Ars longa vita brevis

2012-01-10T20:53:00.000-08:00

SMALL WORLDS
Oesterle Library Gallery
North Central College
Naperville

January 8th through February 15th

2011-12-19T11:53:00.000-08:00

"SMALL WORLDS"
and
"ILLUMINATE"

In January I will be showing my work in a solo exhibition titled "Small Worlds", at the Oesterle Library Gallery, at North Central College in Naperville. This will be the first time I'll be showing ceramics work alongside my watercolors.

Saggar fired globe vessel, 4" diameter x 5" high

I have been interested in working with clay since my earliest childhood, and had the opportunity to experiment with the medium more extensively in my sculpture classes during grad school, where I was able to built portraits and human figures, as well as animal figures from clay. But for the last few years my interest was mainly in creating smaller scale vessels. I guess the reason for that lies in my childhood memories.
An old potter lived a few houses from my grandmother's, and while visiting her I always insisted to be taken to his shop, to watch him work. He made all sorts of vessels on a wheel and I was observing the transformation of clay with fascination. Just like drawing and painting; clay seemed to be a magical medium - one capable of transforming from just an amorphous lump to something beautiful.
The little vessels I will be exhibiting in this show are all hand built, and similarly to the philosophy I hold with paintings, here as well I try to create works that embody a sense of intimacy and quiet presence.

Another interesting show I just got accepted to is "Illuminate", a group show at the Water Street Studios in Batavia. This show will explore light in all of its forms. It will run from January 27 - May 12 with the opening reception on January 27th, 6-10pm.

Here is the announcement for my "Small Worlds" solo show, and here is a little more about the "Illuminate" at the Water Street Studios.

Voyage, 12"x12", watercolor/ink on paper

Whisper, 30"x 30", acrylic on canvas

2011-11-07T17:17:00.000-08:00

neXt Gallery

FALL
November 19th - December 11th, 2011

St. Charles Arts Council presents another pop up gallery project; this time the title of the show is "Fall". The opening reception will be held on Saturday, November 19, between 5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. and the location is the Cedar Avenue Business Center (920 Cedar Avenue, St. Charles 60174).

Here are my four works in this show. If you would like to hear me talk about my "Voyage" series you can also go to the Water Street Studios website by following this link.

Voyage/Autumn Torrents 1, watercolor/ink on paper, 12"x12"

Voyage/Autumn Torrents 2, watercolor/ink on paper, 12"x12"

Voyage/Autumn Torrents 3, watercolor/ink on paper, 12"x12"

Voyage/Autumn Torrents 4, watercolor/ink on paper, 12"x12"

2011-10-12T07:08:00.000-07:00

ALBERT'S SERIES
Epping Gallery
McHenry County College
October 10 - November 30, 2011

I am very happy I got a chance to exhibit my "Albert's Series" in a solo show. Right now forty eight watercolors/drawings from this series (originally consisted of 365 works dedicated to my son Albert) are on display at the Epping Gallery, McHenry County College, in Crystal Lake, IL.
The space is perfect for these works since they are unframed, and here they are displayed inside the glass "windows".
I really love the effect of glass surface over a watercolor, and I normally frame my works under a reflective glass. Just like experiencing the reflection while gazing at the surface of a lake or stream, the reflective glass adds more of this "watery" feel, then if a watercolor was under a non-glare glass. At least that's the effect I like to see with my works.

2011-09-06T12:52:00.000-07:00

2nd Year Anniversary Show,

Water Street Studios

This morning I found out I have been accepted to participate in the Water Street Studios 2nd Year Anniversary Show. And - I have also been selected as Honorable Mention! What a nice way to start the day ;-)
I am exhibiting four works in this show, and they are a part of the series "Voyage". You can listen to my short audio about these works here.
The show begins with the Opening Reception on Friday, September 30th from 6pm-10pm and will continue through December 31st.
Here are the pieces I'm showing.

Voyage, watercolor and ink on paper, 12"x12"
* honorable mention

Voyage, watercolor and ink on paper, 12"x12"

2011-07-06T11:39:00.000-07:00

CROATIAN ASSOCIATION OF ARTISTS - YEARLY MEMBERS' EXHIBITION
July, 12 - August, 7 2011
Mestrovic Pavilion

If by any chance you are in Croatia, in Zagreb right now, you might want to check out the Croatian Association of Artists members' exhibition. Located at the beautiful Mestrovic Pavilion, it is definitely a nice place to drop by during these hot summer days in the city and check out some new art by around 140 artists! Here's the work I am showing.

"Blue Dream", watercolor and ink on paper, 18"x24"

2011-05-17T12:54:00.000-07:00

neXt Gallery

Spring is here and some happy yellows and oranges are creeping into my works ("Dream"series)...

This month I am participating in the neXt Gallery, a group show/pop up gallery in St Charles, IL. Here's what I'm showing.

