Henry Starving Follows the White Rabbit Into the Woods

Henry Starving Following the Rabbit Into the Woods - Alex Ariza, Pen and Ink.

 

Thirty-Nine

 I turned thirty-nine in April this year. 

Growing up I never had a real plan or vision of what my life would look like in the future.

The future is here.

I had no idea I would abandon my childhood dream of being a professional artist in my thirties. 

I had no idea I would ever leave NYC.

I had no idea I would end up working remotely in the healthcare industry and making a decent salary.

I knew I would get married, I just didn't know it would be so late in life. For some reason I thought I would've gotten married at age 27, which seemed really old when I was a teenager. It makes me laugh thinking about how unprepared I was at that age for anything.

I had no idea that I would join a rowing league for recreation.

I had no idea that I would learn to play tennis.

I had no idea that I would learn to box. I didn't think I'd ever be in a fight - controlled or not - but, I did it. 

Now I have a new set of unknowns to think about:

When will my parents die?

How will they die?

When and how will any of my family members die?

How will I die?

Am I emotional strong enough to handle that level of grief?

Will my marriage last as long as I live? I hope so. 

Will I have children? How many?

If my wife cannot have children, will we adopt? Will we abandon the prospect of having children all together? 

Will I develop a chronic disease? If I do, how will I handle that?

Will I have enough saved up for retirement? According to financial projections, I should have enough, but what if external forces changes things?

Will I stay within the healthcare field indefinitely?

How much money will I be making by age 50? Can I make a million dollars before age 60?

What current beliefs do I hold inside require serious examination?

What kind of man will I be in old age?

Am I making the right career decisions or am I holding myself back? Should I be aiming for more?

If I die, what will happen to all my stuff? Note to self: create a will and testament.

Will I ever get over my past regrets? Can I learn to accept my past and look back with compassion or will I forever "cringe" at myself?

With the limited number of years left in life - roughly 31 to 51 years left what do I NEED to do?

I have never formally kept a bucket list, but maybe I should create one and complete something off that list each year.

I don't know where we go from here yet, but a plan is needed to continue.

The Beauty of Physical Media: Film Photography

 Embracing an Analog Life in a Digital World

My Re-introduction to Film Photography

My then girlfriend (now my wife) back in January 2024. This was the first photo I ever took with the Canon AE-1 Program.

There is something special about exploring old technologies and methods of creation. In an age where everyone essentially has a camera in their pocket as part of their smartphone features, photos have never felt more cheap and disposable.

Think about it, does the photo gallery on your phone have the same feel and preciousness as the family photo album? I personally do not think so.

In January 2024, I picked up film photography. I started with my humble Canon Sureshot point-and-shoot camera that I purchased in Ann Arbor Michigan in 2012. After shooting a few rolls on that camera, I decided to upgrade to an SLR.

Cliche as hell and blurry to boot - but you can see my Canon Sureshot point-and-shoot camera in this shot. 

I ended up choosing something simple and affordable, the Canon AE-1 Program. This camera was released in 1981, just six years before I was born. It still shoots like a champ. 

Shooting with my Canon AE-1 Program.

I love shooting with the Canon SLR. I love hunting down and collecting the Canon FD lenses in different focal lengths. Photography sparked something in me that I did not feel in a while - being a beginner and learning a new skill set. 

The Inherent Beauty of Film

Film is gorgeous. The texture of grain so kicks the crap out of pixels. I love trying out different film stocks and learning what they can and can't handle well. The color grading and value dynamics of film are so different from digital cameras. So much fun.

Wintertime in Highland Park, Rochester, NY. Alex Ariza, 2024. Expired Kodak Gold 200.

Village Gate, Neighborhood of the Arts. Alex Ariza, 2024. Expired Kodak Gold 200.

Lamberton Conservatory, Highland Park, Rochester, NY. Alex Ariza, 2024. Expired Kodak Gold 200.

Hungerford Building Train Yard at Night. Alex Ariza, 2024. Expired Kodak Gold 200.

The Organ at Christ Church, Downtown Rochester, NY. Alex Ariza, 2024. Expired Kodak Gold 200.

 

First National Bank of Rochester, Downtown Rochester, NY. Alex Ariza, 2024. Expired Kodak Gold 200.

Vacant Buildings on the Corner of Clinton and Main, Rochester, NY. Alex Ariza, 2024. Expired Kodak Gold 200.

Discovering the Magic of Film Photography

In 2012, I took a trip with my cousin to Ann Arbor, MI, to visit my brother, who was studying musical theater at the University of Michigan. During this visit, on a whim, I purchased an old point-and-shoot film camera for $15.00 at a thrift shop.

I'm not sure why I decided to purchase this camera.

