Debate: Image or Text?

Image by Google

I'm recently so in the mood for posting lavish and colourful images. I'd post some better quality and theme images if I were a better photographer... However I don't think this is my cup of tea and I believe all I can do is take 'diary' pictures - just to keep track of what I was impressed and inspired by... I very much admire people who are able to develop their own photographic style and have a concept - one needs to have talent for that. You probably noticed that my blog is very much about visual way of expression, I think I've been neglecting the 'written word' for quite some time now...

I'm very curious to know your thoughts about this. Do you prefer to read the text or do you prefer to see the images? What approach are you taking towards your own blogs? For me blogs are mostly about seeing things, of course I do read as well, but images are playing a huge role in perception for me.

Curiously, there is a theory that we could be roughly divided into 3 groups as far as the ways we learn are concerned. There are the so-called 'visual' people who learn by seeing things (if you want to teach such a person something, make a Power Point presentation, provide schemes, handouts, etc). The second group is 'auditory' learners who learn by hearing things (listening to a lecture for example, learning the language by listening to tapes) and the third (apparently the smallest) group are the people called kinesthetic learners, who learn by actually doing things. If you want to teach such people something you actually need to let them do that and they would quickly learn by trial and error.

So what kind of a person are you? I wish I was 3 in one - that would be a great combination... But I guess I'm a very strong visual plus quite good auditory learner - I guess I would score lowest in learning by doing...

Emmy Linnea

Image by Emmy Linnea

I have been visiting and reading this Swedish blog for a while now. It's owner is a young aspiring photographer and I think she is wonderfully talented. Here are some of the pictures of hers which I believe are really beautiful and you can find many more of them here on her blog Emmy Linnea.

Image by Emmy Linnea

I love how the photos give you this feeling of warmth and cosiness and how they have this special light about them - very gentle and moderately warm making them look slightly older but not too old - just about enough...

Image by Emmy Linnea

Image by Emmy Linnea

Image by Emmy Linnea

Image by Emmy Linnea

Image by Emmy Linnea

Smoke A Banana...?

'Their style features a combination of psychedelic sound and colour and well... if you want to experience it to the fullest we suggest that you... I don't want to offend any of you but we suggest that you... eat a banana while you are watching... or smoke a banana as my brother used to say...' - these are not my words, this is how Jefferson Airplane was once presented while performing on TV.

Videos via You Tube

Thanks Diatton for the inspiration coming from your posts about Woodstock!

Mice for Good Luck

Image by Basia

Last week when walking around Gdansk old town I was lucky to meet a nice lady who was selling her little hand-made creations on Mariacka street. I couldn't resist buying one of her hand-made mice, which are called 'Mice for Good Luck'.

Image by Basia

Basia, a Fine Arts Academy graduate and full-time artist, has kindly agreed to tell me a bit more about her little creatures. 'My mice are like small works of art for me, each one of them has a separate life, and is a mixture of emotions which I experienced while creating it.'


Image by Basia

Every person who 'adopts' a mouse created by Basia gets a guarantee of it being one of a kind - this is one of the rules of Basia's work, she wants each and every person who buys a mouse to feel unique.


Image by Basia

Mice's bellies are stuffed with rice not only because some believe that rice has to do with good luck, but also because the seeds enclosed in fabrics give the impression of constant movement and also are an allusion to something 'live'.

Image by Basia

Image by Basia

Image by Basia

'We all live in a complicated reality which is so difficult to embrace and the fact that people stop by to have a look at my creations keeps me going and proves that these little bodies radiate some positive energy. I see people smile and react to my mice and this is very important for me.'

Image by Basia

Image by Olga

Here is the mouse adopted by me, I just love it! If you are interested in adopting one too - drop a note and I will put you in touch with Basia.

Image by Basia

Once Upon A Summer ...

It is so cosy to spend nice relaxing evenings at home after work when everything around is calm and quiet and the positive and pleasant things come to mind... Today I was thinking that getting to know creators and crafty people and learning the best one can from them is probably one of the great things one can do in life. It is so inspiring! There are amazingly many interesting and incredible people in this world who are great talents - thinkers, observers, artists, creators... It is overwhelming knowing this and also the fact that it would take me more than one life to learn about all of them and admire all their work. This post is to the grand and unique ideas and people who stay true to themselves and keep creating and doing what they like no matter what!

