Vacation

I'm currently on vacation in Sweden with Kevin and so far we're having a wonderful time. We arrived late last Thursday and have had some wonderfully eventful days. On Friday we took a tour with mum down the southern parts of Öland through Färjestaden, Skogsby, Mörbylånga etc. The nature is amazing here and it's such a treat getting to spend one of the best parts of the summer here with my family. On Saturday we went to the 60th birthday party of a friend of the family and yesterday I took part in an outdoor exhibition ("Tavlor i träden") arranged by Krusenstiernska Gården in Kalmar. It was stressfull and unfortunately it rained a bit but at the same time it was a lot of fun, especially since I got so many nice compliments about my work and also got to see many different ways of expression collected in one place. Not to mention that the surroundings were incredible which in turn made the artwork look its best there in the garden bathed in natural light. There will be new pictures up soon, of the paintings and drawings I made in Belgium as well as pictures from the outdoor exhibition yesterday.

Memories of summers past

I had a hard time sleeping so instead I ended up flipping through one of my old diaries and found an entry I wrote in August 2011. I'd gone away for a while with my previous boyfriend, my mum and my two brothers when I had some rare time off from uni. I remember being awake very early in the morning when writing this. Actually I remembered everything about that moment very clearly when I read it and it was an incredibly intense feeling. Maybe it's one of those moments you'll always carry with you, tucked away safe and hidden until you choose to take it out. This is something very personal but somehow it feels right to share it. I don't usually do that. Maybe I should.


"The day is not important. Things like time seem trivial here. Fields as far as the eye can see. The odd farm. Mist, wind and rain. Salty storms from the nearby sea. An army of seagulls picking the ground for war spoils. Melancholic and painfully beautiful. Soothing, scary, frustrating, caring. Mother Nature is so close, so strong here. The wind is almost knocking me off my feet. Now more than ever I am a Stormchild. The light is magical. I should draw, maybe I will. I am the queen of the world and as insignificant as a grain of sand. The old gods walk these lands. Everything seems ancient. I look at my kingdom and see creation. And chaos. Subtle but forever present. Time stands still. Even writing is slow. This night I had no nightmares, only M's warmth next to me. I disappear into my books, swallowed whole by the thin pages. They smell of security and calm. I'm standing at the end of the world and it is beautiful."

Elfs, metal and a fear of the dark

One of my five younger brothers (two by bond of blood, three by bond of heart) is going to Japan to study for a semester and won't be back for months. I was working on a painting he had ordered of Galadriel and The Witch-king of Angmar but I wasn't sure if I'd be able to finish it before tonight (since he's leaving early tomorrow this would be my last chance of seeing him). Fortunately, after a few long nights at the easel, I managed to finish it yesterday and present it to him earlier tonight. A lot of love went into that painting I can tell you. The full version can be seen in the gallery but here's a little sneak peek:

I did a smaller painting the other day, Fear of the Dark and that can also be seen in the gallery, as well as the commissioned piece I Can See Your Halo (see picture below).

Frankly My Deer

I've finally gotten around to updating the gallery with Frankly My Deer (A3), plus my A5 trio Blue Mermaid, Butterfly Thoughts and Parrot Girl. (Well, I say trio but they're three independent little paintings that just happened to be made after one another during a short period of time.) Below is a picture of all three framed. I have atleast one painting that I need to finish so I might do that, although a new project is veeeery tempting (as always). I really like the unfinished painting however and I know I should finish it before I start something new. Plus, acrylics is always fun. I've worked a lot in watercolour and gouache lately and I'm not bored with it whatsoever but it's always nice to mix it up a bit.

Inspiring day

I've had a very intense and inspiring day today. Lots of new impressions and ideas to process. My mind has been on full speed since this morning to keep up. I find that very stimulating and it tends to let loose a flow of new ideas. The picture below is a painting I did not too long ago for a competition. Sadly I didn't make it to the final voting but I'm actually quite pleased with how it turned out considering how little time I spent on it. Speed painting is pretty fun when the result doesn't look like a train wreck. :P

On another note: It's vital to have faith in who you are and what you can accomplish. Surrounding yourself with positive energy is SO incredibly important. Constantly pointing out what could go wrong, refusing to see the possibilities instead of the opportunities and putting other people down because they don't do things your way is not being pragmatic. That's being an asshole.

Idun, acrylic on cardboard, A4.

Coming soon: A5 trio

I'm working on an A3 sized watercolour and gouache painting of a little deer girl or something like that at the moment. Really looking forward to see how she turns out.

I finished three litte A5 watercolour paintings a while back but haven't posted them yet. I shall have to do that soon!

I won! Absolutely made up! :D

Ecstatic after winning Artistbutiken's painting competition "My July"! Out of 60 entries my little painting made it all the way to the final and won! I can't believe all the love and support I've been showered with these past few weeks. Thank you guys, you're truly amazing and I couldn't have done it without you! <3

The gallery is updated with three new paintings: "July" (my entry for the competition, see below), the commissioned work "Clock Girl" and "Jiraiya". Naruto is one of my favourite animes and I'm definitely a Jiraiya fan girl, big time! <3