Petra, Jordan

This is a short video of my recent visit to Petra Jordan

visit to Petra, Jordon , Wonder of the World

Nissan Olive Wood Factory n Bethlehem Nov. 2025

On my trip to Israel , November , 2025, we crossed the security gate into Bethlehem to visit a factory which makes olive wood religious objects

This is. short video of my visit to an olive wood factory in Bethlehem which makes christian religious figures .

The Mustard Seed in Bethany,Israel

I just returned from a visit to Egypt, Jordan and Israel , After many years of listening to Matthew 19:20 in church sermons, I got to see , for the first time, the biblical mustard seed.

Jesus drove a demon out of a boy and he was healed at the moment. 19 Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”

20 He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”  [a]

MY ENCOUNTER WITH A MUSTARD SEED

Beware of Scammers wanting to buy your art.

A lot of artists sell their work through the internet. However , the internet is infested with scammers. You have to navigate sales with caution.

Have you ever been a victim or a near victim of an art scam buyer? If you have a website, you probably have.

About 3 weeks ago, in early June, 2025, I received an email requesting prices on 2 of my paintings .The story was from a woman in San Diego, Ca., who said she had just purchased  a house and wanted to decorate her walls with  2 of my paintings. She asked for prices.  She  was also interested in what  motivated or inspired me to paint the canvases. I sent her all the information.

I take all buyer’s inquiries at face value; however, I read them, critically, looking for flags that the buyer is legit. The first red flag I noticed was the address. Thanks to Google maps, I found out that the address she gave me was an address for a large apartment complex, not a house; and, initially, she didn’t provide an apartment number .

After I got the UPS price for insurance, packing and shipping , she asked that I buy her a $500.00 gift card at Walmart, CVS, or other retail store . She asked me to add $30.00 for my trouble to the total cost which included the 2 paintings, one gift card and a $30.00 tip. She was going to pay with PayPal.

What a deal!

I had to pass on the sale because  I couldn’t afford to purchase the gift card! Lol. ;)

Beware of offers that include gift cards to the seller in the transaction.

Ria

Woman at the Well

Speaking Gig Video : North Loop Association

Speaking of gigs, on September 4th, 2024, at 7 PM, I made a presentation to the N.Loop Neighborhood Association at the Commune, a meeting place, close to my studio. They were nice to invite me to talk about my sculptures. A big Thank You to the N.Loop Association for the invitation.

Due to technical problems , I was not able to run my presentation on their computer , but we were able to go to the website for visuals and that’s what I used to make my talk. This raw video was taken with my iphone on a tripod. I enhanced the audio by adding more visuals to the talk, hopefully making more sense.

RentBlog features Austin's own Mexican-American Sculpture & Art Garden aka Alaniz Sculpture

Check out the recent Rent. article we were featured in:

In this Austin, TX guide, local experts share the best things to do in the city. Whether you’re planning to move to an apartment on the East side or just bought a home in Hyde Park and want to figure out how seasoned locals get down on the weekends, Rent. has got you covered!

Read the full article here: Unique Things To Do in Austin, TX | Rent.

Learn more

Read the full article here: Unique Things To Do in Austin, TX | Rent.

EPHESUS

FOLLOWING IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF ST.PAUL

This is a 5:31 min video of a visit to Ephesus, Turkey Nov. 2024

Meteora Hermit caves and Orthodox Monasteries

Kalabaka , Greece:In the Footsteps of St. PaulMeteora

There are naturally made caves in the mountains around Kalabaka which were first inhabited by hermits in the early centuries,. Orthodox Monks started building monasteries on the tops.

Santorini

This was one of our stops in the Footsteps of St. Paul

This was an unexpected side trip on the pilgrimage .

Mission Accomplished, March 11, 2024

Madre sculpture delivery, University of Mississippi Museum, Oxford, Ms as part of the Yokna Sculpture Trail exhibit

Alaniz with Melanie , curator and Greta asst. curator

Creating Art from a branch of history : the Cabinet Oak Project

I guess I got carried away. I had to cut off 2 sections of the log that I picked and received for my project; and, after I had finished the large, major piece , Bison Spirit, I had two ideas for the left over sections . One was to carve a heart and the other was to carve a parrot.

The Heart emerging our of the base.

A Baby Parrot

Links to more information about the May 6th auction.:


Learn more and get tickets: https://cabinetoak.art/


Ticket link for May 6 event:

http://bit.ly/3lyYkRT


Gallery of submitted artwork:

https://cabinetoak.art/gallery


Recap of 2022

Brief Summary of Art by Rey 2022

This is a visual summary of the places that my art took me in 2022.