Østlandsutstillingen 2009

I applied for the second time to the annual Norwegian show Østlandsutstillingen this year - and got one work accepted! I am very happy.
There are 4 different shows like this in Norway every year, divided into 4 areas - north, south, east and west. I submitted 3 works initially , and one got through to the 2nd round - then I got a phonecall from the staff asking if I would accept showing it unframed , which I accepted. A few days later I got a letter through with the acceptance. The show will be shown in Oslo's Skårer Gallery in May/June and in Klevfoss Industrial Museum. I believe it will be shown in Schleswig-Holstein and Lubeck (Germany) later. The information coming my way this far is yet sparse.
The drawing submitted is one of my 22x22 cm self-portraits (above) - pencil on paper from 2008. Will update as soon as I get more information.

Faber-Castell and the Years of Distraction

I got there in the end! 20 brand new drawings, all a little bigger and hopefully a little better. Since I got my application accepted for a show at the Drawing Centre in Oslo back in 2007, I had been both looking forward to and dreading the show when it opened the 18th of April.
I decided to create a uniform one-line set of drawings based on the loose term 'crowds' in the end. I had initially decided to do less than ten huge drawings based on something entirely different, but it just wasn't the right time for me. I got too intrigued by some photos I took in the Chinese part of London, and that sparked a whole new view on old research material. I started drawing in November last year, and didn't stop until early April. I hope the result speaks for itself, because I feel quite tired of talking about them. It is now to me a tired old conversation that has gone on way too long (since November).
The staff at the Drawing Centre had arranged for a couple of artist conversations - one for the guides before the opening, and one for the public the day after. I'm grateful for sharing the talk with the much more experienced Snøfrid Hunsbedt Eiene - the artist I shared the gallery with. She created a very calm, but reflective forum on both occasions, and I left feeling relieved of a much smaller verbal burden than usual (this is a good thing - trust me).

The show will be on until the 10th of May, so please feel free to visit. The Drawing Centre's Gallery can be found in the old part of Oslo, in Rådhusgaten 17.

Spring Update

Ok, so it took me a while to get over the shock of being part of a week-long art auction. Will Not Do It Again!
I felt so optimistic handing 4 works in - 3 drawings and a painting. The gallery promised me publicity and good things to come out of it, but I think that would be more true for them than for me (They did in all fairness warn me a little beforehand). Anyway... I sold all my work, which is good, right? Only all but one sold for a third of the price! Don't get me wrong - I needed the money, but I do try to be reasonable with the prices in the first place, so the profit is never much even at full price. Oh, well. As it works out it's a pretty good excuse not to write my blog until it's almost May, right?
My real excuse is that I have been working really hard from November 2008 to early April 2009 on a body of drawings for the Drawing Centre show in Oslo. 20 works in 6 months. I'm quite pleased. I also worked on a few commissions in the weekends, and have started a new series of paintings. The photo is of one of the commissions.