Css - Rat Is Dead

Eemil.fi www.eemil.fi [January 2008; graphic design]

It's soooo beautiful outside that it almost hurts. Well... It hurts. As I am sitting inside trying to finish some projects off so I can have a few nice holidays without worrying unfinished projects.

The spring has provided me some lowest lows and highest highs. I won't talk about the lows more than that it was something to do with my health and everything is ok now, nothing to worry anymore. But more words about the highs: the absolutely highest point of this season was when I received the Cultural prize of The Jyväskylä City. It was given me in the ten year anniversary seminar of the Jyväskylä Art Museum April 22, 2008. I learned about the prize already in February but I had to keep it hush-hush until the prize giving day, but because my spring has been so full of things to think about, I actually realized the whole thing after the prize was given to me and partying happened. Feels quite strange. Nice but strange.

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Lately I've been working with my portfolios. I decided to apply to a school - to get me an upper level degree. I *did* fill all the forms needed and I *did* made myself a portfolio of my recent doings, however, I'm not here when the interview part of the process is going on. So, let's see how it goes and can I fix something up.
I updated my work-o-matic and simplex a bit but there are still some projects missing. I'm hoping to get myself pulled together to make a proper portfolio and also a new art site. But this has to wait for some time...

Marit Bergman - Out On The Piers

The Finnish Critics Association www.sarv.fi [2007/2008; graphic design]

Spring is the time for endles copy-pasting. New spring collections for both Papiina (the site design is not mine but I've been updating the site anyway) and Riiminka are now online.

This last week I've been having a short easter holidays and then a few day trip to Kuopio (not really recommending for spending more than one day in winter time; propably nice town to live but not for city tourist). I've done some projects that have been hanging there for a while, f.ex. Värjärikilta (Dyer's Guild) logo and new site layout which I hope to realize in a few weeks time.

I've also been fighting with composer Antti Auvinen's website. I've liked that project from the beginning because Antti had such strong opinions and wishes of how the site should be and I've had some challenges that I've really like solving - like a large puzzle mystery. But now it's finally starting bugging me a bit because nothing works like I've planned. The very same thing is happening with Jyväskylä Art Museum site.

Then there is co-operation project with dancer Noora Nenonen (If you just...) which is a cross media art project. I should finish the website this weekend... Another project that I don't know yet how to execute the whole thing.

So off I go. To scrub my head.

ps. About the SARV project of which the image is from... The final layout is a version of my layout. Originally there was quite different navigation font, a little bit lighter (not due to colours but not so heavy).

The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus - Misery Loves Its Company

Textile Artist Hannele Ollakka www.hanneleollakka.fi [December 11 2007]

I've been passive onliner for a couple of weeks: I've read a lot blogs and just wandered around the net but haven't written anything or finished any work projects. I've just put things to be done further away. Some kind of overload.

Beginning of this year - so far - has held the deep lows and highest heights, the both at same time. There were some serious things happening in my life - still are, but things are looking much more brighter at already. Although I'm not writing about anything devastating, somebody passing away or anything like that, there are sometimes these small defining moments when you just stop and look around and notice where you are and what you've done.

My moment turned out to be good: a new start really. I decided to put more effort to the visual design, illustration and design thingies in general. Maybe those zillions of post-its will get to put in "projects done" file instead of "projects that will never be realized".

Plumb - Cut

Photographer Mikko Auerniitty www.auerniitty.fi [December 11 2007]

About Mikko's site (above): I really enjoyed making the simple site with simple solutions for Mikko. The project was fast to execute and co-operation went fluently. Right now we both have images exhibited in the photography exhibition in Galleria Harmonia still a few more days. (This is a funny thing really: I was packing my exhibition works to be removed from the gallery when I noticed that there was an invitation to all photographic based word to be juried to the exhibition. So I left three of my works to be juried and they all made it!)

Some of the other projects I'm working with are a bit heavier and slower to execute. Sometimes it just feels that I would like to finish the projects already. But sometimes I feel that the time has brought up some new and fresh ideas (like with Auvinen's website, almost finished) that I wouldn't have got otherwise.

