Introducing Vivi

Another favorite artist - this time specializing in jewelry design - is Viviana Tosa, my good friend and former studio colleague. She has been active in ceramics initially, but then she discovered silver and.. there it was, love at first sight and dedication+hard work for the sights that followed since! 
I shall show you here (just half bragging) the special ring she made for me, thus the title :) Forana

Forana - original silver finger ring

She designs and processes various jewelry items from top to bottom: from silver powder to alloyed silver plate, cutting, soldering, polishing, finishing - sometimes adding color and patina, depending on the case.

Viviana at work in her studio

To see her work and her methods, see her website, at www.vivianatosa.ro

Introducing dad

I'd like to introduce you my dad, Marin Gruia, a classical and impressionist-inspired, sensitive painter. He started with pastel and then upgraded to oil on canvas. Acrylic did not seem to suit him that much.
As for the subject matter, his artistic feeling is best suited for still nature (flowers) and landscapes. His favorite formats are small, miniatures and average-size paintings. He pays special attention to the framing of his works, even experimenting with creating frame textures himself.
See more about him and his works on his website HERE. He has managed to make a name for himself and to set a certain quota for his works, so as most local art galleries are promoting him and people happen to ask for "a Gruia". I hope there might be some confusion some day, and I might "steal" some of the name-related glory :)

About BEZOARS at the History of Pharmacy Collection

Bezoars are famous antidotes, talked about since Antiquity as effective against all poisons. They are in fact lumps of undigested organic matter sometimes formed in the digestive tract of humans and animals (but mostly goats). The History of Pharmacy Collection in Cluj-Napoca includes jars for bezoar powders (preserving the contents!) and an eighteenth-century apothecary inventory mentioning the use of Oriental and Occidental bezoars and of Sennert's powder - a rich mix of ingredients among which Oriental Bezoars.

Harry Potter's fans from Cluj-Napoca and Transylvania will be delighted to know that a small preview of the forthcoming exhibition (Harry Potter and the True History of Pharmacy, due November 2015) is available at the History of Pharmacy Collection this month. The FOCUS group is dedicated to BEZOAR stones, powders and mixed products.
Stay in touch at http://farmacluj.blogspot.ro/

Etsy treasuries

...are a great way to collect thinks you love, to have possible sources of inspiration close by, and to share them with others. Here is one of mine, in which I delighted in the texture of fossilized/petrified materials, mostly bone: 

The charming Pharmacy Museum of Cluj

All info available at http://farmacluj.blogspot.ro/

The History of Pharmacy collection in Cluj-Napoca is one of the most charmful places in town. It appropriately presents the history of the discipline in one of the oldest apothecaries in Transylvania, preserving the structure of the rooms: the Officina, where drugs were sold, the most decorated, preserving the Baroque wall painting; the laboratory, reconstructed in the basement, and teo storage rooms for ingredients.

ETSY SHOP

Magazinul Etsy

I hereby invite you to view my newly created shop on Esty, that includes artworks in various techniques (oil painting, acrylic painting, linocuts, and mixed techniques) and carved leather handmade items (wallets and card holders). Some of them are inspired by the province I was born, Transylvania (Romania). I confess I am now spending a lot of time posting, linking, and activating in teams, but it is fascinating place!

Etsy tooled leather marvels

Bucranium tooled leather wallet, fully handmade

Mjolnir with Norse dragon tooled leather wallet

Hooded skull tooled leather wallet

Tooled leather is a splendid medium of artistic expression. Besides the handicraft part (cutting, gluing, sewing), it also involves drawing, designing, and dying, which are challenging but rewarding for creative artists.

Ana-Maria Gruia's "About Torun"

This is a short video I made to show how inspiration works, from things one sees, to drawings, and final art works. The example focuses on one of my art projects, born after a visit to Poland's lovely medieval town of Torun, birthplace of Copernicus and the (disputed) home of gingerbread. Here is the result, a series of linocut works with graphic interventions, that were part of an exhibition in Cluj:

Ana in top!

This is the latest online publication of the apARTe socio-cultural NGO of Cluj-Napoca, making a bit of fun of art and auction catalogues as a genre.

 

Publicat la:

http://anamariagruia.ro/calendar-toamna-iarna-2014/15/2014/11/

Catalogul poate fi consultat online aici:

Un nou proiect: lupul dacic

https://www.facebook.com/LupulDacicCluj?ref=hl

One of my latest projects envisages the myth/icon of the Dacian draco - the legendary war standard of the ancient and fierce Dacians that was part wolf part snake. It was in fact described as something like a windsock, so that when the air passed through it it would make a terrible noise that was said to frighten the enemies. Nowadays it has become the symbol of patriotism and even nationalism, being turned into a modern icon. My project both admires the longevity of the motif and the ingenuity of its depictions throughout the ages.

Paintings for engineers

Joi, 20 septembrie 2012, vă invităm la vernisajul expoziţiei de pictură intitulate "Tablouri pentru ingineri" a Anei Maria Gruia. Evenimentul va avea loc în atelierul din Str. General Dragalina nr. 85, Cluj-Napoca, de la ora 19. 

           Proiectul expoziţional aduce în discuţie elementele formale care instaurează opera de artă, abordând polemic modalităţile de receptare şi înţelegere a artei de către publicul larg. Convenţiile artei sunt dezavuate ludic în cadrul unui vernisaj în care artistul se transformă atât în organizator cât şi în critic de artă, lămurind apoi pe deplin conceptul şi mizele proiectului.