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Colouring Book Launch

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After my last exhibition so many people told me that my illustrations would lend themselves perfectly to a colouring book. After months of hard work my colouring book “Familiar Friends” is finally ready. It’s been so much fun to see this project come together and I am very proud of the accomplishment to have published my first book.

The illustrations within my colouring book are portraits, exploring the physical nature, personality and character traits of people I have met. To me seeing an animal in a person is just like looking up into the sky and seeing animals form within the clouds. The portraits consist of simple line drawings and geometric patterns inspired by folk art from all over the world, including Swiss Bauernmalerei and paper cuts.

Many of us live stressful and hectic lives and we all find different ways to cope. I am sure you remember colouring as a kid and might think that you are too old to pick up your crayons again. But not so fast! Research has shown that even short times of colouring can reduce your stress levels and increase creativity. So much so that even the corporate world has taken notice and offices have started doing colouring sessions to decrease their employee’s stress levels and at the same time increase their creativity.

Give the gift of relaxation this Christmas! Available for $19.75 (SFR. 19.75) at McNally Robinson (in-store and online – they ship worldwide).

If you are local and want to get your hands on a copy right away pick up your own copy at McNally or email me at anjastudios@shaw.ca and we can arrange delivery.

A special thanks to Kyle for all his support, to Rob for doing an amazing job with the layout of the book, to Lindsay for proof reading and to Emily for creating this beautiful video to help me launch my book! Couldn’t have done this without you!

Ciao

Xoxo

Anja

 

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Brooklyn Art Library visit

In 2011 and 2013 I participated in the Sketchbook project organized by the Brooklyn Art Library in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY. I was sad that I didn’t get a chance to go to either one of the vernissages or catch the exhibit in one of the many cities it toured in. You can only imagine just how excited I was when I finally had a chance to visit the Brooklyn Art Library last Saturday.

 

It was amazing to see a library filled with sketchbooks, to finally see my books as part of this permanent collection and to get a chance to see other artists’ work. It’s incredible that the Sketchbook project has grown to include works from over 35,000 artists from over 135 countries.

Here is a bit more info on my sketchbooks:

My 2011 sketchbook “Below the Surface” is a a collection of very personal self-portraits consisting of poems and illustrations. The books toured the US from  February to July, 2011 to Brooklyn, Austin, Portland, Atlanta, Washington DC, Seattle, San Francisco, Chicago and Winter Park Florida.

My 2013 sketchbook “J’amerais mieux te connaître” was a reflection of 2012 – a year full of change, opportunity and travel. I got to travel across Europe and spend some time in Hawai’i on business. The simplicity of pen and ink takes away the noise surrounding each place and shows the purity of my love for each of these places. The books toured from March to August 2013 to Brooklyn, Austin, Atlanta, Toronto, Portland, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

If you are in NYC take a quick subway ride to Williamsburg and visit the Brooklyn Art Library. Definitely worth a visit.

I hope you have a great weekend!

Ciao

Anja