The 40th Face

Back in summer I made a few paintings, based on 1940s photos of women from LIFE magazine. I painted the faces from looking at photos, and then surrounded them with heavy pattern wall paper from roughly the same time period. I enjoyed making these small portraits with smiling or surprised faces, often taken from soap or toothpaste ads. They all measure 8” x 8”.

Overtime they became various studies of faces, and I started using more modern photos, which changed the feel and expression of the paintings.

Just this week I completed portrait # 40. I didn’t know I was going to do this many or how they would change overtime. I like them as individual portraits, as well as put together in a big block as the above photo. For now, I have decided to take a break, but may return to this format the future.

Happy Holiday

The Danish postcard company Go-Card is currently publishing a series of my images, entitled Playdoh Greetings and they all feature my Boston terrier Playdoh.

Four of them are already out; Get well Soon, Happy Valentines Day, Bon Voyage and Happy Halloween. And I have just received a message that the fifth one (Happy Holiday) now is out as well. That means it can be picked up for free, in 400 cafes around Denmark, as well as in all McDonalds throughout the country (except for Herning).

This is the second Playdoh series published by Go-card, the first one Playdoh the Muse, came out last year. Back in 2002 I had my very first series published on Go-card, it was five images and text pieces, taken from Life of Young Ursula Winther.

For more information, or to send an e-card, please visit there their website www.Go-Card.dk

Art Class Shows work at the Library

Yesterday I went to the Metuchen Public Library and hung my students art work. They had all brought me a stack of work they wanted to show, and there was a lot to choose from.

But, the exhibition space was rather limited, so I had to pick out a few pieces, and hung them in themes. There was a lot of good work that I unfortunately had to leave out, but I think it still gives a good idea of what we have worked with the past 12 weeks.

The art work will be on display in the Library until Dec. 14th. 2008

# 12 Art Class - Acrylic on Canvas

It was our last week this semester. Unfortunately only two students were able to make it for this class. It was time to paint on a stretched canvas - acrylic on canvas. Last week I asked if they would prefer to paint from their imagination or look at a still life. Still life was the clear answer, so I made a little arrangement with a vase w/ dry yellow flowers, a book, a pomegranate and a (lit) candle.

The atmosphere was very calm and focused, it was cold and dark outside and very cosy inside. Both boys worked concentrated - I really tried to force them to LOOK at the arrangement, not just assume. To use their pencil to measure the different objects to each other, and also pay attention to light and shadow. They took their time, changed detail when they realized it wasn’t right. A lot of work and very little giggle! The two hours were spent well, we had perfect time to finish the pieces, talk about each one afterward, and we even had time to play with Playdoh the dog, who was not happy about being placed in the basement while the class was going on. He came up to say hello!

Later this week or early next week, the student’s work will be on display at the Metuchen Library.

I will offer two make up classes in the beginning of December, I will post into on the themes at a later date.

# 11 Art Class - Still Life

This week was an “open week”. I wanted to keep one week available to add a sudden idea for a project or a surprise. I had asked the students if there was something they would be interested in doing in particular... A few mentioned that they like to finish up older pieces from previous weeks, but none of them actually brought anything along when Tuesday came along. I had a feeling this would happen, so I prepared a Still Life class, using color pencils combined with water color.

I have noticed that they like working with Still Life - they enjoy having an object/arrangement to look at, rather than making something up. I think that is great; they have to look and observe - great for bettering their drawing skills, as well as their focus.

I made a very traditional set up with a bowl of fruit and one of my personal treasures: a Royal Copenhagen Jug. I gave them a sheet of water color paper and they started drawing the arrangement. When the drawing was done, they added a bit of color with the color pencils and as the last step, they put water color on top. This created an interesting effect. We talked about how the two materials affected each other, how the pencils were great for shadow and the watercolor worked wall for the lighter part of the painting.

As always the results were very different, they each approached the subject as well as the materials very differently.

We only have one week left of the entire semester. Next week is a painting on a stretched canvas. After Thanksgiving I am having two make up classes.

