Category: Art and Music

Bezzikapa Illustrations by Kate

I think I always wanted to be an artist. I even went to art school, but for a long time I wasn’t considering it as a serious carrier, somehow. Couple of years ago, I realized that I’m not happy with what I’m doing…

Bezzikapa illustrations are designed by Kate, who lives in Prague. You can find her artist store here. You can find more of her links, including Instagram at the end of this post. 

How did you start doing this?

I think I always wanted to be an artist. I even went to art school, but for a long time I wasn’t considering it as a serious carrier, somehow. Couple of years ago, I realized that I’m not happy with what I’m doing (it was marketing) and that I have time to work on what I would really enjoy.

I started with participating in different illustration contests, and I’m slowly working on my artist shops. For now, I’m choosing the platforms that will print and deliver products with my designs themselves, so that I have more time to create. I believe, I’m still in the beginning of my long path!

This is the first Illustration I made (during the past few years) that I’m proud of 🙂

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What is the process of creating the design? Which part is your favorite?

I have a video 🙂

The first step, is the most difficult – the blank slate. I’m more a rational person, than creative, thinking of ideas can be a painful process for me. Sometimes when I have a good idea, I’m terrified that it can already exist, that it was on a surface, not clever or interesting enough.

It can take me a day or two to come up with something. I hope it will get easier in time.

There’s also a research part – that’s mostly googling. Styles, technics, references, poses, features, – anything that can help with the idea, and creation process.

And then, well, I just draw. I mostly use the Procreate application on iPad. And then make finishing touches in Photoshop.

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Drawing “fluffy” characters can take me 5-12 hours:

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Something simpler takes less time, of course:

Do you hope to do anything different/new in the future?

I want to design cool book covers, magazine covers and create book illustrations!

What has been your favorite design so far?

Recently I started working on dogs breeds illustrations. I love this one:

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What are your other hobbies?

I mostly collect stuff: beer caps, beer coasters, coins, books and stuffed toys. I like linguistics, documentaries and reading!

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You have a cat, does the cat help you or distract you from work?

She do both. She is my little helper, but also sometimes she sits on me, so I can’t work!

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You can see more of Kate’s work here: https://bezzikapa.threadless.com/

You can follow her on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bezzikapa/

Redbubble: https://www.redbubble.com/people/Bezzikapa

You can even find buy her designs on Society6: https://society6.com/bezzikapa

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Moana-Style Resin Flowers 25% Off

These beautiful Hawaiian-style earrings already cost $8.99 with free shipping… now this?!

Spring is coming and we’re about to see the world begin to bloom. Why not bloom with it? These Moana-style resin earrings and necklaces are bright, lightweight and they can be the center piece of any outfit! Pick amongst the various styles and colors. You can find these on my Etsy store, Everyfelt. They have dainty plated sterling silver hooks, cost just $8.99 and ship anywhere in the US for free! For the next 31 days, you can get them for an additional 25% off with the coupon: MOANA25.

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Everyfelt: My Etsy Store Got a Makeover!

Some of you may already know that I have an Etsy store that I work on when I’m not traveling, writing, YouTube video making, playing with Smiley and working at my 9 to 5. It’s been on the back burner for a while but I was still making sales, so I decided to refresh it and see what will happen!

Check out some of my new product pictures, either below or directly in my store:   https://etsy.me/2Xc5quv

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News! I opened an Etsy Store, Everyfelt

I have always been a jack of all trades and unfortunately, master of none. It used to embarrass me that I try to pursue so many different things at the same time without being great at any of them, but it’s time to embrace it! When I’m not obsessively filming my travels or writing, I’m crafting! 

I have always been a jack of all trades and unfortunately, master of none. It used to embarrass me that I try to pursue so many different things at the same time without being great at any of them, but it’s time to embrace it! When I’m not obsessively filming my travels or writing, I’m crafting!

Most of my crafts consist of felt toys and learning props, dream catchers, jewelry and more recently decal stickers made with my new Cricut Explore Air 2!

I’ve actually wanted to open an Etsy store for a while now, but other than my felt creations, most of the things I make aren’t 100% original. It feels weird to buy pendants or resin flowers, potentially alter them and put them on hooks or chains and then sell them as my own.

