Painting Candles Fiesta

Art is you being free from all of the world’s heaviness.

What are you waiting for to grab a brush and a notepad and set your mind free?

Now let me start by saying that painting may not be fit for all, and that is OK. I know the fear of creating something that isn’t up to our own standards can be high, but what if painting was something we do just for fun?

It’s important (and healthy!) to take your inner kid for a spin every now and then and I couldn’t think of a better way than making some cheerful pillar candles whilst sipping a bit of bubbly and nibbling on some goodie goodies. I don’t know about you but that sounds like a delightful evening to me. Especially now since most of what we can do is being at home.

I am not an expert on art therapy, but for me crafting something with your bare hands is a great way of expressing yourself and the state you are in. Whether you are in a happy mood or a grumpy one, the end result of creating a piece will make you wonders. I can promise this will be something that will 100% happen to you, but I would say there’s no harm in trying. It may also be lots of fun!

For me, the months of lockdown wouldn’t have been the same without painting. I am quite a hyper active person. Those who know me, know that I love doing things all the time and take joy in doing many things. Inevitably, when the idea of staying at home for a longer (and longer and longer) period of time hit, it was hard to cope. Painting was a great solution to my anxiety, and it could also be yours.

And if it isn’t, at least you got some nice art and candles along the way!

Chin chin my dears,

Here’s to more wonderful and entertaining evenings/ weekends at home.

TCB xx

STAYCATION, but make it artsy

Hello careless readers, how are we doing in these fabulous times at home? As the weekend was approaching we were thinking what we could do that wouldn’t be old news, booooring or too adult friendly. We know nobody likes that!?

What could we do to explore our dreams and fantasies? Art, of course. We’ve already crossed that gate at home, and let me tell you,
it’s been fun.

I know for some of you this may sound frightening. For others, it may be old news already. Either way, this is definitely something we encourage you to try or keep on doing. There’s nothing better than squeezing those creative juices. I am a firm believer that if you do that, not only it will enable you to think broadly and differently but also to feel more tired at the end of your day, resulting in a better night sleep. And my oh my, don’t we all love those!

There’s many ways you can engage with yourself, here we tell you a few.

Be The Art

Recently, the Getty Museum threw an amazing challenge at us. Whilst we are unable to visit all our favourite museums around the world, the masterminds behind these institutions have passed the ball to us. If you can see the art, BE the art. Recreate it at home, and have fun.

Of course we had to try this and whilst I wanted to recreate Velazquez´s Venus, we ended up going on a modernist tangent and replicated quite an unknown Miro piece. Needless to say this was pretty unrecognisable for most, but equally so much fun!

If you are needing some inspiration, Tussen Kunst & Quarantaine is your ally.

Create Art

My latest quarantine creations :)

Creating art is a wonderful thing. Absolutely subjective to each other’s perception as well, which I find fascinating. What is art in your eyes may not be for others but really, who decides what’s good or not? In our opinion, as long as you have fun along the way, it doesn’t matter what the end result is.

There are many ways in which you can create art. That could be making beautiful and eye captivating #FoodieMonster dish to scrapbooking with prints of your photos. Needless to say drawing and painting are a favourite of ours.

Depending on how crafty you want to get, you may want to invest in few long-term pieces such as paint, paint brushes, pencils and drawing paper or canvases. I am a big fan of supporting small business so I would encourage you to check out your local art dealers to get a good deal on these. Great Art (our fave!) and Jacksons in East London are fabulous and are doing quite a quick home delivery.

Yesterday we turned our home into a life drawing studio. We put lots of scented candles on, classic music on the stereo and a glass of vino in one hand and a pencil on the other. 20 minutes for a different pose and a lots of sketches later the night was ended. It was great fun.

If you are into scrapbooks or collages, Paperchase has fabulous cheap and cheerful options. Splash the cash on some washi tape and stickers to make it all more fun and then get 50 prints FOR FREE! on Snapfish. I am a very into my photos and scrapbooks, so last Christmas I treated myself to a portable smartphone photo printer and it has been THE BEST. In case you are like me, check it out here

Digest & Learn Art

This one is certainly for the art lovers. I particularly miss my Sunday visits to the Hayward Gallery to check their latest exhibition. Or the approachable museum lates every first Friday of the month. Needless to say I can’t wait for the next fashion exhibit at the V&A. But whilst all of that will have to wait for a while, why not getting parade by truly experts in the matter on a virtual tour to your favourite museums? And not only in London but around many major capital cities?

Museums are currently providing a huge range of activities to enjoy from the comfort of your own sofa. From grown-up workshops and art courses to kids friendly art making activities, the options are vast. The Tate Galleries in London and MoMa in New York would be a great start. If you have VR googles at home, then we also suggest you try the National Gallery’s virtual tours.

But it is not only down to museums to tap into the artistic scene. This also entails the realm of music and video art, for example. Or podcasts, even! You can learn a lot from podcasts, and we’ve certainly take a turn on this to get ourselves more educated and interested in non-coronavirus matters. This American Life is an amazing storytelling podcast, and I’ve recently stumbled upon A Piece of Work from Abbi Jacobson (hello, Broad City?), which is hilarious.

Don’t think about it any longer, let’s have some fun!

TCB xx