Love, Your Artsy Girl

My Oldest Girl turned 20 Years Old on January 25th!

2012-01-29T12:52:00.000-08:00

Here is a poem I wrote for Tiana when she was nine years old...

Daughter at Nine

for Tiana

Perhaps it’s in the waiting, stillness of

held words in your jean pockets, the rush

of air between a feather, or the pendulum

considering one side

before the pull

Perhaps it’s in the descent; dust

on the instrument; warm hand at sleep;

the slightest resignation—a soft night

quietly flying about

the curtains

Perhaps it’s in forgiveness, for the

assault on time, for neglected design, or

at the momentous slope watching you cry

because you simply

have to

2012

2012-01-28T16:24:00.000-08:00

Here we are again, another year!

I am writing a novel, screenplays and teaching. Well, to be honest, I'm working to put the food on my table, a roof over my head, among other things.

But my goal for 2012 is to finish my novel and get an agent for my work-in-progress novel entitled "The Butterfly Catcher".

I just finished participating in the Writers in Paradise Conference at Eckerd College last week, and to my dismay, I have been workshopped with a lot of commercial and genre fiction writers that it was kind of hard to get inspired about editing my work. *sigh*

But I found a cool novel right now that I am totally enthralled with, "A Gesture Life" by Chang-rae Lee. Just love the voice, the perspective, the rhythm, the diction...and so on. Wished there was more of these type of work in WIP to fashion myself with, but hey, I know my book still has a long way to go. At least now I know that I need to narrow down the scope and streamline the story line.

No hard and fast rules, just guidelines, and a lot of of gut instincts. I will see how it goes.

The Power of Re-Phrasing...

2011-06-25T08:27:00.000-07:00

Thanks, Jill, for sharing this video!

It goes to show that what you say and how you say it matters...

Selling My Artwork!! (Need to clear wall space!) :-)

2011-02-19T08:19:00.000-08:00

2011-01-14T11:07:00.000-08:00

"Turned Away"

by Cristina Querrer

graphite on paper

"The Struggle, II"

by Cristina Querrer

graphite on paper

Small World

2011-01-07T15:54:00.000-08:00

Can I tell you what a small world it is?

Today I decided to take my 7-year-old daughter to eat after I picked her up after school and decided to go to The Ohana Cafe on Orange Street in Ozona. Since I have been inducted to the health food, whole food arena, I wanted to check this new place out.

I went on their website to check out the menu and it sounded really gourmet and scrumptious. Well, today, out of all days was the first day they extended their hours to evening hours. Before I went; however, I wanted to confirm over the phone that yes, indeed, they were open.

A cheerful woman named Teresa answered the phone and when we finally arrived at her restaurant she welcomed me and my daughter with a hug and an "Aloha". We automatically felt at home.

While we were waiting for our food, the waiter (who I found later is Teresa's husband) was talking to one of the older female customers about her son who went to school with him in Alaska. Now they never met before! Yet, here we are in sleepy, old Ozona (which is adorable), in Florida, he happens to meet the mother of one of his former classmates who he went to school in Alaska with!

It was our time for being served, with the freshest, organic food and ingredients--all so delicious, I might add. After we met the chef, smiled at a few waitresses, I asked Teresa's husband, if Teresa was Hawaiian Filipina, and he said yes.

"I knew it," I said, "because I'm half Filipina."

Then he said something about her father was in the Air Force in the Philippines.

"Really?" I questioned. "Filipino or US Air Force?"

"US Air Force," he said.

"Was she at Clark Air Force Base?" I asked excitedly.

"Yes."

"Did she go to Wagner High School?"

"Yes, I think so."

"What year did she graduate?"

"84."

"Oh my God, I graduated in '85!"

At that moment, he went back to the kitchen to tell Teresa and all I heard was a scream and an, "Oh my God!"

You see, even after traveling all over the world, you can find someone from your past in the most unusual, most remote, most low-key parts of the world. Teresa, her husband, and I did!

Today, was a true testament.

Here's to all you military brats!

In Search of Eloquence

2010-12-09T17:30:00.000-08:00

In Search of Eloquence

2008-10-09T07:24:00.000-07:00

"Jazz Dancer", graphite on paper,
published in "The Mom Egg 2008 Anthology
and in the private collection of
Filipina-American poet, Eilleen R. Tabios

"Man of Might"
graphite on paper

"Fixtures"
graphite on paper

"Incantations at Twilight"

graphite on paper

"Just the Way", charcoal on paper
(my feminist response to
prostitute alley in Angeles City, Philippines,
and to sexual exploitation and sex trade industry)

"Strumming My Pain"
graphite on paper

"Mia"
graphite on paper

"Frutas"
charcoal on paper

"Christian"
graphite on paper

"The Struggle"
graphite on paper

"Places of Old"
graphite on paper

"Pears of Promise"
graphite on paper

"On a Limb"
charcoal on paper

"Fedora, Fork, Orange"
charcoal on paper

"DJ Hunter Laine"
graphite on paper,
House DJ in NY who produced my song,
"Love Me Fool"

"Paragua"
graphite on paper

"Fury of Violets"
pastel on paper

"Against the Realm"
in the private collection of Filipina-American Poet,
Barbara Jean Reyes,
color pencil on paper

2008-10-09T07:12:00.000-07:00

"While Mia Sleeps"
acrylic on canvas

"Despite Blue Skies"
acrylic on canvas

"Conversations with Billie"
acrylic on canvas

"Sweet Intrusion"
acrylic and ink on paper

"Portrait of a Poet, 9/11/01"
acrylic on canvas (I was in the Army Reserve at the time,
after serving one term of active duty)

"Always Leaving"
in the private collection of Attorney Rob Carey, CT,
acrylic on canvas