PECULIARBLISS

ISSUE 2 / HAPPINESS / CHARMAINE OLIVIA

PECULIARBLISS ISSUE TWO

PeculiarBliss.com is a stream of doodles and images, featuring creative, original works from sketchbooks and other mediums into one location, with the hope to inspire continued creative thinking. PeculiarBliss Magazine is the quarterly continuation of this effort.

This issues theme: “Happiness”

Cover design: Charmaine Olivia

Happiness is everywHere - Constanza Gowen-seGovia2

come down, lets go to tHe beacH - sara sani3

Happiness - rand renfrow4

Happiness on wHeels - Chris piasCik5

Happy - david voGin6

art makes people Happy, piece 7 - niCk villalva7

untitled - inkink8

Ferris wHeel - kayla davis9

diana mini - sophie davies10

introducingCharmaine Olivia

PREVIEW

She is a drawer, painter, tea-drinker, a self-taught San Franciscan artist. She was born and raised in a small beach town in Southern California where she first started drawing with soy sauce on napkins, but has since upgraded to paper and paint. Charmaine now resides in San Francisco’s sunny Mission District where she loves playing Scrabble in the park and drinking peppermint tea.interview By : shannon dUGGan

11

bears in Her Hair • graphite, OiL

Women dominate your work, do you feel you are keep-ing your women, contemporary? I live vicariously through my ladies, especially with things like facepaint, hairstyles and tattoos. I keep them contemporary because they’re mir-rors of me.

When did the triangles find their way into your work? I used to be obsessed with drawings arrows, and I think they just ended up evolving in to a triangle. Triangles have definitely been trending for a while now, they’re a beautiful shape and much easier to draw than a square or a circle, so I like them.

Do you believe there is a Californian mentality that carries itself into your work and goals? I think so. I’m a born and raised Californian, so it’s hard for that mentality to not find its way in to my work. I think that I embrace the strange, free-spirited, sexy aspects that make up my California.

Do you travel often? How does travel effect your art? I love to travel. Partially because I’ve always been fond of the type of art I create while I’m traveling. When I’m away from my usual workspace I feel like I think differently. Since I gen-erally don’t have all my usual resources, the things I create are purely spur of the moment, much more raw than at home when I have time to plan it out and experiment. When I’m on the go, I just go for it. The results are more raw and almost feels more real, like a true extension of my subconscious.

Do you have an “artist’s circle” or a creative group that you see regularly? Not really, but alot of my friends are really creative people. Being around creative people is really important, at least to me. Whether they are musicians, writ-ers, thinkers, visual artists... it’s fun to bounce ideas off of each other. Do you have a daily working routine? Wake up, check my email in bed, snuggle with my kitten, make some tea, noodle around on facebook, draw, blog, respond to emails, scan images, conceptualize in photoshop, snack, drink tea, make lunch, repeat.

Is there a soundtrack to your work? Yeah, anything by Memoryhouse.

I create my best work when

I’m excIted and cheerful,

even If my work doesn’t

always come across as

beIng ‘happy’, It Is.

PREVIEW: ChaRmaInE OlIVIa13

logo design • 2010

boat • watercOLOr

boat proFile • watercOLOr, inkFox masque • OiL, ink On wOOd

dry toast • digitaL

net nest • watercOLOr, ink

HeadacHes • OiL, cOLOred penciL On wOOd

deer in gym socks • acryLic

Describe your work space in six adjectives.Messy, painty, glassy, inky, colorful, hungry.

Your work has included laptop skins and wall cover-ings. Have these routes altered your creative process?A little bit. I’ve been focusing more on paper works lately, partially because it’s so much easier to get a high quality scan of paper, which then can be used for large scale prints (like wall coverings) and other media. Paintings and larger works are more difficult to get an accurate photo representation of. Those are definitely things I keep in mind when I’m working.

What are the dimensions of your works? Lately I’ve been doing works on paper, relatively small, around the 8” x 10” size. I’ve been itching to start an oil painting though, those tend to be a much larger scale.

There are paintings, drawings, and photography... can we expect sculpture and printmaking in the future? I’m definitely intrigued with printmaking, but I don’t think I’ll delve in to sculpture any time soon. I don’t think in 3D.

Have you found that being a self-taught artist has helped or hindered your work? I think it has helped. I was lucky to learn some painting and drawing basics when I was really young, and it was enough to inspire me to further my art education holed up in my room, experimenting and playing with my own ideas and concepts. I feel like I could have gotten too wrapped up in technique and less on creativity if I were to have had formal training.

