BLOGGERS ART GALLERY

Hello dear visitors and readers. Today I'm really excited to join in the Bloggers Art Gallery link up. Kezzie is the organizer and you can find her blog here.  As some of you already know, I'm blessed to own a lot of beautifully framed oil, watercolour and acrylic paintings. As a hobby artist myself, it gives me great pleasure to have so many paintings on my walls. I don't have a single poster in my home, it's all real art, my walls are all just: canvas after canvas!  My husband is very emotionally attached to my paintings (particularly to ones of boats) so he rarely allows me to sell them. 
HYPER LINKS TO OTHER PARTICIPANTS OF BLOGGERS ART GALLERY 
Bellow you can find the links with other participants (copied from Kezzie's blog), check them out as well: 
FRAMED PAINTINGS IN MY LIVING ROOM - MY PAINTINGS 
After some thinking, I decided to share with you just the paintings from my living room. I have art in every room in my home, but if I were to show you all of it, this post would be impossibly long. So what I decided to do is just to share with you the art that you can see in my living room. All of these paintings are reproduction paintings I painted  myself during one of the six art courses I took with Michelangelo gallery. You can read about my experience of taking art course here. Not all of these paintings are very precise reproductions, though.  We are allowed some creativity in art courses I take in Michelangelo Art Gallery Mostar. Moreover, all of these paintings currently hanging on my walls are acrylic on canvas and  were framed  in Michelangelo art gallery. 
Regular readers of my blog have surely noticed the four boat paintings that hang above my white sofa. We even had LED lights installed in the ceiling to make these paintings pop out even more (or maybe they were there before the paintings but we placed them under for a dramatic effect?). However, I had two new paintings of mine framed back in 2019. One of them is a landscape painting and the other is a reproduction of a historical ballerina painting. They hang above my other white sofa.  I decided to make and share with you a little collage of the making of process. I struggled a bit with the proportions in the ballerina painting. Being a hobby fashion illustrator means that  I tend to elongate the limbs. However, this painting asked for realistic portions. Moreover, this is a historical painting and women were build a bit differently in the past.  Ballerinas used to be a lot shorter back in the day. Perhaps it wasn't until Slavic women started to dominate the ballet world that today standard of long extremities appeared. I mean dancers are, in a way often trying to look tall, but they need to actually be tall.  Dancers in many companies still aren't very tall. I love that in the ballet of our days anything goes. You can be both tall and petite. I actually think it's more about the talent and the work in ballet then about being a certain height, but I'm straying from what I wanted to say and that is- I'm really happy I painted these ballerinas.
To everyone who ever said that my living room looks like an art gallery, thank you very much, that's exactly the look I was going for.  My husband and I decided to go for minimalism when it came to decorating our living room. I feel like the paintings I hanged since then are the perfect way to humanize the space. With so much white, the eye just flies towards the paintings. Even the frames are mostly made from white wood. If you know my personal dressing style, you know that I'm more a maximalist then a minimalist. I do wear a minimalist look now but it's not really my style. So, I was kind of surprised with how comfortable I felt in a modern minimalist home. I think my paintings have something to do with that. I also love that most of the depict the sea and boats. I'm from Croatia and I only moved to Mostar when I got married, so I do miss the sea. I think my art reflects that. This year I 'm working (not there at the moment) in Croatia so I'm close to the sea but away from my paintings. I'm actually currently in Mostar (the photographs in white jeans were taken a few hours ago specifically for this post). I'm staying in Mostar for my annual leave and I will probably return to my 'real' home once my contract ends in a few months. That would be the story of my paintings (at least the ones in my living room) and me!
Thank you for reading and visiting. I'll add up other participants once Kezzie puts them up on her blog. Have a nice day!

Comments

  1. shanaz@RS21 July 2020 at 07:24

    Hi beautiful! OMG, your boat paintings are so vivid and engaging. I'm really loving them and can see why your partner wouldn't want them sold. You turning your minimalist living room with an art showroom twist is just fabulous and I think your maximalist style sits well in contrast too! I love the gold sequin look you're wearing as you hold your drink there. Super chic! I hope you're staying safe and keeping creative wherever you happen to be at the moment :) xoxo

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anca21 July 2020 at 07:47

    I love your living room, it's gorgeous. Also, the boat paintings are stunning, I can understand why your husband doesn't want you to sell them. The painting of the ballerinas is so beautiful. I'm very impressed. x

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ananka21 July 2020 at 08:40

    Great idea and you have a great collection :-D

    ReplyDelete
  4. Vix21 July 2020 at 09:00

    I love that your lounge resembles an art gallery and it's all the more fabulous for them being your creations. I love the boat pictures, they remind me so much of colourful harbours in Greece. The frames are stunning! xxx

    ReplyDelete
  5. Julia21 July 2020 at 09:03

    Thanks for leaving a comment on my blog. Wow! your paintings are so lovely. I think I like the ballerinas and the boats the best. I always wanted to learn painting like my sisters and sisters in law but I have so many hobbies, somehow I've never gave it a try. I always put it off to when I retire and now that I'm retied, I'm still as busy as ever.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ivana Split25 July 2020 at 00:17

      yes, when you have many hobbies, it is hard to find the time. I'm the same way. I have lots of hobbies.

