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.
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.
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!).
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).
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.
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!
Next year - 2008 - I'll be teaching the following classes at Medborgarskolan, Göteborg.
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...
And what about Ditte's glass that I was so curious about? Did I get to see the result yesterday? 
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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).
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.
Manga is based on human features - by applying simple rules it's possible to change humans into Manga characters. There are some tutorials online - like Manga University - but I miss the link (not internet link!) to real drawing which can help you to develop a more independent character for the Manga cartoon. SO - I'm making my own tutorial - like the step from child to cartoon above. I used to teach portrait drawing. But there is not much demand for that - Manga on the other hand is much more popular.
I have so much to do these days - teaching, running errands, meetings, working on the computer - that I barely find the time to be in my studio. I miss it. I share a bigger space with some other artists. I have the space down in the very end of the room. The best space - and the most chaotic one. I have so much material, art pieces, books and inspiration material - that just by moving one thing I create a mess. It's like the butterfly in the Amazons effecting the weather in Sweden - you don't know what you effect.
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