# 10 Art Class

This past Tuesday was Election Night, which meant that a couple of my students were away for the week. So, on this dark (and later history changing!) fall Tuesday only two kids came for art class!

According to my lesson plan were were going to draw faces, and we started out talking about proportions of the face, and they did a couple of drawings of each other... But pretty soon it became clear that it was hard to do with only two people that kept on drawing each other. (I was planning that they would take turns, all drawing one person at a time, just like in the figure drawing class.) So, we decided to change the plan a little - I had a big pumpkin outside my door that I broad inside, along with a handful of beautiful orange/brown leaves that covered the ground outside my house. Initially I wanted them to draw faces with pastels - so we stuck with that medium ( -which we had not actually used yet- ) and the drawings were very vibrant - we talked a bit about complementary colors, and they tried to make oranges and browns pop, by surrounding them with ‘opposite’ colors.

# 9 Art Class - Egg Tempera

It was time for the (among my students) most anticipated week - egg tempera! They just couldn’t wait to mix the paint! Almost every week, someone would ask me: ”When are we doing the egg thing??” I decided to give them each a primary color (unfortunately one student couldn’t make it, so we were only three). They each got a tile and a piece of marble to turn a color pastel into powder. It was a pretty tough process - breaking the pastel turned out to be more difficult than expected. They mixed the fine powder with egg yolks, and it turned into some very clear and vibrant colors.

They each painted a small painting with the tempera, it was very different than regular paint; sticky and very transparent. They could still mix the colors, lighten the red and blue (-or green as the egg yolk changed it into). After making one painting they were more interested in mixing more paint, than actually using it for painting! We had a bit of time before everyone was being piked up, and one of the students suggested that they spent the time drawing each other - like they did in week # 3. I thought it was a great idea - we are going to draw faces next week, and this was a good exercise to return to, before next week. So I quickly found paper and charcoal and they worked on figure drawing until they got picked up.

Dronninglund Kunstcenter

This year for the first time, I applied to participate in the Censured December Exhibition at Dronninglund Kunstcenter, North Jutland, DK. I brought back some new work this summer, and thought it would be interesting to give it a try. I submitted five pieces and I was lucky - two of those got accepted! The official opening of the show is this Sunday, Nov. 2nd at 11 am.

# 8 Art Class - Self Portrait

This week it was time for self portraits. We started out looking at Frida Kahlo, She was the perfect artist to study for this weeks’ class. We talked about what a self portrait is, or can be. I wanted them to tell about themselves in the picture, not only focus on glasses, long hair and eye color, but also what they like to do, where they are from and who they are. That’s another reason Frida Kahlo was such an obvious choice; all the stories she tells about herself through her work.

The medium was basically the same as last week: a mix of collage and paint, this time on a canvas board. The results were very interesting (and I believe I learned a lot about my students this week!) and what always strike me is how differently they all started and completed the assignment.

Some painted the figure, cutting out nose and eyes from magazines - others painted the whole figure, and only used collage in the background. Looking back at their work, they are all really very consistent in their styles, even across mediums.

My First Studio

Recently I was looking through some old pictures. I came across these couple of images from Tacoma, WA. They sent me back in time, made me think about this space again... It was in fact my first real studio. It was in an old apartment building in the Stadium district, we lived there for two years and loved it. We had talked to the manager when we moved in, asking if it was possible to pay a little extra for this room, on top of the rent. It wasn’t really a room, rather a small naked space in between two apartments, but it was perfect as a place to paint. It was full of old appliances and various old junk, collected for (probably) centuries. Kevin and I emptied the space ourselves, it took a long weekend and some sore backs and muscles.

(Turned out) the room had a small window, looking over the bay (Pudget Sound) as well as the Stadium High School which look a bit like a german castle. Not bad for a view! It had a high ceiling and an improvised wood floor; I could be as messy as I wanted to, it was made for this purpose. We put up some boards on the walls for both pictures and insulation.

Looking at these photos, I know exactly which paintings I did in this room, which shows I had in mind and was preparing for. I remember the pictures I hung on the wall for inspiration, how cold the winters were in there, and the little broken glass in one of the small window panes...

