Against all advice, Blueberryess jumped into the ocean because she wanted to know what she could find deep down in the black water. After that Blueberryer as a true gentlemen had no other option than to take a deep breath and jump into the ocean too. He did take the jump on his bike though. Of course he had a choice. To forget his Blueberryess and go for a wonderful bike ride in the “magnifique” Blueberry valley, sipping slowly the elegant Blueberry Cocktail at the top of the Blueberry Hill and enjoying the marvellous view over Blueberry Land. But as a victim of his own conception of his greatness, he had no other option than to jump into the black waters of that ocean. Or maybe it was true love?

This time only a miracle could help them. Blueberryess was swept swiftly into the Ocean Monster’s maw, and Bluberryer following her on his bike did almost the same. Suddenly out of the nothingness a Blueberry Angel appeared close to the monster. Would he be able to rescue the two reckless Blueberries?

The adventure with an Ocean Monster and a Blueberry Angel

From the Series Blueberry Land

Among Kasia’s paintings are some which one would not immediately connect with fantasy. However because the composition of some elements cannot be found in the real world, these paintings bring to mind thoughts about surrealism. An example of such a work is Panta Rhei – fairly economical in form, it depicts a seaside landscape with a flying Pelican, projecting a shadow on the sand and there are also wide open doors hanging over the beach. Such paintings show restlessness and tension very clearly; which could be caused by the diversity and variety of the possibile associations which every observer can find inside oneself, dependent upon ones own experience and sensitivity.  (From a review by Karolina Jablonska, art curator and art historian)

Farewell Panta Rhei – Nothing is forever.

Panta Rhei - oil on board; 1997

And I will be there represented by Artisan Direct Ltd. 6 of my paintings from the Return of Peter Pan Series will be to admire. I am not humble, but I am really love this series. The paintings are cheerful, mysterious, some of them surreal, some of them funny all of them really beautiful. I hope if you are living in Florida or close to Miami you will go and see my paintings. I would love it.

A selection of paintings from Return of Peter Pan Series

Red Dot Miami cov­ers the entire spec­trum of artists, includ­ing emerg­ing, mid-career, and estab­lished artists. This year’s show involves nearly 45 gal­leries from all across the globe, spe­cial­iz­ing in both mod­ern and con­tem­po­rary art. Works include just about every medium in con­tem­po­rary prac­tice: paint­ing pho­tog­ra­phy, sculp­ture, and works on paper. There is also a spe­cial sec­tion devoted to the debut of spe­cific film and pho­tog­ra­phy projects. Addi­tion­ally another newly devel­oped sec­tion is reserved for books. This area is for pub­lish­ing houses show­ing edi­tioned pub­li­ca­tions and book arts. Red Dot Miami aims to pro­mote this medium and bring recog­ni­tion to inde­pen­dent publishers.

I don’t believe in a God (or Gods). I don’t believe in Hell, Purgatory or Heaven. I believe in physics, in the concept of eternal universes, in the perfection of our imperfect cosmos. I believe in the force of nature, a kind of intelligent living being, but without any sentiments or feelings. I was born into a Catholic family and up until the age of 8 I received a Catholic tutoring. Even so I didn’t believe in God consciously from the age of 12, but I am still fascinated by Catholic religion and especially by medieval art and culture. Medieval Art is one of my greatest passions. I can’t take my eyes off the marvellous, absolutely stunning Gothic Cathedrals, impressive gothic altarpieces, the beautiful icons, the fantastic gargoyles, and burlesque creatures, unorthodox and original creations all. Actually I love all the medieval visual art, the architecture and designs.

After this long interruption (I am an artist and as such I have to say something about me!) back to the big Trinity.

Pope John Paul II said: The essential characteristic of heaven, hell or purgatory is that they are states of being of a spirit (angel/demon) or human soul, rather than places, as commonly perceived and represented in human language.

This language of place is, according to John Paul II, inadequate to describe the realities involved, since it is tied to the temporal order in which this world and we ourselves exist. In this he is applying the philosophical categories used by the Church in her theology and saying what St. Thomas Aquinas said long before him.

Incorporeal things are not in place after a manner known and familiar to us, in which way we say that bodies are properly in place; but they are in place after a manner befitting spiritual substances, a manner that cannot be fully manifest to us. [St. Thomas Aquinas,Summa Theologiae, Supplement, Q69, a1, reply 1]

This is how the Catechism of the Catholic Church summarizes the truths of faith on this subject:

To die in mortal sin without repenting and accepting God's merciful love means remaining separated from him for ever by our own free choice. This state of definitive self-exclusion from communion with God and the blessed is called hell (n. 1033).

