Outside Inside

biking home from KKV one day: total contrasts. Sunny and dark clouds

full action in the screen printing workshops At KKV all these days teaching the summer course in big format screen printing.

teaching the summer course again

The summer course in big format screen printing began it's second printing period this week. I so enjoy seeing what my students are coming up with and how they start mastering the technique - but I sure am wasted after these long days ...  Friday next week they'll exhibit their work. I'll be back with more info about it later

sketching in real size

Normally I sketch in scale - like 1:10 - for big size commissions, but for this suggestion I've been feeling I need to see it all in real size as well. This is to be my art piece for the preschool I made the visual play with in spring (another commission than the one with Superman/Snowwhite) I'm very happy having a bigger studio these days!

checking the fitting

I've tripple-checked the measurements for the hand rail - and made a real size 2D copy of the hand rail to test the fitting - to avoid any unpleasant surprises when it is time to mount the art piece. So everything should be fine ...

... and then superman

It feels great to finally see this commission taking form in real size. But in some way I feel like I'm working on a miniature now... because compared to the one I made two years ago it is kind of small. Superman above is one meter tall. The Phantom having a luncheon from 2011 would be - if he could stand up in his full hight - two and a half meter tall.

Snow White in progress

Snow white in progress; with distances marked out and then in a break when being welded by Arta.

back working!

I was waiting and waiting for a rainy day to go back working - not been that many rainy days this summer - but finally I had to go back anyway last week (in spite of sunshine). I'm now in the execution phase of this commission and it's exciting to see it all take form in aluminum. I like the way the aluminium looks in this phase in the workshop; rough edges, scratched and dirty with fingerprints. In some way I would like to keep it like this, but that's not what I promised to do ... so I can't.

Summer: more Greece

summer: Greece

summer: light

summer: green

So far I've had a wonderful time off enjoying - among other things -  the best of summer Sweden. And just worked a few hours, trying to keep it to a minimum barely checking my mail. (Upper right corner: art piece by Per Agelii at Trädgårdsföreningen)

Time for vacation!

Today was my last working day before summer vacation. Normally I try to take four weeks off in a row, but this year will be an exception. I will have to go back working on my commissions (one in the execution phase, the other in the sketching phase) in the middle of summer to keep things going. So I left my studio well organized to be able to just pick up the work again on a rainy summer day (the sunny summer days are not for working!).

through someone else's lens

Yesterday I had photographer Annika Broman visiting my studio. It's always interesting to see what someone else notices about your studio. She both took photos of the same things I have taken photos of - and of stuff I haven't photographed at all.

no studio today either

Yesterday I was a little over-optimistic; I couldn't go to the studio today either - I had to fix with some files for the form cutting (I do all computer work at home) ...  Very often I wish I could have a competent assistant to delegate to ... like artists do in countries where there is more money in art!

sketching and project leading

Last week I got confirmed the actual place for the art piece I'll suggest for the preschool. I managed to get just the spot I wanted! This time I'll go for something more sculptural - which is something I've for some time hoped to get the chance to do. I have already the idea (I've been thinking about this since the end of April..) and I must say I'm very excited about this project!  The other commission I'm working on - this one - is now in the execution phase. Which doesn't just mean hands-on - today was just meetings and phone calls ... But tomorrow I'll be in my studio avoiding all what meetings and e-mails imply!

Part One, big format screen print

Today my students had their last day printing in the first part of the summer course. They made a long print together (approx 12 meters) and they made test prints on different materials and tried different ways of working. Basically this first part was about learning how to use the workshops, what's specific with big format printing, different approaches to preparing originals and how it is to print on different materials ... In August they will have their long printing period - and I'm looking forward to seeing what they will come up with! I blog less these days - but on Instagram you can see what I am up to almost daily.

"that little extra" adding up

I'm alway trying to give that little extra. For example; I sent the preschool (where I made the visual play workshop) a dvd with photos of our days together + two tiny tiny letters and two tiny tiny books documenting it all. Another example:  when I teach my summer course in big format screen printing I keep a blog for the course, document the whole process and share high resolution (edited) photos with all the student. These thing I'm not getting paid for - it's just that little extra thing I give...  Recently I've asked myself where all my time disappears - I used to have at least some time for blogging - and now I think I've found the answer. More and more giving of "that little extra" actually means a lot of time for me.

big format screen printing

For the third year in a row I'm teaching the summer course Big Format screen printing for HDK in collaboration with KKV. Today was our second day printing at KKV and my students are already getting into the flow! I'm really enjoying teaching this course, but the first days are really exhausting for me; I need to be everywhere and notice everything. (And then it was my birthday today)

... I'm still around

... but I'm so very busy in the real world; June means working on two public commissions (suggestion/execution) and teaching the summer course in big format screen printing (first day of the course tomorrow)!

everything delayed - maybe for a reason?

The other day I checked out the building site for the preschool where I am to make a suggestion for a public art piece. I was first supposed to be ready with my suggestion in the middle of June, but then everything got delayed because of some budget issues. This has been very frustrating for me, but on Thursday I'll finally get to know the new budget and deadlines!

Do you remember the suggestion I made for the stairs in a school early spring? Everything got delayed there too (like 3 months), because of some administrative issues... But I got that commission and I'm now busy working on it!

Now I'm thinking everything could have been delayed for a reason - I've been so busy anyway!