iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Josh @josh.aguayo.ca · 20/09/2026

Painted for my grandmother's house. Inspired by Yahuarcocha, a famous lake in Ecuador. Its name translates to "Lake of Blood". Oil on canvas. #art #oilpainting

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Josh @josh.aguayo.ca · 08/08/2026

An otherworldly visitor from the garden.

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Josh @josh.aguayo.ca · 03/11/2025

A landscape I painted as a wedding gift. 40x60cm. Alkyd & Oil on cotton canvas. #art #oilpainting

Mountain landscape painting featuring snow-capped peaks rising above a tranquil lake, with misty atmosphere in blue and gray tones, evergreen forest in the middle ground, and flowering shrubs with yellow blooms in the foreground; two birds fly in the upper right sky.

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Josh @josh.aguayo.ca · 26/10/2025

I wanted to try painting with CMYK and I tested out this "Alkyd Butter" I got from Kama Pigments for the texture. It worked great, but I didn't read the 'alkyd' part. 😅 It makes paint dry much faster so it only really makes sense to use it in the base layer or wet on wet. #art #oilpainting

"Winterhome"

40x30, Oil over Alkyd on Cotton Canvas.

Oil painting of a misty mountain landscape with snow-capped jagged peaks, a prominent dark summit emitting smoke under a blue cloudy sky, and a green valley in the foreground.

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Josh @josh.aguayo.ca · 24/10/2025

Just in case you thought I'm a serious artist. "Fuerte Hermosura", inspired by Squidward's art. Oil on Oak Wood, A4. #art #oilpainting #spongebob

A minimalist oil painting depicts a simplified blue figure striding confidently against a pale yellow-green background. The figure, rendered in varying shades of turquoise and teal, features an elongated ovoid head, thin limbs, and an expressively upturned posture suggesting purposeful movement from left to right across the canvas. The brushwork is loose and gestural, with visible strokes creating texture throughout the composition. A subtle shadow beneath the figure grounds it spatially. The painting demonstrates economy of form through its reduction of recognizable character features to essential geometric shapes while maintaining dynamic energy through asymmetrical positioning and forward-leaning momentum. The artist's signature appears in white in the lower left corner.

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Josh @josh.aguayo.ca · 23/10/2025

An architectural sketch in ink for #inktober #art

Pen and ink architectural sketch showing a three-story residential building viewed from a neighboring rooftop. The foreground features a peaked roof with horizontal siding and vertical wooden fence panels. A street lamp rises between the structures. The background building has a textured, stippled facade suggesting brick or stucco, with multiple windows on each floor and vegetation growing at ground level. A tall, smooth-sided high-rise building appears partially on the right edge. The drawing uses line work and cross-hatching to create depth and texture in an urban residential setting.

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Josh @josh.aguayo.ca · 13/10/2025

I made some Rimworld fan art. "Insufficient taming skill" 24x32cm, watercolor and ink on paper. #art #watercolor #rimworld

“Insufficient taming skill”

On this watercolor painting, a thrumbo stands on a plain near a distant treeline while a shuttle descends across the Jugust sky. In the lower right, the severed middle third of a colonist in normal cloth pants lie in a spreading pool of blood. The thrumbo placidly looks upwards.

This image relates to Jay attempting to tame a wild thrumbo outside the colony of Blue Cat Den on the 6th of Jugust, 5503. The beast turned manhunter; Jay was separated from most of his limbs. The style is watery and impressionistic, and the composition forms a triangle between the legs, the thrumbo, and the shuttle. If you squint, the cloud resembles a sleeping muffalo.

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Josh @josh.aguayo.ca · 13/10/2025

Hi! I made this watercolor about the first time I tried to tame a thrumbo!

“Insufficient taming skill”

On this piece, a colossal thrumbo stands on a flat plain near a distant treeline while a burning ship chunk streaks across the Jugust sky. In the lower right, the severed legs of a colonist in linen cloth pants lie in a spreading pool of blood. The thrumbo looks away, triumphant.

This image relates to Jay attempting to tame a wild thrumbo outside the colony of Blue Cat Den on the 6th of Jugust, 5503. The beast turned manhunter; Hu turned into two problems. The style is watery and impressionistic, and the composition forms a triangle between the legs, the thrumbo, and the falling debris. If you squint, the cloud resembles a sleeping muffalo.

