Progress

This is how the lute player looks today, although very yellow because once again I didn't use the flash when I took the photo (I tried using flash and the colours looked authentic but too much light reflected in the varnish...), but I tried adjusting the colours in photoshop and it's the best I could do.

A little experiment

Since Easter is coming up and I don't have any lectures for two weeks, I have more time to spend on painting and art in general. A few days ago suddenly remembered how two different teachers at the two art schools I went to both reminded me of the education value of copying the old masters (or a painting I specifically liked) - Not for display but for the challenge of it and for practicing basic technique. At the time I was given this advice I was hesitant and more enthusiastic about finding my own style and doing my own work. I don't know why I suddenly came to think of it now - possibly because of the recent lectures on Italian renaissance art that really remind me why I love art history so much - but I decided that since I have the time for such a project now, I will take the opportunity to complete the experiment.


I've chosen Caravaggio's Lute player, which seemed suitable because a) I LOVE Caravaggio, and b) It's not a religious motive that I'd feel uncomfortable "tampering" with. This is what it looks like after today:



(I took the photo with the flash off so the colours look a little strange, even after Photoshopping.) Since I paint with acrylics and not oil, although with a few paint mediums added, I can't make it look like an oil painting - It looks more like a coloured pencil drawing at this stage. We'll see how it turns out - I will of course keep you posted about the progress.

Now for the boring info - another facebook album. I hadn't planned on creating a new one but I clicked a little too fast in the iPhoto export tool and it created a new album without my knowing it. Here's the link:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=381914&id=838195173&l=41f3eb5f68

I'm going to add a few new paintings to the web site later and also update the links page which has been stating "coming soon" since forever. Procrastinating seems to be my real talent..

My (new) life as an art history student

It just occurred to me that life as an art HISTORY student is very different from life as an ART student. It involves, of course, a little less freedom, but that's not all negative.. I think the main difference is the reading that's involved.

True, I used to read a lot in between painting the past few years, but this time it's less fiction and I have to make sense of everything I read even when it's in another language and written 60 years ago. The fun part is that I got so many books I had to move them into another bookcase (although "another" may not be the correct word seeing as I didn't have a bookcase in the first place, just a cupboard where I stacked them on top of each other).



So this is what it looks like now - already the lower shelf looks like it could break any minute.

Speaking of books, I suppose I didn't make it easier for myself by choosing literature as a second subject - I now have to read at least one book each week (in addition to numerous chapters of art history) plus a number of short texts and poems. I don't find it difficult to complete the books as such, but when I have to analyze and talk about what I've read in detail it's not always that easy.

That said, it's only been a few weeks so hopefully it will get better soon.

I also updated the web site today - just a side note; the painting I added a week or so ago may be replaced with a better photo documentation later. I noticed that with my cheap camera, documentation works best when I take the photos outside in daylight and it's been snowing lately so that makes it more difficult.

today's recommendation

I subscribe to a lot of art podcasts. A lot of the time the downloads seem to be piling up and I don't find the time to watch them all, but since Christmas is coming up, I have all the presents ready and consequently more free time, I decided to take today to catch up.

It was well worth it.

Among other things I came across a gem via the einfallsreich.tv podcast:

You Fade To Light, rAndom International for Philips Lumiblade from rAndom International on Vimeo.

More info about the project can be found here.

While I'm at it I can also recommend vernissage.tv and KQED Gallery Crawl.

Enjoy!

***web site down***

Just a few minutes ago a friend pointed out to me that my web site seemed to consist of "theatre stuff" and that I must have had the wrong link in my facebook profile. However it seems the domain has expired, due to the trivial fact that the web hotel company e-mails the payment notifications to an old e-mail address that I don't use anymore, and consequently I failed to pay before the expire date.

However it may have been a blessing in disguise. For the last year and a half I've been slightly embarrassed about the title of the domain and web site, because it is an old forum username that a few years ago became a part of my online identity. At this stage however I don't feel the need to "hide" behind a username to the extent that I used to, and so I would like to buy a new domain, with my own name, as soon as possible. My goal is by the end of the month so I'll take it from there.

Thanks to all of you who visited my web site and supported me, hope you will continue to visit the new web site once it's up and running!

Where to start.....

I suppose not that much time has passed since my last blog post (at least less than usual) but a lot has certainly happened.

To start with the bad news - I didn't get into the Academy. Which wasn't that much of a surprise, but it did still make an impact on my confidence; more than I was willing to admit at first. For a few weeks I admit I couldn't look at or even think about art or anything associated with it without feeling depressed. I'm feeling a bit better now, much thanks to the reorganization of my working place at home, and certain positive twitter comments (you know who you are).

Besides that, the positive news is that I have been accepted into the art history bachelor program at the University of Oslo. I am so relieved and so happy to be focusing on something art related and still getting a "proper" education. Studies start just three weeks from now, it's very exciting and a little intimidating, which I'm sure is just how it's supposed to be.

I will keep painting on the side and keep displaying my work on the web site, however the updates may be infrequent... or that is to say even more infrequent than it already is..

To finish off a post about so many different things I thought I'd post a link to a work by an artist I discovered recently and really like:

What would Simon Cowell say?

First of all, sorry I haven't written in a while.. for a long time I felt I didn't have much to write about, but now I have a very good reason - I made it through to the interview at Oslo Academy of Art. I'm one of 62 out of 405, which I can't grasp no matter how many times I say it or write it. As much as I'm flattered, grateful, happy and excited about it I'm also getting increasingly nervous.

Ok. I'm absolutely terrified.

I'm supposed to meet in the auditorium with the other lucky candidates for a quick briefing, then I'll get assigned to a room where I'll be working on 1 or 2 given assignments. At some point during the week there is the dreaded interview, which supposedly lasts 20 minutes.

I've never been through this before, it's my 4th year applying and I've never got this far. I feel like in a way I'm given false hope, cause I can't bring myself to hope that I'll be one of the 25 or so left after the elimination process. More than anything I'm scared (and rightly so) that my nerves will get the better of me and I'll mess it up, and if I don't get accepted it will be 100% my own fault.

So now I'm trying to prepare myself. I don't really know what to expect. I'm supposed to study up on artists, see exhibitions, prepare questions, google the members of the jury and what have you. Only I'm not supposed to come across as someone who's spent the last month studying up on artists and seeing exhibitions and basically being a walking art encyclopedia. Keeping that balance seems difficult. Should I seem confident or not??

If I were to think about the dreaded interview all the time I'd be going crazy. But like in all things with me I brace myself by preparing for the worst... I've already spent several hours writing down every thinkable question the jury could ask me, followed by my answers. While imagining Simon Cowell sitting in front of me.

I've heard all kinds of rumours about what the interview is like, about how tricky the questions are - even rumours that jury members in the past have had a sharp tongue like Simon. Which is certainly an interesting thought. What if I were to explain my love for a certain artist or a certain work and I'm met by comments like "that was indulgent nonsense" or "I don't like what you're wearing"?

Wish me luck. I'll need it.