Anahata Katkin

Little Paintings

  In the midst of making sage sweet potatoes, hot chocolate and entertaining I've been sneaking off to my new studio space to tinker away on some mini paintings.  This week I've worked on eight of them.  The balance between hand made originals and digital originals is crucial for our collection at PAPAYA and making time for the long hand versions can be tricky as most of you creators already know.   I'm also participating in a Mini Works show at Bohemia Gallery this month here in Ashland, Oregon.  I have eight little originals there.  I'lll post the pictures of them when they are up and hanging and also give you gallery details just in case you want one for the holidays...

Blog Shopper Free Gifts & Holiday Ideas

 

I've decided that this year I wanted to do something for my bloggy friends here. It's been a few years of relating online and I felt it time to make a special promotion just for my 

loyal peeps.     So this Holiday Season I am offering readers a free PAPAYA, Lotus shopping tote (Not to be confused with our new Luxe Totes) 

Just for those of you who come and hang out with me on my personal blog.   Here's a picture of the Lotus shopper bag which is super sturdy and has canvas straps shown above.   Which will come in handy during your one millionth trip to the grocery store this season or for piles of goodies 

from the craft fair. (This is also the only way for you to get your hands on one of these bags which are not usually available to the public.  Yay!) And I'll send you a free, randomly selected 12 X 16 Art Print  

 with any Holiday order over $35.00 placed between now and Dec. 31st 2009.  (see below for details) That way you get a little something from me when you get a little something for your friends or family.  We have a lot of new things this year if you haven't been around the website in a while.  My favorite being our new Luxe Totes which are more suited as large purses.  And yes they are IN!  Sabrina Bags too!
 But we also now have the water bottle collection in and new cameo necklaces etc.  Plenty to check out!

Also we now have a retail catalogue.  If you would like to receive our thick little book then please contacty our office to be sure to get on the mailing list and get one in time for the Holidays if you prefer paper pages to web pages. 
 

The Holiday Giveaway for www.Anahata.typepad.com readers works like this:

 You have a fun cruising the PAPAYA site and choosing your Holiday giveables between November 25th & Dec. 31st 2009.  When your cart is $35.00 or more you can proceed to check out you will see a promotional code section in the check out process.  You just want to enter this code when you get there:

ANAB-H09  (yes this one)

that will ensure that you receive your free, Lotus shopping tote and randomly selected 12 X 16 Art Print with your order.  If you are freaked out by online ordering you are welcome to write your order down and call us instead.  1-888-488-0638.  Remember this is only for those of you who visit this blog so be sure to tell them that you are from Anahata's Blog and they will make sure you get your gifts.  If you are from outside the US then please email or call us so that we can ship your order with reasonable shipping options. 

 And just a side note that I no longer tend the offices at PAPAYA so if you have any questions or need customer service please contact our super lovely office staff to help you.  I'm afraid I'd be the last person you'd want working on your order. Yep- they kicked me out of that department a long time ago because lets face it...  I'm terrible on accounting and seem to mess up the flow.  Ha!  I am decidedly better at art than office systems unfortunately.  

Happy shopping and remember to factor in packing and shipping times for your orders so you get your goods on time. 

 

Color Change

A lot of what I've been working on lately is oddly more concept base.  Colors, textures, spaces, moods.  Less about making art pieces and more about art spaces or marketing environments.  Fun!  This image above represents my color palette if I had one right now and my interests for new moods for PAPAYA!

I'm generally all about imports and colors of the East as most of you know.  But something about what I've been calling "stuffy, uptight, almost aristocratic interiors with overly gilded things and tarnished oppulence" has caught my eye.  Of course being that we are living in an entirely new era these things are just inspirations.  This image above makes my heart race and I'm in love with the almost ugly wallpaper that makes this space so beautiful!  I've been dreaming up new environments for PAPAYA to play in that has a bit of a grown-up quality.  But a humorous one.  I think my five kinds of wallpaper may have arrived today and I'm giddy over blacks, plums and chalkboard paint with gold!  

Home At Last...

Doing art pieces has been my first love.  But I'd say I've had a love affair with interiors since I was a child. To me the idea of home and the interest in personal spaces goes hand in hand with an artists perspective.  

My home is a mix of West Coast artist originals, folk art and traditional textiles from all over the world and a few of my own pieces.  I can't resist modern goodies, foreign relics, and good old bohemian flair.  I've tried to limit my palette at times but have since given in to my cornucopia of interests and visual loves.

This is a new home for me.  We just moved in last week and I'm enjoying having such a deep, historical house to play with.  It feels good to have a sturdy home after my year in Belize.  I've transplanted many of my paintings from the island and given them a place within the moody, Northwest bungalow.   

