Hon siktade mot stjärnorna (och kom halvvägs)

(Blandteknik. Tusch, akvarell. Ca 58 x 35 cm)
Inramad
3300 kr
Såld!

OBS! Aningen mörkare i tonerna än vad som här framgår.

English title (loosely translated):
She headed for the stars (to reach halfway)

For Illustration Friday - "Journey".

Vem äter vem?

(Mixed media. Ink, water colours. Ca 30 x 40 cm. English title: Who eats who?)
Födelsedagspresent till Pelle

In the ever ongoing battle on "to eat or be eaten", the moment of surprise is of vital importance. Hence the cat and the bird sneaked up on each other... at the same time...

For Illustration Friday: "Sneaky"

Frankensteins brud

(Mixed media. Ink, water colours. Ca 30 x 40 cm. English title: Bride of Frankenstein)
3800 kr
Såld

She so wanted to become an actress, but was constantly rejected because of the stitches holding her face together making it immovable. She thought this was most unfair, given all the actresses running around with Botox all over their faces. (As if Hollywood was about fair...) The only roles she was offered were as a Monster. But she had her pride: a Monster, she was not, a Monster she would not be.

For Illustration Friday – "Immovable".

in muddy waters

(Mixed media. Water colours, ink. Ca 36 x 25 cm)
Inramad
3000 kr

For Illustration Friday - "Muddy".

Confined

(Blandteknik. Akvarell, tusch. 36 x 25 cm)
1800 kr

For Illustration Friday - "Confined".

Mama Aloof

(Mixed media. Water colours, acrylics. 36 x 25 cm)
1500 kr

Her mama told her to always be cautious, to suspect the worst of everyone and everything. To stay safe, above all. "Caution makes safe!" her mama told her. And she lived her life by her mama's words, to the extent that she developed a deeply rooted suspicion of the world at large.

When I met her, she admitted that it had made her aloof and alone. Still, she would not, could not change.

"At least I am safe!" she said.
"I will always be safe!" was her parting words to me.

Somehow, I'm not so sure.

For Illustration Friday - "Caution".

I Adapt, Therefore I Am

(Collage. 36 x 25 cm)
1200 kr

For Illustration Friday - "Adapt"

Reasonable people adapt themselves to the world. Unreasonable people attempt to adapt the world to themselves. All progress, therefore, depends on unreasonable people.
(George Bernard Shaw)

Battlefield Survivor

(Mixed media. water colours, gouache, acrylics. 36 x 25 cm)

In love, like in any war, you have to pay the prize. She would wear the scars forever but was happy just to have survived.

For Inspire Me Thursday - Warrior and Illustration Friday - Cracked.

Inspired by the song "Love is a Battlefield" by Pat Benatar:

We are young
heartache to heartache we stand
No promises, no demands
Love is a battlefield
We are strong
no one can tell us we're wrong
Searching our hearts for so long
both of us knowing
Love is a battlefield
(Full lyrics here)

The Impossibility of Woman

(Collage. 55 x 39 cm)
1200 kr

For Illustration Friday - "Impossibility".

I was inspired by the picture in middle, part of an ad in a woman's mag. Immediately I was struck of her being crucified, but without the blood, the suffering, and (ultimately) the sainthood. She was just being what was expected of her, beautiful and glamorous and sexy, even in pain. Adding that to all the pics of blank, beautiful women's faces and the more or less naked female bodies in magazines, not to mention the constant ringing of more or less threatening words in the ads (i.e. If you want to slow down the aging process!)... well, no wonder she was crucified!

Why do we crucify ourselves
Everyday I crucify myself
Nothing I do is good enough for you
Crucify myself
Everyday I crucify myself
And my heart is sick of being in chains
(Tori Amos, "Crucify", Little Earthquakes, 1992)

Mermaid Goes Modern

(Mixed media. Acrylics, water colours, glitter, collage. 30 x 30 cm)
1500 kr

For Illustration Friday - "Legendary".

