READY TO GO, watercolor on Arches

READY TO GO, watercolor or Arches paper, 14x20 in. Painted on location in Säxnas, Sweden, last summer, READY TO GO has been accepted at the San Diego County Fair Fine Art exhibition 2014, along with four more paintings. SDCFair opens on June 7th, and lasts one month, till July 6th. Come visit us, have fun at the fair, and buy a painting!

"People look for retreats for themselves, in the country, by the coast, or in the hills...There is nowhere that a person can find a more peaceful and trouble-free retreat than in his own mind...So constantly give yourself this retreat, and renew yourself."        --- Marcus Aurelius

NORRFÄLLSVIKEN BAY II, Sweden, watercolor

Norrfälsviken Bay II, Sweden, watercolor, 11x15 in. juried in for: REFLECTIONS, part of the San Diego Museum of Art Artists Guild Exhibition to take place at Gallery 21, Balboa Park, from January 2 to the 13. The opening reception will be on January 5, 3-5pm.

"A painting requires a little mystery, some vagueness, some fantasy. When you always make your meaning perfectly plain you end up boring people."       ---Edgar Degas

DEJA VUE, acrylic

Déjà Vue, acrylic, 16x12 in, at Art Cuestion, Spain
At this moment, you can see several of my paintings with Art Cuestion in Ourense, Spain,  at Arte Studio Ginestrelle in Assisi,  Italy, at Ricklundgården Museum in Saxnãs, Sweden, and in two places in Cauterets, France: la Mairie de Cauterets (City Hall), and Agence Immobiliere Bordenave. At this moment, you can also see my work in San Diego, California, at the following places: La Jolla Art Gallery, in La Jolla, California, Petrini's Restaurant in San Diego, California, Women's Museum in Liberty Station, San Diego, California, and  San Diego Art Institute, Museum of the Living Artist,  in Balboa Park, San Diego, California.
You are invited to the upcoming reception at La Jolla Art Gallery on Saturday, November 16, 5:00-7:00 pm. Come on over! It's a beautiful little gallery!

PARC D'ARGELES-GAZOST, FRANCE, watercolor alla prima

Parc d'Argeles-Gazost, France, watercolor, 4x10 in.

Just walking around Argeles-Gazost, I stopped and sat for a while at the beautiful park, did this little watercolor, and continued my walk. Happiness is enjoying the small things in life. The birds are flying south from the Pyrénées to the north coast of Africa. Autumn is changing the dress on the trees, every day the greens are more yellowish and orange.

We are hanging the show today, at the Bibliotheque d'Argeles-Gazost. The new exhibition starts tomorrow: "Le Mystere de l'Eau/Agua/Water". They are mostly watercolors of water scenes in Sweden, Italy and France, with two pastel portraits, two women.

AMANDA AND ADAM, pastel

Amanda and Adam, pastel portraits, 12x9 in
This was a commissioned portrait of her children, by their mother, in Wilhelmina, Sweden. When the  whole family visited my studio in Saxnäs, the children were so well behaved, loving and kind, that it was a pleasure to work on their portraits afterwards. I also see them as an example of bilingualism, they are growing up bilingual in Swedish and Spanish. I believe we should all raise our children bilingual in any two languages, as long they are two.

PASTEL WORKSHOP starts tomorrow Tuesday, September 17, in Cauterets, France. Three days, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, three hours each day:  2:30-5:30 pm.  To register, send me an email or call me to my French mobile phone: 07.81.96.24.15. There are two places available.

LAPLAND NATIVE, watercolor

Lapland Native, watercolor, 6x9 in.

One of my last paintings while Resident Artist in Ricklundgården,  Sweden. The deer run wild, although they belong to the Sami population. The variety of designs or growth patterns of their horns is amazing, and very beautiful.

Rosalyn Yalow, Nobel Prize in Medicine 1977, wrote: "The excitement of learning separates youth from old age. As long as you're learning, you're not old."