  You can be sure I'll be tinkering away on new PAPAYA! designs from my office wearing pajamas and sliding around in my socks!  How does your inner perspective and love of Earthly goods translate in your home?  (Credits: 1st Picture- Original Painting by Flora S. Bowley, 

4th photo in kitchen- Original Painting by Kelly Tunstall, Small original from Lynne Whipple,)

Chinoiserie Crazed!

It's time for a whole new trade show booth reinvention.  I've gathered up knee high sources of inspiration.  Much of which has seemingly stemmed from rather stuffy, aristocratic interiors.  But the thing that really has me with ants in my pants is hand painted chinois wallpapers!  

I know they have been highly celebrated the past few years- but I'm just not ready to give them up.  Especially without dabbling with them first.  These are just a few images found through google searches for wallpaper sources.  My favorite being Fromental.  I've decided to abandon our twinkly, pastel trade show style and dive head first into a moody world of dark wallpaper and exotic textures.  I'll let you know how it goes once I actually get my hands on some of this obscure stuff...

Studio Visit: Flora S. Bowley

I recently had an exciting chance to visit Flora S. Bowleys art studio in Portland, Oregon.  I became a fan of Flora's this year when I met her at a showing at Bohemia Gallery here in Ashland.  (I shared her with you then as well) Kindred souls to be sure we hit off an artsy friendship right away.

  We stopped by her studio for her Monday Art night and worked in our art journals and marveled at her working away on numerous "mini's" while we tinkered at a table.  (And Flora is working her way into the fun world of creative teaching so stay tuned for more info about studying with her!  I cannot wait.) 

I have fallen in love with many of her large scale pieces and couldn't resist one for myself! (YES!!)  Her studio is full of lovely reminders.  Her wall reads in silver paint: "THERE ARE NO MISTAKES", and the image here is just the extra paint on the wall that falls off of the pieces she's working on.  Stunning!!  For more about Flora and her original paintings visit her website right here.

Home Sweet Home...

This weekend I moved into a new bungalow craftsman home.  I'm finally revisiting my things and tracing my footsteps over and over around the house.  Tinkering, decorating, organizing and trying to imprint myself into the old house.  I feel like I'm trying to bond with the walls and all the old wood so that the house becomes a place that will help me stay put for a while.  This image has been on my inspiration board for some time.  (anyone remember which magazine it was in?) I recall the room was from a gorgeous Brooklyn remodel by a very groovy, newly single mother with teens.  Anyways.  I am giving in to all the pattern, color and texture that I can't stay away from.  My house is quickly becoming an exercise in mismatch and juxtapose since my heart just can't live without a myriad of favorite things.  I think this image above captures that spirit so well.  And I've used it to help me dive head first into a new place.  I'll be settling int his week and then looking forward to sharing the progress with you over the weekend.  And also retrieving the photo's from our trip to Journalfest.  In the meantime i'll be blasting Midnite while trying to make a new creative headquarters out of my new home...  

Off to Journalfest

 I'm leaving in the morning for a fall road trip to Port Towsend for Journalfest.  I'll be seeing 65 of you there over the course of two days in an Impulse Collage class I am offering.  

I've had a serious love hate relationship with my laser printer the past few days as I've worked my poor printer to death making color reference images.  Right now we are on speaking terms.  But we where on rough bitter ends not so long ago.  I hope to bring home some great pictures of the classes in progress and the fun along the way.  See you next week y'all!

  

Planning?

Every year- it's the same thing.  Should I be comfy or creative?  Halloween can seem like a string of bad costume choices.  On year I was a mermaid complete with a head dress made from coral looking antlers with seaweed (velvet and yarn ribbons) and pearls hanging to my hips.  It was y best attempt yet. But by the end of the night my outfit hadn't survived the festivities.  By the time the night was over I was stabbed repeatedly in the head by my crown, half dressed due to wardrobe malfunctions and was pretty much the halloween-has-been.  (not bad if you are going to be Amy Winehouse this year!)These pictures are my inspiration for this years planning.  Since naughty nurse, she-cop and kitty outfits are out of the question I'm feeling excited about light weight feathers, special makeup and furry goods.  
But have you seen Heidi Klum's Kali costume?  So cool.  But since I don't hve a team of professionals to do me up I'm also considering spray painting a tin foil head dress with gold paint.  What are you working on?  Any great new ideas...

Hats On!

 I recently salvaged this image from my stash of paintings.  The face had gotten too cartoon-ish for me and I was feeling like giving up on her at the time.  She was surrounded by tropical lillies at first but since has been reborn.  I brought her back from Belize and decided to suck it up and put some cold weather gear on her.  

Like me she's a tropical transport.  Suited up for the upcoming winter and planning on settling in Ashland too...