Over vissen en vogels/ Of Fishes And Birds

Final exhibition in Tilburg at Tijd voor 3

2011-09-03T01:34:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday was the unofficial opening of the final exhibition of Fishes and Birds.


The work of Caroline and Kitty as an eyecatcher to invite people to go look downstairs.

The book on a very red table, which nevertheless made a great combination.


An impression of the opening.

For anyone who still wants to have a look: the exhibition can be seen untill October 13th at gallery and giftshop 'Tijd voor 3', Langestraat 65, Tilburg.

De Zilverfabriek, Leiden

2011-05-14T11:32:00.000-07:00

The book and 14 framed prints are now at the Zilverfabriek in Leiden (till July 31st).

I forgot to bring a camera, and I need to go back and shoot some pictures of the loverly city and the front of the gallery. But Barbara Falke, one of the owners, took some snaps with her Iphone for the time being. They show part of the space.

Thanks, Barbara!

Alexandra Hedberg: seperate exhibition

2011-01-30T12:50:00.000-08:00

"Under Ytan" - Under the Surface - is going on in Lysekil, Sweden, until the 12 of February 2011. Here you can see some photos from the exhibition.

New expo in Utrecht: jan. 4 - feb. 13

2011-01-05T02:13:00.000-08:00

Kunst/Werk Lijsten, Wittevrouwenstraat 34, Utrecht
di-vr. 10-17.30u, za 10-16u.
Januari 4 - Februari 13 2011

Ingrid van Veluwen, the owner, straightening things up.

This is a very white wall but I could not get the picture corrected!

The Wittevrouwenstraat, leading right into Utrecht city center.

in the papers today

2010-11-22T08:29:00.000-08:00

Pictures of the official opening in Meppel

2010-11-20T02:14:00.000-08:00

Drukkerijmuseum Meppel


november 19 2010, end of the afternoon

Francis forgot to bring her camera after all so I took pictures - and will just post a few here for fun. No real clever selection, just snap shots. And mainly of us, the participants ourselves, who could make it to Meppel. Caroline Ellerbeck could not, which was a real pity. As usual I am not in the pictures. I spoke to a lot of people, including a very nice lady whom I know only from Twitter. Really weird, since both of us hardly use it.

Francis and Inge (right)

Francis

Titi

Inge


Klaartje and Inge


Titi's poetry act


Taking a peek in some other rooms

And yes, Sinterklaas has arrived from Spain.
On December 5 he will hand out presents to all Good Dutch children
while the Bad ones will be put in a burlap sack and be transported to Spain!
Which is surely very cruel punishment.

About printing in Meppel...

2010-11-17T23:30:00.000-08:00


Drukkerijmuseum Meppel http://www.drukkerijmuseum-meppel.nl/

This is the Drukkerijmuseum Meppel, the Museum of Print. I went there last Monday to install our Fishes and Birds exhibition. In the northern Dutch town of Meppel printing is still a main activity. Years ago Meppel publishers stuck their heads together to try and save the old printing methods and machines. Hence in 1985 a small Museum of Print was founded. It is a friendly place where tourists visit and kids throw birthday parties. For me personally the museum reminds me of the time I lived in Norway. There are many such small museums over there: run with lots of love for the history of the town and the old professions they celebrate.


Jannie Rolfes and Jan van Os

Meet Jannie Rolfes, who owned TS Media, a publishing studio for books and printwork, and who, now retired, is the museum's PR agent. Even though her back ached she offered great assistence - she helped me transport all our works to the museum. Once there Jan van Os, a Meppel painter and member of the exhibition commision of the Museum, very efficiently grouped the works. I took this picture after our work was done.


The Fishes and Birds harmonica book

Not everything is fully ready here, as you can see: the windows still need to be covered with white paper so that Juliana's mobile - which I love - will get more attention. I chose to group all entries that are series together.

Jan is going to work on the lighting on this wall some more

See you all on friday, or check back on monday when I will post pictures of the opening!

Francis Kilian

Alexandra Hedberg: seperate exhibition

2010-11-13T13:01:00.000-08:00

The exhibition Blodrött, Nattsvart, Snövitt - red as blood, black as night, white as snow - at Mimers Konsthall, Kungälv Sweden, will be on until the 8th of Januari 2011. Here you can see some photos from the exhibition.

Nov. 19: Official opening Of Fishes And Birds expo in Meppel

2010-11-10T00:21:00.000-08:00

Alexandra Hedberg: seperate exhibition

2010-10-07T12:51:00.000-07:00

The exhibition "Bilder av Lycka" - Images of Hapiness - at Galleri Hörnan, Falun Sweden, will be on until the 22 november 2010. Here you can see some photos from the opening.

Life Is A Rabbit

2010-10-04T01:26:00.000-07:00

Inge Koenen's new exhibition is on! For a reportage go here.

Fishes and Birds in Joure

2010-09-27T07:24:00.000-07:00

Titi Zaadnoordijks exposition in the Friesch Grafisch Museum at Joure has opened

(till november 13).

Titi's lino's

And one of the walls and the displays are dedicated to Fishes and Birds.

Thanks, Titi! It is looking great.

New Exhibition Inge Koenen

2010-09-08T08:30:00.000-07:00

In case you are wondering.. yes, this is Inge! Stressed out from filling up all these rabbits!

Interview from Colombia

2010-08-31T02:31:00.000-07:00

I have been interviewed by Catalina López, a Colombian designer and correspondent of the Spanish art magazine Arte y Parte. She also has a wonderful association called Fundación Promedio. They are making really interesting work, such as the documentary Tumaco Pacífico, that shows the life of the fihsermen of the Colombian pacific coast. She asked me about my work in the Of Fishes And Birds exhibition. Here is a traslation of what I answered. I hope I was accurate.

Q: Could you describe briefly the Of Fishes And Birds project?
A: Of Fishes And birds is a collective exhibition organized by three Dutch artists: Kitty Kilian, Titi Zaadnoordijk and Inge Koenen. Each one of the artists taking part, has been invited by one of them. The project is a leoporello with screen prints, etchings and photographies on the subject of the fishes and birds. It will be up on different galleries between 2010 and 2011.

