End of the year
24 December 2016
So, another year is about to finish and I must say it has been a wonderful year. Even though I have not managed to draw or paint maybe as much as I would have wanted but sometimes some other things in life are more important. And it feels good to have several dreams fulfilled. On personal level. And it feels good and satisfactory.
I will count the works finalised in a few days because who knows I might still mange to finish off some :). Merry Christmas everyone!
Back on track
24 August 2016
Well, my plan to write a blog post every month has had a few months gap now. I do not have any excuse really. Have not been really on drawing channel lately but now getting back there bit by bit and have managed to create a few new works. Plus several ones in the queue in my head. Sometimes it is funny that you try to focus on drawing and nothing good really comes out. And then you have a break for a while. Find inner peace and inspiration and it feels as if you have not have had that gap. I mean probably for others or viewers it does not matter how many works I create per month or year but I myself feel a bit of disappointed and anxious. I could have done better. But I am not here to hunt for quantity. I even went to the sea shore with my hubby the other day to pick some pebbles. So, will try to do some stone art. I have actually painted one stone - about 10 years ago I found a perfectly oval/round pebble while picking the potatoes on the field and painted into a ladybird.
If somebody asks me that what do you like about the dots. Well... I do not know what is so fascinating about making those dots. Or cannot really put it into the words but the inner peace, stability and satisfaction it gives me making them is somewhat beyond the words. Some people might find it crazy - what a patience and persistence (and time) one must have to make those tiny dots. I have experimented with a bit new style now. Have made two works with only white paint on one colour background (red and black so far and more to come). These work look pretty cool, clean and pure - in my opinion.
Love of dots is in the air
20 April 2016
Lately I have tried to experiment more with dots. I have done some quite random works and also some more planned/sketched works and have enjoyed every moment of it. It is very meditating activity too. As my husband just lately joked in a little gathering that I sort of switch everything else off (usually I listen to some classical music, e.g. Vivaldi, Mozart is my favourite) and just quietly dot. He usually comes to check that what is going on when everything is very quiet:) Somehow making all those different sized dots one by one I need attention and hell lot of patience and it takes me to the journeys of its own. To some fairy-lands even. And over the rainbow (there is that song I like a lot: lalalaaa over the rainbow). It is very easy to forget about the "outside" world, the worries and problems and just put your mind into creating. Put all the good, positive thoughts and emotions into every single dot.
And a little single dot or deed can be a start for anything big really. Some great things in life start from seemingly little. Some things take time to take a physical form but it will all happen at the right, correct, perfect time. They will come, I am sure of it. There is no other way possible.
Talented people all around us
13 March 2016
I have often found myself contemplating that how on earth are some people so talented that it takes your breath away and you look at their works and become speechless. Nowadays it is quite easy to follow the doings of fellow artists via the social media. It has made me wondering: what I make is it great enough or just some average creation? I know how much work and effort are put into each work and how much practice it involves. Just sometimes I wonder that if there are so many great and awesomely talented artists, that what on earth am I doing? Is it worth doing or should I just keep admiring others' works and stop creating whatsoever myself. I mean I am not serious about the latter idea, just sometimes it can be a bit discouraging. If you know what I mean. I start comparing my works to other's (I know it cannot be really compared because the techniques, materials, background information is different) but still. I do appreciate that there are so many talented people in the world and people are having fun in creating things. The awesome music, paintings, drawings, embroidery, woodworks etc.
Or then I look at some of their works and find myself thinking: ohh, why on earth did not I come to that idea. That I am capable of creating something similar too. I do not mean that one should start copying someone else's works but sometimes I wonder how come they have got all those "great" ideas and not me. I do realise I have great and unique ideas too and each work I have done has my soul and mind in it and they are all influenced by some invisible things. Well, suppose just need to practise more and believe in myself:)
Colouring my works and doing clay works
7 February 2016
I am doing some experiment with colouring my own drawings. Also got my husband to do a bit. The idea was to have it so that the followers of my works could also print it out from my homepage for their personal use. It looks quite cool. My hubby helped me a bit with the technical issues and hope the feedback to that is great too. Hope that people can use it and create something of their own on my design. The colouring books for the adults are very popular at the moment and maybe one day I will have my own one too. Need to work a bit more on the concept of what images it should have. And how to make it stand out among the many others. It needs to have that something extra to draw the attention to.
Lately I have been a bit uninspired to draw. I have many sketches and ideas but somehow do not feel like drawing a lot. It feels like a huge struggle to take the pencil in my hand and create something. Maybe just too many other thoughts in my head that need to be solved or dealt with. Hopefully it is just a passing phase and all is back to normal in a short while. Received a commission work order from an acquaintance today and will try to make a bird with dots for his friend who is a bird lover. Hope it will help me get back to my normal creation track and will not disappoint her.
