Found this in my mailbox today :)

This is how the postcards for the charity project "postales desde el limbo" look like from the beginning. Next step, the artists either paint directly on them, or glue their artworks onto them.

Deadline - October, which means I have time to figure out a good theme, hehe :)

I got asked to take part in a one-day exhibition at a festival in my home town the 11th of July together with one or possible two other artists. When the concept is 100% official Ill give you more details.

Planning is a really fun part of the process; choosing what artworks to bring being one of them :)

I had this period in my life when I started to paint more abstract. I couldn't find the focus to do realism, instead I wanted to let loose and get it all" out there". Abstract painting is harder than one might think - to make it look like a painting worth a million bucks instead of something anyone could throw together during lunch break. As you see, abstract art isn't my thing. The one below is made in acrylic and on top of it the result looks kind of dead on the canvas. Even so, I wanted to show you this. Everything we do will NOT be good art, and it is completely ok (in my opinion). The road isn't straight, it is winding. 

Even though it is an abstract painting, I had taken an inspirational picture prior to making it. It makes it easier to do wise color as well as composition choices. (it didn't turn out that well anyways, and it ended up in the trash) 

The picture is taken in the studio in Madrid, might have been about 4 years ago. 

One of my very best friends from Madrid (and also from university) is coming to see me next week for my birthday. I'm so looking forward to it! She is also into painting and the second apartment we lived in together in Madrid, we decorated our rooms with our own paintings. I remember she made a gorgeous one of a Latinamerican salt desert. 

Yep, ain't done with this one yet. If you don't give up you'll never fail, or something..

I really thought Karin Broos was working in oil, but when I turned these postcards around I saw they are made in acrylic (!), impressive. She continues on the theme to paint family members.

I've seen a gigantic fascinating and realistic painting from Broos at Värmlandsmuseet in Karlstad, but these pictures are so much more magical! To me, she's only getting better. She is definitely an artist I would love to meet in reality. 

Broos has an exhibition at Strandverket, Marstrand at the moment. Road trip anyone..:)

This was a favorite! 'Bewinged conversations' by Ditte Reijers:

Wonderful lithograph by Karin Broos. I bought three postcards with her prints, will show them shortly.

3D houses by Rune Wall

'Wait a little', collage by Ulla Magnusson

Oil (!) paintings by Lerin. We're used to see his biiig aquarelles, here you get the opposite! Think these thiny paintings are painted on board - not canvas. And they are "cheap", from 12000:- and up.

My favorite amongst these Lerins, 'Långtjärn' (cant translate it to English):

Feels very spectacular to see Lerin like this, but I must say I prefer his aquarelles.

The place is Galleri Vågen, go visit :)

I have a busy schedule today. I've been to the vernissage of the exhibition "Konstnärskollegor och vänner", with paintings from my favorite Lars Lerin and other amazing artists. I have some pictures in my cell which I'll show you tonight. Now I have to eat something real quick, before doing something completely different; a 11k race outside the city.

A lot of colors and liquids are toxic both for people and the environment. I know I am not perfect, but at least I try to find substitutes. Here are some of the things I do. I think I've mentioned all of them before in separate blog posts but I thought it to be a good idea to bring it up again. I welcome all other pieces of advise, so if you have any, please comment or email me! 

* Cadmiums are toxic. Instead of using cadmium yellow, I've used azo yellow ever since the beginning. In London I also bought a "primary cadmium yellow imit". Imit means imitation =not real cadmium.  If the tube says "cadmium hue" it aint real cadmium either and therefore a good purchasing choice.  Be aware of other heavy metals used in oil colors, like cobalt in cobalt blue (I have a cobalt blue imit). 

*I don't use thinner. I use something called "Grumme" in Swedish, and also a brush wash I bought online called Zest-it. I saw they had it at the gigantic artist store Atlantis in Brick Lane London too. Zest-it is a natural citrus based brush wash.

*Eco-friendly paper. Unfortunately I have no knowledge of where to find eco-friendly acrylic or oil paper. My acrylic paper is labelled "acid-free" but it doesn't have an eco-label. At least, my postcards are printed on an EU eco-certified paper.

Body ideals change over time and we've gone from curves to thinspo to fitspo. I'd say that the best ideal would be to have no ideal at all, because each and everyone of us has a unique body and it is impossible for all of us to get the same shape anyways. I'm a child of my time, and of course I get affected by the ideals we have. At least I am conscious about it, and I definitely think that today's fitspo is slightly better than yesterday's thinspo, because it involves a health aspect which wasn't there at all before. 

I found a very interesting article about ideals now and then, with art GIF's created by Lauren Wade: 

"To shed light to the unrealistic body ideals created by virtual scalpels, photo editor Lauren Wade has taken her Photoshop tools to famous paintings that feature iconic images of female beauty. By perking up breasts, pulling in waists, creating thigh gaps and smoothing out blemishes, Wade shows just how extreme Photoshop culture has become."  

Read the article and see more pictures here. 

Francisco Goya, Nude Maya (1797-1800)

This painting plays a central part in Jostein Gaarder's book "Maya". I love his books, and when he combines a good story with a little bit of art history it gets even better!

Raphael, Three Graces (1504-1505)

Continuing on the same theme, here comes another one!

I haven't used a pencil to draw the outlines, I started directly with the colors. 

My little brother has a trampoline at home. To get a sense of body movement, I looked through old pictures when the kids were jumping on it back in 2012. I've been thinking about making something out of those pictures ever since I took them. 

This to me is kind of a composed movement, she is in control of her muscles and the way her body is moving. Even though she is young, she "owns" her body. She's confident, serene and free.