This is a photo from may when the Forget-me-nots were in full bloom They grow in abundance in the forest behind our house. One time I dug up some roots and put them in our garden between the other flowers. Now they feel so at home, they've taken over the garden completely and grace us with a carpet of blue delight for some weeks every month of may. Thank you Forget-me-not!
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There is so much in society pushing us towards liking what is trendy - in many cases there is a strict code even for what to think and mean. And there is so little that encourages us to think for ourself, to figure out what is right and wrong. My whole life I've had a clear inner voice telling me what is me; what I like and what I think is right and important in life. I've tried to ignore my inner voice and to blend in, but I've never managed, really, and to a large degree I've had no other option but to "be me", to the great sorrow of my family, in particular my parents and in part my children, who many a time have wished that their mamma were more mainstream and ordinary and less visible. It is painful not to be like everybody else, but to me it has been even more painful to try to be somebody I'm not. When I try, I feel like I cease to exist and it feels like my life is without meaning. Since I've learned to accept that I am the person I am and that there is no point in trying to be somebody else, I've felt like I'm on solid ground. I have me and I know that I can trust myself. So it is heartfelt when I say "BEE FREE" (and yes, I know that to be is written with only one e..) 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. Today on Instagram. I'm working with screen print for the first time these day as some of you may have noticed, and starting to get to know a new medium i so very exciting. Slowly I get a feeling for the silk screen way of thinking and my mind starts to look for motives that may work i this medium. All of these photos are taken with screen print in the back of my mind. 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 really enjoy my morning cup of coffee, and if I have 5 minutes for a doodle that makes me so happy! Have a beautiful day! Yesterday we celebrated our national day here in Norway, and we sure had something to celebrate this year: the 200th anniversary of our democratic constitution as well as our independence. This constitution represents the ground stone of our common wealth in this country. We have so much to be happy and thankful for. And I am. Thankfull and happy for living here. I try to remind myself and feel grateful every day. I love our national costumes - they are proofs of a proud tradition of patience and handicraft. One fine day I saw this still life from my bed. It was my party dress from the day before hung up on my closet and there was nothing new about it, I just suddenly saw the scene with "new" eyes. And there it was a potential motive. Don't you think this would do nicely as a paining? We'll see. For now I've saved the impression in the photo. Maybe that's enough. 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! The garden is such a joy these days budding and sprouting all around Forms, colors, smells and textures such a delight to the senses after the cold, white season Here is a quote from the American poet and philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson: The earth laughs in flowers Have a floral tuesday! I like so much things with a story: the picture above is the well worn door of the basement laundry room in the house of my mother-in-law at the industrial site of Rjukan. The house was built by the employer, Norwegian Hydro, and has been used for a hundred years by a number of industrial workers families. So many tales of hardship, hope and disappointment to be traced in this door. |
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Information about my workshops here. See my paintings, drawings, etchings and watercolors here.
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May 2016
See more pictures from last years workshop here
See my fineart photography here.
"Fine works of art never age, because they are marked by genuine feeling. The language of the passions, the impulses of the heart, are always the same."
Delacroix |