Medieval tower bookmark

My new creation are these unique bookmarks depicting the old town hall tower of Sibiu, in Transylvania, Romania. Available in my other Etsy store, the Transylvanian Trove. A shop that wishes to promote the creativity and talent of fellow Transylvanians, past and present.
Entirely handmade linocut prints, several combinations of colors available (in both typographic ink and paper). If you have any preference based on item photos, let me know and I will do my best to accommodate (depending on already sold items). Otherwise, I shall randomly choose.

Medieval tower bookmark, hand-pulled linocut print, colorful book accessory, old tower, art gift for readers, writers, book lovers, reading

Dimensions: 14 x 5.5 cm.
The price refers to one bookmark.
Ready to send, ready to use.

See more bookmarks here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TransylvanianTrove?ref=seller-platform-mcnav§ion_id=20828284
See my entire shop: www.etsy.com/shop/TransylvanianTrove

Street front in an imaginary green city

I have just renewed on Etsy a large-size linocut I made a couple of years ago, entitled "Street front in an imaginary green city". This large-size linocut work is part of a series imagining street fronts through the combination of my favored independent lino plates depicting architectural elements. The separate houses, towers, and synagogue are inspired by actual places in east-central Europe, from the cities of Cluj-Napoca, Sibiu, and Dej (Transylvania, Romania) but also Torun (Poland). The unifying elements are color - in this case the green paper, and graphic interventions in silver for the contours.

I find it difficult to work directly on large formats, so my larger works are created through combinations (different linocut plates, like in this case, or collage, like in several others works you can see on my website www.anamariagruia.ro).
It is an appealing sofa-size artwork that will bring color and joy.
Dimensions: 26 x 68.5 cm (10.2 x 26.9 inches).

Street front in an imaginary green city, greenery 2017, emerald green, large-size linocut, architecture, original artwork by Goddess Gruia

Detail of linocut by Ana-Maria Gruia

Detail of linocut by Ana-Maria Gruia

Do not miss the sales coupon available on my shop, the Goddess Gruia on Etsy until the end of March 2017. 20% off on all prices using the code SPRING.
This season opportunity is about to expire - just 3 more days! 

Goddess Gruia is the patron of modesty, asymmetry, self-love and self-irony, peace, women museographers, hypochondriacs, slave reenactors, women artists, fat ballerinas, small business owners and many others! Buy these pieces of original art that are contact relics (have been touched by the goddess) and you will immediately feel the benefices!
Read the monograph here: https://issuu.com/anamariagruia/docs/gg_carte_tot_mic/3?e=3801591/39284262

Goddess Gruia painting Transylvania

Goddess Gruia, aka painter Ana-Maria Gruia on Etsy, is inspired by the cities of  Transylvania, especially by their details of medieval architecture. Using only natural colors and hearth-tones, she depicts such cityscapes using various techniques: linocut, collage (linocut, acrylic on canvas), mixed techniques (gold leaf, pencil). See more on her website - www.anamariagruia.ro, such as the 2010 exhibition "Medieval Cluj".

For the works available on her Etsy Shop, the Goddess Gruia, see them below, inspired by anonymous corners (such as the rooftops scene) and certain cities such as Cluj, Sibiu, Brasov and the Saxon fortified church in Calnic. These original artworks promote the heritage of the historical province of Transylvania and its aesthetic beauties.

Medieval scene from Transylvania, fortified church in Calnic, Virgin with child and St. Catherine of Alexandria, original collage, linocut

The small town of Calnic is built around a Saxon fortified church, dominated by a central keep. This latter elements and part of the curtain wall is depicted as background for an imaginary religious scenes with Mary and Christ child and St. Catherine of Alexandria.

Acrylic painting "Ode to Cluj", unique work of art, green and orange, ready to hang collage, Goddess Gruia, Transylvania, Romania

This original work is inspired by my home town, Cluj-Napoca, in the heart of Transylvania. The main square of the city is dominated by the Gothic church dedicated to St. Michael and I have chosen this landmark as focus of my miniature painting. 

Linocut work depicting the old apothecary shop in Cluj-Napoca, Transylvania, "The Hintz House" - original linocut print, historical monument

The Hintz House is one of the landmarks of the city of Cluj-Napoca, currently the History of Pharmacy Museum where I work and the site of the late medieval pharmacy. During the twentieth century it was owned by the Hintz family, hence the name of the monument- The Hintz House.

Tiny acrylic painting, The Guild House in Brasov, Transylvania, miniature art, small format contemporary painting, original from Romania

This small painting depicts one of the preserved medieval street corners of Brasov/Kronstadt, one of the leading Saxon cities in southern Transylvania, Romania. The building in question is the medieval Guild House of the city, a representative building of the trade that made the inhabitants rich. Brasov was an important mediator in the commerce between Transylvania, on the one hand and Walachia and the Ottoman Empire on the other.

