Ivan Tirado Blogs

When Michael Jordan decided to play baseball in 1993 a lot of people criticized the fact that he was not as good as baseball as he was at basketball. He is a professional basketball player after all and many will argue that he is the best player of a... 

Being exposed and engaged to art and the creative process is not only fun and educational in many instances but also challenging. When I say challenging I am not only referring to the refocus of motor skills, observation, patience, knowledge, and vis... 

"I am not satisfied yet." "I am not done." "I am still working on this." "In progress." When I am working on a sculpture or a painting I post pictures on social media of the progress and process. Sometimes I take short videos to give viewers a feel... 

Now that May is over and June is here the excitement of a new adventure grows. As I get ready for training for my new job as part-time faculty at Quinnipiac University, I've been going over the textbook for the Inquiry Based Learning course I'll be ... 

May has been a very exciting month. Between being virtually present in a few events (my pieces and posters), computer class at the Literacy Center of Milford, the painting and sculpting parties in Milford and Monroe, the presentation last week at The... 

THE ART OF IVAN TIRADO EMBRACE CHANGE The definition of ‘change’ in the dictionary points out to ‘make it different’. Simple enough. Change doesn’t have to be drastic, although it is often perceived that way. Changing little things also make a big ... 

Politeness is one interesting word. According to the dictionary definition it has to do with showing good manners in both behavior and words. It has to do with being courteous, considerate, civil, gentle, and respectful. Being polite requires the pra... 

Believing and questioning seem like opposite practices. However, they can dance together a beautiful ballet. I have been reading the textbook for my next job (which I am not revealing yet). The book A More Beautiful Question by Warren Berger is all a... 

Have you ever had one of those weeks? You might know what I am talking about here. There are weeks when a lot of things decide to happen together. Last week was one of those weeks for me when so many great things happened together that I am still try... 

Not too long ago I wrote about a pencil drawing that inspired a few more sketches and a few other ideas. It ended up being a three way interpretation of the same image. I played around with four or five more sketches and then decided to paint. After ... 

First, I want to apologize for my sporadic absence in this blog. I've been busy and honestly, I had no inspiration to write. Last week I completed 3 paintings and this week 1 sculpture (after destroying a nearly finished one). I've been also working ... 

Sunday night I drew a sketch on a canvas. Monday morning I began a painting. Tuesday afternoon it was done. Each part of the process was great. One thing I can't stretch enough is to maintain awareness of what's going on in the process of creation an... 

I thought that it would take me longer to decide when to begin a new project. After drawing a large sketch on a canvas I decided to begin a painting. Since it is Monday and this is my studio day, it is only logical to step away for the computer. Frid... 

There are many special days during the year, but today is a very special day. I'll say it is the most special day of all. I celebrate the day of victory, the day of Christ's resurrection. At the cross he paid our debt but death was not strong enough.... 

One of the most challenging elements of the sculpting parties is to help people see the human body as a continuous flow of organic shapes. Most people see the human body as 4 planes: side, side, front, and back. You can see the edges joining those 4 ... 

Every night I get to teach is a great night. It doesn't matter if it is a sculpting or painting party, a computer class, an art lesson for one person or many, a lecture or presentation, I love to teach. It feels good to empower people, to help them t... 

Drawing is a great visual-spatial exercise that allows the artist to save an idea on a surface on which it can develop to become a piece of art. Some people consider that first draft or what we call gesture drawing as an acceptable technique to be in... 

Many people hate Monday. I like Monday. Monday is my studio day, or at least it used to be. Technically it still is but certain things changed since we moved. I no longer have a dedicated studio space. The studio space was that corner in which I coul... 

Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) is used in learning and psychology to explain knowledge acquisition as well as beliefs through social interaction. According to this theory, what we learn and believe comes to be in society and not in isolation. This is ... 

Today the new adventure begins. New experiences can be very scary but others can be very exciting. Our new adventure is more of the second without taking away a little of the first. For many years our daughter has been asking for a dog. We could no... 

The exhibit as featured artist at The Gallery at Elemar came to a close. I had to remove my art from the stage where the featured artist exhibits the work. It is someone else's time to use the stage. My work was on stage since November 2014. I still ... 

Yesterday I wrote for the first in ten days. During the time I was absent from writing it surprised me how many people was still coming to the website to read previous posts. More encouraging is receiving messages and comments regarding yesterday's p... 

