Jennifer Cuellar - Art, Illustration, & Design

Fear poster

2012-01-22T17:02:00.000-08:00

An 11"x17" poster designed for the Imperial Valley Artist Collective's "Fear" exhibition. It's been a while since I created a poster entirely by hand.

First doodle of 2012

2012-01-02T00:28:00.000-08:00

Drawn in the gutter of my sketchbook. Happy new year.

Patron Saint of Room 1306

2011-10-02T22:49:00.000-07:00

A pencil, watercolor, and Goof Off transfer piece of Leonard Cohen for IV Artist Collective's tribute show to Tom Gilbertson, my art teacher and mentor from Imperial Valley College. In tribute to Tom and his Leonard Cohen collection of music that was played throughout the entire course of my studies there, I figured I'd dub Leonard Cohen the Patron Saint of Room 1306 at Imperial Valley College-- otherwise known as the "Art room."

Borderline Disorder

2011-08-31T20:07:00.000-07:00

I had the honor of creating this flier for the newly formed Imperial Valley Artist Collective's first show at Imperial Valley College this month. Needless to say: fun, fun, fun-- not to mention that the show looked amazing in the new gallery. Congratulations, guys!

Rockabye Baby! - The Flaming Lips

2011-05-08T17:33:00.000-07:00

Many months ago, I worked on this awesome assignment with the good folks at CMH Records (home of Rockabye Baby!)-- one of the most fun assignments I'd worked on up until that point. After a few rounds of sketches and refining...

a design was finally chosen.

So fast forward to the present day: the album is out now, and I get to work with said good folks on a daily basis on other wonderful Rockabye projects. More material definitely to come as it's released!

Griffith Park

2011-03-28T10:04:00.000-07:00

One of the last great places to go to for some peace and quiet in the middle of the city...

Olympic Boulevard, Los Angeles

2011-03-25T22:46:00.001-07:00

Juxtaposition of celebration and sadness on Olympic Boulevard in downtown Los Angeles. This is one of two new pieces for the Roots and Wings Project "Ignite" show at SPARC gallery in Venice on April 2nd (flier below).

Portraits

2011-03-06T18:19:00.000-08:00

I've been in good ol' portrait mode lately... here are a couple of new ones I did for fun.

Flore Vegan

2011-02-27T16:28:00.001-08:00

Sketch I did while waiting for my (delicious!) chicken and waffles last week at Flore.

GR Productions

2011-02-03T11:05:00.000-08:00

Gil Reyes (Productions) has a shiny new logo...

Tribute to Mike Mills

2011-02-01T15:13:00.001-08:00

The designer/director... not the bassist of R.E.M. (; Small sketch drawn on a cliff right off the 1 in Malibu.

"I was feeling sad.
I drove to the Pacific Ocean.
I still felt sad."

Soulmates

2011-01-24T20:49:00.001-08:00

Same design, same colors, same route, and... they go everywhere together.

Carspool

2011-01-10T19:58:00.000-08:00

If cars carpooled... would it be a "carspool"?

NYC 2010-2011

2011-01-05T21:25:00.000-08:00

A beautiful snow-covered trip to New York... and Miss Sharon Jones herself.

New Pornographers t-shirt

2011-01-04T20:45:00.000-08:00

Though mentioned elsewhere (hello, Twitter!), I thought I should mention that my New Pornographers t-shirt is now for sale online via the band's Cinderblock store here.

Happy shopping and happy belated holidays!

Somewhere Better Than This Place, 1

2010-11-12T00:13:00.001-08:00

I recently began working on a new series for an upcoming show this month in San Diego. This is the first in the series- in particular, a collage of memories surrounding my hometown (Calexico) and home county (Imperial). Some things hold more personal significance than others, though I didn't want to exclude anything that had a potentially beautiful aesthetic quality. Also included: a portrait of my parents on Christmas Eve, circa mid-1970s.

Polaroids

2010-10-19T13:58:00.000-07:00

I finally gave in to shooting a portion of my last pack of Polaroid 600 film after about a year (or perhaps more?) of hoarding it in a dark corner on my bookshelf. I took my beloved camera out to the Redondo Beach arcade -a total time warp- for this special occasion.

Urban Gardening

2010-10-13T17:17:00.001-07:00

Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings

2010-09-30T23:46:00.001-07:00

It's been a while since I focused on any sort of portrait, so I figured Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings would make for a nice little warmup. Without going into it too much, I was trying to maintain a retro feel by keeping it mostly "black and white" while giving it a slight modern element with a little bit of color. So... did you spot all 8 Dap-Kings? (;

BP

2010-06-30T11:35:00.001-07:00

A small, new piece inspired by the tragic disaster that's currently going on in the Gulf of Mexico. There's no emergency exit for this one... so very sad.

