Random Prints vol. 2

Last year I started this project I call "my own personal art therapy" - Random Prints. The idea is, that I made a series of 90 numbered and signed prints which I left all over when I was travelling. I've left teh prints in envelopes to random people to find and to keep. I hoped that those who found them would have filled in a small enquiry to tell me where the prints have ended up.

This year I'm going to make an interrai trip in Central Europe, and I've made a new print, called The Essence of Whispering Tree, which I'm going to leave to people to find.

I have written the last year's travels and whereabouts of the Random Prints vol.1 prints to Random Prints blog at randomprints.blogspot.com - and this year - hopefully - the stories will be continued.

Random prints

During August and September 2010 I'll leave a numbered and signed edition of my pigment ink print in envelopes around Europe to random people to find and to keep. I hope that those who find them will fill in a small enquiry to tell me where the prints have ended up. The travels and whereabouts of these images will be seen at http://randomprints.blogspot.com/ this fall.

Christmas rush

The year has been busy. I've been planning to update my web site (and Timppa's - which I had promised already before summer) and also start a new portfolio site but somehow time manages to pass us by flying. There have been some action on art front so I won't complain. I didn't sell any works from the Poriginal Gallery exhibition but while the exhibition I got a commission of 85 prints from Central Finland
Health Care District - which was good enough reason to start to plan another trip to Tuscany, Italy. Also, I have some of my prints on "Jouluksi kotiin" (To Home for Christmas) exhibition in Rööperin taidesalonki in Helsinki until January 6, 2010.

I also made some small sites. Jussi Jäppinen ky - graafinen suunnittelu was totally a collect-the-pieces-and-put-them-together gig: the site graphics and user interface as well as the whole content was provided for me by Jussi Jäppinen and his son (working in the same graphic design agency) Juho Jäppinen, so I won't take any credit for web design there. But it was a work project allright.

I still have to finish a layout for an anniversary site for Cygnaeus and Schildt - which is laid out in the cms of the City of Jyväskylä which cuts off a lot of creativity...

So, this is christmas: snow snow snow and it's freezing cold. But candles burning and hot cocoa. And chatting with Ulla who's still couple of days in the residence in Oaxaca, Mexico. It could be worse...

Royksopp / Robyn - The Girl And The Robot

[Absent 29. Pigment ink print, 15x14cm. Edition of 5.]
I sold one image from Wanha Woimala exhibition (to Canada!) and one from Pikku Galleria exhibition (to Helsinki). But gladly the Poissa - Absent series seems to be quite popular: I've used a couple of days just printing and signing the images... which isn't a lot really: I'm just slow. The hot and thundering weather makes me sooo slow in all possible ways. Anyway, I should only get my new site finished as soon as possible with all the new images and a good catalogue of my work. (*Should.*) I've tried to tell people to request the images via Gallery Becker / The Gallery of Jyväskylä Art Society which also lends out images with small down payments.

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I also got a little surprise a while ago: Matti Niinimäki's and my "Animated movement" project got a small grant for project planning. More about the project later - the workshop (+ sidekicks) will be a part of Tanssin Aika (dance festival) in the end of September.

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.

Features - There's A Million Ways To Sing The Blues

The kite illustrations for the craft museum are now finished... They are a bit laconic and strange, that's all I can say. But I'm quite happy about them. Maybe some of the audience will notice that I'm not very experienced in making illustrations - but hey, WHO cares? You always have to start somewhere.

I'm actually feeling a bit sad (and somehow also a bit mad for myself) about not giving a offer about making graphic design for one big organisation which contacted me a few weeks ago. Not only the graphic design of their website but also their logo and all the printed material from letters to forms. I had some ideas straight away. I really think that I could have managed all that but since I don't have yet so much experience about print designing, somehow the amount of new technical things that I know I should have learned with making that project just laid me down. I have too much projects right now and I just don't want to take anything to learn right now, even if it would be a really small thing.

I also have sent press images for the Detritus exhibition in Walsh Gallery in South Orange, New Jersey USA where Uninvited Words was invited. I'm so glad about it! I've had such a quiet winter and not much energy with my artsy projects but this has boosted me a bit. I've made lots of plans for my exhibition next January. I'll start working with it fully in autumn but maybe I'll make some thingies before that.

Sunshine Underground - Panic Attack

Last Saturday I had one day off - I can't remember the last time... We left to Espoo to see EMMA museum + exhibition. I didn't really expect a lot - just a day without computer and brain activity. But I the video installations by Shirin Neshat did really make an effect. And the famous Black Square (although not really the most original) by Kazimir Malevitsh was not so bad either... :)

I really shouldn't get any day-offs. The last nail on my coffin was last week when my computer broke down. It was away only for about 24 hours but enough to completely mess my time table. So many projects on their way it's hard to even start... Some Live Herring stuff is still unfinished which takes my time a bit but there are a lot of new projects waiting! More about them later... The main thing is - I really like what I'm doing right now...

Today I've used my time mainly to updates: Alvar Aalto Foundation, The Craft Museum of Finland, Kirsi Neuvonen's and Riiminka sites.

Oh oh oh, I forgot this one too: skullstation.org has opened (a few months ago) with a temporary site. This is quite far about the layout I had planned but since it takes forever to complete anything in my universe, I just decided to put some stuff there already. No so scully though. Just a few irritating backgrounds downloadable for web pages. I drew them about a year ago and some of the elements have already introduced themselves in this site... The skull station will present some skull related stuff in the future but also my line art graphics + stupid downloadables made just for my own therapy... Eh.