2022 Recap and Now

Well it's been a while since I had taken the time to sit down and write a new blog post. Something I want to improve on in 2023. But let's go over what was achieved in 2022 and took up most of last year. Started strong with a draw this in your style of 'The Flow' concept. We had quite a few great participants, I really enjoy seeing others interpretation of my ideas. I made a pencil drawing of a strange bird like creature that stole a precious orb from a local vendor and was on the run! Titled 'The Thief'. I then continued working on a personal piece called 'Help me care again' that I actually began in May of 2021. Depicts a self portrait of me opening up my chest to reveal my heart intertwined with thorns and crystals protruding out of it. But that was put on the back burner while I delved into working on the business side of things. I got into framing options for prints, gold leaf embellishments, paper options and sizes. So a lot of website maintenance.
I then began a piece that would take me a month to complete, over 100 hours of inking and etching. This was '4ever with you'. I was able to feature it at the WOWXWOW online group exhibition and actually sell it for 5.5K! A proud moment and a great milestone in my career. You may view it here.
At this time I was still recovering from Skulltober 2021, which left behind a lot of ailments. Including back pain, stomach issues and I had now developed floaters in my left eye. So I went to the eye doctor that dropped dye into my eyes to see what was going on. Turns out as you age, the vitreous ā a jelly-like material inside your eyes, liquifies and contracts. When this happens microscopic collagen fibers in the vitreous tend to clump together. These scattered pieces cast tiny shadows onto your retina. The shadows you see are called floaters. But this wasn't the worst of it. As I found out I was allergic to the dye put in my eyes. So I broke out in a rash from head to toe for the next 2 months! This took me out of the art game. But thankfully I eventually recovered, because that was the worst.
I took on a new commission piece. This was for Rose City Pizza in Rosemead. I knew the owner from previous shows that he hosted inside their pizza shop. Including a Star Wars theme and the Nightmare before Christmas, where I had my Jack Skellington piece displayed. Well the owner loved my Yoda piece, so he asked if I could recreate it for a T-shirt design. I was able to deliver it and you can find the design here . Give them a try for delicious pizza, they may even have some shirts left.
I was also able to add another piece to my ongoing Extinct animal collection. With the addition of the T-Rex study here. I have plans to actually wrap up this collection with a final piece of the Dodo bird.
Towards August I was exploring more abstract Portraits and using mixed media. Playing around with line widths and color techniques. Such as 'Flower Woman' and 'Feathered.'
We were now into October and I launched my second Skulltober @skulltober on ig. I wanted these pieces to feel like you were looking at old photographs of documented rotting skulls you stumbled upon in their natural fields. The results are very dark and moody. I used graphite on 6x4" Claybord me and my Dad cut with blood sweat and tears. These can be found here https://www.alexdakos.com/drawings
I then participated in a contest called 'Paint the can Dead' for ROGUE ale beer to design their new label. I was selected as one of the finalist for week 7 and top 20 out of 800 entries! Unfortunately I didn't win with the popular vote, but it was a great experience. It can be found here ROGUE NIGHT
I wrapped up the year with a piece from a show I really liked watching with my wife. 'Wednesday' on Netflix. Played by the doll face, Jenna Ortega. I loved the scene where she played the Cello on the rooftop and one of my favorite ballads of 'Paint it black'. So I had to recapture this moment in my style. I used over 18 tools in its' creation. Found here Wednesday
Now moving into 2023 I continued a piece I had started in June of 2022. My latest piece On Record.. Found here. It's a science fictional concept I came up with in 2018. Where humans and all creatures for that matter are being used as recording devices with our eyes. We then transmit our memories and visions collected up to heavens algorithmic database for review and playback. My goal is to continue this collection of at least 4 and then release prints.
Sorry about the novel, but had to play catch up. Well that's it for now, need to get back to drawing!
Thanks for reading and take care,
-alex
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