"Daddy, this is the first day we don't have a thing to do after school." Ten days ago I posted about how exhausted I was. We were moving and it was not easy. Moving is never easy. You win in some ways and you lose some things. I believe that it is mo... 

I've been trying to find the right words to describe how I feel tonight after a long day. I am exhausted. I am so tired I could cry but I am too tired to cry. I woke up way too early. Nothing went as planned in the morning. However, I received a call... 

This weekend is for me a race against time. It is one of those weekends where everything decided to fall together. If you are reading this in the morning EST, as you read this I'll be probably loading, or at least trying to load a truck with our stu... 

Listening to people talk about being shy and how it is difficult to establish a conversation with someone sounds very alien to me. I mean no disrespect, I honestly enjoy connecting with people so much it feels almost inconceivable not to use any op... 

Thessalonike of Macedon was a princess. According to myth, a mermaid will surface to encounter sailors on their way to Macedon asking, "Is Alexander the king alive?" To this question there was only one appropriate answer that will allow the sailors... 

You may know by now that yesterday was my 40th birthday. If you didn't know, you now can join the other 10,000 people I told about it. It was a great quiet day. I guess that is the advantage of having a birthday on a Monday. I didn't have big part... 

Yes, I am forty. What does that mean? It means I reached an age of enlightenment and wisdom. Being 40 means that anyone under the age of 28 could technically be my son or daughter. That statement in itself changes the way you see people and how you s... 

I had the chance to participate in a great event called Minds in Motion sponsored by the Connecticut Association for the Gifted. This is an event that offers workshops for children from kindergarten to 8th grade as well as presentations for the paren... 

Everything comes to an end. Maybe not everything but a lot of things do. It is all about the transitions and changes in life and if we understand them we can move swiftly to the next step. There must be an end before there is a beginning and the ti... 

We had a great sculpting night at Café Atlantique (33 River St, Milford, CT) last Wednesday night. We had so much fun. It was an awesome group. Some people cancelled because of impending weather but we just got some rain during the event and things w... 

I get compliments on my art when it shows the effects of gravity on the female body. The term I see the most in the comments is "real women". These compliments come generally from females. I believe it is simple physics and the fact that there are ... 

What comes first, drawing or writing? I know another question that sounds very similar to that. As I am writing this post, I am also drawing. I am also eating, having some coffee, checking the comments and likes, the pictures and postings on social... 

Reviewing the book makes me feel like I'm working on making a movie. Years before the movie comes out in theaters they give us hints of what the movie is going to look like. Today I want to share with you something like a teaser trailer of the book. ... 

I enjoy talking to people even when I don't know who they are. Someone said that strangers are friends you haven't met yet, or something like that. It is interesting to observe, and figuratively speaking, read a person through simple conversations. W... 

Can you believe it is March already? It feels like it was yesterday we were saying goodbye to 2014. March madness just began. No, I'm not talking about college basketball, although I enjoy that too. Both of our kids are playing basketball too. Thei... 

I use social media a lot. I have a Facebook page, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Google+, and Tumblr among others. Last week in Instagram I joined a hashtag to post one sketch per day. The hashtag is #asketchaday. Artists from all over the ... 

There is an idea. I can see it but it is not completely clear. I know is there. I can pretty much describe the shapes I see, the size, the movement, the action, the intention, and the plan. Still, I can't see it. It feels like looking through a stain... 

I had the opportunity to speak to the New Haven Rotary Club during a lunch meeting at The Gallery at Elemar in New Haven, CT. It was a very cold day. Only a few came to the lunch because many people is out of state or inside their houses. Truly it ... 

Please, allow me to share with you a portion of the book I'm writing. Technically I finished writing it. It is now going through the first revision. I waited a week from the time I finished writing it to the first revision. That helps me to see it li... 

I've been drawing the last few days a little more. Drawing always takes me back to the college years when I walked around with my sketchbook just like Jack Dawson, the character played by Leonardo DiCaprio in Titanic. Those drawings also looked ver... 

Motivation has many faces and sounds to move us into action, to keep us from giving up, and to stay in the path. It is precisely in those moments when motivation injects that extra something in our minds pushing us away from idleness. In occasions it... 

I previously wrote about making art fun and making art accessible. The sculpting and painting parties have been a lot of fun so far and there are more coming! People need that time to unwind and relax, to let go of the stress of the everyday life. Th... 