In 2007, while attending the Fashion Institute of Technology for illustration, part of our coursework included a photography class. It was my first time shooting with an SLR camera, and I was terrible at it. I couldn't grasp the relationship between f-stops and aperture speed. This ignorance led to rolls of poorly exposed and blurry photos.

As a broke college student, the constant disappointment of coughing up cash to develop film and getting bad photos in return was painful. It was a hit to my ego and my wallet. 

This class was happening when digital cameras were becoming more commonplace. Getting instant feedback on whether your photos came out well or not was the new norm. The mystery of film photography did not enchant me. It felt like another antiquated class pushed onto us by the school that refused to change with the times.

When I returned to NYC from Michigan, I decided to begin shooting with the newly acquired camera. Around that time, a close friend of mine had purchased a DSLR camera. We went to Forest Park to test out our cameras and eye for photography.

My Canon point-and-shoot camera was loaded with Kodak Gold 200, a color film. After finishing that roll, I loaded it up with a black-and-white film left over from my photography class in college.

After that outing, I never had them developed.

Fast forward twelve years to January 2024, and I've been living in Rochester, NY, since the summer of 2021. I was rummaging through a cardboard box of my belongings in the hopes of downsizing possessions I no longer wanted. 

The box contained tools, scrap material, tchotchkes, and other oddities I collected over the years. At 37 years, I pulled out the Canon point-and-shoot camera, now curious about the images I took when I was 25. I had forgotten what was even on these rolls of film.

I needed to find out.

I searched online to see if any businesses developed film and came across Scott's Photo by Rowe right off of East Avenue in the Neighborhood of the Arts. 

When the film scans came back, I was hit with a massive wave of nostalgia. My family members, friends, and I looked so young in these long-forgotten photos. My childhood home in Richmond Hill looked foreign - the furniture, the color of the walls, the layout - everything was different. 

The photos came out well-exposed and clear for the most part. There were some blurry photos, but even those had a certain charm to them.

This photo was taken in Forest Park in September 2012, about a month before Hurricane Sandy.

In 2012, the MTA was repainting the elevated trains throughout the five boroughs.
This was along Jamaica Avenue near the 104th Street Station.

Getting some artsy fartsy photos walking along some abandoned railroad tracks in Woodhaven, Queens, NY. 

Playing with perspective and the contrast of man-made structures against nature.

My friend Ken Ghani walking the tracks in Forest Park.

Tree Tumor

Young 25-year-old Alex shooting a self-portrait.

ROBONAM - Inked Drawings by Alex Ariza 2012

 

ROBONAM, Ink on Paper, Alex Ariza, 2012

ROBONAM, Ink on Paper, Alex Ariza, 2012

ROBONAM | Illustrations of Robots Warfare by Alex Ariza 2011

ROBONAM - Sketch of Robot Soldiers standing guard, Alex Ariza 2011

ROBONAM - "Robot Down!" Sketch of robot soldiers carrying away a damaged soldier, Alex Ariza 2011

ROBONAM - Splash Page of Weapons, Alex Ariza 2011

ROBONAM - Abstract line drawing of metal structures, Alex Ariza 2011

ROBONAM - Sketch of robot soldiers loading up a medical evacuation helicopter of their fallen robot compatriot, Alex Ariza 2011

ROBONAM - Line drawing of robot falling, Alex Ariza 2011

ROBONAM - Vector Art of Robot Exploding From Behind, Alex Ariza, 2011

ROBONAM - Dead Clanker, Alex Ariza 2011

Contemporary Paintings of Mayan Masks by Alex Ariza 2009

 

Mayan Bat Mask, Acrylic Painting on Board 12 x 12 inches, Alex Ariza 2009

This painting presents a stylized bat mask rendered in warm earth reds similar to terracotta pottery and sculptures, and ochres against a contrasting cool blue ground, evoking a visual language of ancient Mesoamerican sculpture. In Mayan art and mythology, the bat was a powerful and complex symbol, most often associated with death, the underworld, sacrifice, and transformation. Bats symbolized darkness, night, and the boundary between life and death. The ancient Mayans believed passing through darkness (the underworld) was necessary for renewal, fertility, and cosmic balance.

Golden Mayan Mask, Acrylic Paint on Board 12 x 12 inches, Alex Ariza 2009

This painting depicts a stylized Mesoamerican ceremonial mask rendered in luminous golds and ambers, floating against a rich violet background. The Maya viewed gold as a material closely associated with the sun, and gold objects were often described as the “excrement of the sun” or “sweat of the sun,” emphasizing their sacred origin. Gold was used for ceremonial masks, headdresses, nose ornaments, ear spools, and chest plates to signify a person’s role as a mediator between the human and divine realms.