I ( ) L.A.

2010-06-25T12:49:00.001-07:00

New postcard designs that are printed on recycled card stock (so the background is actually brown instead of white, just to clarify). Send me a buck with your address and I'll send you whichever you want.

Send your dollars and/or cool stuff to me:
4141 Santa Monica Blvd. Apt. 214, Los Angeles, CA 90029

On Tour and On Sale

2010-06-23T20:38:00.000-07:00

I've forgotten to mention that my t-shirt design for the New Pornographers is currently on tour and on sale. The t-shirts may in fact be for sale online once the tour's over, but for now... head on out and see them live! (One of my favorite bands, ever!)

Mas Alla de la Pared

2010-06-16T11:49:00.001-07:00

This is a new flier that arrived in my inbox last night for the Mas Alla de la Pared show– a continuation of our Dentro y Fuera de la Pared show that was on display at Mexicali Rose in Mexicali, Mexico this past February. The opening will be this Friday, June 18th at 7pm at the Centro de Espectaculos Promocasa (FEX) in Mexicali, Mexico and is presented by the Sistema Educativo Estatal Instituto de Cultura de Baja California (roughly translated as the Baja California State Educative System and Institute of Culture). I won't be in attendance unfortunately, but if you are in the area please stop by!

Succulent "Thank you!" note cards

2010-06-08T17:32:00.000-07:00

Yet another set of note cards for the Etsy shop...

Greetings From Silver Lake

2010-06-07T00:22:00.000-07:00

A new piece based on some of the more iconic signs seen on Sunset Blvd in Silver Lake. I wanted to create a portrait of the neighborhood, and excluded much of the extreme corporate signage in the area in order to avoid a potential watering down of what gives Silver Lake its unique, quirky charm. I'm still loving the brown kraft paper, though it sure does eat away at those Aquarelle colored pencils...

(On a side note, this piece also made for a nice postcard— I'll have a few for sale Sunday at the Atwater Village Festival.)

Squirrely "hello" note cards

2010-06-03T00:46:00.001-07:00

A brand new set of 3 note cards is up for sale on Etsy this evening (or technically, morning) in case you were ever looking to send a lazy squirrel "hello" to your friends via snail mail. The note cards will also be on sale this June 13th at the Atwater Village Festival from 11am to 4pm. More items to come soon!

Website Relaunch

2010-06-02T00:39:00.000-07:00

Ah, good old HTML... I've been working on a new layout for the website and it has finally arrived at www.jennifercuellar.com. Please check it out and leave me some suggestions if you'd like! Thanks!

99 Red Balloons / Atwater Village Street Festival

2010-05-19T10:52:00.000-07:00

My Ecotone (How the Coyote Came to Los Angeles) piece is now up for sale at the Canteen Gallery website alongside some awesome work... a nice opportunity to buy great work at a great price! All pieces are either $66 or $99.

I am currently working on some new items that will be up for sale at the Atwater Village Street Festival on June 13th to celebrate Atwater's Centennial. Most of the items will also be available at my Etsy store, along with the restocking of the ol' Internet and Greyhound comics.

Parallel Universes Come Together

2010-05-05T10:36:00.000-07:00

This is a piece inspired by the Parallel Universe I and II pieces created for the ¡¿Que Barrio?! show last month, and a result of the two coming together. I was hoping the image would portray the idea of these corporations attempting to overshadow each other (especially in Mexico) and having the potential for never-ending growth, as symbolized by the negative space.

Parallel Universe

2010-04-19T15:15:00.000-07:00

Aside from working on the design for the ¡¿Que Barrio?! flier earlier this month, I've also been working on a couple of pieces for the show itself. I've been bouncing around between issues when it comes to my work lately, and I thought it'd be interesting to find a link between consumption in Mexico and the U.S.

OXXO is the Mexican equivalent of the U.S. based 7-Eleven corporation, and I thought it'd be interesting to portray each outside the boundary of their usual country by placing the OXXO piece on display in the United States and the 7-Eleven piece on display in Mexico. (I'm aware that 7-Eleven has some presence in Mexico though it is less common than that of OXXO convenience stores, not to mention that it is based in the United States to begin with.) I also wanted to give the piece that convenience store feel by working on brown kraft paper, otherwise known as the paper used to create paper bags. I should be in town for the opening in El Centro so if you're in the area come stop by!

