Daily painting

Another small daily painting, 22x16 cm, acrylics on canvas panel. It is winter here in Norway now, and the light and the colours are all different shades of blue. All though this painting is an image of my inner eye, it seems like the Norwegian winter colours has inspired the chosen palette.

Daily painting

Here is a new daily painting of mine. I have a serie of these somewhat odd houses going on. I have just a vague idea in my mind before I start painting, and then the image evolve on the canvas from there. I never sketch nor look at photo references when I paint, as I feel both bored and unsatisfied when I do that. The excitement in painting is for me in the surprises of what appears on the canvas!

This small painting is acrylics on canvas panel, 22x16 cm.

Oil painting

This is one of the oil paintings I have been working on the last months. I work very slowly with these bigger paintings, I use a lot of time just sitting in my chair looking at the painting, waiting for an impulse for what to do next. It is almost like a meditative state of mind. To me it is important not to rush into the painting process. If I do that, if I get impatient, I tend to get lost, and loose the feeling of what the painting needs. So, I need stillness. And time to wait.

The painting is about 65x80 cm. No title.

Daily painting

I have read the book "Daily painting" by Carol Marine -  a very inspiring book. It is all about painting one small painting, every day (or almost). It allows the artist to take risks, explore new techniques, new motives etc. without a great cost if it did not work out. You can just start all over again with a brand new painting the next day!

Here is one of my daily paintings, acrylics on cardboard, 22 x 17 cm.

My first juryed exhibition!

 A small break through for me - I have got one of my watercolour paintings accepted in a juryed internet exhibition - follow the link below:

http://utstallning.akvarellen.org/


This is the painting that is now part of the exhibition. Juhuu!

Ink portrait

As I now paint with oil, I have started to warm up in the studio by very quickly drawing a portrait. I call this post a drawing (allthough it may look like a painting) as I actually drew the portrait by using ink. I then quickly used a flat brush and water to make shadows and light.

It is a very useful excercise to draw quickly - you get rid of hesitation and thinking too much, you just DO. And you get the reward of having MADE something - and that in just a couple of minutes. Very satisfying. And a nice start before I begin working on the canvases.

Linocut portrait

New linocut. It is printet on scrap paper, as so far I am just playing with this new medium and testing how my cuts turn out to be. I have another print of this image that has a much denser black colour, but I like this more dreamy touch to the print.

Linocut

Some weeks ago I attended a workshop in linocuts. I found it very interesting, and bought straight away materials to use at home. So, here it is, my first linocut.

Ink drawing

I drew this portrait today, with a bamboo "pen" and brown ink. I then took a flat brush and water and created shadows with the still wet ink.

Ink drawing

A couple of days ago I bought a Chinese bamboo pen. I quickly drew this portrait yesterday with that bamboo "pen" and brown ink. I really like the feeling of drawing with kind of lack of control as the bamboo pen invites me to, and thus getting speed and spontanity into the line.

Dreamlike

Horizon

The latest weeks and months I have been searching for simplicity in my paintings. And believe it or not - it is a lot harder to achieve than you should imagine! At least for me. Only one in about 20 attempts is looking something in the direction of what I want in terms of composition and how the pigments dry.

Winter landscape

Kind of self portrait

aargh - it has now gone a couple of weeks where it seems that I am not able to paint with watercolours anymore. Interesting how the ability to paint seem to fluctuate.

So, I find comfort in looking at what I think is my first proper painting. It was painted in 2002, with oil on canvas. I looked in the mirror and used the reflection of my own face as a reference for shadows etc.

It is sooo much easier to paint with oil!
But the challenge of painting with watercolour is just so much more interesting.

Cold

                                                              "Cold"


As most often, this painting too, 'happened'; no preliminary plan, sketch or object to look after. The only plan was the sky to be dramatic. And 'something' going on in the foreground. The 'something' was painted quickly and with a painting knife.

Dawn

Happy new year 2014

                                                        "Atlantic bridge"

By the west coast of Norway, there is every year a storm around new year's eve, we actually call it a new year storm. Winds and waves hit land, building and bridges. But the bridges between islands take the weather and continue to connect people to eachother.