Now most people outside New Zealand may never see this. I certainly didn’t until I came here. And it has to be said that we DO love our coffee here – so making your morning flat-white or Latte into a statement is a sign that you REALLY love yoru coffee.
This is a Picture of a Flat White that I took at the now deceased Chocolate Fish Cafe at Setoun in Wellington. Apparently this is the “Rosetta” design – though here we tend to think of it as a Silver Fern.
Andrew Saur and Angel Sarkela-Saur have been painting with coffee for several years now. It all started one summer when they planned their first art show in a coffee house in Duluth, Minnesota. They wanted to come up with something unique and creative. Since their show was going to take place in a coffee house, they thought it would be appropriate to use coffee as their medium. They tried several techniques, such as using the coffee bean to sketch with and making pastels out of coffee grounds. These techniques were not successful. So they finally decided to use the coffee as a watercolor.
The watercolor technique was the most effective way the artists found to use. They first sketch out an idea, then start brewing a really strong pot of coffee that is really dark and thick! From there, water is added to gain the subtle tones of brown. Finally, a clear coat of acrylic is added to preserve the art and a painting of delicate beauty is finished
The paintings shown here are available for purchase. To view a more detailed description of the painting and the option of buying the original, please click on the thumbnail for more information. Then click on the ’buy original’ button.
This past winter, a group called Twin Ports Pathways organized a call for artist submissions for seven bike stands to be designed, constructed and installed around the city of Duluth, Minnesota. I submitted my design and I was fortunate to have my design selected. Because of my strong connection to my Scandinavian heritage, I designed a Viking ship bike stand. Near the location of this bike stand, my great-grandparents lived on the shores of Lake Superior. One hundred years later, Angel and I were married at the same place where my great-grandparents once lived. The Viking ship has a cultural significance in our community. Many of our ancestors, neighbors and friends have Nordic blood flowing through our veins. The Vikings sailed these amazing ships on journeys of exploration. It was the perfect transportation at the time. I would like to honor these explorers by creating this modern steel ship sculpture as a place for our modern transportation vehicles. I often think about my Nordic ancestors and their explorations, and incorporate these ideas into my art.
My design is a modern-day reflection of an ancient Viking ship. It is situated on the shores of Lake Superior, looking out to the vastness of the water. The dragon head points northeast towards Scandinavia. Up to eight bikes can be placed into the ribs of the ship, and the tail of the ship curls back down. This ship is constructed out of steel and is finished with a metallic silver powder coat.
Along with the bike stand, I also created a runestone. It reads “This bike rack was created in honor of Angel, Annika and Gidget.” An abstract form of my bike stand design is incorporated into the stone and it is placed directly under the head of the ship.
I look forward to my bike rack being put to good use and people can appreciate the form and function of this piece. It is my dream that Annika and her children will be able to place their bikes into the Viking ship bike stand. It is my passion and I hope people will feel the same way when they roll along, exploring like the ancient Vikings
We travel along Lake Superior, breathing in the sweet air and listening to the waves. Annika loves the attention that she receives in her wagon. She watches for people and blows kisses to them.
When her eyes start to get tired from all the waving, she settles in for a little nap, dreaming of her next voyage.
We hope that Annika will enjoy her Viking Ship wagon. It was a labor of love and we hope that she gets many years of enjoyment from it.
This is a Picture of a Flat White that I took at the now deceased Chocolate Fish Cafe at Setoun in Wellington. Apparently this is the “Rosetta” design – though here we tend to think of it as a Silver Fern.
Andrew Saur and Angel Sarkela-Saur have been painting with coffee for several years now. It all started one summer when they planned their first art show in a coffee house in Duluth, Minnesota. They wanted to come up with something unique and creative. Since their show was going to take place in a coffee house, they thought it would be appropriate to use coffee as their medium. They tried several techniques, such as using the coffee bean to sketch with and making pastels out of coffee grounds. These techniques were not successful. So they finally decided to use the coffee as a watercolor.
