Hola Amigos! ?Como Estas?

I’ve updated my painting AND drawing sections on this site, so go check out the new 2012 work I’ve been busy with.

I’m finally finished with Taylor Swift! And some self portraits I made in February. I can’t believe I’ve only been in LA for three months now. I suppose it feels like three months, but I guess I’ve just been really busy. Happily, I’ve been busy with portrait commissions. Working at the pool, and trying to have fun. I got a new baby Bunny Rabbit. Valentina is her name if it’s a girl, and Valentin is his name if he’s a boy. The Super Moon made life interesting, anyway. Time flies when you’re having fun!

Love,
Annie

Hey y’all!
Thanks for checking back with me and my lil’ ol’ Blog here.

Let’s talk about paint!

I delivered my painting of Mia as a clown kid to Warner via the trunk of my Green Honda Accord Kixi-Dixi and soon after started working on one of her other beautiful daughter Zoe, and I dropped that one off to her. It’s pretty good but I worked on it from her school photo portrait, and it kind of looks like a characature of her instead of a portrait. She also looks older than she really is in it, too. The one of Mia has more of Mia’s essence in it, it really looks like her, and I think a big reason for that she came to sit for me and that’s how the portrait began, so it has some of her in it.
I am either going to do one of two things with the portrait of Zoe to get her inside of it.
1. Have her sit for me and work on it while she’s there.
2. Start a completely new portrait and save the other one for the museum.

As for the other commission I was working on, it turns out my friend Brandon had something completely different in mind than what I painted when he asked for a girl doll holding a bear. The painting I did for him was almost exactly like these paintings I did of my old doll Violet that I was working on last June, and honestly the one I was working on for him was super boring to me because I am over it. After he saw what I had made, he let me know the direction he wanted to go in and I’m excited to get started on that because it seems like more of a challenge than the thing I painted for him. And challenges are the best.

Speaking of challenges, I’m pretty much finished with Taylor Swift. The painting of her, I mean. I had to completely alter the perspective and her face isn’t as tilted in the painting as it is in the picture, but whatever. My easel is kind of broken so I have to be careful to have it upright when I’m sketching out perspective.

If you know of anyone who wants a giant painting of Taylor Swift, let me know! I think I might light some candles around it and make it into a Swift-Alter.

I’ve moved on from 24/7 Taylor jams to Dolly Parton pandora. It’s working for me. Country Pop radio is pretty sweet, too. She thinks my Tractor’s Sexy.

It was Phil Santos’ birthday on the 25th and I made him a little charcoal bartending portrait. Because he’s a bartender and one of my best friends. Happy Birthday Phil Santos! You’re the greatest.

In other painting related talk, I’m pretty pumped right now because I started a portrait of my little cousin with clown face make-up. I don’t think you can tell it’s her. It’s creepy though. Even for me, I think it’s gonna be a little creepy.
I’ll try and make her pretty in it, but it could be a stretch. I painted her face and her sister Molly’s (like a monarch butterfly) and Nick’s (like a scary clown) the other night when I came over for dinner.

I’m going to be doing FACE PAINTING all summer, too. It’s my favorite thing ever.

Oh and the most IMPORTANT THING: My Clown Kids are being sold in a little Shop called Ducci’s on Hyperion in Silverlake! Actually, I am coming to you live from there right now. I am the shop girl here after I get off work from the Hotel Pool. You should really stop by if you’re in the LA area. Nicky and Alejandra are the owners and they are super nice and cool and Nicky sells his paintings and shoes that he paints on with famous people on them. Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers has a pair with Magic Johnson on them.
I stumbled upon it when I was waiting for my guys at Hyperion Auto Repair to fix my car that was getting all shaky whenever I stepped on the breaks on my way to and from Stovepipe Wells in Death Valley. I met my awesome friend Dave there and we watched the sunset on the sand dunes and ate steak and a burger and drank beers by the pool and then went to the Saloon and hung out with these dudes who lived on the compound and waited tables and bartended in the restaurant that was attached by the kitchen to the Saloon. That’s all there was. The hotel, the saloon, the restaurant, a gas station and a convenience store and it had No cell reception and THAT’S IT! They said they would hire me on the spot. I wanted to move there. But instead I drove my car back to Los Angeles and got a job at the Cutest Little Shop Ever.