      Delete
  6. Confuzzled Bev21 July 2020 at 09:14

    Wow, I'm so impressed with your paintings. I can see why your partner insisted on keeping the boats!

    ReplyDelete
  7. awhite21 July 2020 at 10:25

    You are so talented, babe! What an awesome idea to link up with so many other artists!

    -Ashley
    Le Stylo Rouge

    ReplyDelete
  8. Sheila21 July 2020 at 11:09

    Wow, your paintings are truly works of art, Ivana! I love the ballerina one - I like your looser interpretation of the original. But honestly, your first boat painting really made me gasp - the colour!! It's just gorgeous, so rich and vivid. It reminds me of the Group of Seven in its bold use of colour and the dramatic brush strokes.

    Thanks for playing along!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ivana Split25 July 2020 at 01:06

      I do love bold colours, both in art and fashion. I will look up the Group of Seven. In Croatia there is a group of artist known as Dubrovnik's Colorist. They're all from Dubrovnik city and use vivid colours.

      Delete
  9. Polyester Princess21 July 2020 at 11:35

    Your sitting room looks like an art gallery and your incredible works are displayed to perfection. You are so talented. The works which resonate the most with me are those vividly evocative boat pictures! xxx

    ReplyDelete
  10. Marisa Cavaleiro21 July 2020 at 11:53

    Hello Ivana
    Congratulations on your participating in this art link up!! I love your paintings, I think you are a true artist !! And your living room is a true art gallery, your husband is right, don't sell your works because they are a part of you, I don't make paintings I make pictures in cross stitch drawn by me !!


    xoxo

    marisasclosetblog.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ivana Split25 July 2020 at 03:14

      yes, your cross stich is art form too. I love it.

      Delete
  11. Aril21 July 2020 at 12:56

    Beautiful paintings. I'm reminded of the harbours on Gozo. Arilx

    ReplyDelete
  12. Shybiker21 July 2020 at 15:14

    Gorgeous artworks. And pretty outfits, too!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Sakuranko21 July 2020 at 16:41

    Oh wow so pretty and nice iniciative
    xx

    ReplyDelete
  14. Jodie's Touch of Style21 July 2020 at 17:48

    I think this is such a gorgeous way to display your art and I can see why your husband loves the boat in particular. You have such a wonderful talent Ivana,
    XOOX
    Jodie

    ReplyDelete
  15. akiko hiramatsu21 July 2020 at 21:24

    Your living room really looks like a gallery! You are talented, Ivana!
    I also love hanging paintings on the wall and live around them, so your article inspires me. Thank you for sharing other lot of URL :)

    akiko
    www.akikohiramatsu.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ivana Split25 July 2020 at 06:22

      Thank you Akiko. Hanging pictures on the wall is a great source of inspiration for me. xoxo

      Delete
    2. Ivana Split25 July 2020 at 07:00

      Thank you.

      Delete
  16. The Padre21 July 2020 at 21:27

    What A Score - Very Tasteful Photos - Such A Relaxing Post - Thank You - Be Well And Stay Strong

    Cheers

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ivana Split25 July 2020 at 06:24

      Thanks Padre. I'm glad you like the photos.

      Delete
  17. Mica22 July 2020 at 04:19

    You are a very talented painter - you can see in your boat pictures, you've captured the water beautifully! It's nice you can display so much of your art around the house too :)

    Hope that your week is going well :)

    Away From Blue

    ReplyDelete
  18. Pablo Parra (Fungi)22 July 2020 at 04:30

    Hello dear Ivana, hope you're having a nice summer so far :)

    Now I feel even more lucky to have your art at home, I have it in a small gallery in the small studio area where I put art from another creators that push me to keep with the creative work :) I loved your explanation on how your art is evolving day by day, specially in these months where the instropection is changing the way we put our hands down to work when it comes to be "creative".

    Loved the idea of this dynamic/activity. And I totally recognize your boat paintings, although I love to see when you feature people in the illustrations, but I think to find variety in your paintings is refreshing !

    Keep doing the good work and thanks for your support as artist and blogger friend,
    Pablo
    HeyFungi

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ivana Split25 July 2020 at 06:51

      Thank you Pablo. I do find the variety in paintings to be quite refreshing. I love illustrating people but I also like the landscapes. I always love when you illustrate decor, you're so good at it.

