art exhibit

Matcha Matcha-Read All About It!

by Monika Blichar

I always love to incorporate new and interesting products and businesses into Art World Expo. With each year’s theme, there’s ample opportunity to reach out to community partners who are unique and different but who can add an element of interest to our show. This year, I am pleased to have Whisk Matcha at our event not only because the owner Kimmy is so kind and sweet, but also because her company offers a product that is both good for health and committed to organic matcha production. I caught up with her to learn more about her company today! Enjoy!

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1-When did you start Whisk Matcha?
Officially August 2016

2-What is Matcha?
Matcha is shade-grown, finely ground Japanese green tea.

3-What are the health benefits of drinking Matcha?
Matcha is possibly THE healthiest super food one can find.

Because of its meticulous production process, you’re consuming the entire tea leaves which contain full nutrients such as high concentration of green tea antioxidants, amino acids, vitamins, minerals and fiber. Besides, by drinking Matcha you can also ingest oil soluble constituents (Vitamin A, Vitamin E, Beta-carotene, etc.), which are not extracted into water when brewed. Brewing tea in the traditional way is kind of like eating spinach by boiling it in a pot but throwing out the vegetable and just drinking spinach water, you end up chucking 80% of the nutritional value and benefits into the compost bin.

Matcha has an amino acid called L-Theanine; L-Theanine can improve mental focus and clarity in a slow-released way. It won’t give you the jittery feeling that coffee does to your body. Matcha tea leaves need to be covered from direct sunlight for 20 – 30 days before harvest. This shading process boosts the plants’ chlorophyll level; chlorophyll is a natural detoxifier that will cleanse the heavy metal and daily pollution out of your body. You’ll feel like a whole new you with every cup of good matcha.

One key antioxidant that matcha is loaded with is called EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate) Catechin. EGCG is proven for its benefits of treating cancers, and can also improve your immune system, stabilize blood sugar levels, promote fat burning, and boost metabolism.

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4-How is Matcha sourced? Are there any eco-friendly initiatives around harvesting matcha tea that help the environment?

Matcha is not created equally. Our matcha is directly from organic family tea farms in Kyoto Japan. Organic farming means a lot to me and our brand, because it’s good for people, eco system and our soil. Matcha plants cannot survive through the shading process (due to very limited energy from the sun) without an enriched soil, and we’re committed in sourcing matcha grown from NATRUALLY enriched soil, not by industrial strength fertilizers. Our tea farms/owners take incredibly good care and practices of the tea plants.

5-Will you have any show specials on products, matcha tea parties, or services exclusive to Art World Expo on May 11?
Yes we will offer 10 – 15% discount on select products at Art World Expo.

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6-Where do you see your business in 5 years time?
I’m hoping to open a matcha-focused tea tasting room in Vancouver.

7-Just for fun: If you could time travel, where would you go?
I’d like to go back to the 12th – 16th century in China. Love the culture, poetry and apparels.

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Monika Blichar is an Entrepreneur and Artist. She is owner of Monika’s Art Boutique-Studio & Gallery in North Vancouver and producer of Art World Expo and Painting Dreams International Art Tours. She is always pushing boundaries as an artist and creative entrepreneur. Her love of the arts has been a part of her life since childhood.

To learn more about Whisk Matcha, visit https://www.facebook.com/whiskmatcha https://www.instagram.com/whiskmatchayvr/ https://twitter.com/matchawhisker Be sure to get your ticket to the 8th Annual Art World Expo at Science World. Our theme this year is Eco-Sustainability so be sure to dress in an Eco-Sustainable ensemble, create your own statement piece from plastic bags or make your voice heard for our environment. Tickets are available in limited quantities here.

Wishbeads: An Artistic Endeavor Aimed at Helping Dreams to Become Reality

When was the last time you made a wish, and really felt as if it could come true? Every child blows out birthday candles or tosses pennies into a well, and not only makes a wish, but also genuinely believes it’s likely to become a reality. Then adulthood happens, and belief in things of that nature generally tends to fade. A new product is in the works that seeks to recreate this experience for adults, and rekindle the belief that wishes can come true. Known as Wishbeads, it’s a unique arts and crafts kit.

Wishbeads is more than a just a bracelet-making kit; it’s an opportunity to pause and think what you truly wish for. After visualizing a wish, it’s then written onto paper, and the paper is transformed into paper beads. These beads form the bracelet. Wearing is aimed at inspiring the owner to take action.

Wishbeads comes with a 21-day action journal, complete with prompts to enable the wearer to start seeing elements of his or her wish in action. The theory behind it is that if you focus on something hard enough, the law of attraction will bring it to within reach. Wishbeads claims to be able to aid in doing this, and help the wearer to manifest exactly what he or she wants from life. Do we believe that it’s actually capable of making dreams come true? We reserve judgment. What we do know for sure is that making the bracelets is a fun activity, and can provide a great bonding experience for women if done communally.

The kit is currently being financed via the crowdfunding platform Kickstarter, and can be found on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. It’s already creating quite a stir, with the women who have already created Wishbeads bracelets waxing lyrical about the experience. Perhaps this marks a return to those halcyon days of making wishes and really believing in them. Who knows, maybe Wishbeads will one day become the adult equivalent of blowing out candles or tossing a penny.

Art World Miami: French Sculptor Capucine

www.capucinesafir.com

About

“Can Art alleviate souls? This is my project.
My work is about reshaping reality by giving smoothness and sensuality to my sculptures. In return, people feel lighthearted and at peace. This is my reward.
I keep caressing my sculptures. My hands are my eyes. I carve in limestone and plaster, with hand tools only and also work with mixed media, always inspired by nature. This is my process.
Since 2013, I’ve been living and working in Miami. I want to reach out to the world. This is me..”

Biography :
Capucine Safir is a self-taught, Miami-based French sculptor.

After many years working in the movie industry, she graduated in interior design in Sydney, Australia where she lived for a few years.

In 2009, Capucine’s life took a new turn when her second son was born disabled; after caring for her children full time for four years, as she moved to Miami, she decided to pursue her love of art and started working full time as a sculptor.

She enjoys every aspect of this art from the physical implication to, the sound of the tools to, the dust. But, most of all, it is the appearance of the form emerging from the block that makes direct carving so special. She soon found her own style through soft rounded shapes. Streamlined, pure, atypical are some of the adjectives which best define her sculptures.

Her work is very instinctive whether she creates animals or abstract sculptures. The worlds of sculpture, design, as well as painting or nature itself also make up her varied artistic influences.

She carves in stone and plaster with hand tools only and also works with mixed media.