Monday, December 31, 2012

Happy New Year!

(my great grandmother in 1904. I've written about her before here)

Sunday, December 30, 2012

working, working ...

(my children's book)

Thursday, December 27, 2012

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Monday, December 24, 2012

Merry Christmas!


Thursday, December 20, 2012

work in progress; children's book



I actually decided to go for another script than originally intended (that other project needs more time, and will be saved for later) - and made it easier for myself that way. Hard is not always best

(if anyone wonders; I didn't get any heavenly revelation for my public commission the other day ... but it might still come)

Sunday, December 16, 2012

three parallel creative projects

I thought I would now just concentrate on two things - my children's book and my upcoming exhibition - but NO. I've now been asked to sketch for a public commission - which I'm very happy about  - YES! With deadline in the end of January (ooops!)

It will be a true challenge for me to concentrate on three parallel creative projects. I'm trying to imagine that I'm entering specific rooms for each project and then closing out the other two. I feel I need three months to finish all of them, but have just like one and a half (and I can't skip Christmas) - so I have to be super effective and plan the time really well ... and pray for help from above with an instant superb idea for that public commission when I visit the premises on Tuesday.

So until all is done this blog will just be images of work in progress without much text...

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

continuing: process leading to light signs

So - I had decided I should try to recreate that wrapping, framing, golden effect - but in a more solid way. After some thoughts I decided glass should be the material - I had the knowledge (i e some knowledge) and the access to kilns at the Artists' Collective Workshops.
First I ran a test with small pieces of glass that I already had - and I managed to get perfect curves (how the kiln is programmed to achieve the result you are after). YES! Ok, a little bubble, but that was ok. And the wrinkles I tried to achieve got a little bit too obvious. But - just a test!
Spray painted in gold - got very excited about how it looked. So nice and shiny!
tried it with a photo of Heidi Klum
... and then I tried it out with some cut out faces I already had. 
I was very happy about it!

... and then it was time for a one month Christmas break in Colombia ... and another month of administration and course preparation. ..and ... but in March this year I continued the tests

... to be continued ...

Monday, December 10, 2012

retake; process leading to light signs


So here we go again - back to my account of the long process that started more than a year ago (read first part of the process and second part):
November 2011 
As I mentioned before I decided to keep the transparent plastic as a mask - instead of a paper one originally intended - as static electricity kept it in place.
When I spray painted I then got this unexpected effect - the plastic curled and created like a frame!  
I liked this a lot; it became more iconic, but at the same time kind of trashy
fake, plastic, baroque
I had to take the plastic away though. (In this room and with that light it was still ok, but not as good as with the plastic on)
Back in the studio - boring.
boring
boring
boring

- Maybe I should try to recreate that wrapping, that plastic golden frame, following the shapes? Maybe I should go for more instead of less? I had started to paint watercolour on canvas to get away from the frame and the "picture on the wall"-feeling - but maybe the solution should be not to have the frame as a necessity, but to use it as a central part of the art piece - to make a statement with it? To use it to support what I was trying to say with the painting?

- But how could I recreate it in a lasting way?
(this was still november 2012)

Wednesday, December 05, 2012

I'm still around ...


November blogging was all time low for me - only comparable to vacation month July - but I can assure you I haven't been on vacation ... It's been Pecha Kucha presentation, cultural entrepreneur seminar, completing my art book, two screen printing workshops (long weekends), guest teaching screen printing a week in Lidköping, writing children's book scripts and sketching characters,  attending lectures and workshops in children's books - and working on my art... Probably something more I've done too, that I can't remember right now. 

But December should "only" be dedicated to illustrating my children's book (script ready!) and working with my art/preparing for my upcoming exhibition (opening February 9) at Galleri Jeanette Ölund in Borås. So book that date and spread the word - it will be my best exhibition ever and I want the opening to be super crowded!