RINO Art Safari

It was a beautiful day for the semi-annual RINO art safari. RINO is the new up-and-coming art district in Denver, and there is a lot going on is this neighborhood! Galleries and artist studios are springing up everywhere, retrofitting old factory warehouses in a post-industrial landscape. It's no wonder these massive, old buildings sprawled neath the dramatic-denver skies are attracting artists from all over; however, as an artist, I have yet to hear of affordable studio spaces, an indication of how popular this area has become.

I embarked on the art safari with three friends at around 1:20 p.m. to explore this undercover portion of Denver, known as RINO, where many galleries and artist studios are not regularly open to the public.  Orange balloons floated over the galleries and studios that had opened that day, and we saw quite a number of spaces.  It was pretty cool to walk through the private studios where artists configure their ideas and execute their works.

After the safari, we had a glorious bike ride home.  The atmosphere felt damp from a light rain earlier, sunlight streamed through bright blue patches of sky, and the air smelled of smoke, pot, and fresh spring flowers.

Dustin O'Halloran

I'm always on the lookout for great music to play in my yoga classes, music that is soft and melodic and peaceful.  Dustin O'Halloran's piano pieces seem to embody all of these qualities, and he has some very artistic videos to accompany the music.  Check out this one!

Preferences

§

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

0

-

=

Backspace

Tab

q

w

e

r

t

y

u

i

o

p

[

]

Return

capslock

a

s

d

f

g

h

j

k

l

;

'

\

shift

`

z

x

c

v

b

n

m

,

.

/

shift

English

Deutsch

Español

Français

Italiano

Português

Русский

alt

alt

Preferences

Hot yoga at iliv yoga

I took my third hot yoga class today at iliv yoga, and I felt so much stronger than I did during the first two classes. I think the difference was that I drank a ton of water, about 2 liters before class.

I'm finding that hot yoga is a very different experience than every other type of yoga I've tried. I almost feel high afterward. A deep relaxation overcomes my being. It'll be interesting to see what happens after I've been practicing hot yoga regularly.

Anatomy for the Artist

I recently checked out "Anatomy for the Artist" by Jeno Barcsay from the Art Student's League of Denver. It's a massive book and goes into great depth about the skeletal and muscular system of the body. The drawings are great! Way more info than I can hope to digest!

Another Sketch - Yoga Tree

How to Build a Stretcher

This past weekend, I built a 4ft x 4ft stretcher for a new painting. Here are the steps I took:

1) buy wood - 1in thick x 2in wide is a good dimension if you want your painting to have thicker edges. Try to buy wood that is not too warped.

2) cut four pieces of wood the same length. In my case, 4 feet long.

3) use a compound mider saw or other tool to cut a 45 degree angle at each end of the wood

4) use a corner clamp to hold the ends of two pieces of wood together.

5) drill two starter holes into the joint, where the ends of the two boards meet

6) use the drill to place a screw in each starter hole, securing the ends of the two boards together

7) repeat steps 4-6 for each corner of the stretcher

8) use a mider saw to cut your corner supports. For a 4ft x 4ft canvas, my corner supports are about 11 inches long, but you can work with different sizes.

9) place the corner support where you intend to screw it in. Stack the corner support on another board so that it meets the center of the board that it will be nailed into. See picture for clarification. The object is to minimize the amount of surface space between the stretcher and the canvas.

10) drill a pre hole and then screw the corner support into the stretcher. I used one screw per end of the support.

11) repeat steps 9 and 10 for all four corners of your stretcher.

It takes approximately 1-2 hours to build your first stretcher, but it's worth the effort since the end result will be much nicer than what you can typically buy at an art store.

Chia Seed Squash Pudding

Inspired by www.karmachow.com, I decided to make my own variation of a healthy pudding! It turned out to be delicious!

Ingredients:

1 baked acorn squash
2 cups coconut milk (no sugar added)
1/2 cup cashews
6 pitted dates
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbs honey
1/2 cup chia seeds
Pinch of salt

Cut the acorn in half, place in pan with half an inch of water. Bake the acorn squash for 1 hour at 400 degrees. Blend everything together except the chia seeds. Combine the chia seeds with the mixture. Let sit for 10-15 minutes. Serve chilled or at room temperature. Enjoy!  Makes about 8 servings.

At the Rockies Game

A pretty sweet view

9 a.m. and 11 a.m. Yoga Music Playlist

A both energizing and relaxing playlist of songs without words.  Check it out below!

1. Relaxing Meditation Music with Inspiring Quotes - A Peaceful Moment (check out on youtube)
2. Digital Love by Daft Punk
3. Get Lucky by Daft Punk (without words version)
4. Sparks by The Who
5. Sweet Child O' Mine by Igor Presnyakov
6. Under the Bridge by Igor Presnyakov
7. Imagine by Igor Presnyakov
8. John Henry's Blues on album entitled Tangle Eye
9. Infinity - Au dela des Nuages (check out on youtube)
10. Orphee's bedroom by Philip Glass
11. Your Hand in Mine by Explosions in the Sky
12. Relaxing Background Music and Beautiful Beaches -rdn004 (check out on youtube)

I'll try to update this list with links soon, but all of these songs should come up if you youtube them!  Enjoy!

Preferences

What is Restorative Yoga?

Restorative yoga is a phrase we hear and see all over the place, but what exactly is it?  There are many variations of restorative yoga and all aim to relax the body and mind, to restore a deep, natural breathing, and to open your body without over-exerting or stretching it past a comfortable level. Props such as blocks, straps, sandbags, and eye covers are typically used to make the practitioner feel as comfortable and supported as possible as though he/she is floating on a cloud. A class can typically last 45 to 60 minutes with only 6-8 poses or more. Poses are typically held for a minimum of 2-3 minutes and up to 10 minutes.

Check out these links for more information on what restorative yoga is and for restorative yoga sequences:

http://www.ideafit.com/fitness-library/restorative-yoga-sequence

http://www.restorativeyogaposes.com/index.php/restorative-yoga-sequence/

http://www.yogatodd.com/resources/restorative-yoga-sequence/

http://www.wikihealth.com/Sample_Restorative_yoga_class

http://www.worldyoganetwork.com/articles/yoga-practice/10-postures-peaceful-restorative-yoga-practice

A New Sketch: Yoga Tree

A Healthy Snack

Plain yogurt with melon and walnuts. Yum! A sweet treat with protein and probiotics for a strong body and healthy mind!

Try it with raisins, too!