inspiration – Page 2 – anja studios

Posted on October 10, 2011October 14, 2011 by anjastudios — Leave a comment

Go Jets Go

What an exciting weekend it’s been. I am filled with so much pride. Most of you know that K. works for the Winnipeg Jets. He is the Director of Event Production, so ever since the announcement he has been busy preparing for the season. I have had many moments where I just giggled to myself at the fact that his dream of working for an NHL team has come true and better even for the Jets! I never experienced the old Jets as I was still living in Switzerland at the time, but it was always very obvious to me that Winnipeggers still loved their team and were still heartbroken over their loss after 15 years. It’s wonderful that the team is back and it’s wonderful that K. and I can be part of it.

It’s been a crazy summer. Busy, exciting and productive. I had sold my tickets for the preseason games as I didn’t want to spoil the experience of the home opener. I woke up yesterday and I was so excited that the day had finally arrived. I couldn’t wait to see what K. and his team had created for the home opener. I was especially excited to see the opening video. Check it out, it’s amazing. Also if you were at the game and got an inaugural game program, check out the article on K. Can you tell, I am very, very proud of him. Go Jets Go!

Ciao

Posted on October 1, 2011September 30, 2011 by anjastudios — Leave a comment

Encaustic painting

A while back I had gone to the WAG to see a local artist talk about encaustic painting. The presentation was fascinating and I couldn’t wait to try it out. I went ahead and ordered the materials I needed and for the last 8 months or so they have been staring at me in my studio. I have been feeling guilty about not having tried it out. Last Sunday I finally decided to give it a try. It was a lot harder than I thought it would be, but I did enjoy the process. I am not happy with my first piece but I guess I should give myself a break and realize that the first piece isn’t going to turn out perfectly. I will make sure to give it another try sometime soon. Due to the fumes that you deal with while doing encaustic I decided to take advantage of the beautiful day and I set myself up in my backyard on the deck. It was really nice to be outside on such a beautiful day and play with paint or I guess wax in this case.

I thought I would share a bit of information about encaustic. Encaustic is also known as hot wax painting. The term Encaustic is derived from the Greek word enkaien and means to burn into. This procedure of applying molten, coloured wax to various surfaces was already used by the old Egyptians more than 3000 years ago – the resulting paintings of the mummy portraits are there for us to admire in the British Museum in London or in the National Museum in Cairo. The technique was lost for hundreds of years, but rediscovered in the 18th century and has also had a resurgence in popularity since the 1990s.

The liquid wax can be applied to wood panels or also canvas and other materials, and metal tools and brushes be used to shape the paint before it cools, you can also use heated metal tools to manipulate the wax once it has cooled onto the surface. You use a heat gun in-between wax layers to ensure that the new layer bonds to the existing ones.

Not as easy as I thought it would be but for sure fun!

Ciao!

Posted on September 24, 2011September 24, 2011 by anjastudios — Leave a comment

Some serious studio time

I have been spending most of the weekend in my studio. It’s such a good feeling when inspiration creates this burst of creativity that just has to expressed through paint or other mediums. I love when all I think about is art. It even takes over my dreams and ideas are constantly flowing. It’s just such an amazing feeling and it makes me feel so alive.

While I was at the studio today I saw the current exhibition at cre8ery “INAKA’s new works in antler and wood by Reg and Jamie Kucey”. Both Reg and Jamie are incredibly talented and I was really blown away by their art. The show is only on for two more days. Make sure to check it out as you won’t be disappointed!

Ciao!

Posted on September 11, 2011 by anjastudios — Leave a comment

Beautiful short film

I wanted to share a beautiful short film with a great message. The film by film-maker Johnny Kelly depicts the life of a farmer as he slowly turns his family farm into an industrial animal factory before seeing the errors of his ways and opting for a more sustainable future. Both the film and the soundtrack were commissioned by Chipotle to emphasize the importance of developing a sustainable food system. Beautifully done and a great message!

Check it out!