Q: How did you become part of the group?
A: Kitty Kilian had seen my work on Illustration Friday. IF is a webpage where you send an illustration related to the subject they propose each week. Every friday they choose a “pic of the week”, and that week mine had been elected. Kitty contacted me and we started emailing each other. She invited me to the Of Fishes And Birds group and I accepted delighted.

Q: What challenge has there been in this exhibition for you?
A: The main challenge was technical. It was a requirement that the artwork would be 30 x 30 cm. I don't have space to make a print that big, so I proposed to use my Print Gocco instead. PG is a Japanese toy to make scree prints at home. The screens are 10 x 15 and come with the emulsion applied. The machine imprints the design onto the mesh. As a challenge, I forced myself to use the whole space of the paper. Even if that meant that my image would have to be fragmented.

Q: Which work do you participate with and what was your intention creating it?
A: I have submitted two artworks: One, is the print that came out of all that Gocco process. It is a fish, cut in three and some birds on it. Mi intention was to create a bit of a disturbing image. I also wanted to use a Colombian species. I didn't want to use a parrot or a hummingbird. I had seen, on flickr, a bird called Paradise Tanager. It is found in the amazon of Peru, Ecuador, Brazil, Venezuela and Colombia. They are black, with blue breast and an apple green mask.
One of the subjects I wanted to explore with this work, was the first impression paradox. We've been told that the first impression is what counts. But when one leaves his cultural references aside (eg. When you travel), the prejudice behind that idea becomes evident. In my image, one doesn't know if the birds are nesting or looking for something. The look like thugs, the fish is dead and in pieces. Why are they there? Are they good, or bad? Are they looking for something? Or have they found it?
The second piece is a mobile of the fish and the Paradise Tanagers. I like the space mobiles create. And to play with the weight and the length of the sticks. In this artwork the birds have nested in the fish.

Scheene Art Route 2

2010-08-15T07:01:00.001-07:00

We went back to Scherpenzeel this weekend to visit the Scheene Art Route and to attend a conbcert at daybreak by Nynke Laverman. It started at 6 AM!

Picture taking was not allowed. But sheep, cows and birds woke up during the concert and made themselves heard, which was amusing and charming. Afterwards we all had breakfast right there next to the concert tent (where Titi sold postcards):

Lovely wild flowers on all the tables

And then we went en route...

..along the Scheene river.

Book of fishes / Visboek van Adriaen Coenensz (1577)

2010-08-11T11:26:00.000-07:00

Fisherman Adriaen Coenensz started writing and illustrating a book about everything he knew about the sea and its inhabitants in 1577. The Dutch Royal Library has put the entire book online. Leaf through it here. (Sorry, no English translation)

Art route/ kunstroute Scherpenzeel

2010-08-08T13:58:00.000-07:00

The art route in Scherpenzeel (Frisia) starts on august 12. We installed Fishes and Birds today in De rietnymf, a former school now in use as an nature education centre.

Entrance, the main hall

Far end of the hall (eye catching):

A view of the far end:

Textile market, lapjesmarkt Utrecht

2010-08-07T04:59:00.000-07:00

I needed some material to cover the tables the book is going to be exhibited on so we went to the local Utrecht textile market this saturday morning. Thought I'd share some pictures of this fantastic market for those of you who like textile. It has been held every saturday for ages.

You can get anything there, from upholstery material to leather to lace for bridal gowns. It is one of my favorite outings!

The mobile

2010-07-26T11:09:00.000-07:00

The mobile moving. Little video I hope you all enjoy... It's packed and travelling to the Netherlands!

cards of birds and fishes...

2010-07-25T10:24:00.000-07:00

Last week i printed cards in the graphic workshop. They might make for a nice item beside the larger prints and i will also sell them in my soon to be webshop...

of course they come with matching envelopes....

Icarus (detail)

2010-07-17T12:46:00.000-07:00

This vulnerable Icarus fell down from his nest in my street.
In my second photograph for our project he is lying in a big square of soft grey.

Slideshow of the finished book

2010-07-14T14:27:00.001-07:00

Francis's monoprints have arrived..

2010-07-09T05:56:00.000-07:00

Hourray! Thanks Francis! Now we are going to finish making the actual book! It is almost ready... More news and pictures to follow...

A part of the process I very much enjoy

2010-06-25T00:08:00.000-07:00

I’d quite forgotten how much I enjoy the signing of a print. It is a full stop to a sentence. It is relaxing to me. A row of pencils at the ready begins the process undertaken with care; there’s little room for error. This is the recent print you are well familiar with now, being signed some weeks past now.

(Out of interest, here is a look at several new prints I am working on in collaboration with Louise.)

Parcel all the way from Australia

2010-06-17T08:55:00.001-07:00

Mobile in process. Part II

2010-06-15T07:45:00.001-07:00

I am still making the mobile for the exhibition. I am trying to finish it before the Infamous-Summer-Heat hits us here. I will soon start the balancing and hanging process. Until then, here are some birdies...

Parcel from the US of A

2010-06-14T12:51:00.000-07:00

Flying to your door

2010-06-06T01:02:00.000-07:00

From this bed, with the wings of a bird, I flew to the sea as I slept last night. (detail) (Gracia Haby, lithographic offset print 2010)

Here is my finished piece, a five-colour lithographic offset print (the fifth plate being a green to enhance the scales of the fish and the feathers of the duck to really make them sing). It is now wending way by plane to Holland. I wish that I, too, could fit inside that box.

Slideshow of the book

2010-06-04T05:26:00.000-07:00

Mail from Madrid

2010-06-04T01:36:00.000-07:00

All safe and sound, Juliana!

Fish phone is ready

2010-06-03T01:52:00.000-07:00

... and it turned out exactly the way I wanted it.

Mail from Sweden

2010-06-02T07:01:00.000-07:00

The mailman made my day today...

Thanks Alexandra!

Caroline's silkscreen, Als een vis/Like A Fish

2010-06-01T13:10:00.000-07:00

Titi's silkscreen for the book, vissenkomvrouw

2010-06-01T04:30:00.000-07:00

finished!

2010-05-31T03:02:00.000-07:00

So here it is, the last and final design. Changed some things in the layout, added a fish. Tried some new backgrounds. In the end this grey colored paper made the screenprint colors look more vivid than the cardboard background. So i decided to go for that.

