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Dumay



Last Updated: 6/18/2009

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Gender: Female
Status: Married
Age: 29
Sign: Aries

City: London
State: Ontario
Country: CA
Signup Date: 5/10/2006

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Monday, September 18, 2006 

Current mood:  cheerful
Category: Art and Photography
What Inner Beauty Means to Me


This painting was inspired by my husband Carlos, that's why there's a specific amount of faces based on his age at the time the painting was created. 

Can you figure out how many faces there are?
( Post your comments with your guesses )

Before I started this painting, I felt lost and was seeking to understand my purpose in this world.  I was confused about my identity and did not feel beautiful inside and out.  With all the images on T.V. and in magazines flashing about what the "ideal image" should be, I started to realize that there may be other girls or women like myself who felt this way.

With the help of my wonderful husband, I went through a phase of self healing, going through a spiritual quest, and the discovery of my true authentic self.  Through this journey I realized in today's world and ideals, that there's absolutely way too much pressure to look perfect, and beauty is no longer being focused on the beauty based within us all.

We are living in a society and a world that has become consumed with plastic surgery, looks, scandal, stereotyping, and of course, superficiality.  What ever happened to "Don't Judge a Book by its Cover?"

The different faces represent, different women of different ages, and color
(though you can't tell what their race is, you're not supposed to be able to judge)  They also represent the inner beauty in every woman.

I want girls and women to fully appreciate themselves for who they are inside, and out, that's why this painting not only became an inspiration for myself, but a representation of all women in this world.

Beauty is in your spirit, your heart, your soul, and your mind.  Let's not hide our inner beauty any longer, but rather, allow it to radiate with strength, purpose, conviction and joy.

Beauty is within us, and within everything around us, be aware of all our gifts, just look hard enough and you will see and understand what beauty really is.

5:36 AM 
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Monday, September 18, 2006 

Current mood:  artistic
The Symbol of Cambodia



Since moving to Canada when I was 5, I have never been to Cambodia, and would love to one day go back home and see where I was born.  While there, I may venture into the dark history that has shaped Cambodia to what it is today.  A country torn down by war, a corrupt government, lack of leadership, and filled with poverty.  

It saddens me to see what has happened in the past, and to see and hear what is going on now, in this closed off lost world, which has no beginning and no end to the struggles and sadness.

I painted this picture of Angkor Wat in gold as a symbolism of the pride that still lingers in the hearts of Cambodians, and I put myself painting the Angkor Wat, which gives me a sense of closeness to the land where I was born, but have never seen.  

I feel for my ancestors and the 3 Million people who have lost their innocent lives during the Khmer Rouge era, and I hope that I can one day make them all proud as a successful Cambodian woman.  

I feel the weight of all Cambodians on my shoulders, and I must speak out and share some of the history with others, in hopes that they will appreciate what this painting symbolized to me, "I'm Cambodian and Proud."

As of right now, Cambodia's future seems uncertain, but maybe this artwork could be a symbol that will live on to make history of what was Cambodia at one point in time.  This painting is life and hope for Cambodia and its people that will never be forgotten.

5:26 AM 
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Monday, September 18, 2006 

Current mood:  accomplished
Category: Art and Photography
A Distant Sleep



This being one of my very first paintings came about during a time when I was dealing with too much stress with my personal life, and too much stress from work, and of course the hustle and bustle of day to day life.

So I decided that I just needed to get away from it all, clear my mind, and take in the peace and tranquility that we all need from time to time.  I locked myself in a room with my paints, paint brushes, and canvas.  I then visualized what I would love to experience to be in a state of peace, what came to me was an environment which is peaceful, calming, relaxing and dream like. 

The beautiful rose sleeping symbolizes what life would be like if things were simpler and if we learned to enjoy the beauty of nature.  Sometimes just simply dreaming in your sleep is a calming effect that could get rid of some stress.

1:24 AM 
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Sunday, September 17, 2006 

Category: Art and Photography
No More Pain Grandma
d

   
     For as long as I can remember my grandmother always struggled and suffered from severe arthritis pain, the joints in her fingers and toes became so distorted and deformed, that she was no longer able to properly function and be mobile like a normal person should.

    She would cry, but never wanted to burden nor complain about her enormous pain because she never wanted to be a bother.  I could never truly understand the severity of her pain and what she was going through, but I felt it and I sympathized with her as much as I possibly could, no one should have to suffer in this way ever!

    I became very close to my Grandmother through out the years, she was like a "mother" to me, she cared for me, understood me, never judged me, supported me, and always loved me unconditionally.  I have always loved her like my own mother.

    I can clearly remember as if it were yesterday that she was still alive, I used to be the only grandchild out of my other 3 siblings that cared for her unconditionally.  I would be the one to bathe her, feed her, change her clothes, and spend time with her when no one else did, sometimes just thinking about her brings tears to my eyes.  She was my best friend, and the only person that truly looked out for my best interest and feelings.

    Unfortunately, at the age of 73 my Grandmother and best friend passed away in the hospital after suffering so badly from her pain in the past week, and almost all of her life.  She could no longer contain herself from crying and screaming, which was the scariest moment for me, especially when I was so young and helpless, I knew something was not right, but I was far too young to understand.

    The day that my Grandmother passed away, my mom, dad, and aunt were in the hospital with her.  As she was slipping away, she made sure to grab hold of everybody's hand that was by her bedside until she was down to her last breath.  I know my Grandmother wanted to reach out for me, but I was not allowed to be there because my parents felt that it would be too hard and painful for me to witness her passing.