I previously wrote about making art fun and making art accessible. The sculpting and painting parties have been a lot of fun so far and there are more coming! People need that time to unwind and relax, to let go of the stress of the everyday life. Th... 

March is going to be a very interesting month this year. The agenda for the month could look overwhelming. Our agenda looks crazy between work, basketball, moving, me turning 40 (just wanted to throw that there), sculpting and painting parties, works... 

After a few days of not stepping into my little studio I went in for a brief moment to get something I needed. I've been working on one of the pieces for the new collection and there it was on top of the table staring back at me. I have not been th... 

What if we could see the results of our effort before we begin? Would that makes us finally begin working on that project we have in mind? What if we knew for certain that our project could touch and change the life of one person? Would we still do i... 

After thinking for a while about it, and as part of the 100 post celebration a few days ago, I decided to take a look back at all the postings and how they can be put together to shape the book I want to publish. That is the main goal of this blog,... 

Losers seek easy. Champions seek challenge. Challenge makes us stronger. Easy makes us weak. Seems simple but only a few people like the idea of fighting hard for what they want. Easy comes... well... easy. It is very unlikely for someone to develop ... 

Self-regulation is said to be one of the most important skills a human being can develop for a prosperous and emotionally healthy life. Self-regulation is the capacity to voluntarily control one's impulses and also to start doing something or take ac... 

Defining love is a futile attempt undertaken by humans since the beginning of time. Everyone seems to have a definition. Everyone seems to know or completely ignore what love is. People try to explain a source, a location in the human psyche, a physi... 

Defining love is a futile attempt undertaken by humans since the beginning of time. Everyone seems to have a definition. Everyone seems to know or completely ignore what love is. People try to explain a source, a location in the human psyche, a physi... 

One hundred posts ago I was debating if writing a blog was a good idea or not. Who read this things? Who would be interested in reading what I write? I am not a writer, not a poet, I'm no longer a comedian, and the things I know are not that specta... 

I am still learning. - Michelangelo There is always something to learn. No matter the age, the ability, the level of skill, the success or life realization, we learn and should seek to learn until we die. It would be arrogant to think that ther... 

There is a new tendency in our society to overcomplicate things that are by nature simple. Why take 100 steps and many turns to reach something that is reachable with 3 steps? I am not talking about the common core curriculum in case you are wonder... 

Among many variables in the equation of success achievement, hard work is one with the greatest mythology. The myth of hard work follows the very existence of human kind to the point that many forget how to enjoy life because they are working all t... 

There are too many variables involved in the processes and events related to achieving success. My original intention for this post was to put together two variables: talent and hard work. Specially for artists it seems like these two are either a bl... 

Writing a daily post for this blog is one of the most fun challenges I imposed to myself. When I considered the idea of writing a blog I thought about writing one long post a month. Can you imagine how boring that can be for a hyperactive brain like ... 

Observation and perception are two of the most important skills for visual artists to develop. Yes, these are skills that can be developed. I won’t buy into the belief that you are born with them, and even if you do you need to exercise in order to... 

I am constantly sculpting or painting. I take a break from time to time but I try to sculpt or paint, or at least draw several times per week. I focus on one piece at a time while thinking about two or three more I want to create right after. At time... 

Walkers are your footprints the way and nothing more ; Walker, there is no path, is made by walking. By walking the path becomes, and looking back one sees the path one would never walked again. Walker, there is no path, but wakes in the sea.... 

It is no mystery that my work is inspired by the human figure. I believe that the human experience is understood by humans. We understand nature by the relationship we have with nature. Our interpretations of everything surrounding us and beyond in b... 

The wind blows and some trees seem to dance with it. The trees don't stay rigid trying to fight the strength of the wind choosing to adapt instead. Freedom and flexibility are the result of a very important aspect: the roots. The deeper the roots the... 

Sculpting or painting? There is no secret that between sculpting and painting I prefer sculpting. Yes, I like to paint, but I prefer sculpting much more. There is no secret that very few people sculpt and many people paint. When it comes to painting ... 

I watched a commercial on television that really got my attention because I do the same thing. I’m not sure what the product was or what exactly the narrative was about but I found it very interesting. There is a guy taking a train ride looking at pe... 

