bookmark_borderA Witch for All Space and Time

I just really love how this gif came out (it was a gif, but made it into an mp4 to make the file size smaller). I could probably create a million more versions of this, and I most definitely will.

This is a photo that I took of my Butterfly Witch painting. I setup my Aura Quartz crystal skull in front of the painting among other Quartz crystals and took the photo. I then took it into Photoshop and cut out parts of the background. I then brought it into After Effects. I can’t remember the rest of the steps from there, but I’m using the Tunnel effect that you can probably search YouTube for the After Effects tutorial.

As soon as I hit “post”, I fixed up another version that I will make into a bigass gif just like this one 😉

bookmark_borderJust Minding My Business…

My life is pretty boring these days. I’m still trying to think of how to work less while making the same amount of money or even more and I still want to take a year off work. But I’m super thankful to have this creature in my life. Her name is Mika and she’s a black tortie British Shorthair. You can follow her on IG @mikatortiecat. I couldn’t decide which pic I liked better so I made both into a gif.

What’s life like for me right now? Well I still can’t afford to buy a home in Los Angeles but at least I live where I want to live and it’s close to work so that’s a tradeoff I suppose. If you want to be in LA, you simply can’t have it all unless you’re rich AF.

I can hear my mom saying that I should’ve bought a home in 2003. Knowing myself at that time I was still hella irresponsible though and just wanted to paint and do whatever the fuck I wanted to do. I mean, why do parents project their dreams unto their children? She made me feel like THAT was supposed to be my ultimate goal in life.

Also it takes me a long fucking time to grasp real estate terms and concepts. I’m in my mid-40’s and I’m just barely starting to understand it. Sheesh.

And maybe I’m okay with living where I live WHILE not owning the place. Maybe we can normalize that homeownership is not as attainable as it used to be. Besides, we entered this world with nothing and we’re going to leave with nothing but our souls. So why even put myself through all that?

The so called American dream is dead and your life doesn’t have to look like everyone else’s.

bookmark_borderCosmic Grief

The death of Roxy and now a year and a half later, Tabby – I feel like – has stunted my creativity and side business pursuits. First I lost interest in Crystal Healer LA, next up is Metaphysical Vibes I think. It’s really not their fault at all but I’m feeling and experiencing the after effects. I don’t have the same energy for things; if anything I’ve been staring off into space a lot. I’ve literally been bringing Hematite and Apache Tear with me to work and it’s been helping me ground and stay in the moment (especially when driving).

I want to disappear from the internet and be anonymous, like the old days. Not to talk shit or anything, just to browse freely without someone trying to steal my personal data for marketing/advertising purposes or identity theft.

Somewhat related to this is a movie with Johnny Depp called Transcendence.

I also like the idea of creating anonymously. In that sense, you don’t have to worry about your identity, especially when it comes to people stealing your work. Not having an identity means you’re less likely to get upset about it. On another note, this is why Bitcoin is so appealing because it is decentralized; the banks don’t own it.

I’ve lost my sense of purpose and I don’t feel motivated – all the signs of grief. Right now I’m thinking to myself ‘why tf am I still here?’

I’m just trying my best to live through it and not be so hard on myself for not creating or being productive. I am grieving after all, I just don’t like to admit it.

I was tired from being on the computer at work so I came home and painted this instead of turning the computer on, which is something I want to do more often. Not saying I was off the computer entirely, I was still on my phone. I was just drawing lines and spirals but subconsciously a dimensional zodiac wheel appeared. I like it so far.

Even though I feel sad and empty, I am aware that other people are experiencing worse than me. There is always something to be grateful for, even in our pain and sorrow.

bookmark_borderFire in Her Eyes

Everyone’s waiting for me to start painting again…

including me.

It’s bullshit to wait til you’re inspired because when that actually happens

you’re either at work or on the computer or on your phone or washing dishes or feeding the cat or doing laundry or shredding years of paper bills.

I have no one to blame but myself for my lack of artistic pursuits lately.

But then again we’re in a fucking pandemic.

I don’t want to paint roses, women, etc…been there, done that.

So I wait and wait and wait…

bookmark_borderWhat Does the Term ‘Occult’ Mean to You?

The term ‘occult’ seems to have a bad rep (depending on how you perceive it I suppose) – do a quick Google image search and you’ll see mostly dark, visual interpretations of the word. Different people interpret it in so many ways and that’s fine, everybody’s entitled to their own creative vision. In movies however, the occult has often been mostly portrayed as something weird, dark and scary. Synonymous with black magic, it’s become a permanent image in people’s subconscious that it’s an evil thing that can call in demons, vampires, witches, ghosts and otherworldy beings that can harm you.

Continue reading “What Does the Term ‘Occult’ Mean to You?”

bookmark_borderSave the Savages 2007 Painting – SOLD

I had written a pretty good blog post about the first time I used “Save the Savages”, but then I deleted it. Like I said – I’m insane, I know. I realize now that I keep redoing this blog/website of mine because the past versions of myself no longer align with my present self.

The first time I used “Save the Savages” was for a painting I did back in 2007. This is a painting of the Santo Niño (Baby Jesus, Holy Child, etc) which is an iconic religious figure in the Philippines. When I lived in the Philippines, I remember as a kid that this statue was in the house. It was creepy – androgynous-looking actually, and I didn’t know why it was there.

And as I got older in my early twenties, I met some conscious friends here in the US. Friends who told me that things are not as they seem. I learned about history and oppression of indigenous peoples, including Filipinos. That the Spaniards put those religious systems into place.

And so I named this painting “Save the Savages” – because that’s what I got out of it. Throughout history, indigenous people are often perceived and treated as savages, because they don’t fit the mold of modern society. So those who have the power feel that they need to “save” or convert these people, force them to believe in a Catholic / Christian God, etc.

Oddly enough this painting sold. Regardless of your personal interpretations on the art you create, people still identify with a religious icon in their own personal way – it must’ve meant something to the buyer.

bookmark_borderPainting: Manipulator – 2009

Personally, this is one of my favorite paintings. It’s dark & bright at the same time. This is one of those rare moments where I’m not thinking too hard about what I want to create, I just went with it.

Description: painting of a woman’s head and upper torso with her right hand raised. Her lips are red and there are four teardrops falling from her cheek. There is an eye on the palm of her hand, while her seeing eye is white. Her hair is feathered and she has devil horns. There is also a skull with wings in her hair, combined with her hoop earring. There is a candle that is lit with dripping wax next to the skull. She wears a cross necklace and there is a rose tattoo on her neck.

bookmark_borderPaintings – Women of the Occult

She is you, you are her. Black is her choice of color – it hides, conceals, protects.

Dark, mysterious, intuitive; she will only reveal whatever it is you seek…

if you sit still in silence.

Title of left painting: Mystic
Title of right painting: Goddess of Death & Destruction
Acrylic on canvas, 2010.

Both paintings are 24″x36″

Please inquire via email: shermgrafik [at] gmail [dot] com

bookmark_borderErotic Painting: Sister of the Flesh

Title: Sister of the Flesh
Dimensions: 18″x22″

Framed mixed media painting from 2012. This painting exudes a dark and erotic mood; it depicts a young nun with her boobs exposed, standing in an infinite hallway that is the convent. A lustful woman, whose thoughts are both perverse and sacred. The red roses represent her desire, the three eyes above represent the Holy Trinity.

This painting was part of a group art show titled VEXED: Tits, Tatts and Turmoil at 423 West Gallery in Los Angeles, CA.