This studio was its’ own chapter, and it holds a lot of nostalgia. While still living in Tacoma we moved to a house in the north end, and I got my own little room there too. A very different place; a small cozy “log cabin” of a room with a window overlooking our cute flower garden. A different place, and some different work. At this moment I have a tiny room with french doors, green walls and bamboo flooring. Looking over a parking lot. I have loved all my studios - not sure you can work in them if you don’t?

To me whey become separate chapters, and I am excited having to move once in a while and change space. Good for moving and changing the direction of the mind!

# 7 Art Class - Abstract Collage

On Tuesday it was time for abstract art! I wanted to combine the abstract with the collage, and it worked out well. I started out by talking about Paula Rego, a portuguese artist living in London. She is an interesting (and very skilled) painter with many different styles. In the 1960s she made some beautiful big abstract pieces in mixed media. We looked at some of her work and talked about form and color, as well as the different materials used. They all had very different ideas about what it was supposed to be. I thought it was interesting that it had to be something; a monster behind a tree, an old woman with flowers - it could not, not be something!

As oppose to our weeks of various still life, this time our conversation was all about shapes and colors - the students had to focus on the overall look and feel of the piece, rather than the right proportions. I sensed that they enjoyed this change of pace, and they created some interesting pieces. I think they did really well in cutting out odd (and what seemed random) magazine pictures, gluing them around the cardboard, and then connecting the images with paint as the last step. They clearly worked very spontaneously and that gave some good results. I was truly impressed! Next week we will continue the collage, but in the shape of self portraits...

Playdoh on Go-Cards

The Danish postcard company Go-Card is currently publishing a series of my images, entitled Playdoh Greetings and they all feature my Boston terrier Playdoh.

Three of them are already out; Get well Soon, Happy Valentines Day and Bon Voyage. And I have just received a message that the forth one (Happy Halloween) now is out as well.

That means it can be picked up for free (between Oct. 9-16) in 400 cafes around Denmark, as well as in all McDonalds throughout the country (except for Herning).

This is the second Playdoh series published by Go-card, the first one Playdoh the Muse, came out last year. Back in 2002 I had my very first series published on Go-card, it was five images and text pieces, taken from Life of Young Ursula Winther.

For more information, or to send an e-card, please visit there their website www.Go-Card.dk

# 6 Art Class - Surrealism

Time is flying... This week was the 6th class, which means we are halfway through the semester already! I was very excited about this week’s project. Earlier in the course, we had worked with still life and this time around, I thought it would be interesting to paint from something visual, in front of us on the table, but then play with size and comparison. So I took out my fake (but quite lifelike) raven and bought a bag of jellybeans, and wanted then to play with the story and the format.

We started out talking about surrealism - about dreams and how they don’t make sense, I felt it was a great art movement to bring into this class. We looked at Renè Magritte’s work in particular, a personal favorite of mine! I wanted them to combine the two elements in their own way, tell a (dreamlike) story - perhaps the bird would be the size of the candy... or it may be flying with a huge jellybean in it’s beak... or it cold just have landed on a mountain of the colorful candy.

It was up to them to use their imagination on these elements, but still looking at them while painting, to study the beak compared to the feet and the length of the wings.

I sensed that they had a fun time - they produced some great work, and they all did a great job mixing the right colors from the few prime colors that were available to them. Their interpretations were very different - that is always so interesting! And we ended the session - yes, exactly; - by eating Jellybeans...

# 5 Art Class

This week, we were going to explore illustration. We talked about various kinds of illustration as well as what purpose they serve. H. C Andersen is my favorite fairy tale writer, I simply love his complex and poetic tales (and then he is a great Dane!). I had decided that we were going go illustrate Princess And The Pea - because it is a pretty short story and because it is full of visual scenes. We made a good long list of parts that would be great to draw and got started. This week we worked with paper and color pencil, I like to work with as many different mediums as possible in this 12 week course.

