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"I don't need a therapist. I talk to my cat." So true. Many people benefit by talking to their cat about their problems, and perhaps there is no need for some outside help. I´m not going to guarantee that about the person in this picture. He or she has buried his or her head in a blanket and is not even talking to the cat. The cat has a grin on her face: " This has been seen before, a little of purring and all will be better". The card was letterpressed by Putinki.
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The tenth Naïve Art exhibition at Väinölä Art Centre in Varkaus is opening Monday, May 31. The setting is gorgeous, about 800 works and over 60 artists. I'm also participating, and I'm so glad about it. Big thanks to Marja-Muusa and Timo Hämäläinen for curating and hanging up the exhibition.
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Naïve Artists in Iittala summer exhibition 2021 is opening today, Saturday May 29. The curator is Veikko Halmetoja. There are about 800 works by 50 artists at this exhibition. Also my linocuts can be found at the exhibition and in the Lobby Shop more linos, cards and tea towels. For a few weeks even before the opening there has been a possibility to reserve private times for the exhibition, and it seems that especially the collectors of naïve art have been on the move. Because of the pandemic restriction in Hämeenlinna the admission to the exhibition can vary, and there might be a line at the door. So it's still recommendable to order a private time if you want to avoid the lines. During May there will be max. 10 people in a one hour at the exhibition, from June 1 to June 12 there will be 20 people and from June 13 to August 29 max, 30 people. The restrictions might vary, so reserve a time or check the latest information at https://naivistit.fi/nayttelyinfo
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My favorite place for cutting linos at the summer cottage is definitely the balcony. What a pleasure it is to carve a lino when the sun is warming my back and I can hear birds singing. Well, now the Finnish summer surprised me. There is below 10 C degrees outside and the wind is getting stronger. So I made myself a working place inside the cottage for cutting linos. I can see green from the window and it´s warm inside. The Finnish summer!
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English Martin Leman´s (b. 1934) cat painting "Delapole" from 1985 has been cut to the form and got a foldable support behind, so it stays upright on the table. In the picture there is a round nautical sign at the foot of the for Leman so typical lighthouse. The round shape is repeated by the cat with two rounded stones. The expression of the large gray-white cat is friendly but firm - a captain?
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The Naive art exhibition for the summer of 2021 at Väinölä Art Center in Varkaus will be opened on Monday May 31. There already are pictures of the preparations of the exhibition in the social media. Timo and Marja-Muusa Hämäläinen really have a job to hang all almost 800 works on the walls or placing the sculptures. Even my own linos start to hang on the wall when Timo´s hammer is swinging. Fine! It´s really grand to be along in this exhibition.
Lyhyt video siitä, miten linopiirrokset korennoista, kuusta, Pispalasta, höyrylaivasta ja järvestä yhdistyivät pastellitaivaaseen. Tämä sarja lino/pastelleista (tai oikeastaan kaksi sarjaa: pienempi 50 x 30 cm ja isompi 70 x 40 cm) tuntuu olevan loputon. Aina vaan mieleen putkahtaa uusia yhdistelmiä jo olemassa olevista linopiirroksista (joskus tosin teen myös uusia palasia tarvittaessa) ja pastellitaivaat tuottavat aina jonkinlaisen yllätyksen. Näissä töissä yhdistyvät intohimoni grafiikkaan ja värit. Ja sekin inspiroi, että taiteen ystävät tuntuvat pitävän näistä lino/pastelleista. Olen kiitollinen!
Nimikin tällekin työlle löytyi Juice Leskisen lyriikasta: Rannoilla vuolemme lastuja laineisiin laulusta Norjalainen villapaita.
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A short video about the mixing together linocuts of dragonflies, moon, Pispala, steam boat, lake and a pastel sky. This series of lino/pastels (or actually two series: smaller 50 x 30 cm and larger 70 x 40 cm) seems to be endless. It just always pops into my mind new combinations already existing linocuts (sometimes I still make new ones if needed), and pastel skies always produce some kind of surprises. In these work I combine my passion for graphics and colour. And it is also inspiring, that the friends of art seem to like these lino/pastels. I´m grateful!
And I found the name for this work also from Juice Leskinen´s lyrics: Our Flow of Chips Into Waves (Rannoilla vuolemme lastuja laineisiin) from the song Norwegian Sweater.
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There appeared five smaller daragonflies (linocuts) and one larger one around the blue moon on this linocut & pastel work. A delicate yellow light is behind the moon. I left four lighter spots / clouds on the horizon, because they remind me a bit of space ships or ufos. I will not colour the wings of the large dragonfly as I initially planned. This 70 x 40 cm picture has not yet a name.
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Summer is here! Interi´s summer shop at the Runeberg´s Cottage in Haihara is open. This is the first of summer exhibitions that my works are on sale.In Runeberg´s Cottage there are a collection of my cards, tea towels and a couple of linocuts. There are exhibited handicrafts from about twenty members of Interi: wood, glass, ceramics, textile and in the back room various art exhibitions. The pandemic situation is getting better, so it will be a fine summer!
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A stripy cat on the left corner seems to be mildly said confused. There is some kind of mess and state of indecision in the room. A woman is in front of a mirror looking carefully at herself, and her backside id reflecting on the other mirror, hence the name of the painting "Reflections". Really, what to wear? On the bed there are three dresses waiting, the cupboard drawers are half open and she is wearing only underpants, half-length stockings and red high heel shoes. Two pictures on the wall are depicting lighthouses, a characteristic subjects for English Martin Leman (b. 1934).
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We changed the works on the wall by the door at Art Pispala gallery. Now on this "my own" wall there are a linocut of a hot air balloon over Pispala and Runeberg's Tart. I´m so happy about this wall.
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Summer exhibitions are getting near, and in several of these exhibition they sell also tea towels. So I ordered new towels, four different models, all of them now coloured printed from my lino/pastels. Towels were printed in Printscorpio firm in Akaa, and the printed result is good like it was earlier, too. The material of these towels is excellent, 50 % linen and 50% cotton, made in Finland. The size of the towel in 67 x 45 cm.
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My garden roller was working again! We printed this eight piece 80 x 60 cm linocut at the summer cottage on a hard floor using the garden roller and other equipment (Sláma Press and rolling pin). Now there is the round kioski as one piece, and I coloured the kiosk by hand when the lino was dry. There is a congestion at the round kiosk, carts are circling around smelling some treats. This large linocut is now in Iittala - I´m hoping that it will be at Naïve Artists in Iittala exhibition next summer - or then it will not fit on the walls. Remains to be seen!
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Kikka Nyrén's (b. 1951) naïve art cats are immediately recognized: imaginative patterns on the fur of cats, huge bright eyes and smile on their face. This "Flower Cat" has colourful flowers and a half moon in the background. On the blue earth there is still one more of Kikka Nyrén's hallmarks: small dots. There pearls are usually seen on the ceramic sculptures by Nyrén. The crown of the painting is that small round brown dot just above the cat's right eye.