STOCKHOLM SUNSET II, watercolor

Stockholm Sunset II, watercolor, 4x6 (10x15)

Stockholm is one of the greatest cities in the world. I basque in the beauty of ancient buildings, flowers, gardens, coffee houses, and water everywhere. Rio de Janeiro resident Bobo Karlsson, writer of the successful book URBAN SAFARI (a soulful portrait of 12 of his favorite cities), said of Stockholm: "Stockholm is an old beauty, with a strong, youthful, creative vitality - the mixture of urban modernity and nature, plus water around the corner all of the time. And a sort of high qualit overall."
Keep reading about this beautiful city, where I'm spending a few days...bye now, I'm late for breakfast!

LAPLAND, SWEDEN II, watercolor

Lapland, Sweden II,  4x6 (10x15cm.) watercolor

I've just finished reading Gabriel Garcia Marquez' ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF SOLITUDE. marvelous book. Some quotes: "The secret to a good old age is simply an honorable pact with solitude."  ".(She was)....unaware that nothing could be sold in a town that was sinking irrevocably into the quicksand of forgetfulness."

MIDSUMMER CELEBRATION, SAXNÄS, watercolor

Midsummer Celebration, Saxnäs, watercolor, 11x15 (28x38cm.)

Midsummer Celebrations were last Friday, June 21st,  all over Sweden. I was lucky to attend two, one in Saxnäs, at the hotel Saxnäsgården reflected in this watercolor I painted later from one of my pictures, and another celebration a couple of hours later at Fatmomakke, further northwest, closer to the border with Norway.    Boys and girls of all ages danced around the Maypole. Most of them had a freshly made flower crown of sorts, made with flowers collected from the fields. The fields are carpeted with flowers. And the whole area is flower fields, except when there is a lake.  Here you can probably see the musicians in the foreground. A man playing the accordion, and a lady, dressed in white, playing the flute. Can you hear the music? It is very playful. Enjoy!

WATER STAIRWAY IN SAXNÄS, watercolor on Arches

Water Stairway in Saxnäs, watercolor, 14x20 (36x51cm.)

Ryan Brown, in this year's  January/February Artist Magazine,  has said: "The media are feeding the public a diet of superficial images". I agree. We artists must both educate ourselves and our audience at the same time.

According to Greg Albert, there is a simple formula to use in a painting: mostly, some, and a bit. Most of the colors should have the same characteristics, some should differ from the first, and a small bit of color should differ from the rest. I am trying to do this, not very easy!

SAXNÄS IN JUNE, watercolor

Saxnäs in June, waterccolor, 11x8 (28x20 cm.)

Today, June 21st,  is Midsummer Celebration in Sweden. The tradition calls for picking flowers from the fields and braiding them together in a crown, and wearing it on your head while dancing around the Maypole with your family and friends. You are supposed to choose at least seven different flowers, and tonight, young girls will put the seven flowers under their pillow, and they will dream of their love, or lover, or the man they will marry, something like that.  June 21st is the longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere, while it is the shortest in the southern hemisphere.

MIDNIGHT IN LAPLAND-JUNE 17, pastel

Midnight in Lapland-June 17, pastel, 9x12 (22x31 cm.)

I just finished reading ALICE BLISS, by Laura Harrington. The story of a 15 year old girl, smart, funny, not afraid to stand up for what she believes in. She idealizes her father. When he goes to war, her coming of age painfully, dramatically, starts. Very entertaining!

Marc Chagall said: "If you work with your heart, everything goes well."

MIDNIGHT IN LAPLAND-JUNE 16, pastel

Midnight in Lapland-June 16, pastel, 9x12 in (22x30 cm.)

Continuing my series of Midnight in Lapland pastel skies, here is the sky a couple of "nights" ago. Well...not totally night, since after this, the light travels behind the mountains to the right of the painting, for about an hour and 15 or 20 minutes, then the light starts coming back up, having made an arc of about 45 degrees behind the mountains, from here. Then, at about 1:45 or 2 in the morning, the light becomes stronger and the sun starts coming up. Next Friday 21st is "Midsummer" called here in Sweden. The shortest night and the longest day. Celebrations are all over Sweden, with song, dance, music, drink and cakes. I am very much looking forward to that.