How different are these views from the ideas of the medieval artists, sculptors, builders, decorators and craftsmen about Hell, Purgatory and Heaven.  They saw them as places. The medieval artists took delight in their subversive possibilities.

They created the most incredible churches, altarpieces, icons and paintings. Among those lots of them on the topic of Hell, Purgatory and Heaven.

The Buddhist concept of heaven and hell is entirely different from that in other religions. Buddhists do not accept that these places are eternal. It is unreasonable to condemn a man to eternal hell for his human weakness but quite reasonable to give him every chance to develop himself. From the Buddhist point of view, those who go to hell can work themselves upward by making use of the merit that they had acquired previously. There are no locks on the gates of hell. Hell is a temporary place and there is no reason for those beings to suffer there forever.

The Buddha's Teaching shows us that there are heavens and hells not only beyond this world, but in this very world itself. Thus the Buddhist conception of heaven and hell is very reasonable. For instance, the Buddha once said,

'When the average ignorant person makes an assertion to the effect that there is a Hell (patala) under the ocean he is making a statement which is false and without basis. The word 'Hell' is a term for painful sensations.'

The idea of one particular ready-made place or a place created by god as heaven and hell is not acceptable to the Buddhist concept.
I like this concept of Buddhism and also very much the concept of the Toltecs. We are creating in a metaphorical sense our own hell, purgatory and heaven in this world in our own lives.

I was playing with this idea: heaven is Death, purgatory is our temporary existence, and our birth is Hell!

I am absolutely aware about the fact that my abstract vision about Hell, Purgatory and Heaven is nothing compare to the imaginary art of Hans Memling, Hieronymus Bosh, Christobal Rojas etc, etc. It is my first approach to this topic. Just trying the colours and the structure.  I used my own technique to create this modern triptych on 3 separate canvasses.

Here are they:

Hell, Purgatory and Heaven - triptych by Kasia B.T.

I have created a new installation in the garden. It is about my insomnia. I got the inspiration from my own problems with sleeping and from a book I received from my 'art fan' in Brussels. If he is reading this post, he will be happy to know that I found the publication about Narcolepsy very educational and interesting.

Here is a photo of the installation:

Insomnia - Narcolepsy - Installation 2011 by Kasia B.T.

I am starting to think about my dream to make it as an artist as something very irrational, utopian and pathetic. Who needs art, who needs my art? If you have finished an art academy and if you don't "make it" within the next three years then you will never make it. The talent, ideas, originality, whatever it is of no importance after that. It is just the significance to being discovered by a very important art dealer and some luck. Then the marketing machine will start to work for you. Otherwise it will not.

Here are a few images of my work in progress:

Landscape in gold and blue

A bird in colours of Devon

The Gravitation of the Clown - painting in progress

We are born alone, we die alone together

It takes place at the Northcott Theatre in Exeter, Stocker Road, EX4 4QB between 2-9 PM. There will be speeches at 3pm, followed later by entertainment and of course the artist demonstrations. Several artists will present their art works, and one of them will be me. Refreshments will also be available. It's a great space, and we hope (the artists and the DOS organisation) it will be a great day, too. The studios themselves are open from 10 AM on Saturday 3rd for two weeks.
In an article about Devon Open Studios 2011 The Independent said:

Worlds away from the enormous price tags of London's Cork Street, or the glossy modernism of the Frieze Art Fair in Regent's Park, London, Devon Open Studios offers visitors the rare privilege of viewing art in the context of where and how it is made. And, should you feel like buying something, you're unlikely to have to re-mortgage your house to do so.

The county has long captivated artists with its dramatic landscapes. Local institutions such as the Cider Press Centre near Dartington, the Devon Guild of Craftsmen in Bovey Tracey and the Plymouth Arts Centre have long provided visitors with the edited highlights of Devon's artistic life. But creative types are now keen to show their work on their own terms, hence the burgeoning success of the Open Studios project.

Now in its seventh year, the event has grown inexorably from a handful of artists showing work in their garages and living rooms to a well-organised trail. Weavers, potters, glassblowers, photographers, printmakers, sculptors, jewellers, quilt-makers and wood-turners are all more than happy to explain their practices to visitors for a fortnight, over tea. The event costs nothing to the visitor and there is no prescribed route. The best bet is to pick through the brochure to see whose artwork appeals and just turn up on their doorstep.

The invitation to the Launch of Devon Open Studios 2011

Devon Open Studios 2011 also has its own channel on YouTube. Here's Greg Ramsden talking about "Discipline in Painting":

I met Greg a year ago at the South West Contemporary Art Fair in Totnes. He is a very nice person but also a brilliant painter, I have to admit it.