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This watercolor painting, "Sketch of a Seated Cat," by the English artist Gwen John (1876–1939), is absolutely wonderful—a true masterpiece. The image contains so many charming details: the various shades of brown in the cat’s fur, the ears, the paws—rendered with little more than a few quick strokes—and what a shadow! Even the reddish-brown tones in the background are exquisite. What could the cat, along with its shadow, be observing?
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I needed to make room in the sky for smaller dragonflies, too. The clouds seemed to be blocking the sky, so I covered them with pastel. Perhaps now I can print even smaller dragonflies into the sky - and these bigger ones too.
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The upper part of the pastel sky turned out quite blue. A violet stripe appeared in the transition zone between the yellow and blue sky. I removed the stencils from the area where the dragonflies are. Now, it’s time to print the dragonflies.
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Above the linocut of Pispala, located at the bottom of the image, an orange evening sky—rendered in soft pastels—has begun to emerge. The large orange moon is a linocut. Similarly, in place of the dragonfly stencils, I will print linocuts; I also intend to add color to them, and perhaps a touch of shimmer here and there.
Näyttely on avoinna 28.2.2027 asti.
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A whole load of items—linocuts, cards, towels, and more—was brought along.
My own linocuts will be available in the Art Rental Gallery (Taidelainaamo) upstairs in the old wooden schoolhouse, alongside works by other contemporary naivist artists; purchases can be taken home immediately. Items bought in the lobby shop can also be taken home right away.
Downstairs, several special exhibitions await, a couple of which were already nearly ready.
The graphic art of Outi Heiskanen invites slow, careful observation—it is full of detail, featuring various animal figures and a delicate, fairytale-like atmosphere.
Kikka Nyrén’s works—depicting cats and other subjects—show a delightful evolution, ranging from simple initial forms and colors to vibrant, color-filled compositions bursting with detail.
The exhibition is open until February 28, 2027.
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I made stencils for the largest dragonflies. Using these, I could leave white—or at least lighter—areas in the pastel applied to the sky, specifically for printing the dragonflies themselves. All the dragonflies are flying toward the moon.
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In the midst of Finland’s darkest and grayest season, it is tempting to start a new mixed-media piece featuring dragonflies—of various sizes and, no doubt, various colors. I arranged my linocut prints of dragonflies upside down around a large linocut of Pispala. For once, I realized right from the start that the dragonflies needed to be upside down—that is, positioned exactly as they appear when printed onto paper. The sky will be pastel-colored. The orange moon is a linocut.
Toivotan hyvää Halloweenia kuvalla yhdellä viimeisimmistä kesän tomaateistani. Tähän kuvaan AI loi taustan maramoripöydän pinnan tiallle, ja sehän on kaunis. Minulla vain tuntuu olevan vaikeuksia taiteen ja AI:n suhteen kohdalla.
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I had a Christmas card printed at Tamkopio featuring a red sky—the sky was such a festive, Christmas-red color. I learned that for an A5-sized card, the image can be set to fill the entire A5 space, edge to edge. The print quality is excellent, and the card actually looks larger than A5. That said, the black stone tabletop in the background doesn't really do the image any favors.
Id like to wish everyone a Happy Halloween with a photo of one of the very last tomatoes from my summer harvest. For this image, AI generated a new background to replace the original marble tabletop—and it turned out quite beautiful. I just seem to struggle a bit with the relationship between art and AI.
