enamel: day 4

I finished with the enamels today. I made what I should and even more and better then I had hoped. But I've had enough of enamel for now (working all days - and all nights dreaming that I work with it). So I'm not showing any photos of them. I'm planning to make space for them on my website - and then I'll put the link here. Or if I feel extra happy with them next week I might post another photo - we'll see.

Christmas is getting closer. People at KKV are making things to sell for that very special occasion - Sara Enqvist has been making bags all week. They looked very nice hanging there on a cord (second photo).

Barnaby Barford makes what I would call "ironic ceramics". Kitschy and skillfully made shiny surfaces - combined with critique of our society (a combination I like). By the way - what happened with the climate concern? Christmas is coming and there are thousands and thousands of lights lit everywhere (Göteborg is a Christmas City!).

enamel: day 3

Today I made some radical changes in an enamel. Spray painted over a figure and added something totally different. It goes in a very different direction now (top photo with blue superhero). I like the contrast between the painterly blue and the even cartoon surface. It's about the two different ways you can go in enamel. I'm starting to discover the potential in this - for me - relatively new media.

And - again - what looks nice before being in the oven - becomes something dull. It's because I use these unfamiliar enamel colours that we all can buy a little from. They've been bought for the courses over the years. The oldest are from the 70's...

This week Ditte Johansson has been working next to me at KKV; some big painted and fused glass that will be part of a public commission. The last photo is a close up of one of her screening frames. She put the glass in one oven on Tuesday - and another oven yesterday. I'm very curious to see the result. But she was not to come until tonight to open both ovens. I have to wait till tomorrow. Let's hope she left them there for me to see.

enamel: day 2

Today I've been mostly masking and spray painting the enamel plates. Some turn out really good, others ... I don't know. I'm supposed to experiment a bit though, so of course I get surprise results... I try not to play it safe (it's tempting though!) It's hard to know how the colours will turn out after being in the oven. One red just became light brown!

Mithi gave me a link to print on enamel. Thanks! They are out there - just hard to find.

Right now seems to be the time for open calls to group exhibits. Röda Sten has one here in Göteborg (deadline on Friday. Information in English as well) and Bohusgalleriet in Uddevalla another one.

enamel: day 1

It seems to be dangerous this enamel screening emulsion - not only skulls, but dead trees and fishes.
So - I wear my mask. I sound like Darth Vader when I breathe.
Enamel plates fresh out from the oven at KKV. I keep working on my superheroes. David Chien has made some nice superhero alter ego sculptures.

I look and I look for some good art made out of enamel ... but I find non. Maybe they are not to be found on Internet?

tree shadow

This time of the year the light (i.e. sun) is either more or less absent - or creates fantastic shadows (the sun lingers close to the horizon all day - too lazy to get higher up). This morning I noticed these tree shadows.

I didn't continue to "round II" for the preschool art piece (public commission) - they didn't like my tree suggestion. I thought it was a really nice idea, my idea .... but on the other hand I don't know what fantastic ideas the other 42 artists presented. I get a lots of NO these days - scholarship applications, exhibits etc. Most of the time I just shake it off, but today I'm feeling low. Tired. Been working too much. I keep telling myself that soon soon I'll get less things to do and I might take a day off in the middle of the week. A day just for me. But I never seem to get less things to do...

Tomorrow I start to work with my enamels. Today I prepared for it at KKV. No more excuses.

student exhibit

Tomorrow some of my watercolour students show their work at Viktoriagatan 23 at 12:00-16:00. We hanged the exhibit today - it took some time. But we were pleased with the result.

soon over

Tomorrow I'll give my last class for this year. So - soon it's over. Not that I don't like teaching - I do. But I haven't really had the time to work on my own art as much as I would like to. But soon soon I will be just my own again...and paint long hours in my studio.

Everyone's on Facebook nowadays - even me. Kicki Fjell, who I used to know 15 years ago found me that way just a few days ago. She used to design the clothe brand Dedicated Followers of Fashion, but works nowadays as an illustrator - you can see what she does at Ammo.

material - or method

I'm always looking for interesting materials to make art in, or methods for making art. Through Mikroponent you can order more or less any shape (for example a rough sketch) etched out in a metal alloy (plate). As they are etching it out - not cutting - they can make very detailed and sharp shapes. The only downside is that it's expensive to just make a few - or many in different shapes. It's like printing ... a starting cost and then cheaper per item the more of the same you order. I've talked to them (asking for prices for an idea I had) - they were very nice and excited when I wanted to make something different (then their normal orders) with their method (like art!).

