New brooches and key chains

Monday blog post #28

Hi my lovely friends!

Lots of new ideas in my head but only one person with 10 fingers!
My newest project are brooches and key chains/bag charms with my illustrations.

Handmade fabric brooches Les Chérubins  by Dominika

Handmade fabric brooches Les Chérubins  by Dominika

Handmade fabric key chains/bag charms Les Chérubins  by Dominika

I presented them at the Doha Mums Summer Market on Saturday, 11th May. They got a really cute comments :)

The market was great, lots of visitors going trough the doors from 11am to 4 pm without a break. I barely managed to eat something. This was the last event before the summer as we, who don't have a 9-5 job leaving Doha for 1-2 months :)
Now I'm focusing on your custom orders and then summer break in June!!!!

Les Chérubins  by Dominika at the Doha Mums Summer Market 2013

Les Chérubins  by Dominika at the Doha Mums Summer Market 2013

Les Chérubins  by Dominika at the Doha Mums Summer Market 2013

Have a lovely week!

Sending you my smile with love,
Dominika

Group Exhibition with the International Artists Doha

Monday blog post #27

Hello!
I'm really happy happy happy! And as I met one wonderful lady yesterday at the workshop at Katara Art Center about how to build artist portfolio, she wrote me a message this morning 'you should put in your portfolio that you are happy and cheerful person'. How nice :)))

And lots of, lots of similar and lovely comments we all got at our 3rd Annual Group Exhibition of International Artists Doha which was held in Education City from 1-4th May.

Opening of the exhibition was amazing, with such a lovely crowd of our friends, family members and art practitioners and  admirers. More than 200 people were there just for the opening night.

with my hubby and friends

I'm also proud that my Ambassador from Croatia Mr. Bosnjak came with his lovely wife Gordana. I got a lovely email from them this morning.

Next day we had even more then 200 visitors but this time they were students from local schools. They came to see our exhibition with their teachers, and to make notes and sketches of the works they liked the most.
Talking with them and hearing their comments about our works was such a fun. They were so amazing and honest. God bless them! Most of them commented that my paintings make them happy, confused and they have a feeling like they are in a cartoon or in a nice dream.

Press coverage this year was great. Lots of newspapers wrote articles about our really successful exhibition and as I'm in charge of our group Facebook Page I can see huge interest in our group not just in a way of commenting and liking but also asking to join us.

I like this article in Qatar Tribune

I'm really thankful for being part of this beautiful group of 22 artists from 13 different countries. We are all different and have different styles, different approaches but we together make such a nice group.

International Artists Doha,  photo by Shahir Aboobacker

For this exhibition we were all working on one theme 'Between cultures'.
We all expressed our feelings about life in Qatar combined with things we brought with us from our own countries.

Between 1, acrylic on canvas 30x30cm by Dominika Bozic

We all made one work 30x30cm for silent auction and my painting 'Between 1' got 7 bids!

Between 2, acrylic on canvas 40x40cm by Dominika Bozic

 

Between 3, acrylic on canvas 40x40cm by Dominika Bozic

Between 4, acrylic on canvas 80x80cm by Dominika Bozic

 
Thank you all for making our exhibition such a success and hope to see you at my next event - Doha Mums Summer Market on 11th May from 11am-4pm at Radisson Blu Hotel in Doha.

Sending you my smile with love,
Dominika

Interview for Qatar Tribune

Monday blog post#26

What a great feeling when you are reading a story about yourself in a newspaper!!!

I was never enough confident in my work and my writings and was never thinking to write a press release for the magazines and newspapers. Thank God for the internet so journalist and bloggers can find you, check out your work and read about you.

I always encourage my fellow artists and crafters to start a blog or Facebook page because it's for free and that way people can see what you are working on, comment and like your work and you can get free feedback from your potential customers.

Attending fairs and similar events is also a great way for people to see your work in live, to feel it, touch it... also a great way to get feedbacks, get contacts from people so you can send them information about the next event, promotions and similar...
Sometimes, as it happened to me, you can meet journalist or bloggers there and get them interested in your story.

Museum of Islamic Art Park Bazaar in April

It happened to me this month at the Museum of Islamic Art Park Bazaar. I came to set up my table although it was a sand storm. I was trying to put my stuff on the table but unsuccessfully, so I left everything in boxes and I was just standing there for 2-3 hours holding my cards to not to be blown off my table.
If my friend Aly wasn't there I would pack my things and go in first 5 minutes but we were chatting and the time passed by. Few minutes before I decided to pack my stuff and go home one girl came to my table and asked me if I'm making those things in my boxes. She was a journalist from the Qatar Tribune. I gave her my contact and she called me few days after to meet for an interview. On Saturday, 27th April they published a story about me in Qatar Tribune newspaper and on their web site. I'm so happy and grateful for that :))))

Dominika Bozic featured in Qatar Tribune 27/04/2013

Dominika Bozic featured in Qatar Tribune 27/04/2013

Dominika Bozic featured in Qatar Tribune 27/04/2013

As I mentioned in my interview, I'm preparing for the exhibition with my art group International Artists Doha from 1-4th May
All the artworks will be for sale and we are also going to have silent auction for our 30x30cm artworks.
I'm so excited!!! Will post about it next Monday :)))


Oh yes, everyone is welcome to come to our exhibition, so hope to see you there!