Luckily, Etsy asks who made the product and you can say “another store”. This is what convinced me to put my stuff up. The resin floral earrings, which have been a favorite of mine lately take a lot of work and calluses.  It takes a lot of strength and precision to pierce a hole and figure out how to hang the flowers on hooks in an appealing way, so I’ve gotten over feeling like I’m cheating!

The other earrings or necklaces that I just put on a hook will be marketed exactly as that, made by others. Although let me tell you, it takes a while to put 1,770 pairs of pendants onto hooks… it took me five entire days to be exact! Because when I’m not selling on Etsy, I’m signing up for weekend markets with the help of my charming and bartering assistant, Isaac!

Please feel free to visit my store and check out what I make! If you have any ideas for simple felt toys that I can make and sell, please leave a comment below! I’m still working on my logo and adding the rest of my products. You can follow my progress on my Facebook page, by favoriting the store on Etsy and *drumroll* on my new website, Everyfelt.wordpress.com.

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10 Most Bizarrely Awesome Food-Themed Earrings

For some reason, fruit seems to be the most “socially acceptable” food to wear as jewelry. Candy is also considered more or less “normal” although mini Kinder Eggs do take it a bit too far. But why does the concept of sausages dangling from your ears seem so crazy?

Food and fashion have always been in the spotlight of our society, playing an important role in our self-expression and identity. It is no wonder that food-themed fashion has made its way into our lives and onto many Pinterest boards. In the past, a pizza-print t-shirt may have been intended as a gag gift but today food can upgrade your fashion style.

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Jewelry is the perfect subtle way to make a statement without turning too many heads at the workplace. Start small by wearing tiny strawberry studs to compliment your favorite red top.

For more casual occasions you can brighten up a chic all-black outfit with rainbow lollipops or ice cream that will never melt. The options for incorporating food into your daily fashion are limitless.

Once you cross the line and enter the richly flavored world of food jewelry things can get a bit silly. Would you wear sushi earrings at a Japanese restaurant? Or elegant wine glass earrings for a classy night out with the girls?

For some reason, fruit seems to be the most “socially acceptable” food to wear as jewelry. Candy is also considered more or less “normal” although mini Kinder Eggs do take it a bit too far. But why does the concept of sausages dangling from your ears seem so crazy?

Think you’ve seen it all? Well, think again… A popular online jewelry store in the Czech Republic will challenge everything you know about fashion. This handmade jewelry is made using polymer clay and it is taking the internet by storm.

Take a look at their 10 most bizarrely awesome creations:

10. Would you like a soda with that? These pizza earrings are perfect for proud foodies.

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9. One of the best sources of potassium can also be great bling.

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8. Beer before liquor, never been sicker. Liquor before beer, you’re in the clear! There’s nothing like vodka or rum shots on a night out.

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7. Remember that girl who only ate McDonald’s chicken nuggets for years? She’d probably appreciate these unique earrings.

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6. Italians are all about their espresso shots and pasta. Can’t afford to trip to Italy? Bring some Italy into your life with pasta earrings!

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5. Scientists have discovered that cheese is highly addictive. Fuel your addiction in a more healthy way: by wearing cheese instead!

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4. The world is obsessed with macaroons because of their cute size, colorful design and mouthwatering taste. Macaroon earrings let you enjoy the dessert indefinitely!

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3. Party sandwiches are the perfect way to feed all your guests. Get into a party mood by wearing your favorite sandwich!

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2. Everyone knows that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. If you want everyone to know what you had for breakfast, wear bacon and eggs earrings.

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1. Not everyone eats meat or *gasp* cheese. Vegetarian diets are gaining popularity every day, so why not wear some vegan-approved lettuce earrings?

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‘This Place’ Exhibition in Prague in DOX

“I can’t call it Israel,” says photographer Gilles Peress while referring to flying to the location, “I call it Israelstein. It’s a combination of the two.” Peress’s photos are very clear; they show the different perspectives of one community. He remarked that in Israel and Palestine everything happens meter by meter, room to room. “You see stores disappearing one by one, I return to the same place again and again,” Peress explains his process of watching the changes. His pieces in this exhibition try to explore the reason why people don’t see the similarities between each other – “Desperate lives,” he sighs, “looking for differences.”