I've booked the enamel ovens for next week. I'm finally going to work on those enamel plates I bought in the middle of September. I'm going to make this roosters (above) as a material test for the entrances ... and 12 other totally different ones. My own stuff - so to say (not commission!). I've bought a special enamel screening emulsion with skulls all over it. It's poison.

dear deer

It's been a looong and hard week (mostly fun though) and now it's soon 22:00 - friday night. So I should call it a day - and a week (over!). Today I went and picked up my prints (above) from this week. I made more then I need. Any buyers?

being childish

THE GAME: my 2,5 year old son cuts and tears pieces of coloured papers. He hands them to me and I have to glue them to a white paper. Without delay. Then he gives me another one and another one ... and I have to make something out of it (pen being aloud to use if fast). If I have the time I try to shape the pieces by tearing them a bit.

ABOVE: a cooperative artwork of ours - fixed a little bit extra by me.

Erwin Olaf's art is not childish. I like it...

screen: day 2

This two days-screen printing session was actually supposed to be a test printing for the "enamel week" I'm planning in two weeks. But I must admit it became a minor part of my screening. Sure, I printed five roosters with different combinations of street name and number - but that was it. (yes it's still the animal enamels I just keep referring to, but actually never make. Just planning).

Above is a mirrored deer looking more red nosed Rudolf like (photo taken from a strange angle). Printed today. I'm planning to use it as Xmas card - both for selling and giving away. I made another one as well. I'll post "proper" photos of them later.

screen: day 1

Day 1 of two planned screening days at KKV. I'm working on more super heroes (less lonely ones) - planning some additional work with watercolour on some of these.

Camilla Engman was printing with me. Nice company!

It was almost totally dark when we left KKV. Turning to look back at the fort-looking building we spotted the angel. Hard to miss... I assume it's Vladimir Stoces' work.

manga tutorial

Manga is based on human features - by applying simple rules it's possible to change humans into Manga characters. There are some tutorials online - like Manga University - but I miss the link (not internet link!) to real drawing which can help you to develop a more independent character for the Manga cartoon. SO - I'm making my own tutorial - like the step from child to cartoon above. I used to teach portrait drawing. But there is not much demand for that - Manga on the other hand is much more popular.

missing my studio

I have so much to do these days - teaching, running errands, meetings, working on the computer - that I barely find the time to be in my studio. I miss it. I share a bigger space with some other artists. I have the space down in the very end of the room. The best space - and the most chaotic one. I have so much material, art pieces, books and inspiration material - that just by moving one thing I create a mess. It's like the butterfly in the Amazons effecting the weather in Sweden - you don't know what you effect.

A lot of Butterflies.

Sunday: visiting my studio and galleries

Today, Sunday, was a sunny and crisp autumn day. I had invited a group of students (watercolour) to visit my studio and then some galleries. We saw some watercolours in some of the galleries, but I liked Lars Åsling's (not watercolour) exhibit in Galleri Olsson & Uddenberg best. Made me smile. The artist himself (last photo, middle pair of shoes) was there and talked a bit about his art, which we appreciated.

rewarding myself

Yesterday I bought myself this big watercolour set. I've had my eyes on it for some time now and had promised myself to get it as a reward if my exhibit went ok. I sold most of my watercolour/acrylics - so the reward makes sense. I had actually not been very fond of watercolours other then for sketches when on journeys - until I started teaching it last autumn. I had - of course - to give it a chance again. I made some small portraits I didn't mind (as I'm not into lanscapes and such) and reminded myself that I really appreciate Lars Lerin (I don't find a website - maybe he has none?).

BUT: the turning point came when I saw Joachim Carlsson's exhibit "Rak Regnbåge"at Galleri Thomassen in April. Big, mixed media, playful.

Just a month later I started making my own mixed media watercolours. Thanks Joachim!