Sending you my smile with love,
Dominika

My studio

Monday blog post #25

Hello my lovely people and welcome to my studio!

my studio

My studio is my sanctuary :)
The time there stops.
I can be there for hours and not noticing that the time past and that I'm hungry, thirsty or anything...

At the moment I'm finishing my painting for the exhibition in May with my art group International Artists Doha.

my favorite color - turquoise 

brushes

details of  my painting

details of  my painting

About the exhibition  

A total of 22 international artists, including me :) will be exhibiting their latest works under the theme “Between Cultures”. The artists hail from a variety of countries including Qatar, The Netherlands, Germany, Egypt, Portugal, Croatia, Australia, Sudan, Iran, India, the UK, Barbados and the Philippines.

flyer

VENUE
Exhibition will be held in Al Qool Hall, at the Qatar Foundation Recreation Centre

OPENING
Doors are open to the public on Wednesday May 1st at 6pm with the official opening at 6.15pm by Sheikha Hala Al Khalifa, the Head of the Artists in Residence Programs from Qatar Museums Authority.

The exhibition will also be open:
Thursday May 2nd from 10am-6pm
Friday May 3rd from 12pm-6pm and
Saturday May 4th from 10am-4pm.

Silent auction

In addition to original artworks being on display, all artists have contributed a 30x30 cm piece which will be offered to the public by way of a silent auction. All proceeds from the auction will be returned to IAD to fund their future public events and workshops.

Entrance will be for free and everyone is welcome so hope to see you all there!!!

I have to share with you a beautiful photo I got from my youngest happy customer with my little owl brooch, isn't she cute???!!!

Sending you my smile with love,
Dominika

Final preparation

Monday blog post #24

Hello!

How's everything?

Yesterday evening was our last meeting before our group exhibition with International Artist Doha on 1st - 4th May. We all have our own tasks to make our exhibition successful and everyone is so excited and doing a great job :) As for myself I'm in charge of our Facebook Page to keep you posted about the artists and the exhibition.

One article about our group and exhibition is already published in FACT magazine 

22 Artists, 13 Nationalities, One Theme: Between Cultures
Apr 04, 2013

As Qatar grows into more of a cultural melting pot, a third kind of heritage is emerging and it involves the expatriates. International Artists Doha have been inspired by this idea in their upcoming group exhibition, exploring what living in two worlds means to the individual.

FACT Magazine

I'm pretty busy with finishing my paintings for the exhibition and I find outdoor painting really relaxing and more enjoyable because of the natural light.

I'm also working in parallel on your custom orders :)

Personalized Handpainted Name Sign by Dominika

Original painting Sea Adventure by Dominika

Original painting Sea Adventure by Dominika

Original painting Sea Adventure by Dominika

Handmade owl brooch Marin by Dominika

Handmade owl key chain Nica by Dominika

Sending you my smile with love,
Dominika

Msheireb Arts Centre

Monday blog post #23

Hello!

How you've been? I'm a bit tired and need some time off.

I was at the printmaking workshop last week organized by Msheireb Arts Centre with an UK based artist Jacqueline Yuen Ling Chiu

I can only say it was an amazing experience and I learned a lot. I had some experience in printmaking but only with textile surfaces such as screen printing and transfer printing during my university time.

The biggest surprise for me was the building, as in Doha everything is either completely new and modern or totally destroyed and this place is something different.
It's a 1950s school building which was the first girls’ school in Qatar, named ‘Al Wassat’, and was built by the government for Amna Mahmood Al Jaidah who had formerly been teaching classes in her own home. The building has been renovated to its former state by Msheireb Properties, with some classrooms left intact in the state in which they were found. Additions include a gallery space, storage facilities for the found objects, workshop rooms, and artists’ studios.

 

At the workshop we learned different techniques for printmaking such as:
- drypoint plastic plate
- drypoint aluminium plate
- Japanese vinyl relief plate
- photopolymer plate
- collograph plate

with the best quality materials.

Here are some of my works:

Drypoint plastic plate

Japanese vinyl relief plate

 

Photopolymer plate

 Collograph plate

People at the workshop were all artists and it was really interesting to meet them, to see how they work, their ideas... We even ended up going out all together at the Four Seasons Hotel where they organize beach party every Thursday. Brilliant experience! I can't wait for them to organize another workshop!

Sending you my smile with love,
Dominika