Author Archives: Atamayka

Art and feeling special

There are tons of reasons why people buy art and they are mostly emotional.
Although 10% of collectors buy art as an investment *, most people buy art as a way to feel joy.

During a recent conversation, one of my most consequent supporters commented that, when she first saw my 100 Urban Faces she thought they were so special. We see a few special objects in life but we don‘t necessarily buy all of them. So, I asked her why she bought them, to which she candidly responded:

When you own something so original and special, you get the feeling that you are also special. It‘s like the quality of this piece transfers to you in a way.

Thank you Sanne!

*(source: artbusiness.com)

+ (Note: The 100 Urban Faces series of wall sculptures are available. For details, please contact me at art@atamayka.com) +

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While she was sleeping

No, this post is not about Sandra Bullock’s film “While you were sleeping”. I guess most of you don‘t know that I make my Daily Drawings while she is sleeping. „She“ is Mathilda, my 8 month old daughter. Since she started sitting, she developed a love for staying put peacefully besides me while I draw.
Lucky me! We sing along to music and it gives me enough time to finish some pieces.

If you see my drawings from August to October and compare them to the ones I make now, you will see they have gained color and complexity.
These are the wonders of having more time!

Here in Austria you get up to a two-year leave after pregnancy. So, I made a deal with myself. During this time I will make my daily drawings, on a napkin if I have to, whether I’m ill or haven’t slept in three days.
These drawings keep me sane and make me feel alive, even if like today, I would rather be in bed.

All my Daily Drawings are available. If you’re interested, please contact me per email at art*at*atamayka.com. Thanks for reading!

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Stories behind the 100 Urban Faces:
Why Amy Winehouse?

Coincidence or synchronicity. When Amy Winehouse died, her “face” was due to be made, according to my working schedule for that week. I was making 100 Urban Faces for a group exhibition I would take part in that year.

While working her into the clay, I couldn’t help but feel sad about a life of such talent and how human nature in all its beauty also has a terrible self-destroy button. At one point I muttered “oh, Amy!” and so I named this piece.

Later on that year, right before the official opening of the group show, she was the first “face” of this series to be sold. Three minutes later, while I was looking to place the red dot, another collector wanted to buy it too. The two had a bit of a conversation.

I was thrilled and thankful, but also surprised and I have to admit, the thrill turned into a bit of disappointment. Why Amy? I didn’t regard her as my most moving face. What’s with choosing normal people? I forgot all about these feelings as other faces found their way to new homes though. The show had been a success.

It just happens that people and their expressions move me deeply. The beauty in everyday people is poetry for me.

But it’s not and was never about me at all.
As an artist and as a person, you are often confronted with what you have in your mind and what is actually perceived by others.
For me, this is eye-opening and very interesting indeed.
I guess we all have a thing for stardust.

Talking about stardust… Woody Allen is still available.

Find out more about serendipity and the ceramic wall sculpture series “100 Urban Faces”

+ (Note: The 100 Urban Faces series of wall sculptures are available. For details, please contact me at art@atamayka.com) +

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Photo-Doodle:
What can you find in these tree branches?

Here in Austria there’s a game kids play when they have no toys at hand:
“Ich sehe was, was du nicht siehst (was ihr nicht seht) und das ist..”
Which means:” I see, I see, what you can’t see, and that is…”
Right then, one of the kids complete the sentence with a color of an object near them that the other players don’t know about. They all start naming objects until one of them guesses, and then it’s the winner’s time to make others guess.

I want to play a game with you, but instead of saying a color, I will give you a picture. Let’s see what we all come up with.

I took the picture above on an autumn night two days ago. You can see the moon coming out at the bottom left of the tree trunk (click on it for a bigger image).

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Stories behind the 100 Urban Faces:
This doodle turned into a portrait of Alfred

Serendipity: I decided a couple of years ago that all of my drawings were to be of fortuitous origin.
And as doodles they all start. This one I call funny Opa, Opa is the Austrian-German word for grandfather. Casually he turned out to look like a portrait of Alfred, a very kind gentleman I happen to know, he lives here in town and has the most beautiful snow white hair I’ve ever seen.