The watercolor technique was the most effective way the artists found to use. They first sketch out an idea, then start brewing a really strong pot of coffee that is really dark and thick! From there, water is added to gain the subtle tones of brown. Finally, a clear coat of acrylic is added to preserve the art and a painting of delicate beauty is finished
The paintings shown here are available for purchase. To view a more detailed description of the painting and the option of buying the original, please click on the thumbnail for more information. Then click on the ’buy original’ button.
This past winter, a group called Twin Ports Pathways organized a call for artist submissions for seven bike stands to be designed, constructed and installed around the city of Duluth, Minnesota. I submitted my design and I was fortunate to have my design selected. Because of my strong connection to my Scandinavian heritage, I designed a Viking ship bike stand. Near the location of this bike stand, my great-grandparents lived on the shores of Lake Superior. One hundred years later, Angel and I were married at the same place where my great-grandparents once lived. The Viking ship has a cultural significance in our community. Many of our ancestors, neighbors and friends have Nordic blood flowing through our veins. The Vikings sailed these amazing ships on journeys of exploration. It was the perfect transportation at the time. I would like to honor these explorers by creating this modern steel ship sculpture as a place for our modern transportation vehicles. I often think about my Nordic ancestors and their explorations, and incorporate these ideas into my art. 
My design is a modern-day reflection of an ancient Viking ship. It is situated on the shores of Lake Superior, looking out to the vastness of the water. The dragon head points northeast towards Scandinavia. Up to eight bikes can be placed into the ribs of the ship, and the tail of the ship curls back down. This ship is constructed out of steel and is finished with a metallic silver powder coat.
Along with the bike stand, I also created a runestone. It reads “This bike rack was created in honor of Angel, Annika and Gidget.” An abstract form of my bike stand design is incorporated into the stone and it is placed directly under the head of the ship.
I look forward to my bike rack being put to good use and people can appreciate the form and function of this piece. It is my dream that Annika and her children will be able to place their bikes into the Viking ship bike stand. It is my passion and I hope people will feel the same way when they roll along, exploring like the ancient Vikings
We travel along Lake Superior, breathing in the sweet air and listening to the waves. Annika loves the attention that she receives in her wagon. She watches for people and blows kisses to them. 
When her eyes start to get tired from all the waving, she settles in for a little nap, dreaming of her next voyage.
We hope that Annika will enjoy her Viking Ship wagon. It was a labor of love and we hope that she gets many years of enjoyment from it. 
Duluthissa asuvat Angel Särkelä ja Andy Saur ovat nuoria taitelijoita, jotka tekevät taidettaan kahvilla.
Kesto: 10 minuuttia
Kesto: 10 minuuttia
When we saw Erkki at this summer's FinnFest, he gave us this dvd with a big smile on his face. He must have known that we would love it, and we do. He is a big fan of Gidget as well, and you will see her multiple times in this film.
Click on the film to the right to view.
Iceland has a very special place in my heart, and with June 17 here, I wanted to celebrate Iceland’s independence as well. In my city of Duluth, Minnesota, there is a bronze statue of Leif Erickson in a popular park. Although it is not as impressive as the Leifur Eiríksson statue in Reykjavik, it is the connection I feel with the two statues that is important. In October 2002, my girlfriend and I embarked on an adventure to Iceland, and I had romantic intentions in mind. After our over night flight from Minneapolis, we toured through Reykjavik and the first photo we took was in front of Leifur Eiríksson. During the trip we drove up the west coast to a mountain top near Snæfellsjökull. When we hiked to the summit, I set up a camera to take a timed photo of us the instant I proposed to my wife. A year later, we were married in Leif Erickson Park here in Duluth. For our honeymoon, we hopped on a flight back to where it all started, Reykjavik and the Leifur Eiríksson statue. 
I wanted to share my enthusiasm for Iceland with my city, and I planned on making an addition to the Leif Erickson sculpture here in Duluth. The statue of Leif has him steering the styri of his ship with one hand and the other hand appears that it should be holding a solarsteinn, navigational tool, but it is empty now. That is where I had an epiphany, “Leif should be holding something, and why not make a statement at the same time?” That is when I thought that Iceland should be equally represented in the statue.
0 comments:
Post a Comment