can say that I love using my camera and I have become almost obsessed with photography, but in a good way.  I try going manual most of the time.  I have my teaching credential and I am an art teacher but I am really considering doing photography also.  I also had been wanting a family portrait since Leo was born and we finally did it with my camera and the help of a good friend.  I did some minor editing on photoshop because I’m still learning how to use ps and I was happy with what I was able to do.  I know that I still have so much more to learn and I’m willing to work hard for it. One of my main goals in 2012 is to become a very good photographer and hopefully be able to take photos of other people besides my kids and husband.  I am very glad that there are so many photographers out there that I’ve come across on FB and have been very friendly, helpful and encouraging.  My digital photography professor at community college is also someone I feel I can always go to for advise, he knows it all.

This is a photo of Agu, Leonardo and I at Dennis the menace park in Monterey Ca.  Celeste is not in the photo because she was upset.  She later told us that she was embarrassed to participate in the photo shoot, but we later convinced her.

In the other photo we are all walking in lover’s point in Monterey.  It’s such a beautiful place, we used to take Celeste as a toddler there all the time, now she is almost 1o years old.  Time definitely flies, that’s why I love photography because it’s such a beautiful artistic way to freeze those memorable times in life….especially in our children lives.

These are the two art shows for the Dia de Los Muertos that I am being part of this year.  This is my first year participating in the show at Puerto Alegre which I’m very happy about and after many years of not being part of the annual Hijos del Sol show, this year I was invited and I feel very fortunate to have a few of my pieces being shown there as well.  I also curated an art exhibit at Contra Costa College and a few of my pieces (tiny ones) are in this show.  I hope this continues, I plan on creating more work related to this theme so that I have a lot of new work for next year.  If you have a chance please check out the exhibits!

Agu is a natural in photography, he just knows about perspective and light, something I’m still exploring and working on…i took about 80 something photos and then he asked me if he could take a few shots of me…and i really liked them.  I usually don’t like photos of me but these really captured me, I feel…,I like that I’m with my kids and I really like the portraits of me too, the photo of the flower..that one is mine =)

Overall I think we did a lot this summer, visited my parents in Mexico, read 2 novels, took lots of pictures and earned an A in the class, crocheted a lot, discovered some very beautiful places in the bay area (very close from home) Agu finished his draft of his dissertation and the only thing is that we still can’t put Leo early to sleep…it’s 1:42 am and is wide awake.

I‘ve been telling agu about doing a family portrait and we just keep procrastinating, anyways, this was the closest picture I could find on my computer…interesting and unique I guess =)

I decided to create a donation box that i can use when I exhibit my work, so I’m not necessarily selling my prints, magnets and cards but instead people can put a donation in the box, I’m going to try it and see if it work. I coated the whole thing with a glaze so I hope it last a long time.

Celeste completed this cool cartoon at the end of her cartooning class at the Richmond Arts Center, she did a lot of very interesting stuff, worked with special clay, drew, colored, painted, developed a character, etc.

Leon decided to paint last night and created these two pieces, he says “arte” so he now asks for it, he is adorable and I love it when he is creative.

Today I picked up my 3rd set of finished pottery.  It’s interesting to see how they shrink in size.  Also the brownish looking bowl with lid, it’s supposed to be a butter dish, it’s original color was supposed to be orange and yellow, it looked good after it’s first firing, but then I added a clear coat of glaze so that I could use it in the kitchen and the colors got all ruined…now it looks brown and grayish as opposed to an orange pumpkin looking color with yellow.  I still have two more bowls that should be ready on Tuesday and a large coffee mug I made for Agu…we’ll see how those look.

My beautiful son turns 2 years old today.  I felt so blessed since the first day I found out I was expecting him.  After having Celeste only, for 6+ years I desired a baby boy so badly and I was so lucky to have Leonardo Iyari come into our lives.  He is a very smart, curios, strong, handsome and very energetic  boy, I do think he is a momma’s boy though…and I LOVE IT!  HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY LEON!

Two tea bowls, my favorite is the blue one, A skull, a mold for sugar skulls and a green leaf where to put my spoons and spatulas when cooking (stove).