But what's really irritating are my own projects: I've been adding post-its about my ideas to my wall and now there are about thirty of them. Some of them are a littler harder to start but most of them would be so easy to make when I just would got myself to do so. Grrr. It just feels that when the day's work is done, there's no more mental capacity to do anything else but stare voidly telly and think about nothing. I should organize myself one day at week which would be completely dedicated to me, myself and I.

There's some light at the end of the dark working tunnel though: yesterday I bought a paper cutter (gilliotine type) and I'm seriously giving some time and effort to make these small booklets I've dreamt about. We took also a brochure from the shop and yesterday I noticed that they sell these large envelopes (that the post office doesn't) into which I could fit my large prints. I calculated that I could also fit in a few cardboards to give some strenght. One problem solved; only few - like custom declarations etc. - to solve.

Jeff Buckley - Lover You Should've Come Over

Taitosaari project www.aivia.fi/kadentaitajat [December 10 2007]

Last autumn I was teaching at Taitosaari project in Viitasaari and Saarijärvi on weekends. The courses / lectures were given to the craft makers of that area. The website above, published in December 07, was the final ending to the project. During last autumn I got to know some really nice and talented people and while I taught them about the digital possibilities, they got me inspirated of making things with my hands. I found myself drawing and cutting paper and making all kinds of small hobby crafts. And enjoying it.

My book making enthusianism has gone further: I've made lots of sketches and all kinds of notes about my following projects. I'll be also making I've ordered a paper cutter - which did cost quite much (can't be lazy now) - and I'm planning opening a webshop. Shop opening hoolaballoo will propably take place after we'll come back from Florence at the beginning of June... I'm very hopeful about this whole project and I wish that some day I could concentrate more on graphical designing (and *my kind* of graphical designing) but at the same time I know that work in the craft field can be quite devastating.

Because there are also some sad news: the web site for Eeva Ylönen got cancelled when Eeva decided to end making craftworks. That's quite sad because I was really waiting forward to publish the site - there were many new ideas and small visual effects that would have made the site very interesting (and of course the products themselves).

Klaxons - Atlantis to Interzone

Noramies.com kainoramies.com [November 27 2007]

Last weekend I learnt how to make books. I've taken a similar (or actually two week) course of book binding when I was in school in Tampere but it was ages ago. I noticed right away in the very start of this weekend course that all the old information had vanished from my head. This time I have to take care not to forget this craft because I really enjoy the possibilities of what I could do with book binding skills. I have one idea of making these small 10-page "dye books", each binded using different printed and numbered sheets with image and dye samples; each book containing different leaves. Another idea is making sort of artists books about colour which all will be individual, used both printed material and some collage techniques.

Making prints and books and developing different techniques to complete my art projects have given me enermous amount of energy with my other projects too. Some how making things with your hands and creating stuff makes you even more creative. Odd, but seems to be true.

Small updates to Alvar Aalto Foundation, The Craft Museum of Finland, The Arts Council of Central Finland and satumontanari.com.

Don Fardon - I'm alive

Textile Artist Satu Montanari satumontanari.com [August 2007]

Unbelievable how the time flies. I generally find blogging a way to sort of "empty my desk" after a workday or after an extensive project but somehow I seldom blog these days. Maybe there's just too much happening and I'm starting to avoid nerdy life style. Or maybe there's just nothing going on with my life... Anyway, I notice that my English is getting rusty. Have to start practising again.

Actually, there has been something going on: my exhibition will go on still + one week and I've already sold two works! Last week I received a grant for update/developement project for Coloria and Coloriasto, and also a new project with dancer Noora Nenonen and I ...If You Just Asked got a small grant.

Also, my Grande Art Project News is definitely the most biggest artwork order this far: before christmas I got a call from the Jyväskylä Municipality which wanted to order 90 prints from me to be given as gifts. Of course I said yes. So, it was a bit hectic for a while when I tried to make both these commission works and my exhibition + all the work projects. Right now it starts to look good. I've already delivered some of the artworks to my client and there's not much left to finish.

At the same time when I'm feeling absolutely exhausted, I'm very enthusiastic too. Positive comments from my works lately have really swinged my mood up and given some extra energy. I would so much like to do something completely new and different design projects right now - something more graphical and powerful. I'll have to sketch something down soon - maybe using Illustrator again after a while. Would do good. Some practising there too...