Tuesday was actually a school holiday, and I sensed a lot of extra condensed energy in the room, a need for chatting, giggling and dancing, and we had to re-focus a few times!

But, the work turned out great, a few students picked the scene when the princess knocked on the door in the dreadful weather, but naturally they were very different, and from different angles.

We also got a picture of the princess entering the door (with a beautiful long shadow!) the queen making the bed with all the mattresses, as well as a close up of the hand with the pea in it.

The prince traveling around the world looking for a ‘real’ princess also got his illustration, and so did the pea in a display case in a museum.

By the end of the day we put them in order, and they managed to (almost) tell the entire story.

Kunstforeningen Limfjorden

Kunstforeningen Limfjorden (The Art Fund Limfjorden) hosts a juried art exhibition every fall in Struer, a short drive from my hometown of Lemvig. I had paintings admitted back in 1998 and again in 2001, but since then I haven’t applied. But, I decided to try again this year; it has been a while, and I brought back some new work this summer for the show in Holstebro, so I wanted to give it a try. I was just informed this weekend that they have accepted four pieces in the show, which is great and quite exciting! The private view is this Saturday, Oct. 4th, 14:00.
Address: Gimsinghoved Kunst & Kulturcenter, Gimsinghoved 1, 7600 Struer.

# 4 Art Class - Feeling Blue

Tuesday’s class was loosely based on the concept of Picasso’s blue paintings. I started out showing a brief slideshow with some of his work from that period, to give an idea of how one color can create a whole painting. They all agreed that the blue shade created a sad atmosphere, and we talked about ‘feeling blue’, and ‘blues’ music...

They were given a palette with as many different blues as I had been able to find in my studio, as well as all the white they needed. They seemed surprised how different the colors looked next to each other. Some turned out to have a green shade, some seemed almost purple when you added white. One student looked really surprised and said: “I thought there was just one blue!”

I sensed that they had a lot of fun using just one color for a whole piece, they experimented with a light background and then using a darker shade of blue as an outline. Some of the students painted freely from their mind, others looked around the room for items to look at and paint. The drawing on this page, of the two old women, was actually inspired from one of my favorite clay sculptures, made by a local artist where I grew up. As always I was excited and surprised to see how differently they approached the idea, and how different the results came out.

Next week is illustration - a H. C. Anderson tale with lots of good visual stories, ready to be put onto paper...

# 3 Art Class

This week we got a new student. Or, she was actually enrolled, but she was not able to show up until this week. She is the only girl of the group, and truly a social butterfly! As mentioned before, the two previous classes were very quiet, everyone was very shy. But she just walked in, started chatting to everybody, and before we knew it, the class was buzzing and laughing and there was a great relaxed atmosphere.

The theme of the week was figure drawing. I wanted them to LOOK at the person modeling, draw what they SAW, not what they thought they saw. It turned out fun; each student modeled in front of the others for four minutes, they took turns and returned back to the same drawing, as they each kept the same pose a few times. I wanted them to think of a good pose: not to difficult to draw, and one they could hold for four minutes. We started with charcoal and later moved into pastel, to put a bit of color in the drawing. I encouraged them to draw BIG on the paper, and use as many sheets as they needed. So by the end of the session, four stacks of great drawings were produced, along with dirty faces & fingers, black from charcoal ; - )

They all did extremely well, as previously they worked very concentrated - I had to stress them to LOOK, and also tell them a few times that the figure was the main focus as their fellow student did their pose - hairstyles, glasses and details of the clothes could be added later.

Next week is BLUE - creating a painting in different shades of blue only... I am excited and know they will come up with some surprising paintings.

Amalie and her portrait

Usually I don’t paint portraits of people! I have done a lot of pet portraits, cats and especially a load of dogs, and often I am asked if I can do a portrait of a person - sometimes even combined with a pet portrait. I always say no; personally I find it really difficult and very time consuming. Also often, after spending hours, perhaps days on the project, I have to start over, as it has taken a wrong turn, I just can’t come back from.

