Annexation (basic history, current society)

Let´s scratch the sensible parts...Don´t take it very seriously. Although I wouldn´t say this is (or was) completely untrue.

Latvian Society stamps (Part 2)

Yes! Let´s carry on with this funny series mocking about latvian behaviour and society. Here come the next ones!

The first one is, probably, the stamp which has the deepest meaning of all them. The cat´s sentence has latvian and russian words referencing the mixing society (and persons) of latvian and russian population (remind that almost half of the population is russian origin). And another thing the stamp is referencing is the not very good service that Riga´s public transport offers which is...it can be sometimes very slow and unpredictable. Also, and most important, express the rudeness of a lot of people.

The next one is a mock about the main (and only) car trademark in the soviet ages whose cars where being marketed. So, in previous years you only saw Lada cars running on latvian roads. Similar as you only saw SEAT 600 in like most of the francoist years in Spain during Franco Regiment. The same, and with the same I mean that you could see some Renaults or Citroën aswell, so in Latvia you could see SAABs too.

Ok...the left image is very serious, just like most of the faces you see when you are walking around. Worst of all, this cat makes you jinx just with its staring.

The right image it´s a bit random, but not for that is less real...you can perceive some filtring occasionally.

The upper stamp talks about some persons (usually old ladies) who are watching the street from her window like if there was something wrong in there. Oh yeah, this happens everywhere...but here (I mean, in...in this country) is usual in young population too, oddly.

And the last one is about an old friend seen before. Remember the cat from "Such a lonely day" stamp? He´s back! and he has had another lonely day! So, damnit! Let´s forget the time and pities and let´s drink some typical alcoholic drinks! Here, it´s very popular the balsam, a drink which has an average alcohol level.

Latvian society Stamps (Part 1)

As the main tag is from another country is much better to write in some more "international" language. This is a series coming from my experience in another country (you will guess what country is as you are checking the work) about its society´s behaviour and one very interesting note I noted (I love redundancies)  in the urban lands from there: there were A LOT OF feral cats roaming in the streets. So I decided to make a serie relating the alley cats theme with some mocking society things.

Note: this has been made with only humorous prupourse, not to offend anyone. Don´t take it bad; and by the way, if I would make something similar about my country I could make TONS of quirky things that people usually do there.

So, let´s begin:

The first stamp, the one about the sad cat ("kaķis" is "cat" in latvian) is a pun about how Latvia has a sadly report for being a country with a high suicide rate, thus meaning that there are not precisely very few people in depressions or very unhappy with their lifes.

The second one it´s about how some (I mean, enough to attract the attention to me) persons are not very social (even antisocial) and prefer to hide in their own loneliness rather to...phew, rather to just show a nicer face!

These two stamps takes the same meaning: the shyness. There is shyness out there. And in big doses. Or selfishness, probably (then, we could find a reason why so much depression)!

The next pair are about other things. The first one is about how some neighbors are not very happy with strangers...and about the faces they make, you are not sure if they are angry with you or just they are acting normal, as they usually are. I have to say, however, that the meaning of the stamp I´m talking about ("You are in the wrong neighborhood Motherfu**r") fits MUCH more in Spain: all Latvia is rather safer than most of the cities of Spain; just an example: if you stay in the gipsy neighborhood(s) of Murcia (and that´s a city of only 400k inhabitants) for long time you will get surely some guys with the same faces as we see in the cats and saying basicaly the same (and you doing nothing, just staying there). And, yeah, it´s not racism because it´s a gipsy neighborhood (means that most of its population it´s gipsy, not all) but it´s the truth that you cannot go there safely.

The lower one it´s again about the depressions and sadness, holding hands with the loneliness.

There is another part coming. Tomorrow surely.

And more "El Miserere" thingies

This turn goes for the cover parts:

More "El Miserere" artworks

This time in black and white tones

More "El Miserere" project art

The following illustrations are small size paintings made for inner pages:

Miserere Illustrations

From the famous (at least at national levels) tale adapted by Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer of a mysterious musician pleading for the divine forgiveness by looking for the most beautiful miserere (or song). Project to illustrate this tale in a more "for all ages" way. These are cover and front´s final sketches: