Since I’m back to painting and catching up on other stuff, I’m also all hyped at getting back to my advocacy. These new untitled artworks will be some of my entries to the upcoming exhibit of The Art of Compassion Project, a vegan artists collective, at the upcoming VegFestUK online art auction in August.

I love this artists collective so much because of its staunch dedication to promoting veganism through creativity. Through my contribution, I hope I’d be able to help, in little ways, spread the message of nonviolence and animal emancipation.

Art for the Most Vulnerable 

What struck me the most while creating these pieces was my disbelief that I managed to pull off lighter compositions despite the grim realities screaming behind these sketches. These artworks are the closest to my heart as they depict the young and the most vulnerable among the animals. "Gentle Lullabies," "Milking Innocence," "Blood on the Nest," and "Waiting for a Better Home" sealed my decision to pursue art projects for the animals.

I've finally reached the end of a long hiatus. Once again, I'm steering my way back the blogosphere, which seems to me like a memory long gone. I have, however, managed to work through a couple of sketches to ward off the blues.

 

Artwork in progress by Lila Marquez (colored pencils on paper, 2017)

Even though the trip had all been spikes and sighs, I was still able to drive home a pocket-sized artwork in flesh and blood, a little human about to walk this bumpy road called life with me. So, I guess I'm up to more sketching, blogging, and mothering from now on.

 

LINES BETWEEN GLANCES

Words went blank as she turned her back on him, her ears to his thoughts. It's almost time for another cup of coffee.

After a while, they're back to the usual hide-and-seek between her PC's screen and his quizzical pair of eyes. A guessing game before the break of dawn.

"I know what it is this time." That's his signal.

She grabbed a bag of treats.

Cats sing of chaos

The chanting stretches till dawn. It was a night of assemblage outside a nearby mosque. The cats heeded some sort of warning in between leftovers and splurge. I turned on a Bob Marley.

Staying up late with only a blank page and a pen as companion, I could hear them spit fire against each other, clashes of teeth and claws, above my earphones.

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The pigeons looked down

Today, while feeding the pigeons from the balcony, I saw a street cleaner picked up the trash nearby. The desert sun mounted her shoulder, lingered for a while there, then bid her goodbye. I caught my own chest, my hand met the daylight. It was a relief.

I wish I've had the chance to tell the lady that misery will be over soon. It's been a long summer and the pigeons have flocked the oasis, leaving the breadcrumbs to the feral cats.

And then, we'll sit for an iced tea under a date tree.

This story is a bit intense, but let me get straight to the point. I haven't done a lot of scrap-booking ever since I could remember. I've had scraps, though. Lots of them. And they come in all shapes and sizes, from bus tickets to tissue papers. But I've never really put an effort to stitch together an art journal.

Cracking an online scrapbook, however, is another thing. It's like dipping your dead toenail into virtual lava. But it's 2017, so you can always surf online for resources and cobwebs, and always feel lucky, says Google.

And shortly after, I found a playground to start with. The result is not too divine, but that's the point. Life is not all candies and rainbows. But I hope you like it.

After struggling from a busy week, I've finally found a way to work around sketching and scribbling for the Instagram version of this series, while at the same time figuring out the bumps and bends of the actual art pieces. Fun fact: squiggly lines and sleepless nights are a perfect match, and I'm not even kidding. Yep. Two nights of keeping the night and rain company and still be able to wrestle with the laundry and litter box the following day. Tsk. Tsk. My life is seriously getting an escapist's overdose.

A touch of solace, ink on paper, March 25, 2017.

Click the title image below to preview all the sketches from the series.

Sketches and Scribbles is a current project of mine and the artworks will be available this year (hopefully). Meanwhile, here's part four of my ongoing Instagram series. As a side note, at times when my sketches seem sulky or heavily laden with ink, it must be due to either the changing weather or that I'm too lazy to reach out for another cup of coffee.

A recipe for meaning, ink on paper, March 19, 2017.

Crossing the future, ink on paper, March 19, 2017.

Click the title image below to preview all the sketches from the series.

This is the third part of my art and poetry series titled Sketches and Scribbles which I launched on my Instagram. The series features my on-the-spot sketches and poems rendered on intermediate paper. One of the challenges I've had with this project, apart from my sneakiest cat trying to grab my attention, was catching up with my thoughts as I work through each piece with my own handwriting, the old school stuff, using no single draft or outline. For this reason, each piece should appear spontaneous as though hordes of lines and words were directly lifted off my thoughts.

Strike the chord again, ink on paper, March 18, 2017.

Click the title image below to preview all the sketches from the series.

Well done! You've found my mini-line-breaking scrapbooks! 

Grab a cup of coffee. It's all dusty in here.

(Click the cover image to open the scrapbook)

 

 

Breaking away from my daily mundane tasks always calls for a bite of chocolate...and awkward conversations with the kitties and pup...and crayons. I was lucky enough to have found a second to lay away some jittery lines on my notebook this morning before I could even bear the brunt of modern living. My notebook usually comes in handy every time I needed a pillow, by the way, so, I put aside all the day's nonsense and headed toward my quiet corner. 

The wind that wrote the song, ink on paper, March 13, 2017.

The colors of parting, ink on paper, March 13, 2017.

Click the title image below to preview all the sketches from the series.

Sometimes, while you're trying to outsmart time behind your work desk, you meet with your thoughts and ask questions you dare not ask your kitties. Then you try to find a way to impart that conversation to any surface you can find. And when you do find it, the universe simply opens up its doors to usher you in.

World of Swarms, ink on paper, March 9, 2017.

Lost Rhyme, ink on paper, March 9, 2017.

Click the title image below to preview all the sketches from the series.

A series that is a bit experimental, "Sketches and Scribbles" is a depiction of poetry in art. I have posted the complete poetry series on my social media pages and complimented the poems with the sketches. Looking forward to making more of these series and hopefully publish them in a coffee table book.