"Dream", watercolor/ink on paper, 22"x30"

"Dream", watercolor/ink on paper, 12"x12"

Albert enjoying the show as well.

2011-04-19T11:11:00.000-07:00

ALBERT'S SERIES

For me, painting has always been a search that allowed me to explore both the formal visual elements, as well as my personal feelings, through an intuitive, spontaneous process.
That is how last year, when my son Albert was born, I felt the need to document my emotions and reflections about this exciting and challenging change in my life, and the idea for “Albert’s series“ evolved.
“Albert’s series“ is an abstract diary following the first year of my son’s life, and consists of three hundred and sixty five works on paper, all 9”x12” in size. Although abstract and very personal by nature, this series speaks of deeply universal human themes of infancy and parenthood.

2011-01-11T09:41:00.000-08:00

THE SKETCHBOOK PROJECT

It's been a long time since I've posted anything here. I've been very busy with my precious ten month old baby Albert and haven't had much time for posting new stuff...but, here's a little neat thing I've been working on. It's a project that involves 28835 artists from 94 countries. Basically, the idea behind the Sketchbook Project is that you sign up, receive your sketchbook - then draw, paint, write or do anything you wish with it. Once you're done, you send your sketchbook back to the organizer, the Art House Co-op , and from there it goes on a tour and is exhibited at galleries and museums across the country.
It's been a lot of fun working on this, and I plan to make more sketchbooks like this one in the future..

Here's a preview of some of the drawings inside my sketchbook.
You can brows through all of the pages here.

2010-10-12T10:03:00.000-07:00

SUMMER SHOWS IN CROATIA

This summer I exhibited my watercolors in three shows in my home country, Croatia. First was the Triennial of watercolor, a show that opened on July, 7th and is still on view; it started in the city of Karlovac, then traveled to Slavonski Brod and is going to end in Zagreb. Here is the work I exhibited there:

Journey, 12"x12"

Second show was the Members' Exhibition of the Croatian Association of Artists (July13th-August 31th) at the Mestrovic Pavilion in Zagreb:

Want, 22"x30"

and the third The Vinkovci Artists Exhibition (September 16th-September 30th) at the Vinkovci City Museum where I showed these two works:

Journey, 18"x24"

2010-05-15T16:40:00.000-07:00

ARTHOUSE, 5x7 2010
May 13th, 2010

Here comes again Arthouse's yearly art splurge, fundraiser and exhibition, featuring works by over 900 artists! These are my three works for this year's benefit. They are a part of my new series of small 5x7 pieces, titled "Water World".

2009-11-23T15:52:00.000-08:00

FIRST AWARD
12x12 at The Art Center, Highland Park

November 20th, 2009 - January 4th, 2010

On Friday, November 20th was the opening reception for the three parallel exhibitions at The Art Center in Highland Park:

Explorations, 12x12 and Unbound.

I have three of my watercolors in the 12x12 show, curated by Kelly Gillum.
It was a great honor and joy to find out I received the first award!

Kelly Gillum (Juror for the 12x12 and Unbound), Kevin Lucero Less (Juror for the Explorations), and the Exhibition Director Rino Liberatone.

2009-09-09T13:40:00.000-07:00

Red Hot Red Dot

Art Spree and Silent Auction Thursday, September 17, 6 to 9pm
Exhibition continues through September 29th

This is the fourth time I'm having my work at the Red Hot Red Dot yearly auction which benefits "Women and Their Work" - a visual and performing art non-profit organization in Austin, TX. Women and Their Work was founded over 30 years ago and it has been emphasizing the value and excellence of art by women as well as equipping artists with financial and technical support.

Here is the work I have donated for this event.

"Descending Moon", mixed media (acrylic, graphite, charcoal) on canvas, 12"x16", 2009

2009-07-29T11:39:00.000-07:00

Art in the Abstract - Fermilab Art Gallery Group Exhibition

Thursday, July 9, 2009 - Wednesday, September 23, 2009

I am currently exhibiting my watercolors at a group show "Art in the Abstract", at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. The space is just tremendous; the Wilson Hall building itself is a work of art; it offers the breathtaking expanse of one of the world's largest atriums, soaring to the very height of it's 16-story structure.

I am exhibiting with four other artists in this show: Guy Bellaver, Kate Friedman, John Slavik and Shawn Slavik.

Here is Fermilab's announcement of the show with a short description of each artists' work:

A new exhibit in the Fermilab Art Gallery features multi-media abstract art works by five artists.

Guy Bellaver uses bronze or painted steel to create sculptures that range from tabletop-sized to more than 18 feet tall. He uses his works to express his fascination with positive and negative spaces and attempts to stretch the physics of the medium that he’s working in to occupy those spaces.

Mixed-media artist Kate Friedman uses painting and drawing as ways to explore nature’s visual language. Her works reflect her interest in the elemental connections between people and raw materials and physical laws of the natural universe.