Rebecca dyed her hair green and then dyed it back brown. I’ve been drinking a magic milkshake every morning that Naura Hayden gave me the recipe for in her book “Everything You’ve always wanted to know about Energy but were too weak to ask” that she wrote in the 1970s. It makes me feel enthusiastic about life. I also got “Spiritual Growth” that was written the 80′s and the co-author is this spirit named Orin. Pretty sick, huh? Anyways, there’s some meditations in there that are pretty trippy. I got an iphone (I’m finally cool) and I started swimming laps at Golds. Happy Easter, btw.

Oh, one more thing, I’m going to my East Coast Home May 10-15 for LIZZIE STEVEN’S NYU GRADUATION!!! Bex and I are gonna come visit and TEAR UP THE TOWN! New York WATCH OUT! I can’t wait to see everybody. I miss everybody so much and can’t wait to catch up.

LOTS OF LOVE. Thanks for reading as much as you did, and I hope to be hearing from you soon!!!!
anastaciagg@gmail.com is my email if you feel like saying HI.
LOVE LOVE LOVE

Annie

Holy hell. I have taken a lot of photos over the past few months that I haven’t posted. Some of them are pretty cool. I’ll post them this week. I have a lot of really photogenic cool friends, too.

I am excited because tonight I did the very basic under painting for my Taylor Swift portrait. She is dressed very 60s with a beehive and it’s an over the shoulder shot. I’m changing the background color from white to gray. Hopefully Sargent or Manet will hear me calling to him and come into my room and guide me with ghost powers.

I wonder how all my other painting friends are doing tonight? Do you think when we’re dead we are doing everything that has ever been done or could be done or will be done at once? So in the afterlife, I never have to upload photos because it’s already been done and you’ve already seen them. My portrait of Taylor is already painted and hanging in a museum, and Sargent and I have already gone to Disneyland together. He bought me strawberry ice cream.

I gave away my clown doll Mansion Antonio at 8MM Movie Matinee in NYC the day before I left and that night the girl who took him broke his face. I found another one on ebay because I missed him. I can’t figure out what his name is, but he came last Monday when I was eating a banana split and is sitting on my bed right now. I want to call him Prince Royce or Prince Romeo but maybe I’ll just call him Banana Split. Rebecca thinks he’s creepy but I like him. He is sweet. Like ice cream covered in whip cream and cherries and nuts and fruit that is yellow and comes in a peel. Or like coconut cream, have you ever tried that? We use it in the pina coladas at work. It’s TO DIE FOR. I also think when you’re dead you can eat 10000000 million cheeseburgers and cupcakes all at once and you will always stay as thin as you want. That’s heaven to me. Oh and another thing, I’ve added another husband to my gang. His name is TAMALE. That’s right. Tamales are marriage worthy. They’re gonna have to get used to sharing me with Hot Dog, and also Popcorn, but I think Tamale will fit right in. They will have to compete with the ghost human husbands I have of the author and painter Frank Slater, and also Elliott Smith and Leonardo Dicaprio as a youth, but there is a special place in my heart for tamale, all the same. Now the only question left for tonight is, to Seinfeld, or not to Seinfeld?

xAGG

these ones are of Boston in December when I went to visit my best friend Lexi.

But most of all, HAPPY SPRING!
It’s pretty much Summer here all the time in LA, but still. Actually, I heard from all you New Yorkers that y’all had a pretty mild winter this year. Congrats! We had a rainstorm here last Sunday that spilled water from my window all over my floor. I live on a hill so I watched the water pretend it was at Wild Waves on the giant water slide.