This Place is the name of an International exhibition currently shown in the DOX gallery in Prague. The DOX Center for Contemporary Art, Architecture and Design has been organizing and hosting exhibitions for six years now. It has presented over 120 exhibition projects and is ranked among the most progressive artistic institutions in the Czech Republic.

The exhibition shows the photographs of twelve artists, each with a unique angle of the Israel-Palestine conflict. The exhibition of over 500 photos opened on October 24th and will be on display until March 2nd, 2015. After Prague, the exhibition will move to Tel Aviv for six months. After that, it will be exhibited in the Norton Museum of Art followed by the Brooklyn Museum of Art. The exhibition will officially end on June 5th, 2016. There are also thirteen original books produced for the exhibition – one with photos of each individual photographer and one comprehensive catalog. On Saturday, October 25th, I saw four of the artists talk about their experience of creating This Place.

“I can’t call it Israel,” says photographer Gilles Peress while referring to flying to the location, “I call it Israelstein. It’s a combination of the two.” Peress’s photos are very clear; they show the different perspectives of one community. He remarked that in Israel and Palestine everything happens meter by meter, room to room. “You see stores disappearing one by one, I return to the same place again and again,” Peress explains his process of watching the changes. His pieces in this exhibition try to explore the reason why people don’t see the similarities between each other – “Desperate lives,” he sighs, “looking for differences.”

The content of Wendy Ewald’s project differed greatly from those of her colleagues. She explored what different communities in the area considered most important. Ewald had a total of fourteen different mini-projects exploring the lives of groups that ranged from women attending an orthodox military school to elderly villagers. She taught them seminars on photography and observed: “how education forms the country.” Ewald taught these groups of people to take photos of what impacted their lives and taught them to use metaphors. Then she compared what different groups concentrated on in their photography.

Fazal Sheikh, like all the other photographers, had issues with photographing in the region. “I prefer an open perspective,” said Sheikh, “Israel is extremely constricting.” His project was about the transformation of the land. He visited a village that is now unrecognizable. It was transformed into a forest and the people who once lived there became displaced around the country. He decided to fly over the desert after spending time in a protest tent overlooking the dry barren land that would become a dense forest. He coupled taking photographs from a helicopter with listening to stories from combatants on both sides.

Joseph Koudelka, a Czech photographer, talked about originally denying Frederic Brenner‘s invitation to cooperate with this project. “I bought my own ticket,” said Koudelka, “to avoid having any obligation.” He was born in 1938 and experienced the German occupation of his village. Later he witnessed the Russians first liberating the Czechs and then occupying them. “I grew up behind the Iron Curtain and always wanted to see the other side,” Koudelka expressed his sympathy for the people in the area. His book doesn’t always show the people, but you can see the impact of mankind in every photograph.

The subject of the title came up in the discussion. All the books and the project itself avoid naming the area that has had so many in its past. Art can be a tool of propaganda and the Israel-Palestine topic is a sensitive one with extremists on both sides. A name that didn’t lean to either side of the conflict seemed the most appropriate and most objective to allow the viewers to interpret the meaning.

More information can be found on their website: http://www.dox.cz/cs/vystavy/this-place

Officially published here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/olena-kagui/this-place-exhibition-in-_b_6095398.html

This post was updated on June 14th, 2018: the text, as well as title and headline, may have been edited, proofread and optimized for search engines. The featured image may have been changed due to copyright or quality issues.
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Maidan Graffiti – War in Ukraine

It was painful looking at how many flowers and candles people had brought – you can feel the sorrow and imagine them holding back tears or breaking down and bawling as they bring those flowers. Everyone expresses grief differently, and what pulled at my heart strings the most wasn’t the number of flowers or even the poem that I found among the candles. Right at the end of the official memorial wall, I saw 3 words graffitied on the wall that made me stop and stare at them for the longest time. They translate to “Mom I will return.”

Maidan Graffiti was made possible thanks to the grant I received from the Prague Freedom Foundation to report on the Ukrainian Euromaidan Revolution in March 2014.

Right now there are two places in Kiev where you can see what remains of Maidan. It is mostly left for tourists to get a feel for what happened and as a memorial to those who died. Yesterday I saw the smaller one.

