19:34

to listen: interviews exploring the creative process. By John Tusa at BBC Radio 3.

miracles still happen

• A gallery in Norway that has been owing me money since 2000 contacted me - and payed me my money. (I did not count on that to happen ever)
  
• Last week I started my new part-time job (25%) at an artist run gallery - Grafik i Väst (photo) - where I am a member. I'll be doing marketing and customer care.
• So ... now I'm just waiting for more good things to come. You know, like in the fairy tales: after hard ship you should be rewarded for enduring. Give it to me!
  

more manga

Workshops in manga are actually in high demand. All the kids want to learn how to draw manga nowadays. I've decided I should really try to market my workshops (one more thing for my "to do list") targeting mainly libraries. And now I have a little article to attach! check it here

very much not London

Half an hour drive from Gothenburg lies Bollebygd with 7 000 inhabitants. I went to this - for me new - place today to teach some kids Manga at the little library. A journalist from the local paper stayed the first hour and took notes and a lot of photos. It's to be in the paper tomorrow.

and she's back!

that is - I'm back! Thank you all who wished me good luck with the moving and travelling! Our belongings will be here in 2 weeks and we survived a flight with sick son.

Now I'm reviewing my Manga material for giving two workshops on Wednesday. And I'm trying to find things I've stored somewhere on my mother's attic. I have a goldfish's memory sometimes! (why didn't I label all the boxes?) Feels like I'm back on track anyway.

outside inside

Moving.
More to do than I thought - I'll be back on Monday next week.
Have a nice week!

Things to do in London 3

I'm continuing to share my little ever-day things to do in London. A bit of a farewell. I'm leaving on Friday.

Find money
People tend to dislike the little copper coins - 1 and 2 pence. If you just tune your eyes into looking for them you'll see them everywhere. Especially good places to look are outside grocery stores and tube/train stations. I've even seen people just putting them on a wall or tossing them over their shoulder.

Yes, you might say, but they are worth almost nothing. True, but it depends on have you value things. After 2-3 weeks of daily looking you might have earned yourself a cup of coffee - and the pleasure of seeing how they react when you pay in 1 pence coins. Or you can always say to people " a penny for your thoughts"- and buy many thoughts. Save up many and give to a small child - they will consider it a fortune.

Just a word of advice; do not go coin hunting in fountains (or don't let anyone see you). People do not like that. They get very hostile.
I speak of experience.

and cut!

messed up makeover

as I wasn't very pleased with the painting Messenger I had decided to give the girl a makeover. This is how it went.
before Christmas she looked like this. Transparent and alien. Insect like.

I wanted her warmer, more human - and less skinny. On Monday she had gotten a more classical look. (balancing on the border to kitsch is tricky. Sometimes you cross the line, but it is hard to see when you're in the middle of it) But the painting as a whole still didn't work.

Last night I just felt I needed a more radical change. Honestly I felt anything would be better than what I had.
... hm. I think this makeover needs more than make up. It's time to take out the knives.

Check the most amazing t-shirt aimee made when she was only 17 years old!

Dreaming

This is what I saw today in a shopping window in central London. The store sold wedding dresses. Are we still in the 50's?

I dream of making great art that will influence other artists long after I'm dead (You're not aloud to admit this if your Swedish. You should just say you're grateful that you get to work with what you love.)

I dream of being listed in Art Now.

I dream of living out of my art without having to compromise.

But getting married in a beautiful dress? Could be nice, but not what I would ask for if I was granted three wishes. Not what I am striving for. But of course it must have been what Walt dreamed about, right? Because in your dreams you can do anything.

and the winner is ...

Thank you all who answered my question "who are you"! It was interesting to get some clues. And you are really all over the world. I will now do my best to use my readers' review to improve the blog. (note to self - stop checking visitor statistics. So what if last week was all time low? Probably just a busy week for people.)

The lucky winner gets to chose from a black and a red version. Click picture to see it bigger. Which one do you want? (it said Esti on the paper!)

Angst

"my look is about an appreciation of teenage angst, without actually having the angst" she smiles

Things to do in London 2

Pretend to be in Paris
get yourself to Crystal Palace Park. The giant antenna looks like the Eiffel Tower if you just avoid looking directly at it. Sing some Edith Piaf to yourself. Pretending to be in Paris makes the rain and the dog shit - also important parts of living in Paris - seem almost romantic.