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Josh @josh.aguayo.ca · 26/09/2025

"Puchis and her claw", 30x40, oil paint on cotton canvas. I usually do the whiskers by scratching on the panel with a knife. I usually paint on wood... 😮‍💨 #art #pet #cat #oilpainting

Oil painting of a fluffy white calico cat, a Persian with tan and gray patches and a pink collar, lit by cool blue light and staring forward with a stern expression. Her name is Pu his.

She stands on a brown floor against a very dark blue-black background; a rich purple curtain hangs on the right, leaving most of the scene in shadow.

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Josh @josh.aguayo.ca · 23/09/2025

The surface is glossy, and I still haven't figured out how to minimize the reflections for the picture. "Bunnisattva", 40x30cm, oil on cotton canvas. #art #oilpainting

Oil painting of a nocturnal scene. A blue-violet rabbit at lower left gazes toward a small tree near center whose trunk glows warm gold with a horrified grimace, casting a pale halo on the ground.

The canopy is teal-blue with scattered pink fruits, while the surrounding sky and landscape recede into deep indigo, creating a quiet, magical atmosphere with soft, painterly brushstrokes.

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Josh @josh.aguayo.ca · 19/09/2025

Really interesting paper on *How people use ChatGPT*. Turns out the use-cases that you hear the most buzz about: Images, fiction, 'creative ideation', coding... are some of its least common uses. This is the paper by OpenAI, and Ars Technica has a great breakdown too! www.nber.org/system/files...

Screen capture of a table: A breakdown of use cases pulled from OpenAI's recent paper on 'How people use ChatGPT'. Of note, Fiction writing is 1.6% of cases, image generation is 4.2%.

It is as if the drama around these specific topics were a guerrilla marketing scheme meant to over-hype products so that venture capital investors will put down more money.

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Josh @josh.aguayo.ca · 18/09/2025

A study of light with Gengar. A4, Acrylics on Paper. #pokemon #art

Acrylic painting of the Pokémon Gengar emerging from a dark, moonlit night. The purple, spiky ghost grins with sharp red-orange eyes, one arm flinging out a small pink ghostly flame. A pale lilac oval of light pools on the green ground beneath, with misty shadows and a thin crescent moon in the upper-right corner.

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Josh @josh.aguayo.ca · 17/09/2025

I paint pokemon when I'm not feeling great. "Umbreon is lost" Acrylic on paper, A4 #pokemon #art

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Josh @josh.aguayo.ca · 02/09/2025

Final sketch probably! The last two had the correct fur pattern too. She's a Persian with a calico pattern. #art #sketch #animal

Fluffy persian cat in front of a window and a curtain.

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Josh @josh.aguayo.ca · 02/09/2025

Another attempt, miscalculated the size. #art #sketch #cat

Charcoal sketch of a fluffy persian cat, in front of a window.

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Josh @josh.aguayo.ca · 01/09/2025

I'm planning a bigger painting, so I'm trying some sketches for the composition. #art #sketch #pet

Charcoal sketch of a front‑facing, fluffy persian cat with a bow tie and long curled whiskers, seated on floorboards; diagonal hatched background and a tall curtain-like shape at right.

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Josh @josh.aguayo.ca · 29/08/2025

Somewhat painted from life. This one is called: "I'm normal" 8x8in, oil on canvas on wood. #art #oilpainting

This oil painting depicts a two-story suburban house rendered in a style with visible brushstrokes and simplified forms. The composition features a cream or beige-colored house with a dark gray roof set against a vibrant blue sky. The building includes multiple blue-framed windows arranged vertically on the main facade.

The architectural structure demonstrates a mixed composition, incorporating both the main two-story section and a smaller single-story addition or porch area with its own triangular roof element on the right side. The foreground presents a green ground plane suggesting lawn or landscaping, while the background maintains the consistent blue tonality of the sky.

The color palette remains limited, utilizing primarily blues, earth tones, and greens to create a cohesive domestic scene.

Did you know some projective tests ask you to draw a house as a means to gain additional information about your personality?

Contrary to popular belief. These projective tests are actually validated just like regular objective testing: by comparing the results to other batteries of objective tests that measure the same thing.

After numberless iterations you can confirm or deny of they are measuring the same thing or not, and therefore validate a test!

