Summing up 2014; part 2

2014 was also the year when I learned many new techniques/materials; welding and metal construction, textil printing, hand tufting rugs and laser cutting. I find it very good to try new materials when I feel stuck with my art, but that was not the only reason I learned these things.

summing up 2014: part 1

It's almost the middle of January 2015 already, but in order to properly be able to start the new year I have to leave the old one behind - and what better way to do that than summing it up?

2014 started out as a very hard year for me with my own art. I had saved up some money (through commissions/teaching art) and had the time for concentrated work in my studio ... but everything felt utterly pointless. I was even considering giving up art, something I can admit now when it has passed. It wasn't until the middle of May that I really felt creative happiness and purpose again. I had decided to stop painting - which was very traumatic for me as I've always considered myself to be first of all a painter - and started concentrating on the process of drawing and erasing. Still working with laughter, but focusing more on the ephemeral part of it.

I then continued to work with the creative process and the making of art itself - as something that make up an important part of the art piece - with post-its. It felt great - I was getting so much into my work again. I finished the year by screen printing a series of post-it laughters. 

I'm still in that good place and looking forward to continue my work. 

summing up 2011

Now when I'm back home I fell ready to start the new year!
But what is starting afresh without summing up 2011?

separate exhibition in Lysekil Konsthall

... and separate exhibition in Nemeshallen

I worked on a mural project together with schoolchildren. See the results here and here in addition to my normal screen printing workshops for artists and my guest teaching for pattern design students I taught a summer course in big format screen printing and it's spatial possibilities at the School of Design and Crafts, (Here you can see the results in the exhibition)

I worked hard in spring on my public commission (in form cut aluminum) In August I mounted it. The schoolchildren named the 7,5 x 22 m art piece "Snow white talks to the Phantom while Batman is disturbing and the Wolf is howling" In May I spent a week painting in the Watercolour Museum's guest studio and got some peace and quite. In August I went to Gerlesborg and spent a week taking a concrete casting course in 2011 I managed to get more studio time just working on my own art than any other year! [wonder what I achieved in 2010? -  read summing up 2010]