art in windows

Anna Eggert's glass art in a window at KKV (artist run collective workshops)

Emma Ströde's bronze sculptures on the windowsill in her studio

...and Lotta Söder's glass objects in her studio next door to Emma Yesterday I managed a quick look in some artist studios during Majornas Konstrunda (open studios and workshops). It's always interesting to get to see other artist's studio - but in the context of "Open Studio" the studios have always become more like showrooms. Art is on display and all the mess is gone. And the artists hope to make a sell. (Still nice to see the studios, but the creative ambience is not present. There are no visible works in progress) I've been thinking a lot about studio practice this spring. About what it means to me, about creativity and pushing boundaries. About my kind of everyday life and what makes us artists go on. I've just started reading (and looking in) a very promising book about artists and their studios - I will review it here, soon. Where they create - a visual documentation of artists' and other creatives' (work) environment by Paul Barbera. (not the book I'm reading)

new wish: tuft my own rug

Today when I was at KKV (artist-run collective workshops) preparing for my course I bumped into Emma Ströde who was finishing up a commissioned rug. She learned tufting through an exchange; casting bronz sculpture for a lesson in tufting. The small rugs she made of left over yarn - they look like cakes, don't they?

more KKV: casted sculptures

At KKV you will always find art pieces under construction - or just placed there for storing or display. The abandoned concrete lady on the electrical cupboard turned out to be a russian modell that Emma Ströde sculptured some years ago. The leg broke and Emma didn't consider the sculpture worth repairing. I didn't recognise it to be a work by Emma - the little fairy tale animals in bronze are much more like what I know by her.  Emma is one of the responsible for the bronze casting workshop at KKV - here you can see her in action. Last year I lent her some material for making an enamel and in return she gave me a piece of wax to make a wax model so she would cast me a little bronze figure. I've been looking at this piece of wax for a year now ...  I've set end of May 2011 as my deadline for making something out of it ...