I'm home

Happy New Year!

"Fame and Success"

I have a new scanner. I haven't had one for some time now - and now it's so nice to be able to scan my smaller art pieces. Photos didn't do them justice and I had a hard time getting even light on them.

New Years Resolutions?

1. I will kill more dragons (which to me is to do things I'm afraid of. Things I avoid to do because I'm comfortable, or because I risk to embarrass myself).
2. I will continue to collect nice people (ignore the unpleasant ones).
3. I'll be better with my paperwork.
4. I'll listen more and talk less;)

eagle fight

As it's after Christmas I can reveal one of the gifts. This is a t-shirt with eagles printed on it - eagles fighting. But I never got enough time to make something for my son's trains... maybe something for his birthday instead?

Merry Christmas!

I'm (of course) taking some days off for Christmas. And then some days off to recover a bit from a busy autumn. But I might be back already the days before New Year. You never know.

And - crossing fingers helped. I'm going to make the animal enamels in the beginning of next year - with the text under the images.

everlasting enamel story

It's late - almost 23:00 - and I'm still working. Tomorrow I'll meet these people about the enamels for the 11 entrances. Originally it was supposed to be 11 art pieces giving identity to each entrance. Then they wanted to have the number - and then the street name - on the enamel (BIG!). And the names of the animals. I've been trying to convince them to have it on a separate enamel - but I'm not getting through to them. So now I'm trying very hard to get them to understand that having it UNDER is the way to go. Above (which they want) is like putting a lid on it, to take away the importance from the animals, to make it even more into a street sign with an illustration on it - not an art piece. Besides - I'm an artist not a graphic designer. I want to work with the picture - not the letters... (size of enamels will be approx 35x40 cm)

Cross your fingers and think "under", "under", "under"...

Christmas Smörgåsbord at KKV

Darkness, massive darkness. And there it was, at the façade of KKV, Vladimir's angel. Angels must also have been involved in the preparing of the (for members) free "julbord" (Christmas Smörgåsbord). Delicious!

I just came back home from KKV (and the "julbord"). I've not been there lately as much as I used to be. I was on the board for five years responsible for the printing workshop; also functioning first as the secretary then as the vice president. But I "resigned" last spring. KKV is an amazing place with workshops for printing (copper graphics, screen, lithography), textile, bronze, carpentry, metal, ceramics, enamels and glass. And it's not expensive to be a member.

enamel montage

I'm fixing with the montage of the enamels (made in November). These are 20x15 cm. I mount a little piece of wood on the back (where I also hang them) to get them to magically float at a distance from the wall. I made several small ones like these. They are supposed to be together.

I'm planning a new website for my art - so I'm looking around for good (and bad) examples. I also come along a lot of art - like Barnaby Whitfield . I both like and dislike his art.

last Christmas

Last Christmas, I gave you my heart But the very next day, You gave it away. This year, to save me from tears I'll give it to someone special ...

No seriously: Last Christmas I made this little stove (hight approx 40-50 cm) for my son. It looks like our own (real) stove. This year I want to make something as well. But what? I'm soon running out of time. Maybe something for his little trains? We'll see. Anyhow - this week I'm a bit busy with Christmas preparations - I don't know if I'll have time to paint...

wrapping

We started to wrap Christmas gifts last weekend. We alway have so fun making them look different and appealing. It actually feels like a pity to open them - and destroy them - later.

flow

I've had a day of total flow in the studio. I finally finished this big (ca 90x60 cm) watercolour/acrylic and started a new one that feels very promising. Alice in Wonderland - one of the influences for this painting - pops up now and then in my art. Sometimes the reference might just be a bunny. Normally I'm more influenced by the story then the illustrations - but this time I had Sir John Tenniel's original illustrations in the back of my head when painting.

Maria Heed's prints has also something "Wonderlandish"over them. Unfortunately she's not showing that many of them on her website. I share drawer with her at Grafik i Väst - an artist run gallery and bank of prints (is that the way to express it?). Every member has a portfolio of prints that you can come and have a look at. Anyway - me and Maria Heed are sharing drawer so of course I check out her prints at a regularly basis.

light in darkness

Sancta Lucia today. I'm always Lucia to my family no matter what. When my father was still alive I used to bike across town in the darkness to surprise him with Lucia bread waking him up with my song (though singing is not one of my talents!). Today I surprised someone else. We need light and nice traditions at this dark time of the year.

