Happy New Year!!!

lucky

Am so happy! and lucky! I lost my luggage on my way back from Germany and I have tried every way to track it down for last days! And I just heard its found and on the way back to me :)

PS. if Santa is not coming to you this year, it could be because we will have reindeer for dinner...

Bad Nauheim

Frankfurt

 Was visiting Frankfurt for Monday and Tuesday with Master. I have not been there for four years and it was so great to be back. Going to all the bookshops and visiting one special sushi place. And of coarse eating the curry wurst!

 Photos from Clausen & Diehl Schmuckgestaltung in Frankfurt, Grempstrasse 29. Lady at left is Susanne, Masters sister, one of the owners. She and Gabriele have had this jewellery gallery for 16 years now and its full of nice jewellery, but if you cant find the right one ready, Susanne can make one specially for you :)

curry wurst mitt pommies

traveling to Germany

Weather was not so good, so i did not made so many photos of my trip to Germany, but here one shiny moment. Hope to get soon more holiday photos up :)

Anneli Tammik

New jewellery by Anneli Tammik on her recent exhibition "Linear" at Hop Galerii. Its different from what she has made before, but it still is her style. I could just stand in front of these for hours and try to figure out how its made.

+ soon pictures from Anneli Tammik's new exhibition "Linear" in Hop Galerii.

A-Galerii xmas party

Me, Virve and Anu Marie + rest of the artist.

Had good food, drinks and company :) And the best seif exhibition in 2009 was Maria Valdma "Tolm".

weekend in Tartu

Had just great weekend in Tartu! I went there to take down the CON/FUSION exhibition, but managed to do lot more.
Saturday were at birthday party at club of MC Põletajad, Sunday helped my sister to finish up dresses for ballet school, take down the exhibition in ONE hour (my personal record!!), visited all grandparents, watched Nutcracker in Vanemuine theater and went to Colin's home party!
Colin was such a great host and hi was dancing great in Nutcracker too! Its the new version of the classic and I really loved it! Would love to see it again!!

ps: my obsession is to peel pomelo's, oranges and grapefruits!

Eesti Moepiibel 2010

Bible of Estonian fashion designers is out now! And contacts of the designers, if you would like to get something custom made just for you. Trust me, its so worth it! My favorite one last years has been Triinu Pungits and I never fade in with her design.
Above:photos of Hanna Korsar and Maru from the book.

These cute earrings I got for Christmas. Not from Saint Nicolas, but from Nicolas Estrada. Very nice person! We met when I had Twilight exhibition in Barcelona in FAD 2006. Nico is very warm and open. His really hard working and also knows how to market his work. Every morning hi starts with gym and then works 8 hours in atelier. That is quite rare in jewellery world. Above is picture from his exhibition opening in A-galerii. Nicolas is the one in middle with a hat, am next from him and rest is the Šaulys family. For more pictures click on the photo and visit his homepage: www.amarillojoyas.com

And dont forget to slow down

As we say in Estonia, The work is not a rabbit, it does not run away from you!

It may be hard, but its important to enjoy what you do and do what you enjoy.

Am 5 days in week active and one day totally lazy. I used to always have migraine on my free days and it took years to figure out, that am making it myself by planning too much and then not managing all of it. Now I say to myself its OK to do nothing on Sunday, if I don't feel like it. Yesterday I made France toast for breakfast and then just read a book all day. (Of coarse I do live alone and I enjoy the luxury of it.)

My favorite tips from Slow Down Now homepage:

1.Drink a cup of tea, put your feet up and stare idle out of the window.

-That's what I did the whole first day,when I moved to my current flat.

2.Spend more time in the bathtub.

- Sadly my current flat doesn't have bathtub, but my last one did

and I never used the shower.

3.Avoid too much seriousness. Laugh, because you're live on earth

for a limited time only.

- Don't take life too seriously, you don't survive it anyway!

4.Practice doing nothing.

-And don't feel guilty about it!

for more: click on the photo and visit http://slowdownnow.org/

Sure sing its christmas time looking A-galerii window decorations. This year made by Maarja Niinemägi and I like it because you can really see it is her style. Cheerful and something different that majority of shops. But I always like the windows of Trend, Iida and Ivo Nikkolo and that all year around :)

Christmas tree and market on Raekojaplats.

Ice-skating field on Harju street. Its really fun.

Today I got a brooch/pendant ready for Eeva.

Its a picture of her grandmother. She can

wear it as brooch or necklace with pearl string.

I hope I get soon better picture of it, but am

very happy how it turned out.

