#Expat Artist

[atelierbellanda]

From a single spontaneous line to a vibrant celebration of love and connection—Amore invites you to experience a timeless bond in a new light. Discover its story... ❤️

[resplendentoutfit]

John Singer Sargent (American, 1856-1925) • Portrait of Louise Pomeroy Inches • 1887 • Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Evening Dress • Unidentified Maker • American • Silk velvet with silk plain weave lining

How wonderful that such a well-preserved dress exists to enliven a famous portrait painting! This dress is one of my favorites for a couple of reasons – firstly, I love velvet and this silk velvet is the real deal – gorgeous. Secondly, I've seen the portrait many times at the MFA in Boston. The dress was in a glass case at the blockbuster Fashioned by Sargent exhibition also at the MFA.

I've read that Louise Inches was expecting her third child when she sat for this portrait and that the dress had been designed to accommodate extra panels as her figure expanded. She and Sargent got on well. Both were music lovers and accomplished musicians.

[everydayjapanphotography]

California: homesickness

[cosmogyros]

It's fucking weird how rude people are about immigration sometimes. And I don't just mean bigots being biased and stuff. I mean that, on a REGULAR basis, people ask me if I'm thinking about "going back to the US". And I'm just like... no? What do you mean "back to the US"? I live in Germany. I LIVE IN GERMANY.

I literally fucking started learning German and obsessing on German culture in high school, then I went to college in the US and majored in German Studies, including two study-abroad programs in Germany, then I moved to Germany for grad school and lived there for three years and worked in various German-speaking jobs while studying, then I had to temporarily return to the US but found a German-translation-based job at the US branch of a German company, and made a bunch of German or at least German-speaking friends in my new US city, and then a few years later I was able to move back to Germany, where I got a work visa sponsored by my employer and a full-time salaried job, and after a few more years I acquired my permanent residency, and soon I'll be applying for citizenship.

And people still sometimes ask me whether I'm considering "going back to the US". Like... dude? Would you ask a Mexican living in the US about their plans for "going back to Mexico"? That is rude as fuck.

Immigration is fucking hard. Why on earth would I have gone through all this shit just to throw it up in the air like "Oh well, never mind!"

[artofchx]

100 x 1, Redux, 2020 mixed media on gessoed stock. 11x13 image, 16x20 frame.

#artofchx

[summer-gh0st]

“How it feels to actually speak the language in the country you moved to”

Not a very snappy title but maybe I’ll get better at them! Anyway, my very first comic! Can’t believe I’ve never drawn one before. And I have a feeling that maybe it can relate to more than just my above, overly long title :) let me know if anything comes to mind for your situation <3

[laidbackmarco]

Drowning in Responsibility Turning 30 Time to be an Adult

When you’re a kid the weekend is for toiling the free time you have away. As you age up in the world, you also want to avoid weekends. Menial chores and adult responsibilities consume weekends. Although I’m on my grind to make 2024 a great year, I spent Saturday setting up a parking space for my car. I made my last post emotional, do emotional men have a place in this world? Growing up I’ve…

[yvrm]

Twitter Art Exhibit this year is over but for those of you who missed it, this was my contribution to support the First Nation People of Canada.

[atelierbellanda]

New on the site: Unfolding Convergence—a closer look at the process behind the artwork, where drawing, photography, and digital painting merge into something fluid and open to interpretation. #art

[resplendentoutfit]

Painted Ladies and their Biggest Fans

Frank Dicksee (British, 1853-1928) • An Offering • Unknown date • Private collection

Valentine Cameron Prinsep (British/English, 1838–1904) • Leonora of Mantua • 1873

Left: John Hubbard Rich (American, 1876-1954)

Right: Hélier Cosson (French, 1897-1976) • Lady with a Fan • 1922

Julius LeBlanc Stewart (American/active in Paris, 1855–1919) • Portrait of Mrs. Francis Stanton Blake • 1908

[manir01]

🚨ATTENTION 🚨

Rana needs $200 to afford a proper winter tarp for her family’s tent. They are also in need of funds for winter clothes and food which totals to nearly $1000 or more. Please give if you can and boost her campaign.

‼️👉👉Please stop for a second and read my struggle ‼️

‼️✅️VETTED Click her‼️✅️

I am Rana from Gaza, a mother of four children who had a beautiful home🥺, a wonderful life🥺, warm clothes🥺, comfortable beds🥺, and beautiful toys.😭💔

Suddenly😱😱 their lives were upended, their warm, beautiful house was destroyed😭, their toys were destroyed😭, their beds were burned, and broken.💔😭

Now they live in a worn-out tent💔❤️‍🩹. They do not have covers or clothes😭. They suffer from the cold every moment🥺. They suffer from illness due to the lack of warmth and the cold weather😭.

