Tag: swiss

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A month later…

I can’t believe it’s been over a month since my exhibit closed. I have been taking some time off to take care of the business side of things. I had to do my accounting for the year and file my taxes, finish all the orders from my exhibition and just take a little bit of time off. It was nice to have a bit of a break and I feel ready to get back into it again. Last week I started taking a screen printing class at Martha Street Studio. I have always wanted to learn how to screen print but never got a chance to take it in Fine Arts, so now I am finally doing it. The first class was really interesting and I am excited to start playing. 8 weeks of classes – yeah! Stay tuned for some pictures of what I will be creating over the next couple of months.

I wanted to share some of the beautiful pictures that the fabulous photographer Dave Swiecicki took during the opening night of my solo exhibition. I also did a walk through video for all my friends and family in Switzerland that didn’t get the opportunity to be there in person.

Enjoy the pictures and the walk through!

Ciao

                     

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What a night

It’s been a couple of days since opening night and I have caught up on some sleep. What an incredible night! The gallery was packed. There were so many people who I knew and I spent all night talking to people and still feel that there were so many  I didn’t have a chance to chat with. I am overwhelmed by the support I have received from the media before and after  opening night along with the support of my friends, family and the art community. I will never forget this special night. Thank you everybody for making this such a magical night. So far I have sold 6 paintings and 9 photographs. If you missed opening night, the show is still on until April 3 at 6:00pm. Hours are Tues & Thurs: 12:00pm to 9:00pm and Wed, Fri, Sat: 12:00pm to 6pm.

Here are some links to some of the coverage I got:

CBC Manitoba Scene 

CBC News

article in the community papers city wide
fun photoshoot after opening night. Photo by Dave Swiecicki.

Thanks everybody!

Love

Anja

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Home

I love Switzerland so much I am even watching the Bachelor right now… they are in Switzerland and not just anywhere, they are in Zermatt, so extremely close to my hometown Visp. The images of the Matterhorn and Zermatt are making me so homesick and I thought when better to post my Pecha Kucha presentation from a few weeks ago. 

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14 days to go

It’s been a while since my last blog entry. I have been busy working on my exhibition. It’s been a lot more work than I thought it would be but I have really been enjoying it. It’s been nice to live and breathe my art and to have my life taken over by it. I always spend a lot of time on my art but this reminds me of being in Fine Arts when your art becomes your life. Still one of my favourite times of my life, but back to my exhibition. All my paintings are done and half of them are wired for hanging. All the Photoshop work is done to my images and I am picking up the last set of prints tomorrow. All the pieces are named and labels have been drafted. Tomorrow I will be wiring the rest of my paintings and on Saturday I will be starting to frame my photographs. 24 of them to frame so it will take a while. And then I have to finish my installations… So there is still lots to do before the show is ready to be hung on March 21, but I know I will get it all done and I am going to enjoy every second of the preparation. What’s the saying “stop and smell the roses”… I have been really trying to live by that! I will keep you posted on my progress…

Back to work!

Ciao

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Exhibition poster and invite

I am so excited! I just received the printed posters and invites for my solo show. I wanted my materials to have the look and feel of a vintage travel poster and I am really happy with how they turned out.  A big thanks goes out to my friend Charity for the design and to Prolific for the printing. Now I just have to start promoting my show and of course finish all the pieces for my show.

Ciao

Home Sweet Home poster

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air necklace available through ethicalcommunity.com

My air necklace is now available through ethicalcommunity.com . I will continue to add more jewelry over the next few months.

“Wear air in support of lung cancer research”
We all need air to breathe and to live. I have seen first hand the struggle of not getting enough air into your lungs anymore. The concept is graphic, clean and creates a nice balance between the simply graphic type and the organic shape and material of the beach glass. The square air pendant is handmade from recycled .999 fine silver and is combined with a piece of beach glass. Each piece of beach glass is unique and different just like the lives effected by lung cancer.

Each of my fine silver creations is individually sculpted by hand, imprinted, sanded, fired and polished creating a one-of-a-kind piece. The fine silver used is made from 100% recycled silver, reclaimed from photographic and x-ray materials and combined with water and a non-toxic binder. Through the firing process the clay binder and water are burned off and a strong, sparkling and eco-friendly piece of jewelry emerges. All silver scraps, shavings and dust are collected and reused to help save our planet.

100% of the profit is donated to lung cancer research.

Make sure to check out the rest of the site. It’s a great resource to find out about ethical products from beauty products to food to beautiful things for your home.

Ciao!

air necklace
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Xmas sale

I can’t believe it’s that time of the year already when we all start thinking about Christmas shopping. My good friend and fellow artist Charlene Brown and I have joined forces this year and are putting on a Christmas sale at Charlene’s studio. Please come visit us….drink some coffee….do a little shopping (pottery, jewelry, photography and textiles)….Nov 26 & 27, 12-5p, 1178 McMillan.

Xmas sale
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Maternity photos

After a long break I finally took some pictures this Saturday. It’s been a while and my camera it’s still broken, but luckily I could use Amanda’s camera for the shoot. We had lots of fun taking her maternity photos. We played around with different outfits and set ups and I am really happy with how they turned out. It’s nice to be able to record such a wonderful time in somebody’s life, especially when it’s for somebody this close. Here are a few pictures of our shoot.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING and ciao

     

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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!

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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!