I’ve loved the word Serendipity (sponsored link) since I saw Kate Beckingsale and John Cusack in that film (yes, I’m a girlie girl, you can roll your eyes at me) and doodling is trendy now, but I’ve been playing the game of finding out what hides behind random lines since I was a child. Can you guys remember Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood? (I know, I just gave my age away).

Find out more about serendipity and the ceramic wall sculpture series “100 Urban Faces”

+ (Note: The 100 Urban Faces series of wall sculptures are available. For details, please contact me at art@atamayka.com) +

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Inspiring short stories from Herakut – street art duo

Herakut’s “Giant Storybook” project is a children’s book whose pages are painted on the facades or walls of buildings and houses all over the world.
Watch them above in full action.

Giant Storybook Series by Herakut in Berlin Giant Storybook Project by Herakut in Australia

Giant Storybook Project by Herakut in Australia

From the Giant Storybook Series by- Herakut in Florida (U.S.A.)

"I'm different" "me too" From the Giant Storybook Project by Herakut in India

Each piece is a short story on their own and they move people, Herakut’s work is absolutely inspiring. Not only because of the size, which would be technically enough, but because of the contrast of soft and hard involved in the process, the final piece and the message. Those eyes mirror lives and strong emotions. Like the walls they’re painted upon, they’ve endured the hardships of the weather, of life itself.

Jasmin Siddiqui (Hera) and Falk Lehman (Akut) are german graffiti artists who decided to start working together in 2004. Hera’s sketchy lines and Akut’s smooth realism complement each other, she starts the skeleton and positioning of the piece and he lays the skin. Akut said of their collaboration:

“we don’t have those big artist’s egos and it’s nice to work around your best friend.”

And these two do get around, their murals are all over the world. Regarding a trip to Nepal Jasmin said:

“We LOVE working with people who are still hungry for art and education, for social interactions, progress, politics. We love people who believe that one can make a difference, and that they themselves have the ability to strengthen their community, change their environment and leave a positive mark in their world.” (source: http://kolorkathmandu.sattya.org/note-from-herakut/)

I am in awe of their art and their passion at work. I found four Herakut pieces that are still to be sold here (click on the thumbnails) and you can buy their two books here:

(affilliate links)

sources:
HERAKUT
www.mo-berlin.com
www.streetartnews.net
www.streetal.mx
www.kolorkathmandu.sattya.org

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Art trilogy exhibition

I had the honor to particpate in a show, called “ART Trilogie”, with fellow artists Franz Bode, Erika Breitenlechner and Waltraud Sieb. Our art-trilogy was composed of acrylic paintings from Erika Breitenlechner, driftwood objects from Waltraud Sieb and Franz Bode as well as my 100 Urban Faces. It was a wonderful and enrichening experience and I thank all who came by and gave us their support.

Journalist Veronika Spielbichler wrote an article about the exhibition which is also full of great images (click on them for bigger views).

The English translation of the article is as follows:
A worthwhile goal for artistic exploration
Text and photography by Veronika Spielbichler
Three artists – three different approaches and materials – were brought together for the exhibition “Art Trilogy” from the 25th to the 27th of November 2011 in the Sparkassensaal Wörgl.

Franz Bode, former chairman of the Art Association ARTirol and still deeply connected to the local creative scene (pictured right), worked as a “hobby-curator” and presented the fascinating and unique ceramic works called “100 Urban Faces “of the Venezuelan born architect (editor note: Atamayka studied architecture but she’s not an architect) and graphic designer Atamayka, the “Color Tone” from the studio of Erika Breitenlechner and the imaginative “Findlinge” (The Found – Driftwood) from Waltraud Sieb (from left). Wörgl’s Cultural Officer, Johannes Puchleitner (left), presented the works to the audience.

“100 Urban Faces “– These ceramic faces were formed by Atamayka, including Amy Winehouse (3rd picture from left).

