ALL ABOUT ART: januari 2016

Sketch no 4.

Mother and child by Erica Stenkrona

Caran d´Ache (Pablo) color pencils on rough brown paper

I listen to podcasts and to the radio when I work in the studio at school or at home and when I go on my endless walks with my dog Boris. I especially enjoy listening to radio documentaries. One day I listened to a conversation on a radio show called "The Radio Psychologist" (Radiopsykologen) that

deeply touched me. A mother, called Maria, described her feelings about her young son who has autism. She had a beautiful way of articulating her feelings of love and desperation, so in the end of the conversation the male psychologist cried, and I am sure so did most of us who were listening to Maria.

"I just want him to call me mom! Just once." she said.

I gave myself a commission to make a picture book about Maria and her struggle with and for her son. A couple of weeks ago I met with her and interviewed her. Her son is a handsome boy, three years old. (Or was it four...?) It will be a challenging and exciting undertaking.

Obviously I have not written nor illustrated a picture book. (But I have read and studied hundreds of children´s books). One excellent illustrator and writer is Shaun Tan and he writes in his book "The Bird King and other sketches":

"My stories generally begin with images rather than words,

modest sketches drawn in a fairly aimless way."

So that is where I´m starting, with sketching. Above is my sketch no. 4. Below is sketches no. 1-3.

Sketch no. 1

Pencil on newspaper paper.

Sketch no. 2

Pencil on newspaper paper.

Sketch no 3.

Pencil on brown paper.

Madonna and Child with a Pear, 1526, by Albrecht Dürer

Oil on wood.

Here is another quote from the book "The Bird King and other sketches" by Shaun Tan:

"Paul Klee has a second good metaphor: the artist as a tree, drawing from a rich compost of experience - things seen, read, told and dreamt - in order to grow leaves, flowers and fruit. Art, following the laws of horticulture, can only make something out of something else: artists do not create so much as transform. That´s not to say the process is a casual or simple one. I find that good drawing requires conscientious effort: active research, careful observation of things around me, ongoing experimentation and reference gathering, all of which exist behind the scenes."

Peasant Woman Nursing a Baby, 1873, by Aimé-Jules Dalou.

Terracotta

Victoria and Albert Museum, London

As many mothers know, the time with your first baby is not a dance on roses. Then imaging your

baby crying and crying, turning away from you and nothing that you do will bring solice. I

am at awe for all the mothers who embrace their autistic children and this picture book project

will be my humble salute for one of these brave mothers.

Lilla Mona by Erica Stenkrona

Pastels on brown paper, 2015

Inspired by Helen Schjerfbeck

Another year has gone by. I have finished my fifth term at Farigh Ghaderi´s Art Studio. Becoming an artist is hard work. One day a couple of weeks ago I felt overwhelmed, I wanted to quit. I convinced myself that I had learned enough (sic!). It was so stressful to juggle all the responsibilities in my life and at the same time focus on my art education.

I came to my senses and I decided not to quit. I told my teacher I needed to take January off to organize things at home and at work and do some recuperating. I will continue my art studies in February. Wasn't it Winston Churchill who said "never, never, never give up"?

Plaster cast of David´s lips by Michelangelo

This is my first charcoal drawing of a plaster cast. I worked

on it for three months. (the picture above is not the finished drawing). It´s exciting to learn a new technique and I really enjoy working with charcoal. I use Nitram charcoal.

My work space at the studio.

For 8 half-days I worked on a portrait in charcoal of this gentleman,

Zagros Ghaderi (our teacher´s cousin).

When I had one hour left with the model, a small mishap occurred.

I accidentally hit the easel and

since I had forgot to secure the drawing on the easel

it came flying down on the floor, smearing off

the charcoal on my back on its way down.

So I have some restoring to do before the drawing is

ready (besides fixing the anatomy around the root

of the nose and the eye socket). Fortunately I have a new studio at home to work in!

Welcome to my new and improved studio!

Galloping horse made in papier-maché by Åsa Canbäck, 2007

"Våga ge sig i kast" by Shirley Tommos, 2013 (detail)

My favorite artist is Helene Schjerfbeck (July 10, 1862 – January 23, 1946), one of Finland´s most beloved artists. Throughout her long life, her work changed dramatically. Her works span 19th-century historical paintings and naturalistic subjects, as well as 20th-century modernism.

Her work starts with a dazzlingly skilled, somewhat melancholic version of late-19th-century academic realism…it ends with distilled, nearly abstract images in which pure paint and cryptic description are held in perfect balance. (Roberta Smith, New York Times, November 27th 1992)

If I could choose any artist that has ever lived to be my teacher I would chose ms. Schjerfbeck. She has an unfailing sense for color and form. She describes form and volume with masterful brushwork. In her later works she simplifies her motifs without losing in color, depth and volume.

Below is a selection of her paintings and drawings that inspire me and help me to focus on my goal to become a skilled artist. Which of her works inspire you?

All the pictures are from the book Helene Schjerfbeck 150 vuotta (150 years)