Showcase @ P!ay Hair Lounge

All set up for my showcase!

Thanks to the awesome ladies at P!ay Hair Lounge and to my amazing husband and mother who came to help me set up yesterday!

We hit a few snafus - as one often does - like a frame that suddenly broke and a small mismeasurement that threw things off.  But there was no panic and there was much laughter and we had a great time setting everything up.

My Drill Sergeant!

It was pretty fun to play the part of director: I basically outlined everything and told Ian where to drill the hooks, and he did it.  Not only that, he did an amazing job, making sure that everything was level and perfect.  My mom played the hero and ran out to pick up another backup frame from the house when the one "Gamera" was in broke (and when I say "broke," I mean BROKE...the wood cracked, the glass chipped, the nails came out...wotta mess!).

But we got everything in order and it all looked great!  Brig, the owner, told me that it was the "most bizarre" display that they'd ever had up...and then qualified that comment by insisting it was a compliment!  I told her that there was no need to clarify, I DEFINITELY take that as a compliment!

If you make your way to Simi Valley in the near future, the display will be up at P!ay for 8 weeks ('til early October 2012).  The salon is right off of the 118 freeway at Kuehner Ave.  Some paintings are for sale (marked with the price), but some are for this display only.  If you do make a purchase, the funds are very fairly split between myself and P!ay, so you'd be supporting two local "businesses."

Enjoy!


My mom, chronicling the display.  Awwww...thanks, Mom!

An Old Bedtime Story

Private Product

2012

(in progress)

Concept art for a children's story...I know what you're thinking: what kind of f***ed up children's story is this?  Personally, I have this weird fascination with black widow spiders.  I am simultaneously awed and terrified of them.  Seeing one - for realsies or on the internet - literally gives me the creeps, making my skin crawl.

The children's story represented here, however, is actually kind of adorable.  I'll share more about the plot once the concept art is finished, but it's for a direct-to-video release pitch.  The goal for this piece is to portray a feeling and theme that will encompass and represent the entire production in one shot: gloom, trouble, inspiration, triumph!

We'll see what happens!

A Day Off

"Fleurs"

2012

Private Collection

"Cactus"

2012

Private Collection

Shh...don't tell anyone, but I have a secret retreat.  I don't ever specify where it is, but it's the source of a lot of my various project inspiration.  These photos were taken there.  The colors, patterns, textures of everything are just always so vivid and healthy-feeling.  It's all very far-removed from urban noise and distraction...the perfect escape!

Character Concept

"Auroura"
2012

sketchbook

Concept design for a character of a fantasy comic/book series.

Contest Cuteness

"Jojo"
2012
Sketchbook

I'm in a volunteer group that was hosting a contest for their 2012 t-shirt design. The winner gets a free t-shirt!

This is my submission, using their mascot as the inspiration for the design.

Little N's Room

"Little N's Room"

by Dani Selvaggio

2012

(gift)

One of my dear friends is SO PREGNANT right now. Her baby is due soon and she asked me if I would, as my gift to her, do a mural in the nursery. I am so full of love for her baby already that there was no way I was going to say no.

She is filling the room up with a set from the Carter's brand that features a bunch of little woodland creatures, so we agreed that the mural needed to reflect that. I painted a couple of trees, bees, birds, and fuzzy little animals in Little N's new nursery, centering around a little nook where my friend will be putting her rocking chair for snuggly naps and storytime.

The mural took about a week's worth of work (that is, a WEEK, not seven evenings...my friend was extremely patient with me since I only had time to come over in the evenings after me regular job and work for about an hour each night). At any rate, it's done and I can't wait for the little woodland creatures to welcome Little N home!

UNTITLED

"Untitled"
by Dani Selvaggio
2012
(sketchbook/sold)

NERD LOVE

"Nerd Love"
by Dani Selvaggio
2012
(sketchbook)

Nerds in love. 'Nuf said.

OLDER PIECES

"Untitled"
by Dani Selvaggio
2006

private collection

Like anything else, art requires training. This is a type of eye warm up where you put your pencil to the paper at one point and don't lift it up until you've completed sketching the contour of what you're looking at...oh, and you can't look at the paper either.

"Bottom of the Canyon"
by Dani Selvaggio
2001
for sale

My first attempt at "abstract." The texture experimentation came out well, but I was still really too confined in developing my own style at the time.

Killer

"Killer"

by Dani Selvaggio

2009
sold

It is at last complete!

My favorite sort of media is "mixed," so when I came up with the idea for "Killer," I immediately jumped upon the approach of mixed media.

I'm hoping that this piece will be one of the stand-outs when I have a show. I'm really happy with the way it came out, though I may end up adding more to it in the future. Don't be misled by the 2-D appearance of the work: it's actually inclusive of a lot of 3-dimensional elements. For example, the astronaut in the forefront is not simply plastered to the canvas. He's actually floating about two or three inches above it. The "heart," comprised of tangled thread, is free-hanging between him and the canvas. I used recycled styrofoam as a base for the "floating" appearance (styrofoam doesn't biodegrade for a few millennia, so I try to put it to use when I can).

I'm glad I was successful in making the astronaut float so that you can still see the detail of Kali and Pele from certain angles. I want people to feel like they can approach this piece and inspect it close-up - I'm glad that you can still see the grand majority of it all.

Enjoy!

Acrylics: THE MURAL PAINTING

"The Mural Painting"
by Dani Selvaggio

2006

Private Collection

This is my first piece when I came back into "doing art." Don't let the cartoonish look of the face fool you - this is actually an homage to a hidden mural in my childhood neighborhood that has since become overgrown with geranium bushes and bougainvillea vines. This canvas captures the last soft smile of the sun before the plants overtake the wall completely.

This piece is a favorite of mine to display and it's certainly made its rounds. Right now it's being loaned to a private collection until the end of this year.