For this year's Valentine's Day celebration, I have decided to feature AND review (free advertising has never been better!) artists from my devwatch list every other week. I am doing this with hopes of giving these talented artists the exposure and attention they absolutely deserve. Just as well, I am doing this to show that February 14 doesn't solely belong to giggly girls who cling to their boyfriends with one hand and carry a bouquet with the other. If you are getting a bouquet tomorrow, though, I hope that your date (or dates) will go well.

Oh yes, I will be out tomorrow. The only thing is, I won't be out with a boy. I have a date with my dentist. It's tightening day (somehow that sounds off) tomorrow!

Back to business, if the sample review goes well, I plan to write about one artist every other Tuesday starting tonight. Of course, I will feature ANY artist regardless of whatever field they may be currently exploring. The reviews will link to a couple (or maybe one) of the artist's deviations which I think will represent the artist's style very well. Although I am not very big on technical terms, I will try to do justice to the deviations by describing the elements in it the best way I can.

The slightly annoying and slightly stingy footnote: The reviews and the thoughts, ideas, interpretations found in them are products of my not-so-active mental processes unless noted otherwise. By writing this footnote of sorts, I am making it clear that the contents of the reviews are not clear-cut facts. If you find yourself disagreeing with me, that is totally fine. I appreciate intellectual discussions (except when they're about Math hehehe) and I'd be more than glad to hear about whatever it is that you think of the review. I am all ears with regards to corrections, suggestions, and comments However, if you decide to be a jerk in the process of making your point clear to me, expect to be not taken seriously.

So of course, without even calling dibs and without her knowledge hahaha, the first artist I'm featuring is my best friend =YummyFries

I hope everyone enjoys tomorrow! Happy Valentine's Day people

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=YummyFries

Her more than 13,000 page views (and counting) is a clear testament of how popular Fries or Karen has become in this online community. It will be difficult to pin a specific label on her as she has dabbled and continues to dabble in various things that include photography, photo manipulation, fashion and modelling, theatre productions, cheerleading, the church choir, declamation contests, the recently discovered penchant (and talent) for writing, and a whole lot more. This wide range of influences have all shaped her art into a style that is unique and universal at the same time -- universal themes, unique depictions.

Her gallery shows us a play of contrasting elements: light and shadow, young and old, fun and gloom, sexy and plain. One such example of contrast is a self-portrait titled Bent. This is a reclining nude portrait whose calm colors, aside from the similarity in the subjects' positions, are reminiscent of Manet's Olympia. Bent has a pale brown background that brings out the soft contours of the subject's shoulders, waist, and hips. The dreamy quality texture of the background and the subject then accentuates the sharpness of detail, color, and texture of the cloth draped on the model. The light works well to give the shades of green and yellow a little more attention without taking all the glory.

Overall, this piece handles the concept of "sexy" without bordering pornography by complementing nudity with a certain amount of softness and restraint. And with most of her work carrying the same theme, Karen does a great job of bringing sexy back.