New Treasury for my ZOE BROOCH!

My ZOE Brooch has been featured in one more wonderful Treasury by Shebbo Design! Thank you dear Sebnem for a really artful and beautiful curation! A romantic, feminine and soft Treasury named "Here We GO"!
My sweet little model is happy too :)!

MY FIRST ETSY TREASURY!!!

I finally created my FIRST Etsy Treasury!!! Being my first Treasury, I wanted to make it special and I felt it had to be meaningful to me... So I named it "Oriental Dreaming..." and I dedicated it to my fascination for the magical Orient...
I chose great works by very talented artists, who made my first Treasury a joy to create! Looking at it I feel like wandering through magical narrow alleys in a wondrous Oriental city or through a colorful bazar full of magical treasures...

Treasury for my SHAHRZAD RING!

My SHAHRZAD 6 Ring has been featured in a wonderful and really artful Treasury! The Treasury "I want to go shopping" has been created by one of my favorite artists, Sandra from Portugal, who creates absolutely stunning and amazing ceramic art and jewelry. Please take a look at her Etsy shop Azulado, it's really worth visiting!

New Treasury for my SUNFLOWER RING!

Wow, wonderful! My sunny and bright SUNFLOWER Ring has been included in yet one more gorgeous Treasury by Amoronia! As bright and colorful as... "Love Life"! Yes, Amoronia... Amor Vincit Omnia!!!

New in my Etsy Shop: GREEK ISLAND PENDANTS

I have just added these polymer clay pendants to my Etsy shop! They are inspired by typical Greek island houses with their blinding whitewashed walls and blue windows and doors! I love the contrast of white and blue, and I had already recalled the typical colors of Aegean island architecture in my Symi rings. This is a tribute to my love for the Islands. Dedicated to all dreamers and Island lovers.
More Greek Island Pendants in my post of April 19.

Greek Island Window In Bloom 1

Greek Island Window In Bloom 2

Greek Island Cat

Greek Island Heart

Treasury for my PINK HEART PENDANT!

My PINK HEART Handpainted Terracotta Pendant has been featured in a wonderful Treasury dedicated to the "Feel GOOD Factor"!!! My pendant is really happy to be included in such a happy, colorful and artful Treasury by Pixel Wild Child! What a great and positive message!!! Thank you dear Cristi!!! :)

Treasury for my SUN IN MY HEART RING!

My SUN IN MY HEART 1 Ring has been featured in a gorgeous Treasury by Mariastudio! This wonderful and colorful Treasury is aptly named "A Little Color" and sees me in company of some really talented artists! I'm particularly happy because this is one of my absolutely favorite creations and it's really dear to my heart! Thank you dear Maria! Maria is a very talented jewelry artist from Greece, she works with precious metals and enamels, and her jewelry is quite simply amazing. Check it out!
You can see this ring and more painted olive wood rings on my previous post of March 22.

Treasury for my SYMI SUN DIAL PENDANT!

Wow! I'm so happy! My SYMI SUN DIAL Pendant has been featured in a wonderful Treasury! My pendant is really happy to be included among such beauties... and in particular to be in the lovely company of THREE creations featuring my beloved EVIL EYE!!! :) More about my little "obsession" with Evil Eyes coming soon! Thank you Ayperi for such a great Treasury! :) BTW, Ayperi is from Istanbul...
"D........." by Periay

New Creations: TRILOGY

Do you remember the beautiful beach pottery pieces I found om my Easter Monday walk with Sylvia? (see post of April 16) Well, here they are - my new creations! Hope you like them! :)

Anime Gemelle

Insieme

Dall'Eternità

Treasury for my SYMI RING!

YAY! It's "Greece day" today!!! My SYMI 1 Ring has been featured in a wonderful Treasury entirely dedicated to the wonderful Islands of Greece!!! Feels like traveling to my beloved Greek Isles! Thank you Julie for a fantastic Treasury! :)
"Greek Isles" by Juliesadorabowls

New in my Etsy Shop: SYMI PENDANTS

I have just added these polymer clay pendants to my Etsy shop! They are inspired by typical Greek island houses with their blinding whitewashed walls and blue windows and doors! I love the contrast of white and blue, and I had already recalled the typical colors of Aegean island architecture in my Symi rings. This is a tribute to my love for the Islands. Dedicated to all dreamers and Island lovers.

Symi Window 1

Symi Window 2

Symi Sun Dial

Treasury for my AEGEAN SUN RING!