Commercial break: The Scavenger Project (where I am participating) will be opening the show at Art House Gallery, Atlanta, USA, today January 23rd. There will also be an exhibition in MODA (Museum of Design Atlanta) February 3rd - March 20th.

Things to do in London

Tate Modern? London Zoo? Harrods? Big Ben?
No, that's for tourists. I mean everyday little things. As I am soon leaving London I thought I should share (real London).

Sleep on Public Transportation
there are trains, tubes and buses where to do it. It will probably take you at least one hour to get where you are going if it is close by, so you'll sleep kind of relaxed. If you miss your stop you just get the chance to discover another neighborhood of exciting semi attached brown houses. Hungry? Chances are big there will be at least three fast food places selling fried chicken, fried fish or fries. Just don't let anyone see your valuables.

Hemulen's pregnant girlfriend

Hemulen, from Moomin that is.

I would never have imagined - say one and a half year ago - that I would make little weird children's book's figures. It just started out as a sneaky way to try to make something creative while playing with the offspring. Then I wasn't alowed to make them while he was around (determined little guy) - and it became like a short little exercise late at night when I was too tired to do anything else, but still not prepared to go to bed. I'm not an illustrator - and this is far from what I make in my "real art" - but it's been great fun because there are no restrictions and I can just follow the flow. I work really fast and some nights I can make several in just 10 minutes if I have "the right eyes".

On the other hand I never imagined I would be painting large watercolurs/acrylics as I do now - I have always painted in oil colours! But teaching watercolour at night classes suddenly gave me the urge. Basically I think I am very influenced by what is (visually) around me!

soccer rabbit

It looks like he should have played basketball instead, doesn't it?

But there is no logic or conscious thoughts behind these children's book figures I'm making. I just look at the left over papers after my son's painting/drawing session ... and find something there - already in the lines and colour fields. You know like Michelangelo. He said he just liberated the figure that was already hidden in the stone (though I'm not making any other comparisons with him!)

Something totally different: time for shopping! Marie-Louise has just opened a shop, Sandra has got another one and Aimée opened her some time ago.

give away

I know you are some people out there reading my blog, but I don't know who most of you are and why you keep coming back. I would love to get to know something about you. So I make a little give away - with a catch:

• Who are you?
• Where are you?
• Why do you read my blog?
• What do you want to see more of?

Leave a comment and the lucky winner will be drawn in a week. The price is one of my handmade screenprints "Pang" - seen in this post.

nothing

I don't know, but I feel kind of empty. I have an exhibition in two month and I guess that is part of the explanation. As I'm moving again in less than three weeks I have to decide - now! - what to show and how. And then there are all these other things going on in my head distracting me.

I am clueless about what to post here.

cakes

Have a look at Models in Dior in Soviet union some 30 years ago. Good photos, but maybe not only in the way they were intended.

let's all have a nice weekend!

same same

Yesterday I went to see the Sweet Toof/Martin Lea Brown exhibition at Sartorial Contemporary Art. I knew of course of Sweet Toof as a graffiti artist and wanted to see his paintings. My knowledge of street art is so so, but I'm getting more and more interested.

in the street

in the gallery

Martin Lea Brown

The exhibit showed Martin Lea Brown upstairs - and Sweet Toof downstairs. "But, it must be the same guy who painted all paintings" I thought. "Colours, brush strokes ... everything is the same".

Yes, I might be ignorant, but I am not blind. Same person, two identities! Check graffoto for a review of the exhibit and a lots of photos.

invisiblemadevisible street art from east London.

brick walls

Today I walked and walked in London, checking out galleries.

John Kørner is exhibiting at Victoria Miro. He has developed his work since he posted his paintings at saatchi online. Isn't it interesting how a change of subject - but keeping the painterly style - makes a difference?

from the files

chantal joffe painting paintings
maya hewitt makes paintings that are a bit like drawings
annika ekdahl makes tapestry

kill the messenger

For me January is the month for applications for Artist in Residencies and for grants/scholarships. It means I review my latest works. And judge what is good enough. The painting I had decided to name Messenger (thanks to Thereza!) wasn't good enough. So one late night I did my best to scrub the girl away - because she sucked. I scrubbed really hard (good paper)

...if something is just so-so, there is no point keeping it.

Today I started over with her face. I'm keeping the pose, but I want a different expression.

hooked

I found this piece of a branch in the Park. I'm saving it!

friday

have a nice weekend!

