Creative Rendezvous with Kandinsky

March 9, 2018Leave a comment

This Sunday, March 11, 12.00-15.00 I’m hosting a Creative Rendezvous session where we will be discovering fascinating world of Wassily Kandinsky.

Kandinsky (1866-1944) was a Russian painter, graphic artist and art theorist. It would not be an underestimated statement to call him the Father of abstract modern art. During the workshop I will concentrate on a few aspects of his creative process. Besides his work in visual arts, he had a passion for music, poetry and theater. He himself played the piano and the cello, wrote verses and scripts.

We will look into some of his work where he connected visual and audio modes, we will discuss the process of seeing sounds, the synesthesia. We will talk about his work with Schoenberg. We will see some bits of the Kandinsky’s performance Pictures at an Exhibition – a music piece by Mussorgsky, which was created under a strong impression of the Viktor Hartmann’s exhibition. This constant dialogue between the different artistic domains is what interests me the most. This inner connection and cross-inspiration. That is what I would like to explore more during the workshop. As the culmination of this, we will touch upon Kandinsky’s Synthesis of Arts and performance The Yellow Sound.

After this introduction I will propose a few exercises where we will be interpreting different sounds and music using our own impressions, envisioned colors and forms.

Really looking forward to bring in the music and colors together with you in some kind of unity and boosting your creative energy this spring!

Warm welcome!

Book your ticket here

Walking the streets of Gafsa, Tunisia – first impressions

August 21, 2017August 21, 2017Leave a comment

First official day of the International Festival of Art and Culture: Capsa 2017 was dedicated to getting some rest from the trip, however, some of us headed out to explore the city of Gafsa. Here are some of my visual notes from the walk.

Tunisia trip sketches – March 2017

August 20, 2017August 9, 2017Leave a comment

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Urban Sketching Walk in Riga

August 10, 2017August 9, 20173 Comments

While in Riga I managed to join the Urban Sketching Summer School, however, only during one evening. It was great to finally meet Rudy Murdock from Indonesia, who was one of the mentors.

It was nice to see all the different styles that people use when sketching and it was fun to try new instruments as well – Rudy brought some sticks from Indonesia to use with the ink.

I really enjoyed those – they are carved unevenly and therefore they give different thickness to the line and thus while using them there is always room for some happy and funny accidents on paper. It was very inspiring also to see the real ink on paper. Although most of the time I use close to fountain pen with ink, but there is no substitute to real ink! I loved it and I think I’ll be using it more! Time to go to the woods and find some oak sticks!

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The Power of Vulnerability by Brené Brown

July 27, 2017July 22, 2017Leave a comment

On courage to be imperfect. Connection as a result of authenticity.

vulnerability is the core of shame and fear and our struggle for worthiness,but it appears that it’s also the birthplace of joy, of creativity,of belonging, of love.

you cannot selectively numb emotion.You can’t say, here’s the bad stuff.Here’s vulnerability, here’s grief, here’s shame,here’s fear, here’s disappointment.I don’t want to feel these.I’m going to have a couple of beers and a banana nut muffin. … You can’t numb those hard feelings without numbing the other affects, our emotions.You cannot selectively numb.So when we numb those,we numb joy,we numb gratitude,we numb happiness.And then, we are miserable,and we are looking for purpose and meaning,and then we feel vulnerable,so then we have a couple of beers and a banana nut muffin.And it becomes this dangerous cycle.

Courage

15 Affirmations: Find the Courage to Live the Life You Want by Joyce Marter

July 23, 2017July 22, 2017Leave a comment

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joyce-marter-/find-the-courage-to-live-the-life-you-want_b_5826674.html

Courage

Nepal Trip Sketches | December 2016 – January 2017

July 8, 2017July 1, 2017Leave a comment

What I am Working On Now – July 2017

July 2, 2017July 5, 2017Leave a comment

Most of July 2017 I am based in our Latvian countryside house nearby Kadaga / Adazi.

This month is dedicated to regaining my own balance, reconnecting with my own past, clearing out old books and papers, exploring my family roots and mental traveling through time…

There is a possibility to join me for Finding Creative Flow sessions – contact me for more information.

As a follow-up to the Time Perspective Network meeting in Potsdam, I’m collaborating with Marc Wittmann on a paper: Orientation to the present and future and its role in pro-environmental behaviour and sustainability.