You are just going through the day keeping your brain busy trying to reconcile ideas that come in many forms and then ‘aha!’ one word connects it all together. Maybe is one image that makes it all make sense. That object that was right in front of yo... 

The ancient Greeks saw inspiration as goddesses that visited humans and moved them to create based on the specific muse. It was not only about art but as a form to express human experience and knowledge including science. There was no differentiati... 

Making visual and philosophical sense are processes that go together in my head when I am sculpting. It begins with a simple idea that develops into a story. Creation and understanding join the journey. A piece is finished and a second one joins in t... 

How do I make sense of the things I see? How can I bring an invisible idea into something visible? What about those who turn sounds in their heads into music? How can someone come up with poetry, lyrics for a song, a story, or a dialogue? How can my ... 

What do you prefer? Printed Media or Online Media? If you ask me, I like both. This week I was interviewed at The Gallery at Elemar for an article in the Milford Mirror. It was a great interview. I love to talk a lot so interviews are a lot of fun... 

I was watching a great video about my hometown of Mayagüez. I got a little emotional and felt very proud of where I come from. Many memories came alive; the places I visited as a kid and early adulthood and the scenes that were too familiar. I’ve bee... 

There will always be something to do. Time management is not about filling up every minute of the day with a task to perform. We need time to do nothing. We need quiet time. Not only silence outside and in our immediate surroundings. We need time to ... 

Glossophobia is the fear of public speaking. According to many studies public speaking is the only thing people fear more than death. I love public speaking. You might suspect I love the spotlight. My mother has pictures of me as young as maybe three... 

I am not good at chess. I play a little and can hang in there through a game but I don't take the game seriously. I've never touched a chess book as some people do. I do like to think ahead five or six moves and develop options based on possible move... 

You may agree that art is in a sensorial experience. However, when you visit a gallery or a museum you are only allowed to look at the art. They might be playing some background music. That covers a second sense. In some gallery openings you can sip ... 

On Saturday, January 24, 2015 we are closing what has been my longest and biggest show yet. It opened back in November 2014. The Gallery at Elemar is a very spacious and beautiful place to show and to hold events. We are closing with an art discussio... 

Humans are naturally inclined to art. Some people are more sensitive to art than others but we are all attracted to it somehow. For some people art is an escape from their norm. It is not about pursuing an art career or a long-term learning experienc... 

Before I knew what Art Nouveau was I was already drawing using organic forms, nature, and using the figure in this environment. During my college years, now that we are on the subject, I was unable to relate myself with the style. I guess I was too f... 

In the middle of the night an idea begins crawling from the subconscious and sings its silent song in your ears. It is so quiet it stands out over the noise of the night. It makes you wonder the reality between a dream or being awake. No matter the h... 

Making art because you love art is the most important aspect to maintain a flow of satisfaction in the river of creativity. Is that personal enjoyment that allow artists to keep trying, exploring, expressing, and perfecting. We want to love what we d... 

Art looks like a destination. Art looks like a journey. Art looks like both. There are many physical processes involved in the creation of art. The eyes, the hands, and body movements combine to develop what can be called ‘technique’. Technique is co... 

I am not sure why I enjoy so much those boring ancient history documentaries about the early Mesopotamian civilizations. I really enjoy watching those shows while I’m in the studio sculpting and painting. I try to understand human behavior through t... 

What is Cognitive Psychology? Cognitive psychology in simple terms is the science that studies how the mind works. Pretty simple, right? For example, it tries to understand how we memorize things and how to remember. It also tries to understand how w... 

The art world seems to be socially stratified as some ‘selected group’ of individuals decide what is art and what is not, who is an artist and who is not. The elitist fame of art is not a new trend. It has been like that for many years not only in ar... 

Back in November 2014 I wrote How to Explain Your Art and it became very popular not only in the blog but also in Ezine Articles and Fine Art America. In several discussions in LinkedIn I believe the article was misunderstood by some. The article was... 

Oh, the delight of sculpting! Even when my hands are cramping after modeling the clay for so many hours and my body is slightly feeling the exhaustion there is nothing like seeing the sculpture take shape. Attempting to articulate the feeling of blis... 

Once upon a time I was funny. Since a very early age I participated in school and church plays and town events always as the funny kid. After graduating high school I began working as a radio announcer and thought that I found my ‘seriousness’. To my... 

