A Taste of Poland 2012 Calendar

I can't believe it but it's almost the end of the year! I've always wanted to design and create a calendar, so this year I actually got myself organised and put together the 'Taste of Poland 2012 Calendar'

It was a mammoth task in a VERY tight time frame but I'm very proud to present 12 illustrations of some of Poland's most famous and favourite dishes - one for each month!
The months, days of the week as well as the names of the Polish dishes are listed both in Polish and English - the perfect way to learn some cool new Polish words. Watch this blog each month next year to follow the recipes of delicious dishes such as Paczki (Doughnuts), Pierogi (Dumplings) and Ogorki (Pickles).

Please join me this Sunday November 20th at Federation Square, Melbourne for the annual Polish Festival where my gorgeous Calendar will be launched and available for purchase. It's a really fun day out and you can taste some of the Polish Dishes featured in the Calendar.

My stall is positioned right off Swanston Street at Fed Square, just opposite the Visitor Centre. Please come and say hello and pick up a few Taste of Poland 2012 Calendars - perfect as Christmas gifts!

Wishing you all an amazing year next year.

Maja

Secret Project!

I'm working on a secret project. I'm really excited, because this project has dragged me out of a creative rut and re-inspired me in so many ways! I can't reveal exactly what it is just yet, but it does involve wrapping new wheels in my illustrations. I've got two separate designs going at the moment, each is quite different from the other, but I just wanted to share this one sketch with you. This sleek peacock pyramid came to mind when I recently had cocktails with my girlfriends at the Emerald Peacock Lounge on Lonsdale Street, Melbourne. Such a gorgeous, glamorous place, I drew a connection with this feeling, the peacock and the project I'm working on. But more on that later... enjoy!

Illustration Friday - Launch

Frog Illustration by Maja Wolnik

I've been hiding under a rock. For a long time. Kind of like a frog, waiting for something to happen. I'm not sure why, maybe it was the empty well in my brain after my very successful solo exhibition, maybe its been a bunch of life things I've had going on or maybe I've just been too lazy or scared to create... but I've definitely been very blocked! I'm not sure if I'm out of the woods yet, but new illustrations that I've been doing for a new client have gotten me VERY inspired... all things kiddy and cute. So, very fittingly for this week's Illustration Friday theme, I'm LAUNCHING myself into creativity once again, with a giant leap of faith! So watch out world:)

Exhibition Euphoria @ Off the Kerb Gallery

Over a week ago (oh how the time flies!) I was back at Off the Kerb Gallery to pack up my Echoes of Nature exhibition. To my delight, I found the gallery covered with red dots, and almost half of my work SOLD!!!

It was a huge leap from humble beginnings on opening night, the evening of February 4th, when Melbourne decided to descend into humid and wet chaos, with flash flooding turning our roads into rivers. Seriously! I could not have picked a worse night for an exhibition opening.  But, those who love art, family and friends (who love me) braved the weather Gods and made it in time for refreshing (and very affordable) drinks, beautiful artwork (if I do say so myself) and interesting chats with the artists.

I could not be happier with the final outcome of this exhibition. The grin on my face could not be wiped for days.

I will miss my little babies... I'm kind of sad that all those months of hard work and preparation are over, there is a feeling of emptiness after the euphoria, but knowing that other people are enjoying my art in their homes and offices is absolutely priceless.

Creatively yours,

Maja Wolnik

Illustration Friday - Reverse

This week's IF topic is Reverse... so I had to take this opportunity to showcase a piece of mine that is currently on show at Off the Kerb Gallery.  Titled Mysterious, it is an ink illustration that has been inverted by using a photocopier. This way, the colours and the image have come out in reverse. It is one of the main techniques that I have used in this body of work.

Mysterious by Maja Wolnik, mixed media print, 2010

Please see my blog posts below for further information about this work and show. 

Enjoy!

Maja

Exhibition Fever!

For the last week, especially in the last two days I've had Exhibition Fever. I've been so busy stressing about my upcoming show at Off the Kerb Gallery on Friday that I can hardly sleep or eat, let alone do any other tasks that need attention like grocery shopping or the laundry.

But I love it! Part of the Exhibition Fever involved the local media who came by my studio last week to take happy snaps of me and my work. I'm thrilled to be featured in the Maribyrnong Leader and the Maribyrnong Weekly. Check out the articles here and here.