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Josh @josh.aguayo.ca · 22/08/2025

This is a miniature my mom sent me. I painted it. The original is from the 18th Century, a Mary that is winged and dancing, symbol of the City of Quito: *La Inmaculada de Legarda* I'll tell you about the symbolism in the alt text. #art #miniature #painting

A small polychromatic sculpture of the Virgen de Quito positioned on a work surface surrounded by art supplies. The figure depicts a winged Virgin Mary with large spread wings, wearing blue and red robes, standing atop a crescent moon base. Beneath her feet lies a defeated serpent or demon figure with chains. The Virgin has a serene facial expression and wears a radiating crown or halo. The sculpture shows signs of paint application or restoration work, with visible color variations and textures throughout the piece.

This representation exemplifies the religious syncretism of colonial Ecuador, where indigenous Andean cosmology merged with Spanish Catholic theology. The prominent wings reference both the apocalyptic woman of Revelation 12 and the Andean condor, which serves as a celestial messenger connecting earthly and divine realms.

The defeated serpent beneath represents the biblical triumph over evil while potentially incorporating indigenous concepts of Pachamama and the Incan underworld.

The crescent moon base symbolizes Marian purity within Catholic tradition while acknowledging the central role of lunar cycles in pre-Columbian Andean agricultural and religious practices.

The blue and red garments follow traditional Marian color symbolism while echoing pre-Columbian textile traditions.

This iconography emerged from the Quito School of colonial art, where indigenous and mestizo craftsmen developed techniques allowing subtle incorporation of native symbolic systems within Catholic imagery, creating devotional art that functioned as a bridge between spiritual traditions.

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Josh @josh.aguayo.ca · 21/08/2025

I got bit by a few mosquitoes while taking these pictures. They don't listen, drunk on the arrogance of summer.

A panoramic landscape view showing a multi-layered urban-to-rural transition under a dramatic evening sky. In the foreground, residential houses with varied architectural styles are nestled among dense green trees and foliage. The middle portion features an expansive forest canopy extending across rolling hills.

On the distant horizon, several high-rise apartment or office buildings emerge from the treeline, creating a stark contrast between natural and urban environments. Above, a spectacular cloud formation dominates the pale blue sky, with cumulus clouds illuminated in soft pink and orange hues, suggesting golden hour lighting.

The composition emphasizes the relationship between residential, natural, and urban spaces within what appears to be a metropolitan area's suburban fringe.

An elevated cityscape photograph showcasing a major metropolitan downtown skyline viewed from a suburban vantage point during golden hour.

The background features a dense cluster of high-rise buildings and skyscrapers of varying heights, architectural styles, and materials, creating a substantial urban core silhouetted against a pale evening sky with scattered wispy clouds.

The middle ground reveals an extensive residential area characterized by mature tree canopy that nearly obscures the underlying neighborhood structures, punctuated by a prominent concrete retaining wall or sound barrier running horizontally across the frame.

The immediate foreground displays lush green vegetation, including tall grasses and shrubs, suggesting the photograph was taken from a hillside or elevated park area.

The lighting conditions create a soft, atmospheric quality typical of late afternoon or early evening photography, with the urban skyline appearing in muted tones against the lighter sky.

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Josh @josh.aguayo.ca · 08/08/2025

I forgot I bought salmon last time I went shopping and I have nothing else. So I've been eating salmon every other day this week, and I think I finally got the timing down for a great fluffy yet crispy salmon.

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Josh @josh.aguayo.ca · 29/07/2025

A study from life. This little cutting lost all its leaves at some point: I put it in dirt too soon and too suddenly. But I managed to nurse it back to health! I thought painting it would be fun and a good apology. 'Cutting', A4, Oil on Oak Wood #art #oilpainting

A realistic oil painting depicts a glass jar of water sitting on a dark surface against a soft, light blue-gray background. Three green leaves that join to form a single stem, a cutting, emerge from the jar, their forms slightly drooping.

The jar is rendered with transparent and reflective qualities, showing subtle highlights and distortions from the water inside. The leaves display gentle shading and vein details, while the entire composition is calm and minimalistic, with visible brushstrokes and a soft, diffused light.

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Josh @josh.aguayo.ca · 25/07/2025

Guide: So in these columns here at the Art Commons building they used a special type of limestone. If you look closely, there are fossils in it! Me: I'm sorry what? Guide: Fossils. Me: What do you— There are Fossils in it! I think it's so weird. It's my first time seeing fossils outside a museum.

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Josh @josh.aguayo.ca · 24/07/2025

This is a monochrome self-portrait. Red was the last color of the set. I was trying to use them all since this set was water-mixable and I didn't want to mix it with the rest of my regular paints. 'Cyclothymia', 8x10in, oil on canvas on wood #art #oilpainting

An oil painting portrait of a person with short, tousled hair wearing large, dark sunglasses and a dark jacket over a high-collared shirt.