There are three classes of people: those who see, those who see when they are shown, those who do not see. Leonardo Da Vinci Howard Gardner proposed in Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences that intelligence as ‘one thing’ is t... 

I remember back in college when some of my friends returned from the US armed forces basic training. They told very interesting stories. My favorite story is how at graduation they walked around telling each other, ‘It was easy!’ despite the fact tha... 

Instructional system design begins with an analysis and this is a principle we can apply to more than just designing effective learning solutions. You can use these questions to define a plan of action to achieve your goals. It is futile to attempt s... 

What a pain in the neck is asking a question and getting a dozen conflicting answers! Why is it so difficult to get a straight answer? All you want is a straight answer that you can put into an effective plan of action. It seems like all the advice y... 

Writing a blog is like singing in the shower. You sing like no one is listening because most probably that’s the truth. Even if people are listening you don’t care. That’s your time to flex your pipes and let it out even if you don’t know how to sing... 

We live, while we see the sun, Where life and dreams are as one; And living has taught me this, Man dreams the life that is his, Until his living is done. Segismundo’s monologue in Life is a Dream by Calderon de la Barca explores the belief th... 

Excited about the new year? Many people are. People are ‘pumped’ with starting something new and fresh that would changed their lives. Gym subscriptions begin rising, new diets are intended, changes in looks, and the list goes on and on. Generally t... 

“What does it mean?” That is probably one of the top ten questions people ask when they look at a painting. Certainly not all paintings must have ‘a meaning’. Some paintings are to be felt, others are interpretations of nature, and others are just a ... 

Hello, 2015! Here we go again! long hairTo be honest, the first thing that came to my mind was that song. Yes, you know which one. You are singing it in your head right now. Let’s go back in time for a moment. “Here I go again” from Whitesnake… Go... 

Fast forward to 2114. New years eve 100 years from now. A completely new generation is ready to celebrate. If we went from horses to space shuttles in 100 years it would be interesting to imagine how the future holds. Marty McFly from Back To The Fut... 

It is that time of the year! Many are figuring out their new year resolutions and goals. The desire of making something different for a new year is very common. We know most of them are carrying on from previous years. We also know that desiring to ... 

You came into the room. You stopped. Looked around. You are trying to remember why you came to the room and what you were looking for. You know how it is to get those mental blackouts. “What was I looking for?” That’s often the first question that po... 

In previous posts I argue the importance for artists to develop their career based on their values and not based on comparisons with other artists and quantitative measures. The values that define you as a person will define you as an artist. You c... 

I was about 5 years old when I realized I wanted to be an actor. I wanted to be a serious, Oscar worthy, staring at the camera saying nothing actor. My first acting gig came up during this time I got chosen to be one of the three wise men for the Chr... 

Sculpting clay is very therapeutic and fun. You don’t need experience. I have seen people in my classes, workshops, and sculpting parties who could not believe what they accomplished. All you need is to immerse yourself in the process. It is a unique... 

Today we wake up early. Well, the little one (not so little anymore) wakes up early and makes sure we wake up too. We love watching the kids unwrapping their gifts. Although we like when family stays over, it is great when we can share this time toge... 

I enjoy watching archaeology shows specially those of ancient Egypt. Even more so when Dr. Zahi Hawass is in the show. He is a world-renowned Egyptian archaeologist . In one of the shows he is sitting in front of a recently discover tomb waiting for ... 

Coming from the tropical island of Puerto Rico talking about hurricanes is pretty common. Most recently with hurricanes reaching New York and New England in the past few years seems like a commonality here too. While we don't get hurricanes during ... 

It seems like everyone in the art world knows if you are successful or not in. Interestingly, there is no specific measure of success. Everyone measures success by comparing someone with someone else. Artists are trying to compare themselves with oth... 

"Muzungu! Muzungu!" It was the sound of many little voices coming out of the woods as our bus stumbled through the dirt road in the middle of a village in Rakai, Uganda. We just crossed the Equator line from Kampala to Rakai. We were expected for lun... 

Instructional design or instructional system design is the systematic decision-making process and design of how instruction is going to be delivered. Instructional design draws knowledge from different sciences like psychology and neurology to develo... 

I began playing with vines, leaves, and the figure resting within in a new relief. In the process I remembered this old sketch. I didn’t date it but I believe it is about 12-15 years old. It seems like that image was in my subconscious waiting the ... 

