Smile, it is just an elephant

Two days ago I had a studio visit by about 25 people from an art association from the hospital in Helsingborg. Very nice!

I have continued with the last smiling lady…

This one is the continuation of the green/blue/purple piece on glass. I painted the white with a lot of oil-paint and the light blue also. Then I cut another piece of glass and simply pressed it on the painted surface, squeezing the paint between the two glass panes. I wonder if and when the paint will dry?

A close-up of the squeezed paint.

—-

Yesterday I saw a picture of an elephant and immediately decided to make a painting of it. I have no idea why, I just liked the picture and thought it would be fun. I decided to make it a large painting so I can place it outside, in the yard, so it can be seen from the road. The painting I have there now has been there for several years and needs to be replaced. I will make the switch in time for Easter.

The humble beginning. The painting is 244 x 180 cm, divided in two sections. It was harder than expected, but at least it does not look like a gorilla. I am curious about what I will do next…

Wood, glass, spraypaint, oilpaint, & sticky fingers

I have been creative, doing new things again. Having fun! Check this.

Handpainted with oil on plywood. Splashed some orange spraypaint.

Blue spraypaint on unpainted plywood. Three layers of varnish.

Oil on plywood, some varnish, several layers of spraypaint, final layer of white oilpaint.

Red spraypaint, then a thin coat of yellow on the backside of glass. Black oil on a plywood board behind the glass, framed with black wood frame.

Blue spraypaint, a thin layer of yellow, some touches of varnish, red spraypaint, on glass. Unfinished. Needs a frame, or a lightbox?

Green spraypaint, blue oilpaint, purple spraypaint, on glass. Unfinished….

All in the spirit of Andy Warhol, but in my way.

Experimenting again

I am doing stuff I have never done before…

I added two layers of dark blue, first Parisian blue, and then a thick layer of Monastral blue, with clearly visible brush strokes. A bit och Zink white also, and then tried to wipe off some yellow.

A cutout, sprayed with blue on a new plywood board, and then some varnish. I will add a few more layers of varnish. That’s it.

I re-used the same cutout and sprayed a thin layer of silver paint on the backside of a piece of glass. Then a layer of green on top of that. Then a thick layer of blue oilpaint on a new plywood board, then I stuck the glass on the freshly painted plywood board. I don’t know if this will work – it is extremely subtle – only in the right kind of light is it possible to see the face. But it is something I will continue to work with…

Back at work

One more picture from San Clemente…

Ok, I am back in the studio. I have spent a few days making drawings of a new house idea, but today I started on a new painting. It is a variation of a painting I made a while ago. The plan is to do three variations, inspired by Andy Warhol’s Marilyn and Mao paintings/prints. This is the first step:

Surfing the wave at Cotton’s

I am back at work. I am not surfing the waves, I am just painting an old dinged up surfboard and I decided to call the work Surfing the wave.

Not a bad studio! The Pacific Ocean as a backdrop, a few steps down to beach and you are at the famous surfspot Cotton’s. President Nixon’s old summer house, also known as the Western White House, is located just to the left of this picture.

An old and broken Lost surfboard, improvised “studio”…

Riding the wave…

I am letting the paint dry in the California sun. I still have two days to figure out what to do next. Maybe a sloppy coat of resin?

San Clemente

Not much is happening in the studio as far as I know… We are vacationing in Southern California. We have experienced the heaviest rains in a decade, but now the sun is shining and the boys are riding the waves.

The Pacific Ocean

Lucas riding the longboard.

Simon on his new, short Terry Senate board (6’3″)

My big ego trip

Now I have an entire wall with only pictures of myself. Ahh, that feels good.

Seen from the other direction, with the miniature painting, which obviously can’t be called a smack in the face…I don’t know what to call it? Suggestions?The large painting is 2000×3200 mm (2×3,2 m) and the miniature painting is 62×100 mm (0,062×0,1 m). A big difference.The miniature painting up close.

Continued…

Next step…

Macro and micro

A friend suggested I make a tiny version of the large painting. Good idea. As usual, the beginning looked horrible and not very promising, but it is improving…

To be continued…

A smack in the face

Does an artwork need to have a name? Some say no. But, I feel this piece is a smack in the face.

It is going to be a challenge to take a proper photo with good lighting. I may have to wait until the spring or a day when there is really good daylight. This is the best I can do right now. I have added a section of the painting below, so you can see the wood grain. The pice is made of four sections, each 1 x 1,6 m, which makes it easy to dismantle the work and move it.