konstepidemin opens again

Annika Åkerfeldt show at Hnoss, untitled, siver and porcellain, photo from Hnoss webpage

Five exhibition openings, two open studios, one open café and one music performance this Saturday. Program here, click "Aktuellt". Among others; Lars Åsling shows new photography and paintings and Sverker Eklund's studio is open.

This week was hectic, I'm joggling papers and files. Heading south for the weekend, Österlen is known to be a place to enjoy the good things in life. Will bring camera, of course. Times like this, when studio work is not to think about, taking photos seems to be an important way of staying close to being observant and make use of own creativity.

Wish you all a joyful weekend!

flowered market

Two weekends ago I worked with the annual KHVC craft fair. Didn't tell you too much about it! You are welcome next year, it's great fun with all the craftspeople who really enjoys meeting each other and have conversations with the visitors. And this time the weather gods were on our side.

This year's competition for most interesting market stall was won by Annika Svensson. I couldn't agree more with the jury, her space was really extraordinary. Annika makes huge tiled stoves as well as delicate little flowers like these. Old post with stoves here.

Saturday Annika Svensson opens an exhibition at the refreshing Dalslands museum (in Swedish, but look at photos and you see what I mean). Good luck Annika!

Tonight at Platina, Stockholm, Sofia Björkman

Coming weekend:
Nääs konsthantverk Nordic Network Ceramic Studio Exchange Program - 12 ceramic artists fire the kilns at Nääs and demonstrate techniques both Saturday and Sunday. Exhibition until September 9. PDF presentation here.

Burkina Faso Design in Stockholm, opens Clay without borders, exchange exhibition between Nigerian and Swedish ceramic artists.

Culture starts a new season, prepare!

early summer crane

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Wintertime the crane looks like this. Decorated as for an Indian wedding. I heard it's threatened to be pulled down but I hope they'll keep it on the pier in Luleå. Both summer and winter. It's monumental.

This is too, in another way
Steven Siegel, sculptor, look at Wonderful Life
This week mailbox keeps interesting invitation cards for shows opening.

early summer - goodbye house

I said farewell to a family house up north, this early summer. It was time to do so and I feel good about it, a house shouldn't be empty too long.

Somehow the memories from this place are kept under the soles of my feet. Like how it feels to walk barefoot on sharp gravel. Or to walk on soft moss. Or the floor boards on the attic.

It's the place where I learned to pick flowers, and how to write my first letters and other important stuff. I came up with the names for new calves every summer (always sunny) and sang for the cows when they were milked because grandmother said they did so much better from listening to music and I wanted to help and do my part of the job. Horses my grandfather named himself, always Pekka (only one at the time).

No matching link, I choose
Myung Rye Kim ceramic gardens and more, because I miss clay work a while longer.

more early summer

Northern light, a few days after midsummer up north. Long lovely night with old friends, treasured memory to keep for darker times.

I haven't started studio work yet after summer, still doing other things. But not so long now.

Falling garden Gerda Steiner and Jörg Lenzlinger and
Brain Forest

when summer began

A late night walk in June, by the sea near Kalix, up north.

I was lucky to meet the first taste of summer twice this year. First here in Göteborg and later around midsummer in the north. Surrounded by fresh lilacs for weeks and weeks, I left the finished ones here and met the budding up north. What richness.

I've missed the northern summer. Light, fragile, intense. And short and precious. But I don't miss the mosquitoes.

Claudio Tschopp (via Dear Ada, I think) for the rain deers.
Enjoy every minute of summer this weekend!

dance and music

So happy to see I'm not the only one taking a long summer break from blogging. Don't need to be afraid I missed too much. And happy to see so many back now. Much easier to read blogs when nights are dark.

Göteborg's biannual Dance and Theatre Festival is going on, there is so much to experience but I don't have much time. Glad I got a ticket in time, to see Bahok by choreographer Akram Khan, in the old opera theatre. It's really charming, all that velvet and gold, cosy.

Music by Nithin Sawhney, I love his music and his collaborations with many very different musicians. Watch videos here at his website.
There are quite a few on You Tube, look here
Enjoy!

looking back and ahead

This summer was fantastic. I can't say it was a relaxing vacation, but fantastic. It started like this, a train trip up north, end of June. Will show more, in portions.

Off to see how you are, I'm curious. Hope late summer is a good season for you too! Still feeling free, and at the same time eager to get started in new projects.

Newly found blog, via Dear Ada, added to favourites:
Stripes and dots
New blogger; welcome Priscilla Mouritzen! Pinchpots
Both will make the ceramic world wider.

time to start!

It's a little like New Year now, a time when everything starts over again. It really feels like summer holidays are over and time to start blogging very soon! Until that soon, two flyers for upcoming weekend.


Friday evening a four meters high fire sculpture by Nina Hole, a great Danish ceramic artist, will be uncovered at the Porcelain Festival in Lidköping, Sweden (where the last remaining Swedish porcelain factory, Rörstrand, was located). Wish I could be there, see it and meet her!

Behind the fire sculpture workshop is HDK and Fabriken LKPD, a newly started ambitious ceramic center, located in the former Rörstrand factory.



But I will be here and that will be fun too. We are organizing an outdoor Craft Fair for over fifty exhibitors. As part of my office job at KHVC. Not office as usual! Most welcome, those of you in town!