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.

Jamie T - Salvador

Savi M www.savi-m.fi [Feb 21 2007]

Savi M web site was finally published yesterday! Minna and Merja brought me a beautiful heart jewellery (and also sinfully good chocolade cakes to be enjoyed with coffee...) which I wore at City Theatre last night (...with my woollen grey knitted shirt. Not a classic high culture outfit but there was about -20 degrees outside, not a place for silky satin creature dresses). We went to the concert of Jyväskylä Symphony Orchestra, a part of Periféria Music Festival whose site I made last week. A most refreshing moment during this week.

For the last few days I've worked with kite illustrations which - right now - is quite fun. I've amused myself by also making some explicit splatter images... for a very closed audience only, not for exhibition use. Hopefully I'll get the illustrations finished tomorrow...

Lamph - Waking Nightmare

INNOfoorumi blog layout [Feb 01 2007]

Last night I hit the total void in my head with the kite exhibition graphics. I made some suggestions though and ended up doing something very conventional but in some way it works... You'll see when the exhibition will open. The problem with those graphics is that I was asked to make graphics for information tables with very conventional and tight subjects (like knots and the physics of kite flying). At the same time they should not disturb the other exhibition architecture. So the graphics should be very clear - and become easily boring. But they are on their way.

I had a meeting with Antti yesterday about Periferia music festival website and today I got the images + print material on which I should base the site design. (The note that came with cd was actually written to the other site of NOTE PAPER... ¬_¬ Composers...)

Spoon - I Turn My Camera On

Väri 07 [Feb 06 2007] (Logo not mine...)

I have been two whole days inside and today of all days I chose to go out... When it's -30° freezing outside. But actually, it wasn't that cold. I was dressed so warm and thick that when I tried to turn around it reminded me about the sweet childhood times when you just had to stand still outside because of the thick winter overalls that prevented to bend at all. Only worry I had was when I bought two more copic pens. I was sure that when I would reach home they would be frozen and broken. But no worries - they are working...

And where did I go? I had a meeting with Mikko about the images for the kite exhibition at the Craft Museum of Finland. (We went to eat in this new small place (can't remember the name) with salads, burritos, fajitas etc. The food was good but the service wasn't very flattering. Mental note: take away food the next time.) I also got me a dvd for Taito Magazine Centennial net exhibition that should be ready in about two months. It's already spring time then!

A new request of making a web site. This seems to be quite small and easy project so I said yes. We haven't yet talked the thing through so it's not 100% sure yet but propably next week.

Art Brut - Nag Nag Nag Nag

Savi-M people really liked my fantasy front page design! I made some adjustments for basic layout due to their wishes and I'm hoping to start coding the project next week. This is one of the projects I had planned to finish before x-mas so I truly wish that I could get it online asap.

I'm a bit anxious about the book cover project for Opus publications. I just can't handle the thing. Today I sent my last version which is done upon their suggestion (which was a version of my suggestion etc) - let's see what they like about that one.

I received lot of material from Mikko from Craftmuseum for the kite exhibition illustration project. It got me totally freezed for a moment. It's always like that when you start something new. Well, not something new, but something with bigger scale than never before and a bit tight schedule. I print the material out and I will start illustration sketches while wathing the Idols tonight... Something light minded for light minded. I'm not too worried though. Yesterday I drew a lot (sketches for the dragon kite) and really liked the outcome even though I still have small problems with aligning the elements in effective and dynamic positions.

Inno Foorumi project reminded me the day before yesterday about the blog I should set up for them. There's also a blog for Väri07 project on which I started working today.
+ updates: The Arts Council of Central Finland, Riiminka, Gallery Becker, Alvar Aalto Foundation & The Craft Museum of Finland