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“Budapest with LOve”: Olga Lo’s Watercolor Journey of Finding Home, Love, and Connection

Budapest 7th of September 2023 – contemporary artist Olga Lo presents “Budapest with LOve,” an exhibition that transcends art and delves into the intimate exploration of home, love, and building connections. Olga invites viewers to share in her transformative experience with the city of Budapest; a journey that began as a mental response to stress and isolation and evolved into an enduring friendship and love affair with its surroundings.

Poster of the exhibition Budapest with LOve

As visitors move through the exhibition, they will witness the full spectrum of her artistic talent, from panoramic studio works to the vibrant energy of plein air paintings.

At the core of “Budapest with LOve” lies a powerful and inspirational story—the journey of a watercolor artist in search of home, love, and connection. Olga’s own quest began in Budapest seven years ago, a city that initially felt distant and unfamiliar. In her art, she found solace and a sanctuary to channel her emotions, as each brushstroke became a step toward understanding and belonging.

Through her paintings, Olga Lo shares her transformative experience, proving that sometimes it takes years of dedication, perseverance, and self-reflection to find what one seeks. The process of searching for a sense of home, love, and connection can be vague, uncertain, and often painful. It is, of course, a shared human experience. By opening her heart and art to the world, Olga aims to inspire her audience not to lose hope in their own searches.

Liberty bridge in Budapest, watercolor
Chain bridge in Budapest, watercolor

The opening reception for “Budapest with LOve” will be held on September 7th, 2023, at 18:00 at Red Door Gallery, located at Budapest, Szentkirályi utca 13. At 18:30, opening speeches and a guided tour will commence, offering visitors a deeper understanding of the artist’s journey and inspirations. The event will conclude at 21:00.

During the month-long exhibition, visitors will have the opportunity to participate in various workshops, demonstrations of Olga’s watercolor technique, and sketchbook tours. For those interested in attending these additional events, registration is required.

Autumn panorama of Budapest, watercolor, 2022

Check the website of the gallery to see opening hours and book the appointment!

https://thereddoor.hu/events/

IG @reddoorbudapestFB:

https://www.facebook.com/reddoorbudapest

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I feel you, watercolor technique is beautiful and technically complicated. I enjoy this complexity and find a neverending charm in it. Understanding why it behaves in various situations a certain way will help you to feel more confident and start building happy relationships with watercolors.

Everyone would like to achieve clean vibrant colors that shine from the paper, lightness, and mesmerizing leaks between the colors. But how to make it happen? In these posts, I’ll highlight some very important points from materials to movements and the mindset. Let me know if this material is helpful to you!

  • Color is NOT equal to Pigment. 

That is your key to understanding why sometimes you have so-called dirty color instead of something bright. Watercolor paint (that you see in a pan or tube) consists not of magic powder but of two important ingredients: gum Arabic and pigment. Gum Arabic is just a glue that allows your work to stay on paper. And the pigment is a powder made from some real material. You can check this wonderful website for pigment codes. So, for some PAINT manufacturers use up to 3-4 PIGMENTS. Keep that in mind. In watercolor, to achieve clean COLOR you need to blend not more than 4 PIGMENTS in your mixture. See where it is going? If you don’t know how many PIGMENTS are in your PAINT you have no idea of what you are actually mixing.

  • Not any paper that is labeled as “watercolor” paper will work.

Sorry to say, even a price tag won’t help you to pick a good one. Yes, it should be 300 gr or more and for water techniques, that’s the base. If you just starting to paint – choose cellulose paper which is much cheaper than cotton and will be perfect for teaching you discipline. A lot of artists recommend painting only on cotton, but I cannot agree. Cotton is forgiving. Did you move too slow? It’s ok. Need to add more layers? It’s ok. Move too many times on one spot? It’s ok. And so on. It will make you feel that you are painting well when you are actually not. Cellulose won’t forget anything, but if your goal is to IMPROVE your skill – that’s the most effective path. Another thing ALWAYS stretch your paper to avoid waves on the paper. If the paper of the artwork is not even – it is a technical failure. Boo to that.

