Upcoming KickStarter Make100 for 2025

 

Earlier this year I got up the courage to run my first Kickstarter campaign and successfully funded it, under the Make 100 project. My plan is to run a Make 100 campaign each year. I call my project “Drawn From Nature”, featuring artwork drawn by me from images of nature I photographed myself. Each year will have a different subject that will be the sub-title to the main nature theme. This January 2024, my subject was koi, “Drawn From Nature: Koi.” Read about my first campaign HERE. 

For my second campaign, coming in January of 2025, the subject will be the magnificent lotus flower, “Drawn From Nature: Lotus.” Similarly as last year, I have created 20 drawings of lotus based on photographs I took of these beautiful flowers. These images are drawn on a 9 x 12 art paper. The original inked drawings will be cut into 4.5 x 6 pieces. Each original will only have 20 prints made.

Here are the original finished pencil drawings that will be inked for the Make 100 campaign. As my Patreon patrons, you are seeing this artwork first before anyone else. Stay tuned as I continue work on this project for the remainder of the year. I will release updates here on Patreon for my patrons first before publishing on all my various other media platforms at a later date.

Join me on Patreon for first peak at all my new artwork. https://www.patreon.com/chaotic_abstraction

My Art Inspiration in Nature - Part 5: Lotus

 

When I was very young and living in Vietnam, getting a lotus flower seed pod to eat was such a great treat. I would take a long time to eat each one, savoring the flavor and saving the rest for later, never eating all the seeds in one day. My mother and my sisters would tell me I’m such a slow eater and encourage me to eat the seeds faster. I took my time anyway. I love lotus, from the beautiful flowers to the massive leaves and the tasty seeds. 

In Maryland, the Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens offer many ponds full of beautiful lotus. In July, the lotus blooming season, you can immerse yourself amongst these beautiful flowers. I try to visit and enjoy them every July. The many photos and videos I took of these delightful blossoms make great references. 

The lotus will be the focus theme of my second Kickstarter Make 100 campaign in January 2025 and I am so thrilled about the images I selected for the project. As in the first campaign, the art are all drawn from my personal photographs. Stay tuned for updates on my campaign.

“Wednesday Addams”

 

I’m so excited to debut my very first fan art, featuring Wednesday Addams of Netflix’s “Wednesday”, at Baltimore Comic-Con this weekend. Hopefully this won’t be the last.

I’ll See You at Baltimore CC!

 

Hello! Baltimore Comic-con is happening next weekend, Fri-Sun, 20-22 September 2024. It is Baltimore CC’s 25 anniversary, and to celebrate this momentous occasion, AIM HIT GO introduces, for the first time, competitive and casual gaming! Come by and check out their 40-unit console arcade that is free to play for all convention attendees. How much fun is that? And while you’re at the convention, stop by the Artist Alley Table H12 and say hello!

Visit baltimorecomiccon.com to purchase tickets

Shows for August

 

I have a show and a local convention coming up I want to share with you. Both of them are in Maryland. 

The first one is the Overlea ArtsFest, happening on 9 and 10 August 2024, supporting Northeast Baltimore’s visual artists at the beautiful Holt Park and Center for the Arts. Each year, the festival features a juried art show, a youth art show, a short films festival, many fun workshops, lots of live music alongside food, wine and beer. This year Overlea ArtsFest is adding art vendors on Saturday. I will be one of the art vendors. For more information and event program and location, please visit the link below

https://overleaartsfest.org/artsfest-2024/

The second event is the very new convention in Maryland, RisuCon. RisuCon is renamed from the previous convention called MonkeyCon. This year, the convention will be held at the Montgomery County Conference Center, part of the North Bethesda Marriott Hotel & Conference Center in Rockville, Maryland. And great news, it has expanded to 2 days, Saturday and Sunday, 17 & 18 August 2024.

For more information on this Maryland convention, please visit: https://www.risucon.com/

If you’re in the area, come join me at either of these fun filled events, or go to both. Come by and say hi.

See you there

Dominique (Chaotic Abstraction)

Tiny Worlds

 

For a little while I was a bit obsessed with making tiny art. These are part of a series I call “It’s a Small World”. They are tiny worlds representing big dreams. I’m always ping-ponging between making large and tiny art. I’m currently trying to finish a big piece. I just want to share these tiny originals with you.

Art Spotlight 3: Art Totems: Family, Crew, Friends, Ghoulish

The Personal Art Totems spotlighted this month are all about togetherness and closeness, whether with family or friends.

The first art totem featured is “Family”. It is a “Family” of strange different creatures that are together in loving safety. The words for this one are “Despite differences, Family will always be together.” It’s great when one’s family is similar to them, however, I think family will always be family no matter how different we are in any aspect. 

This next art totem is the flip side of family. I call this one “Motley Crew”. This crew is a mishmash of characters with seemingly nothing in common, yet they are happy together. The words on the back of this one are “Our differences are what brings us together.” How true is that?

Along those lines, friends can be so important to each of us. The third featured art totem said, “No matter how far, we can always come together”. Friends can surround us with their presence, or just their words from afar. 

The art totem titled “Ghoulish” also features a group of ghoulishly different characters just having fun and enjoying each other’s company. “We’re different, but oh so much alike” are the words for this art piece.

These totems are on my Big Cartel shop if you wish to have one for yourself. 

For a video of these art totems, check out my YouTube video: Art Totems

Thank you.