Coney Island rebirth

2010-04-15T15:04:00.000-07:00

My Coney Island 3 piece (though modified a bit as seen below) has been selected for use for an upcoming New Pornographers shirt this year! Having been a fan of the band for many years now, I'm pretty excited that they chose my design. I can't wait to see the final shirt.

¡¿Que Barrio?!

2010-04-11T16:28:00.000-07:00

This is a flier for an upcoming show I'm participating in called ¡¿Que Barrio?!, a binational show taking place on both sides of the U.S.–Mexico border this April/May. I've been hearing so many good things about the work going up for this show... can't wait to see it!

Ecotone (How the Coyote Came To Los Angeles)

2010-04-02T17:21:00.001-07:00

I was recently invited to a group show at Canteen Art Shop + Gallery in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The theme of the show is "99 Red Balloons" (all pieces are 9" x 9" and $99 or $66 in price) and this piece is an imagined interpretation of how the coyote arrived in Los Angeles. I've seen quite a few coyotes roaming around the neighborhood in the past couple of years, and though it was initially very strange, I now consider them a normal part of our urban landscape.

Graphite and Stabilo Aquarelle watercolor pencil on Rives BFK printmaking paper.

Self portrait

2010-03-02T23:19:00.000-08:00

New self-portrait created for the Brooklyn Art Library's Self Portrait Project.

The Motion Makes Me Last

2010-02-23T23:08:00.001-08:00

Between working on three projects at the same time, I found this gem of a music video which I seem to have been posting in all my usual Internet hang out spots for all to see. It's one of the most subtly beautiful videos I've seen in a long time... my favorite moment is at about 0:54 when the piano comes in along with the cars driving atop the bridge. (Directed by Matt McCormick whose film, "Some Days Are Better Than Others", I cannot wait to watch.)

Coney Island 3

2010-02-19T11:38:00.001-08:00

I often find myself working in sets of threes, and this is no exception. I've created 2 other Coney Island pieces this year, and yet there is still something that pulls me back to the photos I took of the famous Cyclone roller coaster when I was there. I thought I'd finish off the set with one more piece, which will be up at the Land of Odd Gallery's 5" x 7" show this March.

I wanted to incorporate text (as I had with the 2nd piece in the series), and the idea of "Over and Over" came from both the idea of returning to the Cyclone as inspiration for several pieces, as well as the physical act of the roller coaster itself, remaining on the same track and repeating the same course day in and day out.

Prizefighter

2010-02-18T13:54:00.000-08:00

This was a fun, simple commission that I completed late last week... very few requirements (b&w, 1920s–50s gentleman) and lots of freedom. I thought a portrait of a boxer with a black eye would be a nice break from my usual work. I think the ink wash complemented the idea pretty well.

AIGA Nebraska Love/Hate contest

2010-02-09T18:32:00.001-08:00

(Photo property of AIGA Nebraska)

I had sort of forgotten about the AIGA Love/Hate contest that I entered a few weeks ago... winners were chosen and cards were printed/sold (actually still being sold online)... and I was lucky enough to be chosen as one of 18 winners! Aside from being professionally printed, all of the designs were also exhibited at the Bancroft Gallery in Omaha.

There are some pictures from the opening night of the exhibition at the AIGA Nebraska Flickr gallery, and the entire set of winning cards can be seen here.

Wish I could have been there... looks like it was a really nice show!

Mexicali Illness (February 13th-March 5th, 2009)

2010-02-09T16:18:00.000-08:00

I'm going to be in a group show this coming Saturday at L'Keg Gallery here in Los Angeles. The opening reception begins at 8pm and will feature art by myself and these great artists from both Mexicali and Imperial Valley.

Paulo Aguayo
Juan Jose Cardoza
Pablo Castañeda
Heriberto Castro
Ismael Castro
Edgard Collins
Fernando Corona
Daniel Gibson
Guillermo Jauregui
Elizabeth Lopez
Ariel Molina
Edgar Moreno
Hermanos Moroyoki
Cinthia Rios
Karla Paulina Sanchez
Julio Torres
Marco Vera
Maiko Yanome

Musical guests (beginning at 9pm):
Blue Jungle
Spider Problem
Beastial Mouths
DVA DAMAS

Hope to see you there!

