in the clouds

Finished the first of four mosaic wall works and started next, with clouds in it. I'm fairly quick but sometimes I just stare at a piece for a long time and don't know where to put it. Then I know it's time for a break.

They need to dry a day or two before grouting,they are really just as half finished as they look. Very light grey will be the color.

Two great links from Masala Chai, she is full of them:
Ryan Lobo
and
Tushar Wagela

Jeoung Ah-Kim

At Sintra: Jeoung Ah-Kim, Korean ceramic artist living in Göteborg. She is a researcher at HDK and invented a new ceramic material! High fired paper composite porcelain, based on recycled paper (Ph.D thesis link here). I'm happy to see the artist's work that comes out of her research!

More photos here, click "galleriet"
Paper clay art

self esteem

Laurie Rosenwald, New York graphic designer and frequent guest at Konstepidemin, publishes her book All the wrong people have self esteem in December. She is clever, witty, ironic and fun, I have high expectations.
See more here
Pre order here.
I will buy three, one for myself and one each for the young ladies I know, appearing in the book (for Christmas).

Malgorzata Belkiewicz paper cuts and
Blublu blog, both via Kris's Color stripes

how to and how not to mosaic

Major Mistake from last week: Being stuck in previous ideas and not taking time to look at new task with fresh eyes.

Photos above:
My latest mosaic commission was three dimensional, benches for a sports hall entrance. The method used then, successfully, was to shape inner forms of frigolite, cover them with a thin layer of glass fibre reinforced concrete and put the mosaic pieces on top. Light enough to handle and transport in place, strong enough to sit and kick on. More photos of the finished result here

This time I was totally stuck with the idea of concrete. Wish to make slab sections of mosaic ready to put up on the walls all at once (don't want to spend weeks and weeks in a cold and busy construction site but rather work peacefully in cosy studio).

I usually tape the pieces together on the front side, and get larger sections to handle. This doesn't work with the China pieces as they are not flat enough. That's why the need of slabs.

So, last week I spent a lot of time and energy making molds for very thin concrete slabs to glue them onto. Absolutely useless work, the thin concrete was forever stuck on the stone slab I used for mold, couldn't get it off even with litres of oil on the stone surface. Used kitchen foil with bad result too, hard to handle with lots of wrinkles.

After giving up this bad DIY project and thus giving room for a better idea, I went to buy 6mm plasterboards. Easy to cut for sections and easy to handle. A little thicker than I wanted but now the work runs smoothly again.

Photo mosaic sculptures, found via Sandra
In case you missed it: Konstepidemin new blog
Paula Lindblom was part of the Taking parts workshop, here and here

götheborg II

This is the replica ship of Götheborg, that sunk in 1745, just outside the city harbor. The original ship is where all my porcelain mosaic pieces come from. The new ship made it to China and back in one piece and toured the Baltic sea last summer. Now it's parked for winter, close to "my" buildings. Smells from linseed oil and tar, I love it.

This week was full of technical issues, but now mosaic work runs smoothly. You can learn from my mistakes.

We started a — NEW BLOG — at Konstepidemin, seemed a natural step after updating the website. There are so many things going on there and I've always felt a few steps behind even if I've posted a few.
Happy to invite you there, www.konstepidemin.se, click "blog".

Tomorrow show openings 12-16:
kinetic sculptures by Peter Kruse
jewellery by Peter Skubic at Hnoss
work by Petra Borén and
14.00 football/art talk by Per (short form of Peter) Agelii an Jan Stigland. I'll definitely go for the football event.

Karin Landahl has studio sale, knit wear, 11-16.
Carina Fihn's guest artist of the month

Wish you a lovely weekend!

first pieces put

Happened to start with the signature corner.

First mosaic pieces are glued in place, finally. Preparations took time; I want to find practical and efficient ways to make most of the mosaic ready already in the studio. I hope I can describe methods better later on. This will go on for some time now...

Levi van Veluw, human landscapes
Collective conversations in clay via Emily Murphy, who's in it. This is how it works.

real water lilies

Here's the real lotus thing. In Cambodia lotus fruits are sold at the market and eaten as snacks. The stems are chopped and made soup of. Tasty and beautiful at the same time.

And the water lilies are folded beautifully like this before put as offers in the temples.

A few Cambodian artists:
Sopheap Pich, rattan sculptures, added to my favorites

Anders Jirås, friend and phographer living in Phnom Penh, revamped his web site. Traditional Khmer dance and much more:
"Cambodian artists speak out" interviews with artists dealing with the Khmer Rouge and genocide era in their art (artist portraits by Anders), the publication can be downloaded (PDF)

Heng Sinith, photography
Linda Saphan, art of herself and others, cultural projects
Article about contemporary Cambodian art life

Mosaic preparations in progress, will show tomorrow. Hope you'll have a great work week!

karin seufert

Karin Seufert, show at hnoss gallery. She kidnaps well known brand symbols (see the pumas?) and uses them her own way. Article here (Swedish)

They seem to have a real good time at the workshop Taking parts. 12 jewellery artists in concentrated silence over recycled materials. Will show photos next time.

