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.

---

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.

---

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.

30 Second To Mars - The Kill

Not a very good working day. I've accomplished nothing big and there has been dozens of buzzing things and small fast updates here and there. Though my meeting with Ellinoora about dance project website was good (and FUN!) and things are going forward. Ice creamy meetings are always the most succesful ones.

I also saw the first coded template of SARV project. I wasn't quite happy with the result yet. I hope that my layout design is not completely ran over. But I'm already adjusted to the thought that maybe the original layout won't be the one published. Gave up upon that, sort of.

Oh, and just for note: Papiina changed their website look to resemble their graphic design in their printed material. Original print design is made by Leea Wasenius. I still continue updating the site but I have nothing to do with the design of this version!

Elastica - 2:1

No time to blog - too much work to do. This is pure madness. I work my *** off and still it seems that nothing gets ready and the work just doesn't end. The most strangest thing is that when I actually DO work, I have good time and not any kind of anxiety at all. But when I take a break and view my so-called-mission-board with dozens of post-its of what I should do - or rather of what I should have done - it absolutely makes me collapse. It's the amount of those things on my to-do-list, not the content itself.
Although I have a few projects that I'd rather would like to see finished already. These little site projects that show no progress at all after this time. I would like to bang my fist to the wall and shout out to the people about this: please PLEASE make the decisions so we can continue with the project.

No, actually, what makes me mad is my forever battle with my c:ter who hates me more than it's possible to imagine. It crashed again last week and I'm running out of ways to communicate with it. I've secretly planned a new career as a soap maker. ¬_¬
And as it comes to my work, I'm actually at good place with a few projects. Here's what has happened:
I've made a demo layout for textile designer Satu Montanari and we'll continue with the project soon.
I've done demo layouts for dancers (having a meeting tomorrow about how we'll continue).
I've met with textile artist Hannele Ollakka to whom I'll make a small site soon.
Next week I'll start making Taito mag 100 years festitive net exhibition site.

So *there is* something new coming - not everything is on ice.

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...

Prototypes - Who's Gonna Sing

Only A True Capitalist sends Happy Valentine's Day cards with a bill - and that's just what I did yesterday... Which was a truly terrible horrible day by the way. Not the day itself though - Timppa made the very bestest food ever and it was a happy-happy day in general (...just read about Winnie-the-poohian language, fascinating - reminds me some way of Buffyanisms...) And not the projects themselves either but the time I had to make them - or should I say the lack of time. I stayed up until 6am (after sleeping about four hours the night before).

Well, I also got some big projects done, f.rx. Taito Shop site is viewed today, only minor modifications left; Savi-M product layouts made and all the images ready; Alvar Aalto press files about the exhibition in Barbican Centre (London) uploaded...

I've been so drop dead tired today that it just got to me: this morning I heard the news that I have received a three month grant for artistic work. I'm actually quite stunned. Maybe I'll realize the whole thing tomorrow.

+ It would seem to me that everyone has woken up this week... updates: Gallery Becker + Alvar Aalto Foundation + The Craft Museum of Finland + Värjärikilta + Kirsi Neuvonen's website + The Arts Council of Central Finland

Lou Martyr - Hand_Grenade

Aikamme Musiikinjuhla Periferia (The Music Festival of Our Time) [Feb 13 2007]

Yesterday I spent the whole day with this computer making hecticly the Periferia music festival site at www.aikammemusiikinjuhla.fi. The festival will open in Saturday, so it was about time the site opened... The layout is based partly on the graphic design of the print material designed by Aino Pajari.

A few days ago I also agreed to give a speech about trees and bushes as a material for dyer next Summer at the Dyers quilt summer event. I'm very excited and started already collecting material. The event will be held in Rymättylä - in where I've never visited before (I think). About a month ago I was asked to give a lecture in September in one event in Helsinki but I haven't heard about the organizer since. I should propably check the situation.

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.

Killers - Read My Mind

The day started with desperation: trying to connect to the server to update Alvar Aalto Foundation
and The Craft Museum of Finland. They both gave me "not responding" - gave me already yesterday. Luckily I reached Kari who fixed the connection and I was able to update the strange and uncomfortable error I had put accidently in one of these websites (not revealing what and in which site...)

Last days have been updating, updating + updating. Placing Papiina's new products on their website took a while and then there has been some very ordinary updates of new dates etc.

Most of the projects I thought I should have finished in December are still nowhere near to be completed... Many of them, like Taito Shop site, is so near the finishing line that I don't have any problems with them.

I have some layout problems though. I still have to make better layouts for dancers and also SARV wasn't satisfied with my first layout set so I should make some improvements there too. And there are some new designs I've promised to make, such as for a craft artist Satu Montanari and Taito magazine 100 years web exhibition. Hopefully I'll find the long lost flow soon :)

+ UPDATES Alvar Aalto Foundation, The Craft Museum of Finland, Gallery Becker and Papiina