I have finally finished my entry for the Sketchbook Project 2012 World Tour.

In short, this project is about people all over the world filling up a small sketchbook, which will then go on a world tour and end up on permanent display in the Brooklyn Art Library. Many of the sketchbooks will be also available for viewing online too. The artists could choose several themes for their work. I stuck with the open theme of "This is a Sketchbook".

You can check out my sketchbook here.

Although I started out in watercolour and acrylic, I soon switched to ballpoint pen as I realized I wanted the sketchbook to have lots of line drawings and just mainly black and white work. Since the theme was so open, it was tough to start drawing right away as I simply did not know where to begin. A trip to Hawaii over Christmas definitely helped though! Almost every place there is worth capturing on paper or camera! I then continued with sketching places that were inspirational to me in the last few years. Some from memory, some with the helps of photographs I have taken during some of my trips. 

One of the main things I liked about this project is that is made me sit down, pick up a pen and draw for a while, concentrating on just this task and putting all the everyday things aside. I liked this project so much that I signed up for the Sketchbook Project Limited Edition too. There are still 354 spots left on the project, so if you feel like showing your sketches to the world, I highly recommend signing up.

Yana Klimava is an artist who works in watercolour and acrylic. She creates images that capture light and landscapes in her work.

Yana Klimava explores the visual world through her watercolours and acrylic works. Klimava grew up in Belarus where she attended the Minsk Lycaeum of Visual Arts. She finished high school in Canada and went on to Carleton University's School of Industrial Design. She's been living and working in Calgary for three years and I talked with her about her artistic practice and the intersection of art and design.

During our conversation we talked about what has inspired Klimava as an artist. She says, "One of the most influential things in my life comes from my early childhood. It was a small art class where kids were given all the freedom they wanted and no one ever assumed anything and no one judged. I do actually keep in touch with my teacher from that class. He definitely erased the fear of the white paper and helped me along with expression and not being afraid of what the result will be."

Another major influence, Klimava tells me, was her formal artistic training. She says, "My opinion is that in order to be able to do stylized work you need to have a foundation of classical training, You can always fall back on it. It gives you an understanding of the world and you can make it your own. By no means have I excelled at being a classical painter yet. Its just something you constantly have to be working at."

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I am pleased to announce that one of my most recent watercolour works has received special recognition from the Light Space and Time online gallery in a juried exhibition with a theme "Seascapes"!

Click here to see the exhibition, there are truly beautiful works of art here!

Thanks to everyone who came to see me at my watercolour demo table at Art Central this Thursday! And Happy Birthday to the Art Central itself! I have never seen it this full of people. 

A special thank you goes to Arts Astray and Rachel Nickerson, who made my demo possible and contributed to the overall energetic atmosphere of the First Thursday. If you have not yet had a chance to visit the Arts Astray gallery, do it soon - it is full of beautiful original pieces by many talented local fine artists.

For those of you who were not able to attend, here are some pictures of the results of the watercolour demonstration: four paintings named Sol, Giba Landscape, Pink Flowers and Barrier.
 

I am pleased to announce that I was chosen by the Arts Astray team to give a live watercolour demonstration at the Art Central at the First Thursday Event on November 3rd.

You will be able to find me on the upper level from 6pm to 8pm. I will be painting at least two pieces.

Art Central is located at 100, 7th Avenue SW in Calgary; it is home to numerous art galleries and unique shops that together strive to promote new ideas, creativity and enhancing the community's perception of art.

First Thursdays at Art Central are especially fun because they are filled with mini events and deals at almost every shop and gallery. It is a great opportunity to come out, explore the Calgary art scene and meet some new people passionate about arts and crafts.