The entire painting is executed in shades of red, with the background, face, and clothing all blending together through expressive, textured brushstrokes.

The sunglasses and hair are rendered in deeper, almost blackish reds, while the face is lighter but still predominantly red. The figure’s features are suggested more than precisely defined, giving the painting a bold, stylized, and somewhat abstract quality.

The brushwork is loose and energetic, especially in the hair and clothing, while the background is a flat, solid red.

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Josh @josh.aguayo.ca · 23/07/2025

"Overwhelming" 8x8in, Oil on canvas on wood #art #oilpainting

A rectangular oil painting features a vivid, textured red background that fills the entire canvas. At the center, a roughly human figure emerges, rendered in smeared whites, grays, and blacks, with distinct horizontal brush strokes and areas of scraped paint.

The figure appears to be raising one arm above its head and extending the other outward. The figure’s edges are blurred and indistinct, blending into the red background, creating a ghostly, almost ethereal effect.

The painting’s surface shows visible brush marks and variations in the thickness of the paint, emphasizing the tactile quality of the medium.

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Josh @josh.aguayo.ca · 18/07/2025

A quick study of one of my homemade candles. I wasn't super sure about these little prepared panels when I got them, but they feel great to paint on and don't soak in the oil! They were on sale too, so it was a great deal all things considered. 'Beeswax', 8x8, oil on canvas on wood. #art

An oil painting depicts a single candle in a glass holder, its flame softly glowing at the center of the composition. Loose, expressive brushstrokes in muted yellows, greens, and ochres suggest the flickering light and the gentle illumination of its surroundings. The background is dark, rendered in layered strokes of deep grey and black, contrasting with the candle’s pale, creamy tones. Hints of yellow and pink near the flame evoke the warmth and movement of candlelight.

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Josh @josh.aguayo.ca · 15/07/2025

This is a study from life (the tree) using a limited palette of only Lemon Yellow, Vermillion Hue, Ivory Black (Instead of Blue) and White. 'The page of swords' 20x20cm (8² in). Oil on canvas, on wood. I really like that tree. I call it Jerry. I've see it change colors over the seasons. #art

This oil painting depicts a solitary tree with thick, textured yellow-green foliage standing on the edge of a rocky cliff. The brushstrokes are expressive and impasto, particularly in the leaves, giving a sense of movement and depth. The background is rendered in soft, muted earth tones with a hazy, pastel sky that transitions from light pink near the horizon to grayish-green above. The cliff descends steeply toward a pale, setting Sun.

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Josh @josh.aguayo.ca · 12/07/2025

It was tricky to get you a clear picture of this one because of the glare. But I have a larger painting in mind and it includes snakes! So I wanted to paint one, particularly because I'm not sure how to paint the scales yet. "Crossroads". A4, Oil on Oak Wood Panel #oilpainting #fantasy #art

Oil painting depicting a dramatic, dark cavern scene. On the left, a massive, serpentine snake with mottled green-grey scales and a striking green eye looms, its head lowered menacingly toward the foreground. Its tongue flicks out in the direction of a small, hooded human figure on the right, who holds a bright torch that casts a warm, golden glow against the snake’s face and the surrounding shadows. The background is murky and indistinct, evoking a sense of depth and foreboding within the cave. A smaller snake can be seen moving towards a glowing pool of water in the background. The brushwork is expressive, with visible texture adding to the atmosphere of tension and mystery.

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Josh @josh.aguayo.ca · 10/07/2025

I took some Summer pictures for you, even if I'm not a big fan of it. #photography

A dirt path curves gently to the right through a wooded area. Dense deciduous trees with bright green foliage line both sides of the trail, creating a natural canopy overhead. Tall grass grows along the path edges. The sky is clear blue with minimal clouds visible through gaps in the tree cover. Dappled sunlight creates shadows across the unpaved trail surface.

A residential street intersection featuring a geometric concrete sign reading "PEAK" mounted in an orange metal frame. The sign stands on a grass median strip between the sidewalk and asphalt road. Behind the sign, residential homes are visible, including a dark-colored two-story house on the left. Mature evergreen and deciduous trees frame the neighborhood scene. The sky displays dramatic cloud formations with a large circular opening revealing blue sky. Power lines cross horizontally through the upper portion of the image.