      Delete
  19. Lyosha Varezhkina22 July 2020 at 04:33

    that is such a great idea and initiative. I love it. I am happy I now know about it!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Dressed With Soul22 July 2020 at 07:31

    Dear Ivana, yes, your living room looks indeed like an art gallery - you installed them perfectly and as you know I love your arts. Maybe the art with the boat is my favourite, but honestly I can't decide. It is so understandable you belong to the bloggers art gallery and I'm impressed by the creativity and skills from all of you! Thanks for sharing and enjoy further your fantastic skills!
    xx from Bavaria/Germany, Rena
    www.dressedwithsoul.com

    ReplyDelete
  21. Selvaggia Capizzi22 July 2020 at 07:54

    Dai Ivana che bella idea!! Poi i tupi quadri si meritano un posto d'onore sei troppo brava!

    ReplyDelete
  22. N A S S A H22 July 2020 at 11:34

    Beautiful paintings ..

    ReplyDelete
  23. Elegant Duchess Fashion and Lifestyle22 July 2020 at 12:17

    Your paintings are incredible and eye capturing. Your house does look like a very classy art gallery. It's all about simplicity and aesthetic look.
    It does not surprise me that your husband gets emotionally attached to your art work. You can tell that a lot of hard work and emotions go to each of them.

    Elegant Duchess xx
    https://www.elegantduchess.com/

    ReplyDelete
  24. GlamourZONE22 July 2020 at 19:05

    Wow, they are absolutely beautiful. I also would not allow you to sell them

    ReplyDelete
  25. Fat Dormouse23 July 2020 at 03:34

    The boats are beautiful - and really capture the colours of Croatia. We were there before the war, and your pictures brought back memories of Split, and Dubrovnik. You are amazingly talented.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ivana Split25 July 2020 at 07:52

      Thanks. I hope you'll have a chance to revisit.

      Delete
  26. Kezzie23 July 2020 at 04:27

    Oh my!!!! Your ballerina painting is utterly sublime! I adore Degas' ballerina paintings and this reminds me of them so strongly- you are so talented!
    The boats are astounding too! What beautiful colours and details! You are so clever. The paintings are even more striking against your minimal background!
    I'd love to see other rooms as well! You totally should have included them! Definitely more posts in this series should come!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ivana Split25 July 2020 at 07:54

      Thank you. I love Degas too. Maybe I'll include other rooms in some future post.

      Delete
  27. Kezzie23 July 2020 at 04:29

    P.S. Thank you so much for taking part in this! I've loved coming round to see everyone's paintings and I love that your husband is so attached to your paintings that he doesn't want to let them go- totally understandable. I also think painting the place you live in, especially when it is as beautiful as Split (I know you live in Mostar now but you did live in Split for a long time)., is really powerful!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ivana Split25 July 2020 at 07:55

      Thank you for hosting this link, it has been great fun to visit everyone's galleries.

      Delete
  28. Natalia Lialina24 July 2020 at 21:10

    I love your paintings, Ivana! Such vibrant colors and bold strokes. They look wonderful in your art-gallery-style living room, and there is still room for more of your artwork! Thank you so much for sharing! <3

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ivana Split25 July 2020 at 07:55

      Yes, there is still room. I plan to fill it up. :)

      Delete
  29. Ivana Split25 July 2020 at 00:55

    <3

    ReplyDelete
  30. Chris Ferreira29 July 2020 at 19:31

    Hi Ivana, Your paints are incredible. The boat paintings are sublime and I loved the ballerina paintings too.
    kisses
    Chris


    Inventando com a Mamãe / Instagram  / Facebook / Pinterest

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

All your comments mean a lot to me, even the criticism. Naravno da mi puno znači što ste uzeli vrijeme da nešto napišete, pa makar to bila i kritika. Per me le vostre parole sono sempre preziose anche quando si tratta di critiche.

Popular posts from this blog

THE ISLAND OF THE MISSING TREES BY ELIF SHAFAK (BOOK REVIEW AND RECOMMENDATION)

Image
Today I shall review The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak. I was actually gifted this book. What a wonderful present it proved to be! Published in 2021, this postmodern  novel  follows two  story lines and uses framed narration.  The Island of Missing Trees  tells the life story of a Greek Turkish couple and their adolescent daughter.  This novel examines and explores a number of topics such as identity, migration, immigrant life, war trauma, memory, love and family. It's an ambitious novel that examines serious topics with due respect and sensitivity . I read it months ago, but I remember it vividly. Honestly, I cried a lot while reading this novel. It really moved me greatly. In fact, that is probably why it took me this long to finish this book review. I needed to emotionally process the story.   The Island of Missing Trees is   set in London and Cyprus. The narration isn't chronological .  The story jumps back and forth, following ...
Read more

VISIT SINJ (CROATIA) WITH ME! EXPLORE THE DALMATIAN HIGHLANDS!