Wow! My AEGEAN SUN 3 Ring has been featured in a wonderful and really artful and eclectic Treasury by Shebbo Design! "Bungle in the Jungle" ... Thank you dear Sebnem! My ring is really happy to be in such great company! :)

Artist exposed!

My dear cousin and best friend Sylvia is a passionate photographer, and when we spend some time together she always makes me pose for her ;)... Usually I'm not very comfortable when being photographed, but Sylvia always knows how to put me at ease and make me "mellow out"... So here are two beautiful potraits she took of me wearing two of my favorite rings while I was showing her some of my latest production!

New Treasury for my SUNFLOWER RING!

Yay! My SUNFLOWER Ring has again been featured in a great Treasury! This sunny and passionate Treasury created by Pulguinha is dedicated to the color ORANGE! I love orange, it's so full of life and passion, and I love to use it in my creations! Thank you Helena for such a beautiful Treasury!
"Are you feeling Orange?" - Yes, I DO!!!! :)

CREATIVE CORNER

These are the beautiful beach pottery pieces I picked at the seaside when I spent lovely days with Sylvia! We had a lovely walk on the beach on Easter Monday, and as usual I found some great pieces to use for my work... I love found pieces like these! The Mediterranean has made them so smooth and "soft" in shape, I really love them. Not sure yet about what's going to come out of these pieces, but they are beautiful as they are, I think they don't need much embellishment to be turned into beautiful rings! :)

NANCY's present!!!

Well, my dear friends... those of you who read Nancy's interview already know about this wonderful artist... But she's also one of those people who are able to make your heart full of joy! Her wonderful and really warm hearted blog post about me and my work shows her deeply sensitive soul. No description of me and my work could ever be lovelier and closer to my heart! THANK YOU Nancy, you made my day! :)))

Artist Interview: THOSE PARASOL DAYS

Today I want to share with you another one of my favorite artists! Nancy is a talented artist who lives on the beautiful Costa Blanca, in Spain. She works under her own brand Those Parasol Days. She paints wonderful oil and watercolor paintings, and she creates some decorative objects as well. An engaged animal lover and animal rights activist, her artwork reflects her beautiful natural environment and her love for her feline friends. A large part of her sale profits goes to animal help organizations, and she is a member of Etsy for Animals (among other Teams she has joined) - and a mom to a lovely cat family of eight (but she takes care of many more feline friends). Here she shares her artistic journey and inspiration with us!

Me and My Shadow

- You live in Spain, on the beautiful Costa Blanca. Where are you originally from?

Well, I was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina; my father was an adventurous sailor in his youth and travelled a lot! But my home is Stockholm, Sweden; it's a small town compared to London, New York, or Hong Kong but big enough to be able to offer a vegan almost anything she could crave. ;) And the summers are perfect, just right in every single way, they fit me and I suit them; every time I'm in Stockholm over summer, my heart is stilled and filled to the brim with life at the same time. It is home, plain and simple. But actually, this year, finally, I have started to feel a little of that for Spain, too. It may have been the long winter that has produced a glorious spring much greener than usual and thus reminding me of Sweden, I don't know, but this year I seem to be more in harmony with myself and with the world.

Lemony Blue

- How did you choose the lovely name for your Etsy Shop, Those Parasol Days?

For the first couple of years here in Spain, I was the only one not baking myself crisp on the beach and people would look strangely at me when I came walking down the street in my coloured paper parasols – I'm pretty sure I was known as “that crazy, pasty foreign girl” to the locals – as well as the tourists! So, I guess it kind of became a trademark of mine - now everyone's sporting them!
I recently saw a note on Japanese TV about shops in Tokyo that sell parasols like they would've done here a hundred years ago, in every colour and pattern you could ever want and different shapes and sizes to suit everyone. I could go to Tokyo just for that!
Also, I like how the name sounds so romantic, like lazy summer afternoons under a big leafy tree, drinking home-made lemonade and watching a a bug stretching its wings on your arm.

Come Fly With Me

- How did you first come to art and creativity? How did your journey in art and creativity begin?

Children are always encouraged to draw and I liked it as much as anyone, and we all played the “what do you want to be when you grow up” game. I'm sure I went through many ideas but the ones I remember are archaeologist and architect; the first because I have always always loved history, and the second because I thought it meant I could draw all day. And when I found out that drawing was part of archaeology, too... I thought my dream had come true! :D

Spring Rolling In

- When and how did you realize this was your real life path?

Well, when it was time to start thinking about a career, I thought a "normal" person couldn't possibly survive on drawing pictures - my image of an artist was something like a Da Vinci genius, and how in the world could I live up to that?
So, went on to university to study history and art history, with a focus on archaeology. As much as I love archaeology, I never liked the hierarchical structure of the university and did not look forward to a career in giving lectures and handing in excavation reports.
But it took years before it occurred to me that no-one was forcing me to stay and that I could actually quit and try something else!
And so I did.