Displacements - Lazy Bones

Once Upon A Time...
Galleria Harmonia Jan 10 - Feb 10 2008
(Hannikaisenkatu 39, Jyväskylä; across the road from the railwaystation)
Welcome to exhibition opening
in Jan 10 at 6 pm

Raveonettes - You Want The Candy

This autumn has beed absolute madness. I've never worked as much as I've been doing this few months.

These are finished:

satumontanari.com for textile designer Satu Montanari, published already in August (in Finnish, English and Italian).

kainoramies.com for the Noramies family (about sculpturer Kai Noramies and his daughters Irina and Anita, both artists), published in November 27 (coming soon also in English).

Taitosaari project was a EU project including craftsmen from Northern Central Finland region. I travelled to small towns Viitasaari and Saarijärvi almost ech weekend during the autumn and gave lectures about net and designing and stuff. Website for project was actually opened today at www.aivia.fi/kadentaitajat (only in Finnish).

First autumn layout, and then christmas layout for Taito Shop.

Flash screening project for Jyväskylä Art Museum's window for December.

Websites for f.ex. composer Antti Auvinen, photographer Mikko Auerniitty, artist Anna-Lea Kopper and textile artist Hannele Ollakka are well on their way and so are visual redesign of Säynätsalo, Craft Museum and Jyväskylä Art Museum sites and visual design of the site for Jyväskylä's museums.

And about my own art projects:

The co-operation project Lepidophobia dance piece with Noora Nenonen (dance) (+using Mikko Hietaharju's soundtrack) got its premiere in November 15th. I made a flash piece based on my online Lepidophobia project (which I haven't been able to update due to my technical problems).

The most nerv breaking though is my future exhibition: one month to opening and nothing ready. I'll let you know...

Lancashire Hotpots - Chippy Tea

More illustration, more print...

I did some small illustrations (six) for Craft Museum's following exhibition. I had a small crisis when I started to make them since my hand started hurting and I couldn't draw them as I had originally planned. Thankfully the pain went away nearly totally in less than a week and I could finish the job the way I had planned. (Well, not quite, because I'm not very pleased with all illustrations I made.) I scanned my drawings and then added some ideas with Photoshop.

Today I started day by conversation with Eeva Ylönen / Paperiverstas to whom I'll be making netsite and some printed material (business card and some brochures). I basicly KNOW much about print world but I really don't have that much experience on that area, so I'm a bit excited about the project.

Bat For Lashes - Horses & I

A few weeks ago we took a week+ tour in Iceland. Before that I was overloaded with work and after the trip I've been so empty headed that I can barely write my name anymore. (Images of that fab trip are seen in http://www.coloriasto.net/kuvat/07islanti/ - descriptions only in Finnish but photo
s speak international language... *grin*)

And now I'm back in my own private working factory, here's how it goes - my today's hc-listing:

* Wrote to T.V. and invited him to be one of the guests in Spirited Herring in November exhibition
* Paid my taxes, one invoice and also paid back the loan I took for Iceland trip
* Wrote a short of my colour tree lecture (kept in June on Dyer's Days in Rymättylä) for the Värillä zine
* Ordered some print papers for my new printer (HP Photosmart 9180)
* Got a photo cd from Eeva for her brochures
* Talked in phone with Mikko about the illustrations for exhibition sheets
* Searched image material for projects
* Updated exhibition images to Gallery Becker site
* Small updates to Alvar Aalto Foundation site and The Craft Museum of Finland
* Downloaded new project images for Kirsi Neuvonen, Eeva Ylönen and Papiina to my hard drive
* Made some updates to Papiina site

And that was it. Drop dead tired.

Etta James - Tell Mama

Coloria [Aug 1 2007]

And there it is. My private headbanger's ball. No use for non-Finnish speakers though and not yet so visual... But getting there.

Maximo Park - Girls Who Play Guitars

Värikäsi [Jul 20 2007]
www.varipaletti.com | www.varipaletti.net

Windy and cold outside. It looks and feels like October and it's July. Unless I've slept about three months, which is also possible.