I did mentioned that am spending my Christmas in Germany...
Now its the last time to start to learn German. We try now only to speak in German with Master, but because of my limited skills I have to say we are quite quiet...

And I want to shear with you the first blog I started to follow:
the.carrotbox.com what is about rings. Good place if you have some time to kill :)

If you like jewellery, then definitely go and read blog from Ketli Tiitsar.

I almost missed the exhibition of Kristiina Laurits in HOP, but thanks to Ketli I remembered to go there today, which was the last opening day. Lovely.

Am happy that blogging has become popular, so now you can catch the news when you have time :)

And am happy its soon Christmas :) Well like 3 weeks, but all the waiting is good too. Even I have been eating ginger cookies for 2 weeks already. Maybe I even decorate my home next week... yeah, the Xmas spirit is raising its head.

con/fusion

Monday was the opening and we got everything ready in good time, thanks to my sister Nodzu who helped us with everything and my Mother who did lots of good food for the guests! Here the official part with Kaisa who runs the Y Galerii.

I was so happy to see my old friends Kristi, who I know from kindergarten and skater Janar :)

Of course my family was there too and I also met some really nice new people. The party continued until 4 am and I cant remember when I had have so much leaf last time. Some part in that was also in my sister, because when we meet you can really see the fusion of the twins!

Last things

Today Master is printing out some pictures for the exhibition and on the evening we need to pack everything. Tomorrow after my work we start to drive to Tartu. Am so gratefully for Evelin who is going there too and we all go with her car. It will be like road trip :)
Sunday we will hang the exhibition up to Y Galerii and I hope that one day is enough. But my sweet sister promised to help too :)

Today is the last day when I can really concentrate on my work for the exhibition in atelier. Because tomorrow my Master is arriving to Estonia and then we concentrate more on how we will exhibit the jewellery. But first my day job in gallery and then long night working. Don't worry, am on schedule.
And my business cards arrived yesterday from MOO :)

working...

Sunday was great. As I am mentioned before, I have soon exhibition in Tartu (with my Master :) And until yesterday I had troubles to get exited of it.
Thing was that I wanted to make my solo exhibition this year, and by faith it came true and I had it in HOP gallery as Nulius in verba. I was really happy with it and everything was great!... but my original plan, that I only make some new work and use the same ideas in Y Galerii didn't made me excited. I know its normal to use the same work at some time.... but I felt like am letting people down, by not showing them new things.
And yesterday I found that sparkle again! I started to work with amber what has been waiting for its turn for whole year. My plan now is to present half of the really good things from Nulius in verba and make as many new things as I can.
Now I have this good "before exhibition" stress. And am really looking forward what food my mother will make, because she is taking care of the catering :)

todays Birthday bunny

Congratulations Vaida Suits! Vaida is one of the sweetest artist who I know and I have spend many Saturdays working with her in the A-Galerii. She always brings pancakes for us :)

I admire her old school skills to make jewellery. Even she is now 78 her work is still accurate and when am struggling with technique its good to know that I can always turn to her.

If you want to know more of her go --}http://art.ee/jewelry/suits_v.htm

As she is one of the Classics in Estonian jewellery you can see her work in the Estonian Museum of Applied Art and Design, but Vaida herself finds that the best jewellery she has made is "the Storks" she made in 70s. It belongs to her private collection and is showed to public in exhibitions.

Weekend was great and the photo shooting for Evestus new album "This Is Dramacore" was such of fun! We had good old music playing and on TV rolling Betty Boop cartoons. Grete had really crazy ideas for costumes and we all give the best out of us to make her happy!
While we all are waiting for the new album from Evestus (coming out around February 2010) for more information and photos visit --} www.myspace.com/riseofthenewscum

( Styling and photography by Grete "Stitch" Laus )

Georg

... Georg Gurjev is singer (bariton) and part of many bands like Evestus and Horricane. But am fan of him because hi is singing in Theater Estonia and am more in to classical music. On the photo Georg as Don Cassandro (from Mozarts "La finta semplice").

Hi has grown up with music. His father Rostislav Gurjev and grandfather Viktor Gurjev were tenors and friends with famous singers like Georg Ots. I can just image how much of music and singing were happening in his home!