Bowery Bear

2010-02-02T23:32:00.000-08:00

Bowery Bear is a new piece being donated to the El Centro "Hope For Haiti" benefit auction (this Thursday, February 4th from 5–10pm at the El Centro Town Square).

Animal Collective

2010-01-20T01:38:00.000-08:00

I rarely do full on digital coloring, but I figured if there were ever a time, this was it.

Buildings are people too

2010-01-15T18:19:00.000-08:00

Long Distance Relationship

Long Time No See

The love lives of bicycles

2010-01-12T01:33:00.001-08:00

Heartbroken.

Lonely.

In love.

Dentro y Fuera de la Pared: 7 Artistas del Otro Lado.

2010-01-09T18:12:00.000-08:00

(Translation: "Inside and Outside the Wall: 7 Artists From the Other Side.")

If you are in the area, do please stop by and check out some new work at Mexicali Rose. The opening will be on January 29th, starting at 7:30pm (and ending somewhat late, so I hear!) with musical guest Blue Jungle of Los Angeles. This'll be my first time showing outside the States, so I'm pretty excited. Everyone's work is also looking quite lovely, so I'm positive it'll be a show worth seeing. Hope to see you there!

Happy Holidays

2009-12-25T10:33:00.001-08:00

Mexicali Rose

2009-12-22T12:37:00.000-08:00

I'm currently working on some new drawings for a 7 person group show in Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico at Mexicali Rose Media/Arts Center. They are a great grass roots organization in Mexicali that is "dedicated to providing free access to artistic media for the lower income community youth of Mexicali, Baja California." I am greatly looking forward to it.

Not necessarily going for a particular theme with my work this time around (who knows if a theme will pop up on its own)— but mostly just focused on creating and creating.

VW Vanagon

2009-12-17T21:06:00.000-08:00

Perhaps one of the cutest things I've witnessed while sitting at a stoplight near my house. This VW van crossed Silver Lake Boulevard at Marathon, and just as it reached the center of the street, a beagle popped up in front of one of the back curtains to look out the window.

Grizzly Bear

2009-12-09T10:55:00.000-08:00

Just finished this illustration of the band Grizzly Bear last night before bed. In addition to wanting to take full advantage of their lovely band name (who wouldn't?), I also wanted to illustrate the success they've had this year with their album "Veckatimest."

This piece will go on to become part of a new promo package I'm working on. Below is the final version, and a couple of small sketches to show where it all came from.

Sketches:

Figuring out the type. In the end, hand drawn Caslon just felt right.

Last sketch before working on the final. Thought about adding the scientific name in but it really served no purpose.

Coney Island, off-season pt. 2

2009-12-03T18:20:00.000-08:00

A smaller piece I just completed to accompany the one I posted yesterday.
Roughly 3.5" x 4.75", ink and colored pencil on Rives BFK.

Coney Island, off-season

2009-12-02T23:57:00.001-08:00

This is a piece based on my experience at Coney Island in the off-season. I mostly remember brightly colored signage, but it was completely deserted and everything was closed. After wandering around, my friend and I were walking out towards the Atlantic when it started to pour. With no umbrella to fight off the rain, we turned around and headed back to the subway station.

8" x 5.5" Ink and colored pencil on Rives BFK.

New York series cont.

2009-11-25T17:52:00.001-08:00

New York series

2009-11-21T12:05:00.001-08:00

I started work on a new series based on my trip to New York this year. This is the first piece, with many more to come. This particular series will be on display at Bamboo Lounge in San Diego next month.

Empire State of Mind

2009-11-20T00:50:00.000-08:00

So Jay-Z is calling himself the new Sinatra... should I just take his word for it? Guess so!

This is a preliminary drawing of sorts... I plan to translate it into a much more graphic style and add some background soon. It'll also be part of a new promo package I'm working on for this winter.

In other news, I've been invited to a group show for the month of December in San Diego at Bamboo Lounge. No decision yet on a date for the opening but I will be showing alongside Minerva Torres-Guzman and Elizabeth Lopez, both great artists who have earned their BFAs in Painting at Otis College of Art and Design here in L.A. Many thanks go out to Ramona Ramirez, the show's curator.

searchingforelliottsmith.com

2009-11-06T00:01:00.000-08:00

I finally finished up the Searching For Elliott Smith website and launched it today. Such a fun project to work on— it's been a while since I created a website, but I think overall it turned out okay.

New York

2009-10-29T13:26:00.000-07:00

I was in New York this past week for the CMJ premiere of Searching For Elliott Smith. Aside from the premiere, I wandered the city day and night in search of nothing in particular but beautiful things to shoot.