Postcard for De Scheene Kunstroute

2010-05-26T08:21:00.000-07:00

How I did it

2010-05-25T07:38:00.001-07:00

Here's the process of my screen print with Gocco. As you can see, the problem I dealed with was the size of the screens. They were much smaller than the paper size. My registry, therefore, could not be done with the paper but with guides for the screens. One guide for each. Per ink there were two screens. The birds, their heads and the fish. The only piece that needed just one screen was the one of the yellow shadow. Right now I'm waiting for the pieces to dry in order to apply the last ink.

my print

2010-05-24T17:31:00.000-07:00

... and the results!

2010-05-22T12:35:00.000-07:00

Voilà; my three screen prints for the Of Fishes and Birds. The top one is the one that is to be in the book.

getting there

2010-05-20T00:26:00.000-07:00

Monday I worked at the graphic workshop conducting one more experiment: hand drawn elements at different backgrounds. For this I created a world in which fishes and birds blend easily. This brings me back to my first thought: what happens if a bird and a fish fall in love? Well, in this world they can!

some different backgrounds:

The one I like best:

some details:

So I'll go with this idea, but I'm not yet satisfied with the whole layout, I'll make some changes and print the final one on Tuesday!

Drawing nearer still

2010-05-19T02:01:00.000-07:00

This evening I have a small preview to share with you of a colour proof being made for my piece in our project. It is called From this bed, with the wings of a bird, I flew to the sea as I slept last night.

In this collage, you might just be able to make out a theatre set by the painter Paul Nash. The set was created for a one-act play, The Truth About the Russian Dancers, written especially for the ballerina Tamara Karsavina by J.M Barrie. The play was first performed in 1920 at the London Colosseum. At the Savoy some six years later, the play was revived, and now it forms the backdrop to my dreams.

A more detailed look at this work I will show for you soon. Thus far, it is yet to be printed.

(In these photos you can see digital proof made to serve as colour guide. Next step, the plates need to be made and a proof off the lithographic offset proofing press. And then we can print. Hooray! Until then, we wait.)

almost there

2010-05-17T12:35:00.001-07:00

Today I printed the final layers on my screen prints. Everything run smoothly; only thing unforeseen was that I didn't like the planned colour combination on the pair of fishes. But after a little thinking and mixing I got it right!

To keep the suspense I'll wait with posting photos of the finished screen prints...

Drawing nearer

2010-05-17T01:37:00.000-07:00

Obsidian this size is hard to come across. (Gracia Haby, postcard collage 2008)

Tonight as I work on my piece for our book, I am thinking of the animal as protagonist, the animal as symbol, for it is "the way animals are represented, in paintings, zoos, and film, (that) will always tell us more about how we look at animals than about the animals themselves."

Animals represent us, our courage and lack thereof, our fears justified and our vulnerabilities. As things of the earth, they represent our morality. We are all flesh and the clock it ticks for all.

I am so looking forward to sharing my piece with you soon. This week, I hope to print.

(Quote from Fierce Friends: Artists and Animals, 1750–1900 by Louise Lippincott and Andres Blühm)

KKV and step one

2010-05-15T11:19:00.001-07:00

This is where I screen print; KKV. It was originally a factory for sugar refining (there also used to be a brewery in the vicinity), but since the middle of the 70's it is housing KKV (the artists' collective workshops) on the two top floors. KKV consists of workshops for bronze casting, metal, carpentry, ceramics, glass, enamel, textile, tuft (handmade carpets) and printmaking workshops.

On Wednesday and yesterday I started making my three screen prints for our project. I'm basing my prints on black crayon sketches with cut-out additions. First step was to print the drawings.
...to be continued...

Winged

2010-05-14T22:45:00.000-07:00

All present felt as though something exciting was about to happen. (Gracia Haby, postcard collage 2010)

EVERYONE SANG

Everyone suddenly burst out singing;
And I was filled with such delight
As prisoned birds must find in freedom
Winging wildly across the white
Orchards and dark-green fields; on; on; and out of sight.

Everyone's voice was suddenly lifted,
And beauty came like the setting sun.
My heart was shaken with tears, and horror
Drifted away ... O but every one
Was a bird; and the song was wordless; the singing will never be done.

(Siegfried Sassoon, 1886–1967)

(For those of you who've not seen my collage works in person, here is but a taste. This is a small film made in my Over the Shoulder series. Looking only for you is 28 pages in length and features collage and pencil across the pages of Der Rhein and was exhibited late last year. It now resides in the State Library of Victoria's collection. Soon I hope to share with you my piece especially for our book.)

all over the place

2010-05-13T16:49:00.000-07:00

I have been thinking about how birds and fishes are often the chosen pets for young kids who quickly outgrow and tire of them. I was feeling sad for them because they knew what it felt like to be loved and then lost it. I was thinking of Alexandra asking me if I could be tender to a fish and Of Gracia and fish frowns and bird smiles. I was wondering if I could draw a fish that people could feel empathy for.

time to screen print

2010-05-12T10:26:00.001-07:00

first layer of colour printed

After opening my separate exhibition on Saturday I felt I could put that last concentrated effort on the fishes and birds. I changed my mind for the last time on Monday and took the final decision on what to print. The fishes/birds will be interacting with humans! (yes, I changed my mind)

Today I started my work at the screen printing workshop at KKV (artist run collective workshops) and will now make three screen prints for our project; one for the book and two to exhibit on the side. I should have everything ready by Tuesday and will post photos here to show you how I progress.

'Bert's Dream'

2010-05-11T11:50:00.001-07:00

My darling cat Bert died last autumn, 13 years old, without ever tasting the pleasure of catching any prey.
In my photograph for our project I gave her a catch posthumously.
(The text on the bird's sash: 'Killed by Bert 25-4-2010')

first part of the soon to be mobile

2010-05-06T12:21:00.000-07:00

This is the first part of the mobile I intend to make for our exhibition. It's still in process. I'm now making the birds, but it's quite hard to make proper ones!

