Lucky

So I didn´t read much during our trip to England recently, but I did leaf through one of those free airport magazines (can´t remember the name of it) and came across an interview with British comedian Francesca Martinez, who has cerebral palsy (but prefers to call herself "wobbly" according to Wikipedia).

"I once met a guy in a pub and told him that the world made me feel abnormal. He said: 'You are abnormal: most people in the world live in dire poverty. You are lucky, so take your head out of your arse and open your eyes.'"

Then I read this otherwise very funny piece by David Sedaris on the New Yorker website:

"I thought of the first time I had a kidney stone. That was in New York, in 1991, back when I had no money or health insurance. All I knew was that I was hurting, and couldn’t afford to do anything about it. The night was spent moaning. Then I peed blood, followed by what looked like a piece of gravel from an aquarium."

Now that really made me feel lucky, who live in a country where I don´t ever have to consider whether I can afford to ask for help when I am in pain, or even minor discomfort. On reflection I suppose we all have limitations, either in ourselves or imposed upon us by the world we live in; but I think that no matter how lucky we are, it is natural to regret the things we can not do (and there will always be plenty of those). Perhaps realizing that one´s potential is in some ways hampered is even necessary to be able to turn one´s attention to the possibilities we do have, and be creative within that framework.

Cute Buttons

I found these at a flea market in Scarborough. Aren´t they wonderful? I bought ten of the little pens, and see before me a black (silk?) cardigan with those pen buttons, that would be just a dream. I got twenty of the other ones and I think they will do nicely on a white linen shirt. I do have a weakness for nice buttons, and will often pick up odd ones. Nothing will transform a regular, boring shirt like a new set of buttons.

Canvas

I was looking through my files and found some photos from an art exhibition in January. I give you two works of art from Hans Isaksson´s "+-0 (plusminusnoll)" (= plusminuszero):

From the presentation: "What we see, and how we perceive it, is above all a matter of perspective, of how perceptive one is as an observer. Reality is not a stable spot but a result of expectations, and in Hans Isaksson´s artistic work there is also play beyond the illusion, where everything always is something else. There are no facts, only interpretations of facts. Johan Hedbäck, colleague and friend of Hans Isaksson, suggests an attitude one can adopt when looking at Isaksson´s art in a recently published monograph on Hans´s work: "Perhaps one should do as when looking at faint stars at night; try to focus one´s gaze close by but not directly on the object, to see it more clearly"." 

(my quick & dirty translation)

= Canvas on oil.

A Homely Feeling

I am really trying to draw every day, even when I go nowhere "interesting". The other day I was cleaning, and not much else, and I took a break from vacuuming and made this sketch.

Actually, these little drawings of our home is very dear to me, and whenever I come across one of them, they make me very happy. I suppose they make me aware of how much I love our home. No photograph has ever made me feel that way, that´s for sure!

Local Theatre

We have a really cool theatre in our town; it is housed in a row of old harbour storehouses. It´s a great way to preserve old buildings and the character of a place. The theatre was founded in 1967, as the first regional theatre in Sweden - a collaboration between Luleå municipality and the county Norrbotten, and the building was finished in 1986. Since 1996 the university runs a drama school here, accepting eight students every other year.



The first play I ever saw here, in 1992 probably, was "Dagning Röd" (= daybreak red) by Bengt Pohjanen. Its subject was a religious sect in Tornedalen (north of us) in the 30´s and this is still such a tender spot for many that someone threatened to bomb the theatre! We had to leave our seats and walk in the winter cold along the quay while the dogs searched the premises!

We don´t go nearly often enough, but in 23 years I have seen some great plays, most memorable was perhaps "Macbeth" and "The Seagull". I can´t help it, I love the classics, even more if I have seen them many times before. Going to the theatre for me is like having a storybook read to me, and like a little child I want to hear my favourites over and over and over...

The Nerdiest Pins in my Collection

Home-made Sketch/Notebooks

The husband has been telling me for weeks to blog my sketch/notebooks. He thinks they are cool, and who am I to deny that? I have never found a really good notebook, trying out this and that, and when I started drawing more this spring, even whipping out my old watercolour set, my need for something better than Luleå could offer became acute. I considered ordering from afar, but balked at the expense; I go through quite a few pages a day. Finally I thought: perhaps I can do them myself? I consulted the Internet, and of course, it had much to offer on the topic. I studied and learned, and this is what I arrived at.

I buy a standard white printing paper, size A4, which is a bit heavier than normal, 160 g per square meter, but still smooth and glossy, which I like. It is thick enough not to bleed through most pens, colours, and inks. They come in packs of 250 sheets, which will last me at least six months.

Then I use an awl, a cutting-board, a darning-needle, some heavy thread (I use a cotton crochet yarn for lace-work, because it´s the kind of thing I have lying around), a pair of scissors, tape, and punch pliers (not pictured). Here we go:

Fold the sheets in half. I use eight in a book.

Punch six holes through the folding. 

Thread the needle and start sewing from the outside. 

Stitch back and forth and join on the outside, where you started.

Tie a tidy knot and cut the ends by about a centimeter.

Cover and fasten the seam on the outside with a nice looking tape. 

I use two pieces that overlap. Don´t try to fix it if it goes wonky,
it doesn´t matter much.

I don´t make a cover for each sketchbook, instead I use the same cover over and over again. These covers are sold in a number of stores selling stationary and such. I also have one that I got from the husband´s stash - something he picked up at some conference. I prefer it since it is rather sturdy, but it is of poor quality and will not last long, unfortunately.

Just finished the sketchbook of the week.

Two punched holes and an elastic band makes a holder for the book.*

Two punched holes in the cover, and two in the pen case, an elastic
 to tie them together.

Here I added the sketchbook. The elastic goes over the center fold. 

And I close it snugly, with the pen case attached at all times.

I use this book for graphite drawings and put pages in made by
oven paper to prevent smudging.

Here is one that has two pockets and don´t need an added elastic. 

I use this only with the fountain pen. Minimalist!

As the books are finished I just put them in a drawer. I plan on a fancy
box when I see how much a year makes.

And that´s it. Simple, really. I have experimented some with putting pages of other colours in there, but I don´t like the texture of the coloured paper that is available. I really enjoy that glossy stuff! Perhaps it is because it gives me more control, I don´t know...

* If you are wondering about the coffee filter - they make a great substitute to blotting-paper. Also, you can sharpen your pencil over it and retain the litter in it.