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Josh @josh.aguayo.ca · 03/07/2025

I've been making a few sketches for a new painting, this is the latest one.

Charcoal sketch of a gigant snake inside a cave, illuminated the torch of an explorer that we see only as a dark silhouette.

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Josh @josh.aguayo.ca · 30/06/2025

"Silence", Oil on Oak Wood, A4. #oilpainting #art

This oil painting depicts a dramatic mountainous landscape rendered predominantly in various shades of blue, creating a monochromatic composition that evokes either twilight or moonlit conditions. The artist has employed bold, visible brushstrokes throughout the work, giving the piece a textured, expressive quality characteristic of post-impressionist or expressionist techniques.

The composition features multiple mountain peaks of varying heights arranged across the canvas, with the most prominent peak positioned toward the right side of the image. These mountains display steep, angular faces that catch and reflect light, creating areas of lighter blue and white highlighting against the deeper blue shadows. The brushwork follows the natural contours and geological formations of the mountainous terrain, with directional strokes that emphasize the vertical thrust of the peaks and the flowing lines of the ridges.

Above the mountain range, the night sky is painted in deep ultramarine blue with visible texture from the paint application. A distinctive element appears in the upper left portion of the sky—a bright streak or celestial object that could represent a comet: rendered in lighter tones that stand out against the dark firmament.

The overall atmospheric quality of the painting suggests either the blue hour of twilight or a moonlit nocturnal scene, with the monochromatic blue palette unifying the entire composition while creating depth through tonal variations. The artist's signature appears to be visible in the lower left corner of the canvas.

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Josh @josh.aguayo.ca · 24/06/2025

I got these new oil sticks and charcoals for sketching, so I spent some time paying around with them today. #art #sketching

The sketch depicts a figure in a dynamic pose with one leg extended forward and arms raised. The character wears form-fitting clothing in of a harlequin and it's head displays a mask covering a mass of blackness. The figure is rendered in charcoal or graphite using cross-hatching techniques.

The drawing is framed by heavy diagonal shading that creates an enclosed space around the central figure. Line work varies from bold strokes for the main form to lighter marks for details and texture. The composition emphasizes movement through the figure's animated posture and gestural drawing style.

This charcoal sketch depicts a surreal landscape scene. In the upper portion, tall vertical forms rendered with loose, expressive strokes.

The central focus is a large stylized face with prominent spiral eyes and exaggerated features. Flowing organic shapes surround the figure, they suggest a whispering devil.

The drawing employs various tonal values from light sketches to deep blacks, creating a dynamic composition that combines realistic drawing techniques with fantastical imagery. The work appears to be executed in a sketchbook using charcoal on white paper.

A rrrrrat drawing, in charcoal and black oil stick, it looks playfully at the viewer.

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Josh @josh.aguayo.ca · 19/06/2025

I love Calgary and its sunny parks, but did no one consider these black metal benches would turn into nut-roasters in the midday sun? 🤣

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Josh @josh.aguayo.ca · 17/06/2025

I got inspired by Bob Ross to paint some mountains and it was pain. I wiped this panel clean 5 times. FIVE. 😓 "Lost" A4, oil paints on oak wood panel. #oilpainting #fantasy #landscape #art

This oil painting depicts a dramatic canadian winter scene rendered in monochromatic tones of gray, black, and white. The composition features snow-covered mountain peaks that dominate the middle and right portions of the canvas, their jagged forms created with bold, expressive brushstrokes that emphasize the raw power of the mountainous terrain.

The sky occupies the upper portion of the painting and appears heavy with storm clouds, painted with vertical brushwork that suggests falling snow or rain. Two gigant humanoid shadows can be seen in silhouette against a reddish sky.

In the foreground at the bottom of the composition, several tiny dark figures are visible against the snow-covered ground, appearing as mere specks that emphasize the vast scale of the mountain landscape. These travelers, are rendered with just a few dark brushstrokes but effectively communicate the human presence within this imposing natural environment. The snow-covered ground is painted with horizontal brushstrokes in varying shades of gray and white, suggesting the undulating terrain of the mountain base.

The painting's texture is particularly notable, with visible brushstrokes throughout that create a sense of movement and energy. The artist's technique emphasizes the harsh, unforgiving nature of the mountainous environment while maintaining an ethereal quality through the interplay of light and humanoid shadows beyond the snow-covered peaks.

