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 boat paintings) so he rarely lets me sell them. However, I do sometimes sell my art. Sometimes I'm the one who wants to keep it.

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: 

Alison  

Ally  

Anca  

Bev

Hazel  

Julia

Kezzie

Mike

MK

Vix

Louise
Ros

Salazar

Sophie

Sheila

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 taller 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. However, it is not exactly completely minimalist.

I think my paintings have something to do with that. 

My paintings and art make my home feel more warm.

POST UPDATE- THERE IS A 'TRAVEL WITH MY ART FEATURE ON MY BLOG' AND MANY PAINTINGS I PAINT THESE DAYS DEPICT LOCAL SCENARY

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!

VISIT OTHER TRAVEL ART POSTS AND TRAVEL WITH MY ART!

#1 PALERMO ISLAND SICILY (ITALY)

There's a story behind every painting and there's certainly a story behind every art piece posted in this travelling art series. 

    #2 BAY MALA STINIVA, ISLAND HVAR (CROATIA)

This was a nice scene to paint. I'm not sure have I done these gorgeous colours justice with my painting but I tried. 

   #3 IRKUTSK, SIBERIA (RUSSIA)

This is the only place in my travelling art series that I have painted my haven't actually visited. In my third post, I shared this a watercolour pencil sketch of a place I never visited: a church of Our Lady of Kazan located in Irkutsk, Siberia (Russia). 

 #4  MATEJUŠKA, SPLIT CITY (CROATIA)

The fourth painting I shared is one of a location in my hometown. This watercolour pencil landscape was inspired by Split city, Croatia. More specifically, it was inspired by one of my favourite sights in Split city and that would be these absolutely gorgeous historical stone houses in immediate vicinity of Matejuška port. 

#5 HVAR CITY, ISLAND HVAR (CROATIA)

 For my fifth post in this series, I illustrated a historical Franciscan monastery on island Hvar with watercolours. As some of you might remember, I lived on island Hvar. Having had enough time to study this beautiful island, now I feel confident in illustrating it.   

 #6 ZENTA MARINE, SPLIT CITY (CROATIA) 

Every painting is a different memory. For my sixth painting in the series, I illustrated a scene from my hometown and once again it's all about the boats. I distinctly remembering sketching this one.

 #7 ZAVALA, ISLAND HVAR (CROATIA) 

The seventh post in this series was my personal favourite. I love how I captured sea in this post. I still often revisit this painting to admire it. It was also gifted, so it's not available for sale. 

#8 SUCURAJ, ISLAND HVAR (CROATIA)

In the eight post in this series, I shared a canvas painting of Sucuraj. As usual, I used one of my own photographs as a reference for this acrylic painting. 

#9 MALA STINIVA, ISLAND HVAR (CROATIA)

For the the ninth post in the series, I repeated a location. It must be a special location, you might be thinking and you'd be right. I'd already illustrated bay Mala Stiniva on island Hvar once, when I decided to paint it again.  Can you blame me for wanting to paint this magnificent bay again? 

 #10 HVAR TOWN, ISLAND HVAR ( CROATIA)

My tenth painting in the series saw me returning to magical island Hvar. In the centre of this painting there is a 12.5 meters long traditional wooden fishing boat and in the background you can see Hvar town (where we first spotted this boat about a year ago). I invested a lot of time and effort into this painting. 

#11 JELSA TOWN, DANCE OF THE SAILS (CROATIA)

In my eleventh post in the series, I returned to Jelsa on island Hvar to paint a nightscape. The medium was acrylic paintings on canvas. This painting was also gifted, so it's not available for sale any more (even if the original post implies it is). This is the second night seascape I made (you can see the first one here). 

 #12 ZAVALA, ISLAND HVAR, (CROATIA)

For my the twelfth post in my series, I returned to Zavala to paint another acrylic seascape canvas. I typically invest more time into my canvases, as opposed to landscapes painted in my sketchbooks. 

#13: SUCURAJ LIGHTING HOUSE, ISLAND HVAR (CROATIA) 

The thirteenth painting in the series is more of a sketch. I wasn't completely happy with it and wasn't sure where I went wrong. Maybe it was the number 13 that brought me bad luck. 

#14: BAY BRIZENICA, ISLAND HVAR (CROATIA) 

In the fourteenth painting in the series, I depicted island Hvar again and this time a bay that is not widely known. 

#15 BAY LOZNA, ISLAND HVAR (CROATIA) #16 BAY VEPRINOVA, ISLAND HVAR (CROATIA)

In my fifteenth post in the series, I illustrated bay Lozna on island Hvar. Another sketchbook seascape painting that turned out very satisfactory.  I worked on this painting for about two days. 

#16 BAY VEPRINOVA, ISLAND HVAR (CROATIA)

Another attempt at capturing the sea in the small frame with acrylic paints on paper.

#17 BOL, ISLAND HVAR (CROATIA) #18 PLANINICA, (BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA)

In my seventeenth post, I illustrated island Brač and more precisely to- Bol. 