But no rule without exception! My artist friend Karen asked me if I would paint a portrait of her daughter Amalie. I was debating, wasn’t sure, thought about it, then I said to Karen that I would give it a try, but if it ended in disaster I would just stop... Being a painter too, she knew exactly where I was coming from, and that’s what we decided on. I went back to the US, Karen emailed me the photo of Amalie that she wanted me to work from, and filled in the actual pet portrait form (she described Amalie’s “breed” as “human with a touch of angel” : )

The photo was of a very young Amalie, and there was a special story to it; she had been upset and wanted to leave home, wearing her little tiger costume. She sits in the garden on a stack of her small suitcases, she was clearly ready to leave! The portrait took some time, but was fun to do, and I knew Amalie enough to decide whether it looked like her or not. I brought back the painting to Denmark this summer, an luckily she liked it. It had been a surprise, she had no idea...

I asked them to take a photo of Amalie with her portrait, and I just received it a few days ago, and she is - once again - sitting on the grass on a stack of suitcases - and this time with the portrait, and luckily, not upset!

Another exception I did was a portrait of my good friend Poul. I wanted to give him something for his 70th birthday. I know Poul well enough to immediately know, wether the portrait worked or not. And for some reason the portrait was quick and easy, I saw Poul in it right away.

# 2 Art Class

It has just been the second week of the Art Class for Kids, and we were going to explore Still-Life. Only two kids were able to make it for this class (the third one came on his own on Thursday instead) but I sensed that they both felt a bit less shy - definitely more talking and a bit more relaxed although it is still a very quiet group. I started out with a short slideshow, I wanted to show different still life; vases, flowers, fruits & drapery, but I also found a few more unusual subjects, such as dolls heads and an ipod!

I had a vase with sunflowers ready on the table, as well as a small fruit bowl. I didn’t want to restrict the elements they had to work from, and so pencils, paint brushes & erasers were used too. The main goal was that they really looked at the object, and painted what they saw, not just what they assumed they saw! And I think they all three did a really good job.

They did a few sketches first, to decide which of the object they wanted to concentrate on, and later moved on to a sheet of water color paper, where they first drew the object and then used water color.

Just like last week, I was impressed with their attention to detail, and the concentration they put in the painting. They each produced one really well made piece, apart from their beginning sketches.

Next week is people and charcoal...

The Right Typeface

I like the use of letters in paintings. I like them for their meaning as well as their visual presence. It is interesting how a certain font makes you think of something. They can provoke feelings, almost like a smell or a song - I think so anyway. And when put together, the combinations even hold a meaning - quite fascinating. As some may have noticed, I often use letters in my work too. When I have the word or sentence I want to use, I go the computer and experiment with different fonts.

Sometimes it takes a very long time to find the perfect one, other times I know what it is going to be, even before I sit down... I remember my professor in Brighton once said that he thought “Broadway” was one of the ugliest fonts ever. I don’t agree (although it is not my favorite either) but now I always think of his statement when I see it. To me it just scream out Charleston, art deco and silent movies... Not at all that bad! It seems like a very personal thing to take a dislike to a font - much like a song or a color.

I have a favorite font when it comes to writing a letter or text: “Garamond” is so nice, clean simple and easy to read. But when it comes to a visual part in a painting I like all different kinds of fonts for all different reasons...

“Old English” is one of those interesting fonts that looks very old/classical but have gotten a serious comeback. (- I believe Guan Stefani’s brand L.A.M.B is using a font very similar) “Cracked” is interesting in a cartoonish way. It is very graphic, but works well in the right context.

My latest “find” is “American Typewriter” which is a great writing font, simple, but (in my opinion) very stylish...

I was trying to think of a font I hate, but I can’t think of one at the top of my head. I am not loving “Casual” (for no real reason) but I can’t say I am hating it either... Hmmm. May have to come back with an update when I come across the ultimate ugliest font, according to me...!