Charles Magicianpants

2009-10-18T03:13:00.001-07:00

I believe that if Charles the parakeet were a magician, she'd be pulling ladybugs out of her tiny top hat!

Micheltorena Street

2009-10-17T14:37:00.000-07:00

If you've read far back enough in this blog, you may know that I've always liked the juxtaposition of nature and urban areas (I explored it in some works that I created a few months ago). This is another piece that falls into that series, based on my own experience here in Los Angeles. I remember (on several occasions) leaving my friend's place on Micheltorena Street late at night and walking to my car while watching these coyotes run off across Sunset Blvd and back up the hills. I always thought it was so strange that something we associate with massive deserts and pure wildlife was right here, running across one of the most famous and busy streets in the world.

We Kill Everything We Love

2009-09-30T15:30:00.000-07:00

Here's the final installment of pieces for the Obscured Eye exhibition next week in Calexico. These will hang next to two oversize printouts that each contain text from Kalle Lasn's Culture Jam, the book that was initially the inspiration for this series. I've included the printouts here for your enjoyment and/or enlightenment.

Searching For Elliott Smith

2009-09-24T00:38:00.000-07:00

I have been very honored and privileged to work on a documentary for the past few years that is actually about one of my favorite musicians of all-time: Elliott Smith. During all of my three years at Art Center, I set aside extra time to (painstakingly) create hand drawn, frame-by-frame animation for several spots throughout the documentary. It took more than just a long time, but in the end I'd realized that the large amounts of caffeine and all-nighters were well worth the pain. I was given more than a ton of freedom from director/producer/editor Gil Reyes to create these spots, and now that the documentary has finally been completed, it awaits its moment in the spotlight. (It is set to have its world premiere at the CMJ Music Marathon & Film Festival this October in NYC.)

Now that the film is complete, it's time to focus on marketing... I've been given the opportunity to create a poster or two for the film, so I thought I would post the first drafts of them. We are considering a guerrilla marketing campaign in addition to the usual marketing ideas as well, though it will mostly likely be based in and around Los Angeles. A website is also definitely in order, and will be arriving soon. (Yet another project I'm looking forward to!)

I am very, very excited about this film– it has been nothing but a five year long extraordinarily intense labor of love, especially (and mostly) on Gil and Tony Ayala (cinematographer and editor)'s behalf. I am so unbelievably honored to be a part of something that I hold near and dear to my heart, and hope that the world re-discovers Elliott Smith's genius... or discovers it for the first time.

First poster: this is a revision of Gil's original idea.

Second poster: This was my initial idea for the poster... the absense of Elliott from a familiar place that his fans associate him with. (Solutions! memorial wall/"Figure 8" album cover, c. 2006) I did not want a beautiful shot of this wall in keeping with the sort of lo-fi spirit that comprises a lot of Elliott's earlier recordings. I was asked to keep the type the same, but was free to change the imagery.

Third poster: still keeping the type– a hybrid that plays off of both Gil's original idea as well as mine. The Polaroids contain some of the participants in the film. (Clockwise, L-R from top left: Steve Hanft, Ross Harris, Mary Lou Lord, Larry Crane, Jennifer Chiba, Sean Croghan, Tony Lash, David McConnell, Gus Van Sant.)

I'm hoping to create an illustrative version of the poster as well sometime in the very near future (along with a few more others), but in the meantime, here goes nothing!

Obscured Eye exhibition

2009-09-18T15:26:00.000-07:00

This is the show which will display the latest series of work that I've been posting for the past month or so. If you are in Imperial Valley, please stop by and check it out... I've seen some previews of the other artists' work and it looks like it's shaping up to be a pretty great show! Otherwise, stay tuned for more new work within the next couple of weeks...

Donovan & Toby

2009-09-17T22:51:00.000-07:00

A tiny portrait of my friend Rosie's turtles Donovan & Toby, which I made for her birthday... now, to frame and mail off! I don't think she views my blog much, so I suppose it is safe to post! *fingers crossed*

Approx. 5" x 7" colored pencil and graphite on paper.

We Kill Everything We Love 4

2009-09-17T16:54:00.000-07:00

This is the fourth piece in the series... for some strange reason, this truck was one of the most excruciating things I've had to draw in a long time. I'm not sure if it was a psychological (ha!) or technical issue, but either way, here it is.