#18 PLANINICA, (BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA)

 Planinica hill in Bosnia and Herzegovina. You might remember this place from my numerous posts about it. Like Goranci, Planinica is only a short drive away from Mostar. If you are lucky, you might even come across semi-wild horses.  I've been meaning to paint Planinica for a long time.

#19 SUCURAJ, BOATS AT PORT, ISLAND HVAR (CROATIA) 

The nineteenth painting in the series was an ambitious acrylic canvas  that was again all about island Hvar. This time I painted boats in a harbour.

#20 BEACH SOLINE,VRBOSKA,  ISLAND HVAR (CROATIA)

Sometimes nothing beats a quick painting. In the twentieth post in my travelling art series, I shared a quick painting of Soline beach in Vrbovska.

#21 STARI GRAD, VIEW FROM HOTEL ARKADA, ISLAND HVAR (CROATIA) 

This painting was inspired by photographs taken in April a few years ago near hotel Arkada, Stari Grad city (island Hvar). Like the last painting in my series, this acrylic painting was done on mixed media paper in  A4 format is. Therefore, it's neither a large painting nor a very detailed one.

#22 MAKARSKA BOATS  (CROATIA)

Another acrylic on paper. This time my inspiration was Makarska town in Dalmatia (Croatia).

#23 ZAVALA  BEACH PANORAMA (CROATIA) 

I have put  so much effort into this painting but I think it paid off. 

#24 ŽNJAN BEACH, SPLIT CITY (CROATIA)

This Žnjan painting was painted on plain air which was a fun experience. I remember one lady approached me to talk to me. I painted it on beach Žnjan in Split city, Croatia. I don't do a lot of painting in the open but sometimes I do venture outdoors, for example HERE.

#25 JELSA, ISLAND HVAR (CROATIA)

I used one of my own photographs as a reference. The medium was acrylic paints on mixed media paper.  

 #26 ZAVALA BEACH BAY, ISLAND HVAR (CROATIA)

This was a super quick oil pastel sketch and I liked how it turned out.

#27 MALA STINIVA IN SUMMER, ISLAND HVAR (CROATIA)

This one is a little different because it's more a drawing than a painting.

  #28 TRAVEL WITH MY ART, BASINA BAY, ISLAND HVAR (CROATIA) 

This watercolour painting can perhaps be categorized as both destination and fashion illustration. It depicts a certain location- Basina bay on island Hvar, so you could call it a landscape or a location painting. 

#29 TRAVEL WITH MY ART, BAY TORAC AT SUNSET, ISLAND HVAR (CROATIA) 

In the twenty- ninth post in this destination art series, I painted bay Torac using acrylic paints on canvas. As far as the making of this painting, it was a pretty standard affair. 

#30 TRAVEL WITH MY ART, VALETTA, ISLAND MALTA (MALTA) 

In my thirtieth post in my travel and destination art series, I shared an illustration that I made  for and gifted to a friend of mine who lives in Malta. The medium is  water pastels on paper. 

  #31 TRAVEL WITH MY ART : CAPE PLANKA (CROATIA)

This was a commission painting. This is a big painting! 

 #32 TRAVEL WITH MY ART: SQUICK ZAVALA SKETCH (CROATIA)

This super quick painting was another painting inspired by Zavala on island Hvar (Croatia). It is not nearly as elaborative or challenging as the last piece I shared in my destination art series. 

#33:TRAVEL WITH MY ART  LOZNA COMISSIONED, ISLAND HVAR

This seascape was another commissioned painting of bay Lozna (the second bay next to cape Kabal) on island Hvar. Some of you might remember I have already painted this gorgeous seascape location with acrylics on a A4 mixed media paper. 

#34 TRAVEL WITH MY ART BOTA SURF CENTRE, VRBOSKA, ISLAND HVAR, CROATIA

In  the thirty-forth post in this series, I painted a beautiful spot in Vrboska. I was really happy with how this one turned out. The medium was acrylic paints on paper. 

POST UPDATE: MY HOME HAS GOT SOME NEW ART!

#35 TRAVEL WITH MY ART : BEACH KAMENJARA, VRBOSKA, ISLAND HVAR (CROATIA ) 2023 

Today I'm sharing with you an A4 acrylic seascape inspired by a photograph taken by my husband. It's a typical quick 'Ivana' seascape. Painted pretty quickly, it is not very detailed. 

#36 TRAVEL WITH MY ART A COMISSIONED CHAPEL PAINTING MOSTAR 2024

This painting took me about three months to finish for multiple reasons.  First of all, I didn't work on it every day because- life. Secondly, there were many layers to it. Thirdly, I couldn't set for a certain photograph reference. 

#37  A SEAVIEW FROM A PARK (SPLIT, CROATIA)

I used my old photographs as a  reference. I took these two photograph last year while I was walking trough this park.

#38 BUNA CANALS NEAR MOSTAR, BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA 2024

#39- STJEPAN FORTRESS BLAGAJ (BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA) 2024

TRAVEL WITH MY ART #40, A VIEW FROM MARINE LUČICA

Thank you for reading and visiting. I'll add up other participants once Kezzie puts them up on her blog. Have a nice day!