Posts tagged #art

A new skill to practice... Watercolors and calligraphy!

Hello, hello, world! 

In between trips to Chicago and DC, I somehow managed to also enroll into a watercolor class (one of the perks of working at a university!). And, what a treat! A mere three weeks into it, I am already addicted to this new (to me at least) art form. A mere three weeks into it, and I am already wanting to share my experimentations with you! 

Granted, I have so much to learn still. Gorgeous evidence via this inspiration

Meanwhile, I am just having too much fun mixing up purples and violets! If you are wondering why that is such an accomplishment... a bit of background. In the class I am taking ("Watercolor for All" with Ellen Orseck), we are learning the very basics of watercolor, such as types of brushes, types of paper, color theory, etc. Therefore, we are sort of stuck with some very very basic colors (think blue, red, green, yellow and some brown).

In other words, there are no violets or purples in there. You have to mix it all yourself! Thankfully, Ellen knows what she is doing. This was one of our first exercises:

A value and hue color wheel, which is a lot harder to make than you'd think! (Aka, I made a few mistakes... which were smartly left off of this image :). But this exercise proved to be the one thing I needed to be able to produce this pretty little card!

As the first image would hint, I also made one card with orange and red flowers... But that was a learning one (ahem, not for a close-up :). So, back to the violet one that I seem to be pretty happy with:

I think I see a lot more of these in my future! :)

Meanwhile, make sure to follow my travel adventures on Instagram! A few more trips planned in the next couple of weeks.

I Can't Believe it Took me This Long! The Menil Collection.

I hadn't even heard of the Menil Collection until I randomly stumbled upon their Facebook page a few months ago (apparently, Houstonians are good at keeping secrets...!). Immediately, I promised myself I'd visit the first sunny weekend I get. Fast-forward a few sunny weekends (life has a way of keeping you busy) and I finally made it this Sunday!

Posted on April 26, 2015 and filed under Be Inspired.

Houston Favorites | Houston Heights, 19th St

(you can click through the images for the fun(ny)/insightful captions!)

When in Need of Inspiration

Every now and then, I find myself in search of motivation and inspiration. This weekend may have been one of those times... and when that happens, I have learned that there is a quick and easy fix to it: going to one of my favorite places in Houston: the Heights' 19th Street. 

I am actually rather surprised by how not busy this street is, given what it has to offer. Or maybe Sunday is the perfect day to frequent it. My favorite shops, such as Jubilee, 18 Hands Gallery, CODA, and Bespoke can get anyone's imagination going at a million miles an hour.  

My highlight of today's visit though? I got to know Katya (or Ekaterina, as she might remind you), one of the co-owners of 18 Hands Gallery. When I introduced myself, I believe Katya assumed I was Russian and therefore fluently asked me how I was in Russian... I thought my response to her, "I'm Bulgarian" would make her recant her Russian words. Little did I know that what followed would be a lovely and warm conversation in my maternal tongue, Bulgarian!! 

Katya is actually a US native who happened to focus her Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Slovak Studies which consequently landed her in Bulgaria for a year in the early 90's (a brave woman that is). Yet I was astonished by her perfect (or rather lack-there-of) accent captured from a merely year-long stay! Most importantly though, this encounter kindly reminded me of the amazing place I come from. Katya's fascination with Bulgarian folklore was a stark reminder of how easy it is to take the beauty in our lives and heritage for granted.  And sometimes, all it takes is a random encounter with someone else's passion to revive one's own appreciation and love for home. 

Posted on March 23, 2014 and filed under Be Inspired, Travel Diaries.

Pins to Inspire: Jan 21 | 14

This Week's Inspiration via Pinterest

  • A painting by Kolio Karamfilov, an artist I will always admire and miss greatly.
  • A clock that reminds me how time flies, especially when you are having a great time.
  • A play of accessory staging resulting in an optical illusion I really like.
  • A clever way of designating the appropriate restroom door. 
  • A neutral and easy to work with color palette
  • A picture series of a Weimaraner and his new friend, the Dachshund, that will make you go 'Awww.'
  • Tiny Clark's I cannot wait to buy for my nephew so he can match his aunt.
  • An interesting take on the mobile that seems rather easy to do for a DIY project. 
  • Humorous abstract art for the bedroom -  counting sheep
Posted on January 21, 2014 and filed under Be Inspired.

Secret City

Pictured Above

1. A corner between two studios with a cute robot mural peaking out

2. A door to one of the studios (so curious to see what's behind!)

3. A confusing (but so cool!) M/W sign on a door leading to nowhere specific (actually, since I posted this, I have found out it leads to no other place than the restroom... indeed, that is somewhere VERY specific, shame on me!)

4-5. A few of the paintings featured in the main showroom 

A Night at the Art Gallery

This Saturday I attended the Secret City event organized by JoMar Visions. If you have never been to this gem of a gallery, I would highly recommend attending one of their upcoming events! In addition to displaying great local artists and providing studios for them to work in, the gallery is famed for its eclectic environment and deconstructed industrial feel (which is exactly why a great friend of mine will have her upcoming wedding there!) 

About the Secret City

This particular event was a tribute to Mark Kistler and his TV show "Secret City". The artists featured on Saturday included Arianne Venable, Aziz Anzabi, Alexa Aldana, Elizabeth Arlington, Ernest Lizcano, Frieda Henson, Gilbert Ruiz, Iwona Jankowski, Joana Esteves, Jim Adams, Marie E. Casamayor, Mark Roden, Raymond Dunlap, Sarah Cloutier, and Scott Altruiste Cravens. I especially loved Mark Roden's abstracts (some of which I featured below!). 

Posted on January 20, 2014 and filed under Travel Diaries.