An Art Work A Day

These days my goal is to break free of some boundries that hinders my artistic developement.

Today has been a bit tough - lots of difficult thoughts.

Today's painting is inspired by a beautiful Swedish song with lyrics that I have loved my entire life. By the way I am Norwegian but Swedish is a similar language. I added the lyrics in Engslish and German too, as well as the notes to make it possible for more people to enjoy its beauty. I hope you like it, If you would like to hear the melody or see more translations please then click here.


Vem kan segla/Who can sail...
acrylics on paper
24x32cm
$75
p&p is FREE







The original Swedish song
Vem kan segla förutan vind?
Vem kan ro utan åror?
Vem kan skiljas från vännen sin
utan att fälla tårar?

Jag kan segla förutan vind,
jag kan ro utan åror,
men ej skiljas från vännen min
utan att fälla tårar.

English version
Who can sail without the wind,
Who can row without an oar,
Who can leave behind a friend,
Without just one tear to pour?

I can sail without the wind,
I can row without an oar,
But I cannot leave a friend,
Without just one tear to pour.

German version
Wer kann segeln ohne Brisen,
Wer kann rudern ohne Blatt,
Wer kann, ohne Trän' vergießen,
Freund verlassen, den er hatt'?

Ich kann segeln ohne Brisen,
Ich kann rudern ohne Blatt,
Doch nicht, ohne Trän' vergießen,
Freund verlassen, den ich hatt'!

I have really started the countdown now as the Autumn break is getting closer. Now I only have one more day at work before it starts.

I did not end up travelling and painting in Italy for a week. The class I wanted to join was full. So it is back to plan A which is a combination of physical training and working on my manuscript "one can think about so many things" which sound better in Norwegian LOL. I managed to do around 700 words tonight which I am very happy about. My goal is to write 6 hours per day for 10 days. Only timje will tell if my goal will be reached. Too often the air kind of gous out of the baloon as soon as the body and mind realise that it is a holiday.

I also hope to continue my work on developing my character. I do have a couple of promisisng sketches. Today's painting could be considered one idea.

Chicky,

acrylics on paper

24x32cm

$50

p&p worldwide is FREE

I so much need to get started in the gym again. Living on my own I need someone to be strict with me LOL and here he is.

As the autumn gets stronger day by day bringing autumn rain, darkness and cold weather I very much appreciate living in a warm house living in a country where it takes a lot to become homeless.

Several times during the last 2 years of financial problems in the US, I have heard American aquintances say that yes, it is true: Many are only a couple of paychecks or weeks away from big problems being able to handle basic bills like mortage or rent. I also had a dear friend struggle very hard for a time to get a new job and managing by selling off everything he could on ebay. He also told me how bad he felt for his kids.

I hoped to comment some on that issue by painting someone walking around to keep warm. It was painted for enjoyment as part of my month of painting for fun, yes, but my muse directed me into a subject matter that is very serious.




Homeless and Freezing
acrylics on paper
27x35cm
$100 which will go entirely to the Salvation army.

p&p worldwide is FREE

Quotes related to the topic

We think sometimes that poverty is only being hungry, naked and homeless. The poverty of being unwanted, unloved and uncared for is the greatest poverty. We must start in our own homes to remedy this kind of poverty. - Mother Teresa

I mean, I don't think I'm alone when I look at the homeless person or the bum or the psychotic or the drunk or the drug addict or the criminal and see their baby pictures in my mind's eye. You don't think they were cute like every other baby? - Dustin Hoffman

Seven out of 10 Americans are one paycheck away from being homeless. - Pras Michel

What difference does it make to the dead, the orphans, and the homeless, whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of totalitarianism or the holy name of liberty or democracy? - Mohandas Gandhi

Here is another painting done with rough materials in my made for fun-series. In contrast to the old angry man of yesterday's post here is a young girl dancing in her own world. I hope you like it and can hear the music she hears within her head

The Young Dancer Practicing
acrylics on paper
27x35cm
$100

"If dancing were any easier it would be called football." ~anonymous

"Life is a dance, from one stage to the next.

Whenever we talk or think about sustainability we have to think about both past and future generations. We, this generation both suffer some results of bad decisions made by earlier generation as well as having stopped using more ecological ways of using this Earth when producing things. In addition the reason why we have to do something now is future generations - our children. grandchildren and so on.

Today is the Fifth day of the August challenge

Tribute To a Beautiful Earth
Celebrating and Conserving Our Planet with DailyPainters.com

and my painting today is an abstract inspired by the fact that we are borrowing this planet from our kids as well as having inherited it from our ancestors.

Ghosts of Generations on Blue,
acrylics on canvas panel
18x24cm
$100
p&p worldwide is FREE

I wonder what you will make of this dream landscape. Is this figure a mother to be, a child to be or what is going on? Why do this person dream this? I'd love to hear your interpretations in the comments.


Dream of Motherhood,
acrylics on canvas panel
24x30cm
$150
p&p worldwide is FREE

As you can see from the photo of it on the wall, the colour tends a tad towards the more pink/crimson red than the red red. I will try to get a new photo in daylight tomorrow.

A dear friend as well as others has urged me to take a break from my cold colours and paint a bit in warmer tones. Yesterday since my son lay ill with pneumonia on the coach I used acrylics to avoid any fumes and decided to honor that promise.

Today my painting time disappeared because of a call from the police. Someone had found the corpse or if you like sceleton of my son's stolen moped. The rest of today went by fetching it and realted things. It was a sad sad sight. My son had really worked on it both layout design and engine. Of course there is the financial loss ( insurance never pays all and only listed value not incresed value.) but worse was that we now know that someone locally did it and that it probably will be a young person both I as a teacher knows well and it might be someone my son has been on friendly terms with. All in all I feel quite unwell thinking about it.

Today we have had the electricity expert lumberjack visiting. You know those men that cut down the very difficult trees that might fall over the lines and similar. The result; I now have felled trees all over my garden. I became totally impressed, I had this huge birch which could have fallen on top of my house and broke the roof. They went away from it and only with a tiny stick he picked up from the ground he said "oh no, it won't hit the hedge, it will come to about here. I swear the top tip landed nearly on the same inch he had indicated and that tree was tall.

Tomorrow will be a day of debranching and cutting them up and I hope to borrow or rent a machine that cuts brances into small sticks which can be used in flowerbeds to avoid weeds. All in all a very noisy day tomorrow.

In the evening and at night tomorrow thee will be lots of music because the BIG Summer Dance is tomorrow close by. LOl I can join without leaving my own house. Earlier they will probably practice a bit so tomorrow will also be lots of music.

The painting I am posting today is one I did last month. I really hope I will get some real oil or acrylic painting done tomorrow but maybe there will not be enough peace before Sunday.

It has been a while since I worked in acrylics so I wanted to do one tonight. The good thing about acrylic paint is that you can get an effect more similar for watercolours which was what I was looking for.

Blue Forest Floor, acrylics on canvas board 25x30cm

Prize: $120 /770Nkr incl. postage>