Kitch’ Café provided a really wonderful backdrop for my last exhibit. When I think about it now, the process of creating the artwork was greatly influenced by the decision to mount my pieces here.

I think all art directors (and designers in general) go through the same design thinking–it’s hard to isolate just one element amidst other aspects. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing for an artist–being conscious of the spaces where one’s work goes. I’m definitely working on making my art meaningful, with its own story to tell, even without the context of a place.

During opening night, I arrived at the shop early–and I was delighted to find the café bedecked in lovely soft lights, which gave everything a warm, romantic glow. (It was my first time to see the place at night, so I wasn’t sure if the tivoli lights were a year-round thing.) I really fell in love!

At one point, people started coming one after the other (some family, but friends mostly), and I had to entertain so many people at once. I was really, really floored. I’m not used to getting so much attention, and usually I just want my work to speak for me.

I was also really happy that some people stayed with me till the end! Since it was after-dinner hours, many ordered coffee and dessert. This was the selection in the pastry display that night:

People kept asking me if I did the art on the glass window. I wish I did!

As of this writing, I’ve been able to sell about half of the collection. One piece was bought by local TV host/actress Janice de Belen!! I was speechless and extremely grateful when I learned about it. It turns out that Janice’s food/lifestyle show Spoon shot an episode there last month, and that’s how she saw my work. It’s really so amazing how life throws these sweet surprises!

Because there are not enough words to express how I feel for this French patisserie. The moment I set foot in Paris, I know one of my first stops will be Ladurée. I’ve even told friends, if I had all the money in the world, I would collect all their boxes and packaging. It’s how pretty they are! And let’s not even get into the macarons they’re famous for (which connoisseurs have time and again named one of the best in the world). I’ve had the opportunity to bite into a few of them, but I imagine the experience to be even more amazing when done in Paris.

I always like to do a little imagining of my own. Since I’ve been dreaming of nothing but Paris lately, I’ve decided to take a break from my usual girls, flowers, and fruit (to be honest, it’s gotten repetitive to the point that it’s become tiring), and have decided to start putting some of my rose-colored dreams on paper.

I’ve started with this whimsical rendition of Kitch’ Café–a shop that’s grown quite close to my heart over the past few months, for many reasons, but mainly that it’s got that European charm and quaintness that hasn’t been matched by other cafés in the city. I decided it’d be fun to transplant the shop to Paris, where I think it rightfully belongs!

If you’ve never been here before, I recommend dropping by to nibble on a sweet little pastry paired with some of their freshly crafted coffee (oh yes, the people here are intense coffee lovers!). If you need to get work done, there’s free Wi-Fi, too. I took some photos of the place earlier this year–check them out here. Then, let me know what you think!

Over the past couple of days, I’ve made good progress preparing for my upcoming second exhibit. With some commissions finally out of the way, I made space in my room for a second work area–while literally battling with the sweltering summer heat–and set up my first rough watercolor piece. As of now it still looks this way, as I’m not quite sure where to go from here, but we’ll find out soon enough!

For this project, I hope to do things a little differently by incorporating a bit of texture via mixed media. I am currently thinking of paper and fabric cut-outs, as well as some found objects, like this bunch of ribbons I’ve been collecting for some months now…

And here’s a shot of my little “studio” space (a.k.a. this little corner of my very tiny bedroom). Ever since getting new curtains, donating old items, and doing major spring cleaning (I can’t believe the amount of junk I’ve accumulated over the years!!), the room feels cleaner, airier and more spacious!

Meet Hunny–our adorable Heima plush bunny! Here he is sitting atop my bookshelf…

While I love how so plump and full of character he is, I also love that he’s hand-made locally, by the obviously talented folks at Monsterella Plush Art. Reading the info sheet that came with him, I’m delighted to find out he’s made of high-grade wool and felt materials. The stitching is amazing, too!

B and I got him at last weekend’s Heima Collection 3.0 launch, entitled “Life is a Party!” (You can check out the complete set of photos here.) As always, it was difficult not to get drawn into (or lost in) every little nook and corner. This time around, I was especially drawn to all the muted pinks, lilacs and greys in the collection–plus their new and exciting Paper Club, which speaks to me, just because I’m such a huge papyvore (is that even a word? Haha)!