Original acrylic painting, contemporary miniature, gold leaf, "Golden network" medieval architecture from Transylvania

The imagine scene is placed in the medieval town on Sibiu/Hermanstadt, in Transylvania, easily recognizable through the eye-shaped opening at roof level and the unmistakable shape of the medieval tower separating the large and small town squares.

 

Small acrylic painting, Roofs in Transylvania, miniature art, small format contemporary painting, original from Romania, unique original art

 

Urban Transylvanian paintings

GoddessGruia specializes in depictions of herself and the medieval cities of Transylvania. Here is a selection of the latter, available on Etsy, created in various techniques: acrylic on cardboard, linocut, mixed media (collage, linocut, acrylic on canvas).

Don't forget to use the 50% discount coupon "STUDIOMOVE" available until the end of February 2017.

Miniature acrylic on cardboard - Brasov/Kronstadt - by Ana Maria Gruia

Lincout - Cluj-Napoca/Kolozsvar/Klausenburg - by Ana Maria Gruia

Mixed media - Cluj/Kolozsvar/Kalusenburg/Claudiopolis - by Ana Maria Gruia

Mixed media - Sibiu/Hermanstadt - by Ana-Maria Gruia

Goddess Gruia is the patron of modesty, asymmetry, self-love and self-irony, peace, women museographers, hypochondriacs, slave reenactors, women artists, fat ballerinas, small business owners and many others! Buy these pieces of original art that are contact relics (have been touched by the goddess) and you will immediately feel the benefices!
Read the monograph here: https://issuu.com/anamariagruia/docs/gg_carte_tot_mic/3?e=3801591/39284262

Golden network

Another mix technique miniature I made last year is special through the gold leaf experiment I made. The idea was to somehow suggest the tight network of local medieval communities, so I created an ethereal (though not quite ethereal enough)  golden net in the sky. The overall effect is rather Baroque, with the too bright combination of white and gold, so new time I shall paint the sky darker and render the net lines thinner (if such is possible with mixtion and metal foil).

The imagine scene is placed in the medieval town on Sibiu/Hermanstadt, in Transylvania, easily recognizable through the eye-shaped opening at roof level and the unmistakable shape of the medieval tower separating the large and small town squares.

 Just like the previously presented miniature depicting the fortified church in Calnic, this one is also made in a combination of techniques: linocut, collage, acrylic on canvas gold leaf and is ready to hang, provided with a saw tooth hanger (allowing perfect balance and balance corrections if needed) and canvas stretchers already in place, on the back (if, due to display or storage conditions the canvas should need stretching in the future, the pegs are just pushed in a bit). 

Stories with paintings

This is another of my idealized vistas of Sibiu / Hermanstadt (in Transylvania), made in 2014, with a bit of collage (linocut prints of the old tower and narrow alley) and acrylic on canvas. The photo is rather truthful in its color tones, so it shows the reason why I like it so much. Hope it's owner enjoys it too!

In order to reveal some of the technique employed, here are the individual linocut prints that I used in the general composition. In order to better integrate them the prints have been cut closer to the intended contours and partially painted over.

Experimenting with gold leaf

Adding gold leaf to paintings is much like including writing: it can be easily overdone, turning an extra decorative effect into the main impression and thus ruining the work. It naturally presents the advantage of its high associations, probably started from the gilded icons and religious works of art of the medieval period, adding symbolic value if nothing else (as the actual foil is rather inexpensive). 

I have tried out some new ways of applying gold foil. The first idea was to create a king of network to unify the composition, but it proved too much and a bit too Baroque (as all associations of white and gold in my mind :) The overall impression of the collage (lino prints, acrylic painting) is of too many elements in too small a space.

These first two works are inspired by the medievalish architecture of Transylvania, namely the Mathias Corvinus House in Cluj-Napoca (above) and the old city tower and typical eyed roofs of Sibiu (below).
 

The second attempt envisages the use of gold foil lines against a dark background. The abstract composition is not so much according to my style, but the desired effect is interesting: the small detail of gold leaf drawing, continuing the small row of linoprinted houses, the continuation of the arch in the center of the painting, even the signature might not be that bad. I've decided to name this third work "The Alchemist's Midnight Dance", though it is just made using elements from previous projects: alchemical symbols, the Happy Houses, and an older lino scene with the Virgin's Presentation to the Temple [read about this iconographic type HERE].

 

Sighisoara and Sibiu

Before turning to printmaking (linocut by preference), I painted and occasionally still do. Here are some of my "classical" small and average-size works, acrylic on cardboard, inspired by trips to the Saxon cities of Transylvania, mostly Sighisoara and Sibiu.

Targ de handmade la Sibiu

Bazart is the first handmade fair in Sibiu, held in the yard of the Erasmus book store. There will also be tea, joggling, and free workshops. More than 50 participants from all over Transylvania will show their work. See you in sunny Hermanstadt!
Read more about it here.