Enough about the weather! LET’S TALK ABOUT PAINTING. and the Circus. (The Ramos Brothers circus came to town (we got to go! there were zebras and motorcycles and poodles and guys more jacked than Phil Santos!) and parked for a few weeks in the Mexican grocery store’s with Eagles watching the carne’s parking lot. Carne Asada? Si Senior. I’m beginning to learn Spanish because I think it’s an awesome language and at the hotel I work at most everyone but me speaks it in fluent. I think it’s kind of ignorant to live in LA and not know at least a little Spanish. I’ve been keeping busy working and doing fun things like going to goth parties and hanging out with a cool guy named Dave at the Beverly Hilton and hanging out with another cool guy named Dave buying taxadermied ducklings and being a sad portrait model for Rebecca while she tests out her new lights and eating lots of eggs and listening to too much Taylor Swift but really this blog is about…

Painting! I finally finished the portrait of Mia that Warner had me commission for her! It went through many, many stages and finally I was satisfied with it. Maybe I’ll post them here if you’re lucky. It’s Mia as a Clown Kid. And I am working on a portrait for my friend Brandon of a doll holding a bear, and another portrait of two lovely kids I babysat for in NY, Bea and Arthur. I picked up some choice books from the downtown LA Central library (GREAT ART SECTION!!!!!!) on portrait painting. One of them is called “Practical Portrait Painting” by Frank Slater, and let me tell you it is one of the best books I’ve ever read! Very informative and helpful. I’m starting my next portrait of the pretty Taylor Swift in the m
Painting! The author is dead by now but Rebecca says she is a ghost minister and will marry us.
I painted my beautiful friend Stephanie the other night. Mickey Mouse and Jim Morrison legs. Jasmine Face. I want to do more face painting! It’s the funnest game ever. I did a Shirley Temple on my leg upsidedown.

Painting!
I’m painting an Elvis (as a Latino) mural in my Elvis themed bathroom. It’s taking a while. I’ll post pictures of the stages later.

Painting!
I’m still working on portraits of my friends and working from old photographs. If you have anything you’d like me to paint for you, contact me and I’ll work you in!

Painting + Annie + 2012 = LOVE!!!!!!!

I’ll try to update this more with my work in progress. Oh, P.S. I got Nautical Easter blue Stiletto nails again. Did you know they make white chocolate crucifixes and sell them at the dollar store? Yeah I bought some. I’ done.

xxxoxoxoxoAnnie

Hello, Happy FRIDAY Internet World!

In case you were wondering, California is agreeing nicely with me. I get a tan just by EXISTING, get to hang out with my best friend Rebecca #1 all the time because she lives 2 blocks away from me, get to go to Irish Dance Feshes with my super talented cousin Francie (who won first place!!!) and also get to listen to all the Taylor Swift my little heart desires while painting in my studio…So basically Taylor Swift All DAY EVERYDAY…With some Latino 96.3 thrown in there for good measure. Basically my life is like Seinfeld. I am truly very blessed.

To make life even better, I just got a job at the nicest hotel in Los Angeles (NO JOKE) as a Pool Bartender!!!! My nametag actually says : ANASTACIA GOODIN: POOL BARTENDER. (!!!!!!!!) Everyone who works there is very nice and the hotel is gorgeous!!! So that’s where you will find me this summer. I am very, very, very excited.

A picture is worth 1000 words so I will leave you with a few I’ve taken. Note Rebecca in the Easter Peeps isle, Rebecca getting tattooed, little girls in FANCY Irish Dresses and the household cleaner labeled “AWESOME.”

LOVE LOVE LOVE to all of you who are reading this. I wish you love and luck and light and (library books with no late fees).

XO
Anastacia

Dearest Pretty and Nice Blog Readers,
Hello from the West Coast! It is so good to be back home. Thank you for checking back with my blog, I know I haven’t updated in a while but I’ve been busy moving across the country again. I moved from New York to Seattle for about a month to spend time with family and buy a car and then I drove the car down the coast with Bex and now I’m back in Los Angeles for good. I got my very own apartment in Echo Park that is flooded with light. I’m about to buy some canvases today and get started painting again. My most recent work has been ink portraits of my family members and clowns. I’ve posted them below. They’re all for sale, save for the one of the couple holding hands. My friend Dave bought that one!

I’ve taken a lot of photos the past few months that I’ve got to post, but I’ll do that this week. So keep checking back! You’re amazing.

