the portal in the book

I'm advancing ...

sandblasted - and putting it together

Today we picked up the sandblasted aluminum parts and started putting the layers together. 

probably progress?

a character for the story - for the preschool - that will come with the portal

... and then aluminum

We are now busy with my portal at the metal workshop at KKV. Everything is proceeding as planned - and I'm so happy having Arta helping me for the third time with one of my commissions.

from paper to plywood ...

the portal is first transferred to plywood so I can test it in more stable material than paper - before cutting it out in aluminum.

my studio ambiance

In July photographer Annika Broman visited me in my new bright white studio. I also opened the doors to KKV for her  - now you can see some of the photos at her website.

not taking anything for granted

The Portal is to come with some theatre curtains. Right now, when just having a month to finish it all, I'm very thankful I was so very thorough when I sketched for this commission - I know what fabrics to use, where to buy them - and how they look in different light. It feels good not to have to worry about that. 

The only thing that freaks me out a bit now, is that I promised the portal would come with a story ... and being me everything I'm coming up with at this point is dark and not very suitable for small children. I thought it would be great to connect this art piece with the new knowledge I got through the course I took a year ago in Illustrated Children Books - especially as this very preschool works with the fairytale, the story, as a central theme in the pedagogic. This way I will be able to really work with the Story/fairy tale as a concept. 

Well, we'll see about that. I can of course always come up with something but I'ld rather not deliver something dull or worse: overly moralizing. 

... and with the surroundings

This is where my portal is to be placed - marked with a yellow X. They are right now finishing those last details of the preschool - I love those playful windows !

 a model of the portal seen from the other direction (preschool behind our back)

planting 1000 flower bulbs

A couple of days ago I planted 1000 flower bulbs to be part of the art piece I'm making for the preschool. On an earlier visit I discovered they had created a slope just behind where my portal is to be ... there was nothing to do but to see how it could be used creatively for my art piece. So I decided that in spring a flower path will magically appear. (Lets' hope we'll not get a winter liked the last one ... the bulbs might not survive that)