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!).

the Painting Police

Last night I held a workshop painting with the Police in their car repair garage. They totally let go, had very fun - and also achieved to create some fun art pieces to hang in their corridors. Compared with the it-consultants (workshop in October together with Eric Magassa) they let go easier and faster - and they were better at collaborating than the children in the preschool (earlier the same day).

"Art Breaks" (konstpauser i julruschen) are opening tonight in Göteborg. 10 artists are displaying art in shopping windows. Bibbi Forsman writes more about it on her blog. Bibbi is also part of the exhibit starting tomorrow at KC Väst (an artist organization, also running a gallery. I'm a member.) . The exhibit features KC's new members - Lisa Gustavsson who shares studio with me is one of them as well! I'll try to be there tomorrow, I promise.

green gremlin

Today I had two workshops. The first one was with my son and three other children at his preschool. The theme was the colour green. The other little children (aged 2-3 year) listened to me and kind of followed instructions. My son was a gremlin, a green one: didn't listen, hit, screamed and pushed the others. He couldn't take to share me... After painting green we cut some silhouettes and glued them on the green and turned it into something.

My second workshop was with the Police, at night. Different than with the children of course! But more about that later, after they have agreed that I post some photos...

visiting architects: seeing art

Last night Klas Parknäs was showing his paintings at NRF (Nordstrand Frisenstam Rung) Architects. Pernilla Nordstrand - one of the architects - used to share studio with me more then ten years ago. Back then I also used to know Klas. I'm lousy at networking (and staying in touch with friends!) - I need to change that ... so I'll try to keep in touch this time. Besides, they are really nice people!

My art classes spring -08

Next year - 2008 - I'll be teaching the following classes at Medborgarskolan, Göteborg.

• Watercolour Wed 10:00-12.15 (ten times)
• Watercolour advanced level Wed 17:30-19.45 (ten times)
• Oil painting Thu 13:30-16:30 (five times)
• Manga Thu 17:00-19:15 (seven times)

All courses start the last week of January.

One of those weeks

This week is turning out to be one of those weeks when I just run around fixing things and preparing. Picking up material here, frames there, my forgotten mobile phone on the other side of town, making photocopies here, buying glue to mount my enamels there...

I'm storing up on my sons abstract paintings (he makes A LOT) planning to use them for my own work - collage! Kirstine Roepstorff (through Saatchi Gallery) makes a different kind of collage.

.. and the glass?

And what about Ditte's glass that I was so curious about? Did I get to see the result yesterday?

Yes, but it was an anticlimax. Ditte wasn't very happy - the screenprinted plants had more or less disappeared when she fused the two glasses together... She has to remake it in a different way.

The glass on the photo is mine - from 2004. I wish I had the time to explore that material more ... maybe later?

enamel: day 4

I finished with the enamels today. I made what I should and even more and better then I had hoped. But I've had enough of enamel for now (working all days - and all nights dreaming that I work with it). So I'm not showing any photos of them. I'm planning to make space for them on my website - and then I'll put the link here. Or if I feel extra happy with them next week I might post another photo - we'll see.

Christmas is getting closer. People at KKV are making things to sell for that very special occasion - Sara Enqvist has been making bags all week. They looked very nice hanging there on a cord (second photo).

Barnaby Barford makes what I would call "ironic ceramics". Kitschy and skillfully made shiny surfaces - combined with critique of our society (a combination I like). By the way - what happened with the climate concern? Christmas is coming and there are thousands and thousands of lights lit everywhere (Göteborg is a Christmas City!).

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.

enamel: day 2

Today I've been mostly masking and spray painting the enamel plates. Some turn out really good, others ... I don't know. I'm supposed to experiment a bit though, so of course I get surprise results... I try not to play it safe (it's tempting though!) It's hard to know how the colours will turn out after being in the oven. One red just became light brown!

Mithi gave me a link to print on enamel. Thanks! They are out there - just hard to find.