Somehow I managed to pull myself together after a few weeks of boredom, lazyness and just hanging around. Last Friday it totally hit me: I'll do the make-over (that I've been planning about four years now) to Coloria site. I was so excited that I hardly could sleep at all. I spent the whole weekend making the renewing of the site in über-energic mode and then it hit me on Monday: the total tiredness like never before. Yesterday and today I've been trying to catch myself with undone jobs but still my aim is to publish renewed Coloria tomorrow. I know there's not been testing of any kind and there are several hardcore errors but I just can't wait. Otherwise the site would have to wait it's publication for months.

I've been busy. Today I've made a temporary site for textile artist Hannele Ollakka (for now it's saying that the new site will open soon - which hopefully is true) and set a blog layout and instructions for the Dyer Guild. I've also made some small updates f. ex. Kirsi Neuvonen and will make some more updates f.ex. for Alvar Aalto Foundation and The Craft Museum of Finland websites. Back to normal, that is.

Silversun Pickups - Well Thought Out Twinkles

Säynätsalo Town Hall [Jul 16 2007]
www.jyvaskyla.fi/saynatsalo/townhall

I've spent some time dyeing wool this summer and I just came back from Iitti Colour Festival where I learned how to make earth pigments. I'm strongly considering moving my career even more towards colour related stuff. I'm not a craft artist in anyway but I like to give colour related lectures and such. Though it propably didn't proceed my colour career yesterday when one journalist from Yle X radio station asked me to give a radio interview - and I refused. The questions would have been about colour symbolism and such and that's not really my cup of tea. I'm more confortable with the (cultural) history aspects of colour and pigments and such. If she would have interviewed me for f. ex. newspaper, that would have been good since I'd had some time to think my answers. I feel that the radio is not my arena at all.

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Otherwise this summer has gone fast. I was originally planning to have somekind of holidays but... The beginning of July passed by while recovering from Rymättylä (four days spent dyeing in archipelago) and then with Timppa's and Judith Clute's exhibition (which will end tomorrow.) I've sat beside my c:ter nearly everyday making all kind of projects but somehow I feel that I'm not getting anything done. Or that all projects are just feeling longer and longer and nothing gets finished. If Säynätsalo Town Hall net exhibition hadn't been published last week (it's been ready for publishing since the beginning of June, lacking just a few checkings), I'd propably gone mad with my projects. Not sounding very good.

And now there is Harry Potter, read into half way. Hard to keep myself here, sitting still and making any kind of layouts when I know the book is not finished. (Although, of course I couldn't protect myself of knowing how it ends...)

Go! Team - Grip Like A Vice

I haven't written for so long time that it starts to look like I'm not doing anything. But I am, I am!

I just came from Rymättylä Dyer Days ( :) ) day before yesterday and since them I've tried to make all the little updates that filled my mailbox during my lazy days...

I was actually selected as the Colourful Person of this year - it felt quite funny as I received the nomination in my black clothes (well, my sneakers had white stripes on them). But what a wonderful surprise that was! That kind of small things are the most important things when it comes to inspiration with colour things I'm working with all my spare freetime.

But before Coloria and colourful things: there are zillions of jobs to be done.

Maija Holma's and Kirsi Neuvonen's updates have been waiting for some time now, as well as Välittämö site update. And dozens of smaller updates here and there.

Layouts for artist/painter Virpi Lehto, paper artisan Eeva Ylönen and composer Antti Auvinen are on their way.

Setting up the basic new layouts for the Museums of Jyväskylä, The Craft Museum of Finland, The Jyväskylä Art Museum and Säynätsalo are on their way.

Satu Montanari's and Hannele Ollakka's websites are soon finished as well as Säynätsalo Town House net exhibition which is missing only a few translations.

I should set up a blog for Dyers' Guild also...

But the most topical thing right now is Bazaar of Banalities workshop that will take place next week. The workshop is organized by Live Herring in co-operation with The Jyväskylä Art Museum and the workshop is lead by media artist Outi Kotala. More information soon.

*sigh*

Editors - The Weight Of The World

Back to the reality.

I was planning to keep myself busy working the whole weekend but as I had my birthday yesterday... I had decided earlier that there won't be any kind of party thingies going on (and there wasn't, just an early morning tournee to fleamarket (3 dvd Travolta box just about covers my cultural void for the moment: Saturday Night Fever, Grease and Stayin' Alive!) and some wondering around the town before entering home). However, I received Kingdom Hearts II as present and I just had to try it a little bit. For three hours.