I was recently providing a training for ESL tutor prospects for the Literacy Center of Milford, CT. The mission of the Literacy Center of Milford is to provide services at no cost to any individual who wishes to learn the English language or enhance ... 

Come close your eyes and dream Be blown into my arms I’ll carry you to a new place Where the music plays a new song Where reality is gone All is one and we are each in motion One with another Here night is day and day is night ... 

“Are you having fun?” I ask this question almost everywhere I go to people who is working. Most of the time people just laugh and respond with sarcasm. We work a lot. Sometimes too much. It seems like our agendas are based on work and fitting othe... 

Several years ago I began teaching children with disabilities. I entered an uncharted territory and had no idea what to expect. It was an adventure from the start. I learned a lot about human behavior during those years. “I want something else!” ... 

Discipline is an interesting word. It describes a specialization within a field of practice. Think of physicians. Each of them specializes in specific conditions and treatments. Yes, they have to go through understanding pathophysiology or how diseas... 

I shared some studio time with a little friend, 4 years old Adie. As she began painting and mixing paint she turned to me and said: “Look! Yellow mixed with red makes orange! I didn’t know that!” This happens several times as she discovered green, pu... 

I heard a story many years ago. Two men working for a show company were sent to a tribe in the middle of nowhere to scout the territory and inform the company of any possibility of success selling shoes there. The first man makes his observations and... 

What is your goal? What are you looking for? What is the motivation for what you are doing? What is the most important thing for you to obtain? Why am I asking all these questions? It is healthy to perform an evaluation of our motives in the thing... 

Take a moment to breathe in. Consider where you started and where you are now. Breath out! Think of the moments when your heart was immerse in that piece you were creating. Time seemed to stop and you were in a different dimension of inspiration. Wou... 

“I did this myself!”… With sparkly eyes full of satisfaction and proudly showing off her sculpture to her friends, this lady at the Milford Senior Center made my day. The joy on her face was priceless. During the last few months I’ve been conducting ... 

A while back I was having a conversation at an art gallery with the curator and another artist. As I am trying to explain my vision and technique the artist said in a sarcastic tone: “You like to talk about yourself a lot”. Although I wasn’t talking ... 

Sharing your knowledge with people with knowledge is a good practice. It helps to grow knowledge by making sense of others’ experiences and points of view. Great discussions emerge when people share what they know among themselves. On the other hand,... 

It is very possible that half of the people who see my work ask this question: How long does it take to finish something like this? I take it as an honest question. We humans are trapped inside the clock. Even when traveling to another place we don’... 

A while back I received a large frame as a gift and placed it in the living room. Every time I came upstairs I saw the frame almost asking me to do something with it, something different. I took the frame into my studio, covered the board with newspa... 

“Here comes that dreamer”… I believe in dreams. Dreams give us hope and aspirations. Artists know everything about dreams. It seems like as artists we are constantly living in one. It is common to come across people who say: “You are dreaming if you ... 

During a sparing session, one of the fighters was a little timid during a fight. His skills were not showing. My martial arts instructor Renshi Herbie Bagwell told him: “It is all in your head. From the neck down you have all you need to win”. How ma... 

When you engage in group interactions and discussions how do you behave? What are you seeking? What are you revealing of yourself? Peer tutoring is one of the oldest learning practices there is. Peer tutoring occurs when matching companions share kno... 

Enjoy 25% discount in prints, canvas, posters, framed art and greeting cards using code VNZJZT at checkout. Limited time only. Does not apply to shipping charges and extras. Enjoy free shipping on all original pieces through our website http://ivant... 

I enjoy every part of what I do. Of course, I love teaching. I love teaching art classes, but I also enjoy teaching other classes like computer skills, tutors’ trainings, and all other stuff. Getting back into public speaking is a lot of fun too. Ind... 

Learning and teaching are complicated endeavors. Every component of a purposeful learning process is important to achieve results. However, there are so many factors and variables to consider that it is almost impossible to count them all. As educato... 

Last year during one of my shows, I observed a lady coming in to look at the artwork as I was talking to someone else. After looking at all the sculptures, she came back to Abased. She stood there for a while. Then she moved towards Freedom and stood... 

A few years ago I was teaching art to children with disabilities. It was my first official teaching job and one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. Back then, the kids called me “Mr. T” (since it was easier than trying to say: “Tirado”). In... 