Image by Arek

These lamps were hand made and sold by a man on the street in Venice late at night - he couldn't have chosen a better time for the stunning light effect. The man looked simple and was accompanied by an old dog of his... And he was telling stories about his lamps...

El Atlantico

I keep coming back to the precious memories of the time we spent in Ericeira, in Portugal this summer. The Atlantic is so amazingly picturesque and powerful! Its beauty drags you close and you can't take your eyes off it... But don't be deceived by that as it is also a very strong and tenacious force.

Image by Arek

Image by Arek

Image by Arek

Image by Arek

Tree Art

Finally the time has come to post about the last tree I painted as a part of the contemporary art tree project I invented and already previously posted about several times.

Images by Olga

The last tree is one of the trees I like best not only because of the concept and colour but also because of what it represents - Pop Art - one of my favourite contemporary art styles. I'm sure Pop Art is one of the most known movements, so I'm not going to go much into the details about it. I can only say that what I like about it is its kitschiness and irony, connection to adverts, comic books and popular mass culture - all the very visual forms of expression!

I also thought it would make sense to put all the rest of the trees already mentioned before together in the same post. So here they come one by one:

Cubism tree from Out Of My Tree post:

Image by Olga

Art Nouveau tree from Art Nouveau Triumphs! post:

Image by Olga

Suprematism tree from Tree time post:

Image by Olga

Futurism tree from Trick or... Tree? post:

Image by Olga

Post-Impressionism tree from Has Anyone Seen A Tree Here?.. post:

Image by Olga

Dada tree from Art Nouveau Triumphs! post:


Image by Olga

Expressionism tree from Has Anyone Seen A Tree Here?.. post:

Image by Olga

Abstract Art tree from Out Of My Tree post:


Image by Olga

Impressionism tree from Trick or... Tree? post:

Image by Olga

Constructivism tree from Tree time post:

Image by Olga

Although I actually painted the trees a while ago I enjoyed the whole process very much as I learned really a huge deal about the mentioned (and not!) movements of contemporary art and I was quite pleased with the results. Definitely with time I discovered (also with some bloggers' help :)) some mistakes I made representing each style - so there are lessons learned and things to work on! I'm very curious about your thoughts and feedback about the trees. Which one is your favourite and which do you like least?

Poppies..

Image by Arek

The poppy, a singular flower, is a true reflection of the summer here. I will just leave it to speak out from the picture and blossom on this site...

Survive Style 5+

Image by Google

Survive Style 5+ is one of the movies which has impressed me recently and definitely the movie very hard to forget! It's completely safe to say that this Japanese movie is unlike anything you have ever seen before. If you haven't watched it - expect exaggerated bizarre randomness of the plot. One could say that the movie sways between quiet meditation and frenzied madness. It also has a great sense of humour - more subtle and different from the typical Hollywood one-line jokes...

Image by Google

However, what I loved most about this film is its striking visuals. The movie has a lot of style! The modernistic design of Asano's house is absolutely mesmerizing. Each room in his mansion holds a decor that resembles Dali's surrealism, and the lavish set design during the Christmas celebration is breathtaking. The Christmas scene develops slowly but watch it till the end - you won't regret it.

Video via You Tube

And here is another piece of visual fiesta from the movie:

Video via You Tube

I could really watch this movie again and again to rediscover and admire its stunning details. I hope you will like it as well!

It's All About The Rhythm...

Video via You Tube

Video via Dailymotion

Gotyk House

Image by Google

Image by Olga

Gotyk House, which I mentioned in one of my previous posts about Gdansk is one of the hostels, which I have never stayed in only because it is located in the city where I live. Still, it keeps intriguing me with its location and the interiors to the extent that I really start thinking about spending a night there!

Image by Gotyk House

The hostel is located in the very heart of the old town, in the most beautiful street in Gdańsk - Mariacka. The old house built in 1451 was transformed into comfortable ancient styled guest house.

Image by Gotyk House

Image by Gotyk House

It seems like a place where modernity unites with history... All the small details in the house help to reflect the spirit of the past of old Gdańsk - when I look at this building and the surroundings they remind me of the knights and crusades epoch. The comfortable and stylish rooms and the interiors of Gotyk House provide the unique charm and ambience. I recommend to visit the website of the hostel as well - it provides many details, plus has lovely design, graphics and music.

Image by Gotyk House

Image by Gotyk House