Being a Pisces (tomorrow, the 14th, is my birthday ;)) with the customary vivid imagination and a long time lover of water and all its fantasy elements, like mermaids, this was a truly inspiring topic for me.

Updated:
I took a better picture of this painting in daylight, since the flash played havoc with some of the glittery details. Well it still does, but to a lesser extent. ;) Hey, taking a picture of your painting is like trying to create a new creation all over together again! *sigh*

The Intricacy of Love

(Water colours. 36 x 25 cm)
1500 kr

For Illustration Friday - Intricate.

Speak Now, or Forever Hold Your Silence

(Collage. 31 cm x 41 cm)
800 kr

We got The Vote - how do we use it?
We got The Voice -how do we use it?
We got The Right - how do we use it?

For Illustration Friday - "Voice".

We Wants You!

(Collage. 36 x 25 cm)
1000 kr

Join the Army of the Pretenders!
For Illustration Friday - Pretend.

Nota bene! The white background is just a background to illustrate how the collage is assembled. :)

faller

(Mixed media. Acrylics, water colours, ink. 31 x 41 cm. English title: falling)
800 kr

The feeling that I'm losing her forever...
(Abba, "Slipping Through My Fingers", The Visitors, 1981)

To be wise and love exceeds man's might
(William Shakespeare, Troilus and Cressida)

For Illustration Friday - "Wise"

Repair Me

(Mixed media. Water colours, ink. 23 x 31 cm)
2700 kr
Såld!

i think it's that girl
and i think there're pieces of me
you've never seen
maybe she's just pieces of me
you've never seen well
(Tori Amos, "Tear in Your Hand", Little Earthquakes, 1992. Full lyrics here)

For Illustration Friday - "Repair".

Aren't You Sweet? - Not Especially

(Mixed media. Acrylics, water colours, collage. 31 x 41 cm)
800 kr

A quote from the Charlaine Harris novel Dead until Dark came to my mind as I was pondering what to do for the Illustration Friday prompt this week, "Sugary". In the novel, a vampire asks the heroine:
- Aren't you sweet?
And she promptly, wonderfully answers:
- Not especially.
I really love that line!
And seeing as how women are often supposed and portrayed to be wee sweet things, when most of us really are not especially, I thought that this would be fun to work with for this prompt. I hope that you will enjoy it as much as I did working on it.

The Island of Lost Hearts

(Mixed media. Acrylics, ink. 23 x 31 cm)
700 kr

It's true I always wanted love to be
Hurtful
And it's true I always wanted love to be
Filled with pain
And bruises
(Antony and the Johnsons, "Cripple and the Starfish", Antony and the Johnsons, 2000. Full lyrics here)

For Illustration Friday - "Island".
A truly disturbing song, which reminds me of... well, let's just say that I loved h** too much...

I Hurt, Therefore I am

(Collage. 23 x 31 cm)
700 kr

For we all know the baby has expired
Long ago she was pulled from the mire
And no precious liar or well-wisher
Can return the love that was stolen
Oh, river of sorrow
Oh, river of time
River of sorrow
Don't swallow this time
(Antony and the Johnsons, "River of Sorrow", Antony and the Johnsons, 2000. Full lyrics here)

For Illustration Friday - "Memories".

These Feet Were Made for Walking...

(Mixed media. Water colours, acrylics. 31 x 41 cm)

... but she was stuck in the here and now of everyday.

For llustration Friday - "Routine".

Thanks to Jennie for a much needed talk about pretentions vs the love of and fun in painting.

Away

(Mixed media. Water colours, gouache, collage. 23 x 31 cm)
700 kr

When you see me
Fly away without you
Shadow on the things you know
Feathers fall around you
And show you the way to go
It's over, it's over
(Neil Young, "Bird", After the Goldrush, 1990. Full lyrics)

For Illustration Friday - "Sail".