Driftwood and its course through the river inspired Waltraud Sieb‘s objects, Erika Breitenlechner created large-scale color artworks with different mediums. The sound was delivered at the opening by the MTC-clarinet trio.

Wörgl’s Cultural Officer, Johannes Puchleitner, gave the opening speech and presented the three artists. Atamayka has lived in Wörgl for 12 years (editor note: Atamayka has lived in several cities of Tirol, including Wörgl) and was encouraged by Franz Bode to make her first show which generated immediate and great attention. Her pieces and the way she works is not found to be comparable.

“Atamayka’s work was a discovery game. She scribbled lines on paper, connecting them to turn them into faces and then transfer them to clay. The plasticity of clay breathes life into the faces and creates emotions,” explained Puchleitner. But the artistic process for Atamayka is not finished with the show. Eagerly pursuing how the viewer reacts, she takes these reactions and uses them as a starting point for further creative work. Puchleitner: “Atamayka sees herself as a translator for the restlessness of her soul.”

“For Erika Breitenlechner it was possible to quickly develop a remarkable style in painting,” Puchleitner praised the works of the Wörgl painter who’s now living in Oberau as she has developed her own language of color. The wooden objects, beautifully made by Waltraud Sieb, formed the third part of this remarkable ART – trilogy.

That working together was a delight, not only for the artists, but also for the exhibition organizer, was hinted by Franz Bode: “It was from the first to the last minute fun with you!” Also visitors were locked to the exhibition by means of humor, an “Orc” by a fire pit in front of the Sparkasse aroused the curiosity of passers-by.
More pictures from the opening here in the gallery…

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3D Doodle: ceramic illustration and sculpture

A doodle, a line without intention, turns into a “nosey” woman. She then tries to escape the two dimensions that limit her until she finally turns into a ceramic illustration and a sculpture.

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Atamayka is my name

My dear Austrian friends have quite a problem to find my website because they write my name with many different spellings: “Atamaika, Atamaica, Adamaika, Maica, Mayka, Maika, Adda, Ata, Atika, Atica, Atyca…” And if we count all the nicknames I’ve had my entire life, it would add up to a ridiculous amount of ways people will try to find me in the internet.

My mom meant well, she loved the name Atamayka. I’m named after the daughter of Venezuelan writer and humorist Aquiles Nazoa. What she never knew is that I would have to spend my whole life spelling my name to everybody, including banks, schools, at courses, etc. And that was not such a big problem until I started living abroad: I lived in the USA and I actually live here in Austria. Now, I not only spell my first name but also my two last names (in Spanish speaking countries people use both parent’s last names).

The funniest thing is that I’ve been called the most incredible names also throughout my whole life, including Tamara, Jamaica (yes, like the island nation), Jakarta (yeah, that too), Attaka, and curiously “Ata” happens to be a very strong household detergent here in Europe.

All that said, today I’m happy to be also called mami, mama, darling, honey, and my love.

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Ceramic illustrations and color

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After taking my ceramic illustrations out of the kiln after their first firing (The process of my ceramic illustrations), I’m always eager to get hands on with the color part of the ceramic process.

For this group of small pieces of art I first washed them in a dark brown oxide which I then rubbed off so that the etched lines would remain dark and the rest of the ceramic canvas would stay light enough to add color.

Afterwards I painted the ceramic illustrations with underglazes. The process now is very much like a painter would produce his paintings, only that I use colors that will have to burn in order to see the final results.

I then finish some of the art pieces with a matt or glossy transparent glaze and fire them for a second time. Some other ceramic illustrations are fired for the second time without glazing. These last ones are painted afterwards with different colored glazes and are fired again for the third time.

It is real fun to mix and experiment with colors- oxides, underglazes, glazes, slips- without really accurately predicting what will actually come out of these ceramic illustrations; you can only predict after you’ve experimented an tested enough to know. Dark blue and green glazes are rose colored before firing, turquoise is grey and effect-colors are nothing compared to their looks after being fired.

There’s always this great feeling of expectation at the moment of opening the kiln which I share with the rest of the family.