New work

new aluminum laughters

the summerhouse, Danielsgården in Bingsjö

In the summerhouse, the smaller house at Danielsgården, Winter Carl Hansson painted Dalecarlian wallpaintings in 1799 and 1801. This version of the stairs of the ages is his most famous painting.  Winter Carl Hansson was one of the most renowned Dalecarlian painters. Around 1850 they put wallpapers on top of the wallpaintings (which were no longer fashionable), something that helped keeping the wallpaintings more or less intact. Later Carl Larsson came here and made some paintings of the interiors where you can see these paintings in the background.    

the Swedish king of that time is guarding the entrance.

Winter Carl Hansson also painted the ceilings

Danielsgården in Bingsjö, Dalarna

Me and my family just got back from a two weeks stay in Danielsgården - a historical farmhouse with famous Dalecarlian paintings. Danielsgården is located in the village Bingsjö in Dalarna and the nature is breathtaking. Artists of different kinds can apply for a summer stay with their families - read more here -  I highly recommend it!

more about the Dalecarlian paintings coming up ...

ready

white floor makes it different

Now when all the work in the metal workshop is finished I brought the laughters to my studio - to paint them and take photos. They look so different on my white (ok, whitish) floor. At KKV they were inverted.

and some everyday working days again

This week I'm finishing those last details on the faces, then I'll go on vacation again! 

Vacation in Southern France

I've been having some time off with my family spending a little more than two weeks on the French Riviera. More photos on Instagram. Now I'm back working a bit for two weeks. 

flowers and hares

another test print from last week. The hares are from the Children's Book I made as part of the commission with the portal.

my experiments with textile printing

screen printing exchange

Sanna taking a look at her frame

Sanna's print on the plastic sheet for fitting the print

my fabric prints in the textile departement at KKV

This last week I've spent some great days at KKV having an exchange with Sanna Dahlman (she's made some really great designs for IKEA - you probably have some of them at home); I've been learning about textile print (my blind spot when it comes to screen printing) and I'm teaching her screen printing on paper. We have two more days to go next week when I'll mostly assist her when printing on paper.

I've had so much fun these days - thanks Sanna!

June is also good

Last day of May

May has been the month when I finally felt I found the joy in my art again. I had some occasional glimpses of it January-April, but really just occasional (though I tried to focus on those moments). It's been a despairing struggle mostly - I can admit that now when it is over. I felt art was pointless ... it was like I had lost what I had alway believed in. 

My interest in laughters has now turned more towards the ephemeral. (That's also why I'm interested in balloons. ) 

she can take some shit

from ink to aluminum

Yesterday I picked up some water cut aluminum pieces at Ferromekano and took them to KKV (for further work, later on). I made the original sketches already in March for having it cut in aluminum, but it took me some time to get it done. I was actually hoping to be able to cut it at KKV at our brand new laser cutter (which is to get an adapter to cut in metal), but everything has been so much delayed with that machine - and I couldn't keep postponing making these art pieces.

Anyway I'm very excited about the laser cutter at KKV and have even made a "Laser Cut Pinterest Board"

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).