I do not have the money to bring them clothes because their prices are very expensive💔😭.

We are in the month of winter and this winter is very harsh.💔😭 The sky rains and we sink to the ground🥺. Last night it was... The most difficult nights, the tent was soaked with rain and the worn, torn covers were wet😭😭We spent the whole night trying to stabilize the tent 💔💔😭😭so that it would not fly away from the wind and storms🥺

Please save my children,❤️‍🩹 help them 🥺

Donate To my children🙏🙏😭

[escapeartistmagazine]

Discover Coastal Charm: An Expat’s Guide to An Bang Beach

Dreaming of a peaceful life by the sea, where the pace slows and the sunsets steal your breath away? An Bang Beach in Hoi An, Vietnam, is quickly becoming a hidden gem for expats seeking a laid-back lifestyle with a touch of local magic. From charming beachfront cafes and affordable villas to the warm, welcoming community and vibrant street markets, this coastal village offers more than just a tropical escape—it offers a new way of life.

In "An Expat’s Guide to An Bang Beach", we dive into everything you need to know before making the move. Whether you're looking for tips on housing, the cost of living, finding work, or simply want to know where to get the best local coffee with an ocean view, this guide covers it all.

Ready to trade stress for sea breeze? 👉 Read the full blog now and start planning your new life on one of Vietnam’s most serene shores.

[boopiddyboop]

Bang Chan Ideal Type:

I sat on this write up for a long while, thinking that some of you might feel disappointed with it. But then I remembered that I’ve let down people in my real life much worse, and that y’all can deal with it.

In all seriousness, much like my natal chart readings, I decided to take the approach to this as “what stands out” rather than trying to make some kind of conclusive guide. I’ll probably adopt this mentality for any future ideal type readings as well... So if you're looking for some aesthetic or personality guide to seduce oppa, you've come to the wrong place.

And to whoever was spamming my inbox about Lee Know, prepare for disappointment in 2-4 business months.

Now onto Bang Chan. As a reminder, here is his chart as I'm aware of it:

Relevant Placements:

Moon: Libra

Venus: Scorpio

5th House: Libra

5th House Ruler: Venus in Scorpio (6th House)

7th House: Sagittarius

7th House Ruler: Jupiter in Aquarius (9th House)

So when looking for “ideal type”, the first thing you wanna check is the 5th and 7th houses. What they are, what planets are influencing them, etc. Typically, the people you gravitate towards will have some kind of placements here (or in your first house). The 5th house is the house of fun and pleasure (think short term interactions), whereas the 7th house is the domain of partnerships and contracts (long term relationships). Both help paint a picture, alongside Moon (feelings), Venus (relationships and attractivity), and any placements connected to these. 

When it comes to Chan, his 5th house stellium (Sun, Moon, and Mercury) makes him very artistic expressively. Being ruled by Libra? He never stood a chance. That being said, he’s looking for people with this same energy that he’s putting out. Looking at his Venus ruling this is in the 6th house (work).... Boy is really drawn to people in his same profession, or those who are connected to the arts professionally. 

His seventh house is in Sagittarius, which is also where his Mars is placed. Once again, intensity. Venus in Scorpio is also compounding this since it’s ruled by Mars, and he’s looking for someone who shares that. His Libra-ness may make him come across as much more gentle in nature, but don’t be deceived. He’s looking for intensity. He’s probably been burned by this philosophy in the past though since his Mars is acting as a malefic :/ His seventh house is being ruled by a Jupter in Aquarius in the 9th house, which I could see giving interest to those from different backgrounds from him… But because Chan is an Australian living in Korea, this could also point to wanting people who are able to relate to this expat nature of his. Just food for thought.

Elementally speaking, Chan is mostly Air energy. Between his Gemini Rising and Libra stellium, he’s gonna need someone sharp-witted. Due to this air sign amalgamation and his 7th house Mars, lazy people do nothing for him, so probably would get frustrated by a poorly placed Mars (Cancer or Pisces come to mind as examples). That being said, he might be drawn to someone with Earth energy solely because it’s so lacking in his own chart- but it would have to be well placed (think Mars in Capricorn or Moon in Taurus energy). 

And that's all I care to comment on - hope you enjoyed!

[laidbackmarco]

Burnt Out in Japan: When the Dream Life Abroad Isn’t What You Hoped

I don’t know who this blog is for anymore. It’s the same as the videos. Maybe just me. Perhaps it’s a way to get all the thoughts out before they pile up too high. Maybe my mom still reads this. . . well to be honest that’s a boring reality I’ll miss when she’s not around anymore. It’s been eight years in Japan. I’ve done a lot. I’ve seen a lot. And lately, I’ve been feeling… done. Tired. Burnt…

[gentil-minou]

Gentians on Doorways

Written for the @mdzsrbb and inspired by the beautiful artwork made by @wrecklwj !