I love CMY(K)

2010-05-06T12:02:00.000-07:00

Today I worked at the graphic workshop. Trying two experiments: to convert a handcut collage into a silk screen image and to see if i can combine cut elements with hand drawn lines. The image on the upper left is the original collage, the image on the upper right a conversion of this collage into a Cyaan, Magenta, Yellow silk screen. The fishes are also in CMY and combine handcut elements with drawn elements. Once again converted into a silkscreen. I'm still in a testing stage, not yet sure what the outcome will be.

Just to give you an idea how the bird looks in close-up:

Screens making process with Gocco

2010-05-06T08:21:00.000-07:00

As many of you have been wondering about Gocco, I have decided to make pictures of the process of making the screens. I now have them all printed. I'll be buying paper and will be working with the first prints soon. The most impressive part (I didn't take pictures of it) is when the screen is flashed with the bulbs. And what is left is all the bulbs you won't be able to use again...

Phone

2010-05-05T06:18:00.000-07:00

This is my third and last design for the new series of prints (for today ;-). I think I'll go with this one.

'Anyone can be a fisherman in May.'

2010-05-03T02:55:00.000-07:00

Fit for a king, or so it would seem. (Gracia Haby, postcard collage 2010)

Then the fish came alive, with his death in him, and rose high out of the water showing all his great length and width and all his power and his beauty. He seemed to hang in the air above the old man in the skiff. Then he fell into the water with a crash that sent spray over the old man and all over the skiff.

The Old Man and the Sea Ernest Hemingway

(Louise Jennison has drawn a Papa Westray Great Auk from the collection of the Natural History Museum, London.)

Of birds I am thinking

2010-05-03T02:14:00.000-07:00

They had returned. (Gracia Haby, postcard collage 2010)

If only I were hiding under the cliffs,
In secret among the rocks,
and that Zeus might transform me into a flying bird.

Euripides

(Shh. I'm not here. I am reading.)

dead birds

2010-05-02T13:08:00.000-07:00

I've been making some cut outs when looking for ideas for our Fishes and Birds project. I've now decided that I will not involve any human beings into my prints (that was my first instinct as my art is all about being human) and that I will be kind of minimal in my expression! I've actually decided exactly what I will make for one of the prints, but I will keep it a secret for now...

I've recently also made a coffin art work with dead swans - for the Happy Journey Collective - "a collective project showcasing an ongoing selection of coffin artworks by the finest illustrators and artists from around the globe". The creative minds behind the project are illustrators Thereza Rowe, Lesley Barnes and Abi Daker. Here you can see my coffin design.

2010-04-27T18:51:00.000-07:00

sparrows

2010-04-21T12:51:00.001-07:00

Looking through my files at the computer I realized I've actually made a lot of sketches of birds before - but just for commissioned work. Tomorrow and next week I will make a concentrated effort to come up with my contribution to our project here (it' soon June) to be able print my image in May. Cross you fingers!

2010-04-21T09:33:00.000-07:00

Thinking of yet more birds and fishes, this little creature came out. Have used it as a welcome for my webpage. It's a fishird. The odd mixture of a bird and a fish...

Schets van Caroline

2010-04-19T06:43:00.000-07:00

Caroline has a brand new blog

2010-04-19T02:01:00.000-07:00

Caroline has a brand new weblog, with lots of interesting projects and illustrations for books and magazines.
Go take a look here!

2010-04-16T07:45:00.000-07:00

Have been working on my image. This is an attempt to try colours and textures, before trying to print it with the Gocco. I'm also sketching some more ideas, I'll upload them later on...

sushi ready to eat

2010-04-14T10:26:00.001-07:00

Came across this award winning ad and it reminded me of the sketches Juliana posted earlier.

Inge Koenen's mussel coat - 'Armour for the Weak'

2010-04-11T12:00:00.000-07:00

I took a train to Den Bosch today to see Inge's new exhibition The art of Remembrance at Het Kruithuis. It is a group exhibition with 7 artists - each has a room of his own and there is a collective show in the main hall.

Inge's exhibition is about her experiences in Spain, earlier this winter. Her art is really conceptual. She takes photographs, invents installations, sews and paints and glues- she will work in whichever medium she needs to get her ideas across. (For our book she will do a photograph). Inge herself says she creates her own universe, in which everything has been made with attention, love and patience. Her handmade world is her reaction to the real world -usually a pretty humoristic one.

In the main hall of the Kruithuis she hung her wonderful and monumental mussel shell coat. It is entirely made of mussel shells...

...which she painstakingly drilled lots of tiny holes in, after which she sew them together with nylon thread. The mantle is called 'Armour for the weak'.
It drew a lot of attention.

Her Remembrance show, about her stay in Callosa d'en Saria, Spain, held many items, including many of the the color photographs of Callosa that can be seen on Inge's Callosa blog, white cotton gloves that she embroidered with a map of the village.. or stamped with a date stamp every day of her stay there..

.. and (not for the faint hearted) a photograph of a skinned rabbit, for sale just like that at the market in Callosa - with tons of hand sewn and stuffed textile rabbits as a carpet in front of it.. Do we walk over them if we wish to see the picture?

This is Inge standing right in the middle near the pillar, listening to the opening speech of this group exhibiton, on till may 24 of this year.

Het Kruithuis at Den Bosch, a 17th century powder magazine of the army.

Fishes or birds?

2010-04-09T13:35:00.000-07:00

3 fishes and 3 birds

2010-04-07T12:06:00.000-07:00

I have not in any way come closer to what I'll make for our project, but it is not because of lack of trying!

beautiful bird

2010-04-07T10:33:00.000-07:00

A while ago I came across this bird and I love it. It's made by illustrator and author Beatrice Alemagna

Silk screen printing.. We Have Been Taught A New Technique Today!

2010-04-01T12:22:00.000-07:00

Finally came the day of today when Titi would teach Francis and me how to do silkscreens! I have been looking forward to it.

I was going to do some postcards - Titi had told us to keep things simple for today - but the letters weren't black enough so here I am touching them up.

Titi is placing the drawings we want to print on the lighting table. 55 seconds is all it takes..

The emulsion has been applied and the screen is now blown dry

..and I am rinsing the screen after the lighting

To align the paper we will be printing with the image on the screen, Titi fastens a strip of paper to the original drawing. That way we can handle it while the screen is pressed down over it and wiggle it back and forth till we know exactly where to put the paper. Then we put marks on the table so we can quickly change sheets.