We Kill Everything We Love 3

2009-09-10T01:00:00.000-07:00

Third piece in the "Kalle Lasn" series (I suppose I should just call it "We Kill Everything We Love" from now on, right?), and companion piece to the first piece in the series. I know everyone is not keen on cats, but if nothing else, we love our dogs. Right?

P.S. Don't worry: lighthearted work returning soon.

Manufactured Landscapes

2009-09-07T14:05:00.000-07:00

I just finished watching a documentary on Edward Burtynsky's work called 'Manufactured Landscapes.' I couldn't figure out why his work appeared so familiar when I initially read about the documentary on Netflix until I remembered seeing some of his photos at the Williamson Gallery back when I was Art Center. They were fairly large in scale, and very beautiful yet ugly at the same time.

The documentary is excellent, and I can't think of anything better to have come across while working on the new pieces for the SDSU show in October. (Read more about it here on wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manufactured_Landscapes.)

We Kill Everything We Love 2

2009-09-01T00:35:00.000-07:00

Second piece in the "Kalle Lasn" series. I find it ironic and distasteful that people fantasize about owning such a fancy "toy" (not just the Fisher-Price version, but a real Hummer vehicle itself) that is manufactured to be used in wars. I also find it a little disturbing that something like this is sold off to parents who want to give their children something "cute" or "cool" to drive. I know that most kids this age might not fully understand the concepts of environmentalism or consumerism (other than "gimme, gimme"), but something like this is really enough to make me sick.

It is strange that children die horrible deaths every day in wars, and yet parents still find the idea of their child driving a mini Hummer to be cute.

We Kill Everything We Love

2009-08-01T16:27:00.000-07:00

First piece in a series based on a quote from Kalle Lasn (as previously posted). If you don't feel like scrolling down, here it is once more:

The Earth can no longer support the lifestyle of the coolhunting American-style consumer. We have sought, bought, spewed and devoured too much, too fast, too brazenly, and now we're about to pay.

Graphite and colored pencil on paper and vellum. Approx. 11.5" x 15.5".

New stuff around the corner

2009-07-28T23:35:00.000-07:00

Just a quick announcement that new pieces will be coming to the blog very soon! I am honored to have been asked to be part of a four person show this fall at San Diego State University's Steppling Gallery (Imperial Valley Campus). So, along with the usual other stuff I have been working on, I am starting a new series based on the idea of consumerism, mostly springing from this quote from Kalle Lasn's amazing book Culture Jam:

The Earth can no longer support the lifestyle of the coolhunting American-style consumer. We have sought, bought, spewed and devoured too much, too fast, too brazenly, and now we're about to pay.

This book has been one of my favorites for years... I was recently re-reading it and figured what with all of the latest environmental reports and (extremely sad) news regarding the state of our world, I'd take the opportunity to address it in my own way. I am playing with transparency and b&w versus color for this series, and needless to say, I'm excited! I hope to have the first piece up within the next couple of days.

Nature always wins, 3.

2009-07-18T05:05:00.000-07:00

A little bit of an L.A. tribute going on here, but also a small glimpse at nature adapting to what we build on, around, and below everything that existed long before cities ever did.

This piece is being sent over to Nine Gallery in New Jersey thanks to my good friend Ashley-Martin. If you're ever in the area, be sure to stop by and check it out– their site is still in progress but I'm 110% sure that the place will be great! http://ninegallery.blogspot.com

Nature always wins, 2.

2009-06-20T15:54:00.000-07:00

I always thought of tree roots breaking/raising sidewalks as such a nuisance– which it kind of is, really... but people usually plant trees with potential root problems (or not deep enough in the earth) near sidewalks most likely without even thinking about it. With that in mind, I can't really blame the tree for doing this. I mostly wanted to depict that struggle between nature taking its course, and our attempts to tranquilize such a thing.

Nature always wins.

2009-06-19T16:39:00.000-07:00

Not my usual style, but I just wanted to get away from the more representational stuff I've been working on lately. Fun fun fun!

(Had a hard time with the scan... )

Los Angeles 2

2009-06-03T17:21:00.000-07:00

This is the second piece in the Los Angeles series, and yet another example of the collision between man and nature. I'm working on a larger scale piece that is rather similar but wanted to do this smaller, more intimate piece before embarking on the larger version. This will also be the first drawing that I put up for sale on Etsy (http://idiotkid.etsy.com).

Graphite and watercolor on paper, approx. 7" x 9 1/2".

Charles Chickenpants

2009-05-23T20:44:00.000-07:00

Just a tiny drawing I made for my friend's birthday this week (Geminis unite!). This is her parakeet Charles, otherwise known as Charles Chickenpants; hence, the pants!

