glass experiment

Oh - and about the glass test: It turned out just as I had hoped. I'll give you a sneak peak later, but without revealing what I might be up to ...

going away guest teaching

Early tomorrow morning I'm taking the train to Lidköping and Formakademin to guest teach screen printing on paper. Last year when I was there we had so much snow - but now it's just raining.

I'll be on a blog break until I return on Friday night!

mural project in book

As a little project to learn how to use some basic InDesign and to practice some book binding I've put together a simple book about the mural projects I made with the school kids at Sandeklevsskolan in spring 2010 and 2011. Today I did those last things like binding it. I thought it was fun to use the same kind paper for the cover as we had used for cutting shapes when sketching for the murals. The art teacher will probably make the connection.

The glass kiln was ready to open today in the afternoon, but I didn't have the time to go and check the results. Tomorrow I will ... Cross your fingers!

exhibition: Love Lundell

Love Lundell is right now exhibiting at  Göteborgs Konstförening in their Big Gallery.  You can roughly say he is exhibiting two slightly different types of works. Both are good, but I think his more collage-like works (above) stand out. They have something that makes me think of them again. And again. What especially appealed to me is the way he works the surface and his feeling for the material, the colour planes and shapes. There's a rhythm. I got inspired by this exhibition. Love Lundell also works with illustration. The exhibition ends on the 4th of December.

this line of work I didn't like as much. This painting was the best of them. Not that they weren't good. It's just that "I've seen it before" ...

today: glass

The container with discarded glass pieces at the glass firm where I got some bits for free for my experiments when saying I was an artist (helps most of the time). I smiled and was as nice as I could - but the man didn't smile back and just kept saying "Don't cut yourself" "Don't cut yourself" . (Did I look that careless?) I found a big piece, even better than I could have hoped for - 6 mm thick and everything. Just what I needed.

Mia Frankedal and Mia Branzell had just opened the big glass kiln when I arrived at KKV

They make glass angels together every year for Christmas. Their angels are inspired by a new artists every year. This year it was Sonia Delaunay, last year it was Louise Bourgeois. 

My glass piece. Tomorrow I'll cut the piece and prepare a kind of form for it before putting it into the kiln. I'll then slump the glass. I took a glass course in 2004 and then I made a lot of test and experiments, but I never really found a way for me to use glass in my art. But now I think I know how I could use it. But I won't know for sure until I've made my tests... It could very well just be a dead end!

big canvas

exhibition: Eric Magassa

Yesterday I went and saw my studio neighbor and friend Eric Magassa's exhibition at Göteborgs Konstförening. I have been very curious to see his latest work as he's not even let me through the door to his studio lately. As always when it comes to Eric's art I was delighted. I love Eric's colour palette and the way he manages to be both playful and serious at the same time.

You have until December 4 to see Eric's exhibition.

workshop details

Paid KKV (artists' collective workshops) a visit today. I booked myself a glass kiln for next week. So I can make some experiments ...

challenging myself

watercolour on canvas

As an artist you will now and then feel the urge to challenge yourself more, to move on, to find new ways of working or new angles to your themes. Or that unique expression that is just yours? But how do you achieve that?

Jarl Ingvarsson, a Swedish artist, said in an interview I read years ago that his best impulses or ideas come when he has spent sufficient time in the studio to start feeling a bit bored. If I remember it right he said he then would be more free as he wouldn't care so much. He could do whatever. (this could very much be me making it up - in that case: Sorry)

Last year I listened to a great artist talk with David Batchelor (an artist I admire very much) and among other things he talked about how he got his ideas in his studio. His art might seem very conceptual, but studio work - or real life experience of materials - is essential to him. By seeing things in his studio piled up on a shelf, or a brightly colored canvas lying temporarily in a certain way, he got his ideas. Just by seeing things that might be by coincident, or seeing things with new eyes. (It's not "just" though. It takes a certain talent.)

I've lately been getting really frustrated in my studio because I felt like I'm not advancing, I need something more to my art to make it better and in order to get more interested in what I'm working with. In some ways I felt bored with it, even though I have had occasional moments of flow. A bit like; "yes, sure a nice painting ... but shouldn't it be more to it? The same thing again... Am I in the 19th century?"  For me frustration is good - if I have the time to explore it. I will go a bit wild then, more courageous.

Cutting things up can be a way - I tried it and laughed a bit, but felt like there should be more to it than that. Changing materials a bit can be a way. So I tried painting watercolor on canvas instead. And bigger. Didn't really do it, but I felt a bit better. Then I tried something else and got a fantastic surprise side effect. I'm very hopeful now. Could this be it? Tomorrow I'll get some advice from an artist working with glass - and then I'll hopefully know if I can recreate what I'm after. Anyway I'm on a new track now. I can feel it

I need that light

After several days of november darkness the sun flooded my studio with light today. I always store my geraniums in my studio over winter - and seeing them through the thin curtain fabric made me believe I must have been confused believing it was autumn ...

yes yes, it's spring...

Have a nice weekend!

shadowplay

... these arrangements of his very often have extra dimensions.  It can not just be a coincidence ...

why I blog

when I get stuck with my art cutting it up and combining bits in new ways is a great way to reflect  and get some self distance. I analyze what I do - and why.

Sometimes it feels harder to blog. It can be because of lack of "inspiration", because you're into something else in the real world, there might simply not be enough time, because you are too tired (me right now). It can be because you don't see the point spending all that time ...

Those days I remind myself of all the good things I've gotten through blogging; 

• friends 
• inspiration and encouragement 
• job opportunities 
• the habit of documenting my work and process
• the habit of reflecting over what I do and the courage to do it aloud
• several years overview of what I do (like a diary)

... and much more. 

when biking home ...

I had planned to work a little longer in the studio today, but suddenly I realized I couldn't because it was getting darker earlier than I had thought (just after four). I had no lamps for my bike and had to hurry up. This is what it looked like when crossing the bridge. The view is always spectacular here.

I'm working on some things in my studio now that I feel I can not show in progress - until later. Normally I don't have a problem sharing my process, but now it's different. All year I've been wrestling with where I'm heading with my art - feeling I need some change, some development. 

exhibition: Marta Runemark

the ostrich (life-size) is a reflection

Yesterday I visited Marta Runemark's exhibition at Galleri Jeanette Ölund in Borås. Marta Runemark makes sculptures out of papier machée and recycled materials (burned pieces of wood, old fabrics, nails, small animal skulls, metal parts etc). It was like going back to Hieronymus Bosch's detailed medieval world (though the horses wings are inspired by Leonardo da Vinci), but with a more accurate knowledge of exotic animal's physiognomy. And I would say with less sin than Bosch and milder humor. Marta's exhibition made me smile and I was intrigued by her attention to detail and love for the materials. 

The exhibition will be on until the 17th of November.

close up horse

close up ostrich (burned wood)

golden side effects

I got this very interesting side effect when working in my studio yesterday. Actually it was much better than what I was trying to achieve. Now I'm trying hard to figure out how to keep that effect in a permanent way. But I'm just in the beginning of this process and feeling insecure and vulnerable about it ... so I can not share yet.

I've been awfully quiet here on my blog lately (posting photos though). According to plans my days are all spent in the studio where I do only creative work - and all that administrative stuff (and blogging) is being done at night during 2-3 hours. I've had a long lists of tasks that finally is getting shorter (I've even done my bookkeeping for October).