Sunday, October 16, 2011

something to be inspired by - the artwork of Isabelle Tremblay

I first saw her work in Montreal in the gallery linked at the end of a long day of looking at sinking potholes and 3 storey H&Ms. It was absolute soul food. I can taste and relive it in full IMAX worthy dimension when I see these photos, my eyes salivating and my heart gnawing at the thrill. Among my absolute favourite modern artists - in the sense that her work inspires me to push myself in my own artwork as well as by the inner measurement that I could own and look at one of her pieces in my home, only love it more each time I admired it. I am dazzled by her innovative portraits, her fearless use of unorthodox colour and texture, and her portrayal of femininity, dreamy and grounded all at once. Click the title link and have a taste (or as my Dutch grandpa would say "a shmeck") for yourself.


Sunday, September 18, 2011

something to be marvelled - the artwork of Audrey Kawasaki

the skill! the detail! the absolute beauty and depth of feeling! the utter creativity. her work inspires me to push myself as an artist. the quality, the effort, the flawlessness (yet not "perfect", as it were), the genius. i'm into it.

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

something different - the best non dairy hot chocolate you will ever drink

And I made the recipe myself :)



For one serving of creamy, thick, chocolatey wonder all you need is...

1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/3 cup coconut milk
1 tbsp. cocoa powder (I use raw cocoa from Navita Naturals, the flavour is awesome)
a good sprinkling of cinnamon
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
any type of sweetener to taste (palm sugar gives it a caramely taste)

mix (whisking while heating will make it nice and smooth) and warm all ingredients in a small sauce pot at a medium heat. pour into your favourite mug and enjoy! :)

Monday, May 23, 2011

something real - paint the town GREEN


above: top, edina todoki goes all out with portraits made of wood slats with greens growing through the spaces; moss calligraphy by anna garforth.

My sister came across something brilliant the other day (as she is a brilliant girl herself, naturally she would attract such things). It's the treehugger's answer to public art that is not only non toxic and completely earth friendly (its made even made from nature!), but is perfectly representative of an eco revolutionary's point - to send a message about the resilience of nature, in a natural way, using the power of nature. Moss Graffitti is art murals similar to any spray paint work but that is made using Moss Paint. Composed of just buttermilk, water, sugar, and moss, this incredible art medium is by far the greenest (pun SO intended) around. The idea is to paint your chosen design on a surface where moss could thrive. With some moisture and sun, the moss will grow to show the design you created. Pure magic - with a bad ass, damn-the-man with my green thumb feeling behind it. Heavy Petal (click on the post title for the link) is the blog that deserves credit for drawing our attention to the art form and causing quite a stir of creative inspiration in our household.

Also, check out this incredible article about Vertical Vegetation and Greenery as Art.

Thursday, May 19, 2011

FLICKR, MEET WORLD - a love letter to photography
















Here is the door to my flickr account (click on the title above!). Photography is something I love because it continually challenges me. I have so much to learn and I'm stoked about that! It is science and art fused into one beautiful, widely-accessible tool with an amazing myriad of interesting results - the reflections of people's souls. In my 12th grade social studies class we did an experiment. Our teacher gave us a list of the top 25 Most Influential Technologies of the 20th century, and from that list we each chose a creation to research and defend. I ended up with the electric car, which eerily resonated with current times and stirred a lot of questions in me such as WHY HAS SUCH AN INCREDIBLE PIECE OF MODERN MACHINERY BEEN HIDDEN ALL THESE YEARS and WHY DIDN'T I THINK OF THAT. But that's a whole different blog post. After we presented our findings the class did a vote to determine after what we'd heard what we thought was the most important development of the 20th century. Something like vaccinations got the most votes (I had beef with this conclusion). I voted for the camera, knowing in my heart that it probably wouldn't be awarded anywhere near first place (with fierce competitors such as the condom and the computer, everyone loves lovin' and surfin'), but it felt right and made sense to me in a lot of ways. Look at this blog right now. Look at the google images you just brought up to check out the inventor of the first modern style film camera (Henry Talbot Fox). Look at the book or magazine on your table. Look at the fridge and the walls of your house. Look at the tv, the billboard, the ad, the surveillance. Look at facebook. Photos, everywhere, in our every day life. They have become part of our very existence as people, and in a way we depend on them and how they serve us. As you feast with your eyes upon this flickr link and let the colors and lines and light and shadows as seen through someone else's view sink into your brain, just think about that.

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

hello, world.


My name is Opal and this is my new blog! I am a 20 year old artist based in the Rocky Mountains of Canada, and I love looking at, appreciating, and making beautiful things. To me, beauty is a reflection of the soul. To see true soul is to see real beauty. I love to laugh, to eat, to try new things, to express love and compassion, and to see what others are capable of creating as well as what you can learn from and about others when you open your mind (and heart) and listen. I am endlessly marvelled at the strength of the human spirit and of the complexity/brilliance of the human mind. I am equally marvelled at the brilliance of nature, and therefore do everything I can to honour and take care of something so exquisite. Since I am a very visual person, and the internet is a very visual place, I thought that the best way to express my style, to share my artwork and creative experimentations as well as appreciate the work of others, and to share the things I find interesting in life would be through a blog of optical inclination, a place for hungry eyes to be fed! Bon apetit :)