Right now seems to be the time for open calls to group exhibits. Röda Sten has one here in Göteborg (deadline on Friday. Information in English as well) and Bohusgalleriet in Uddevalla another one.

enamel: day 1

It seems to be dangerous this enamel screening emulsion - not only skulls, but dead trees and fishes.
So - I wear my mask. I sound like Darth Vader when I breathe.
Enamel plates fresh out from the oven at KKV. I keep working on my superheroes. David Chien has made some nice superhero alter ego sculptures.

I look and I look for some good art made out of enamel ... but I find non. Maybe they are not to be found on Internet?

tree shadow

This time of the year the light (i.e. sun) is either more or less absent - or creates fantastic shadows (the sun lingers close to the horizon all day - too lazy to get higher up). This morning I noticed these tree shadows.

I didn't continue to "round II" for the preschool art piece (public commission) - they didn't like my tree suggestion. I thought it was a really nice idea, my idea .... but on the other hand I don't know what fantastic ideas the other 42 artists presented. I get a lots of NO these days - scholarship applications, exhibits etc. Most of the time I just shake it off, but today I'm feeling low. Tired. Been working too much. I keep telling myself that soon soon I'll get less things to do and I might take a day off in the middle of the week. A day just for me. But I never seem to get less things to do...

Tomorrow I start to work with my enamels. Today I prepared for it at KKV. No more excuses.

student exhibit

Tomorrow some of my watercolour students show their work at Viktoriagatan 23 at 12:00-16:00. We hanged the exhibit today - it took some time. But we were pleased with the result.

soon over

Tomorrow I'll give my last class for this year. So - soon it's over. Not that I don't like teaching - I do. But I haven't really had the time to work on my own art as much as I would like to. But soon soon I will be just my own again...and paint long hours in my studio.

Everyone's on Facebook nowadays - even me. Kicki Fjell, who I used to know 15 years ago found me that way just a few days ago. She used to design the clothe brand Dedicated Followers of Fashion, but works nowadays as an illustrator - you can see what she does at Ammo.

material - or method

I'm always looking for interesting materials to make art in, or methods for making art. Through Mikroponent you can order more or less any shape (for example a rough sketch) etched out in a metal alloy (plate). As they are etching it out - not cutting - they can make very detailed and sharp shapes. The only downside is that it's expensive to just make a few - or many in different shapes. It's like printing ... a starting cost and then cheaper per item the more of the same you order. I've talked to them (asking for prices for an idea I had) - they were very nice and excited when I wanted to make something different (then their normal orders) with their method (like art!).

I've booked the enamel ovens for next week. I'm finally going to work on those enamel plates I bought in the middle of September. I'm going to make this roosters (above) as a material test for the entrances ... and 12 other totally different ones. My own stuff - so to say (not commission!). I've bought a special enamel screening emulsion with skulls all over it. It's poison.

dear deer

It's been a looong and hard week (mostly fun though) and now it's soon 22:00 - friday night. So I should call it a day - and a week (over!). Today I went and picked up my prints (above) from this week. I made more then I need. Any buyers?

being childish

THE GAME: my 2,5 year old son cuts and tears pieces of coloured papers. He hands them to me and I have to glue them to a white paper. Without delay. Then he gives me another one and another one ... and I have to make something out of it (pen being aloud to use if fast). If I have the time I try to shape the pieces by tearing them a bit.

ABOVE: a cooperative artwork of ours - fixed a little bit extra by me.

Erwin Olaf's art is not childish. I like it...

screen: day 2

This two days-screen printing session was actually supposed to be a test printing for the "enamel week" I'm planning in two weeks. But I must admit it became a minor part of my screening. Sure, I printed five roosters with different combinations of street name and number - but that was it. (yes it's still the animal enamels I just keep referring to, but actually never make. Just planning).

Above is a mirrored deer looking more red nosed Rudolf like (photo taken from a strange angle). Printed today. I'm planning to use it as Xmas card - both for selling and giving away. I made another one as well. I'll post "proper" photos of them later.

screen: day 1

Day 1 of two planned screening days at KKV. I'm working on more super heroes (less lonely ones) - planning some additional work with watercolour on some of these.

Camilla Engman was printing with me. Nice company!

It was almost totally dark when we left KKV. Turning to look back at the fort-looking building we spotted the angel. Hard to miss... I assume it's Vladimir Stoces' work.