post party depression

There had been so much anticipation, so many preparations. We had printed small skulls in happy colours on a fabric (tablecloth), made big and small pirate flags, painted stripes and skull on an old t-shirt (my costume), cut out a pirate ship, baked and decorated, planned and looked for pirate things, treasures and golden chocolate coins... and then just three hours - and the party was over...

We just left it there, didn't want to clean up. Feeling empty.

the birthday party

the cake

the decorations

the birthday boy

the map

the treasure

the guests gone - and the sun came

The Birthday Party by Vee Speers. (The site didn't work for me in safari, but in firefox - I don't know why). My favorite is no 8: the boy as a duck with (angel) wings.

say no evil

the painting

Elisabeth had chosen to be an artist, not someone’s wife just making nice watercolour postcards. She fought hard to make a living as a painter, but sold best when she painted flowers and children – as women should. She preferred painting portraits though. One day she was talking to a friend about how hard it is to paint.
Her friend said: It’s not that hard.
Yes, it is! said Elisabeth
No, it’s not!
Make me one then.
I will.

So she painted a little landscape in oil for Elisabeth. Elisabeth was so impressed by the result that she framed the painting.

That painting hanged in our living room when I grew up. And isn’t it a nice little painting? my father always asked after retelling me the story. Elisabeth Tapper was his mother’s sister. She was born in the 1870’s in a wealthy German family. Nowadays the painting made by Elisabeth’s friend hangs in my living room. And I’m just waiting for my son to get old enough to be told the story.

egg, apple

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter from me and my little Chibi Easter Witch!

juggling

Wearing clumsy mittens, juggling on a unicycle on a cord. Shaky.

Sometimes I feel I have too many things going on. Am I going to drop a ball? Here you can learn how to juggle. On ball is easy, two balls: still OK - more balls: HARD! But as I do have balls (even though I'm a girl) - I'll check what I do not NEED to do right now and not do that. Blogging might be getting a little bit less these days!

spring indoors

Spring was very abruptly interrupted by surprise snow yesterday. I had my students paint large watercolours of spring flowers in my studio last night. We want spring!

changing weather

KKV exhibit

This is the invitation (not mine) to an exhibit about KKV at Frölunda Kulturhus. It opens tomorrow the 15 of March.

I've written about KKV before - it's a collective workshop for artists (print on paper, textile, casting, carpentry, metal, ceramics, glass and enamels) - where I work with my copper graphics, screen prints and enamels. I was on the board for five years but quite last year as we try to rotate people to keep it "fresh". The exhibit is about the different workshops at KKV, commissioned art made there - and an exchange project with two other similar collective artists' workshops from the north and middle of Sweden.

fighting to get there

I started this watercolour in January - first steps here - then continued - next steps here. And this is how I finally solved it last week (but I sure had to fight to get there)

After erasing most of the figure rubbing with a sponge - I draw with white wax crayon where I wanted light. Then poured my coffee over her.

Adding Chinese Ink. I liked the way it looked.

But when it had dried the effect had either gotten pail or floated out. Added some read on the lips and the eyes. But I was getting so annoyed by her smug smile and canting look that I smacked her in the face...

... so she got noose blood.
I liked it.

Some of the effect disappeared when it dried, but it still works. Especially with her sister painting next to it. It is to be a triptych. Just one more fight to take.

manga: chibi

Teaching is good. I learn so many new things (or relearn) by doing it and get new ideas and influences in my art. Take the manga; I learn more and more about Japanese culture and art, I take up working with ink again - and I get the impulse to teach my watercolour students about Japanese/Chinese ink paintings.

The latest thing for me is chibi - which in Japanese means short person or small child. In anime (animated manga) chibis are very often cute little characters with big heads and small bodies.

I can't resist - suddenly I spend time - more than I need for the manga class - in my studio working on my own little chibi characters ... smiling ...

at Willem Kerseboom you can find a lot of really good Chinese art obviously influenced by chibis: Han Yajuan, Yin Jun, Zhang Zui and the famous Yoshitomo Nara (Japanese). More about him at Wikipedia.

promoting myself

Today I had a breakfast meeting at 08:30 at a company where I exhibit some paintings and prints through Art in Motion. Art in Motion exhibits art from a new artist every month at companies. Part of the deal is that the artist gives a short introduction of her/his art at an informal morning meeting. I might have been a bit intense (more than usual) as I had drunk too much coffee to become nice and perky (zombie before that).

I do many things to promote myself, but very few give any result. But I believe that persistence will pay off. One day.

the dress

It's in the 30's. Mia is making a dress for her daughter in law, Irene. She makes the dress right out of her head - not following any pattern. The embroidery goes easy. She makes it on free hand - starts in one end and works to the other side without any guidelines. Mia has an eye for the aesthetic and a feeling for the plastic.

Mia was also painting when she had the time. She was my maternal grandfather's mother - and Irene my grandmother. Irene was petite (157 cm) and I'm 171 cm - but the dress fits me. I've been wearing this dress now and then - when it's back in fashion - during the years. So different than buying something new - it has a story. And I feel like part of it.

my studio

I've now enjoyed two full days - in a row - in the studio working on my (own) art. Since January I've mostly been working on the commission, preparing exhibits, mounting and framing. AND cleaning - and organizing materials and my art. But now comes the reward: just plunging into whatever I feel like working with.

(though other things will probably "come and ask for my attention" ... and disturb me.)

Bibbi reminded me - my former art teacher Ragnar Schmidt is having his last days of exhibit.

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.

hear no evil

see no evil

shadows

Sometimes the shadow draws the nicest lines and shapes.
Tim Noble and Sue Webster play with not as nice shadows...

reflections

The elevator outside my studio - waiting to take some art pieces downstairs. Yesterday 16 of my paintings and prints went with Art in Motion to be exhibited in a company for a month. Then most of them will continue to another company. Hopefully some will be sold.

Hector has his new website up and running. (you can see me starring in two clips: yellow girls in Immigrant Protector and as the chef in Cuisine Explorer)