Ciao

Posted on August 30, 2011 by anjastudios — Leave a comment

Just imagine…

Just imagine sketching on any paper and having the drawings magically appear on your computer screen as vector art even in layers!!! Just imagine the possibilities!

This is not a dream anymore! Wacom is introducing a new product called Inkling mid September. I just had to share this amazing new product. I can’t wait for it to come out.

Here is a quick video with more information on the product:

Wacom Inkling!!!! Wow!

Ciao

Posted on August 22, 2011 by anjastudios — 2 Comments

The countdown is on

The opening of my solo exhibition is exactly 7 months away! I have a good start and I do feel better about it then a month ago. But when I think about it only being 7 months away I do start to feel a bit nauseous. I just got back from a night in my studio. I have 3 paintings finished and I am working on a very large piece right now. I am also planning on incorporating some installations, photography and maybe some Polaroid transfers. I have a first draft of my artist statement and I have started a large to-do list containing everything from a press release, invitations, posters, food to music etc.

It’s going to be 7 months of spending every spare minute in my studio. It feels exciting, scary, overwhelming, invigorating and inspirational. I just have to tell myself that I can do this.

Check back for some updates on my process.

213 days!

Ciao

Posted on July 11, 2011 by anjastudios — 2 Comments

Aprikosenkuchen and jewelry

I spend the day making jewelry and more importantly Aprikosenkuchen (apricot pies). After calling my dad in Switzerland for the recipe, I got to work. I wasn’t sure how they would turn out. For the last hour our house has been filled with such a familiar sweet smell. So many childhood memories have been rushing into my head. I just took the pies out of the oven and couldn’t resist having a couple of pieces. Oh god they are so good. Almost as good as my dad’s and for sure amazing for my first try.

Here are a few pictures of my day’s work.

Ciao!

Posted on July 8, 2011July 8, 2011 by anjastudios — Leave a comment

Trying to relax

So my first week of holidays is almost over and I have to say it was the least relaxing week off I have ever had. I made myself a promise this morning that the rest of my holidays I will be relaxed and not worry about anything except painting and relaxing.

It wasn’t all bad and I had some wonderful times with friends, went to the lake, found a great dresser that we will be using as our vanity, started some sketches for my upcoming solo exhibition and almost finished my book for my first book club meeting tonight. It was a bit of a hard read but I like new experiences and I have never been part of a book club before.

Here are some pictures of my first week off:

Posted on June 20, 2011 by anjastudios — 3 Comments

weekend look

Here is another flower I created this weekend to go with my summery outfit. Super easy to make. I just cut out a string of pedals using the lining of an old jacket (perfect use for the lining of a jacket I had used to make cup cozies). I stitched one long line through the fabric and in the end gathered it all together and voila a funky flower was born from a piece of old clothing. Have a look and if you would like to get more instruction on how to make it just email me at anjastudios@shaw.ca

Ciao

Posted on June 14, 2011June 14, 2011 by anjastudios — Leave a comment

Inspired by a wedding shower game

It was a big day on Sunday. I was going to my first ever wedding shower. I had heard many stories, not all good and I was feeling a bit nervous about it.

The shower turned out to be a positive surprise. It turned out that everybody was really nice and welcoming, the gifts the bride received were all so personal and amazing and even the games I had been dreading were fun. The old “make a wedding gown out of toilet paper” was so much fun. I have to say that we had a bit of an advantage having lots of creative people on our team and the gown ended up looking pretty good. As part of the gown I had created a large flower head-piece a la Carrie Bradshaw, which everybody commented on and it inspired me to try it out with fabric that night. I started with an old polka dot scarf and recycled the material. I made the flower smaller and attached it to a headband I already had and voila I had something way more interesting than my old headband. Last night I took some feathers off a headband that had broken and made a new one out of it. I am so excited and I am going to try out some more fun flowers and maybe incorporate some feathers and make some more head pieces, so make sure to check back.

Recycle. Reuse. Recreate.

Ciao