I hope everyone is well and I wish you a happy February from the best city in the World: LA. It’s so good to be back. It’s super warm and beautiful here and the palm trees are great. LOVE LOVE LOVE. Happy Valentines Day, too!

XXX
Anastacia

Hi Guys and Dolls!

This Fall has been pretty awesome. Really warm, and just a little rain. I make a lot of lists and I have been crossing things off them left and right.

The most important thing was to get a SEINFELD COFFEE CUP to drink coffee out of and BADDA BING! I crossed that sukka off the list! Ye-Yuh!!! Alright!

3 weeks left to the day in NYC, and I’m not sad to leave because it’s like I told John Prestianni, I’ll be here so much visiting that he wont even get a chance to miss me. Instead he’ll be like “Ugh Annie GO AWAY Gawd why you always showin’ up!” So it’s not like I’m really leaving. The strangest thing about leaving is moving out of my apartment. For example, not living with the girls I live with, not using the same bathtub ever again, living room, the light from the window in the bedroom. Change is something that is real, but in order to be happy you just have to accept it and appreciate the moments. Another thing I’m sad about is missing the people I work with at the Y- Burnie and Sharonne and KIM, I’m really gonna miss my crew and spending time with them. It’s the people I’ll miss most, but we’ll just get together when I visit and I won’t be sad then.

I’ve been working on a few paintings- finally started Lizzie Steven’s portrait, and doing one for my uncle and have a few others to do. I’m very excited about this because it’s exactly what I want to do. Now if only I could find the time to paint all day, and be really great at it. Phil Santos inspires me to paint more, because he paints so much and is so great at it and he always wants to paint more, too. I also have started a doll house series of photography which I will post here soon, and am working on a Children’s book starting St. Cecilia. The Little Annie Motel Puppet Show at Bar 82 (8mm matinee) went great, too. I feel really blessed to be involved in so many creative projects with such creative people.

Tonight I worked Winter’s Eve Fest at Lincoln Center and did face painting on kids for a few hours. I did a lot of butterflies and spider mans and it was fun because each one I did was different. I really love face painting. I got to paint this morning too and go the gym so all in all it was a great day. Anyways I’m feeling really optimistic right now so I’m gonna peace out and get into a sports car on a roller coaster.

Love,
Annie Motel

Happy Birthday to my #1 HEARTTHROB SINCE I WAS 10! 11/11/11 is National Leonardo DiCaprio day.

My Romeo
My Jack
My Secret Agent Crazy Man on an Island with mental problems! Leo you are king. I’ll never let go!

xoxoxoxox
Anastacia

Hi all my Beloveds!
I apologize for not updating for the past few weeks, but honestly I have a good reason for it, actually ten of them:

You see, it is very hard to type with Best-Friend Stiletto Red nails that Rebecca Peloquin has the matching set of. We got them done on Culver Blvd at Mr. Lee’s by THE Mr. LEE HIMSELF.

Then we went drinking at Cha Cha and it was comforting to see that all the LA Hipsters look just like the New York hipsters but for some reason they were all gay that night. I’m not saying this because they didn’t hit on me, I’m saying this because they were all making out with each other.

In Lovely Los Angeles I spent time with my favorite Cousins in the whole wide world, Francie, Nick and Molly , and I painted Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic and a flaming skull on Nick’s wall. My favorite white convertible beast oil painter Phil Santos and I carved mad doctor and dentist pumpkins complete with brain surgery patient with lots of blood and WE WON THE SCARIEST PUMPKIN AWARD IN THE LA PUMPKIN CONTEST!!!!

In the photos below there are some pictures of ghost orbs in front of an LA haunted house that the Tomlin’s took me to. There’s a lot of other pictures too, look for your face! AND LOOK FOR NEON.

I body painted on Halloween, and now I’m making costumes for Annie the Musical.

My nails are annoying me now, I’m signing off! Hope to see you soon. Lots of love and 7 weeks and counting til I move back home to LA!!!!! Can’t wait.

xoxoxoxo
Anastacia