Stabilo Aquarelle pencil, ink, and graphite on Rives BFK.

Los Angeles

2009-05-21T17:02:00.001-07:00

I'm starting a series of drawings based on Los Angeles. I'm mostly trying to find ways to show the city in as many different ways as possible (portraits, abstract interpretation, metaphors, etc). Eventually I hope to bring them all together somehow in the form of one large promo piece. We'll see how it goes! This is the first one in the series.

Neko Case

2009-04-30T11:44:00.000-07:00

Here's a new portrait of Neko Case that I wanted to create to celebrate the release of her new album Middle Cyclone. I wanted to specifically find a literal image within a song from the album and use that for a drawing, so I based this piece on a song titled "I'm An Animal." (Lyrics here.) One of my friends has also been stuck on Marimekko fabric designs/patterns lately as well, and I think a little of that inspiration (nature in very graphic form) seeped through and made its way into the background.

finis

2009-04-20T20:35:00.000-07:00

a drawing based on the idea of finding something beautiful each day.

Coyote (Canis latrans)

2009-04-17T16:41:00.000-07:00

"Coyote (Canis latrans)" is a new piece for a show titled "Immigration, Education, & Militarization: the Dream Act in Context."
Steppling Gallery, San Diego State University (Imperial Valley campus)
720 Heber Ave., Calexico, CA 92231
April 24-May 1, 2009 (Gallery hours: 2-8pm)

I wanted to create a piece based on the idea of the "coyote," a smuggler of illegal immigrants from Mexico who is paid to guide said immigrants into the United States. I remember hearing about coyotes when I was around thirteen years old, and ever since then I've been fascinated with the anonymous aspect of the idea: who are these coyotes? What do they look like? This is my attempt to visually interpret what a coyote looks like: a belt-buckle-black-leather-boot-western-shirt-wearing-cigarette-smoker with no face.

preview

2009-03-21T12:00:00.000-07:00

days ago...

relocation! relocation! relocation!

2009-02-13T09:40:00.000-08:00

well, i never thought i'd see the day but i am finally relocating from south pasadena (goodbye, san gabriel valley!) to silver lake (hello, los angeles proper!). amidst packing and getting ready to relocate i have been working on a couple of new pieces. unfortunately the scanner is on hiatus (i.e., in a box somewhere in my room) so new posts will have to wait until i completely move sometime within the next two days.

however, there are a few things i've been enjoying a lot lately which i thought i'd share:

1. neko case's "middle cyclone" electronic press kit. i know this is just a preview of things to come from neko case, but wow— what a preview it is! who would've ever thought she could've topped "fox confessor brings the flood"? it sounds like an impossible feat if you ask me. i guess only neko case could out-neko case herself, if you know what i mean. that said, i am beyond anxious to get my hands on this album (understatement of the year!).

2. the art of maya brym. what color! what design! what work! beautifully, beautifully designed paintings...

3. readymade magazine. who doesn't want to learn how to make their own magazine rack out of broken umbrellas? if you want to learn how to make anything from anything, this magazine is for you. it is so inspirational and creative, i find myself combing through back issues on a regular basis.

Celeb Staff assignment

2009-02-04T18:07:00.000-08:00

I was recently asked to create a piece based on an article titled "Primary Security: Keeping Your Kid Safe At School." The general idea of the article is as it sounds; it revolves around the security/safety of children in private elementary schools and I was given a generous amount of freedom with this piece thanks to Nazy Alvarez. It will be published in the April 2009 issue of Celeb Staff magazine.

let go

2009-01-19T11:11:00.001-08:00

a new drawing based on the idea of letting go.

new web layout up!

2008-11-25T13:52:00.001-08:00

the new jennifercuellar.com is finally here!

new new new

2008-11-18T16:13:00.000-08:00

i'm currently in the process of revamping my website. new work will be up, including some of these 18" x 24" drawings.

debossed linoleum block print

2008-10-26T11:27:00.000-07:00

edition of 17, approx. 6" x 6" printed on chipboard

new work

2008-10-23T20:58:00.000-07:00

here are some drawings from the last couple of months, done on this beautiful (yet brittle) vintage scrapbook paper.

shrinking

2008-06-16T20:56:00.000-07:00

from senior drawing class - based on the theme of shrinking {black background to show cropped shape}.

neighborhood #1 {tunnels}

2008-04-16T16:44:00.001-07:00

this is a reinterpretation project from mark todd and esther watson's illustration for publishing class. for this project, i took an existing song {"neighborhood #1 {tunnels}" by the arcade fire} and reinterpreted it visually while attempting to not make it literal. i tried to push it as far as i could without retaining a sort of general/cliché arcade fire "look" in order to complete the whole reinterpreted package.

friday workshop

2008-04-11T22:13:00.000-07:00

i thought i'd change things up a little by working with colored pens rather than my traditional pencils at salvati's workshop today.

john muir

2008-04-08T00:53:00.000-07:00

for a tds class zine. {who is john muir?}

It's opening day!

