Art: Amazing portraits by artist Mario Henrique (03)

Today I would like to share with you some paintings of this wonderful and very talented artist Mario Henrique. Really love his elegant, refined artworks, his spontaneous brush strokes and color choices. Hope I can inspire you too ..... At the end I added a video of Mario where you can see how he builds up a painting on canvas. This is a serie of 4 blogs about this interesting artist. For more, SEE HERE Be Inspired .......

Quote by Mario: I try to be fast and spontaneous when I’m painting - that process should be reflected in the final piece. The observer should be able to infer the physicality of the painting process when looking at the brush strokes and paint drippings.

When I throw paint, I can do it with some premeditation - but I can never really predict where the paint will actually fall on the canvas. So, my approach to painting is - in part - based on chance, on small random accidents; it doesn’t rely exclusively on my persistence or my technique. That’s why I don’t feel completely responsible for my paintings - in the sense that, although I can answer for my initial intentions, the final result is always something that I could never anticipate, and something that’s out of my absolute control.  

Mario Henrique

More about the painter: Mario Henrique is an artist based in Cascais, Portugal. Graduated in Design from Lisbon’s University of Fine Arts, he started his career in online marketing and web development agencies. As a creative director, he recruited and led teams in Portugal, Spain and Brazil. A decade later, he would shift his focus to contemporary painting, which had always been a parallel interest.

A prolific portraitist, Mario is fascinated by the unpredictability of the human behaviour: the brief glances, the impermanence of facial expressions, the sudden movements. Making use of uncommon and “rough” materials, like cardboards, reversed canvases and hardware tools, he paints abruptly and spontaneously. His approach relies on drippings, splashes and paint throws, so that the physicality of the painting process is transparent in the final piece. Listed in various private collections across Europe, America and Asia, he has exhibited in galleries both locally and abroad, and was awarded an Honourable Mention for his participation in the Brasília Biennial of Contemporary Arts 2016. He was also featured in Saatchi Art’s Inside The Studio and is currently represented by the Bill Lowe Gallery, ArtCatto and Tilsitt Gallery amongst other prestigious galleries. Mario owns a studio/gallery at the Marina, in Cascais (Portugal), where some of his paintings are publicly exhibited. For more information, see the enclosed links below.

Short video of Mario Henrique at his studio creating an acrylic and oil painting on canvas.
Thank you for reading this blogpost. Sources: Mario Henrique and Instagram
Note: these photos have been placed with permission of the artist (22-08-2022). 

Best bathroom design organized by plumbing manufacturer Salini S.R.L

I am completely in love with this beautiful bathroom design. What a great color use, beautiful tiles and such a warm atmosphere! This is a winning project of the competition for the best bathroom design, organized by plumbing manufacturer Salini S.R.L. (a project in Barcelona, Spain).

The main features of the room are a French casement window opening onto the balcony and a small stove. There is a free-standing bath on a marble podium in the center of the room. The walls, painted in a complex cherry color are complemented by the dark grey enameled MDF panels. The interior has a lot of copper parts - copper plumbing, a table. The frames of the mirror and the painting, window fittings, a cache pot and metallic elements of the lamp above the bathroom. There are handmade cement tiles with a geometric pattern on the floor. The color of the tiles repeats the color of the walls. The design is based on the contrast of matte and shiny surfaces. The dark matte finishing of the room becomes an excellent background for glossy white plumbing, which has the primary role to play in the room. Be Inspired ......

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Source: Cartelle Design

Fashion Photography: Elegance & Style in Black & White

Wish you a fashionable & stylish day!

Photo found on Twitter. Source unknown.

Kitchen Inspiration (09): Minimal stainless steel kitchen island for a Paris apartment

Would like to share with you this beautiful kitchen design. Dutch studio i29 has designed a minimal stainless steel kitchen island for a classical Paris apartment. What a beauty! 

Interior architects i29 created the island to house a sink and cooking hob, while keeping the profile as thin as possible. "Our aim was to develop a kitchen system that seems to disappear in space," said the designers. "The design is reduced to its absolute minimum, having a top surface of only a couple of centimetres thickness with all water, cooking and electrical connections included."  

The rest of the kitchen appliances and storage spaces are hidden behind white MDF panels with mouldings that match the other walls around the apartment. Created by cabinet maker Simon Sintenie, the panels open up like doors then slide back into the walls to reveal coffee machines, a desk and shelves for storing food and utensils.  

"In the case of this apartment in Paris, where the kitchen concept is installed, an existing profiled wall is exactly copied on the front panels in order to integrate the solid volume with the monumental space," the designers said.  

The kitchen island is positioned in the centre of the room, with glass french doors in front and floor-length windows that lead to a balcony on one side. 

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Sources: i29 and Dezeen Magazine

More inspiration: Pinterest

Art: Inspiring sculptures by Dutch artist Monique Lipsch

I published this blog already in August 2020, but decided today to republish it again to set this wonderful artist in the picture again. Take a look at these beautiful sculptures below from the Dutch sculptor Monique Lipsch. Love the materials of bronze in her work as well as the forms and fluent lines she is using. Be Inspired .......

More about the artist - “Less is more”

Monique says: I am fascinated by forms. Elementary forms, like circles, but also human forms. In my work I always try to give new dimensions to these forms. What inspires me? Not easy to explain. My inspiration comes above all from inside. Every time I feel the urge to create a sculpture. And every time such elementary form is my starting-point. Of course I see also things in the world around myself which inspire me too. I am also using these things, but the real inspiration is coming from inside. I am doing this work commissioned for private persons, municipalities and real estate agencies. Besides that I am also always busy with free work. I like to work with various materials like steel, stone, epoxy, bronze and aluminium. Each material has its own limitation. Every time it's a challenge for me to create a form within these limitations, I have in mind. 

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Source: Monique Lipsch
Note: These photos have been placed with approval of the artist. 

Runway: Jean Paul Gaultier F/W 2022 Couture, Part 03

Highlights from the Couture fashion show from fashion designer Jean Paul Gaultier for the season Fall/Winter 2022, seen at Paris Fashion Week. I posted earlier two other blogs about this inspiring fashion designer. Be Inspired .......

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Source: VOGUE
Photos: courtesy of JP Gaultier
More inspiration, see also my Pinterest and Instagram account

Goodbye September and Welcome October!

 For my readers, have a great October month! Autumn has just arrived ...... Welcome October.

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Ph. found on Pinterest, source unknown.