Ever since I was a little girl, drinking a cup of tea was a ritual that my family participated in after dinner. Now that I’m an adult, I drink my Canadian Breakfast Tea every morning, and have some herbal tea in the afternoons and evenings.
The best way to treat yourself is to use fine china to drink out of. If you’re lucky enough to have inherited a number of tea sets from loved ones, it’s an easy proposition. Otherwise you can find all kinds of beautiful china online and in antique stores. Young people today are more concerned with minimalism and are clearing out the clutter, so there are many out there to find!
From time to time I’ll get a commission to paint someone’s tea set before they go off to greener pastures. I have even had one follower in South America tattoo one of my teacups onto her body! That’s one way to keep the memories close without having the clutter on your shelves.
Purchase at https://www.angelabandurka.com/shop/an-uninvited-guest
1st Place, The Artist’s Magazine All Media Competition 2016
Excellence in Realism Award, ISAP Open Intl Exhibition, 2018
Top 100 Finalist, Southwest Art Magazine Artistic Excellence Competition, 2018
Honorable Mention, ISAP Signature Master Show, 2018
Finalist, AcrylicWorks 5, 2017
Savoir Faire Award, ISAP Online All Members Show, 2017
Merit Award, NOAPS Fall 2016 Online Int’l Exhibition
There’s a famous quote by Mark Twain - “The more I learn about people, the more I like my dog.”
There’s nothing truer than that for me. I have had many pets over the years, and grew up in rural British Columbia where wildlife is around every corner and on top of every tree.
While not quite anthropomorphic, animals do share many traits and behaviors with humans that are entertaining. Or is it the other way around? I’m interested in the way that animals interact with other animals, humans, and nature.
2021 Snohomish Garden Tour Poster Artwork
This collection of paintings are inspired by the concept of connection. In the following three ways, I see the connections that impact all of us as move through the world.
Love: people connecting with other people, with beloved pets, with colleagues
Self-engagement: learning a new skill or hobby, connecting with yourself in a real way by exploring your ability to learn and grow
Citizenship: society coming together with a common goal, learning from our past, and trying to improve our understanding of each other for the betterment of all
Cover Art for The Best of Acrylic Magazine 2022
Honorable Mention, AcrylicWorks 9
Merit Award, NOAPS Associate Member Online Show 2021
Meritorious Award, Richeson 75 International Portraits Competition
Finalist, AcrylicWorks 8
Award of Excellence, NOAPS Best of America Small Works Show 2021
2022 Edmonds Arts Festival Poster Art
Reference photo used with permission by Deli Moussaka
Honorable Mention, ISAP Online Open Exhibition, 2015
Painting scenes in the evening is a fun challenge for an artist. I have used headlamps to paint plain air at night, and take photos of scenes when I’m on vacation of locales that excite and interest me.
The best light is just as the sun sets. The blue of the sky is so vibrant and deep. Lights glow from inside the buildings, and the moon and starts are so alive.
Being a night owl, I love the stillness of evenings after the night life dies down.
Every time I painting a portrait I fall just a little bit in love with the person I’m painting.
Most people don’t let you sit and stare at them in silence for hours on end, it just doesn’t feel natural. Many of my figurative works happen while I’m out and about, as my eye is drawn to everyday actions.
"every portrait that is painted with feeling is a portrait of the artist, not of the sitter. The sitter is merely the accident, the occasion. It is not he who is revealed by the painter; it is rather the painter who, on the coloured canvas, reveals himself."
Oscar Wilde - in The Picture of Dorian Grey
American Institute of Architects Women in Design Collection, 2015
Best of Show, ISAP Online Open Exhibition, 2015
The fixings for a recipe, a half eaten meal, or one ready to be consumed all interest me. Without food, we cannot live; but there is such beauty in the act of preparing a meal, and even in consuming it.
For me, the small details of everyday are endlessly interesting. There are so many things we take for granted and I’m as guilty of it as anyone. But every now and then, I’ll look around and be grateful for what I have - not everyone is as lucky.
Moments captured while traveling, or while moving around my community are the subject of this series.
Refections refers to my thoughts as I view the world around me. For example, whenever I’m in an ancient monument all I can think about is the history that happened right there in the spot I’m standing on in that moment. It’s humbling. But at the same time, history is still happening and is still being made and now I’m a part of that legacy. It’s almost like a rabbit hole that you can go deep down into.
Bottom line, I’m interested as much in capturing moments of stillness and reflection when I travel as I am narrative artistic expressions.
Sketching and playing with paint and drawing tools is a way of staying fresh with my work. I love to experiment and hone my observation skills, working on my craft for its own enjoyment, but also for future projects.