Today I've decided to break my trend of only posting Team Australia updates or resteeming the Travel Digest posts that I've authored, and write about SOMETHING ELSE.

Shocking I know!

However, in my defense I don't actually have a lot of time to post about other things even though I'd like to.

Art beauty is in the eye of the beholder

I wouldn't consider myself an arty person. I did art at school and I was ok at it, but it was never really my passion. I don't know anything about art beyond what I like and don't like. Thankfully, now that I'm on steemit I'm exposed to a lot of art that I do really like. There are so many extremely talented artists on this platform, it blows my mind.

I am fortunate to interact with some of them on a regular basis and in the past couple of months have received some free stuff as a result.

This post is to publicly thank them for their work and give them a shout-out for being awesome.

@bella-volen-art

@bella-volen-art is a professional academic fine and visual artist based in Vienna, Austria. She's been on the steemit about three months and I first become aware of her via the @steemitworldmap project when she pinned one of her gorgeous travel posts to the map. I'm so glad she did because I've followed her ever since. I am a massive fan of hers and she has become one of my favourite artists.

If you'd like to know what she does, check out this post.

https://steemitimages.com/0x0/https://steemitimages.com/DQmTcUiaparfUpHJBKKJTAHTuFW5a3oBAXj4RRg5rEf8fn2/bella-volen-2016.jpg

Source: @bella-volen-art

At some point she mentioned she was vegan and this made me like her even more. She then told me she hand makes vegan soap and asked me if I would like one.

"Yes" was the obvious response to that.

I requested she send the soap to Australia since Panama has introduced a stupid law meaning you can't receive cosmetics through the post anymore. It's summer at the moment in Australia, and the soap did melt a bit in the 30C + heat so I had to keep in the fridge while I was there. Arriving back to Panama was no better. However, I've now been using the soap for about three weeks and it seems to have acclimatised in my bathroom. It's a really nice soap; not drying at all on the skin.

Bella also sent me some postcards of her work, one of which is interactive. I'd not used this before but you download the Artvive App, and then hold the postcard in front of it to make it come alive.

The interactive postcard.

This is a short GIF of what I saw when looking at it through the App on my phone. It's really cool.

https://media.giphy.com/media/3o6nV3tuRDT2vIpOFO/giphy.gif

💙 THANK YOU @bella-volen-art 💙

https://steemitimages.com/0x0/https://i.imgur.com/GF6BhBe.jpg

@adrianv

@adrianv is another talented European artist who's been on steemit for about five months. His focus is on colourful abstract work and photography.

I'm not sure how I found his blog—the steemit ramble discord server maybe—but the first post of his I saw was for an art giveaway. Both the prints appealed to me so I entered his contest. Fast forward a week or so and I was chosen as one of the lucky three winners.

Source: @adrianv

I collected my prints when I arrived in Australia just before Christmas (although they did get there before me).

They are really lovely in real life and he has hand signed them. At some point I will get them framed and hang them up (when I have somewhere to put them).

💛 THANK YOU @adrianv 💛

https://steemitimages.com/0x0/https://i.imgur.com/GF6BhBe.jpg

@ryivhnn

@ryivhnn is a fellow Aussie and joined steemit a couple of months before me. We became friends after #teamaustralia was established and have spoken almost daily in the PAL Discord server ever since.

@ryivhnn is probably best known on steemit for her upgoat footers. These are just a selection of the ones she's made for various steemians.

She was also responsible for the 85% series, which was sparked when @goldenarms said he was 85% cat in the #teamaustralia Discord chat one day.

She drew me as 85% hare.

While I love my upgoat footer and 85% hare, what I really want to thank her for today is my new steemit header. Late last year I asked her if she would make something for me and sent her some examples of headers that I liked.

This is the final product.

I love it. I think it's so pretty and really unique. The only problem is my laptop at 100% cuts off the edges so I can't see the upgoat.

I have to reduce my screen size down to 75% to see it all. One day I'll buy a monitor and be able to experience it in all its glory.

💜 THANK YOU @ryivhnn 💜

https://steemitimages.com/0x0/https://i.imgur.com/GF6BhBe.jpg

This is a post I've been meaning to write for about a month now, but haven't had the time. So my apologies to both @bella-volen-art and @adrianv in particular for my tardiness.

You guys are all very talented. Thank you for creating your amazing work.

This post was created in mspsteem, which provides a 5% beneficiary to @minnowsupport.

https://steemitimages.com/0x0/https://i.imgur.com/52KXMtM.gif

Footer by @ryivhnn

Page dividers by @kristyglas