“How were you and my mother…acquainted?” “Acquaintances? She was my best friend!" ~ After a decade of living abroad, Lan Zhan returns to China to sort through his mother's affairs after her death. There, he meets Wei Ying, his mother’s friend who she'd commissioned to illustrate a book of nursery rhymes. But Lan Zhan is out of his depth in a land that was once his home. After all, there's no step-by-step guide for when your mother dies.

Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst with a Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Grief/Mourning, Wakes & Funerals, Falling In Love, parental loss, Expat Lan Zhan, Artist Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, writing a funeral scene and trying to not make it accidentally horny aka the wangxian curse, just lots of feelings about moving away from your parents, and the fickleness of memories

Lan Zhan & Madam Lan + Wangxian | Complete | 33.7K | Rated T

Preview under the cut

The hallway seems to stretch into infinity, each click of the head teacher’s heels echoing through the vastness of space. A preposterous exaggeration, given that the feet that tread these walls belong primarily to small humans with smaller legs, and such a length would be impractical.

To Lan Zhan, in this moment, it’s the longest hallway in the world.

The head teacher gestures for him to follow her around the corner, as if Lan Zhan was like her young disciples and prone to getting lost in a singular hallway with no intersections. She’s younger than Lan Zhan had expected for a head teacher of an elementary school. She can’t be more than a few years older than him.

"Her classroom is just this way, south facing,” Haung-laoshi rambles, sending him another overly kind, pitying glance. “She loved that room. Lots of natural sunlight."

Lan Zhan nods absently, more out of politeness than true agreement. The light streaming in from the windows that line this hallway grates on his jetlagged state. His head is absent of most thoughts, only the inane recognition that south-facing windows must have meant her classroom would be sweltering and excruciating during a heatwave. Even now, the sun beats down on Lan Zhan, stifling in the late afternoon.

The windows face an inner courtyard. Distantly, Lan Zhan can hear the children laughing and playing, but much of it is drowned out by clicking heels on tiled floor.

He turns his head away from the glaring sun to the interior wall displaying a gallery of crudely drawn blocks and splotches of paint arranged unintelligibly on colored paper. A tiny placard next to each denotes the name of a kindergartener and the vision. Family pets, the playground, a favorite toy, a doting sibling.

A mother, her stick figure arms just out of reach of her stick figure child.

Hastily, Lan Zhan turns back to the endless hallway, where a wooden door seems to grow smaller and smaller as the walls expand outward impossibly so, like the distance is growing wider, not smaller, and clicking heels and laughing children run circles in his pounding head. Everything, from the rhythmic thumping of Lan Zhan’s shoes against tiled floors to the distant ringing in his ears, from the chipped paint along the baseboards to the glaring sunlight arcing overhead, pounds against Lan Zhan’s head like a stampede of charging elephants.

He should be running. Running and running, far and away before the stampede barrels over him leaving his body cracked and bruised in its wake. He shouldn’t be here. He should be anywhere but here.

Then, abruptly, the clicking of the heels ceases when Huang-laoshi stops in front of that wooden door, now a normal size and directly in front of Lan Zhan. A tiny frosted glass window rests above the doorknob in a vertical pane, with leftover pieces of tape missing the accoutrements they once secured.  A row of neatly painted purple flowers blooms through the wood on the bottom of the door, caught in motion as they dance in an unseen wind.

There is no wind to suggest this. He knows simply by looking at the brushstrokes, familiar swirls like the ones that once adorned the wooden doors of his childhood home. He can see it clearly in his mind’s eye, each stroke of a well-worn paintbrush and the subtle sighs of contentment when the artist in question lifted her brush and beamed back at him with pride.

“What do you think, ZhanZhan?”

This far away, the children’s roughhousing fades into the din leaving behind empty space.

Somehow, silence is worse.

“You must be so shocked. It was all so sudden…” Huang-laoshi remarks kindly as she retrieves a crumpled tissue from her pocket and dabs at the corners of her eyes. “I know I already said this, but I am so sorry for your loss.” She lifts a hand as if to pat his shoulder, but Lan Zhan takes a measured step to the side and her hand falls to rest by her side.

Outside, sunshine cascades through flowering trees and leaves speckled shadows dancing in the grass. A breeze slips in through the windows and winds through strands of Lan Zhan’s hair. The subtle scents of a summer on the rise, lying in wait for season’s change.

The breeze does little to soothe his heated skin. “Thank you,” Lan Zhan says politely with little inflection.

Huang-laoshi pauses, waiting for Lan Zhan to continue. But Lan Zhan has little more to say.

Ever since he’d arrived here, everyone seems to think Lan Zhan has something more to say.

What is there to say about his mother dying?

Read more on Ao3