Japanese woodblock prints

Last week I went to Victoria & Albert Museum and saw, among other things, the Masterpieces of Ukiyo-e. It was the first time I saw these kind of colour woodblock prints in reality. I've been very interested in these prints from the Edo period because they are about popular consumption in that period, because I work with prints myself - and because of my interest in Manga.

I also got to get a closer look at some of the gallery assistants that probably got the job I applied for. I asked one of them for directions. She sighed, made a little thing with the eyes (like "why do you bother me") and said she didn't know. When I insisted she checked her map and reluctantly gave me directions. And sighed. Was that excellent customer service? I would have done that job so much better...

Patrick Gannon makes paper cuts that has a certain Japanese feeling over them. Tim Budden paper cuts are less Japanese, but still Asian inspired. Beatrice Coron makes public art with the starting point in paper cuts. Check her list of links for more paper artists. Something else: Mankind Mag latest issue is out - re-branded.

How to: getting that edge

So you overworked some drawings again.

1. Give them to a child

2. Let him/her use many colours and different pens.

3. Voilà: you got that edge!

And you don't even have to pay your co-worker or acknowledge his/her part. The child just thinks you were nice who came with something to fill in. Did you know that Vivienne Westwood got some preschool children to design some textile patterns for her? Check her Gold Label Collection and you'll see their work. How did she pay them? Candies and cakes?

decisions

first a short story:
It's the end of the 19th century in Småland (south of Sweden) and my paternal grandfather is still a child. They are very poor, many siblings and their father Samuel has taken the big decision that they are to emigrate to America to try to improve their lives. The bags are packed, the rest of the few belongings sold and someone else is to live in their shack. The expensive tickets for the trip from Gothenburg to America are lying on the night table and the children are finally asleep. Tomorrow will be they day they'll leave.

That night Samuel stayed up and did a lot of thinking. The next day he told his family that they were not going. According to my father, Samuel never told anyone what made him change his mind.

Ah, decisions. When you take a big brave risk you're supposed to make it, right? If there is any poetic justice. So what's my point?

- We're moving back to Sweden in a month.

keeping up appearance

having no job, soon no money - moi?

The London flat is kind of cold - could it be that the door doesn't close properly?

[sometimes I'm asked for bio pics to accompany my artist's statement. I don't want to use photos of myself for marketing my art - if I can avoid it. I think what I look like is irrelevant. ... but if I have to; why not do it properly and make a statement? Photos by Hector Mora]

[I must admit I thought about it not twice - but five times - before posting these photos of myself. I'm still not sure about it.]

reality check

Jobs applied for (in selection): Art Coordinator, Art Tutor, Arts Education Officer, Interim Schools and Community Coordinator, Event Assistant, Arts Project Officer, Operations Coordinator, Projects Coordinating Assistant , Assistant to the Photographic & Copyright Team (Part-time), Project Co-ordinator (Artists in Residence), Gallery Activities Co-ordinator (Part-time), Gallery Manager, Gallery Assistant at Victoria & Albert Museum/ National Gallery/ Serpentine Gallery (sounds fancy, but is to sit on a chair in a corner) full-time or part-time, Public Event Assistant, Fina Art Porter, Swedish Speaking Receptionist, Office Receptionist, Hotel Receptionist (x 50), Gallery Intern, Event Intern.

hours/week spent applying for jobs: 24-40
Jobs (or even internships!) I've got: none.

a little order

a little order is what you need when starting a new year . Or a new system. I've made myself a pocket book "for superheroes who use their heads for better things" for writing down all those things I just don't manage to keep in my head: passwords, username, web addresses, phone numbers etc. Though some things I don't write down (like pin codes!) or I use another word for it (have to remember that then instead).

summing up 2008

the people
I got to know Camilla better (who actually inspired me to this post) and met Thereza through her blog - and went on a blind date with her. I got a lovely brooch sent to me from Marie-Louise. Thanks to Elisabeth Söderberg Gracia Haby and I got to exchange parcels across the world.

blog, swap and contribution
My first full year as a serious (?) blogger. I participated in my first internet swap making a mobile and receiving one. I also took part in the Scavenger Project (the book is due January 23).

my work
I completed my third big public commission - a series of 11 enamels - an had a solo exhibition. I got myself a new website with a shop (yes - I have one. Better start saving up now; I'm planning to make it better and offering more). I was in Mankind Mag.

I tried London.

... and what does the fish have to do with this? My New Year Resolution: More Marketing!