snow, snow and snow...

It has been a crazy week. Lots of work and late nights. I am so ready for the weekend! Working for yourself, you sort of loose that Friday afternoon giddiness of the weekend coming. Maybe because you end up doing work on the weekends. (Which isn't always a bad thing when you love what you do.) But this week has been exhausting and I am looking forward to spending Saturday morning in my pj's reading in bed with a cup of tea. That sounds so delicious right now!

On top of it being a crazy week, it has been cold and snowy! I can't believe how much snow keeps falling! I admit I love it! If it has to be cold, then I want snow! But I do miss the sun and the warm air, the colors of flowers in bloom....hmmmm. What improves my mood on these cold colorless days are bright flowers and a warm fire. If you don't have a fireplace, light some candles. Just having that warm orange glow of a flame makes me feel warm. Maybe that is why I am so drawn to warm oranges and reds right now. Hmm...maybe I will start a new silk painting this weekend with bright oranges and yellows...

My wish for you this weekend...

Just goofing around with a photo I took and some doodles I did...

ipop magents: sheila's garden

Hello, how is your week going? Mine has been crazy! Work is going really well and I am loving it! After a year of feeling like I was stumbling along, I finally feel focused and energized. It is a good feeling - one that I missed so much! I am one of those people who needs to have a lot going on to feel motivated and focused. I hope this continues...

I am very excited to show you my new magnet collection from Ipop. It is called "Sheila's Garden" (named after my mom:). While trying to find a good place to photograph, I set down the magnets to realize they are the same colors as my textile collection from a few years ago. Honestly, I had no idea I used the same colors.

Do you find yourself surrounded by a certain color? What colors are you drawn to?

I am taking a break tonight and heading out to meet some friends. I thought it was s good way to break up a cold and dark week. Have a good Wednesday night. See you back here on Friday.

monday artist spotlight: rob ryan, andrea dezsö and adam fowler

Today I thought I would give you three treats...three artists from the New York exhibit Slash: Under the Knife. These three artists are very different from one another and yet each one is so incredible! Lets get started...

I want to start with Romanian-born Andrea Dezsö, a visual artist and writer who earned her BFA and MFA in visual communication at the Hungarian University of Design in Budapest! I was so intrigued by her work. Her work is three layers of cut images. The light plays off the layers making you focus on the center of interest. I suggest you visit her website and check out her other work as well.

The next artist is Adam Fowler. His work was insane! He wanted to take his pencil sketches to the next level...so he cut them out...in layers! One of the pieces I saw had more than 30 layers! The photo below does not do it justice. You really must see them in person...from the side and very close to see all the cutting and layers! In his artist statement he talks about what he wishes the viewer to see, "I hope that they are aware of a quiet intensity and concentration that comes from a meditative state." I love this and I got it! At the exhibit, they had short video interviews with the artists. One thing all the artists had in common was a quiet and calm demeanor.

The third artist is Rob Ryan. I really enjoy his work. The size of the image below was rather large (37.5cm high by 27cm). I love the motifs and the words. I like the contrast of the black and white of the image below. The details and all the little images happening around the cutting.
The Museum of Art and Design did such a great job with this exhibit. Each artist had a statement next to their work explaining what inspired them to start cutting paper. The museum also put together a series of short interviews with a handful of the artists. I really felt like I had meet the artist and had a good understanding of what they were trying to achieve with their art.

I hope you have enjoyed this series on cut paper artists. Next week I will start highlighting illustrators.

See you Wednesday!

the imaginarium of doctor parnassus

Last night Steven and I went to see The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. It was fantastic!! When we were home we saw Avatar and I was blown away by the colors, the artistic thought behind the Navi people. Loved! Loved! Loved Avatar! Well, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is much darker and maybe not as main stream-it is a bit out there....but I loved it! You can definitely tell it is a Terry Gilliam film. The cast is great - Lily Cole, Jude Law, Heath Ledger, Christopher Plummer, Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell and the list goes on... And who makes a better devil than Tom Waits - was he even acting in this?
If you go see this I want you to pay special attention to the scene when Colin Farrell is on the ladder climbing towards the clouds...this world he is in reminds me so much of the Croatian artist Ivan Rabuzin. I blogged about Ivan here. I turned to Steve and said "he's walking though Ivan Rabuzin paintings". Steven agreed.

