something spooky - halloween makeup ideas

i love HALLOWEEN! the actress in me particularly loves getting the opportunity to be an entirely different character than yourself for a whole day (sometimes a whole weekend). this year, as per usual, i got really into it. early. i've been admiring the autumn beauty outdoors, making crafts, and watching spooky movies and feeling incredibly inspired by it all. i would never deny myself the opportunity to act on such inspiration, so below are two makeup-costume looks to help share the good freaky vibes with you all! 

first: my take on Tim Burton's lady vampire in Dark Shadows (if you're a Tim Burton fan, or just a fan of fun i highly recommend this movie).

second: a simplified (meaning i only used 3 products and this only took about 10 minutes) Sugar Skull look a la dia de los muertos. this look was extremely easy and fun to do, so its a great idea for those very last-minute-on-your-way-out-the-door costume creators (i know who you are because i am you).

hope you enjoy and get some great ideas of your own!

something to be inspired by - Jim the Skull Artist

his site here, with his amazing array of skeletal artwork

something sunny - july!

film photos all taken with a diana mini and anonymous, peculiar japanese film.

all images copyright Opal Retzer.

something instantly gratifying - OpticallyInclined on Instagram

My everyday sketches show my love for ink on the wondrously fun Instagram! :) Such a great place to make a person see the beauty in the everyday and for the artist in all of us to speak with images as opposed to comments and statuses.

something i made - art cards by Opal

ink + stamps, recycled paper, sparkles. copyright Opal Retzer.

hello, Blogger. it's been a while. i still love you, i think about you all the time. life's been busy but rather than rehash all that's been i'm just gonna dive right back in to this blog with all that is present and happening now! above is an example of something i truly love to do but have not yet shared with the internet world: handmade cards. the process alone of making one (or ten) fills me with so much joy and love i could do it from sunrise to sunset. those feelings increase ten-fold when i get to give the card to the intended person and watch their eyes light up at the unexpected delight of a) being thought of and b) receiving something one of a kind made by hand. i hope this post inspires you to make a card instead of buying one the next time a birthday or special occasion arises! happy creating :)

left: a thank you card i made for my art teacher at the end of classes. right: a welcome home card created for my best friend :)

something more than visual - the connection by Opal Retzer

to new audiences: I have flickr!

"the connection" - digital double exposure. copyright Opal Retzer.

something classic - substitute by The Who

"substitute! your lies for facts" - click for the music vid

something fresh - wear more orange!

something i made - spring! by Opal Retzer

acrylic and ink on canvas. copyright Opal Retzer.

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.

something i made - sunlight by Opal Retzer

acrylic, oil and ink on canvas. copyright Opal Retzer.

something i made - night poppies by Opal Retzer

oil, acrylic, ink, and vintage sewing pattern paper on canvas. copyright Opal Retzer.

something i made - divine by Opal Retzer

ink and charcoal on paper. copyright Opal Retzer.

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.

http://www.audrey-kawasaki.com/

something i made - featherlight by Opal Retzer

acrylic and feather on canvas. copyright Opal Retzer.

something different - peculiar snapshots by unexpectedtales on Flickr

click the title to see more!

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! :)

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.

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.

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 :)