Next comes the job of covering all parts of the screen we are not using right now.. and tape it up with water resistant tape

Francis is making the first prints. First you move the ink over the part of the screen you want to print, while the screen is tilted upwards, to ink the image. Then you lower the screen and pull the ink towards you with enough force.. and voila!

After a day's work the screen gets a thorough cleaning

And this is all we made in a day - Titi made a stack of business cards and I a stack of postcards. (Francis had already left by this time to teach a workshop). They are left out to dry on a rack, but they dry amazingly fast. We could have made more.. but we took a nice long lunch and we did quite some talking.

When we came out into the bleak sun again, it was half past four in the beautiful town of Kampen.
Thanks, Titi!

Kitty's tuna reminded me of an old draft...

2010-04-01T03:24:00.000-07:00

2010-03-31T08:52:00.000-07:00

I'm still sketching on my fragmentation of a fish... Thought of making it less playful...

Now even my sketches for Illustration Friday are starting to be about birds and fishes..

2010-03-30T13:38:00.000-07:00

Illustration Friday is an American weekly illustration challenge. I have joined a couple of months ago and haven't missed a week yet.. although admittedly not all my drawings were great.

This week's topic was 'Rescue'.

Normally I try not to go all political. But this week.. right after the failed rescue attempt of the bluefin tuna.. I say:

DO.STOP.EATING.BLUEFIN.TUNA. All of you!

We can. Save them. But only if we do not eat them anymnore.

Sketching on ...

2010-03-25T11:28:00.000-07:00

Saint Francisca..

The birds of Mary Blair

2010-03-24T01:04:00.001-07:00

This picture of Mary Blair has been on my wall since a year or so. I didn't even notice it anymore, but now with the fishes and birds project it caught my eye again. Mary Blair helped develop Disney's Alice in Wonderland. She also provided illustrations for several Golden Books.

2010-03-22T03:31:00.000-07:00

Sketching..

2010-03-20T00:14:00.000-07:00

I have no intention of doing modern folklore.. but this image keeps cropping up in my mind. This morning I woke up at six, full of ideas, and started sketching. I keep forgetting - while preparing classes or doing my taxes - that it is almost april 1. Which is when Titi is going to teach Francis and me how to do a silkscreen. So I had better have something to print by then!

I had an image with only three colours in my mind, too. To keep the printing process simple.

It is 8 o'clock now and I think I had better go for a run to think it all over.
I am getting a little nervous all of a sudden..

Fishes

2010-03-19T04:19:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I went to the famous Artist's Books bookstore Boekie Woekie in Amsterdam to deliver two of my own books. The three artists who own the shop make the most enchanting postcards, which they of course also sell. I got this one especially for the blog. It is made by Rúna Thorkelsdóttir. She told me they make them by painting on several plastic sheets they run through an offset printer, resulting in small editions. I have to look into that technique some time...

2010-03-18T19:03:00.000-07:00

Short interview with Francis Kilian

2010-03-18T14:00:00.000-07:00

Tell us what you do in one sentence. 

I paint. I draw. I draw a picture and give it colors. Coloring takes most time. Colors tell my stories. I draw paintings.

 Where did you get your art education?

I went to Academie Minerva (art academy) in Groningen. I did graphics and autonomous arts. I arrived when I was 17 and left when I was almost 20, to travel for a year. I finished my education in Utrecht, at the Hoge School voor de Kunsten and got my degree as an arts teacher.

Who is your favorite artist?

It usually depends on whom I saw recently. Which at this moment happens to be Sophie Calle. But over the years a few artists have kept inspiring me:
Mimo Paladino.

Kjell Eirik Killi Olsen.

Louise Bourgeois – I love love love her drawings, her cells, they are amazing.
More recently I fell in love whith Janpeter Muilwijk.

and I am taking a course on the Flemish masters. Jan van Eyck. Rogier van der Weijden. And then there is Giotto. Old stuff, but it's the world I live in.
Actually you might presume I would prefer female artists since I always paint women, but that's not the case.
I am crazy however about two musical sisters, Coco Rosie, at the moment. Check out their CD Noah’s Ark.

Do you have a special connection with fishes or birds?
Birds are very special to me. They appear in my work a lot. Even when I don't plan it. This morning I woke up at seven. It has been a cold and dark winter but this morning I heard birds singing. They sang that typical spring tune birds have. For me, that's a sign of hope and happines. Of something good.

What are you planning to do for the book?
I have not planned anything yet. But I am going to make something small. It ’s been a while since I used my press. But I am going to wait a few more weeks before I start on this.

Can you describe where you live?

I live in a small town, Meppel, together whith my husband Mark. My grown up sons have moved out already. Ten years ago we bought an old ice cream factory out here, that had been lived in by an old widower with his 5 children for many years. He produced yellow and red ice cream. Everybody here remembers. The red was the best, they tell us.
Within 5 minutes of our house lies the most beautiful nature reserve of the north-eastern Netherlands. It is called ‘de Wieden’. Swans, storks and goslings live in this area. They land on our house, they fly over in autumn and spring. They build their nests in the area.
Ten years ago I thought it was a great idea: to be living in this small-not-very-exciting-but-very-quiet town and to work hard. And after that to move to another part of the country. But life is strange: the longer we live here, the more we get connected to the place..   

What is your goal in art and in life? 

To be true.

some sketching

2010-03-17T00:43:00.001-07:00

I've been thinking what to do for the exhibition. This is one of the ideas I'm working on. I have been thinking of fragmentation, because of the tool I'll be using.

Short interview with Caroline Ellerbeck

2010-03-16T14:03:00.000-07:00

Tell us what you do in one sentence.

I make illustrations for children's books and I work with graphic designers.
I also make free work.

Where did you get your art education?

I got my education at the Royal Academy of Arts in The Hague.

Who is your favorite artist?

I don't have one in particular.

The french illustrator Alain Grée is one of my favorite illustators. I found his book Au jardin (In the garden) in a secondhand bookstore.
His work is beautiful.

I went to the exhibition of the Dutch artist Alex van Warmerdam last month. I really like his work! He makes movies, theatre and paintings.

