winter weave and winter wreath, Tjolöholm

At Tjolöholms castle outside Kungsbacka they prepare for Christmas. Next weekend is their huge traditional Christmas market. Already now my ceramic wreaths and textile artist Kerstin Åsling's weaved pieces hang in the newly restored Storstugan café and restaurant. The scent of gingerbread laid heavy when we arrived to put our work up on Friday!

Tjolöholm is a Tudor Style manor, the dream of a perfect little place in the world built by James Fredrik Dickson. He died of lead poisening when he, after he had cut his finger, put the lead from a champagne bottle around it. His wife Blanche finished the construction of the place in 1904. The interior design is from Liberty in London, still intact and one of the best examples of Art and Craft in Sweden.

Both Kerstin and me are inspired by folk art and our work seem to fit into the countrystyle, national romantic style of Storstugan. It is open every weekend, we show our work until January 31.

www.tjoloholm.se
Photos of the castle

preview windows

"Art break" window ready to be looked into, garlands for joy and sorrow.





Not all artists are finished yet, the opening is tomorrow. Per Petersson's and Britt Ignell's can be previewed, more photos will come.

Try the Salvation Army Christmas Gift-machine, in Swedish, by Sandsjö Action

taped garlands

Tape is my good friend. I use elastic, slowdrying glue to fix garland pieces. Looks like first aid practice. Working on more colourful, not as melancholy garland.


Cradle to cradle, photo from Braunstein/Quay Gallery webpage, photo: Ben Blackwell

I am quite taken by the work of Gyöngy Laky, "textile architecture" of natural materials. Solid and open at once. Tomorrow, Nov 15, her show opens in San Francisco, wish I was there to see and touch.

Here is more of her work.

Last week for my show in Örebro.

important people

Last week, when I was back home north visiting, I thought a lot of thankfulness. Who are the people I'm thankful to for being a ceramic artist today? This post is my Oscar speech, I send my gratitude to:

• Mom, who was proud of me and looked at all my drawings as invaluable
  
• Kindergarten teachers, who first provided clay as a material and allowed me to use it freely
• Art teacher Christer at school, who took this teenager's interest serious and opened my eyes to what art could be
• Ceramic teacher Hjördis Martinsson at first art school, for giving the confidence and courage to apply for university
• Artists and guest teachers: Herman Fogelin who opened unknown inner rooms for creation and Lillemor Petersson for encouraging bravery and larger scale work
• Studio partner Ami Lanmark for friendship and comfort in hard times.
• Torbjörn Kvasbö, colleague at HDK, for being provocative and challenging
  

Also thankful to have met so many inspiring fellow students and colleagues. And to all those working hard providing situations and spaces where creativity can grow.

Wish I had a photo to show of my first candle stick holder ever, from Kindergarten, have a very clear memory of it. Sometimes I recognize this very first piece in what I do now.



Opened the kiln Friday, happy with most. Started playing around with new parts for new ceramic garlands. The pieces make very nice sounds!

Sophi K (beautiful photos) just opened this blog together with friend photographer Janette McVey. Sophi links to Berlin guide, photoblog that makes me wish I was in Prenzlauerberg.

stripes and garlands

Yesterday, Marika asked if the striped pieces and walls was part of a coordination plan, but they are not. I'm quite happy, though, over the walls. They are white painted planks, with a rough character that fits my work.

More wall stripes and the three garlands from my show at KHVC Gallery:




Garland inspiration is a combination of at least two things (and this is just what I consciously think of, what lies behind is probably a long time chain of impressions and experiences that I'm not even aware of, from thousands of images and encounters).

Limited inspiration source is:
- Handcrafted floral garlands for celebration or grief (my grandmother had a flower shop and I love pick and arrange wild flowers).
- Curiosity to see what happens when I repeat the same little shape over and over, like making a 3 D mosaic.

Madeleine Boulesteix doesn't make garlands but wonderful chandeliers from recycled material, link found through Designers Block.

Latest issue of Swedish Hemslöjden magazine has the cover image of a lovely chandelier shape, by Gustaf Åhman, Järvsö.

welding help from Per

Studio neighbor Per Petersson helped weld the garlands together. We have our studios on top of the little hill where Konstepidemin is located. Per is a sculptor who works with large scale pieces in a wide range of material that he manages to turn from matter to poetry.
Better take a look at his web site!

He is also generous with his practical knowledge, always helping someone like me out, alongside his own work.

While welding, Lars Åsling, another neighbor artist, came to visit and we had an interesting discussion about blogging as a phenomena. Working in a place like Konstepidemin makes it possible not only to get practical help but also presence in a dialogue with creative, reflecting, funny people. I'm thankful!

The steel ring was fixed with strings to keep it exactly in place, the "flowers" could be glued beforehand as MIG welding is hot only on the exact spot.

ceramic garlands

Mounting three ceramic garlands. Three different "leaf" elements will be thread on to 4 mm steel thread. Definitely better choice than thinner brass thread even if it's easier to handle. Steel will keep straight with the weight of many small ceramic pieces on. Friend and studio neighbor
Per Petersson will help me weld.

Garland under construction. Stoneware "flowers" painted with slips. Guess I wouldn't have used these methods if I had not made mosaic work before. Putting many small, similar pieces together makes the garlands three dimensional mosaic objects.

Leafs thread and glued with transparent silicone. They are to hang, I use thinnest possible wire to hang them up.