printing a summer meadow

In two weeks the big format screenprinting course will start. The focus is installation in space/scenografi rather than editions/prints on paper to be framed. I'm making some material tests and prepare some prints to show different techniques. Today I printed a summer meadow ... which is quite far from what my own art is about. (No, my art is not about happiness, even though there might be laughter.) 

first I cut some simple stencils

the stencils stick to the backside of the screenprinting frame thanks to the capillary attraction. I then painted flowers and such on the open mesh, filled the rest with green screenprinting ink - and printed.

Voilà!

Here I repeated the print (with some variation to make it more interesting)

another print, detail: layer on layer and with slightly different colours.(I think it would look nice as a textile print. On a summer dress?)

colouring page (print)

More experimenting. I masked out some parts I wanted to keep white, then painted directly in the open screenprinting frame, filled with transparent paste - and printed. Today I wasn't really concentrating properly though (could have made better prints) - I was at the same time working with my commission upstairs in the metal workshop. Some extra details needed to be fixed which couldn't wait.

Yesterday's printing results

First steps. I'll add more layers. (the light orange is the second layer. I'm making them all different)

a good laugh

A break from the aluminium (the screenprinting frame is made of aluminium though): I printed the painterly image I prepared the other week (made directly on architect drawing film and then exposed onto the screenprinting frame without any middle step in the computer). My idea here is to work in several transparent painterly layers to get a result closer to my paintings ... probably. Anyway, it's about experimenting and developing my screenprinting into something new. I'm very excited about this too...

obsessed by aluminium

I must admit that I'm someone who can get totally obsessed by things. Right now it's the aluminium (metal in general probably): the shine and the aesthetics of the backsides (the welding, screws and distances). I've tried working with glass - not me. Enamel - kind of me. Metal - me! I see so many possibilities. [...could just be a fling. When you're in the middle of it you can not distance yourself and see what's true love and what's just infatuation. Anyway I'll enjoy it while it lasts...]

me in action

photo: Lars Jonsson

photo: Eric Magassa Sometimes I need photos of myself working on my art ... but then I realize I have none ... When it comes to commissioned public art pieces I have many photos of work in progress. some of my assistants working, but none of me. (I'm somehow reluctant towards marketing my art with photos of me, but sometimes you might need to show who you are, to be a bit more personal) So this week I asked people at KKV to take my photo. As you can see I have fun when working!

instead of screenprinting

fitting, drilling, welding aluminium (last one not me, but my helper Arta)

happy

Tonight I'm spending my last night here in the guest studio and taking a good look at what I've achieved. I must say I'm quite happy with the results and the thought process I've started. I have completed 3 paintings (at least I think they are finished, but I better decide that in a week) and I have started 4 others. In the best of worlds this week would have been the kick start for a concentrated painting period of some months, but I don't live in the best of worlds (do you?). Next week I'll be screenprinting, preparing for teaching big format, which isn't bad either (I live in a pretty good world anyway). I should definitely do this again quite soon, maybe in October? (Autumn is supposed to be just studio time and no other art projects)

sneak peaks; work in progress

I've worked so many hours.  My sister asked what I did at night, here in the guest studio.  ??????? - did I watch TV? Did I hang out with people in the other guest studios?  ????  I've been painting, thinking and reading art books, and then suddenly it's been really dark (around eleven) and I've gone to bed. (there's no TV here and the other studios are empty, but that wouldn't have made any difference)

painting in the sun

Yesterday was a dark day: grey clouds, rain and total frustration.

Today the sun woke me up before seven and I went for a morning run. Nothing felt as serious as the day before; I was here to work without any pressure to achieve anything, to just get into whatever I felt like. I moved my stuff out in the sun and painted, read and had lunch in the chilly breeze (good thing I brought that woolen sweater). Today was a good day.

details from Skärhamn

No painting for show and tell today, but some photos from Skärhamn.

light in more than one sense

A day of just painting, looking and painting. I'm trying to paint something very light, in several senses.  The role of Arches watercolour paper that I bought for this week should be enough for nine paintings in this format, but I'll definitely not make that many. (I could start on nine though ...) I have three paintings that I'm working on right now. Update: looking at the painting the very next morning I realized I've been making a caricature fit for MAD Magazine. And I wasn't even drinking. Hm...

a good start

in a guest studio at the Watercolour museum

I'm in the second  studio from the right

This week I'll be having an intense working period in a guest studio at the Watercolour Museum in Skärhamn. As I have family and a kid I can normally not work in a concentrated way for hours and hours without break, but now I will for five days ... It will be heaven! (of course I do work full days in the studio normally, but what I mean is that now I won't have to quit when I 'm in a flow and I won't be distracted by everyday tasks).

I've just had a delicious dinner looking out of the window listening to Chopin's piano concertos and now I'll continue with the creative night shift ...

adding some colours

Today's results weren't bad either.  the top print: even better than expected (you can't tell it's been printed with 3 frames).  the colour test: not perfect but I know some ways to solve it. And I kind of like it.

more direct ways when screenprinting

Normally when screenprinting I first make a drawing, then I take a photo, then I rework it in Photoshop, then I print it on transparent film on a laser printer (often on architect drawing film which is kind of milky) - and then I transfer the image onto the screenprinting frame. But I've always felt that I wanted to work in a more direct way - take more risks, get happy accidents, be more in touch with the material feeling...

Now I've prepared my originals by painting directly onto the drawing film (to be exposed) with ink - and to erase simply cut away what needed to be erased

The drawing is based on this sketch for my public commission and is made on three separate sheets

this way I can print the image using three screenprinting frames and thus getting the possibility to work bigger

I'll print the third and last part of the drawing tomorrow. But it is not finished then - this is just the beginning; the experimenting bit will be with colour. To make some tests I chose to work with two different kind of images directly onto the drawing film. The other one is more painterly, and in expression closer to my watercolours.This week I'm just using them to make tests and based on what results I get tomorrow, I'll prepare new images next week when I'll be in the guest studio at the Watercolour Museum

reflected colour

Last week, when snooping around at KKV, I took this photo of a part of an art piece for a Public commission that Felicia Björklund is working on. The art piece is to be a wall piece consisting of several of these wave shaped panels in form-pressed painted wood. All the pink you see is reflected from the down side, which is painted with a florescent pink. It works really well, don't you think? ...and it gives me ideas (why don't I have unlimited time and resources?)

sunny days, curtains down

We are having summery days right now in Sweden ... the light is so bright (and inviting) that I have to keep the curtains down in my studio all day long.  I've been trying to find new approaches to my screenprinting these two days, and I think I've found an opening. (Actually I've been thinking about it for some time - but it is not until now I've gotten somewhere.) But I won't know for sure until I've made some test prints.

the kids' murals 3 & 4

the kids' murals 1 & 2

I must say I'm very happy with the results of this pedagogic mural project - especially considering that the kids are just 15 years old. It worked even better this year than last year. I think the explanation is both that they school kids had seen what was made last year and therefore grasped the idea faster  - and because I improved my teaching and especially the organisation of the painting day. I wouldn't mind doing this kind of project every year - and keep improving! I love the challenge to get people to understand the power of simplifying; clean shapes and limited colours. The idea becomes so much more important ... They were just given some specific colours to use - and not allowed to use the red, green and yellow you can see in the first mural with the traffic light. But I told the boys that of course you can break the rules if you have a very good idea and reason (one of them had secretly gotten the coloured papers that they really wanted to use ... I think that shows initiative!). I told them to make their suggestion both with the subtle colours they were supposed to use - and with the strong colours they wanted to have. And present both suggestions ... [tomorrow: mural 3 & 4]