I also started my ceramics lessons and I am very pleased and satisfied with it. I do not understand 100% everything my teacher says in Finnish because my Finnish is still on the developing stages. But I try to pay attention and follow what others are doing:) In my first lesson I planned to make couple of mugs but they turned out to be bowls instead. They somehow got a bit too wide and then just decided to leave them like that.
New year and new goals
10 January 2016
The new and promising 2016 year has started with a full swing. New promises and goals. Well, the main goal for me as far as my drawings are concerned is to become better, make better and feel better. I have somewhat got lots of new ideas for my drawings (mainly for dotting works at the moment) and have already prepared several canvases and made some new sketches, finished couple of works and have several works in progress as well. The latter is a normal state since I often start to draw or make a sketch and then jump into a new one because I got a new idea and want to carry that one out immediately. Sometimes patience is not my strong traits. The two finished works have images of angels on. I wanted to experiment a bit with some fresh dot ideas and thought the angel image is quite easy to make and also pleasant for the eyes to look at. Or maybe I am still under the Christmas influence.
At the moment there is an amazing fairy-tale winter outside. Lots of fluffy snow and the nature looks just amazing. Of course the temperature has been around -25C, so need to be tough to survive but it is all worth it to have the actual real four seasons. The trees have the cutest snow hats on and it is just relaxing to watch the snowflakes falling down. When I sit at my drawing desk I can look outside and admire the wonders of the universe. Made one snow angel myself today. So cool:).
Summary of 2015
31th December 2015
Well, the last day of the amazing 2015 has arrived and in a few hours the new one will start which will be full of new opportunities, dreams coming true and new inspiration. Also probably failures when some works do not turn out the way I have imagined in my head. Hopefully not too many though. This year I managed to draw altogether 43 works. Unfortunately it is less than last year (56 works) but if I also add my glass-works (24 works) then the total sum is bigger than the previous year. So I can proudly announce that I made (finished - because there are quite many unfinished works waiting to be dealt with) 67 works altogether. The drawings are as follows: 26 trees, 9 flower mandalas, 5 miscellaneous and 3 lizzard works. The glass works are: 14 angels (by now most of them are in their new caring homes now), 4 Santas, 4 round flower images or mandalas, one big tree (I am very proud of this one because it was a very time consuming but fun work). I am pretty proud of myself.
As to the new year resolution (well I try not to make promises I cannot keep) but I would like to improve my techniques and come up with some new brilliant ideas and make some amazing new works that the admirers of my works like too. At times I wonder how many people actually like and admire my works, or how many people read what I write here. At times it feels not many. Or is the number relevant? Maybe quality is more important than the quantity - goes both for the number of my works as well and admirers. But this is maybe a topic for another blog post.
Glass-works and dots
7th December 2015
Now the glass course has finished but I still need to finish some of the works. I think one of my masterpiece is a tree which consists of 90+ glass pieces. It took a very long time to make it but I am really satisfied with the result. And now I have also started making more dots. It is really strange that once you take the paper and pencil in your hand and do the first work then straight after it comes another work. This like a never ending process. The new ideas just jump into the head and need to have the sketchbook ready just in case.
So far I have done 40 drawings this year and there are about 5-6 that have been started but are waiting to be finished. Hope to do so before the Christmas hurry or after the Christmas hurry and before the end of the amazing year. Last year I made 56 drawings, so want to at least the same amount. Would be neat to beat it though because my aim at the start of the year was to beat it.
Still hypnotized by glass-work
10th October 2015
I feel totally in the power of the glass. New ideas and projects just pop up in my head and want to make more and more works. It should be forbidden me to go to the glass shop. I just end up buying new glass. The drawing on paper is a bit neglected at the moment but I am sure once the glass course finishes I will be too busy catching up with the drawing projects. I have made several angels so far and keeping in mind the Christmas is not far away. Some might get a glass angel as a gift this year. In addition to the glass angels I am also making some round mandala looking works. They will look so awesome too.
Sometimes I get a bit "mad" at myself that I tend to do things with too much passion that there is not much room for anything else. At the moment the glass works is my love and passion. Of course the dots are my first love and passion (after my husband of course).
Crocheting and glass-work
21th September 2015
In addition to drawing I also felt the desire to try crocheting. Need to mention that the last time I did it, was over 20 years ago. Usually some easier project is chosen for a start but I decided to make a turquoise blue funny rabbit for my husband. It turned out very neat, cute and funny. At times it was a bit of a struggle and had to do some details over again and find online instructions for some of the stitches but in the end managed it. My husband had no idea what I was making and was surprised to get such a gift.
