Cardinal purple or Mummy brown

Caput Mortuum means “dead head” or “worthless remains”, which is kind of scary considering I have used the color to paint the head of a living person. Caput Mortuum is also known as “Cardinal purple” since it has been a popular color to use for painting the robes of religious figures, according to Wikipedia: “The name for this pigment may have come from the alchemical usage, since iron oxide (rust) is the useless residue of oxidization. It was originally a byproduct of sulfuric acid manufacture during the 17th & 18th centuries, and was possibly an early form of the copperas process used for the manufacture of Venetian red and copperas red. Caput mortuum is also sometimes used as an alternative name for Mummy brown (alternatively, Egyptian brown), a pigment that was originally made in the 16th and 17th centuries from ground-up mummies, and whose use was discontinued in the 19th century when artists became aware of its ingredients.”

Hmm…? Yummy brown… But it is an interesting color to work with.

No title yet, 35×25 cm.

Caput Mortuum

I am back in the studio. Not much happening in the bathroom, but everything is planned and stuff will start happening soon. In the meantime I am back at the easel. I am making a small painting of an interesting face. The work is not intended as a portrait, just a study.

So far I have used Caput Mortuum and white.

Caput Mortuum

I am back in the studio. Not much happening in the bathroom, but everything is planned and stuff will start happening soon. In the meantime I am back at the easel. I am making a small painting of an interesting face. The work is not intended as a portrait, just a study.

So far I have used Caput Mortuum and white.

Biting the dust

I am back in the construction business. Renovating the bathroom at Villa Holsby Yesterday I removed a 20 cm layer of of concrete and stones and stuff. It was like being an archeologist – I found some plumbing in the floor.

Very dusty, indeed…

Stoke Boards with friends at Makeriet in Malmö

Last Saturday there was an opening at the tiny gallery Makeriet in Malmö. Lucas had been invited to show his hand-made and self-designed skateboards. He has asked various artists to paint them and the result is impressive…

Makeriet, at Möllevångsgatan 37 in Malmö.

Lucas is holding a tiny skateboard deck decorated by Rasmus Alkestrand.

Some of the skateboards are 140 cm in length. They are made of three or four layers of birch plywood, and are then hand-shaped.

Daddy was present…

The artist and the proud mother.

Inspired by Ai Weiwei

I am still taken up with Ai Weiwei. I have been inspired by some of his work and have spray-painted a traditional Höganäs urn…

I have also re-sprayed the text on the painting in several different colors until I settled for silver. Tomorrow I will place the work in the showroom of Höganäsgruppen at Magasin 36 (formerly Saltglaserat) in Höganäs.

The colors of the actual painting came out better this time…

Where is Ai Weiwei?

Does anybody know?

I finished the painting and added the question in Punk Pink.

Oil and spray paint on plywood, 90 x 90 cm.

I am thinking about returning to my street art project and placing this piece in a public place somewhere. We will see what I can come up with…

I bought a book about Ai Weiwei at Louisiana in Denmark last week. Let me quote: “In Ai Weiwei’s view it is impossible to have ‘a real civil society, a democratic society, unless people take responsibility’.” When schools collapse too easily in Chinese earthquakes, or when nuclear plants blow up as a result of tsunamis, etc. the apology “So Sorry” is expressed by governments, industries, and financial corporations in an effort to make up for wrongdoings and tragedies – though often without shouldering the consequences or taking any meaningful responsibility. It is easy to say “So Sorry”, but what does it mean to take responsibility? I once heard a man say we need to “Slow Down”… Maybe Less is More?

Easter Exhibition

The Easter weekend has been unreal! Fantastic weather, very little wind, great temperatures, and lots of people enjoying it all! A few pictures from my exhibition:

Ai Wei Wei

Where is Ai Wei Wei? Is he alive? Was he too brave? Out of sympathy I have made a poor effort at painting him in action, speaking out for freedom and truth.

Oil on plywood, 90 x 90 cm. I don’t know if it is finished yet.

Preparations for Easter Exhibition

I have not updated the blog in a while, have been too busy preparing…

Welcome to the Easter Exhibition in my studio!

Friday 22 April until Monday 25 April, from 11 to 17. I am showing a lot of new stuff…

I will be joined by Pontus Ikander, who will show a few sculptures (www.pontusikander.com) and Lucas Skalleberg will show his artistic Skateboards (www.stokeboards.com).

I will also exhibit some pieces at Höganäsgruppen, at Magasin 36 in Höganäs. Check www.hoganasgruppen.se!

Welcome!

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