goodbye for now

For a while now, I have not been dedicating myself to this blog as fully as I should to keep it going. My social media time/energy has been diverted to other sites (links on my sidebar). Follow me on any of those if you wish to see my new work.

So goodbye to blogspot for now- I will continue to post work to my other sites and perhaps revisit this one later on. Thank you to everyone who has supported this blog throughout the years. I appreciate it so much.

Never stop creating.

xo
Cristi

update & old poem

This blog post is a conglomeration of unrelated things so bear with me.

Those of you who follow me on facebook have most likely already read the following paragraph, but I wanted to share it on my blog as well.

Needless to say, I have been quite disconnected from the online world recently. A few weeks back, I deleted my personal facebook, and it's been ages since I've updated any of my sites with new photographs. But know that I haven't stopped creating- it's quite the opposite. In these past several months of online inactivity, I've rediscovered my passion for drawing. This is 

not to say I'm giving up photography! I could never. But my attention is currently diverted and engulfed in this other medium of expression. I'm still young and learning what I love, and I'll always be exploring different ways to express myself. 

I'll put together a blog post of some of my drawings during my Christmas break, which has commenced as of today! 

Today I've been organizing my sketchbooks, notebooks, computer files, etc. This afternoon I came across a poem I wrote at sixteen for a high school English class. The assignment was to write in the style of Walt Whitman while having our poem include an assortment of random things (i.e.- a song lyric, a plant, etc.) I had so much fun writing this, and it's been interesting to take a glimpse into my younger mind. I've changed in many ways since I was sixteen (I'm now nineteen), but my mind is just as disturbed. Enjoy!

Papercuts 

I place my creation on the brilliant white tiles, And crimson ribbons spill from his open throat, snaking down to meet the ground. 

This is the corpse of a young man,
Beautiful, sensual, blue-tinted, cold, lover.
I kiss his lilac lips, (So warm before)
His sallow skin chills my trembled fingers, and I am enamored by the him that he is now. 

A farmer snaps the neck of a plump-breasted chicken, and feasts upon her savory flesh,
A lumberjack saws through the heart of the Sassafras, and lounges upon her mutilated remnants,
And I am no different than these,
And you are no different than me,
Do not all men derive pleasure from the death of another? 

For it was my hand that dragged the blade through his thin-skinned throat, 
It was my tongue that savored the metallic taste of his warm, cherry blood,
And my ears that were deaf to his harrowing cries, begging me to stop,
Mewling, whimpering, blubbering, 
She’s the blade and you’re just paper. 

He is still now, while my heart thumps hot blood through tangled veins, 
My eager fingers knead themselves into the ashen flesh of his static chest,
As I bury my face in his canvas of colorless skin, 
I am intoxicated. (He reeks of lemons and cinnamon and quiet, quiet death) 

Pulling back, I behold the wonderous constellations of freckles in his skin,
And connect them with my dagger--connecting the stars, 
While disconnecting his head from his neck, and his legs from his hips, and his hands from his wrists,
Pieces of you, bathed in brilliant scarlet. 
(Never has a girl been so in love)

If you'd like to stay updated on my current artistic endeavors and take a look into my sillier side, my instagram is @cristilopez7. I realize that my art blog makes me seem incredibly dramatic, but I really am a ham.

Thank you lovelies for reading this far! I hope your Christmas season is joyous. ♥

twigs & branches

model: Brittany Heuser

stylist: Ellyn Ross

vogue.it feature

Last week on May 15th, an image of mine was chosen as Photograph of the Day on the Vogue Italia website. I just wanted to express how grateful I am for the feature. It is an incredible honor and I am very appreciative of it. :)

Shortly after my Vogue feature, Maddie was featured on her modeling agency's blog- I am so happy for her! I first photographed Maddie last March (see the images here). Since then, I feel as if my photography has improved significantly. She is the most experienced model I've worked with, and the passion that she has for modeling inspires me incredibly. It is the most wonderful feeling to collaborate with someone who cares so deeply about communicating my vision. I am so lucky to have met this talented girl, and I am confident that she will go very far with her modeling. 

Speaking of talented individuals, I wanted to give a shout out to my friend Ellyn, who styled the rusalki shoot. The hair + makeup for that series was complex, and I am very particular. Ellyn gave me exactly what I envisioned! She is quite extraordinary. Ellyn played a huge part in me discovering my love for photography. I photographed her countless times in high school, and she styled my very first shoots. Now are working together again, and I couldn't be happier! She is a truly beautiful soul.

I went through a rough patch with my art recently, but now I feel that I am finally hitting my stride. I am inspired conceptually, am honing my technical skills, and am incredibly determined to improve! I will no longer let my fear of failure get in the way of my success. Speaking of which, I haven't drawn in months simply because I dread that I will not like what I create. I spent my entire childhood drawing obsessively, passionately, and fearlessly. When did this ridiculous trepidation creep in? It's stifling and I won't have it anymore! I'm going to pick my pencil back up and draw simply because I love to do it. And I'll share some of my creations here! That's what my blog is for, after all: a record of my artistic journey.

I'll end with a reiteration of how grateful I am to Vogue.It for featuring my image, and also how grateful I am to all of my followers out there who support me and my work! I can't thank you enough, lovelies.

rusalki

the girl belongs to yesterday, caught in-between life and death and space and time.
she was seven then, a wishbone girl with honey-colored hair and cloud eyes.
they told her not to- she was swimming in the dark water alone like they told her not to.
stupid girl 

the lake reached up a vine-green hand and held her fast, held her tight around the leg.
her spiderhands clung to the water's surface, but only for a moment.
the water stole her breath.  

she has never left and can never leave.
she wore flowers in her hair

model: Maddie Hall
stylist: Ellyn Ross