Blog
Taiteilijatapaaminen – Meet the Artists
On Wednesday the 23.th of August we had a wonderful evening and exchange with all the artists from Hub Feenix and from Fiskars coming together. We all presented our work from the last 4 or more weeks at Hub Feenix. Next to the different artists also some volunteers and the founders of Hub Feenix were present on this lovely evening of gathering and talking about…
Finland, discovering …. sauna
Here at Hub Feenix I am lucky to experience and enjoy the typical Finnish sauna tradition. In Finland, sauna’ing is a social affair that should be enjoyed slowly and includes multiple steam sessions punctuated by a cold swim, shower or beers. The preferred sauna is a wooden house equipped with a stove having a pile of stones on top and…
Finland, discovering …. Coffee
Finland is really a very beautiful land, known for its lots of space for the inhabitants, lots of forest and many, many lakes and waters. But what about typical Finnish cultural aspects or tradition? I like to introduce two of the- for me most typical ones – to you. Finnish people do like coffee a lot- and I really mean a…
Designmuseo – Kuusta Saksi
This week I visited the Designmuseo in the design district of Helsinki. An impressive exhibition “In the Borderlands” covering a long period of discovering textile art trough yarns and weaving by Kuusta Saksi, a multidisciplinary artist and designer. Nowadays he lives in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, but from origin he is Finnish and he grew up…
My work is still going on …..
These days I worked a lot within the ‘mixed media’ range. By using paper, gel medium, old table clothes that I found in Karjaa at a flee-market, making photo-transfers and adding threads of wool or cotton, preferably by the sewing machine. The results up till now are hanging at one of the walls in my studio. And am I satisfied …. hmmm,…
Hub Feenix
A lot of things are happening around this place that’s called Hub Feenix, a non-profit organization promoting and facilitating initiatives on creativity and well-being, only 1h driving away from Helsinki, located close to a beautiful lake. When you arrive at the place, the feenix really rises on the wall from a former sanatorium, a place…
Nature in Meltola
This morning I was running in the forest, nice sounds of different birds came into my ears. This, with the sound of swaying leaves on the trees was a delight for my ears. No car-noises, no voices of other people, just complete silence except for my breathing. After one week being here in Meltola, the nature, the surrounding and the whole…
Artist in Residency
All my materials and equipment including my sewing machine are packed and … I’m on my way to Finland! What will it bring me this time …? Which artists and other people shall I meet in Meltola …? Will it be possible to work together on a creative project, or perhaps even have an exibition…
Lessons learned…
Quite a couple of days have passed since I returned to Holland and I carried a lot of things, thoughts and impressions with me back home.
My “Finnish Production” -15 pieces of textile and mixed media Art – are now hanging on the clothesline which has the impressive length of 10 meters.
Not all pieces are finished yet …
107 Visitors
My activities at Hovinkartano happened during the last 3 weeks of this year’s summer exhibition which started at June 29th and ended July 31st.
During the three weeks I was there some 450 guests were welcomed at the mansion and visited the exhibition while 107 of them came also to the former dairy building; the place of my studio.
The daylight in Hauho
The daylight in Finland
From my very first visit to Finland and every time since then I have been fascinated by the (day) light here. In summer, in winter . . . every season has its own typical typical light where colors are influenced by clouds, fog, reflection or even lighting.
The direct sunlight seems to be sharper, brighter, clear and crispy like ice crystals while the blue color of the sky is much deeper and intense than we see at home. On a sunny day ….
The Workshop Mixed Media
For Sunday 24th a workshop on textile arts was planned and announced through local papers and the Hovinkartano Facebook page. The workshop was to be conducted by myself and Pirjo Heino (curator of the exhibition) would support (translating Finnish <> English) in the event.
It was my objective to make the participants acquainted with the materials and methods I apply in the pieces of art I make.
A day off…..
How do you spend a day in Finland when you are not working, “a day off”?
Go fishing on a lake, paddling a canoe, doing some shopping at Prisma’s, at the local S-Market, buy gardening stuff at K-Rautta.
So this day off it should be something else ….
An evening with the Curator
For almost twelve years is Pirjo Heino curator for the seasonal exhibitions at Hovinkartano in Hauho.
Preparations for the exhibition start in February already, selected artists from all over the world are being contacted or can apply for exposition space. Apart from the artistic value of a piece of art it also needs to fit the theme of the exhibition and the area of exhibition.
In Finland there are about 2000 registered artists, Pirjo is one of them…
Distraction or inspiration
As soon as I got into the place where I am working with my textiles and mixed media I got distracted.
And how !!!
All the materials that the former “Keramist” who used the Ateljee and all the other artists that lived and worked here for longer or shorter periods have left “something” behind.
Light or Sunshine
Several days of working at the ‘Ateljee’ are now gone by and I must say that I really enjoy this.
Every morning starts with a lovely cup of cappuccino in the neighborhood. In Hämeenlinna there is a place called “Laurel’s” where you can buy the most delicious pies, cookies and cakes …
The ‘Ateljee’
All the materials and supplies I brought from Holland (by plane!) have been unpacked. Everything I need to make my ‘Artist in Residence’ period successful is there…., well that’s what I hope.
The big black suitcase that travelled all over the world already …