Now, I've also spent a very long day at the Gallery setting up. Being an artist doesn't prepare you for the amount of mathematics you need to know to work out how to hang your work evenly! Not to mention special balancing skills required for the ladder to hammer nails in the wall. 

Lucky for me the lovely Shini (founder/director) was there to curate and help with her extensive gallery experience. She saved my life with a strong cup of freshly brewed coffee, and we spent the whole day together chatting about all things art related (whilst measuring, hanging, re-measuring, re-hanging). 

We also had the pleasure of her two gorgeous cats keeping us company during our breaks in the cute gallery courtyard.

Exhibition Fever is taking its toll on me but I can't wait to see it all come together! I'm looking forward to the opening night, where I will also get to see the work of Elodie Silberstein in the back gallery and Monika Jean Dziewialtkowski-Gintowt in the upstairs gallery. It's going to be a fun night!
Join me on Friday February 4th, 6pm-9pm at Off the Kerb Gallery, 66B Johnston Street, Collingwood.

Echoes of Nature: Solo Exhibition at Off the Kerb Gallery : Friday Feb 4th 6pm-9pm

Please join me at Off the Kerb Gallery, 66B Johnston St, Collingwood. Opening night Friday February 4th from 6-9pm. Exhibition runs from Feb 4-25. Gallery opening hours are Thurs & Fri 12:30pm-6pm, Sat & Sun 12-5pm.

Echoes of nature is a collection of playful, intricate works inspired by the patterns created in nature. This body of work stemmed from drawings I made during a month long stay at the Julia & David White Artists’ Colony in Costa Rica in 2009. Crumpled, dying leaves captured my attention and then my imagination to re-create something original.

  I like to use ink to draw my illustrations: I can make distinct, solid lines yet still create a sense of flow and movement. 

  I’m fascinated with repetition: I love making copies, and copies of copies…they’re never really quite identical. The photocopier is an important element of my creative process – it allows me to make quick copies of my work, but also to enlarge, reduce, crop, reverse and modify my images in countless ways.

  Collage then takes me back to that childhood feeling of joy and playfulness: I cut things up, add bits, take away, move things around, stick them down and then add even more ink. Guided by intuition, this method allows me to re-construct the natural forms to create new, yet similar images that echo each other. 

  As I explore the endless possibilities of creation, I hope to evoke a feeling, a memory or reaction and inspire you to stop, reflect and appreciate. The final arrangement allows the eyes to play.

Please join me at Off the Kerb Gallery, 66B Johnston St, Collingwood for the opening night on Friday February 4th from 6-9pm.

Linden Postcard Show : Saturday February 5th 1pm-5pm

Linden Postcard Show, Linden Centre for Contemporary Arts, 26 Acland Street, St Kilda. Opening day Saturday February 5th 1pm. Exhibition open from Feb 5th to March 26th. Gallery hours 1pm - 5pm Tuesday - Friday, 11am-5pm Sat & Sun.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Linden Postcard Show, but I've made 2011 my first ever entry!

Featuring small scale works in all mediums from thousands of artists, the annual Linden Postcard Show is the wealthiest open entry competition in Australia. With a plethora of prizes such as the $5000 Linden Award,  $2,000 Palais Theatre Management Artist Support Award , $1,000 Yarra Trams Award, $1,000 St Kilda Art Supplies Award and the chance for 6 Postcard winners to each receive $250 and have their work reproduced as Linden Postcards, I couldn't let this amazing opportunity slip by. I've entered three of my most recent monoprints for judging.

 

Opening celebrations start from 1pm on Saturday 5th February with bar and live music. Please join me at the Linden Centre and wish me luck!

Wishing you a happy, healthy, creative New Year!

Just a quick hello to wish everyone a Happy New Year! To kick off 2011, I've been very busy in the studio working towards preparing for my very first solo exhibition, which will be happening in February at Off the Kerb Gallery - but more on that later! Here is my new studio helper, Zuzia, the ragdoll cat, adding her thoughts (and fur) to a new collage composition. I'm really excited about 2011 - lots of fun and creative things coming up in this Melbourne town and I'm ready to get my hands dirty. Watch out for my newsletter coming to your inbox soon! Creatively, Maja