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Painter turns work into fashion pieces By AMBER PERRY amber@appenmedia.com
AMBER PERRY/APPEN MEDIA
Monika Mittal, an Alpharetta resident and president of the Johns Creek Arts Center Artist Guild, shows a scarf featuring an English rose, a print of one of her acrylic paintings. Mittal started her fashion brand Alora four years ago but has been painting for two decades.
ALPHARETTA, Ga. — Over a cup of coffee at Warm Waves in Alpharetta, resident Monika Mittal described how she creates each of her scarf collections. The designs in Alora, her brand, are taken from Mittal’s acrylic paintings, largely featuring colorful birds and flowers, washed with a medium that allows the work to resemble water color. Like a journal entry, she said each collection is an impression of her travels abroad — her next will be based on her time in Norway, though some feature
her own backyard, like Georgia hummingbirds. “Each of the scarves is associated with some place,” Mittal said, referencing London as she pulled out a scarf featuring English roses. “London is famous for its roses … In India growing up, I loved roses. The best rose that people would say is the English rose.” Mittal has two collections featured on her online shop, each using six paintings, and she is beginning to collaborate with other artists to have their paintings featured through Alora, which is
See MITTAL, Page 22
United Soccer League plans stadium for women’s matches Residents, city officials By AMBER PERRY amber@appenmedia.com ROSWELL, Ga. — United Soccer League Deputy CEO Justin Papadakis says a key aspect of his organization’s plan with Roswell is to advance women’s soccer. Papadakis, a Roswell native, was joined by Roswell Mayor Kurt Wilson and others in a press briefing March 26, the day after councilmembers approved the league’s letter of intent to partner with
the city for an anticipated stadium and entertainment district. If negotiations go well, the stadium will house a USL Super League professional women’s team and a USL Championship professional men’s team. The organization would also serve as the “anchor tenant” of the stadium and have the right of first refusal to serve as the stadium operator/manager. “There’s been so much investment in men’s sports across the country, and
definitely in Georgia and Atlanta, and so to have a stadium that provides an equal platform for the women, just showcase and have a first-class fan experience, is critical,” Papadakis said. There’s a “strong path” in Roswell to have the largest women-anchored stadium and entertainment district in the world, he said, and the decision to select Roswell for the project in part
honor Vietnam veterans ► PAGE 4
North Fulton cities again weigh options to tag team elections ► PAGE 5
See STADIUM, Page 24
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