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Josh @josh.aguayo.ca · 15/06/2025

I've been more technical than usual with this portrait, so I thought I could show you the process. Each picture is a point where I took a break, with details in the alt text. It's 90% complete. I need to wait for it to dry before I glaze the eyes and shadows. #oilpainting #pet #portrait #art

(1)

Here I'm using heavily diluted Burnt Umber and a purple mix of Ultramarine Blue and Alizarin Crimson to block in the major areas of the painting.

I'm using a lot of pure odorless mineral spirits as medium at this point and my main goal is to cover the canvas in paint using the directional strokes to represent the hair and add volume.

You can also see I'm still deciding on the last details around composition and colors.

(2)

By this point I have premixed three slightly different grays: A base gray for the midtones, a lighter-paler version for the highlights and a darker-cooler gray for the shadows.

Here I'm using those three colors (technically I'm using the underpainting Burnt Umber as a 4th tone) to give shape to Grizzly and define what's in light and what's in shadow.

This part is done when I can step back to the other end of the room and still read the basic shapes just through light and shadow.

For this layer I generously diluted my oil paint with a 50/50 medium of equal parts Odorless Mineral Spirits and Linseed oil.

(3)

Now I'm mixing the three premixed grays on my palette to get all the intermediate tones I need to blend in the different planes of her body (which is mainly muscles! It was accidentally a great anatomy study).

Here I also start being more loose and just adding marks instinctively rather than thoughtfully.

I start "vibes painting" you could say. Lol

Here I also decide that the violet background is a no go and opt to make it pure Ultramarine Blue. This vibrant blue works nicely as a contrast for Grizzly's warm grays, however, pure blue was TOO vibrant. Canvas-mixing some burnt umber brought the background down to a manageable level while adding an interesting aetherial texture.

This layer I'm still using the 50/50 mix medium, but only a little, just enough to make the paint runny.

(4)

Here I'm cleaning up a little bit more, adding more details and more vibe painting to make the shapes, specially around her snout, a bit easier to read.

I also did some cleanup with the anatomy around her lips and added the last few details to her eyes and mouth.

Her eyes are actually a beautiful golden-yellow, but I painted them in bright gray so I could tint them with a layer of transparent glazing instead.

This I will do in a couple of days when the paint is touch-dry, along with glazing the shadows to push them just a little further dark while adding some depth to them.

For this layer I used paint straight out of the tube, without any medium.

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Josh @josh.aguayo.ca · 13/06/2025

I'm starting a portrait of my mom's favorite furry daughter and this is the base sketch. Its main purpose is to give me an idea of the proportions and relationships between different elements of her face/snout before I put any oil paint down. Her name is Grizzly. #art #sketch #furry #pet #portrait

This pencil sketch on white canvas depicts an American Bully dog in portrait orientation, showing the head and upper chest area.

The drawing features visible construction lines and geometric guidelines forming a grid pattern across the canvas, indicating this is a work in progress using structured drawing techniques.

The dog's face shows characteristic American Bully features including a broad head, pronounced facial muscles, and alert eyes looking directly at the viewer. The dog appears to be wearing a collar. The sketch is rendered in graphite pencil with various levels of shading and cross-hatching to create dimension and form. The canvas appears to be secured at the top with tape or a clip.

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Josh @josh.aguayo.ca · 08/06/2025

Another in this series of doomed black paintings. This is a guardian spirit, meant to be a fox, but it might be a corgi that lied on their resume. "Are you sure?", 30x30cm, oil on cotton canvas. #oilpainting #art #kitsune

A blue-green fox spirit sits in the center of the canvas against a dark, nearly black background. The fox is painted with loose, expressive brushstrokes, giving it a ghostly, ethereal quality.

Its most striking features are its bright orange-yellow eyes that avoid the viewer and look back behind it. Behind the fox's head is a pale blue circle that contains a hazy miniature of a distant land. It is a portal.

The fox's body shows hints of warmer tones mixed into the predominantly cool blue-gray fur.

The painting style is loose and gestural, with visible brushstrokes and some areas where paint appears to drip down the canvas.

The overall mood is mysterious and nocturnal, with the pale fox figure emerging from the deep, dark
background.

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Josh @josh.aguayo.ca · 06/06/2025

I've been away for a bit because of work and my mental health, but here's a painting that makes me uncomfortable: "Doom", A4, oil paints on oak wood panel. It is another entry on this series of hazy, dream-like visions.

Oil painting of a hazy vision. Formless silhouettes fill the view. On the foreground, a couple bound by red chains on their neck.

In the background there is a portal inside a distant gate, a hazy silhouette going through.