2008-03-31T14:13:00.000-07:00

Let's go Cubbies!

In unrelated news, my website has been finished!

"deep red bells"

2008-03-29T03:53:00.000-07:00

interpretation - comp 2

2008-03-26T12:38:00.000-07:00

here's the second comp from the assignment described in my previous post. i'll be combining a few elements from the first comp with this comp to create the final piece. (5 1/2" x 9")

interpretation

2008-03-24T02:30:00.000-07:00

assignment: interpret lyrics from any song and create an image based on them. i will be posting comps as i finish them. this particular one is for neko case's "deep red bells."

who you led you to this hiding place?
whose lightning threads spun silver tongues
red bells beckon you to ride
a hand print on the driver's side
it looks a lot like engine oil
and tastes like being poor and small
and popsicles in summer

deep red bells
deep as i've been done

it always has to come to this
the red bells ring this tragic hour
we've lost sight of the overpass
the daylight won't remember that
the speckled fawns grazed 'round your bones
who took the time to fold your clothes
and shook the valley of the shadow

deep red bells
deep as i've been done

well, does this mean the world cast its cold eye?
who's left to suffer long about you?
does your soul cast about like an old paper bag
past empty lots and early graves?
but those like you who lost their way
murdered on the interstate
while the red bells rang like thunder

oh, deep red bells
deep as i've been done...

mock rolling stone review - finis!

2008-03-17T21:42:00.000-07:00

final version of the beck 'guero' illustration. watercolor, 8 3/4" x 5 3/4".

friday workshop

2008-03-14T18:32:00.000-07:00

i've been attending salvati's friday workshop where we basically do whatever it is we want for however long we want {i.e., paint, draw, etc. the model}. this is from today... this guy was in his 60s and so badass. he brought his collection of CASSETTES to listen to while we worked, including mc 900 foot jesus, crass, the velvet underground, and wire to name a few. he was tattooed on top of his head, on his back, everywhere. so intimidating but totally nice.

3 hours, approx. 5" x 7"

wordless book project

2008-03-12T13:00:00.000-07:00

this is from my illustration for publishing class with mark todd and esther pearl watson... probably one of, if not my most favorite class i've had thus far at art center.

this is a wordless book. my concept was to use the multiple trips i've taken to l.a. from calexico on the greyhound and turn those into one story, roundtrip. this is circa 2000-2005. i originally intended to keep the story black and white but turned in some color comps today. i haven't scanned those yet, but here are the black and white drawings. i may self.publish this book, seeing as i have formatted it to fit into a standard copy machine, much like my last project from this class. this one in particular is 5 1/2" x 4 1/4", single page.

me standing in line, waiting to purchase my ticket. note my beloved sony headphones that have since cracked on me. sad, sad...

this is a double page spread of the ocean as seen from the 5, between san diego and orange county. the inset is of my ipod with "horses in my dreams" by pj harvey on the screen.

this last image is of downtown l.a. {arriving}.

the centerfold is composed of several panels, each of them a different activity i used to do when i'd hang out with my friends here.

mock rolling stone review

2008-03-07T21:21:00.000-08:00

the idea of this assignment is to create a mock illustration for rolling stone magazine's review section. i specifically chose beck's album "guero" for this assignment.

the first comp is simply incorporating beck into the 'el musico' loteria card to reflect the influence of hispanic culture on the album.

the second comp was an attempt at drawing out what i would later create as a collage based on images found on the east side of l.a. {echo park, silver lake, etc.} with beck in the center, again taking into account hispanic culture of the east side.

the third comp also attempts to use the same atmosphere, except in a traditional setting with intuitive line drawing. beck was originally supposed to be sitting in the shopping cart with the facial expression/pose found in the image below this one, but after some discussion with my professor, i've decided against it. instead, beck will be placed in the foreground as in the image above, and the same middle ground and background will be used from this third comp.

the final version of this illustration in full color should be up soon.