painted sticks

almost all set for the workshop on Tuesday!

Wall painting project with school-kids again

Yesterday was the last day of a wall painting project I've been leading at a school in Alingsås; giving the school toilets that special touch ... Above are some of the results. One of these paintings was made by the math teacher (who was also present at class as my support) - can you guess which one? my last similar project was two years ago (last year I concentrated on my own art making)

collecting sticks

Next week I'll start a series of outdoor workshops with children at a preschool (age 1-3 and 3-5).  I haven't seen the spot where we'll be yet - I'm planning to make it mostly site specific.  So far I have the ideas of sticks and threads, roads/passages and dwellings which can be adapted to most spaces. Tomorrow I have to get up very early to catch a train to Alingsås for the last day of another pedagogic project; a wallpainting project with teenagers. We've finally reached the part when we will do the actual painting!

preparing visual play

Today I went to the forrest to get some ideas and gather material for a workshop in visual play. More photos tomorrow ...

I will be thankful later

For what feels like uncountable days I've been cleaning, arranging, sorting, cutting old paintings into pieces, throwing stuff away etc. The amount of stuff I've collected! I'm keeping the old self portrait though (it must be more than 15 years old). I laughed when I realized I still use those working paints, but now for screen printing ... By Friday I should have arranged it all in my studio ...

my new studio; arranging it all

I'm going through everything I have and I plan thoroughly where everything should be - this time I'm going for a system that will work! (I need systems or I'm a total mess)  ... and I'm so happy about my sliding doors. I let them slide left and right - and everything goes so smoothly. Just some more white paint and they will be perfect!

photos from the opening (children's book exhibition)

cutting of the ribbon to inaugurate the exhibition

me reading (photo Angelica Olsson)

Reading my own book (photo Angelica Olsson)

children's books exhibit!

Saturday 16 March at 11:00 Bokskåpet Värmlandsgatan 20 / Tredje Långgatan 29, Göteborg Welcome!

(Me and my fellow students at the HDK course "Illustrated Children's Books" will exhibit spreads from our books and dummies. The exhibit will last until March 29)

spring and screen printing

This week we've had an amazing light and you can smell spring - even though it's still a bit cold. I'm teaching screen printing all week at a course in how to make art for public spaces/how to get public commissions at KKV. 

you still have a week left to apply for my summer course at HDK in big format screen printing >>

bye bye old studio

Time for new adventures for both of us.

Exhibition coming up: children's books

my son wanted to take part when I was taking photos of my paper cuts for my book  "Allra Bästaste vänner". I've been working far too much lately so he's been pissed off: "you love working first, then me"

In two weeks (counting from Saturday) I will participate in an exhibition of children's books at Bokskåpet. I'm exhibiting together with my talented fellow students from HDK (that excellent course I followed last semester). Not only will we exhibit spreads from our books, some of us will also read from our books.

Here you can read all about it and see an image compilation (click on "Bildspel visa" in the upper right corner)

moving to my new studio

new studio

.... versus old studio The moving is fairly easy - I'm moving to a new studio in the same building on the same floor. I've been having my studio here for 3,5 years, worked here for 6 separate exhibitions - and it was simply getting too small. ... but the big question is; will my new studio still seem big after all my stuff gets in there?

Time to apply for my summer course in screen printing at HDK!

Summer will be here faster than you might think ... - You can already now apply for the course in screen printing big format that I will teach at HDK during June and August! The course is in collaboration with KKV (artists' collective workshops) where the actual printing will take place.  How to apply >> blog for the course (where you can see what we did the other years) >>

simplified

On demand I've simplified my suggestion for that art piece in the stairs of a school (photo montage above). Let's hope they'll go for this one. And yes, this girl is still working every day! I've been so busy I've not even been active on Instagram ... Tomorrow I'm starting a new creative school project - a wall painting project again. And next week - yes yes yes!!! - I'll start moving into my new studio!

some photos from my exhibition + review

Yesterday there was a review of my exhibition in Borås Tidning. A review that I'm very happy about! ... and just some minor things that weren't really correct - or misunderstandings; I might not have been as clear about things as I thought (?) (what you might wonder? The ex-Beatle Paul MacCartNEy hasn't had any influence on my art - I mentioned though that an art critique had compared how I treated a subject to Paul MacCarthy... And the only one I've consciously glanced at while painting is Bacon. Saville/Freud are good painters though. And - yes, I've put money aside to be able to put together this exhibition as I've worked for it for two years - being an investment that can't pay off until exhibited - but I wouldn't say I've used my savings ... haven't had any savings the last 10 years making a living as an artist. This said - probably just me who cared or noticed. The important thing after all is that I felt this journalist understood my paintings!)