You can watch the trailer here.

If you have already scene this-did you like it? I feel so good to have seen two fantastic and inspiring movies in the past month. Go Hollywood!

Well, I have had a great and productive week - gotta love those. The weekend has been reserved for taxes-YUCK! I will be back on Monday with more about the paper exhibit in NY. Talk to you then - and go see The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus!

a new logo for nawa

Last year I joined a group called NAWA (North American Women's Association). I will be honest-I was very hesitant to join. I moved to Budapest to have a European experience, not an American experience in Budapest. I was determined to make friends with the locals and to immerse myself into the Hungarian culture. Well...after 3 months of struggling with the language and feeling lonely and depressed I went to a NAWA meeting. What I discovered was a group of talented, courageous, supportive women who spoke the same language as me:) I have made some of my best friends through this organization. It was one of the best things I did when we moved.

Back in November I was asked if I would be interested in helping create a new NAWA logo. I was very excited to help. I meet with two other members and we discussed what NAWA meant to us. We came up with a list of words: friendship, support, charity and a piece of home, Hungary and North America. We envisioned hands supporting an object or a house, something Hungarian, maybe folkish in feel. We liked colors that symbolized growth and happiness.

After a few revisions, we presented our final logo to the board. We received great feedback and made a few adjustments.

Last month the logo was revealed at a luncheon. I am excited to say it was well received. Below is the final logo.


It was great to work on a project for an organization that means so much to me.
If you are interested in learning more about NAWA in Budapest you can click here. The website doesn't show the new logo yet...but will soon.

blog spotlight: mia pearlman

I am back from New York and inspired, excited and buried in work! It was a fantastic week! I got to finally meet with my print rep! We have been emailing and using Skype, but there is nothing like a face to face meeting. He gave me lots of advice and encouragement-always a good thing!

I have so much to tell you about...the seminars, trends I learned about, exhibits I saw and people I meet. Whew! Lets get started...

I am going to start by telling you about a FANTASTIC exhibit I saw called "Slash: Paper Under The Knife". If you are in NY, you must see this exhibit at the Museum of Art and Design! 52 artists from around the world examining the remarkably diverse use of paper in a range of art forms. Over the next few weeks I will be spotlighting some of the artists I saw.

Today I begin with Mia Pearlman. Her site installation was amazing. She transformed the wall to look like it had come alive and was growing. I wanted to step into it. Her website shows cloud paintings that give me the same sense of intrigue. Calling me to come closer and take a peak into her world and her work. After seeing her piece I wanted more. I wanted a whole room that would surround me with her work. Check out her website here and be sure to watch the video! Truely an amazing artist!

Mia Pearlman

What do you think about Mia's work? Are you intrigued?

...i want to be a part of it...

New York, New York!!!

How are you? Is your New Year starting off on a good note? I hope so. I am still in Ohio visiting family. It has been such a good visit, filled with food, long talks and remembering those who couldn't be with us. My visit is flying by. I wish I could hit pause and just soak it all in while I am here.

Sunday I leave for New York. I will be attending Printsource and Direction-two print and pattern shows. There will be trend presentations and print reps selling art work to companies looking for...well...print and pattern. I recently started working with Group Four Designs. It has been a really great experience and I am happy to announce that you will be able to see my work at their Printsource booth!

I am really excited to head to New York and to be in the city that is full of museums and inspiration (and to see some friends I haven't seen in awhile)!! I will be heading back to Budapest on the 16 and will start posting all the exciting stuff from New York on the 18th. So, until then..."Szia"!

snowy Ohio