Sunday 28 October 2007

Socks rock


Knitting socks... that's what I've been doing. I absolutely love this multicolor striped yarn, you get a pair of striped socks ready in no time. It's maybe even too easy, and there's not too many choices to make with the color combinations. But on the other hand, then you can just concentrate on the pure joy of knitting without having to think too hard. That's fun!


Wednesday 24 October 2007

Diary of dreams

I've kept a lot of diaries, but somehow they all end before the last page. Well, is it a bad thing even? I don't know. A certain period of life comes to an end and so does a diary. Then there are times when I don't keep any record of my life what so ever.
My art journal project has started very slowly. I got a little frustrated because my cheap note book has so crappy pages that I can't use much paint on them. That is a serious limit. So I just had to order a real moleskine!!

Two years ago I kept a dream diary quite actively. I wrote down my dreams almost every morning, if I was able to remember them. Sometimes I made quick drawings to get all the ridiculous details before I'd forget them. This is one of those drawings, a hotel with three very small rooms and a luxus room with four doors. Very interesting dream it was.

Saturday 20 October 2007

Illustration Friday: Grow


Faithful Gardener, a mixed media collage on canvas.

Sunday 14 October 2007

Northern elegies

Anna Ahmatova has always been one of my favourite poets. Maybe it's the slavic melancholy that fascinates me, especially now in the darkening autumn nights.

I studied russian for two years a while ago, then it paused because of my other busies, or should I just honestly say because of my lazyness. At first I was quite ambitious and even bought a book of Ahmatova's poems in russian... thought I could easily read it. It's never too late to continue the russian studies though, but in the mean time I'll settle for the finnish translations of these poems.



Four years ago I visited St.Petersburg and made a great find in a local second hand book store: A simple cardboard folder with a dozen of pictures of Anna Ahmatova in it. They are prints of photographs and drawings from different artists. She looks very soulful and intellectual with her famous aristocratic nose. The brown borders aren't very pretty, but I just try to live with them.

Here's an interesting link to the Fountain House Museum in St.Petersburg. Ahmatova lived there many years and the house itself has many stories to tell...


Tuesday 9 October 2007

Memories hanging

Finally I got my art pieces hanging on the gallery walls. What a relief. Now that I have more free time on my hands again, I'm gonna start an art journal, knit new socks, maybe even make some christmas cards already... and listen to some more of Thurston Moore's wonderful new album, Trees Outside the Academy. I just looove it!




These works are made of old book pages and covers, image transfers of old photos (some of these persons are related to me, others are totally unknown.. forgotten). More photos of my works can be seen on my Flickr page.

Tuesday 2 October 2007

Stories




Here are two spreads of my little stories. I've used old books and made image transfers of old photos on them, then painted with gesso and various pencils. It's interesting to combine old texts and pictures that actually have no real connections... When I put them together, they start to form new stories. These two are involved in a love story, but it's not completely ready yet.