If you study the life of the masters from the perspective of their contemporaries, you will find a commonality in many: We love the masters now, but people hated them in their time. Yes, some of them were well respected for their skills and contribut... 

“I can tell you love teaching.” … I’ve heard that a few times. I do. Teaching is for me a way to give back. If I keep what I know to myself it will die with me. If I share what I know it will live longer in the lives of those who learned. Not only so... 

There are so many things about the business side of art I don’t know about. Many artists, galleries, collectors, and dealers emphasize in its importance, while others want to completely dismiss the subject. I am not sure where I stand yet in this sub... 

Here is a gift idea for you: bring someone to the sculpting party!!! Have fun together as you create your own piece. No experience necessary. Supplies, food and drinks are included. You need to sign up online: http://ivantirado.com/sculptingparty. I ... 

Humans are often inclined to focus on “the bad things” instead of focusing on the good things. I know you have heard that before: “Be thankful just for being alive today!”. Well, you should! A bad attitude might make others around you wonder if they ... 

You know what I am going to say. After months of planning and preparation, long hours and little sleep, the day is finally here. The show opens tonight! You are more than welcome to join me and witness the results of all this effort at 6:00 pm at The... 

Close your eyes and imagine your show. Live the moment. It is like a party. Envision how your art is displayed, how people move around to see your art, what they are eating and drinking, the background music… Visualize every detail. Now, lets prepare... 

Since my first solo exhibit in 2010 I look forward to this time of the year. Saturday, November 22 is the opening reception for my show TORSOS at the Gallery at Elemar (2 Gibbs St. New Haven, CT) from 6-9pm. You are invited! Torsos As I pre... 

There is misunderstood belief that artists have to be isolated from society instead of being connected to it. Some artists believe that art should speak on its own and if people don’t connect with their art there should be no need to provide explanat... 

Everyone has a story to tell. Some of those stories become inspiration for art. I’ve had conversations that provoke images in my head as the person speaks. These images become unpredicted elements of some of my pieces, specially sculptures. Yes, I’m ... 

You can see it. Observe! Watch that soul dragging the body as if it was already dead. Can you feel the weight of the posture of defeat before the fight begins? As an artist and educator I’ve learned to observe people. With time you learn to read thei... 

I’m generally inspired first by the pose. The theme, subject, or name of the piece come at the end when the piece is already finished. Most of my pieces get a “name” or “title” when I list it. Like a child you are just waiting last minute for a sign ... 

I honestly enjoy talking about my art, the process, the technique, the historical influences, and the possible story behind each piece. I believe that being able to explain your art is very important and increases credibility as an artist. I guess it... 

A week ago I began this blog because my wife insisted it was a good idea. I am glad I did. So far, the site is getting 100+ views daily and people seem to enjoy reading. I am thankful for her an all the effort she is putting into my career. She has b... 

Take time to disconnect from your brain and connect to your heart. Allow your fingers to appreciate the texture of the clay as you get lost in the slow waters of your emotions. Taste every second as it was the last. Turn noise into silence. Get l... 

We influence our environment as our environment influences us. We are not in total control over our circumstances but neither totally controlled by our circumstances. This is something I aim to project in my artwork. You may notice in my work the com... 

Learning is a Transformative Experience November 11, 2014 By Dr Ivan Tirado The more I learn about learning, the more I am convinced that learning is a transformative experience in which knowledge is shared and each personal experience is int... 

Connecting Back to Yourself November 10, 2014 By Dr Ivan Tirado 6 Comments Have you ever felt disconnected? I am not talking about solitude. We all need time alone where silence is the only noise. I am talking about loneliness. What’s the differe... 

My interest for studying the human figure began back in high school. I saw the work of Boris Vallejo and it caused a great impression on me. Even before I decided to pursue a BA in Fine Arts I began drawing the figure. My style and use of the line ... 

What goes on in the mind of an artist? November 9, 2014 By Dr Ivan Tirado That is one interesting question. Each day is different. I invite you to visit my mind when I am working with a sculpture. First, from the idea to the final product it is ... 

Welcome to my brain November 9, 2014 By Dr Ivan Tirado Leave a Comment Imagine for a moment that you want to focus a blog based on your experience in a particular field. Experience on a field of knowledge comes generally from academics or work. S...