The best and worst parts of working freelance? Worst part is that it can be inconsistent and unstable, every month is very different than the last. Best part? Everything, but the inconsistency. I get to make my own hours, draw in my paja-mas, eat as I’m working... it’s fantastic.

What makes for a great client? Someone who isn’t overly nit-picky, and someone with lots of money! Ha!

What art supplies do you always carry on you?Micron .005 pens, black.

Where does happiness find a place in your works? I’m generally a very happy person, and I create my best work when I’m excited and cheerful, even if my work doesn’t always come across as being ‘happy’, it is. I’m also a fan of blank expressions, it’s amusing to me how many people look at a painting of mine say ‘she looks sad!’ Nope, she’s just thinking.

Most influential book you’ve read in the past year. Does the onion count?

Advice to aspiring artists? Use the internet. Seriously. Some people resist it, but it’s such an amazing tool for getting yourself out there. END

visit Charmaine’s weBsite for more info www.Charmaineolivia.Com

charmaine will be featured in three upcoming exhibits and continues to work on her 50 states project. visit: www.society6.com/studio/the50states

17

clown - Joe wray18

Fence - John rUdolph19

Happiness - miChelle kondriCh20

Happiness - katie hanratty 21

Happy - saBreen aziz22

brodie in tHe laundry - sara martin23

keeping cool - hannah fiChandler24

Happiness - mia Christopher25

kids - pimnara pakati26

bliss, tHe silent song - reBekah plett27

HEARD

Compiled by wonderland of Homebasenyc.net

1. Brothers - The Black Keys 2. Memoirs - Rox 3. Sir Lucious Left Foot - Big Boi 4. Dead Weather - Sea of Cowards 5. Everything in Time - DJ Center 6. Cosmogramma - Flying Lotus 7. It’ll Be Better - Francis & The Lights 8. The Good Son - Homeboy Sandman 9. I Learned The Hard Way - Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings 10. Mustard - Tiron 11. Causers of This - Toro Y Moi 12. This is Happening - LCD Sound System 13. Maya - MIA

Compiled By wonderland

Happiness - moselleJoJo29

city - steve ponzo30

reading - steven lyons31

Floating Head - zoe aUstin 32

CONTRIBUTORS

peculiarbliss Magazine is a quarterly publication. To contribute to the magazine or website, email us: pbsubmissions@gmail.com

PECULIARBLISS ISSUE TWO

Charmaine Olivia www.blog.charmaineolivia.comwww.charmaineolivia.comwww.charmaineolivia.etsy.comwww.twitter.com/charmaineolivia

Constanza Gowen-Segovia www.constanza.posterous.com

Sara Sani www.sarasaniphotography.com

Rand Renfrow www.r-quad.com

Chris Piascik www.chrispiascik.com

David Vogin www.davidvogin.com

Nick Villalva www.artbehindthefridge.com

InkInk Collective www.ink1nk.blogspot.com

Kayla Davis www.flickr.com/people/hellokayla

Sophie Davies www.ohmyclumsyheart.com

Sabreen Aziz www.sabreenaziz.posterous.com

Joe Wray www.flickr.com/people/8918307@N02

John Rudolph www.wecantstop.com

Michelle Kondrich www.michellekondrich.com

Katie Hanratty www.inspector-marmalade.blogspot.com

Sabreen Aziz www.sabreenaziz.posterous.com

Hannah Hichandler

Sara Martin www.saraemartin.com

Mia Christopher www.miachristopher.com

Pimnara Pakati

Rebekah Joy Plett www.catchtheredballoon.com

Joanna “Mosellejojo” Velozo www.flickr.com/photos/mosellejojo

Steve Ponzo www.steveponzo.com

Steven Lyons www.thisisrabbit.com

Zoe Austin www.zoeaustin.co.uk

EDITOR / DESIGNER Vaughn Fender www.vaughnfender.com

ASSOCIATE EDITOR Hannah Fichandler

WRITER Shannon Duggan

MUSIC CURATOR Alice “wonderland” Grandoit www.homebasenyc.net

Content:We are open to all mediums – doodles, photography, digital, paintings, collages etc. All work should be sent by email, please submit work to pbsubmissions@gmail.com with the title of the current theme.

Guidelines:

1. Dimensions: 10” x 10”

2. Please create your work high res and provide a copy @ 100 dpi.

3. Provide your contact info with all submissions.

4. Only send work you want to have considered for publication.

We are now accepting submissions for the theme:

“DREAMSCAPE”

PECULIARBLISS.COM

SUBMISSIOn

DEADLInE

09.20.10