Hello folks,

My name is Che'.

I work under the name Rising from Ashes, because that is a pretty accurate description of my life and more specifically my artistic journey. I began this many, many, years ago as a photographer. At least, that's what I initially went to school for (photo illustration and fine art photography). During that period I became very interested in the manipulation of reality and surrealism. Oddly enough the works of Jerry Uelsmann were a catalyst for my shift toward traditional image making. At the very least it caused me to take that aspect of my art and dedicate more time to it.
Over the years I have experimented with many different styles and mediums, developing a degree of comfort with each...although some more than others. I have spent time at a few ridiculous institutes of higher learning, and in the end, I left every single one. It just wasn't a good fit. So, that is a bit about my background ...

Years, and many experiences later, here I am...an Artist/Illustrator. I won't bore you anymore with the how and why?

I have been showing work in galleries since 2002, which was my first legitimate "gallery" event. I have managed to branch out regionally, but not to the extent that I would like, and am actively working toward showing in markets far beyond the mid-atlantic. Barring any Van Gogh-ism, or Basquiat martyrdom, I will make that a reality over the course of the next few years.

So, what is it that I hope to get from this site/community?

First and foremost, I am in need of models. I have slowly been building toward more intricate figurative work ,and naturally that requires figures. I have a wide variety of projects in mind. From semi elaborate staged scenes, to simple parts modeling and reference needs. I cannot always promise to pay well, if at all, but will do my best to compensate in some way. As a painter, I personally don't make it a habit of reproducing my work in print form. I want anyone who purchases the work to know that it is unique. A sketch or a drawing, and the original painting...but that's it. In this situation I may be willing to provide a print of the completed work in exchange for modeling services, but that will have to be dealt with on a case by case basis.
I am also very open to collaboration. If you have an idea that you would like to see realized, we could make that happen.
At the moment I am planning a new body of work for a solo show in Dec '13/early '14, so I would be very interested in establishing working relationships that will help me toward that end. Ideally I would like to make connections that last well into the future, but I'm not one to put the cart before the horse...let's call that a perfect world scenario.

Beyond personal interests, or "what can I get out of this"? I would also like to help others in achieving whatever it is that they are after, I have a pretty deep bag of tricks that extend beyond painting and drawing, and I am always willing to lend a helping hand to fellow artists if I can.

My style and interests are varied but usually fall into the "beautiful", "creepy", or "fantastic". Sci-fi, Horror,Surrealism,Magical realism,Eroticism,etc. I am not an artist that is driven to compete with reality, I enjoy the look of a painting that is a painting, not an imitation of life.

I have rambled on quite a bit here...If anything that I have said, or more importantly any of the posted work has piqued your interest, by all means get in touch. You can contact me through the MM mail/messaging system (whatever the site happens to use), or you can contact me directly through my website www.risingfromashes.com ...I'm pretty sure that there is a link around here somewhere, if not copy and paste the above(sorry).

I'm looking forward to interacting with other open creative types, and hopefully creating some absolutely stunning artwork as a result. Thanks for taking the time to read through this novella, and I hope that we can all get a little bit closer to our dreams.

Model Mayhem members that I have been fortunate enough to work with:

Saraswati #1592021

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