Welcome to my opening tomorrow!

Yesterday we finished hanging my exhibition. Welcome to the opening tomorrow 12:00-16:00 Galleri Jeanette Ölund Österlånggatan 16 Borås If you can not come to the opening, don't worry; you have until the 2nd of March!

how busy should you appear to be?

almost done today with the model for my suggestion for a public art piece for a school (presentation on Friday)

I almost didn't get asked to sketch for this commission as the art consultant thought, when reading my blog in December, that I probably was too busy  ... (She didn't know about my super powers)

transport box

We made three - for the signs

process photos

Sometimes - especially when you need to take breaks to wait for something like paint to dry - you can not help to notice the beauty in the process.

so much more ...

... than just mounting the paintings ; fix with cables, wall montage, plexiglass back side,build transport boxes, paint the covers white, fix extensions and extra florescent light tubes ...

closer and closer

my exhibition is moving closer and closer. I've scheduled 3 days this week and one day next week to finish those last things in my studio. And then in between I try to enter another room in my mind and work on my sketch for the public commission. But I must admit I feel a bit absent minded. Today I couldn't count properly 12 items - I got it to 11 even when recounting! ...  I've updated my website! (Had a *** of a time to get my transparent paintings look ok with the white shiny background you get on the screen). Not all the new work is there yet, but it will have to do for now.

sketching, sketching

... I've been working on this for many days, but sometimes it feels like I'm just moving papers around or cutting them into pieces. This is a tricky one as you won't be able to see the whole art piece from any place. It will be more like you see fragments - so I try to make interesting fragments that you can read as a whole while walking the stairs, coming from a corridor etc. And having some surprises. I enjoy this challenge!

...like having Leonardo da Vinci as your dad

white balanced photo

in reality the colour tones appears differently because of the light conditions

I'm right now working on a suggestion for a public commission; an art piece to be in the stairs of a school (for students age 6-16). Yesterday I went to the school to check how some colours appear on the actual location,  to make some real life size tests (no, the art piece is not going to be in brown paper ...) and to double check some measurements.  I got some helpers (age around 7-8)  who turned up every break to assist me - and ask questions. Today I realized that some of the measurements were really weird ... but it doesn't matter; as one boy totally made my day: - Wow - you are an ARTIST! Having you as mum is like having Leonardo da Vinci as your dad! WOW! That is so cool! Do you also construct and invent things? here I was so tempted to totally lie, but said:  - I can also build some things, yes - You are very lucky to not be living in France because there girls are not allowed to be artists at all! At least not 2 years ago. ????  - I didn't know that, I said this also made me smile: Famous paintings improved by Cats .... I'm so cool ....

soon moving to a bigger studio

In the end of February I'm moving to a bigger studio - almost twice the size of what I have now! The studio is being constructed right now and I've also asked for having a special storage built. I will use one of the walls just for storage, but in order not to "loose" a wall I've asked to have sliding doors (actually sliding walls) at 1 meter's distance from the wall and behind that I will hide everything that might distract me. (I don't know if I managed to explain that properly ...anyway it's the wall on the right in the top photo) I'm super excited about my new studio and lay at night dreaming how great it will be with that storage and how nice my new studio will be ...

children's book - check!

we all made small folded fanzines as business cards - and gifts Yesterday I presented my children's book for my class mates and several publishing houses. I got excellent feedback, but as I had expected I was also told it is not an easy story (too dangerous). Both Friday and Thursday were nothing but presentations (all together 16). Everyone had made so great books and it was such a pleasure to see the final results! I would be surprised if not several will end up being published... This has been the best course I have ever taken and I have learned so much. It's been several years since I studied at university level and now I really think I should take some more independent courses (though I can't expect them to be as great as this one!) But right now I have to clean my mind and concentrate on writing a short text for my up-comig exhibition.

exhibition countdown; one month left

Right now I'm finishing those last things - and taking photos of new smaller works

sketches

for the storyboard for my children's book