Image
Hello readers and fellow bloggers! Regular readers of my blog will know that I'm Dalmatian and ' parce mihi Domine,' (as St. Jerome's supposedly used to pray). Dalmatia is one of four historical Croatian regions. When we're talking about coastal regions in Croatia, there are only two: Istria and Dalmatia. Occupying the majority of Croatian seaside, Dalmatia is extremely popular with tourists. Dalmatian coast is quite long, including hundreds of islands, and running from Zadar in the north do Dubrovnik to the south.  However, there's more to Dalmatia than its seaside and islands.  I'm from the seaside myself, a proper sea child and all,  but I love the Dalmatian Highlands. Rich in history and culture, Dalmatia Highlands are unique in many ways. From culinary delicacies to fascinating traditions, from untouched nature to picturesque towns and villages, you'll find much to admire here. Have I blogged about it before? I certainly did. I blogged about the Gr...
Read more

BURGUNDY AND YELLOW OUTFIT IN SPLIT CITY

Image
 Hello dear readers and fellow bloggers! In this post, I'll show you an autumn outfit I wore for a seaside stroll with my family in Split city, Croatia. This outfit is another example of me shopping my closet, so you can expect the sustainable fashion files to kick in any minute. This was a very comfortable outfit to wear that also felt very energizing. Probably it was due to colour therapy and all that. Wearing colours often makes me feel better. Mustard yellow and burgundy are the main colours in this look, and I do love these colours together. I dressed in layers, for it was quite windy and fresh despite the warm sun.  As regular readers of my blog know, Split is my home city, and you can find me there very often. In fact, you could say that I live between Split and Mostar. I love Mostar, but I do miss the sea. Is there anything better than seaside in Autumn and Winter? I always love being near the sea, but during the Autumn and Winter when there are hardly any people aroun...
Read more

WHAT I WORE IN MOSTAR FOR WONDERFULLY WARM AND SUNNY AUTUMN DAYS

Image
 Hello readers and fellow bloggers! Happy Sunday! In this post, I'll share three warm Autumn outfits I wore for strolling around Mostar city. Today is quite cold and cloudy for our Mediterranean standards, so the plan is to stay in and catch up with blogging. I've had a pretty eventful weekend so far. Weekend sometimes seem to just fly by, don't they? We often try to make up for the things we didn't do during the week, especially us ladies. We try to fit in all in- to clean the house, do chores and that sort of things. Sometimes weekends can even be tiring. There are conferences and meetings to attend. Learning how to shut down and rest properly can be a challenge. Life gets busy, and sometimes the older we get, the more busy it becomes. That's why I'm so grateful for these little outings I do, being a tourist in my own city and country- that sort of thing. I sometimes feel like I mastered sustainable and local travel . The challenge is just finding the time to ...
Read more

30 PLUS WAYS TO WEAR AN OLIVE BLAZER (SUSTAINABLE FASHION FILES)

Image
Hello dear readers and fellow bloggers! In this post, we'll talk some more about  sustainable fashion. As I believe the best way to learn is through example, so I'll show you multiple ways how to style an olive green blazer. On this little digital place to call my own, I love to show you how you can be more sustainable by shopping your closet. The more you love items in your closet and the better care you take of your clothes, you easier you'll find it to shop your closet. So, that's something to keep in mind! Besides linking up outfits with this blazer, I'll link up multiple ways to wear other items in my closet. As always, there will be fun collages to help you see the vision- how chic and fun restyling items can be! Olive green can be somewhat of an underrated colour, even if it is trending at the moment. For Autumn/Winter 2024/2025, tonal dressing in olive greens and khakis is right on trend. I'm convinced that when styled right, olive green can look good wi...
Read more

FORGIVENESS DAY BY URSULA K. LE GUIN (BOOK REVIEW AND AN AUTUMN STYLING)

Image
Hello dear readers and fellow bloggers! How are you today? I'm back with another Ursula K. Le Guin book review. In this post, I'll review " Forgiveness Day" , a science fiction novella that is a part of the Hainish Circle. Published in 1995, "Forgiveness Day " won multiple awards. This novella is often published together with her other novellas from the Hainish Circle, and it can be find in various editions of Four Ways to Forgiveness and Five Ways to Forgiveness.   Thematically, this novella is a part of five stories featuring two Hainish planets, but it can definitely be read on its own. I think it functions well as a stand alone novella. I listened to it in audio form, and I didn't have any problems following the story.  The world building is simple and effective. The author fills us in about the history of the two planets as the story enfolds. For such a short work of prose, this novella is really impressive in that it manages to explore the theme o...
Read more