    At 7:30 a.m. my Grandmother passed away, and around the same time, I had a very realistic dream about being at the hospital, by her bed side, holding her hand, crying, and I remember saying "Grandma, I don't want you to go, please stay with me."  She replied saying that everything would be ok, and that she had to go to a better place, where she would no longer suffer from anymore pain.  She also reassured me that she would always look over me and protect me, and never let anything bad happen to me.

    I continued to cry, and woke up suddenly in a cold sweat with tears strolling down my eyes,  Something told me to look over at my clock and noticed it was 7:30 a.m.  I was not able to fall back asleep afterwards.  Later that day my parents called and said that my Grandmother passed away at 7:30 a.m. and that she passed away peacefully.

    I feel like it was not a coincidence, I believe my Grandmother came to say good bye to me one last time, knowing that I wanted to be by her side.  That was a great blessing for me.  Even though losing someone you love so dearly is extremely hard, just knowing that she said good bye to me,  she is no longer in pain, and that she has gone to a better place, really helped me to cope with her loss.  I am grateful for having such an amazing person in my life, she is very inspirational, and is one of my true heroes.

    This painting was inspired by knowing that my grandmother is in a beautiful, and better place, with no more sadness, sorrow, or pain any longer.

    "No More Pain for Grandma"  May You Rest in Peace.

11:30 AM 
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Friday, September 08, 2006 

Current mood:  cheerful
Category: Art and Photography
The Power of Hope

Hello MySpace Friends,  

This is one of my earlier paintings that was inspired by a time when growing up became a very painful experience.  For as long as I can remember, I was always labeled the Black Sheep of the family, and was always made to feel like I did everything wrong no matter how hard I tried to be a good person.

My family is very old fashioned, and it was frowned upon when you spoke up for what you believed in, I think this is why I was labeled bad.

I also felt that my artistic ability was never taken seriously or encouraged,because it wasnt considered to be a real career. This is why it was a struggle for me to accept my natural artistic abilities for so long.

I was very outspoken, independent, and felt that just because I was a girl, it didnt mean that I should be suppressed, so I retaliated, but sometimes to no avail. A lot of the time I felt like I was drowning in my own tears of sadness not understanding why being born a girl was so tough. If anyone even tried looking deep and hard enough into my eyes, they would see the sadness and pain that had been a part of my life for so long.

However, I never let the sadness consume me because way deep down, buried in my aching heart was a little gleaming piece of hope that I had held on to, to help me get through the pain ( thats what the flower represents ).

For many years I held on to that hope and it became more apparent when I met my husband Carlos Garcia, with his encouragement and kindness, he was able to mold me into the person I am today. I am strong, proud, smart, and talented in many way, and its all thanks to never giving up and holding on to the little piece of hope I had left in my heart.

This is the message I want to send with my painting, that no matter how hard things may seem, always hold on to hope and believe that things will get better, and before you know it, they will!

Now years later, my parents and I are much closer, we get along great and theyre more encouraging and happy for my accomplishments then ever.
 

Your comments welcomed.

Until next time....

5:02 AM 
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Friday, September 08, 2006 

Current mood:  optimistic
Category: MySpace

Scammed, or Blessing in Disguise?

Hello MySpace Friends,
 
 About 2 ½ weeks ago, I received a bulletin from what seemed to be a reliable source, asking if there were any artists that could help her friend Jennie Finch create a drawing for her MySpace profile. ( If youre on her friends list, you know exactly who Im talking about! )
 
 Since at the time I was on myspace for less than a week, this seemed to be an interesting opportunity, for me to showcase my skills, and I truly wanted to help Jennie out.
 
 So I emailed Jennie, and asked what picture she wanted a drawing of, and she replied saying that she wanted a picture of her receiving her Gold medal, since this was one of her proudest moments ( other than her son being born ) 

Here's the picture that she wanted a drawing of:

Instead of drawing the picture, I decided to paint it to capture the moment, and give the picture more life. In total the painting took about 75 hours to complete, and I even put one of my paintings on hold to do this for her.

After I finished the painting, I tried to contact Jennie to let her know her painting was done, and noticed that all 3 of her MySpace profiles were now deleted. I tried contacting her friend and shes yet to reply to me. ( Im not holding my breath waiting for a reply )

After doing some research online, I came across Jennies official website, and noticed that her website said that Jennie has never had any MySpace accounts, and that they shut down many MySpace accounts claiming to be her.

So in the end, was I scammed?

YES!

However, what did I learn from this?

1. I will never again break my rules of creating a custom painting for anybody without contacting the source on the phone, and coming up with an agreement for the painting, or custom design being created. 

2. Unfortunately, Ive learned that there are people on MySpace who may not be who they claim to be, especially with celebrity profiles.  Of course, some of you may say that this is common sense, but her profile seemed very real, the source who I got the info from is a well known super model, and her profile also seemed amazingly real.

What's the Lesson Learned?

Since I'm a very honest person, and I would never pretend to be someone Im not, I've now  learned that some people who may not be happy with themselves have to pretend to be someone theyre not, and its unfortunate, but its reality. I feel sorry for these people, because theyll never get far in life, pretending to be someone else.

Im glad that I got to learn this valuable lesson within the first 2 weeks
of being on MySpace, and Ill never make the same mistake twice.

On the bright side?

I have another painting to showcase my talents to you all, and with this painting I learned some new techniques, and a lot about myself in the process. You just cant buy these valuable lessons on eBay. :)

You never know, something positive may
still come out of this painting:



Your comments welcomed.

Have a Great Day!


12:50 AM 
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