plants and update

It's been a while since I've written anything here. THIS will change, I promise. Recently I've taken too much on myself. Having two blogs, facebook page, new collection to draw and print and a commission for an illustration project that You'll hear about very soon was a bit much. All of these plus a double mothering forced me to abandon the virtual side of the brand. That's why I've decided to close down my other blog (www.ohantek.blogspot.com) that was created mostly for my parents to keep them up to date with the kiddos.

So, to make things going here I will have few regular posts such as Illustration inspiration, personal pictures, work progress, interviews and casual healthy meals recipe. How does it sounds?

On the other note I am obsessed with gardening at the moment. All I needed was few sunny days, and although it's cold again, I'm hooked. I'm a beginner tho. Since I left the house with a big garden in national park as a child, I lived in flats in UK for years and recently we moved to a flat with a backyard and I want to make all nice for the kids with some greens and space to eat outside. The space isn't big but I have lots of ideas and I need to say that digging in the soil give me huge satisfaction.

On that note I'll give You a hint that the new collection will consist of plants. I'm thinking: ferns, philodendrons like cheeseplants and such. Beauties!

ferns tea towel found HERE

types of philodendrons via THIS

The Gardener

This weekend I'm starting my art project 'The Gardener' (working title). The idea poped to my head long time ago, around autumn time last year I suppose. Only now, when a bit of warmth and sunshine came out I found myself atracted again to this idea.


PLOT (to follow)



This weekend I'm going to film at my friends allotment. I'll be digging, planting and dancing. We'll see whats gonna come out of that... I have no idea what I'll be doing... Never done an art video before, but it feels like a right tool to express myself.

Plants research.
It will vary from what I can  get on the green market and if it's the right time to plant them but these are the flowers that I would like to use in the project. I would also like to plant some herbs and maybe even stick some artificial flowers, but I'll see as I go...

Lily of the valley. They once were my favourite flowers. Only when reading about them today I found out how poisonous they are. The Christian legend says that the flower is also known as Mary's tears that it sprang from the weeping of the Virgin Mary during the crucifixion of Jesus. Other etiologies its coming into being from Eve's tears after she was driven with Adam from the Garden of Eden or from the blood shed by Saint Leonard of Noblac during his battles with a dragon. In europe the flower was percieved as a symbol of youth and prosperity. I think I would go with this meaning plus a personal statement.

Carnation. Pink carnations have the most symbolic and historical significance. According to a Christian legend, carnations first appeared on Earth as Jesus carried the Cross. The Virgin Mary shed tears at Jesus' plight, and carnations sprang up from where her tears fell. Thus the pink carnation became the symbol of a mother's undying love. I want to create motherhood conotations with that flower.

Hibiscus is a symbol of beauty and fertility. The tea is popular as a natural diuretic; it contains vitamin C and minerals, and is used traditionally as a mild medicine. In the Indian traditional system of medicine, Ayurveda, hibiscus, especially white hibiscus and red hibiscus, is considered to have medicinal properties. The roots are used to make various concoctions believed to cure ailments such as cough, hair loss or hair greying. I would like to use this plant to symbolise fertility and senescence (as an unescapable part of our live).

Rosemary. In the Middle Ages, rosemary was associated with wedding ceremonies. The bride would wear a rosemary headpiece and the groom and wedding guests would all wear a spring of rosemary, and from this association with weddings, rosemary evolved into a love charm. Newlywed couples would plant a branch of rosemary on their wedding day. If the branch grew, it was a good omen for the union and family.

 Incurve Chrysanthemums are symbolic of death and are used only for funerals or on graves, while other types carry no such symbolism... As part of a cycle of life this meaning would be quite significant although I'm not sure if I prefer a motherhood theme as a leading subject of the project.