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Josh @josh.aguayo.ca · 18/05/2025

A lot of the things I show you I paint in a single sitting, but oil rewards patience, and it shines when it has time to be layered, crafted as a three dimensional object of many textures and forms. I've been working on this painting of Vegeta for the past week. #oilpainting #art #dragonballz

This oil painting portrays Vegeta, Prince of the Saiyan, from the Dragon Ball Z universe, captured in a vertically oriented rectangular frame. The composition focuses on his upper torso, emphasizing his confident demeanor through a sly smirk that plays across his lips. His hair rises in jagged, jet-black spikes, each tipped with bright white highlights that mimic the effect of light catching sharp edges, creating a tactile sense of rigidity and energy. Narrow, piercing eyes convey intensity, suggesting their strategic mind and unyielding pride.

He wears a fitted purple battle garment, its fabric rendered with deep folds and shadowed creases that suggest movement and dimension. The collar sweeps upward around his neck, adding regality to his stance. Behind him, the background swirls with teals and cool grays, to the left oh his head an energy ball trails into the background, in collision trajectory with a z-fighter seen flying far away in the distance. Krillin, about to die.

The paintint employs thick, textured layers of oil paint, visible in the raised brushstrokes that give the work a three-dimensional quality, from the sharp contours of Vegeta’s hair to the smoother gradients of his skin and armor. The overall effect balances dynamism and control, mirroring the character’s dual nature as both a fierce combatant and a calculating leader.

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Josh @josh.aguayo.ca · 02/05/2025

~800 hours and I finally got the Vanilla ending screen from Rimworld. And that is my review for the game. It is probably my favourite single-player game, I come back to it every expansion, and every time it's a whale of a time. There's the story in the alt text if you're curious. #Rimworld

A screenshot of the credits roll for the indie(?) video-game Rimworld, colony survival simulator. The game ends (in this case) when you finish building a Starship and fly to the stars. The screenshot reads:

"Your machine persona will now try to guide the ship to a safe place. It might find a prosperous planet in this system. Or it may undertake a centuries-long journey to a another star. It might even decide to hide under the ice on an asteroid field for a few thousand years, waiting for someone to build a new Glitterworld here.

You'll find out when you wake up."

This is the second ending I've every achieved (of 4) and it was way harder than the first one I got (Royalty, becoming a space noble).

If you're curious, I finished the game with an 22ish person colony, definitely not a cult, led by a vampire and their chorus of (cannibal) power-armor knights in Cataphract armor.

The colony was wiped twice before it got established, both times leaving only the (deathless) vampire in an involuntary catatonic state. He was eventually woken up from his deathrest by a traveller, touched by the maddening voices of distant god-machines, that took shelter in the abandoned base. Said traveller made it all the way to the end of the game by unnaturally extending his life with dark rituals and bionic augmentations, but died defending the spaceship before it launched. o7

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Josh @josh.aguayo.ca · 29/04/2025

This candle-looking thing is my second go at making a wax medium to use when painting. I made some last year, but it didn't survive the winter. I use it as a final layer in my paintings, to give it an even Sheen and it lets me control how matte that finish is. I think it came out ok. #oilpainting

There are two containers in this picture. One is a white ceramic, stained by use with different paint materials. The one to the right is a recycled jar container, with something that looks like a scraped candle inside.

There is a brush connecting the two containers and a painting about ot be treated in the background.

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Josh @josh.aguayo.ca · 23/04/2025

When I started learning how to paint, one of my goals was to be able to just make copies of any painting I liked. This is the first time I've been able to do that! This is a copy of "Wanderer above the Sea of Fog" by C. D. Friedrich, by myself. Oil on Wood, size A4. #Art #OilPainting @bsky.art

Painting of the silhouette man standing stop a ridge, looking at the expanse in front of him, sword on hip. Below, a sea of fog extends as far as the eye can see, mountains dwarfed by the clouds, veiled by the atmosphere in the distance.

It looks a bit more blue in real life; I always struggle with photographing paintings in way that closely mirrors the experience of seeing them in person.

The original by Friedrich is relevant because it marks the change into a new era of western aesthetics: Romanticism.

To me, it reminds me of post-nut clarity tbh. Hehe.

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Josh @josh.aguayo.ca · 17/04/2025

I can finally open the window to paint again! This was fun excercise on depth using the paints left on my palette from a different project. "Run no longer" Oil on Wood, A4-sized. #art #oilpainting

Oil painting in pink and purple. In the foreground: the remains of a decapitated lighthouse, with a human figure sitting on a chair on top of the broken building.