The First Art Class

Yesterday was the first day of my art class for kids. I was quite anxious throughout the day. I knew I had four students signed up and I looked forward to meet them. I was preparing most of the day by getting paint, tables and chairs ready, and I was excited at 4 p m when I heard the first knock on the door... The kids were all great: sweet, quiet and very very shy... It is funny how I always forget how they are (obviously) extremely shy on the first day when nobody knows each other. It is interesting how contagious it is! I felt it myself, as I was trying to get them involved in a chat about primary colors, the fun of mixing colors, and Matisse’s work...
The first lesson was about colors, how they effect each other and how to mix the right shade. I was very impressed with their results, and happy to see how they all were into their paintings, spending a lot of time and concentration on the details. I know they didn’t want to talk, so I left them alone most of the time... I see myself in them totally - when I was 8-10, no way would I have involved myself in a conversation on the first day. So I hope (and feel sure) they will loosen up as we get used to each other. They were all great - that has got to be a great beginning. Next week is drawing a still life, I better come up with a funny, unusual & very visual decoration... I have some good ideas! I look forward - and I do hope my little group does too!

Daily Painters

I have mentioned in the past that I make these little portraits, inspired by vintage advertisements. I like the small format - they become studies for faces, as well as experiments with color and texture of the background. And I love how they happen so quick, I often don’t even think about it before they appear. They tend to decide for themselves, which is very exciting for me, as I always plan my paintings ahead, almost down to the smallest detail.

I have just made a new gallery on my website for those paintings in particular. Daily Painters is a movement where the members paints a few small paintings a week and post them for sale right away. I am not a member of the group, but I am intrigued by the concept and I decided to give these little (if not daily, then weekly) paintings their own page in my web gallery...

Ready For Art Classes

It is August already - for a while I have been wanting to teach art to kids again... I have done it in the past, and would love to get back into it! The idea has developed in my mind the past few months, and I feel very excited and ready at this point. I have taught at a few different Art Museums in WA, all in different ways. At the Seattle Art Museum I taught a six week art camp, at the Frye Art Museum I taught a few afternoon classes with different themes, and at the Museum of Glass in Tacoma I was the Artist in Residence, teaching a project that somehow related to a current exhibition. And the studio was open to anyone interested.

Now, it is time to teach in my own preferred format: a small group of kids at one time, two hours every week. All is going to be 2D projects; drawing, painting, collage - and we are going to relate the work to a famous artist or art movement every week. And naturally end the day talking about each student’s work.

The last few weeks I have been busy putting together flyers, postcards and thought of fun and creative ways to advertise my classes. Hoping to reach as many art interested kids as possible.

I have a lot of ideas for lesson plans - that’s almost the funniest part to get ready.

And I am ready to get it all out of my mind and down on paper. That is what’s next...

Back To Work

When ever I go away for a while, I still collect bits of ideas for paintings, seem to be an ongoing, never ending process, and I just can’t wait to start the work when I get back. And although my vacation in Denmark was extremely busy this year, I still found myself with various thoughts of new work; Pictures I came across, sayings, and the great selection of brand new multi-patterned, multi-colored wall paper that seem to be in fashion back there right now.

It is already more than two weeks ago we returned, but I have been very busy ever since, working on my new venture; an art school for kids, here in Metuchen (see more under “Art Classes”).

This is a project I am very excited about, and I am still working on the lesson plans, as well as the marketing material. But it is moving along nicely and I am almost there...

Then yesterday I decided to spend the whole day in my studio, get some of these buildup ideas out on canvas, if only the very beginning of the painting. It felt good, and it is just lovely to have unfinished pieces on the easel once again. Almost forgot how nice that feels!

My Very First "Real" Painting!

As mentioned, I was just back in Denmark on vacation. For a while I had thought about this one painting, my very first oil on canvas. I was wondering if my parents still had it. I was nine when I painted it, so it was a while back! But my parents don’t through anything away, and sure enough, Dad went to the loft and came back with the painting a few moments later. I had forgotten how it really looked, expected something slightly different, although I did remember something about a green & red birds, a nest and some eggs... Well, this is a special painting to me, as I remember making it, remember how proud I was, making a “real” painting on canvas. I painted it at my art teachers house (she lived in a lovely old school with lots of space), and it was only the second week of art class, I remember that clearly. I also remember bringing it back to my parents, feeling more proud than I can say. For some reason the oil and the canvas was what made it “real” and somehow more important than the other drawings and paintings I had done on paper, cardboard and whatever else I could find.

