I love this way of working:
to let myself be engaged in something in the world
and then recreate the impression of it
on paper.
Without any thoughts about how it will be used.
If it will be used at all. 

It's simply the best way for me to spend time
and enjoy life.

This is another screen print
from my "Botany" series; 
it's called "Clematis".
.
I have always worked very hard 
to make an object appear as 3-dimetional in drawing and painting.
Now I really enjoy the flatness of the screen printed forms,
because it is new to me
and therefor challenging.
I love this kind of challenge
- to have to make an effort
and learn to think in a new way. 

Another of my new screen prints.
It hasn't got a title yet.
I'm thinking about giving it another layer
with a text printed on top
- maybe in brilliant pink.
What do you think?

Today the Kunsthall Grenland opens its doors:
everybody is invited to hang their artwork on their walls.
The exhibition lasts until sunday.

I'm going to exhibit my new botanical print
" Maple Flower".

My first screen print - "Maple Flower" 
framed and going up on the wall.

I'm really excited about this new project!

I love painting these unpretentious sketches 
which are not intended to end up as art work
but give me infinite pleasure 
in the making.

I find so much joy in the natural world
and recreating parts of it on paper, 
like this,
sort of prolongs the enjoyment 
for me. 
It feels like in a way I'm holding fast something good,
without any other intention than that.
No plans to exhibit or sell.
I do it simply because it feels good. 

Yesterday was a new day in the printing studio of Pål Gunnæs. 

I'm slowly getting the hang of the screen printing process, and I'm loving it more every day. The more I work with a new medium, the more I understand it and see it's possibilities and limitations. 

I find it interesting that I like the limitations of a new medium as much as I like the possibilities. In the case of screen printing I love the fact that I can't use the approaches I normally use to build volume in an artwork - the screen print does not invite to use various values and to blend transitions. This makes the process challenging to me, I have to work really hard to make my brain adapt to these new limitations and it makes the process so much fun!  

Yesterday I made two new prints and I'm happy with both of them. The botanical is printed in two different colors - the blueish grey on the photo above and black - and the top photo is also printed in two colors. It's a very appealing aspect of screen print that you can vary the colors as much as you choose. 

I like gold.
It's a bit tacky, I know
but I can't help myself
- I simply like gold!

So this is my tree of life in gold foil.
I had this image in my mind
and something special I mean to use it for,
so I tried it out.


And I like it! 

Last friday I had another go at screen printing at the printer in the forest,
this beautiful, peaceful spot on earth
where aesthetic surroundings and professional skill
blend into a perfect mix 
- oh joy!

My first botanical print in the making! 

Art student Erle was home from school this friday and tagged along.
She did not regret!

I had been looking forward to last week's appointment with the artist and printer Pål Gunnæs for a long time. My friend and I contacted him back in january because we wanted to learn how to screen print and we thought maybe Pål could help us, but it took until may before we found a date that suited us all. 

I had not been to Pål's studio in the forest before and was totally blown away by the beauty of the place. 

We started with a cyanotype print of an old, Norwegian broche, blew it up and printed it on transparent film.

This film was then transferred  to the silk screen.

And this was the result of last week's printing. 

We're going back to learn more this week - I can't wait!

This is a portrait in the making by one of my clever tuesday morning students; Veslemøy Jansen. 

This is a painting a did a couple of years ago.
My daughter liked it so much,
so I made her a replica.
It now hangs on her wall.

I particularly like the heavy frame
together with the fragile motive of the painting.

I teach two painting classes regularly;
tuesday morning and tuesday night

The tuesday morning class is learning portrait painting right now.

We started by drawing the face
using a grid, as you can see from the photo.

This week we painted the face in one color
- a so called grisaille underpainting.

Next week we'll learn how to mix colors for the face.
Then the true challenge begins! 

This photo of me was taken by one of my students.

I think it's a good idea with the frame,
and I like the light + the coat they asked me to wear.

Yesterday was printing day at the studio Atelier Verftet.

Working with illustration and printmaking this week - a bit different from the way I usually work but all the more fun! 

This weekend we'll have a print workshop at the studio and I'm doing some preparations. We'll be working with block printing, which is an accessible and interesting way to make prints. 

These prints will be used as front covers to the journals I'm making. I'll be sure to post more photos later. 

The lovely spring sun flooded my work space this morning. 

Telemarks Kunstnersenter TKS har gitt ut denne boken i forbindelse med sitt 30-årsjubileum. Den inneholder historien til TKS og er interesessant lesing. 

Alle medlemmene i Billedkunstnerne i Telemark BIT og Norske Kunsthåndverkere Sør ble invitert til å delta i denne boken, som jeg er stolt av å være en del av. 

//  This book celebrates the 30th anniversary of the artist's organizations of our region, and I'm proud to be part of it. //

Nuda Veritas - Naked Truth - by Gustave Klimt. The text reads: Truth is fire and to speak the truth means to shine and burn.