My Painting Holiday in Cornwall

My husband gave me a Cornish Landscape painting course as a special gift for my birthday. My dream has come true. 

I really love Cornwall. I have been there twice before, but this time it was different. I worked for 4 days, 6 hours a day, painting and drawing, mostly in extreme conditions, in the wind. It was brilliant! 

Our tutor was Maggie O'Brien, a teacher at the Newlyn School of Art and a great painter of wild landscapes. There were 9 of us on the course and the atmosphere was very supportive, with much freedom left to us. Maggie is a brilliant teacher and fun to be with. And, what is important, she was a good match for me and for what I wanted to achieve.

I just wanted to have fun while painting, to loosen up. Going on locations to paint can be tough. But I found out that this way of working suits me. There is no time to be precious, you have to work quickly, without judgement. You just get on with it. 

Here are some examples of my oil on board work. Some of them are finished and some need more detail.

On the last day we worked in the studio in the Newlyn School of Art.

These two little paintings made me very happy:

I have a feeling that my relationship with Cornwall is just beginning. I cannot wait to go back there and paint again.

My Painting Holiday in Cornwall

Art and Craft Cooperative in Charlottesville, Virginia

A few months ago I went to spend some time with my family in Virginia, and as usual I visited one of my favorite shops, Charlottesville Arts Cooperative Gallery, located in the centre of beautiful Charlottesville.

I have been researching business models of Artists Cooperative for some time, and this is one of the best examples.

The gallery shows products of up to 60 artists and makers. As a cooperative, they work together to operate the store, helping keep their art affordable. Twice a month each artist or maker has a selling duty in the shop. The cooperative is managed by a small group of people and they employ a part time bookkeeper.

Each member of the cooperative designs and makes the display for their own section of the gallery. Here are some of the examples:

And here is my favorite display:

I hope you enjoyed this post. If you would like to learn more about Charlottesville Arts Cooperative check their website here.

Art and Craft Cooperative in Charlottesville, Virginia

The Colour Factory Studios in Winchester

Last week I went to Winchester for a few days with my husband, and I came back inspired. It is interesting how we are drawn to places that will give us the answers to our inner questions and point us in the direction we should take. I experienced this when I visited The Colour Factory in Winchester.

For a long time I have been dreaming about collectively setting up (or joining) a cooperative of artists and makers,
a place where we could work together, inspire each other and sell the products of our creativity. The Colour Factory Studios and Gallery is such a place.

The Colour Factory is an artist's studio group of six professional artists: Rachael Alexander (visual artist),
Linda Miller (machine embroidery), Jill Maguire (glass and ceramics), Jenny Muncaster (visual artist), Clara Sanjar (graphic, watercolour, book and textile artist) and Rama Gurung (jewellery artist and repairer). Under The Colour Factory they work together producing imaginative community and educational projects. You can find more information about them here.

Here are some images from their downstairs shop:

I found my visit to The Colour Factory very inspiring. It gave me the impetus to take my dream seriously. I will write about this in my next blog post.

The Colour Factory Studios in Winchester

The Montage - Art Gallery, Coffee Shop and Vintage Store

About 9 years ago I used to live in Forest Hill, a South East district of London, with the postcode SE23. While I was living in a small apartment in a Victorian house, Forest Hill, although an affluent area in the nineteenth century, was then still quite neglected "up and coming" area, with just a few independent shops, a couple of not so interesting coffee shops and a new branch of Sainsbury supermarket (not counting the magnificent Horniman Museum and Gardens of course).

But the area was full of artists. And it didn't take long for the creative and enterprising spirit to assert itself, in the form of new art galleries, art cafes, and designer and vintage shops. Well established Havelock Walk Studios have been already there for many years, but now the whole area is buzzing with creative activity.

The Montage arrived on the scene last year, after a group of Polish artists got a lease on the dilapidated house and spent several months renovating it. And they did it in a true spirit of environmental friendliness. The place is the upcycling galore!

The Montage is an Art Gallery upstairs, and a Coffee Shop / Gallery / Vintage Store downstairs. It is a very nice combination. The owners' passion for art and all things old shows in every corner.  

The coffee shop was recently extended into the back garden. The old doors are not for sale, but almost everything else is.

The Montage is a very children friendly place. There is a room downstairs, full of toys, where kids can play, while parents catch up with friends over coffee and cake.

And the cakes are delicious! As a person with a wheat intolerance, I could even find several yummy options for myself.

The paintings seen on the walls here are by Agnieszka Handzel and Pawel Wasek.
For more information on The Montage click here.

The Montage - Art Gallery, Coffee Shop and Vintage Store

In the forest

This is something I really look forward to each year: every Summer I leave my hectic London life for a few weeks and go to Poland, to stay in the forest, in our family's summer house. This year I was very lucky with the weather and the mosquitoes weren't too bad. We just burned citronella candles and incense to keep them away. My brother in law was busy cutting out old tree branches and preparing bonfires...

...while I was learning how to use my new Nikon camera...

 

...and going on long bicycle trips with my sister or alone.

Being there is very good to me on so many levels. In the forest my thinking process slows down and I can be in the present. I am just looking, there is so much to see and absorb.

Next time I would like to take a few canvases with me and stay there for longer and paint. I will have to make this my priority next year.

In the forest

My favourite places in London

I have been a Londoner for over 20 years now. I love London with all my heart and feel completely at home here. Dr Johnson said 'If you are tired of London, you are tired of life.'

In this city there is always something to discover. I sometimes take a bus to the center (I prefer it to the underground trains) and just walk and soak up the atmosphere.



This is Cecil Court, London WC2, close to Covent Garden. It is a very narrow pedestrian street full of antique bookshops. Here are some of the shop windows:



My favorite shops are the ones selling children's books. I love looking at the old illustrations
and book covers.

I take my sketchbook with me and work, getting ideas for new paintings or just feeding my eyes.

My favourite places in London

Honeybees Cushions

I must admit a have a little fixation about the honeybees. I have always loved them and have been fascinated by them. I often read about the life of honeybees, about the amazing healing properties of honey and other bees products. I feel very passionate about our little friends. They are responsible for maintaining the majority of our food supply and they are now in serious danger. In Britain more and more people are aware of it and keep the beehives in their gardens, even in the big cities.

Some time ago I designed 2 artists books about the honeybees. Now I am making the cushions with honeybees appliques.

I would keep the beehives in the garden but it is a big commitment for which I am not ready.

Instead I plant Honeybee friendly plants and make sure I do not use the chemicals which are dangerous for them.

You can see more cushions here: www.hatome.co.uk

Honeybees Cushions

Abstract Art for Children

I recently found myself painting almost abstract pictures for children. Here are some examples:

I guess it is quite important to train a child from early age to appreciate art and expose them to different forms of art. Then later they will make confident choices when it comes to all sorts of designs and esthetics in life.

I still remember vividly the paintings and prints on my parents walls when I was a child. I used to watch them for a long time and get lost in my imagination.

Colors and shapes are inspiring. They feed your soul. They can lift up your mood and make you feel happy for no reason.

To see more go to www.yolantaprints.etsy.com

Abstract Art for Children

Getting inspired in Tokyo

We are in Tokyo! It just happened that my husband was sent to work here for a week and he took me with him. He spends his days working in the office, poor thing, and I get to roam the streets and parks of Tokyo and getting inspired. It is "work" of another kind after all, if you are an artist and maker...

I hope you enjoyed these few pictures from Japan.

Yolanta

Getting inspired in Tokyo