Form vs. Function

We have two kinds of people living in this house, a conservative engineer and a liberal artist. When the times come around to pick out a new chair, we go through a process that could take up to a year.

The artist wants something with some character, a good design is a must and the price, well, not so important. Heck, I am even willing to forego comfort if the chair is fabulous!

The engineer wants something comfortable and affordable and the design? Well, not the least bit important. My biggest fear is a Frazier type situation... a duct taped chair in a living room full of designer furniture. Ok, so $3000 USD is a bit much especially with three kids under the age of 9. But a lazyboy? Just can't do it.

We can't seem to ever agree on what is best and after a year of complaints, threats and even some tears, a chair was chosen and bought - a compromise for the both of us. Gosh, I dread the day when we are going to need a new sofa!

The result is in...

Here it is. Not quite the designer chair I was hoping for and far from the recliner he was wanting. No cup holder or foot rest nor the soft leather. And we are calling this a compromise??

Finding Home

After a fabulous weekend in Stockholm, I am back home, ready to face reality. Must say that I really needed a breather and having three days without kids or responsibility was something that I really needed.

Now I am home, ready to continue my daily life not to mention continue the various projects I have started but lacked the time to finish.

In the past months, I have started working a bit larger, this size happens to be a favorite - 60 cm. (23"). Like many artists, it is the blank canvas that is the most threatning but I have found a solution for how I tackle the problem... I collage it! Yep, I glue, I tear, I glaze, you name it! This piece has about 10 layers of paint and who knows, maybe I am still not finished!

My largest challenge to date has been a two part collage measuring over 6'. Although I found the project a bit daunting at first I was so happy when it was over that I thought, "Yeah, I would do that again". This piece was created for a local oil company who wanted a piece that not only added color and modern element to their conference room, but also a piece that served as a sort of timeline showing their products from the company's first days.

(hard to get a proper photo of a piece so large, but you get the idea)

Back to work!

My Housewife Vacation

That' right! Off to Stockholm for a weekend with some girlfriends. Do I need it? You bet! With a 10 month year old almost crawling, a 7 year old with the throw ups and a 9 year old with the hours of homework, I am ready for a weekend of shopping, dining and, did I mention, shopping? Because my job is "in the home", I make a point of going on these little weekend trips once a year, something that they call "husmorsferie" in Norwegian which translated means "housewife's vacation". Because I was pregnant last year, I missed my annual trip, but in the past years I have been lucky enough to enjoy the wonderful cities of Copenhagen, Aberdeen - Scotland and Bangkok ( I lived in Singapore at the time so it wasn't that far away).
I have always thought that the term "housewife" sounds so demeaning with a sort of non-importance - but for those of you that are home you know just how hard it is to balance daily life with a job and I have found that my art has suffered greatly since the arrival of my third child. I am not complaining however, as I feel lucky to be home and able to continue to work a little on the things I enjoy the most.
Need to use the day to pack. Of course I HAD to buy some new stuff to wear on my trip something which my husband ceases to understand as I had just gotten telling him that I was going to need A LOT of money for my trip because I plan on doing A LOT of shopping. I mean, come on, it's Stockholm!! Stavanger is fine enough, but nothing compares to Stockholm's shops not to mention fantastic design. Don't you worry, I will fill you in on all my discoveries...
Off to put on the ABBA cd, get some commissions in the mail and start to pack. Who hoo!
Mamma Mia!

Sarah Fishburn

If any of you are familiar with Sarah Fishburn's art and generosity you will know how excited I was when I received a package from her yesterday. Not only was it full of goodies but yet another fantastic 4 x 4 chunky book handbound by her! She is always so kind and generous when it comes to swaps. I was fortunate to be involved in 4 of her many chunky book swaps and the only regret is that I didn't have time to do the others! For those of you not familiar with Sarah or her work, I could list her many publications here but that would probably take my blogs entire memory! Click on the picture or her name for more information about Sarah's work. Thank you, Sarah! I am proud to call you my dear friend!

Truck & Hand Art

Got these from my Dad - pretty cool, huh?

Full Moon

Stumbled out of my bed at 6 am this morning, trying to calm a baby and convince him to go back to sleep. As I was walking down the stairs I noticed that the curtains where open just a bit and right in the center, was a large, yellow, full moon. I would of grabbed the camera if it was handy but you know, at 6 am, who is running around the house thinking that they need to take a snap. This is no special phenomenon mind you here in the north where the skies have been crystal clear and days around 0 celius (32 F). We waited a long time for winter to arrive this year and now that spring is threatning to arrive, I must say i am saddened to see the winter go as it is been most spectacular.
I have big plans for the Spring in regards to my work. I have been filing through my archives picking out pieces of my past work that just might inspire a new series. This piece entitled, "A Bit of Myself" is one I am quite pleased with and plan to pursue this style and theme in weeks to come. Look for more!

Greetings!

After much deliberation, I have finally decided to give in to the blogging world and get going. I find that I spend at least an hour a morning reading blogs, searching through etsy's latest offerings and shopping, of course, on ebay. I have discovered so many new artists as well as new sources for supplies thanks to all of the bloggers out there, than I thought, why not? I guess I don't consider my life to be interesting enough to be put in to words each day, but perhaps by posting some recent work, I can get what I need to finally finish them! Thanks to all of you that "pushed me to get started!" I wouldn't of done this without a little nudge!