9 January 2011

Minnenas trädgård

Det har inte hänt så mycket på det textila området sedan jag blev klar med Aurora-tavlan. I stället har jag ägnat min tid åt att försöka komma tillbaka i mina rutiner och reda upp stöket här hemma, och åt teckning och målning. Jag deltar i två olika kurser i konsten att föra skissbok, eller visuell dagbok, vilka båda är gratis och online. Jag nämde tidigare den ena, The Sketchbook Challenge, och den andra ordnas av Strathmore Artist Papers. Vem som helst får delta och man får själv välja hur aktiv man vill vara. Det är alltså under mycket fria former, vilket passar mig som redan har alltför många järn i elden.

I Workshop 1 av Strathmore online workshops får vi lära oss att använda oss göra collage av arbeten som vi gjort tidigare och att på så sätt skapa helt nya konstverk. Denna uppgift fick mig att återvända till min mapp med gamla teckningar som fått vila ostörd under många långa år och vandra i minnenas trädgård en stund. Det var med både igenkännandets glädje och sorg i hjärtat jag bläddrade genom mina gamla teckningar. Glädje för att jag kom ihåg teckningarna, när de var gjorda, varför de var gjorda och för att jag en gång i tiden produerade alla dessa teckningar. Sorg därför att de påminde mig om en svunnen tid, då jag kunde sitta i timtal och teckna otroligt detaljerade teckningar av allt från seriefigurer till illustrationer av litterära verk till noggranna anatomiska studier. Den tiden är onekligen förbi, för nu finns det för mycket andra saker som pockar på uppmärksamhet.

MEN. Efter att ha konstaterat att den där tiden är förbi, står en sak dock klar. För att komma vidare i min textilkonst behöver jag återvända till tecknandet (och lära mig måla). Och tecknandet har också ett värde i sig som jag vill återinföra i mitt liv, eftersom det har funnits ett stort hål inom mig sedan jag mer eller mindre slutade teckna för ungefär 10 år sedan. Men jag behöver något som puffar igång mig. Därför hoppade jag på skissbokståget för att se vart det för mig. Ni kan följa mina framsteg på Flickr, dit deltagarna i kurserna kan ladda upp sina skissbokssidor här och här.

 
Memory Lane

Not much has happened in the field of textiles since I finished my Aurora quilt. Instead, I have spent my time trying to get back into my routines and clearing up the mess in my home, and drawing and painting. I’m participating in two different courses on the art of keeping a sketchbook, or visual journal, both of which are free and online. I already mentioned one of them, The Sketchbook Challenge, and the other one is organised by Strathmore Artist Papers. Anyone can participate, and you can yourself decide how active you want to be. The format is very free, which suits me, as I already have too many irons in the fire.

In Workshop 1 of the Strathmore online workshops we are encouraged to reuse older artwork in collage and to create new artwork in this way. This task had me returning to my two-ring binder with old drawings, which has been resting peacefully for many long years, and I wandered down Memory Lane for a while. It was with both the joy of recognition and sadness in my heart that I flicked through my old drawings. Joy, because I recognised the drawings, when they were made and why, and because I once upon a time made all these drawings. Sadness, because they reminded me of past times, when I could sit for hours and draw unbelievably detailed drawings of everything from cartoons to illustrations of works of literature to careful studies of anatomy. Those days are truly gone, because now there are so many other things that demand my attention.

BUT. Having said that those are bygone days, one thing is clear. In order to develop in my textile art, I need to return to drawing (and learn how to paint). Drawing also has great value in itself and I want to reintroduce that into my life, since there has been a big hole in my heart since I more or less stopped drawing about 10 years ago. But I need something to nudge me into action. That’s why I jumped onto the sketchbook train, to see where it will take me. You can follow my progress on Flickr, where participants can upload images of their journal pages here and here


Ett axplock ur minnenas trädgård / A few stops along Memory Lane


 Min första akvarellmålning (i går!) / My first watercolour painting (yesterday!)

6 comments:

  1. The tulip is just lovely. Don't be sad about not drawing for ten years. I wasted about forty years not drawing, and I am very happy to be doing it now.
    Can you explain the meaning of your blog title? I looked up the translation, but I am still confused about the context of the word.

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  2. Thanks Cheryl! Yes, you're right. The main thing is getting back in the saddle again.

    As for my blog title, it literally means "thus" or "in this way". However, I use it as a pun on my name, as the word contains part of my name "Lund A(nnika)". So, to me, it simply means "this is how Lund A does it". "Så" can also be used as emphasis, in the same way as "so": "this is so Lund A". I'm probably the only one who has noticed this, but it doesn't matter. It's my own little joke. ;-)

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  3. Hello Annika,
    I've been searching for you on flickr today and saw your lovely tulip and your recycled drawing page that you will certainly manage to transform into something beautiful.
    I broke the wrist of my right hand on January 2 by falling in the icy street.I had to undergo surgery. Nevertheless I try to do a bit of drawing every day with my left hand.Maybe I'll post something on flickr (if I'm not to ashamed of it). In the meantime I'll follow your good work that's always inspiring to me!

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  4. Hi Suzanne! How nice of you to drop by my blog, and thanks for your kind remarks about my journal pages! What a shame that you've hurt your hand. I hope you're feeling better by now, even though I understand you can't use your hand. I'd be very disabled indeed if I hurt my right hand. I think it's good, though, that you practise with your left hand. I should really try to use my left hand more often. Melly even suggested that I do self-portraits with my left hand, but I haven't had the courage yet. You should grab the opportunity that fate has handed to you and make the very best use of it. I do hope you'll upload your left-handed drawings. You might even inspire me to do some! Have a speedy recovery!

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  5. What a lovely tulip!
    Mona-Lisa

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  6. Your tulip is beautiful. I received watercolors for Christmas this year and my goal is to learn to use them and to learn to draw. You always inspire me, thank you.

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