Jade Mayan Mask, Acrylic Paint on Board 12 x 12 inches, Alex Ariza 2009

This painting presents a ceremonial mask made from jade, rendered in cool blue-green tones and set against a vivid red background. The face is frontal, symmetrical, and architectonic, built from rounded geometric forms that echo carved stone and polished mineral. Jade was considered a sacred material in much of Mesoamerica, associated with life force, breath, water, fertility, and regeneration. The saturated red background suggests blood, sacrifice, and vital energy, intensifying the tension between life and death. 

Wooden Mayan Mask, Acrylic Paint on Board 12 x 12 inches, Alex Ariza 2009

This painting of a wooden monkey head features bright red and orange wooden textures against a bright green background for contrast. Mayan creation mythology described monkeys as failed attempts by the gods to craft humans. Monkeys represented the mischievous and creative sides of human nature. They symbolized scribes, the arts, drinking, and dancing.

Making Linocut Prints for Band Merchandise - Coral

 

Linocut Prints for the band, Coral - 5 x 7 inches, Alex Ariza 2025

Linocut Printmaking Process

Everything begins with a sketch. 

Graphite Drawing of a Woman with Coral Growing Out of Her Head, 5 x 7 inches, Alex Ariza 2025

This graphite drawing combines a woman's head and the organic shapes of coral growing out of her head and eyes. The background is darkly shaded pushing the lighter face forward and enhances the dreamlike, submerged feeling.

Drawing of a Woman with Coral Growing Out of Her Head, 5 x 7 inches, Alex Ariza 2025

The next step is inking the graphite drawing to get an idea of the values using only black and white. Gray tones are created by hatching the line work closer or farther apart from each other. For maximum impact, the face is left pure white against the black background. 

The next phase is to transfer the drawing on to the linoblock. For this, I covered the back of the drawing with a layer of graphite. The line drawing is then transferred on the block. With a Sharpie marker I fill in the drawing on the linoblock. 

Carved Linocut Block for the Band Coral by Alex Ariza 2025

Then I carve out whatever should remain white and leave whatever is to hold ink and be printed black.

Linocut Prints for the band, Coral by Alex Ariza 2025

Drawing Under the Influence - Pastel Drawings by Alex Ariza, 2022 - 2024

The Toilet Bowl at Elmwood Manor, Soft Pastel on Canson Paper 12 x 16 inches, Alex Ariza Art 2022 

This carefully rendered pastel drawing of the artist's bathroom features neutral colors, browns and grays to capture the mundane nature of the subject matter. The viewer is looking downward and sees a corner of a bathtub and shower curtain on the left hand side of the image and the toilet bowl with the seat down. To the right you can see a toilet paper roll and above a window with blue hues suggesting a nighttime scene. The artist's sense of humor comes through with this scene as the viewer cannot help but ask, what's in the bowl? 

The Artist's Shoerack, Soft Pastel on Canson Paper 12 x 16 inches, Alex Ariza Art 2022

This loosely drawn pastel sketch shows an assortment of boots and sneakers on the artist's shoerack. The minimal use of color and brisk marks capture the scene with a sense of immediacy and recklessness. 

The Kitchen at Elmwood Manor, Soft Pastel on Canson Paper, Alex Ariza Art 2022

This carefully rendered pastel drawing of the artist's kitchen features a brightly lit kitchen with a chair pulled out from the table alongside an open dishwasher. This drawing captures the warm light and colors of the mundane in a specific moment in time. 

The Hallway at Elmwood Manor is a Liminal Space, Soft Pastel on Canson Paper 12 x 16 inches, Alex Ariza, 2022

This minimally drawn hallway captures the eerie quality of sitting at the end of a dark hallway with two closed doors. The viewer is left to question where these doors may lead. This is a quiet scene with muted limited colors leaving the viewer with a sense of unease and mystery.

Capturing the Light in the Living Room, Soft Pastel on Canson Paper 12 x 16 inches, Alex Ariza, 2022

This pastel drawing shows a lamp on a table. At the far right, a window with a blue hue suggests that it is nighttime. The artist is up late staring at light reflected off the walls. In the foreground, a rack of guitars are loosely drawing next to the table.

Bathroom Living Room Split, Soft Pastel on Canson Paper 12 x 16 inches, Alex Ariza, 2022

Portrait of Abuelita Rosa, Soft Pastel on Canson Paper 12 x 16 inches, Alex Ariza 2023

The Meadow at Genesee Valley Park, Rochester NY, Plein Air Soft Pastel Drawing on 12 x 16 inch Canson Paper, Alex Ariza 2022

The Back Loading Dock of the Memorial Art Gallery, Plein Air Soft Pastel Drawing on Canson paper 12 x 16 inches, Alex Ariza, 2024

This pastel drawing of the Memorial Art Gallery in Rochester, NY captures the light from the sun setting. The verdant garden behind the museum covers the left side of the drawing. The walls of the building show the sharp contrast between the lit planes and the walls covered in a blue tinted shadow.