Christmas is full of bright colours; flowers, presents, Christmas cards, candles, Santa Claus and Christmas trees.
In a few days Christmas is here with all the joy and expectations, family gatherings, good food and drinks, Christmas trees and presents. You probably have no time to paint or even think about it, but maybe there will be some quiet days where you can reflect and think about what you will work on when the inspiration again hits you.
Maybe thoughts like; what is art? Why do I paint? What do I want with my art? I think that these questions are hard to answer, but it is important to try.
A great artist
Last week I went to see the jubilee exhibition of Håkon Bleken, one of Norway’s great living artists at The Henie-Onstad Art Center just outside Oslo. He will be 90 years in January, and he is still painting! It was a great exhibitions with a lot of his most important works. There was also an interview with him, which was very interesting, honest and enlightening. He has a very down to earth and not snobbish attitude to art, which I like a lot. Actually I have interviewed him myself twice when I was editor of Kunst for Alle.
Collage
In the interview he told us that he dreaded the white canvas, therefore he used a lot of newspaper clippings to cover it before he starts to paint. And these clippings make a great basis for the painting, both in colour and message, as he often makes political statements in the paintings. Below you can see a detail and another of his collage paintings.
My last week
In my last blogpost I showed you some stages in a painting I was working on, and now I have finished it, I think. I have problems finding a title to it, can you help me?
My husbond often looks at my paintings and ask my why I sometimes let the paint run and make stripes. Why don’t I wipe it up? Well, I think it adds to the painting, makes it more alive in a way. I like it. What do you think? Do you like it?
I have managed to sneak away to the studio this last week, and here is my last painting, 60 x 60 cm, and it reminds me about Christmas. Why? Because I think it pictures someone with the lap full of gifts.
I am going to take a break now over Christmas, and I wish you a wonderful Christmas time with peace and love and everything that you worship. And a happy New Year with good health, peace on earth and lots of creativity.
Thank you for following me and my blog.
Love to you all.