My Monday morning muse as I sip my cup of black cherry berry tea is summed up in this Japanese proverb.

If a man has no tea in him, he is incapable of understanding truth and beauty.

~Nia Andino~

Guest Appearance on Radio Capicu Tonight!

Join me on Radio Capicu TONIGHT with an amazing broadcast from 10PM-Midnite (EST)!

Ebru: The Traditional Art of Turkey

At the end of August I took a trip along the Mediterranean with one of the destinations being Turkey. Turkey is mostly known for its colorful tile patterns, syrillic calligraphy and architecture when it comes to art. Until present day, the most popular form of painting in the country was predominately landscapes. This is due to the Sharia Law within the Muslim religion that equates depicting the human figure as a sinful act of idolatry.

In the 13th century, the art form of ebru was developed. This art form once adorned royal documents and books with a primarily marbled background and calligraphy or floral subjects in the forefront. The technique of  ebru uses a tray of oily water, while painting on the surface with pigments and horsehair brushes. Once the painting is made, a piece of watercolor paper is placed on the surface and pulled off with a transferred image of the art. Below is a video demonstrating the traditional style of ebru.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oe9-F6Osnz4&feature=related

Below is another video of a more modern technique showing a transferring of the image to canvas instead.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXbrgTE8jEY&NR=1

I plan to experiment with this style of art at some point with a subject that isn’t necessarily floral. But until then I have other pieces to finish!

~ Nia Andino~

Work In Progress

This is a painting I am creating for someone and is the largest canvas I have worked on. It is also the first that I’ve painted containing more than 2 subjects. I am focusing on the faces now before I get into the details of the clothing, fans and the bottom half of the piece. I hope to be done with it by the end of this month. And yes, the woman on the right is smoking a cigar!

What are you working on?

~Nia Andino~

Work in Progress Wednesdays~ Day in Paris

I am known for wearing a flower in my hair for various events. Each time that I do, I am always told it reminds them of Lady Day. This week I decided to work on a tribute to Billie Holiday which I started last night while painting live at Diva. It is a bit different than my usual style and larger than any piece I have worked on before. I am titling it Day in Paris. What are you working on?

~Nia Andino~

Work In Progress Wednesdays~ Piragua Stand

Last night I painted live at Diva and the cold weather made me wish for warmer climates. I mentally kept myself warm with visions of Old San Juan in the summer. One of my favorite things to have there is a piragua. From that, the work in progress above, Piragua Stand was created. My favorite flavor is Tamarindo! What’s yours?

~Nia Andino~

Afro- Latino American Crossroads Exhibit and Performance

Last night was opening  night of the Afro- Latino American Crossroads exhibit and performance at the Clemente Soto Velez Cultural Center in the Abrazo Interno Gallery.  As you entered the gallery, the energy was high with a community sharing in the spirit of the night. Corners and little spots throughout the space paid their own personal homages to the ancestors.

The night started off with a blessing of the space with sage and prayer while honoring the Earth and our ancestors by Maximvs Prophet.

It continued with rhythms played by Angel Ruben Rodriguez Sr with his drums and shekere while we sang along to Yoruban songs.

Carmen Mojica Fabian and Peggy Robles Alvarado paid homage to traditional Yoruba  and bomba through dance and spoken word. They pulled us into their dance; and the room joined in swaying to the rhythms of the drum.

Along with my painting From Bomba to Punta, it is here where I revealed my latest painting Celia my tribute to Celia Cruz.

Some of the other artwork that adorned the walls popped with color and movement.

People walked with the taste of Puerto Rico in their mouths with pastries from Boo’s Bakes.

It was a wonderful experience to participate  in this exhibit in displaying a love of culture and ancestral roots with the artists Marthalicia Matarrita, Amanda Mathews, Dyclia Pagan, Yasmin Hernandez, Pete Rodriguez, Ezequiel Jimenez, Helene Ruiz, Jose Rios and Jose Carlo Suazo.  The exhibit will be up at the Abrazo Interno Gallery at the Clemente Soto Velez Cultural Center  until February 25th. Thank you Mia Roman Hernandez for putting this together and to all that came out to the show!

~Nia Andino~

Work in Progress Wednesdays

Besides putting the final touches on my piece for next week’s Afro-Latino show, I am also working on 2 paintings from my last live painting sessions. Here is a peak at the paintings so far. What are you working on?

~Nia Andino~

Atabey

This is the piece I painted at Diva last night. It is of Atabey, the symbol of Mother Earth in the Taino tradition. She is the mother of Yucahu and represents fertility and motherhood.

She is also a reminder of this ancient Indian proverb.

“Treat the earth well: it was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children. We do not inherit the Earth from our Ancestors, we borrow it from our Children.”

~Nia Andino~

The Art of the Tattoo: A Walking Canvas

As an artist, one of the first questions I am usually asked is, “Do you do tattoos?”

Actually, I have never drawn a tattoo for someone, even though my cousin has been asking me for a design for the past year! Tattoo is an art form in itself. The image above is a tattoo I spotted while visiting the Montseratt mountains in Spain.

The body is a walking canvas and the image is an artist’s calling card. I have known some people to use art that was not made specifically to be a tattoo and have one made from it. For instance, that was done with this piece created by Santiago.

The origin of the word tattoo is a mix of the Polynesian word “ta” which means to strike something and the Tahitian word “tatau” which means to mark something.

It is hard to believe how this form of body adornment has evolved. Once used as healing balms and ceremonial markings, the tattoo gave way to being a sign of gang, military or biker associations while sometimes even being found as Minnie Mouse hiding on your grandmother’s left thigh. Below is the first video of a six part series about the history of tattoos.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGsWIbdNCBQ

The popularity of this art medium has hit mainstream media with shows such as Miami Ink, LA Ink and Inked. It has now become so commonplace that it seems the people without one are in the minority. That includes myself. I have not yet found an image I would want on me for the rest of my life, but I may try some mendhi 

or maybe these leg inks from Whorange for now. I kind of like the peacock feather.

One day I may venture into trying out tattoo designs. For all those already with tattoos, continue to wear them well!

~Nia Andino~