Alex van Warmerdam, Man With Suitcases

Do you have a special connection with fishes or birds?

I like birds. They make me happy in the spring. I love lemon on my fish.

What are you planning to do for the book?

Shall I prepair a meal?

Can you describe where you live?

I live in Rotterdam, the Netherlands with my family. We have lived there for three years now, and I like it a lot. The house is from 1921. In the back there's a nice, green garden with an old pear tree. There is a busy street out front.
The neighbourhood, Delfshaven, inspires me because of the many nationalities you will find here.

What is your goal in art and in life?

I want to develop my work and take every opportunity I get.
Drawing is what I like to do best, ever.

2010-03-16T13:24:00.000-07:00

Kitty is doing her homework...

2010-03-14T18:28:00.000-07:00

I am liking the idea of holding things that fly. the tension of the hold although delicate and the power of the wings. I feel this way so much in life. Like I am working against time, working to slow things down to slow my children from growing so fast, from flying away. To hold it all in place for a moment to make sure I really see it.

2010-03-12T01:25:00.000-08:00

One of my first sketchings for Of birds and fishes.

2010-03-11T11:06:00.000-08:00

Zeebaars / bass

Short interview with Inge Koenen

2010-03-11T08:47:00.000-08:00

Tell us what you do in one sentence

I cut, paint, hammer, glue, etch, mix, smear, draw, sew, saw, screw, take pictures, tear, paste and collect.

Where did you get your art education?

Academie voor Beeldende vorming( Art Academy) in Tilburg. I also studied at the Facultad de Bellas Artes in Granada (Spain) for a couple of months.

Who is your favorite artist?

There are hundreds and my preferences vary on a daily basis. Today I will mention Kiki Smith, Rineke Dijkstra, Erwin Wurm, Guido van de Werve, Bridget Baker, Bill Viola en Ishiuchi Miyako. Tomorrow I would mention others.

Self protrait by Rineke Dijkstra

I think it is plain wonderful that mere people are able to create so many fantastic and amazing things that can move, enchant and disturb you, make you laugh or make you pause.

Do you have a special connection with fishes or birds?

Birds and fishes inspire me. To me they signify ultimate freedom! At times I am jealous of the ease with which they fly and float, heeding no borders. A mystery! Some birds can fly while they sleep, some fish swim thousands of kilometers only to return to the same spot each year to mate. The largest mammals are fish. Fascinating stuff! In addition fishes and birds have the most exotic colors and shapes en both have amazing skin types/feathers.
Apart from that they are very tasteful. I love fried Chinese lemon chicken and how about bass in a crust of salt? Makes my mouth water..

What are you planning to do for the book?

A photograph. Probably involving blue pigments. Blue, because that's where water and air meet, and birds and fishes.

Can you describe where you live?

Like Klaartje I live in Tilburg, a hideous labouring town where lots of things are happening under the surface. You have to learn to love this town. Typical for Tilburg is the Turning House made by artist/architect John Körmeling.

It is a normal modern house made of bricks, sitting on a turnpike that really turns around! It caused a huge oproar, and it makes me laugh every time I pass by. By the way, it's probably the first house to ever hit a car. A driver, probably drunk, landed on the rails. Some people blamed the accident on the house.

What is your goal in art and in life? 

In art: to move and to be moved, even if only a little.
In life: to live it for as long and as well as possible, with the people I meet along the way and especially those that I love.

Some Peruvian birds

2010-03-11T04:51:00.000-08:00

I didn't know how to add this images to the blog, without infringing copyright, so have decided to share the links with you:

Wire-crested Thorntail

Andean Cock of the Rock

Bill Bouton, the photographer, has plenty of fantastic photos I'm sure you'll enjoy.

Short interview with Gracia Haby

2010-03-10T16:30:00.000-08:00

Tell us what you do in one sentence.
With scissors, with glue, with the aid of a computer too, I create collage works, prints, artists’ books and all manner of things in between.

What is your favourite artist?
To pick only one is hard for me to do. I like the words of Anton Pavlovich Chekhov, Orhan Pamuk, Herta Müller, Iris Murdoch; I like the movement of Vaslav Nijinsky, Rudolf Nureyev, Margot Fonteyn; I like the artwork of Eva Hesse, Kiki Smith, Joseph Cornell, Joseph Beuys; the films of Aki Kaurismäki, Pedro Almodóvar—

Seems one art form, one artist, is hard for me to select.

Today, for its connection to our project, I will say the work of artist Takeo Takei (1894–1982).

Artwork by Takeo Takei (1968)

Do you have a special connection with fishes or birds?
I am currently reading books and texts about the animal kingdom. I am rereading John Berger’s chapter Why look at animals? and consequently thinking of our connection to animals, all animals, of which we are one. Here is but a small taste.

”A zoo is a place where as many species and varieties of animal as possible are collected in order that they can be seen, observed, studied. In principle, each cage is a frame round the animal inside it. Visitors visit the zoo to look at animals. They proceed from cage to cage, not unlike the visitors in an art gallery who stop in front of one painting, and then more on to the next or the one after next. Yet in the zoo the view is always wrong. Like an image out of focus.”
(Why look at animals? John Berger)

(You can download it to read as a pdf here)

Graeme Gibson’s The Bedside Book of Birds — An Avian Miscellany and its companion The Bedside Book of Beasts — A Wildlife Miscellany are ever at hand and proving invaluable. The imagery, prose and poems featured are beautiful and inspiring both, and I hope to share a little of what I find on the pages with you here. A common bond mixed with fascination is my connection.

What are you planning to do for the book?
Relatively new to the project, my head is a pleasing whirl of ideas loosely formed. I have no concrete plans as such and I am looking forward to seeing what comes next. Aquiver with anticipation, it is a nice way to be.

Still in elusive pursuit. (Gracia Haby, postcard collage 2010)

From here we can see the Adriatic sea. (Gracia Haby, postcard collage 2006)

Milano two step. (Gracia Haby, postcard collage 2007)

Can you describe where you live?
I live and work but a stone’s throw to the city and all her enchantments. From home, I work and it is quiet for the main, just as I like it. I once lived by the sea, now I live in a single fronted terrace house with many animals and many things. It is rather tiny and rather crowded.

