You can see more photos of this year's Art in Bloom winners here. You can also check out my Instagram for more photos I shared from the event (joy_allthings).
Art and flowers: two of my favorite things, combined at the best event the Milwaukee Art Museum offers. ART IN BLOOM!! The premise is simple: participating florists are randomly assigned an art piece to inspire a floral arrangement. The museum curators choose pieces from throughout the museum so attendees get a chance to see all parts of the museum as they look at the 40 something entrees. Some floral arrangements match the art pieces very literally, others are more loosely connected to the art. The results are always interesting; there's always a few pieces that make me scratch my head, and there's just as many that take my breath away and literally make me stop to smell the roses. This year there were lots of excellent pieces, and I managed to get some nice pictures of a few of my favorites. The Madonna and child arrangement was my top pick this year (although it was a really tough choice!). Those colors! Those shapes! I felt it matched the painting so well (in the background of the photo above), and it helped me see the Madonna and child piece in a way I never had before. This is an example of a piece I had never taken time to look at before it was included in Art in Bloom. After appreciating the floral piece, I found beauty in the Noah's Ark painting I hadn't before. (Score 1 for the Art in Bloom curators.) See how it doesn't match the piece exactly but you can see how it was inspired by it? Loved the use of the bonnet in this one! I forgot to get a picture of the painting this was based off, but it was a 19th century beach scene with a couple of ladies in dresses - and bonnets. The bonnet, colors, and sea type plants worked so well in the piece and really captured the feeling of the painting. Awards are given for the top three pieces and for honorable mention(s). First place was given to this beautifully innovative piece based off a button sculpture (below). The sculpture is one that usually gives me a "huh?" feeling (which a lot of modern sculpture does for me), but again, seeing such a cool floral piece made me give the sculpture a second chance. Do you think the rose arrangement capture the feel of the sculpture? The designer statement mentioned how the repetition of the water vases mirrored the repetition of the buttons. I looked forward to this event so much. Art in Bloom comes at such a great time of year, just when I need the pick me up that only flowers and sunshine can give. I went twice in four days this year! Luckily I have these great photo reminders of how lovely the event was to carry me through until next year.
You can see more photos of this year's Art in Bloom winners here. You can also check out my Instagram for more photos I shared from the event (joy_allthings).
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A few weeks ago I went to an art bar for the first time - the kind of place where you paint and drink at the same time. It seems like a hazardous combination, but it was actually wonderful. Being in such a fun environment helped my perfectionist inclinations chill out, and I was able to enjoy doing a simple painting. I still decided what I wanted to paint before I arrived. Since going to Bailey's Range in St. Louis over Christmas (see above), I've been wanting to do a similar style painting for our kitchen. I decided on a cherry, because every kitchen needs something cherry themed. My mom engrained this in me at a very early age. Though thinking back to out cherry kitchen growing up, I'm remembering that the tiny cherry wallpaper was actually hung upside down (the wallpaper man hadn't realized what he was doing until after he had finished the entire kitchen). So I guess that means that every kitchen needs something cherry - and a cook with a sense of humor. I liked how this turned out so much that I'm thinking of doing another painting for our kitchen. This one will be bigger and may include a series of drinks, fruits, vegetables, or a combination of all three. We still have lots of empty wall space in our kitchen. And it obviously needs to be covered with art and paintings of food.
What kind of images of food would you include on your walls? P.S. Daylight savings time starts this weekend! You better believe I'll be celebrating it! Today I'm featuring another artist I find incredibly inspiring. This is part of an ongoing feature where I share the work of artists who inspire me. There is much joy to be found in beautiful artwork. Oana Befort is a Romanian illustrator whose work I have fallen in love with recently. Her illustrations are whimsical and colorful and often feature animals, fruit, and flowers in bright bold designs. She is a freelance artist who makes her living painting and doing graphic design. Dreamy huh? Adding to her alure is how she uses phrases like "I am using any kind of watercolor paper" and that she met her husband Christmas caroling. Oana's prints and watercolor originals are available through her Etsy shop, and she also features various products with her designs in her Society6 shop. I haven't purchased anything yet, but I think some Oana Befort artwork would go really well in our apartment (hint, hint Paul). I follow Oana on her blog (which is so calming to read) and on her Instagram account (oanabefort) where she often features work in progress. She also shares glimpses into her life which includes a 52 week project, where she takes a photo a week of her son for one year. She recently announced she's expecting her second child, so the 52 week project also includes adorable photos of her growing baby bump. One of my favorite things about the blogging world and social media is getting "to know" my favorite artists and get a look into their creative process. It feels like a great privilege and is incredibly inspiring for my own work. One of my favorite things Oana shared was a video of her completing a water color. It helped a lot of things click in my mind and gave me ideas for taking my own watercolors to the next level. Finally, Oana offers a free download of a monthly calendar on her blog. I download it each month for my work desktop. I love how it brightens my work on a daily basis.
Thanks for the inspiration Oana! I love finding artists that give me the desire to keep pushing myself to develop as an artist. I highly recommend checking out her work - and when you do, let me know if you have a favorite work by her! I'd love to hear it. Who's inspiring you lately? I've caught the painting bug again recently and wanted to share more of my inspiration with you. I'll be sharing the work of artists who inspire me semi regularly with you. There is so much joy to be found in beautiful artwork! I chose Jane Heinrichs as the first artist to share here. I found her work after she commented on one of my posts (hello blogging highlight!). Her illustrations have such a lovely touch of whimsy and all would look perfect included in my favorite childhood stories. Jane also writes an inspired blog where she reflects on life, dreams and goals, her career as an artist, and travelling. I find it fascinating that she's lived all over - Swaziland, Canada, South Africa, and England to be exact. Makes moving around the states seem a little calmer :) My favorite work of Jane's is her illustrated children's book Magic at the Museum. Seeing it for the first time felt like seeing a dream come to life. Her book tells the story of a little girl who visits the Courtauld Gallery at night and sees paintings like Cezanne's come to life! Amazing! Can I be that girl? Please? (This was even cooler since Paul and I visited the museum during our trip to London over the summer.)
You can see more of Jane's work here and order prints of her work from her Etsy shop here. Order before November 29th to have your print arrive by Christmas! |