Tom

We wanted to meet THE ONE. The raven that is not albino, but rather speckled grey and white and with 'regular' indigo-black peepers. Oh, what a sight he would have been, had we had the fortune of chatting with him that day! I know this because I had seen an awesome pic of Tom's taken earlier in the season. 

Interestingly, Tom, the birding expert (and a skilled painter, despite his doubt), guessed that this feathered fella may have been romantically challenged. According to him, it was taking a bit long for this unusual bird to attract a mate. The ladies choose the men in this species. As stunning as this raven was to me, he was not having luck getting a date. Tom thought this would change with time. I found that interesting on so many levels. 

As hinted, I didn't get to see the alluring bird. Although I had driven six hours in hopes of doing just that, I wasn't terribly disappointed. I've learned that I can't have expectations of Mother Nature. She knows what and if something should happen much better than I do. The morning Tom spent with me was a blast. Good coffee at a place I would have never noticed, sights of the cool high school crowd, a truckload of knowledge from a fellow artist and a walk around an enticing, unfamiliar place was worth each moment. Thank you so much, Tom.

Nikol Haskova Studio

just being around her

Opus hosted me for another two workshops and I had so much fun sharing! Minds eager to learn came for both lessons. Young and old, experienced and not, male and female, all came to create with their minds and hands.

Putting emphasis on direct demonstrations this time, I came up with a great panel. Layering a variety of materials was just the beginning. Someone asked about the look of dripped paint. Giving a nod to an elementary school project, I showed her how easy it was. What I didn't anticipate is how much I'd love all of this put together. Red. Gold. Japanese-looking. Introspective. Simple despite the amount of layers. Hot (I am talking about the feel of the red) yet cool (to the mind).

Well. My husband chimed in, as he has before: "Ah, you can do better." I hate that! I'm really not into someone kicking my ass into higher gear as soon as I thought I had reached my destination. Fortunately (and unfortunately), I am not into "I wonder if I could have done better, hmm...", either. Alas, he was right, again. The painting wasn't finished, because she was missing. 

I love her so much, I didn't give her a name. I would have become too attached, sigh. Just being around her puts me in a tranquil mood. 

(above, partial painting only)

SOLD

Nikol Haskova Studio


note: I rarely entertain studio sales. In this case, I am tickled pink that a sweet friend bought this painting. She is the perfect person for it. Just looking at her look at the painting brought the tears to my eyes. And hers. I love that.

finding serenity

This was a technically challenging painting. There were so many layers, additions, deletions and things gone both right and wrong that it made my head spin. I'm not talking about mounting, elevation or hardware. Rather, the tough task was marrying the intellectual content to the medium. 

Acrylic is fabulous for playtime. (Weeeeeee!) For me, this means hours of happy brush splattering, hardware experimenting, skin pinching and gel mixing goofing around - which comes with failed attempts to communicating my thoughts. (ooh, look at that shiny bit there, sniff that fresh paper here, imagine the prickliness of that thingy - oh wait - that's not the pretty thought that was in my head, hahaha). It's all good - such is the learning path with many projects in life. I just wish it didn't take as long sometimes. Buddha would say something along the lines of: "It'll take as long as it takes. Go play with your son. You will continue tomorrow." 

The result was wonderful. As notes of a yummy Chopin piece trickled out of the stereo, the branches in my painting happily connected with a thin line of passion. Hence the red strip to crown it. For love. And, as the painting moved from infancy to being able to fly on its own, I bought it a ticket to Toronto. It was showcased at the Love Art Affair.

(detail above, for entire image please contact me)

caressing the mind

A soothing break for the mind
A graceful dance, low in the sky
A gentle nudge for a deep breath
Kissed by silver and bits of gold

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Nikol Haskova Studio

anticipation

With gorgeous sights, sounds and most importantly, scents of spring everywhere, I wanted to celebrate the luscious pregnancy of the season. While there is a breathtaking beauty to everything in bloom, I was after a different kind of loveliness. 

The kind that is in between winter and blossom, waiting, seemingly quietly, like a girl next door. Unlike the femme fatale of cherry blossom and magnolia blooms, she appears innocent.

SOLD
Nikol Haskova Studio