Deena So'Oteh Visual Storytelling

I haven't written in a while but it by no means because I havent been making art. On the contrary, I have been working on a few things simulteniously and got so into it that I just had no time to write about it. Having some time to kill at the doctors I can finally fill you in. 

For one I have been working on a pencil drawing series dedicated to Spirit Animals of the Native American Horoscope. It began as a single exercise for myself to improve my pencil drawing skills as well as get a better understanding of value relationships within compositions and very quickly grew into a full on project which Iam really enjoying and even thinking of recreating in color. The horoscope consists of Bear, Wolf, Beaver, Deer, Snake, Salmon, Otter, Owl, Woodpecker, Falcon and Raven. With such diverse range of animals I get to us my hand at drawing different textures and practice various mark makings. When I finish my Bear today I will be half way through the horoscope :). You can check the finished artwork on the website which underwent a little make over.  

Another self inflicted project I have been working on is t-shirt designs. This one proved itself very time consuming and slow moving. The designs will be avaible on demand through threadless.com and printed on tshirt, hoodies and tote bags. I will share the link to my shop as soon as I get everything up and running. 

Aside from these projects I have been doing a lot of thinking and reflecting on the past year and came to realize a few things which I believed proving to be of significant value to me.

I have a very difficult time accepting failure and I had failed a lot through out the year. I didn't get in into any competitions or residencies I have applied for and been such a sour looser that it prevented me from genuantly congradualting my friends on their victories and to appreciate the things that I did achieve such as getting into graduate school. I can't say that this realization came easy to me - it's hard to admit that you are worse than you imagine yourself to be but I am glad it finally hit me in the head. My big ego needed to learn humility. Along with patience and acceptance. 

I have a particular hatred towards self portraiture. For one i am not particularly interested in capturing myself ( heck i am stuck with myself on the daily basis ) and  for two, for some obscure reason in all my attempts i come out looking like a man and not very attractive one. 

This time i was forced to do a self portrait for a scholarship application and after several attempts i think i managed to come up with a rather clever and creative solution to my problem. 

Its started with this photo:

and progressed to here with charcoal:

and ended up looking like this after i shoved it into photoshop

I have a particular hatred towards self portraiture. For one i am not particularly interested in capturing myself ( heck i am stuck with myself on the daily basis ) and  for two, for some obscure reason in all my attempts i come out looking like a man and not very attractive one. 

This time i was forced to do a self portrait for a scholarship application and after several attempts i think i managed to come up with a rather clever and creative solution to my problem. 

So......

The big "networking" event happened. I was shy and awkward. Almost left the place. 

But then in the sea of people i saw an art director, Lauren Panepinto, whose blog post, titled: Approaching art directors on MuddyColors.com i just recently read. I had a conversation starter! And so i just dived into the waters... very awkwardly. Boy, did i feel like a high school girl approaching the cool kid! Lauren was very supportive and helpful, and after a chat and exchange of business cards, i felt a little better.

Walking in circles in the crowd, i have spotted an illustrator, Oksana Badrak, who was one this year's judges for the Society of Illustrators Annual Competition. I got myself together and approached her as well. The conversation with Oksana went above and beyond anything i could have hoped for. She asked me for my card and when she saw the image on it( my girlfriend  grandmas which got me in the AI Annual and which i almost didn't  submit to the Society of Illustrators Competition!), she recognized the image from the judging. From that point on i was under her wing and she took me around, introducing me to the artists, art directors and editors she knew. To say i felt like a Cinderella who have found her god mother is to say nothing.  I can not thank her enough for being so kind. 

I also met on of my favorite illustrators, Chris, the creator of Red Nose Studio, whose work i really admire. 

This event was a good lesson for me... Social events are a tough cookie but i have to learn, it is a part of the game.

On other note....

One of my oil paintings, part of Colombia travels series, will be featured in the 5th Annual Armstrong Competition Exhibition in Savannah, GA. Hopefully i will be able to attend the reception on January 22nd!

It is good to know that all the competition submissions and applications sometimes pay off. :)

I wish for everyone to harvest the fruits of their dedication and hard work. 

One of my oil paintings, part of Colombia travels series, will be featured in the 5th Annual Armstrong Competition Exhibition in Savannah, GA. Hopefully i will be able to attend the reception on January 22nd!

I know i haven't been consistent with my posts lately...

I kinda got a bit over my head with trying to do everything at once - making new work, applying to residencies, writing proposals for awards, making commercial stuff, researching Master's programs and everything in between. In my attempt to be everywhere at once in order to not miss any opportunity, i have completely lost myself. So i took a little break for some soul searching or may be just some silence away from it all, including phone and internet at a farm  near New Paltz.

The couple of days i have spent there were probably the most productive days i have had in the longest while. It is funny how often we think that our productivity depends on the  frequency and intensity of our actions and movements, when in reality sometimes we have to slow down to achieve better results. So even though i wasn't in my "go, go, go " mode i felt i have made very positive progress in figuring out which direction i want to take in my work and life as an artist. It is still hard to identify myself as one specific thing because i am influenced and interested in so many things, however i came close to narrowing it down. I am so thankful for the farm's space, the warmth and kindness of people who work there and the wonderful weather that accompanied our stay. But most importantly i am thankful to my significant other who made it all happen and had the patience for all of my artistic shenanigans. 

The hardest thing for me now is not to loose this focus and peace of mind... especially with the hustle and the bustle of NYC. As much as i hate the cold of the winter, i am kinda glad it is coming along; i can hermit in and just work. 

My goal right now is Spectrum: sci-fi and fantasy illustration competition. I want to create a series of illustrations dedicated to Russian folklore. My mom have found this amazing book of Russian creatures which even i, who is fascinated by it never heard of. So i want to use it as my springboard ;) and my inspiration. 

Also i have joined Society6.com and now some of my work is available as fine art prints, clocks and pillows. It will take me a little while but soon i will have some t-shirt designs on there as well. If anyone has any suggestions or preferences, i would love to hear from you! For now it is a shot in the dark but i hope it will pay off eventually. You can find my stuff here

I don't think i will be as prominent online as i have tried to be, just because i really need to concentrate on my work right now. I will still give the highlights of my progress, no worries!