  • There are NO multipurpose brushes.

A lot of students came to me claiming that their brush is perfectly fine and worked for everything. Well, I don’t want to be a party breaker but that is simply not true. It is like claiming that you have shoes that are perfect for winter, summer, desert, and north pole and also cost 10 dollars. That doesn’t sound realistic, right? Same here. Using acrylic brushes for watercolor is better than nothing I guess, but will never give you a proper experience. To have one, but a good watercolor brush makes much more sense than a full set of low-quality brushes.

Of course every of the topics that I mentioned in this post need further explanation, so stay updated for my future posts. Also, you are more than welcome to join my art classes in Budapest. Watercolour is always the focus of my classes and I’m happy to share my love and knowledge with others. If you would like to know more about my art workshops in Budapest please check this page for the detailed info. 

Key words: art classes Budapest, art Budapest, artist Budapest, watercolor Budapest, urban sketching Budapest, art workshop Budapest

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I love creating sketchbooks and it is a big part of my art practise! While traveling, in my free time or between everyday tasks – I make something like a visual diary with pictures, words and artifacts.

Sketchbooks are more than just collection of nice pictures. They hold within a story of their creator and theirs unique perspective on reality. Creativity, temporary events and raw emotions. These small companions serve as a gateway for the wandering minds of artists, writers, and actually everyone else who loves to dream and explore.

Sketchbooks are a perfect place for expressing personal thoughts and creating memorable pages with what matters to you. There a truly no borders – any topics, art tools and proportions or text/images/artifacts are welcome.

Sketchbooks are also a perfect place for experimenting with different techniques and styles. Big artwork in the new technique can be overwhelming – but a smaller tryout will always give a better understanding with less time involved. It is a perfect place to make mistakes and transform them into valuable lessons, because every mistake we make is a step toward growth.

I love to share this joy from creating a sketchbook with my students on my art classes in Budapest. There adults of all professions are welcome – you don’t need to be a an artist by your title but by the heart and mind! Students try different materials – pencils, watercolor pencils, watercolors, markers and many more.

Tell me what you would like to know about urban sketching! Art materials? What paper is the best for sketching? Which colours are essential? Which watercolor brands I can recommend? Or maybe something else?

I hope this glimpse into the world of sketchbooks and urban sketching has sparked your curiosity! You can take a look at my sketchbooks following this link. Let’s embark on an artistic adventure together! If you would like to join my art classes in Budapest please check the detailed information here. If you have any questions or would like to dive deeper into this creative journey, feel free to reach out – you can use this form to contact me.

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 Apart of temptation what can’t you resist?

My passion to experiments! 

Recently I gave an interview to the wonderful Expat Media portal – XpatLoop! I answered questions about my childhood, moving to Hungary and the way it affected me and my art.

1. When did you arrive in Hungary and what brought you here?
It is my fifth year in Hungary, before that I lived in Winnipeg, MB, Canada, and it was so cold there! Yes I was born in Russia, but in Saint-Petersburg we never get like -50 ish C in the wintertime, for me it was absolutely new level of the word “cold”. And I love to draw outside, nature and plants, so I realized that I just could not live in that never-ending winter. And Hungary has a beautiful nature, moderate climate with all 4 seasons and very comfortable location to travel around Europe.

3. What surprised you most about Hungary?
I never lived that much on the south and my biggest surprise was connected to nature. It was a lovely sunny day and we were sitting with my friends on a terrace near the Lake Balaton. And one of them mentioned that the hazelnut tree already has fruits on its branches. I was looking at the tree shocked and fascinated, because I always lived on the north and hazelnuts it is something you buy in a shop, wrapped in plastic. They simply don’t grow around. And still each summer I feel myself as in a fairy tale here.

18. Which social issue do you feel most strongly about?
Ignorance, lack of kindness and wish to teach others how they should live and do.

Check the whole interview here!

https://xpatloop.com/interviews/2020/07/olga-lo-watercolor-artist-and-fine-arts-teacher.html