ARCHIPIELAGO, SWEDEN, watercolor

Archipielago, Sweden, watercolor, 11x15 (28x38cm.)

Charles Reid once said: "Vision is the art of seeing what is invisible to others." He was a watercolor pioneer. His first wash was allowed to dry. Then he connected the shadow shapes. He insisted that we should judge our paintings in terms of our "personal best", and start a critique by asking ourselves what we like and dislike about our painting. Being able to identify what did not work is the best way to moving forward. We should solve one problem in each painting. So we keep trying...

SWEDISH HEAVEN , watercolor

Swedish Heaven, watercolor, 14x20 (36x51 cm.)

I recently read PURPLE HIBISCUS, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, a Nigerian wonderful writer. It is the story of a 15 year old girl, Kambili, who lives in fear of her father, a charismatic yet violent  patriarch. He is well respected in the community, yet he is fanatically religious, repressive, and abusive at home. Discovery of a new way of life, for her and her brother Jaja, comes when they are forced to live at their aunt's home, a noisy place full of laughter. Laughter? They had not known laughter before. Beautiful story! A page turner! I highly recommend it.

NORRFÄLLSVIKEN BAY II, watercolor

Norrsfällsviken Bay II,  Sweden, watercolor, 11x15 (28x38 cm.)

A Poem by Alberto Cairo:
FROM MY VILLAGE I CAN SEE

From my village I can see as much of the world
as from any other place in the universe.
Therefore my village is as large as any other world.
for I am as  large as what I see
and not according to my own height...

SAXNÄS LAKE VIEW II, watercolor

Saxnäs Lake View II, watercolor, 4x6 (10x15 cm.)

I recently visited a painter's studio in Vilhelmina, Sweden. His name is Tage Lundin, from Lapland. He creates complexity, and builds up many layers of transparent oil in a coloristic way, very poetic and imaginative. I think his oils have a watercolor feeling.

Another quote from DREAMS FROM MY FATHER, by Barack Obama: "I think education doesn't do us much good unless it is mixed with sweat."

EMMA'S HOUSE IN THE AFTERNOON, watercolor

Emma's House in the Afternoon, 10x14 in ( 27x37cm.) watercolor

I will have a show at my studio in Ricklundgården this coming Sunday, June 16,  from 11:00am to 1:00 pm. You are welcome to come see the original paintings posted on this blog, and more original paintings and sketches. Ricklundgården is in Saxnäs, Sweden.

"When you and I no longer exist, these pictures will remain. This is why I sit here day after day, painting and writing. For me to remember, and to be remembered by, pictures of beauty...."
from THE SAMI-People of the Sun and Wind.

EMMA'S HOUSE IN JUNE II, watercolor

Emma's House in June II, watercolor, 14x10 in (37x27cm)
Emma Ricklund owned the house, when Folkes and Emma separated. He left and started a new life. She stayed here and continued opening her doors to artists. She also started painting herself. The Spring is very short in Southern Lappland. So here in Saxnäs, a few shy flowers opened their eyes at the end of May, and by mid-June there is a riot of flowers all over the place! Lots of birds are loudly announcing their presence, butterflies appeared scattered here and there, not sure in what direction they want to go, and Emma's house, museum and art gallery Ricklundgården, witnesses it all with charm and elegance.

KULTSJÖN LAKE II, SWEDEN, watercolor

Kultsjön Lake II, Sweden, 4x6 watercolor

In the International Artist magazine June/July 2013 issue, Karen Benco's article "Look for Design in Nature" offers the following advice: "Re-design nature. Change Mother Nature to create a better design for a painting. " That is good advice, in general. However, here by Kultsjön Lake, in Saxnäs, Sweden, very little or nothing could be changed to improve nature. Her other piece of advice, "cropping", answers my needs at the moment. I find it frustrating to paint one flat watercolor of ONE view, when all around me, I have 360 degrees of lakes, forests, and a little red house here and there. I will keep trying!