Well, I had to pack it in my suitcase coming back to Jersey, it took the journey well and is now hanging over the door in my studio as a happy & special memory...

A Suitcase Show

Exactly a week ago today, I (with great help from my husband, Kevin) hung a show in Holstebro, about half an hour drive from my hometown of Lemvig. I was asked if I’d like to exhibit at Midtjyske Medier (the office of a newspaper) a while back, and thought it would be fun to show some new work in Denmark. Kevin & I (and of cause little Playdoh) just spent about a month in Denmark on vacation, and we brought all the art along in a huge brown box for this show that I am calling “En Kuffertudstilling” (a suitcase show) as we did, literately, bring every piece from NY to Copenhagen with SAS!

The place has a great atmosphere, the walls were great, and after a long day of deciding, moving, drinking strong tea & changing minds, we finally had the show put on the walls. And I was actually very happy with the result. If you are in the area, please stop by and have a look - the show will be up until the end of August.

Zorro's Portrait

By the beginning of the year, I talked to the Danish Dog Magazine “Vi Med Hund” about doing a competition online where the winner would get a personal portrait of their dog. The questions you had to answer correctly was what breed my dog, Playdoh is. (he is a boston terrier with attitude!)

Well, The woman who won, asked me to do a portrait of her sweet and beautiful labrador Zorro, and this is how the portrait turned out. I used old ads in the background, ads for dog food, treats & shampoo from american magazines from the 1950’s. The background color is supposed to give a sense of old, disintegrating newspaper, and I like the way the color complemented the black dog.

Back in December (long before I started this blog) I wrote a column for the same magazine (Vi Med Hund) a short story about our Playdoh’s experiences at his doggy daycare around Christmas time... Shenanigans....

The Event

Well - Friday was the night, the first evening of the Metuchen JuneBug ArtFest. I spent the day getting the last few things ready, and by the afternoon the refreshments were on the table and business cards on display. A few days before I was informed that News 12 NJ wanted to do a “portrait” of Metuchen (as part of the On The Road segment) and also wanted to talk to some of the artists, and so I was invited.

By 5:10, I went downtown with a painting under each arm - excited and a bit nervous - and we all lined up, resting the artwork on a bench and up the bank wall. We introduced ourselves and afterward the news anchor asked a few individual questions to some of the artists... And she asked me a questions I absolutely could not answer! Something like “did the public support this event” which (as this was the first night) I had absolutely no idea about! So my very intelligent responds was “...Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...” Luckily, Linda LaStella stood next to me, and was quick to say “well, we will know from tonight, won’t we?!” Cheers Linda!

I felt a bit dazed & confused after this incident, but found it really funny, and actually laughed most of the way home - where my husband had watched the part on TV (as it was live - even better!) and he found it quite funny too, but felt a little bad... The event began and was a good time, people stopped by, I got some good contacts and interesting comments on my work. This Friday I am on again - without live TV this time, which is probably a good thing!

JuneBug Art Fest

Metuchen, NJ is hosting the JuneBug ArtFest event this year on the four Fridays of June. It will cover many different art forms, and these four days will have a ton of creative & fun events...

I am also going to take part; on the two first Fridays, my home (and studio) will be open for the public. I am currently working on transforming the condo into a “gallery”. My work will be on display and for sale, refreshments will be available, and you can have a look into my (small) studio where the work is created and the ideas are floating... I am looking forward to it, making lists of things to (still) do, getting ideas for ways of making it work, and looking at the details... so many little things, and here we are, a week before the first day of Open House!

All right, back to it, time to get the paintings ready for hanging and make the price list...

Yes?!

It has been a while... I have been busy with lots of different things, and have been away from my paintings for a few weeks. I missed it terrible, and it felt so good to be back in the studio and finish up the five small, square women portraits I was working on. I made a post when I began this one particular painting, and this is how it ended up. Once again the picture decided for itself and I had to make a few changes for it to work.