Don't miss the events this weekend; workshop show tomorrow and seminar Sunday, read prevoius post.

Recycling: clothes swap project, what a good idea, article (in Swedish)
How we say hello, duo photo blog by Sandra and Famapa

Peace and joy for the weekend!

harvest day; much better

The kiln turned out fine, now I have all pieces ready to start the mosaic work (lotus fruits, chrysanthemums and clouds, original skethes here). Today was a much more focused day than yesterday. But like you say, Alexandra, bad days are needed too.

Workshop "Taking parts" is going on at Konstepidemin (have a new look at the web page, I took over updating recently and refreshed the English section last weekend. Still work to do but major improvement if I may say so myself :))

12 Swedish jewellery artists work with Karin Seufert, German exhibitor at Hnoss, staying on a Iaspis grant in one of the guest studios.

Saturday night they will show the result and Sunday afternoon is a seminar with Karin,
Anders Jacobsen (Radikalslöjd, Lagombra) and
Hans Stofer from RCA, London.
Read more in Swedish here, English here.

not my day

Buildings in Luleå (looking through old pictures). Weird but nice mix, they are standing next to each other.

Been behind the computer all day without achieving much. No yoga class today —either. Kiln not cool enough to open, must wait until tomorrow. One quarrel at work and one at home (both later reasonably resolved). My handbag camera has lost the flash function.

But Andrea finished her work! and describes the feeling so well. Congratulations!
And Studio Violet shop is opened, congratulations and best wishes!

And here is amazing paper cut work Kako Ueda

Hope for a better tomorrow.

autumn leafs

Leafs from last weeks. Now the wind struggles to take all the colors off.

I'm off to glaze lotuses and chrysanthemums.

Ana Ventura is papercutting
Elsita too, thanks for the link Celia

Margon Lindberg and Petter Hellsing show at KHVC Galleri, Örebro here

more millenium - finally final summer

Things were so hectic after this summer, I totally forgot to post final photos from the USA trip. The fountain in Stockholm reminded me something was missing.

Cooling water in glass sculpture Crown Fountain by Jaume Plensa, Millenium Park, Chicago:

Reason for the whole USA trip was my favorite soccer team Azalea BK girls 15, taking part in one of the world's major soccer tournament: USA CUP (and they won their group!). One reason this blog was so silent this summer was the other blog I was managing Football in my heart. The blog started in Swedish but later turned into English, so that our new American friends could follow.

Didn't know I had it in me, but now I feel like Soccer Mom Pro. Seems like focus turns more towards the younger the older I get. Very rewarding. And the trip was one of the most fun and fantastic I've made, ever. Being on a sight seeing tour with 24 teenagers is like discovering the world anew.

Before we left I read about a banana fly study; they live longer the more they hang around with younger flies. Human beings and banana flies are close genetically, so this summer must have made my life at least some years longer. At least it felt so.

Good luck with your week!
Only one link, so much to see:
Kristof Kintera, via Eddy and Edwina
The electric potato man is fine.

Stockholm lights

Top photo of the fountain outside Stockholm Fair, by Mikael Pauli and Dag Birkeland. Just wonderful smoke, sound and light show.
More and better photos here, video here.

Stockholm subway stations are amazing, like being inside of treasure caves of art. Kungsträdgården, by Ulrik Samuelsson is a favorite. I haven't seen the newer suburb stations in real life yet, they seem worth the trip.

Here a slide show with some of the almost 100 stations.
Here is a slide show with the full subway art history (in Swedish).
Stockholm by pixels, blog

Yesterday was the annual Kulturnatta, Culture night, here in Göteborg. I was too full, stayed content at home and read Jenny Diski On trying to keep still. I kept still though I know I missed plenty. Wish you a peaceful weekend.

lotus progress

Finished making all clay pieces for the mosaics, now just waiting for them to dry before firing. They will shrink and I want to know how much before I start cutting the mosaic around.

Days are lovely, sunny, warm enough to sit outside for coffee.

New blog in my list: Textile Swatches
thanks to An Indian Summer

inspiration trip

Yesterday a trip to Stockholm, earlyearly rise and back late at night. Well worth the ride, to a day seminar at the Swedish Inheritance Fund, Allmänna Arvsfonden. I've never seen as many engaged persons at the same time, working hard to make life better for kids and young people. With art and culture for tools; how good. Touched to tears by the music and theatre performances quite a few times.

Kids tell pros how to do-project here
Article (in Swedish) about a land art project with refugee kids here
Young culture ambassadors here

The fund's money comes from when someone dies heirless without a will. Money is distributed to non profit organizations work with children. Wish to be very rich when I die so they can have plenty to give away. We where invited because of the teenage summer job project at Konstepidemin.