Art is when you hear a knocking from your soul – and you answer.
(Terri Guillemets)
Here is a detail of the latest painting. Hopefully I will have it (and perhaps a few more) ready for the exhibit in Galleri Draken – Old Town, Stockholm – opening on November 16.
There is a secret to this painting, that I will have to save for later.
dance painting 3 – detail
Dance painting No 3 – detail, 2013
I have been a little bit frustrated with what may be escapist tendencies lately. Do I really need to get away to find inspiration? Couldn’t I find it where I live? The Mediterranean colors are what they are, and they can be recreated with paint.
(Oh really?)
The yellow leaves have been wonderfully beautiful these past weeks, but I still find the place where I live more or less a mass of unsaturated grayness most of the time, sunny or not. The place I live is in one of the western suburbs of Stockholm, Vallingby City, built in the fifties as a new architectural concept, where work, living and shopping center was planned to be in one space.
Actually the shopping area replaced the church as the center of the community. There are a couple of newer church buildings but they are placed on the edge.
In fact there is some very interesting architecture around here, something I was even told when working for a small architecture firm in Los Angeles ages ago. Architects from all over the world come to Vallingby to check it out.
Welcome!
So, this past Sunday, I went out on a quest with my camera, to force myself to find beauty in my own boredom. First I found a garbage lid painted in a creamy white. Great… I then met a young rock band, the Mojo People, practicing outdoors – they were so cute – and then I found this:
There is a park nearby, where there is a beautiful large sun dial sculpture (= solur in Swedish) that looks like it is some kind of mystical Stonehenge setup. It tickles the mystery nerve and I really like it. In fact the name of the park is Solursparken (Sundial Park).
Unfortunately, the city planners have built three high rise buildings south of this mystical, large and beautiful sculpture and that of course means it is not functioning as it should, as the buildings put it in shadow large parts if not all of the day.
Outrageously stupid, for sure.
The sculpture itself is still beautiful though and I decided to find out more about the person behind the Sundial.
So here I was, doing a really good job breaking out of boredom, escape my own escapism, be present and take an interest in my local environment and finding success in my focus on the immediate environment.
Very. Good. Job.
I took some pictures and as I got home, I looked up the artist and found some information online – Sven Holmstrom, born in 1924. I also found that he lives and has his studio in…
Drums please…
…Andratx, Mallorca!
Not very surprised after all:-). It always pays to go on quests.
In fact I find that very encouraging and I have taken the first steps to making a connection and perhaps see what he is up to, in a couple of weeks.
Click on the link to see my photo of the Sundial sculpture in the park.
WithFlyingColor 