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

Tattooed Fairy

Went through my camera and found this pic of a painting I did for my youngest brother's birthday a few months back.

Spring

Inspiration and hay fever in one big swirling spiral of colours and itchy eyes. Welding is fun, I'm getting better and better at it (I think. Atleast it feels like it). At the moment I have.. *counts*.. three unfinished paintings that are waiting for my undivided love and attention. I'll get to you soon lovelies, promise. I should bring my camera to school some day soon and take a few pictures, I've been meaning to do that for so long now. Good, it's settled then!

Sleepless nights

Many things on my mind lately, that's probably why I find falling asleep so difficult at the moment. As always I wish I had more time to be creative but we don't always get what we want right away. I've even started dreaming about art, about painting and drawing. Like an addict craving a fix. I guess it's only a matter of time before I start sniffing my paints in secrecy. ;) Although, the creativity cravings were somewhat subdued by the creating of a very silly birthday present for a friend. Very poorly executed but seemingly still much appreciated. :D Just goes to show that heart is everything eh?

On a sidenote: Mental slap. Have to get better at updating blog. End of message.

My poor neglected blog! I'm so sorry that I haven't had time with you, I promise I'll do better when I've finished this course.

The England trip is coming up. Matthew is over there already to get some extra quality time with friends and family. I'm going over on the 21st and we'll spend Christmas and new Years over there with Matthew's side of the family. Looking forward to it alot, but I must admit I'm a bit worried about school. Even though I've been working my butt off it seems my Bachelor's Thesis is moving at a snail's pace >< Let's hope everything is done or atleast close to when I'm going to England so that I don't have to bring a million books with me!

Time to stop worrying! It's Christmas soon after all. :D So to everyone out there:

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! <3

Frustration, Trotsky and a big cup of tea

“Life is not an easy matter... You cannot live through it without falling into frustration and cynicism unless you have before you a great idea which raises you above personal misery, above weakness, above all kinds of perfidy and baseness.”
-Leon Trotsky

Frustration has been a major theme the last few days. Sometimes things just seems to fall into place, other times they certainly don't. I've had this nagging feeling of being way in over my head for a while now, this being connected to my current studies. To put it plainly: they drive me bonkers. Quite often. And at the same time I feel that this is where I'm supposed to be, even if it's difficult certain days. Luckily I'm surrounded by people who love and support me no matter what I do. And sometimes you just need to scream and kick and throw an oldschool teenage inspired tantrum to get it out of your system. So now when I've done that it's time to get my act together, make myself a big cup of tea and get the work done. ;)

Sunday feeling

It feels like Sunday today, very slow and sleepy feeling in general. School is taking up most of my time but I try to clear my head with some creative work from time to time, otherwise I think I'd go crazy. Working on an A3 acrylic painting. It started out as a doodle and was supposed to be something else entirely but certain days the picture wants something else than what was originally intended and I find that it's wiser to go with the flow when that happens. So far I'm content with where it's going and I think it can turn into something that I'm happy with. If my camera wasn't being grumpy I'd post a sneak peek. Drawing and painting (or any sort of creative work) can be very therapeutic. I like the feeling of the mind resting in a picture during its creation, very peaceful and satisfying. The end result seems to matter less and the picture turns into something beyond an artistic expression.

Pencils, crayons and a bit of spare time

Matthew, pencil and crayon on paper, 27x35 cm.

Insecurities

"What an artist worries about when he plans his pictures, is something... difficult to put into words. Perhaps he would say he worries about whether he has got it 'right.' Now it is only when we understand what he means by this modest little word 'right' that we begin to understand what artists are really after."

- Ernst Gombrich

Paintings on the wall

Paintings on the wall

Detail of one of mum's absolute favourites when it comes to my art. Gaia, 81x100 cm, acrylics. Still a work in progress that I seem to never get around to finishing :P

Updated Gallery!

I've been busy the last few days and haven't had time to write but today I put the school books aside for a bit to update my little blog <3

Check out the Gallery! New pictures up:

* Still life with peacock feathers
* The Touch of Illusions
* Cotton Candy
* Portrait of a Woman
* Me, Myself and Mumrik
* The Shape of Things
* Pearl

The Harvest Festival was lovely as always and all the nice comments about my paintings really warmed my heart, thank you everyone! Positive feedback like that is what keeps me going when things are tough and the inspiration has disappeared. You never know if people will like what you do and it's always such a nice feeling when someone comes up and tells you how much they like your creations.

I would love to just spend the rest of the night sketching but I have assignments that need doing. But who knows, if I get a lot done I'll probably bring the pens out, it's hard not to when you have images stuck in your head that needs to be put on paper :D

Close-up of Cotton Candy

Preparations and free prints, Skördefesten 2011

Some of the paintings for this year's Harvest Festival and my exhibition "Invitation: Take a Walk Inside My Head - Portraits of Women" is in place:

Pearl
Me, Myself and Mumrik
Portrait of a Woman
The Shape of Things

There will also be some free postcard sized prints of DreamEye Ragdoll so make sure to stop by Nyströms Skoaffär on Storgatan in Borgholm and get yours. :D

Sneak Peeks!

Some sneak peeks of a few paintings (acrylics and gouache) that I'm thinking about using for this weekend's exhibition. Haven't decided how many or which ones, that will probably be decided on location on Wednesday but these are my top candidates. ^_^

Sneak peek: The Touch of Illusions

Sneak peek: Cotton Candy

Sneak peek: The Shape of Things

Sneak peek: Portrait of a Woman

Sneak peek: Me, Myself and Mumrik

Sneak peek: Pearl

And don't forget to drop by Nyströms Skoaffär if you're in Borgholm this weekend ;) This is how excited Ernie was about the paintings:

Education

When it comes to education I've pretty much always followed my heart. I have this philosophy that if it all comes crashing down, atleast you can say that you went for something you really wanted. Picking something based on what other people say or because you're afraid of what other's might think just isn't good enough and you will most likely regret it big time further down the line. And don't despair if you don't understand everything from the start because:

"Education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance."
- Will Durant

Bachelor's degree, major courses/areas
Form & Design
Image & Media Education
Art History A
Art History B
Art History C (in progress)

Paris American Academy
Course: Fine Arts
*Painting
*Drawing & Composition
*Color
*Perspective
*Art History
*French

Honoluly Academy of Arts
*Ceramics: Surface
*Ceramics: Creative Clay
*Jewelry with an Attitude

Hawaii Pacific University
*Art of Asia
*French I

Literature
*History of Literature A
*Fantasy Literature: Harry Potter
*Children's Literature: Astrid Lindgren's Authorship
*Children's Literature: Introduction to Children's Literature

Secondary School
The Art & Design program