Category: Wall Hangings

The original 1949  two-color in-text lithograph was simply titled, “Phoenix.” The phoenix is the Chinese symbol of beauty, peace, the sun, prosperity, and the empress. This pattern was gathered from the Jiangsu province of China.

Phoenix Bird Mythology

The phoenix is a mythical bird which represents beauty, good luck and southern direction in China. The bird is also considered as a symbol of the Empress and it is the highest-ranked bird in China. The “King of Birds,  the phoenix embodied the five virtues of righteousness, benevolence, wisdom, propriety and sincerity. According to legend, phoenix bird perched only in the finest firmiana tree, drinking and eating nothing but bamboo seeds and sweet spring water. The bird is also said to have the head of the golden pheasant, the body of the mandarin duck, the beak of the parrot, the feathers of the peacock, the wings of the roc and the legs of the crane.

Actually ‘feng huang’ (the original name of the bird) incorporates the notions of feng, a male bird and huang, a female bird, therefore according to that logic, the phoenix is actually a symbol of the combination between masculinity and feminity, or Yin-Yang. The phoenix bird is used to represent the south in Chinese geomagnetism. It represents the Fire element and is associated with the season of summer and drought.

There are other combinations for Yin-Yang in Chinese mythology which lead me to the conclusion that I will someday also have to make a dragon. The Chinese phoenix is often considered the femine part of Yin-Yang and the dragon as her partner the masculine part. Only time will tell.

I took part in a project started by Ute Gebhard and Dorothea Unkel called Just Black & White.   50 Artists created pieces all 50 x 50 cm using only black and white.   The Vernisage was on January 10th, 2010  in Villach at the Offenes Atelier D.U.    All 50 pieces will be showing in different venues during 2010 including the Kunsthaus Sudhaus during the GEMMAKUNSTSCHAUN 2010 from May 20th to June 12th.   A big thank you to Bernd Schirner for the pictures.

BLOWN AWAY – 50 x 50 cm, unglazed ceramic, smalti, pearls

This mosaic was created by Angela Zimek.

You can see more pictures of all 50 pieces at the opening of the GEMMAKUNSTSCHAUN show here: http://www.fenstergucker.com/?state=02-0&id=759717&idparent=6633

I recently was honored to have my first public showing of my art.   My pieces can be seen at my physiotherapist’s group office here in Villach.   Ms. Angelika Silli  opened her new office Genesezeichen with five other physical therapists this past spring and was very happy to have some art displayed in the waiting areas of the very large office.

The office can be found  at Italienerstrasse  69a in Villach and  is open all day Monday to Friday.   The show will be open until the end of January.

Mit viel Freude kann ich bekannt machen, dass meine Arbeit das   erste Mal offizielle ausgestellt wird.   Die Ausstellung findet in die Räumlichkeiten der Physiotherapie Praxis Genesezeichen in der Italienerstraße 69a in Villach.   Die Ausstellung wird bis Ende Jänner täglich an Werktagen geöffnet sein.

This is series of wall hangings were made because my Klimt vase, which I made for a mosaic competition, was such a success.   Many people  noticed my work for the first time when they saw the golden swirls ala Klimt.   I wanted to include the swirls of course, but get away from purely functional art pieces.   Since my class in Spilimbergo, I’ve been concentrating more on wall hangings and adding smalti to my traditional pieces.   There will be more swirls to come for sure.

Meine Vorliebe für Klimt führte mich dazu noch einmal ein Klimt Motiv zu versuchen.   Die goldene Schlingeln von meiner Klimt Vase waren sehr beliebt und ich musste sie noch einmal dabei haben.   Ich versuche jetzt nicht nur Objekte zu verschönern, aber tendiere jetzt mehr zu Kunst für die Wand.   Zeit Spilimbergo kann ich nicht mehr die Finger von mein Smalti lassen.

Smalti can be found here:

www.donamosaici.it

www.xinamarie.com

This was a new experience for me.   I just spent a week in a place where I was surrounded by mosaics every day and surrounded by people who enjoy and respect the work that goes into making mosaics.   For some of the class members it was the very beginning of a new passion, for others like me it was the highlight of my mosaic making until now.   I spent 46 hours working on my renditon of a star from the mausoleum for Galla Placidia in Ravenna.   At home with my children and everything else that normal life entails, this is simply not possible.   It was a lot of hard work and and very rewarding.   I was very successful and everybody is happy that I back, me too!   Now it’s time to get to work on all my new ideas!

http://www.scuolamosaicistifriuli.it/