the workshop

the text says: "she could do more things than just sleep"

some of the images they made today at my workshop... (I'm feeling so much worse today; fever, pain in my whole body, almost lost my voice etc. Better turn off the computer and go to bed. And - Yes, I'm feeling sorry for myself!)

preparing workshop

Tomorrow I will give a workshop at Mimers Hus where I'm having my present exhibition. It's going to be about stereotypes and the unexpected. The kids (16-17 years old) will get the task to remake male Superheroes and Disney Princesses based on imagery from fashion magazines, lifestyle magazines and the sports pages. We are going to turn it around; the male characters are going to try the female poses and situations - and vice versa. Or it could just be everyday situations that you are not expecting to see them in (has to be unexpected though - Snow White shouldn't set the table!). And it's going to be cut outs and they will be allowed to traces the figures from the magazines (it's about ideas, not technical skills)

I've prepared some example of how to you can think (above): two superheroes having dinner and Batman posing after an add for perfume. The female examples we'll see in my exhibition.

I'm still a bit feverish, snotty and with a very soar throat ... but being self employed means I'll have to work anyway. Good thing it's going to be fun!

super duper

I'm nowadays one of the writers at KRO (the Swedish Artists' National Organisation) West's blog for Equality within the Arts: Aktivering. Today you can read (in Swedish) an interview with Nina Bondeson.

Super Mouse

I have a bit too much to do this week and next week - and will therefore be less verbal in my posts, but I will be here visually ...

Footprint International Print Competition 2010

10 meters to start

to start my intense painting period I decided to use my role of 10 meter rice paper: just go crazy, no rules, no need to accomplish anything. And be really fast doing it.

What's good painting on rice paper is that it is harder to overwork (it will brake) and that the colour is bleeding like crazy (less control). And as I only use watercolour and Indian ink I can role the paintings (easier to store!) I've been home with sick kid today and yesterday, but have anyway only one meter left to paint! Ok - I said no rules - but I put a theme: superheroes and super-villains (for my exhibition in November).

solving storage problems

So - I have this storing problem in my studio with my big paintings on paper. Determined to solve the problem I went to talk to the carpenter who is my landlord (he has his workshop just next to my studio) and asked if he could help me buying this big mdf board - as he's got a truck. "how big do you want?" he asked "3 x 4 meters (118 x 157 inches)?" I was tempted, but settled for 1,22 x 2,44 m (48 x 96 inches).


Two days later I got the board - and mounted even bigger paper on it! I don't know why; I just got nuts and instead of solving the problem I increased it. Luckily I restrained myself and didn't ask for the biggest size of board...

but eventually I will have to solve this problem - or maybe I should just do as Aimee suggested: store my paintings on gallery walls!

she didn't make it

... to the exhibit. She's also a Clark Kent.

I'm just soooo tired right now. Sofa here I come!

after the opening

Thank you all who came yesterday! It looks like no one came when you see my photos - but it's hard to be the photographer at your own opening. It's easier afterwards (click on images to see bigger). Want to see what I looked like? Camilla took some photos of me.

radio interview

For you who live in the area of Gothenburg: tomorrow Friday the student radio K103 (103,1 MHz) will interview me at 14:30 about my exhibit.

2 x Clark Kent

superhero t-shirt

Like always when you have a bright idea that probably won't generate any money it turns out to take much more time than anticipated. The screenprinting frame for the superhero t-shirt is finally ready and I bought the t-shirt! I'll try to print it in the weekend.

I would have loved to see Patrik Andiné's exhibit at Alingsås Konsthall

superhero material?

I'm looking through my sketches to find some with superhero potential. I need a new lady for the t-shirt. Could this be her?

masked and with cape

enamel triptych Masked

enamel triptych with Cape

I finished these two triptychs last week (both Zorros on the left were the final additions). I would have loved to go and see the exhibit Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy at Metropolitan.

2008 is the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue and the European Commission therefore launches the competition Cultures on my street.

the incredible hulk

I watched the The Incredible Hulk TV-series in the early 80's.

Zorro

I could not resist - of course - to work a bit on my own art these days in Lidköping. I did a bit of drawing at night and printed at my lunch break just using paper stencils and open screenframe - the simplest ways of working with screenprinting. I liked the limitations; I had to work with cutout silhouettes instead of lines. But somehow the lines got even more important.

preparing for screenprinting

I'll do some screenprinting at KKV the rest of the week. This Valkyrie is a sketch for the print I'll work on. I have sketched on a Darth Vader as well, but I haven't really gotten what I wanted there - yet. So I'll better wait with that one. Besides - part of the screen session is to prepare for some classes I'll give in screenprinting on paper later in April. So I need to run some tests (and not try to print too many prints).

The Valkyrie is to be part of my Superheroes (Darth Vader too!).

censorship?

On Saturday the group exhibit Censorship will open at Grafik i Väst. Censorship has before mostly been about sex (which still upset people very much), but has lately been discussed mostly in relation to Islam. In that context it's not just about embarrassing some people - but about risking political relations - and Fatwa
My contribution for the exhibit has that in mind, but is also a cloaked figure just like my superheroes (females). Saturday is International Women's Day!

Art Talk with Makan Emadi about Emadi's veiled pinups (interesting idea, but not very good art in my opinion) at myartspace. Manfred Kielnhofer's time guardians (at Art Moco) show another aspect of cloaked figures, but these don't seem feminine.

another one

Superheroes are stereotypes. And superheroes are in their original form male. And they disguise themselves not to show who they really are. But what if they were women? I continue with my "colouring" (i.e. filling) - in this close up I hope the subtle details are visible.

Eric Magassa has a brand new fantastic website since last week. Not only is he a good artist and illustrator - but the website itself is splendid. My man made it for Eric!

naked/dressed

I'm continuing to work on my screen printed superheroes as I planned. I colour them (or as I call it in Swedish "fylleri-övningar" - hard to translate) playing with how different you can make them look. Naked/dressed is something Vanessa Beecroft works with in her installation as many know. But she has also made some really sensitive paintings (looks like watercolours to me?) that I didn't know about before (so check the link!).

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.