This morning I woke up early and decided to play an hour and only for one hour. Well, I played one and half but who's counting? The important part is that right now I'm working.

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I've had some interesting new acquaintances lately. Some of them through my new projects (of which I'll raport later when they are more topical).

McQueen - Numb

sisasuomentanssi.fi (published 27.5.2007)

Work + work + gadgets + work = no time for writing down thoughts.

I've purchased new Adobe Creative Suite 3 Design Premium package and I'm so fascinated by it... I've had this terrible urge to make something unreal and untraditional small projects with Flash. Only, I haven't used flash for so long time that it took me forever to make a few very easy fade-ins and -outs to Maijas Tanssiva kaupunki (Dancing Town) project. But I'm optimistic.

On Friday I had a meeting with dancer Noora N. first about our artsy project next autumn, based on my Lepidophobia project and Noora's studies on butterflies. I'm really excited about the project since I've never before done any own projects that are so strongly connected with dance.

I also met composer Antti A. with whom we've had such fun meetings... I can hardly wait to start his homepage project since he absolutely don't want anything ordinary. I know I'm going to challenge myself with this project and I already get some small panic attack symptoms when I even think about the project. But Antti and I think lot alike so I KNOW this project will be absolute fun.

There are a lot of projects unfinished but so near finishing line...

I've already promised to make a few big projects in autumn but from now on I'm going to give a big NO (well, not that loud) to anyone asking (at least for big projects). I'm going to make time for my artsy projects from September to December as much as possible. On weekends I have some teaching projects in Viitasaari / Saarijärvi region but I'm going to bring my laptop with me and have the courses as some kind of retreat also. Also the "students" will be from cultural jobs (artesans & such mostly) and the area of my teaching is very clear for me, so I also expect that the interaction with us will give me some new ideas for my work.

Koko Taylor - Wang Dang Doodle

Something finished... finally


www.taitoshop.fi
Taito Shop site opened April 5th


www.craftmuseum.fi/taitolehti/
Taidon sata vuotta (The Hundred Years of Taito (which means skill)) aka the Taito magazine centennial exhibition opened April 18th

Both sites are only in Finnish (for now).

The spring is here. The sun shines. Angst away and super manic processes turned on. As I didn't have enough in my official works - I still had to begin making (finally) Coloriasto which will be an archive of all kinds of colour related texts...

The Banshee - Talking On The Phone

Detritus exhibition at Walsh Gallery at Seton Hall University in New Jersey, US, has opened today.

I've been back home since Friday. NIN and Ladytron gig was good and the whole week was quite fun... But I'm soooo glad to be home again. Work-a-holic.

As soon as I came home I started working with Taito mag Centennary net exhibition. The project is not anymore in so deep panic mode as one could think - actually, I'm feeling quite calm about it. There's still tomorrow evening - when I can fix the rest of it. Eh.

I've also made dozens of small updates and continued making site for Satu Montanari... And I *should* make few layouts before next Monday and finish the dancer's site before Tuesday. I propably have never had as many unfinished projects at the same time as I have now. Nevermind. I'll survive.

Tomorrow and the day after that I'll be teaching in JAO. Oh, what an evil plan I have on my mind...

Bloc Party - I Still Remember Sebastian Mix

I just got a request to keep one big course about net and its possibilities for craft makers. I expressed my interest towards it since it will happen next autumn. Hopefully I'm finished with all my projects until then...

There *has been* some changes to SARV layout as I earlier jinxed. Not all my design is deleted, but enough: it's not really my design anymore even though the basic scene is still there. I don't mind otherwise (since the very base of this job is to the client the right to be always right) but this time I'll start being quite strict about it that my name isn't mentioned as designer in the cases where I see my design altered too much.

I'm kind of stressing about Taito mag Centennary net exhibition. Or I *should* be. The reality hasn't hit me yet. But I have about two days to finish the project since it's released on April 14 and I just realized that there is Easter first and then I'll be in Helsinki for some days. No time to adjust too much.
But I quite enjoying making the exhibition layout - something different for a while.