John Slavik brings his artistic visions to fruition through abstract, representational and conceptual art. His pieces record his emotional response to events, places and thoughts. He hopes that they invite interaction and induce a strong physical presence.

Shawn Slavik works to capture fleeting moments in her art works. These are the moments that offer a sudden glimpse of clarity. The art works are the moments exposed and without context.

The watercolors that Ana Zanic creates are abstract compositions of layered washes mixed with dynamic lines, scribbles and ink marks. She uses the colors and forms to create atmospheric spaces of transcendence.

2009-05-25T18:46:00.000-07:00

5x7 Arthouse at the Jones Center - 10th Anniversary

This month is the 10th Anniversary of 5 x 7, Arthouse’s annual fundraiser that benefits Arthouse exhibitions and educational programs. For this event hundreds of contemporary artists created unique works on identical 5” x 7” boards. The idea with 5x7 is that all pieces are displayed anonymously and the artist's name is discovered only when the piece is purchased.

Here are the tree works I made for this year's event:

2009-04-07T14:24:00.000-07:00

Shades of Green - Wildflower Center Art Auction

Each year the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin holds a fundraising gala with silent art auction to help the Center's annual funding.
Last year I had a pleasure to donate my watercolor "Swallowtail's Dream" for this event.

"Spring Impromptu" below is the acrylic painting I donated to this year's auction, which will be held on May, 1st.

2009-03-11T12:54:00.000-07:00

March is Women's History Month

Here is my series of watercolors "Journey", currently on view at the West Belmont Chicago Public Library as a part of the Women's History Month program.

2009-02-19T10:58:00.001-08:00

"Reflections" at the Montgomery Ward Gallery, University of Illinois at Chicago

My solo exhibition "Reflections" opened yesterday at the Montgomery Ward Gallery in Chicago. What I really like about this space is that students hang around there a lot; it's a good place for studying or taking a break between classes. This way a lot of people not only see my work for a few moments, but actually spend some time around it as well.

I like openings in general; you always get some interesting feedback. Some comments surprise me because of their similarity to my own views, others give me insight into things that maybe wouldn't even cross my mind. Naturally, it is always the greatest reward to see how some people you've never met before connect to your work instantly and really enjoy it.

2009-02-16T09:36:00.000-08:00

32nd Bradley International Print and Drawing Exhibition

Two of my watercolors were selected for the 32nd Bradley International Print and Drawing Exhibition, at the Bradley University in Peoria, IL! It is the second-longest-running juried print and drawing competition in the country. From about 1 700 works submitted by 600 national and international artists, my two pieces were not only among the 126 selected, but one of them got among the 38 works juror Lynwood Kreneck chose for the preview show, that starts a month earlier.

Zarko and I went to the opening (Peoria is about two and a half hours drive from Naperville, where we live); after the opening Lynwood Kreneck gave a talk, and I got a chance to meet him.

He's a Texan! He got both his BA and MFA from the University of Texas at Austin, and has been teaching printmaking at Texas Tech University for nearly forty years!

I even started missing Austin a little when he mentioned how the sky in Texas inspired him a lot...
I must admit - Texas has the most beautiful big blue skies I've seen!

Here are the two selected pieces "Small worlds (in sepia/cerulean) no. 1" and "Maroon nebula" and some photos from the opening.

2008-08-25T14:25:00.000-07:00

Osijek Summer of Culture

On July 10th, 2008 was the opening of my solo exhibition at the Franciscan Monastery Gallery in Osijek, Croatia. This exhibition was a part of the Osijek Summer of Culture during which the Osijek Fort turns into a venue for numerous art programs. The Osijek Summer of Culture takes place on Fort's squares and streets, where the baroque ambiance enhances theater productions, artistic performances, exhibitions, concerts, and literary & film evenings.

2008-08-25T14:03:00.000-07:00

Morpho Gallery, Chicago

On Friday, July 11th, 2008 was the opening of the Local and Emerging Artists Group Exhibition at the Morpho Gallery in Chicago. I had two of my watercolors on display there. My husband Zarko and I have just moved to Illinois from Texas at the beginning of May this year, and I am happy I was able to start showing my work here so quickly.

2008-08-25T13:42:00.000-07:00

5x7 Arthouse at the Jones Center

On May 17th, 2008 Arthouse at the Jones Center (in Austin, TX) held its annual fund-raiser 5x7, the event voted the most fun fund-raiser by the Austin Chronicle Critics’ Choice Awards!

I have contributed a series of four 5x7 watercolors (titled "Blue Sun") for this event. Three were auctioned off at the Arthouse, and the remaining one will be exhibited in the upcoming 5x7 On The Road: at the Inman Gallery, in Houston, and at the Dunn and Brown Contemporary, in Dallas. This is my third year participating in the 5x7 show.