Building an art studio in the garden

My new art studio in the garden has finally arrived! 

Here are some photos documenting the building process. 

It took 3 weeks to produce the segments of the studio and 3 days to install it. The studio size is 6m x 3.5m (21m square) and 2.5m high. It feels amazing!

If you are interested in details of the company who built my studio, please contact me or comment on this post. I will be happy to recommend it to you. They are in England.

Yolanta

Building an art studio in the garden

Death and Transition exhibition update

'The Geographer' triptych is now finished (see my previous post) and the preparations for the 'Death and Transition' exhibition are almost finished. This is a group exhibition of South London Women Artists which I am co-curating with Melissa Budasz and Ilinca Cantacuzino.

Here is the poster for the exhibition, I hope that many of you who are in London will come to see it. It looks like it's going to be a very exciting and thought provoking art show, involving all art media.

I am still working on the catalogue and will be sending it to the printers just after Easter.

Have a wonderful Easter everyone!

Yolanta

Death and Transition exhibition update

What is Urban?

For me Urban means a variety of people living in close proximity. Different cultures, different colors, different expressions and attitudes - but somehow, in all this diversity, people belonging to one Urban place.

London is the ultimate Urban. It embraces the whole range of different people from all over the world. It is like the whole world in a capsule. And in its variety it is beautiful.

After living in London for 24 years, I no longer feel that I belong to any specific nationality. I am a Londoner, a universal being.

So Urban also means transcending the individual identity and forming a more global attitude.

What is Urban?

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

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

My local discovery - Alexandra Nurseries Cafe

It was a beautiful sunny day today here in South London and I could not resist going out before locking myself up in the studio to work.

I went for a walk around the local streets in Penge where I live. Some time ago I discovered Alexandra Nurseries and somehow I my feet took me there again. Oh, the pull of the Flour-less Orange Cake!

Alexandra Nurseries is a small family owned plant nursery, vintage garden shop and a cafe. It is tucked in between small Victorian cottages in a hidden corner of Penge. It opened in April this year.

My eye was pulled to the lovely pumpkin display by the entrance:

This place is always a feast for the eyes, full of colour and exciting new arrivals. Today I bought some Parrot Tulip bulbs to plant in our front garden.

So.... the Flour-less Orange Cake, what can I say? Yum yum and yum! It is made with ground almonds and it tastes like heaven. I had it with a delicious cup of English Breakfast tea.

Apart from serving a wonderful variety of cakes, tea and coffee, Alexandra Nurseries sells interesting plants, garden objects, vintage crockery and other things.

It is an inspiring and friendly place. Come and see for yourself.
Here is the link http://alexandranurseries.co.uk/

My local discovery - Alexandra Nurseries Cafe

Pictures inspired by Crystal Palace

I live in South London, in the area close to Crystal Palace Park. I will write about this special place more in another post, as it really deserves it, but today I wanted to share with you my two new paintings inspired by Crystal Palace.

The first picture is my free take on the iconic Crystal Palace TV Transmitter:

I paint in Ecoline watercolors (by Talens), which are my favorite. The colors have amazing luminosity. Here is the detail of this painting:

There are a lot of dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures in the park (well, only concrete ones...), so my next picture is showing one of the dinosaurs:

The pictures look good together on the Mid Century sideboard in my studio:

You can see more at www.yolantaprints.etsy.com

Pictures inspired by Crystal Palace