A recent artists' book of mine, A view gleaned through looking glass (2009).

Walking about locally is a good way to clear the head.

What is your goal in art and in life?
Mirroring the answers of those of you who have posted your interview replies previous, happiness and fulfillment are what I seek in my life and by natural extension in my work too; I make my work because I enjoy making it.

Thanks for the invitation extended. I am happy to be a part of this project.

GRACIA + LOUISE
High Up in the Trees

Brave

2010-03-10T14:09:00.000-08:00

What is Gocco?

2010-03-10T04:31:00.000-08:00

I know some of you are wondering what a Gocco is. Print Gocco is a home screen printing device produced by a Japanese company called Riso. The machine was designed in 1977 by Noboru Hayama. It has been since in many Japanese homes. From 2008 Riso has stopped producing Gocco, saying that sales have decreased over the years. The last ink, mesh and lightbulb stock was shipped to vendors in 2008.

The device has got 2 parts: One case for a couple of lightbulbs (very potent and weird-looking ones) and a hinged cap/base with a glass on top, to place the inked mesh and the surface you will apply your artwork on. One of the differences with a traditional screen print, is that the meshes come with the photo emulsion applied. Another difference is that the light necessary to imprint the negative onto the mesh comes in the same device. You only have to place the two lightbulbs in their case, put the case over the glass (it clicks when it's placed right) and press the device. It flashes a strong light over the mesh. The image you want to imprint should be underneath, and could be either a photocopy or a laser print. And voilá: the negative is ready. The hinged cap is then used for the printing: you simply put the inks on the mesh and start closing the cap and pressing over paper or cloth. There is no need for a squeegee, though you could print with the mesh out of the device and use one (as you would with a regular screen print).

As in recent years Gocco has become popular among western artists and crafters, there is even an online campaign to press Riso to produce the device again. There have been attempts from American and Australian companies to buy the patent, but Riso has rejected to sell.

Here is a list of links where you can find out more about this wonderful little machine:

Save Gocco campaign
Exhibition of artists using Gocco
A tutorial

2010-03-07T02:11:00.000-08:00

Fishes on my mind

2010-03-05T12:59:00.000-08:00

I've never been thinking much about fish before - and now when preparing for a class in screen printing techniques ... I suddenly found myself working on a fish image! I'm preparing some examples to demonstrate different ways to work with photographic images and screenprinting (based on a photo I took at the fish market last summer).

...but this is not what I'm making for our project!

2010-03-05T07:22:00.001-08:00

Short interview with Kitty Kilian

2010-03-04T01:07:00.000-08:00

Tell us what you do in one sentence
I make art and illustration is my medium.

Where did you get your art education?
I am self taught.

Who is your favorite artist?
Alexander Calder. The way his often immense mobiles float about calmly, unperturbed by what we mere mortals make such fuss about, always makes me happy and content. And I admire his sense of shape and proportion.

Calder with Myxomatose, 1953 (A08122), Paris. Photograph by Agnès Varda, 1954.

I have always had a preference for applied arts. Even when I was a journalist I would rather write about a pottery show than a painting exhibit. I love, for instance, Grayson Perry's ceramics a lot, and Julie Arkell's little dolls. Having said that, I do have quite a few favorite painters, and many of them live in a far away past.

Grayson Perry in 2003 with two of his pots. He uses text, transfers, gold luster - his subjects are often grim.

Do you have a special connection with fishes or birds?
I dislike fishes, although they can be beautiful. Birds are okay. In art I like animals when they play a part in a story. I could never be a bird watcher. I am too impatient. Although I see lots of trees in a normal week, because I do my running in a forest, I have never had the peace of mind to just walk around there and enjoy nature. Ideas and words and pictures occupy my thoughts.. I guess my ideal hike is with a friend who has good conversation.

What are you planning to do for the book?
A silkscreen. Titi is going to teach Francis and me how. I have a clear idea of what I want to make, it involves a woman and a bird, flying together.

Can you describe where you live?

Utrecht is a medieval town in the center of Holland. It has roman remains, quaint 17 th and 18 th century houses, canals, some nature to relax in, and not as many tourists by far as Amsterdam. We are just plain lucky to live here!

What is your goal in art and in life?
To be good, to have fun, to be brave.

Short interview with Alexandra Hedberg

2010-03-03T12:59:00.000-08:00

Tell us what you do in one sentence.

I first of all paint - but I also screen print and make enamels (when it comes to explaining the content I can not limit myself to a sentence)

Where did you get your art education?

In Gothenburg, Sweden: Painting, Art History and a Master in Art and Technology (I worked on an interactive robot art piece among other things)
at Atelier Contrepoint in Paris: modern experimental printmaking as S W Hayter used to teach it there when it was Atelier 17)
material based technique courses at KKV (artist run workshops): glass, enamel, screen printing and cutting plotter

What inspires you?

Human strengths and weaknesses. Human expressions.

Do you have a special connection with fishes or birds?

Nope. Though I have made some commissioned art pieces with birds as motives. Thinking about it – I do like magpies a lot.

What are you planning to do for the book?

As my art is all about human beings I will probably do something that is a human in costume, or a creature that is something in between. Or it could be a human with bird/fish. I never decide beforehand what I will make; I let it instead come to me while sketching. I know that I will make a screen print though.

Can you describe where you live?

I live in an apartment in central Gothenburg (Sweden’s second city). Gothenburg is by the sea – so we eat much fish here (a special connection?) – but I actually don’t see much of the sea in my daily life. I see more of the river leading to the sea.

What is your goal in art and in life?

I want to make the best of art and get recognition that matters
I want to have fun with my family in many ways (travel, common projects etc)

Short interview with Aris Moore

2010-03-02T18:24:00.000-08:00

Tell us what you do in one sentence.

I make paintings, drawings, and collages that tell stories.

Where did you get your art education?

I went to Montserrat College of Art in Massachusetts and am beginning my Masters at the Art Institute of Boston in the Spring.

Who is your favorite artist?

I can't do that, there are just too many.

Do you have a special connection with fishes or birds?

