'Jungle Beats' by Mahlia Amatina ©

Jungle Beats - can you hear the beats? I know I can! Inspired by my African roots, this video enables you to engage with the painting up close and to really see and feel the movement and flow of energy in rapid succession. A real quality experience for those unable to see my work in the flesh.

'Floral Spirit' by Mahlia Amatina ©

'Floral Spirit' - a particularly special favourite of mine,
it shows the journey from dark to light and everything in between. A real sense
of depth of soul and emotion: this is certainly one of my most spiritual
paintings, inspired no doubt by the exploration of energy flow in a more
personal journey.

'Urban Soul' by Mahlia Amatina ©

Up-close and personal with New York inspired 'Urban Soul. A raw and rugged take on NY City and its apartments and architectural influences. This painting captures the soul of its buildings with its earthy tones and a mix of mark-marking and contrasting colours. Check it out :)

ALL ABROAD! FIRST STOP: KENLEY

Rhymes with Henley and starts with a ‘K’. Yes, folks, that’s right – one’s year of nomadic living has officially started in K-K-Kenley!

Virtually a village (it’s pitch black at night!), yet with the everyday conveniences of oh ye faithful post box(?!), Co-Op and a cash point - equipped with a mere half hour commute into central London – Kenley has all that modern-day-malarkey, as one makes the leap of faith from moving out of Central London and potentially onto the <gulp!> ‘property ladder’. Big stuff… You also have here the *beautiful* Surrey Downs – so ample green space - and at just 36 minutes away is Gatwick Airport. This really is South London’s suburbia at its finest… ;)

Sooo enough about Kenley itself, before you begin to think I'm employed by their tourist board, and let the adventure begin! Why am I here? Good question! For yes, I have mentioned nomadic living, and here I am on my very first house-sitting assignment with this cute lil’ fella; Hunter! A gorgeous, small cat who fits in all my little nooks and crevices when I sit or rest up. Bless him… I am taking care of him and his owner’s flat while they’re away.

Is that a bit weird? Living in someone else’s place…? Well, actually, surprisingly - no. We all need new perspectives, and a change in environment gives you exactly that. It keeps the senses attuned – but not overly - because I am still in Blighty, after all! But it definitely inspires, as it’s unlikely I would have created certain paintings, had I been in my normal location. Plus – you are living in a ‘human being’s’ place – not Martians! We’re all more similar that you may allow yourself to think ;)

Sounds good! Any challenges? Well, erm, I guess there was this small case of Hunter half-heartedly attacking a mouse, as cats do. On the stairwell. Close to the flat. I wasn't entirely sure how I would stop Hunter from bringing the mouse in either – he has a tag on his collar which ‘beeps him in’ through his cat-flap (so I don’t wake up to half a dozen cats). Anyway, it was all fine in the end. Just the minuscule embarrassment of me *yelling* at a tiny cat through a quiet block of flats, going ‘NOOOO, Hunter, noooo! – that MOUSE. Does. Not. Belong. here!’ In my high-pitched voice, saved for these very such occasions.  Ah well, at least no-one knows me round here ;0

So that’s all from me. Mahlia Amatina. Reporting live from Kenley. Over and out now… 

In Its Elements - Raku Firing

Raku means "enjoyment". And boy, we had fun. A literal explosion of light, smoke and fire – extraordinary afternoons don’t get much better than this!

It started with discovering a new park in London; the lovely Burgess Park near the mighty Elephant (and Castle). Always a good starting point. Next: arriving and being fed some home-made, Chinese-style dumplings made by the one and only: The-Nam’s-Girlfriend's-Mum. Delicious. And we were yet to begin the Raku at Cernamic - things were certainly looking up :)

I’ve been doing ceramics for several years now. I’ve explored the intricacies of different clays; their varying temperaments and temperatures of firing, while becoming equally accustomed to the glazing techniques, mould making and throwing itself. All endless good fun, sure – ceramics really can provide a lifetime of intrigue.

And then there’s Raku to add to the mix too.

So what is this ‘Raku’ business I keep harping on about…?! Well, I’m glad you asked. Put simply: when you complete your masterpiece in clay (and let it dry out etc.) – it then needs to be fired in a kiln, which is effectively like a large oven that ‘cooks’ your item. They’re expensive, so need to be filled to the max for cost-efficiency and then take a good 12 hours of ‘cooking’ – and again, this all dependent on the type of kiln, the temperature required for the clay and whatnot. Sometimes you’re waiting weeks before you have your work back and that Christmas ceramic pot present for aunty Lily ends up becoming an Easter gift, when you don't even do Easter gifts. Doh.

So instead of all that hanging about, we have Raku-firing at the rescue! An ancient eastern model of firing, yet ironically suits today’s western culture of ‘NOW’. The ‘cooking’ is done in front of you, so you can go home with your completed piece of pottery. Voila! But that’s not the only genius part of it. The genius is in the ‘live’ process of it – the jaw-dropping notion of watching the mini-oven being lit – watching as the temperature rises to its desired 950 degrees Celsius – watching as you have no idea how your work will turn out (eek!). I mean, *wow* - how exciting…?!

So what next? Well, once the desired temperature has been reached, the oven needs to be opened – and no joke: a literal blast of hot furnace air – a live fire - is taken out and carefully controlled, while the items are plucked out and plunged into a dustbin of sawdust – covered in more sawdust - then wet newspaper - and then the final piece: ‘the bin lid’. BOOM! And eureka – it’s completed… (as soon as the temperature cools enough for you to touch it!)

The best part, for me, was the sense of evolutionary change and the incredible amount of energy the whole method possessed. Due to the process of changing temperatures and the interaction with the elements – the colours on our masterpieces kept on and on and on changing – I cannot emphasise the change enough! Right in front of our very eyes! My soap holder or ‘Trevi Fountain V2’, as I prefer to call it, was like a literal chameleon. Amazing.

Magic…? Close… Scientists may beg to differ, though I prefer the Culture Club view of Karma Chameleon ;)

Either way – check out the pics and do give it a whirl!

Starburst Forest - Painting by Mahlia Amatina © | The Abstract Colourist

Laying Roots: Nepal - Painting by Mahlia Amatina © | The Abstract Colourist