A few weeks ago I also started to attend a glass-work class. And it is so cool, different and totally new experience for me. It is awesome to learn new skills and experiment with new media. Glass "behaves" totally differently from the paper and pencils. And you cannot always control it and make it co-operate with you. My first work will be an angel and I have done several more sketches that I want to make out of glass. Mostly they are glass versions of my own drawings. Would be neat to compare.
Outdoor drawing
08th September 2015
It has been a while since my last post here but I have been busy doing new works as well as trying to take most of the sunny weather. In addition, experimenting to draw outside. The result was different. Drawing outside gives different results. It is probably the influence of the fresh air, different surrounding and voices. It was actually very cool just to let your hand and pencils move on the paper in a seemingly effortless and aimless way and create some fun pictures. Almost childish and that is a great fun. At home it is a safe place to draw and in a way more comfortable too. But drawing outside has put me out of my usual comfort zone and that has a been a great experience too. Now and then I find myself thinking that why hadn't I done it earlier. I have also combined drawing outside with bike ride. Usually I cycle about 10 or so kilometres, go to the sea or some other neat place and just take my drawing pad out and let the inner child out of me. It has been excellent. The bike ride also clears the head, gives new ideas and the last but not the least, it is also good for the physical condition.
Trees, ladybirds and doodling
29th July 2015
I have been busy creating new little mini trees - 15 so far made. Four of them have been taken to their new home at Anna's place. She will have couple of more. So exciting. And filled with feeling of gratefulness. So great when someone adores your work and treats them with respect. I am still working on couple of more trees but soon will change the topic. Just the other day I browsed through some works which have been started (some of them several years ago) but have not been in the right mood to finish them. Or rather it has not been the right time for them to be finished:) So have thought to work a bit more on that pile to get it smaller and then get to my list of ideas. Sometimes it feels that there is so many things to do but not enough time. Not that I am in a hurry somewhere but just want the things to be finalized so to say.
There is an awesome field of grain near where we live - about 10 minutes walk and the greatest thing about it is that it has the ladybird colony living there. You can spot ladybirds on every or every second step and it is awesome. Heaven for me. The other day I took my camera and took about 250 photos of them within an hour. I totally completely 100% adore them. In any form, ie fridge magnets, on socks, key rings. You name it. Was so pleased with that one hour I spent there wondering around, trying to spot them and looking at them doing their important errands.
I have also managed to do some just doodling on sofa with coloured pencils. And I have to admit it is great fun as well. Couple of them have lead into the creation of trees made with fine tip pen. It is cool to just doodle sometimes too and just let the hand move on the paper, even if all it creates are circles and number eights. Never can predict what other great ideas come on the way while you do so to say silly things.
Long time no see
17th July 2015
It has been a while since my last blog writing. Sometimes it has felt I have nothing important to say and who on earth would be reading my thoughts anyway. Nevertheless, I have not abandoned my passion for drawing completely and have finished 21 works so far. Not too bad - it is more or less 1 work per week. Just sometimes in life there are maybe some more challenging and difficult times and the priorities change. At times of course it has felt that drawing does not help or do any good at those difficult times. But actually it does - it is in a way as a healer to the soul as well as body because once your spirit is calm and relaxed, your body becomes relaxed as well and functions much better. It is actually quite amazing what the usage of pencil and paper can do, what an amazing effect it has on a person's mind, body and soul.
At the moment I am working on a mini tree series. A coursemate from my Finnish class is interested in purchasing a few of my trees but I have got a bit carried away and have made 7 so far and working on the 8th one. But there are more to come. I think once the inspiration starts flying, it is better to let it do rather than ignore or quieten it down. It is awesome to create something with my own little hands and it feels super cool when other people appreciate what I am doing and creating.
Super start for 2015
12th January 2015
The new year has started pretty amazingly. I have had many ideas and thoughts for new drawings and have managed to make over 10 sketches so far plus added several ideas to my to-do-list. The last weekend I finished 5 works. When I was in the bed in the evening I somehow felt very satisfied, pleased, light, talented, respected, happy, careless. That I did something with my own hands, created something I like a lot and it does not matter if others like them or not. Of course I made them with lots of care and love, as I do with any works I create. But somehow I had a huge satisfaction and feeling of lightness that I can just draw without any pressure and saw deeper inside myself. That somehow I had lifted myself with the help of my drawings to a new level. Above the clouds. It is very difficult to explain it in writing but in short I felt amazing as if after being pampered, held, hugged, kissed and something more. That you feel you are safe and do not have to worry about anything. Can just be, do what you love and do it with passion. I made a motto for myself: When you have inspiration, time, paper then draw, doodle, make sketches, create something. And I try to follow this motto. It feels so amazingly good that there are actually so many people around us that create beautiful creations. And I am one of them:).