Georg will finish his master studies next spring with master's thesis about breathing. Of coarse it is about singing, but am big fan of breathing :) I think you need for living: Love, Art and Air + some money to pay the bills ;)

Am looking very much forward the graduating show "The Old Maid and the Thief" in Ganuti Gildi Saal. Hi will have a leading role as Bob and great future in music world. so am having my eyes on you Georg...

magical weekend

This weekend will become magical, because my sister is coming to Tallinn. We are twins, but not some creepy ones who doesn't have any other life than just trying to look similar by wearing similar clothes and hair. That's creepy when you are more than 10 years old! We do get along great even we don't see eachother so often, but we call almost every day. People still do mix us up, but mostly because they don't know that there is two of us. When we meet we say that the two sides of one brain has got together again. My sister is working as an assistant, but also contributing in different shows in Theater Vanemuine and studing in Vanemuise Dance- and Balletschool . On the photo she and I are fooling around with costumes from Lotte. My grandmother was working in Theater Vanemuine too and we used to run around there and trying out the costumes all the time when we were little. Its nice that we can be part of all that again :) For this weekend we will do photo shooting for Evestus and am sure it will be great fun!

Winter

Winter is here and lots of snow in Tallinn and best thing in that is, that I can wear my Triinu Pungits coat again! Its so warm and also looks lovely.

(but this picture is made in Kautokeino, Norway and it was like -30'c)

When I walked home all the city was covered in white and everybody was like little children running around and having snow fight. And the cherry on the top was new exhibition in Iida gallery. Its jewellery for men and Maria Valdma's work cached my eye immediately. It looked like pocket watch and was made out wood, silver and niello. Old times, when man still did wear pocket watch those who could not afford to have one, just had chain and in the pocket they had onion.

My Fair Lady

Wednesday I enjoyed My Fair Lady in Estonia Theater with Evelin and as expected it was lots of fun, because I am such a big fan of it. Its almost 20 years when I saw it live and that was in Vanemuine Theater. Every time I learn something new and this time I actually got it, why it is so bad idea to marry Freddy!

Raivo E. Tamm was Higgins and I liked him very much! And everybody did very good job, but I want to thank specially Georg and Rostislav Gurjev who really did stand out for me :) Its pity that I didn't found any pictures of them in the show from net :( If somebody have some, maybe you could send me...

Later we went to Clazz for drinks and all this together was so so so fun evening!

Me, Katarina Kotselainen is now member of Estonian Artists' Association!

and Association Internationale des Arts Plastiques!

(International Association of Art UNESCO) so my Professional Identity Card says am JEWELERY ARTIST and I feel like am now under the protection of UNESCO :)

*

ps. for more photos by Mika of me from Flickr

Johanna Taiger

Does it only feels for me that people are showing their talent younger and younger? She is Johanna Taiger
and I just love her photos. For more check out her account at http://thelittlepureone.deviantart.com/
I thought she has some professional photograph who has taken her photos, but she does it herself.


Her friend...

Sisters...

At the Beach...

Tanel Veenre

Last Friday I was at exhibition opening of Tanel Veenre and it was good (what is no surprise, because hi is Tanel Veenre) so am going again tomorrow to enjoy it all in peace. And everybody who have change to get his book EHE JEWEL grab your copy!

Have exhibition opening in Tartu at 23.11 and I don't have invitations yet! maybe this is the first time I disain them myself...

Hat

And this coat is just so elegant.

This is from 1930 December "Eesti Naine". How to make your own stylish and comfortable hat.
Doesn't need so much work ,but looks very nice. Maybe I even make myself one like that :)

My homepage is ready!

http://www.katarinakotselainen.com/

About this moment I have been dreaming for 8 years :) Thanks to Grete Laus and Ott Evestus my dream came true! They made 6 videos for "Aeg Armastada" for Birgitta festival 2009 and I just fall in love in them! I said just make the video as my homepage :) Well, they came up with great ideas and knew what I want even before I did myself.

My homepage will be soon ready.......
can't wait!

Frau Dietel

This is one of the 5 windows (and my favorite one) that Daniela Dietel made for A-galerii Christmas decoration 2005. Windows were painted white and then different themes were scratched on. We kept it up for months and it was pity to wash it down.

I met Daniela at 2005, when she came to Tallinn to study. And she is something totally different. Tall, happy, free, brave, not afraid to be herself. Here is photo from Danielas home from her Flickr account. I have to say, seeing her home totally changed my understanding of home. The thing is, she only keeps things that are important for her in that moment (if it doesn't matter in 2 months she will give it away or sell it) and she wants to display her treasures, so that she could see them all the time. That way her flat reflected for me her personality. I could feel that things were important, not just forgotten there. It inspired me to change my home.

Brooches from Daniela Dietel. She loves to draw her ideas and for me her jewellery is like part of a fairy tale, they illustrate some greater story.

As she is kind of Superwomen and nothing is impossible ;) she opened her own gallery Frau Dietel in Berlin! More of her shop, jewellery and Daniela you can read on her blog.
It is German/English what makes it specially sweet because I can practise my German too.