Coming up with the titles is fun, almost like a game. - Often I know the title of a painting before I even start it, because I am following a certain idea, but these small pieces had no names before they were done. This one I titled Yes?! I feel quite certain that’s what she’s thinking, expressing, saying...

Women in old ads

The beginning of a ‘vintage’ portrait. The blue makes the skin color deeper and more interesting.

Recently I was looking through a stack of old (and basement smelly) LIFE magazines from the 1950s. I have always enjoyed looking through magazines from this time period, I like the esthetics of the time - and what his me on this day, was all the advertisement pictures of women, some photos and some drawings. What they all had in common (except of course from haircuts and the kinds of dresses) was that they all showed some strong (and at times odd) emotion on their faces. Some were looking at you in an overly coy or shy posture, others were extremely excited - obviously happy to show their husbands - as these came tired home from work - how they had just saved a significant amount of money by buying a certain brand of ham.

Some (quite a few) had big surprised eyes and a round red mouth, clearly taken by surprise by something. I have to say I loved these pictures!

I cut out some of them to use for later use, and I am recently working on a series of small square portraits, inspired by the women in the old ads. They all measure 8” x 8”, and are half collage and half acrylic. These sizes was what I had in store at the time - and I actually like the small intimate images.

When I paint a portrait or just a human figure, I always start on a light blue background. The blue is nicer to work on than a white foundation, but it also makes the faces deeper, the blue can be sensed through the skin color.

I will make a new post with the finished piece.

Vintage Wallpaper

For a while now, I have experimented with vintage wallpaper. I absolutely love it; the texture, the patterns, the smell of forgotten paper in a basement for decades... Sounds bad, but it seems to add to the authenticity, at least for me!

The patterns are often crazy to say the least - big, bold & (from a modern standpoint) violently intrusive. The idea of an entire room covered in these patterns, sounds like a severe nightmare, but in small doses, cut up and mixed, I think these wall coverings are absolutely stunning.

I am always looking for sample books, and seem to find them in the strangest places. I recently got this little cute one (in the picture) from 1951, with an elegant house wife, deciding between two pink (tasteful!) choices, with the help of two christmas pixies(?)

I love it!

And today I received a thick, huge sample book with true, colorful & very believable 70’s super patterns... I could not wait to open it - I did - and saw, felt, heard & smelled the 1970s.

I look forward to incorporate it all in my work in the future. And hope to continuously find more wallpaper treasures...

Sometimes the Painting Decides

Usually when I begin a painting, I know exactly how it is going to turn out. I always (subconsciously) plan ahead - sometimes I have to make a few subtle changes along the way for practical reasons, but for the most part I know what it will end up looking like...

Not so with this painting, “The Impersonators”. I started with a completely different idea in my head, but suddenly these two Amy Winehouse wannabes appeared on my canvas. It was odd, but also interesting. I had just got her albums and was listen to her music a lot at the time, so perhaps that’s where they came from. What I had seen in my mind was a double portrait with two girls in pink & pearls... Hmmm, apparently that wasn’t going to happen!

I guess I like to know where I am going - to be in control - but this was a very good & very unexpected surprise.

To Start A Blog

A snapshot from my studio. A small room with french doors, green walls & bamboo floor. I love my studio, it is almost like a cave...



Well, I have thought of starting a blog for quite some time. I am often asked about my work process, how ideas arrive and how long it takes for me to finish a painting. I am sure I will cover those things in the future, in different ways and contexts.

Often a strange incident, a word, an unbelievable anecdote or a photo is the beginning to an idea. I am hoping for this blog to work as a way to document the process, both to myself as well as to anyone interested in my work...

As I was thinking of a headline for this blog, it hit me that the main key words for my work all starts with a P. Very Strange: Paint, Patterns, Pets & Poetry. (...and as some of you will know, my lovely boston terrier is called Playdoh!)

All right, this was a beginning. I look forward to return.

Happy Easter everyone.