I’m continuing to work on the #100daysofinnerart project, which I have decided to exhibit during the art festival in Tunisia later this August.

I’m taking more visual notes while on location for my Book of Memory: Riga Chapter project – follow along: #bookofmemoryrigachapter

I’m coming back to the idea of creating something out of my father’s music collection of over 4000 tapes and various other objects from the Soviet times – Blast from the Past. Contact me if you have any ideas or museums that might be interested in this!

Working on the second leg of the Indvielsen project – stay tuned to see the new portraits!

End of July – beginning of August, I’m traveling with my mom to her home town – Chelyabinsk, Russia – to spend some time with my aunts and cousins and their kids.

How do I manage all of the above and a few things that were left out? I love working with my version of the bullet journal and I also follow my own medicine regarding taking the creative breaks.

I am available for giving workshops on how to deal with culture shock and using creativity as a resource. I would be thrilled to develop a tailored talk / workshop regarding time, creativity and your field of interest.

Best ways to keep up with my progress and stay in touch with me:

subscribe to my newsletter with my recent discoveries and updates & invitations to my exhibitions / pop-up galleries openings, events I’m organizing / hosting, talks & workshops I’m giving, etc.
see my visual explorations on Instagram
follow my occasional banter on twitter , updates on facebook or browse my blog on Medium

Find out more about me on my about page

Page inspired by Austin Kleon and nownownow community

Page was updated in July 2017.

Finding Creative Flow: Next Stop – Latvia

June 9, 2017June 9, 2017Leave a comment

Finding Creative Flow course is about to start in Greece – we are starting the creative journey this Sunday, June 11.

This summer I am moving around a lot. After the sustainability meeting in Potsdam, I will be heading a bit more north, to Latvia. In case you are nearby and would like to have a taste of the Finding Creative Flow course, you’re more than welcome to join me there from July 1 to July 23.

This time around I am hosting the course in our family house in Latvia. It is located in Kadaga, which is about 24 km away from Riga, not far away from the road to Tallinn. It’s a 3-bedroom house, with spacious living room and a nice outside patio looking at the forest.

July in Latvia is probably the best time of the year. Of course, it is located on the Baltic sea, so the weather can always bring some surprises, but usually it is sunny and warm. Perfect weather to go on bike rides around the nearby villages, go for hikes in the nearby forest, collecting berries and mushrooms. Our patio is the best place to have a BBQ and watch the beautiful sunset. We can listen to different music from my huge collection and play some instruments as well – there is a piano and an acoustic guitar.

Kadaga is about 24 km away from Riga, not far away from the road to Tallinn. There is a lake with the sand beach nearby, and places for volleyball. There is also a tennis court and a swimming pool with sauna in Adazi (2 km away). It is about 15 minutes away from the sea (by car) – Saulkrasti, where Jazz Festival takes place. There is a farm nearby where we can get fresh milk and other products locally produced.

I am open both to individual inquiries and small groups up to 3-4 curious minds to join me in Latvia.

We will do sketching and writing. You don’t have to be able to draw to join this workshop, but you must be willing to draw anyway. We will do mindfulness exercises. We will go on long walks in the surrounding area. We will sit silently in nature. We will observe sunrises or sunsets. We will actively explore the space around us, paying attention to small details, overall patterns and color change.

We will listen to the space around us and inside us and put it into words and images. We will be alone and we will be together.

We will actively explore the Latvian countryside, sketching at the local food market, or visiting the fisherman’s villages, walking in the sand dunes and pine forest, visiting medieval castles, tasting the locally crafted beers and cheese.

Booking:

The course fee: up to 5 days – 1800 dkk / 250 euro + VAT (25%)

Deposit of 500 dkk / 70 euro + VAT (25%) is payable upon sign-up

The fee does not include transportation to the location, accommodation, meals or personal art supplies – however they can be organized if you wish. Contact me for more information.

Accommodation

20 euro / 150 dkk per night – minimum stay 3 nights

100 Days of Inner Art – Work in Progress

June 6, 2017June 3, 20172 Comments

This year I am joining #the100dayproject with #100daysofinnerart. For now it is an exploration of my emotions on a particular day. I also observe what catches my attention that day, what is the greater context and transform that mix into abstract paintings. So far it has been an interesting journey to see how the brushstrokes change, which brush I tend to use and what are the dominant colors in the palette.