my first moleskines

autumn calls for starting new projects or at least starting with new notebooks and such. I just bought my very first two moleskine sketchbooks.

I use the small one for my children's book project. With moving and everything I haven't really managed to advance with this project - but I'm convinced the new sketchbook will solve this. I scanned all the characters I've made and printed them out small and cut and glued them into my small sketchbook...

... to further develop the story.

Everyone seem to be into moleskines - moleskine's project to see what other use theirs for. They travel as well.

House of Illustration is having a competition "What Are You Like?"

Rothko by night

I've just come home from a private night viewing of the Rothko exhibit at Tate Modern. Even though Francis Bacon was fantastic to see - this beats it somehow. I never did appreciate Rothko until the first time I saw one of his works in a museum. Rothko in a book compared to Rothko in real life... Reproduced images of Francis Bacon's paintings still work fine though.

And the fun thing is that I think I found the solution for my Bacon inspired triptych - in Rothkos paintings!

getting colder

behind closed doors

Yesterday I did not only see the Francis Bacon exhibit (here you can see it without actually visiting in person - link from tiny red) but I got to see what is behind some closed doors at Tate Britain.

I got to see the Prints and Drawings room - called Tate Britain's best kept secret, though it's for the public. But very few people know about this. Normally an appointment has to be made to get access. Visitors can request to see drawings and watercolours from Blake to Turner as well as Modern Prints. The best things is that you are allowed to come with pens and watercolours to work after the materials from the collection.



Then I got to see the laboratory in the basement where they do research on watercolour pigments and how to best conserve these kind of paintings. They have access to many kilos of pigments from the Turner Bequest - that is his actual materials. I got two papers with me home to work on. Not Turner's old watercolour papers though...

cake and bacon

After checking out two places where I'm applying for jobs I indulged in chocolate cake and Bacon.

The Francis Bacon exhibit is so worth visiting. I have seen many of his paintings in real life before, but not all of these - and not that many at a time. As a friend of mine is a conservator working at Tate and walked me around the exhibit - I got to hear the gossip about the paintings and drawings. The state they are in (the paint on the older paintings are loosening as Francis painted on the back side of the canvas) and that some of the drawings are considered to be fake by many of the conservators, but not by the curators. (the story is that Francis Bacon's lover made them after Francis' death - when he needed money).

Francis is one of my favorite artists. I am still fighting with a triptych started in January (the second painting was finished in March) that is a crucifixion inspired by his paintings. The third one has - on the way become other paintings ... on their own. But maybe this last one I'm trying will be the one? Maybe I saw the solution today?

feeling weird

I have spent far too many hours in front of the computer these last days. I can feel it in my eyes. Tomorrow calls for an excursion - hopefully one of the things I will do is visit the Francis Bacon Exhibit.

Ah Francis Bacon!
should I boil eggs for my lunch box?

keep smiling

scavenger project

last week I got my envelop from the US with the instruction for the Scavenger project. There is still time to sign up!

The scavenger project is run by art house and design for mankind. This is how they describe the project: "We're making a book and we need your help! We're going to send you a list of 24 things which will end up being the 24 chapters of the book. Each chapter is a reference to a moment, scenario, or item and we need your help visually representing each item. Every participant who sends back their images will be guaranteed at least one published photo in the book!"

and - of course - there is a flickr group for the project.

mouth open

Continuing painting today.
Not any immediate masterpieces.
It's tricky when balancing on the border to kitsch.

ready steady GO!

The first time you are going to work in a new place is always a bit nervous. I normally spend a lot of time just moving things around postponing the FIRST TIME . The First Time normally tells me if this place is going to work for me immediately for painting - or if it is going to be one of those that need a little bit of wearing in. Like certain new shoes.

Today is a bit different first time - I'm working at home. I've had my own studio for painting (different ones though) since 1992.
OK.
Cross your fingers:

ready

steady

GO!

apple

today apple.
but tomorrow I will paint.

autumn

Today - after some hours in the park - I wished I had my mittens with me. The trees are still green, but there are definitely more brownish leaves on the ground.

For you who like graphic design or for you nostalgic ones: Present & Correct.

a day off

Sometimes you really need a day off. If you are lucky wonderful friends will invite you over to eat in the garden in the autumn sun.

We were lucky today.

not today either

Bedroom

Kitchen

No,
no painting today either.
Just writing application letters...
- and suddenly I realized I enjoyed it! (not writing the CV though, that asks not for creativity)
... not being too displeased with the result. (Swedish understatement = proud of my achievement)

keys

I've spent a very boring day reformulating my CV and rewriting and rewriting an application letter. I know I had to do it this week, but I just keep looking at my new materials (bought yesterday) - I want to paint. But being realistic I'll have to wait some days.

Danny Treacy
Helen Marshall

Anyone wondering who was my first blog encounter? She will always be my first and very special one.

3 patterns today

this was my day in three different patterns:


Pattern: "Pottery" by Stig Lindberg.
My bag (from Design House Stockholm) packed with London A-Z, water and lunch.


Pattern: stripes.
the chairs at Victoria Embankment Gardens. I ate my lunch here.


Pattern: dots
My blind date was...
... lovely Thereza. Thanks for showing me around and letting me know you! You were my second encounter via blogging. And even better than I could have hoped! Thereza, you might also enjoy the textiles by Josef Frank - you'll find many of his textiles here and here you can find other things.

Meeting generous people like Thereza makes me hopeful about the world. Anyone else out there? This also makes me happy: Bookcrossing.

walking in London

Today I walked and walked in London to get a better grip.
My shoes were nice - but new - my feet were sore.
I visited the PB Awards.
Boring.

Tomorrow I have kind of a blind date - I'm meeting a nice blogger at Covent Garden.

helping hand

we're back on the children's book project again. I borrowed some good children's books in the library to get some extra inspiration on the story. I've also been checking out the self-publishing places Lulu and Blurb for this project, but also because I need to print myself a portfolio. Any advice?

Tomorrow I'm leaving the suburbia to got to Central London and check some exhibits. I wish I had had the time to see Hammershøi at Royal Academy as famampa suggested me (last day yesterday) - but I couldn't make it.

afternoon sun

The walls in the new apartment are big even though the apartment is not. Almost three meters to the ceiling. To encourage me to paint bigger?

Camilla is moving to a new studio - I'm looking forward to see what she'll make of it - and in it.

Jack Duplock

tomorrow versus 2006

Sitting here cutting a little monkey (ape) for tomorrow (son has no preschool here in London yet) - A a as in "apa" (Swedish for monkey. Apes have no tail). Made me think of one of my paintings from 2006. It's called Aa (90x121 cm). I had those posters of the alphabet from school in mind when I painted it.

A - the beginning.

Old school