Ships are crashing and sinking under the trashing sea. In the distance a red eye raises from the sea, dwarfing everything else I'm the frame.

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Josh @josh.aguayo.ca · 13/04/2025

This poem is from 1582, by Santa Teresa de Ávila. I read it for the first time in a Carmelite convent in Quito, where they have her poems written all over the walls. This is one of the few pieces of poetry that that has stuck with me, the final two stanzas are my favorite.

Screenshot of the translated poem, it reads:

Living Beyond Myself

A translation of "Vivo sin vivir en mí" by Santa Teresa de Ávila

I live without dwelling in myself,
Aspiring toward such celestial height,
I die because I cannot die.

Outside myself I now reside,
Since surrendering to love's sweet death,
For I abide within my Lord,
Who claimed me as His own;
When I offered Him my heart,
He etched within this sacred verse:
"I die because I cannot die."

This divine communion,
And the love by which I breathe,
Makes my God my willing captive
While my soul soars unbound;
Such profound yearning overcomes me
Seeing my Creator thus ensnared,
I die because I cannot die.

Oh, how endless is this earthly journey!
How severe this exile's plight,
These prison walls and binding chains
Where dwells my captive soul!
Merely awaiting my release
Inflicts such exquisite torment,
I die because I cannot die.

Relinquish your hold at last,
Life, cease your wearisome grasp;
For in death, what remains but this:
True living and eternal bliss?
Withhold not your tender mercy,
Death, for this I ardently implore:
I die because I cannot die.

This is a charcoal drawing of Santa Teresita. She's looking/listening upwards towards the right top corner of the frame.

She would often be painted like this to represent hey mystic connection to the divine, she would often receive messages and inspiration from God or their angels.

I like to think it also represents her answering only to God: Though her life she was a reformer that strove to take care of her nuns, and was known as a troublemaker and rebel. Very much woke, before woke existed.

She is wearing the outfit of the Order of Discalced Carmelites after her reforms:

She wears a dark habit, symbol of detachment and contemplation; a white scapular, which is a sort of mantle draped over her shoulders and a symbol of devotion to Mary; and on top of it all, a black veil that covers her head, it represents detachment from worldly affairs, being "dead" to the mundane world.

Above her head floats a halo: She is a canonized saint of the Catholic Church.

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Josh @josh.aguayo.ca · 11/04/2025

As the Sun sets, the wind picks up and the temperature drops. Days are becoming longer, they are always too long. #photography #yyc

Photograph of a spring sunset over Calgary's southern suburbs.

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Josh @josh.aguayo.ca · 10/04/2025

A charcoal portrait of some doctor from Vienna. #sketch #portrait #traditionalart

Monochrome portrait of an aging man in a formal Victorian suit. He is balding and has a padlock-style beard. He looks sternly and disappointedly at the viewer.

This is supposed to be Sigmund Freud.

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Josh @josh.aguayo.ca · 10/04/2025

One of my favorite illustrations from this amazing game. #art #thecoffinofandyandleyley

A charcoal and colored pencil drawing of a woman in a simple black top and of messy hair. On her left hand she holds a knife with a punctured cartoon heart and on the left she has a meat fork with a severed arm impaled on it. The woman smiles with her bloody mouth full.

It is Ashley, from the indie horror videogame "The coffin of Andy and Leyley".

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Josh @josh.aguayo.ca · 09/04/2025

A trick of the eye: To see depth where there is only flat paper. A study of light and depth using a traditional Ecuadorian character. (Cucurucho) #art #sketch

Charoal sketch of a "cucurucho" miniature. It is a hooded penitent, traditionally seen parading during Holy Week celebrations in Ecuador. They are sinners who show their devotion and penitence by taking on this role once a year. The miniature is inside a rectangular box.

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Josh @josh.aguayo.ca · 02/04/2025

I've been practicing sketching more people instead of being functional.

A charcoal monochrome sketch of man. He has messy straight hair, heavy bags under his eyes, a small earring on his left ear and is wearing a hoodie. I was taking Lewis of the Yogscast as a reference, but I deviated a bit as I was sketching him.

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Josh @josh.aguayo.ca · 20/03/2025

Ok this one is pretty scuffed...

Charcoal sketch of an androgynous person in roughed-up formal clothing. They are looking ever so slightly left of the viewer.

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