Best of Friends

- What are your main sources of inspiration?

Anything and everything that crosses my path is a potential idea for something or other; I think that, for me, having a positive mindset is the key to all. Also, the fact that I can stay at home with my cats and tend to their every need and spoiled wants, is a great incentive!

A Sweetheart in Every Port

- How has life affected your art and art affected your life?

I'm not at the stage yet where I can make a living out of it, so the business side of it hasn't taken up my entire life yet but I notice that the better I'm doing, the more I paint, the less stressed I get about everyday things. I'm an adaptable person, so wherever I go, my art changes in style to that – when I'm in Sweden, my paintings are more clean, cooler, softer; when in Spain, the colours come out and the contrasts are much stronger.

Slippery Slope

- We share a big love for animals and cats in particular, how do you express this in your artwork?

Love, of any kind, makes you a happier person and unlike the standard idea of how an artist works, I cannot create if I'm not happy. However time-consuming my cats are and the scares they give me when they get ill or injured, I wouldn't be as balanced a person without them. And whenever I see a you-tube story from a zoo far away, with a happy ending, that just makes my day! All my art is happy art – even the serious pieces are never depressing; spreading some sunshine into the world can't be bad, can it? :) And of course, the cats often act as my models, whether they like it or not...

Emil

- You actively engage for animal welfare, don’t you?

I feed the local feral cat colonies, I take them to the vet when they let me and, with the financial help of local charities, some of them have been spayed and castrated. Once in a while an organisation from the UK, affiliated to International Animal Rescue, comes here and does a mass sterilisation all along the coast, and that has helped a lot!

We Are Golden

- Art is about light and color! What are your favourite colors?

I like all colours, but not all colours in all places. I don't use many browns in my paintings but it's a lovely soft colour in clothes! However, one can make any colour look beautiful, in any context, by combining it or by using light to break up a block and to give it life. I have a brown watercolour cat in my Etsy shop – it may sound dull but the way the colour floats over the surface, thicker, thinner, letting the light of the paper shine through, it all gives shape and texture to an already beautiful creature.

Sunny Skies Ahead

- Did you have a formal training in the arts or attend art courses?

I have done schools, I have done workshops, I have done private lessons etc. I may go to Florence for a summer course next - with all the art history there, I should think there's plenty to see!

Yellow

- Do you have a studio or home studio or particular part of your house you have devoted to your artwork? Where do you paint your artwork?

If I'm doing a commission where someone has e-mailed me photos, I'm usually in front of the computer – it allows me to zoom in or out in a way that just wouldn't be practical if I were to do a print-out. In summer when the light is bouncing off the white walls, I stay indoors to paint, but any other crafting is lovely to do under a parasol!

Small But Strong

Thank you dear Nancy for this beautiful and really inspired and inspiring interview, and for sharing your artistic journey and inspiration! I can really feel the passion and love for what you do and that your art comes from your heart. We wish you continued joy, inspiration and success with your art and with animal help.

You can find Nancy's artwork in her Etsy shop Those Parasol Days and you can get to know more about her world in her blog.

©AnnukCreations

New Treasury for my BLUE WAVES RING!

Yay! My BLUE WAVES 2 Ring has been featured again in a beautiful Treasury! A stunning and really artful Treasury that seems created especially for my Blue Waves ring... Can't you just feel the sea and the waves?? "Heavy Wave" by Julia Felt.

Treasury for my FLAME RING!

Wow! My FLAME Ring has been featured in a wonderful Treasury which is full of the hot and passionate beauty of Spain! This Treasury is a tribute of my dear friend Cristina to her wonderful home country: Spain! No Treasury could be better for my hot and passionate handpainted ring! Muy caliente! Thank you Cristi! :)
"...Tapas Bar..." by Pixel Wild Child

Treasury Tuesday The Elite Eight!

Inger's lovely Treasury containing my Sunblaze 1 Ring has been featured among the "Elite Eight" Treasuries in this lovely blog post! Thank you Sarah!!! :)  S and O Productions: Treasury Tuesday The Elite Eight,

New Treasury for my SUNBLAZE RING!

My SUNBLAZE 1 Ring has again been featured in a beautiful and sunny Treasury created by ingermaaike! Thank you dear Inger for a really lovely and artful Treasury! My ring is really happy to be in such great company! "Gotcha Welcome the Sun..."