planning land art workshop

Last week, when we still had some snow, I visited a little piece of nature close to a preschool.  I'll be giving a series of land art workshops there in April - but now it was hard to imagine what it will look like in spring. Last year's workshops looked like this (but that was in another location and with another preschool).

April will be full time out doors for me as I will give another series of workshops - like this one - to four more preschools. All-in-all 15 full days (+ preparations and test). I might have to get new rain clothes!

land art workshop 4

last workshop yesterday with the preschool

land art workshop 3

last week we returned to the special place we had constructed and found it filled with white magnolia petals! Just next to it was a nest with clay eggs. The children got the task to build a field of "alien flowers" (that's what the children called them, alien flowers). 

The day was dark and I feared it would rain, but it didn't. In the end the sun appeared above the trees and almost reached the alien flowers.

land art workshop 2

the second workshop with preschool children in the forest the other week. We constructed a half circled special place. The following week we returned to this spot - but more about that in my next post!

very much spring

I've been a bit absent from the blog as spring came with an incredible intensity and distracted me - here are some glimpses from how spring entered my working days.

my son spent a whole day with me trying out some land art ideas for some workshops with preschool children - and enjoyed all the spring flowers.

I exposed a wood anemone directly on the screen printing frame and printed it in 3 colours in one go - as a demonstration print for my students at a weekend course in screen printing

Preschool children full of spring energy at my second workshop in the forest (last week).

land art workshop 1

I'm doing a series of out door workshops with preschool children, this time it's about land art. This is what we did today ...

the series of workshops I did last year  >>

soon workshops in the forrest again

The other day - a very rainy day - I went out in the forrest to try out some land art ideas for a series of workshops with preschool children (age 5). But I came to the conclusion - especially after meeting the children - that I couldn't be this subtle if I want to reach all of them...

It has to be something totally new for them - surprising and magic - or I won't get them interested. The pedagogues at preschools here in Sweden are excellent and often use nature as a tool - so I have to be really creative in order to give the children a new experience.

2 x Swedish forrest

Nina Bondeson is right now exhibiting at Galleri 1. An exhibition well worth visiting!

The day before yesterday - before we got some snow - I visited a forrest where I'll make a workshop in spring with a preschool on the theme sculpture and nature. I'm planning something that is part installation, part land art, part fairy tale. It will be something like the visual play workshops I did last year. Same same but different.

my screen printing workshops this spring

The new year has started and what could be better than to learn something new?

KKV (collective artists' workshops) has now published the new KKV Göteborg course program at their website (only in Swedish). Many great courses to sign up for!  I will be teaching two workshops  one in March and one in April.

photos from my students' exhibition

by Frida Åström

by Anna Littorin

by Ellinor Eliasson Some photos from the exhibition "Grupptryck" presenting results from the summer course I've been teaching. I've had so hardworking and talented students. It was a pleasure to work with you!  want to see more from the course? Check out the course-blogg!

screen printing course and busy days

print by Lizz Sharr in the making

print on fabric by Karin Persson hanging to dry Friday was the last day of the screen printing course in big format that I've been teaching. We finished off with a two hour exhibition at Friday night. Unfortunately I've been too busy to be able to let you in on this in time - as I also had to finish some things for both my commissioned art piece and send some important applications last week.  But tomorrow I'll post some photos from my very talented students' exhibition!

Outside Inside

biking home from KKV one day: total contrasts. Sunny and dark clouds

full action in the screen printing workshops At KKV all these days teaching the summer course in big format screen printing.

teaching the summer course again

The summer course in big format screen printing began it's second printing period this week. I so enjoy seeing what my students are coming up with and how they start mastering the technique - but I sure am wasted after these long days ...  Friday next week they'll exhibit their work. I'll be back with more info about it later

Part One, big format screen print

Today my students had their last day printing in the first part of the summer course. They made a long print together (approx 12 meters) and they made test prints on different materials and tried different ways of working. Basically this first part was about learning how to use the workshops, what's specific with big format printing, different approaches to preparing originals and how it is to print on different materials ... In August they will have their long printing period - and I'm looking forward to seeing what they will come up with! I blog less these days - but on Instagram you can see what I am up to almost daily.

big format screen printing

For the third year in a row I'm teaching the summer course Big Format screen printing for HDK in collaboration with KKV. Today was our second day printing at KKV and my students are already getting into the flow! I'm really enjoying teaching this course, but the first days are really exhausting for me; I need to be everywhere and notice everything. (And then it was my birthday today)

bottled music

On our fourth and last workshops (last week) we visited the little princesse's house again. By now the children knew how the the story went in the tiny book - or at least the start. What came after was different every time. Or as a girl said " we went on a new adventure"

This time we were led to glittering bottles in a tree

and filled them with water and magic drops that gave colour and ...

that extra beautiful sound when we made music on them ...

This was my last workshop with the preschool. It's the first time I make a series of workshops like this - so site specific and focused on experience - and I've been enjoying every second! And I'm happy to tell that I get to make a suggestion for a public art piece for this preschool's new premises (it's being constructed right now)! I've now got six weeks to come up with something.