My cargo and I made it all the way to the gallery in Teckomatorp. After several hours of concentration and focused work the piece hung on the wall. It looks good and the gallery owner is real pleased!
Teckomatorp (not far from Landskrona) may not be the most exciting metropolitan, but for me, right now, it is the center of the world, ha ha. Off tomorrow morning with the huge (3 x 3,6 meter) painting and two other fairly large works. It took a while to load it all in and on the car. I will bring the camera to document the project, more soon.
I knew this painting was not finished, but I had not figured out what was missing. Then I simply saw a color and that inspired me to finish it like this. I have decided to leave it without a title. Size 160 x 100 cm.
The steel sculpture is rusting. It has rained quite a lot and the rust is coming and I have to pay attention to this process – it is only going to happen once!
The sky is almost as blue as in New Mexico! It only lasted a while…
I am busy preparing for my upcoming show. The large painting is dismantled and protected with a layer of boat varnish, since it will be mounted outside and probably will stay outside the gallery for some time even after my show is over.
And while I am working, the steel sculpture is rusting and keeps thrilling me with shadows and new angles. I doubt I will sell this piece – if someone wants one, I will simply make a new piece.
The plywood mock-up I made last summer is still usable for temporary installation. I made a test to make it possible to set it up in Arild during the summer. Here it is in my driveway…
When to stop, when to press on, what to do… the ever present questions. Yesterday I applied a rough layer of grey (mixed with ochre).
Then I worked with asphaltum, burnt terra di siena, white, etc. No added oil, just dry, thin layers.
Normally a single brush stroke can make a difference, but since the head is about one meter big, the reality is a bit different. I should let the work rest now, but it is hard, it is like a riddle, a mystery that needs a solution and it becomes somewhat obsessive.
Below a close up of the face.
Impossible to take a decent photo of the large painting. It is too large and I have no way of lighting it evenly in the studio. The photo below is the best I can do until it is mounted outside. I have been struggling with the head, believe me. Now it has to dry for a while and then I will figure out something. What? Have no idea, just know I am not happy yet… The name of the work is Precious. 
A close up of the head below. Maybe I need to soften it all up? Correct a few things here and there. But it is not supposed to be a perfect portrait painting, more like a dream, an illusion, a metaphor.
Needless to say, my studio smells of linseed oil. Have used over one liter already.
The hands are pretty much done, will not do too much more, but will focus most of the work on the head. Probably just a bit more shadow inside the right hand…
Wow, now I have a project ahead of me…
For my upcoming show (opening May 30) I will make a large painting which will be placed outside the gallery. The size is 3 x 3,6 meters! I had to re-arrange the studio and I might have to find a sturdier ladder or build some kind of platform. I’ll start painting tomorrow.
It is a pleasure looking at the sculpture and showing it to visitors. It should be placed at a location where many could see it. The process of oxidation has begun!
