Apple of my Odd Eye’s artists just took a week off from our cold and hectic lives in Toronto for a week of relaxation and inspiration in Cuba. We’ve returned revitalized and ready to tackle the upcoming spring art show season. The next few months will be busy with craft show applications, printing, events page updates, and creating. First, we’d like to show you what Cuba brought us.
Cuba is beautiful. There’s no doubting it. While I haven’t focused on photography for a while (especially since we started Apple of my Odd Eye), Cuba made me remember how it feels to be trigger-happy:
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- The resort (near Holguin, Cuba)
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- The Cuban market
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- Tamara, who cleaned our room, made blanket animals (and, once, blanket people) for us everyday.
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- Hermit crab
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- Sarah contemplating whether to kiss a sea cucumber
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- Devin on the beach
We were astounded by the beauty of the country, but what was even more impressive was the skill of the craftspeople. For six pesos (between six and seven Canadian dollars), you can buy a beautiful cat mask, a pipe, or a wooden axe. For not much more, we saw detailed sculptures of dragons, paintings of the ocean, sensuous portraiture, terrifying skulls, and intricate jewelry. We bought as much as we could fit in our suitcases (some of which is pictured below).
Our treasure trove of Cuban market goods
While in Cuba, I also made myself try my hand at using oil pastels again. The result? I have a lot of respect for people who can use them effectively. This is all I managed:
Sarah’s attempt at drawing a flower in oil pastel
Now that we’re back, we’re excited about spring (and not just because it’s so much warmer). We’ve updated some of our display items in anticipation of a great season:
New Apple of my Odd Eye display
We look forward to 2014 and all the opportunities it offers for artistic growth and success. Now that we’re back, we’ll be working hard to bring creative content to you here on our site and at our Zazzle store.
– Sarah Y. Varnam, artist and co-founder of Apple of my Odd Eye
Apple of my Odd Eye 