It was painful looking at how many flowers and candles people had brought – you can feel the sorrow and imagine them holding back tears or breaking down and bawling as they bring those flowers. Not everyone necessarily knew the protesters who died personally. Some people saw them die, or remember their face from attending a protest, some just cry at the unfairness of these people dying for a better future that they won’t get a chance to see.

Everyone expresses grief differently, and what pulled at my heart strings the most wasn’t the number of flowers or even the poem that I found among the candles. Right at the end of the official memorial wall, I saw 3 words graffitied on the wall that made me stop and stare at them for the longest time. They translate to “Mom I will return.”

Originally published here: https://olenakaguiukraine2014.wordpress.com/2014/03/14/maidan-graffiti/

This post was updated on June 14th, 2018: the text, as well as title and headline, may have been edited, proofread and optimized for search engines. The featured image may have been changed due to copyright or quality issues.
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Adolf Wölfli’s Controversial Crazy Art

Adolf Wölfli (1864 – 1930) a self-proclaimed Swiss artist, composer, writer, farm-laborer, soldier and much more was orphaned at the age of 10 after being both physically and sexually abused. He was sentenced after attempting to commit a pedophilic act and was eventually hospitalized in the Waldau Mental Asylum near Bern, Germany, where he spent nearly half his life. The Asylum was also the place where he developed his passion for creating art.

Adolf Wölfli (1864 – 1930) a self-proclaimed Swiss artist, composer, writer, farm-laborer, soldier and much more was orphaned at the age of 10 after being both physically and sexually abused. He was sentenced after attempting to commit a pedophilic act and was eventually hospitalized in the Waldau Mental Asylum near Bern, Germany, where he spent nearly half his life. The Asylum was also the place where he developed his passion for creating art, composing music and writing stories and so he combined all of these by writing books which he illustrated and wrote soundtracks to. He created art and wrote stories until he died of intestinal cancer in 1930.

This type of art is known as brut art, or raw art, which is a term used to describe art created outside the boundaries of official culture. Some artists, like Jean Debuffet, focused particularly on the art by insane-asylum inmates when regarding this particular style. Interest in this type of art grew mainly in the 1920s and Adolf Wölfli became known for his art after the publishing of his psychiatrists, Dr. Walter Morgenthaler’s book. Andre Breton, a surrealist was also very impressed with Wölfli’s art and even referred to the entire body of his work as being “one of the three or four most important works of the twentieth century”.

One of his best-known works is 45 volume illustrated book in which he narrates an imaginary story of his life. This 25,000 page story contains 1,600 illustrations and 1,500 collages. Wölfli also had many smaller books where he would tell stories of his imaginary travels and inventions. There are paintings in the exhibition of his interpretations of places in the world, like the Gulf of Mexico, and a list of all the things that he supposedly invented. He also produced bread-art or single-sheet drawings which were painted with the purpose to sell them, and he began painting them in 1916 and continued painting them until he died in 1930.

A majority all of his pictures have one thing in common: they are full of color and the pages are filled completely with lines, shapes, lists of numbers, words and sentences, musical notes and in some cases cut outs from newspapers. Mostly drawn in color pencil, the pictures are very chaotic and intense, and there are so many details that one could observe the pictures for hours and still not see everything that’s there. His music, which is played in the background of the exhibition, is also very intense and creates a feeling of unease and builds tension in the listener. The pictures in the exhibition will easily grab one’s attention and the uniqueness of the art and the story of the artist will truly make this an exceptional experience.

You can see some of Adolf’s works in the Adolf Wölfli Foundation in the Museum of Fine Arts Bern in Switzerland along with regular exhibitions in various art galleries all over Europe – none of which are open at the moment but keep an eye out for them. The Museum of Fine Arts Bern is definitely a place that you shouldn’t miss out on. It has over 3,000 paintings and sculptures and 48,000 drawings, lithographs, photographs, videos and films. The art in the museum varies greatly and includes both international art from all over the world as well as old Swiss art – with a multitude of genres including the unique Brut art of Adolf Wölfli.

This post was updated on June 14th, 2018: the text, as well as title and headline, may have been edited, proofread and optimized for search engines. The featured image may have been changed due to copyright or quality issues.
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Adolf Wölfli, a Swiss artist created art in a prison asylum.
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