I have always loved birds. One of my best friends growing up was my pet bird Ms. Gray. They are special, they connect us to the sky, maybe they bring messages. I could watch them for hours. All of them. I have never met a bird I didn't like. Pigeons, blue Jays, hawks and even starlings, to me they are all lovely. As for fish I find them very peaceful, I have had a few as pets and I cried when they passed, so I did love them.

What are you planning to do for the book?

I'm not sure yet. I am still thinking........

Can you describe where you live?

I live in a small town that is on the ocean. It's quiet and beautiful. It has woods, fields and beaches. I live in a small house with My husband, 4 year old son and daughter, dog and two cats. It's a cozy life. We are near a nice busier town with galleries, nice shops, and good restaurants.

This is our yard in the winter. I am wishing for spring and will post a new picture when it arrives.

What is your goal in art and in life?

To be true to all that I love.

Short interview with Juliana Salcedo

2010-03-02T10:22:00.000-08:00

Tell us what you do in one sentence.
I am obsessed with little creatures, so I draw them.

Where did you get your art education?
I studied architecture in Colombia (my homecountry). I've spent years trying not to think of space, but of colour and line instead. Sounds silly, but when I decided to be an illustrator, I usually drafted the space before anything else. Now I've forgotten buildings and almost everything I learned at school. Drawing is what is left.

Who is your favorite artist?
I like Laurie Faggioni's work a lot. She makes little dolls that, to me, have soul.

Do you have a special connection with fishes or birds?I come from a country with many bird species and one of the things I liked when I was a child, was to silently stay up while everyone had a siesta and see those colourful little birds come down from the trees to look for food. With fish it is different. I like them grilled and fried, but find difficult to identify with them. Maybe the images I like the most of fish are those of light reflecting on a shoal. I also like sharks. They move like cats. Oh, and I don't like pigeons at all.

What are you planning to do for the book?
For now, I've been sketching. I have and idea involving a gocco machine, a Mr. Serious Fish and the tiniest bird of all. A hummingbird called "Zunzucito". Everything could change until the deadline, though.

Can you describe where you live?
I live in the city centre of Madrid. It's a lively city full of things to do. I enjoy walking around before it's too warm (in summer temperatures can reach 40ºC). The photo I have included is what I see from my window and my favourite place at home. It's a puff where I could spend hours reading, knitting or drafting...

What is your goal in art and in life?
In art, my goal is to find my own voice. In life, I'd like to be able to live from what I love.

2010-03-01T00:37:00.000-08:00

Short interview with Titi Zaadnoordijk

2010-02-28T08:38:00.000-08:00

Tell us what you do in one sentence.
I make things: drawings, linocuts, wooden animals, little bronzes, artist’s books, poems, poetry-shows, a festival act and more  ..

Where did you get your art education?
I went to the ABK Utrecht, a school for Art and Design, from 1982 till 1986. Which is in The Netherlands.

  Who is your favorite artist?
I don’t have one favourite artist, I don’t like having favourites. I do like lots of art  .

Do you have a special connection with fishes or birds?
I have always drawn and made animals, including birds and some fishes. I do like water, swimming, mermaids, boats. And birds are good company.

What are you planning to do for the book?
I am planning to make a series of 3 or 4 linocuts, from which I will choose one for the book. I have a picture in my mind with a lot of colours but I don’t know yet how it will come out.

Can you describe where you live?
I live at the edge of a very small village, Scherpenzeel, in Friesland, in the north of the Netherlands. I own a small house where I live with my two children (8 and 10 years old). I have a big studio to work in. We have a vegetable garden and a swimming pool wit pitch black water. We have a view of meadows. The area used to be full of moors, where peat was won.

The road to our house, in the distance, with my studio

What is your goal in art and in life?
In life I go for it. I want to learn and to grow and to make art. I try to be happy and to do as little harm as possible. In art I want to be true and make what I have to make. It’s not my goal but I do notice that my work comforts people and gives them courage. I like that.

Short interview with Klaartje Berkelmans

2010-02-28T07:45:00.000-08:00

Tell us what you do in one sentence.

I am actually an autodidact in illustration. However, studying architecture and being in design school for a short period definitely helped me to become more sensitive to form, color, material and structure.

Who is your favorite artist?

I don’t have just one favorite. I admire several artists and colleagues for their skill and for the atmosphere they are able to create in their work. But one thing I’m greatly influenced by (and you can call this an artist as well) is nature. Animals (everything from elephants to little bugs) specifically, but also the green stuff like leaves, moss, mushrooms, flowers etc. etc. I’m often in awe with the color, design and perfectness of even the smallest things. This is for sure a source of inspiration to me.

Do you have a special connection with fishes or birds?

I love birds, fish I’m not so sure about (though I love grilled tuna and sushi…). Oh, and I don’t love all the birds, just the cute ones like blackbirds and robins. Okay, may be a couple more, but fat doves are definitely not included!

What are you planning to do for the book?

Don’t know yet. I started to put some of my ideas on paper using words and sketching little images. What I’m mostly wondering about right now is: what if a bird and a fish fall in love?

Can you describe where you live?

I live in Tilburg which is a town that is not too big and not too small either. It’s just in between which makes it perfect. It’s not a specifically pretty town, but I have come to like it over the years. My favorite spot in my town is actually my own house and the room where I work. My own little universe.

What is your goal in art and in life?

To be authentic.
(In real life this turns out not to be a goal, but an everyday practice)

Titi Zaadnoordijk is busy...

2010-02-22T01:03:00.000-08:00

Titi Zaadnoordijk hanging up work in her studio to have it photographed by Carine Hekker

Just one more exhibition and Titi Zaadnoordijk will finally face an empty agenda.. She is looking forward to start a new series of lino's on the theme Of Fishes And Birds. One of them will be picked for the traveling harmonicabook.

Of Fishes And Birds

2010-02-11T04:09:00.000-08:00

We are 10 artists preparing for a small but fun exhibition (starting september 25th 2010). Each artist will make a graphical work on the theme Of Fishes And Birds. The sheets will be made into one 10 page harmonica book, and the book will travel to different spots on earth.

Some of us have been close friends for a long time. Some of us know each other only through the internet. We all love art and we love to cooperate. We will report about the project in this communal blog.

Please add your comments, we promise to read them all!