Some of my future projects, ideas: describe more in detail in this blog how I draw, what is important to keep in mind, write in this blog on regular basis; drawings: 3 flowers in one with fine tip pen, 3 smaller butterflies for smaller frames, flower of life sized 18x18cm with fine tip pen, butterfly on dark blue paper with white pencil etc. I know for me these things make more sense in my head than for the readers. But need to wait and see.
Summary of 2014
31th December 2014
Usually at the end of the year it is time to look back at the year and count all the the achievements. My art activity was as follows: 20 flowers + 13 butterflies + 6 dolphins and other creatures + 18 misc drawings. Altogether 56 drawings. I would consider it to be quite prosperous and productive year. In addition, some mugs, posters, photo canvases. And of course the new website was one of the biggest projects. Hope the coming 2015 is generous with inspiration and also offers plenty of time to carry all the ideas out.
Back to drawing
19th December 2014
After the launch of the website it feels great to have more time to do some actual hands on drawing again. I have got several sketches started and some ideas written down. Even though busy Christmas time is around the corner I have made up my mind to finish a few more works before it. Specifically I want to finish 2 more flower images. I have done a few flowers with different media this year already but in my opinion there is never enough of flowers and always room for more to please the hearts and eyes. To be more precise this year I have made 18 drawings with flowers up to this point. Towards the end of the year I will count all the works I have done in 2014. In my head I have decided to try to make at least 1 work a week since it is much easier to be doing something continuously rather than having a several month break in between. So to say the fingers are then warmed up for the next work and it is less effort to get in the mood.
Got the page!
1st December 2014
I have got a domain name now! My very first one. So cool. Now need to do a bit of testing still and check that all the information is correct and that everything works smoothly. Still jumping up and down:).
Now I can focus more on drawing again.I have a few sketches made already but need to finish them. Also have
several other art projects on my mind that I have been postponing due to the workload with the homepage.
Step by step towards the result
22th November 2014
The homepage is getting more and more close to being released. I have done all the 6 thumbnail pictures for the index page and
have uploaded many of my works. I made the decision not to have all of them uploaded at the initial stage
because it might be a bit too much data to digest for the viewer. I have made a critical choice, which ones to add and which ones not.
It is quite time consuming since I have to resize the scanned works and make them presentable, add all the information about
the size, price, material of the drawing. But it is also a rewarding thing to do and I am
quite happy that most of the work is done and then once it is active and visible to others as well, it is just a matter of
updating and adding new drawings there. And finally can focus more on drawing. Not that I do not like to learn and experiment
new things but there are just too many new ideas and thoughts I would like to carry out. Every time I go for an hour run or a bit
longer walk I get new, fresh ideas. Just switching off everything else, enjoying the quietness of the forest, fresh air, snowy trees at this
time of the year (today was the first snow and the nature looks pretty), some occasional deer, squirrel
or rabbit or looking at people walking with their furry friends, is a great way to gather new ideas. And then it is a matter of
hurrying home and writing or sketching the ideas on the paper. I always like to write the thoughts down on a piece of paper
because otherwise I will forget them since there is so much other noise going around us daily that they would be suffocated underneath.
I always have a to-do-list around. The tricky thing with those things is that on one hand it feels good when the thing on the list is
done but at the same time there is no chance of the list being empty. There are always thoughts, projects, ideas to be done. And it is
a great feeling too because one needs to have some aims and goals otherwise nothing gets done.
Anything is doable, just need to wish and put effort into it
13th November 2014
Still in the process of putting drawings and information to my new homepage. I am quite excited that it is so
closely there already. Can almost touch it. Seems like the end result is just a few steps away.
In a way it is true but on the other hand there are still technical and less technical things to finish up
and give the final touch to its look. But I have come a long way with this. It has been my long dream to have a neat,
clean and easy to use homepage where I can exhibit my works and where the viewers can find things easily and
enjoy the online "exhibition". Sometimes it takes a bit of time and effort to study (html and css), plan and visualise what
you want. Even though at first it seemed to be something I would never get done. But now with some learning and help and
guidance from my partner it is becoming real finally. I have learned a lot of things along the way, have struggled with
some technical issues and have had moments of great enthusiasm as well as giving up bursts. But anything is possible to
achieve when you really really want it and do your own part.
