iPhone photography: My desk in the studio. August 2010

Welcome to another day in the studio! Today I’m so excited and relieved to finally have got the printer to work!!!! I daren’t think how much time and money I’ve spent trying to get it to work ever since April! It’s been such a drain. Most of the time I love the independence of running my own creative business, but sometimes doing everything yourself can feel pretty heavy going and especially when you run into a silly technical problem like this one with the printer. Phew… I’m sooooo happy it’s been resolved!!!

Breaking Ice. Detail of art print

Breaking Ice, a painting I made at the end of March, came out beautifully on the heavyweight, matt paper with ultra sharpness that I purchased early on this summer! This paper really brings out the colours and gives the print a gorgeous, sumptuous feel and appearance. Oh, joy! I’m thrilled and nervous to finally be able to put Breaking Ice up for sale in the shop!

iPhone photography: Lunch. Sandwich and orange juice

It can only be downhill from here! At least today. We went for a swim in the lake after lunch. Dinner out tonight to celebrate that the printer finally works!

Leaves and acorns. Sketch and inspiration

Here’s a sketch and some inspiration for a new project I’m working on right now. (See the reflection of my iPhone that I used to snap the photo with, at the bottom of this picture?) Leaves, acorns, greens and simple organic shapes… I’m still playing around, following my intuition, seeing what happens and enjoying trusting the creative process. I’m not sure what I’ll make of it yet, or what it wants to become… Maybe it’ll turn into desktop art because soon it’s time for the Summer Edition of Club Marmalade Moon and something green and organic would be perfect for a summer desktop, wouldn’t it?

Tags: art, Breaking Ice, celebration, creative process, gratitude, inspiration, painting, prints

iPhone photography: View of Visby, Gotland

Back from three blissful weeks in Visby on Gotland – “the island of roses and ruins”. Waking up each morning to the sounds of birdsong and church bells and having locally grown strawberries for breakfast. Shakespeare’s Macbeth performed in a ruined medieval monastery. Watching the fairytale Swedish Royal wedding (extra exotic for me as I haven’t watched TV at home for six years) on TV. Morning walks along the medieval city wall. Runestones and Viking treasures of gold and silver and Greek, Roman and Byzantine coins dug up to this day all over the island. Walks in the botanical gardens (founded by The Bathing Friends in 1856). The scent of lilacs and roses on the terrace with a marvellous view of the city and the Baltic Sea. A magic Midsummer’s Eve.

The sunset tucked in a hibiscus petal, wrapping it around the horizon. White nights where each sunset faded into a new morning, dusk transitioning into dawn. Swallows, roses, blackbirds, poppies, blueweed, wood pigeons, peonies, pebbles and seaweed on the beech. Daisies and white clover. The salty scent of the sea. I took photos of the view from the terrace (almost) every day, just like I do with the oak tree outside the windows of my home.

As I unpack my lime green suitcase I find a mind map for creative ideas and inspirations, a few watercolours, a heavy stack of books, photos taken with my iPhone, a poem I wrote on the back of a napkin, some sketches I made on my iPad, a bag of saffron and almond rusks, jars of honey and Ramsons (wild garlic) pesto from Gotland and a gigantic pile of dirty laundry.

I feel so grateful and energized from this trip. Relaxed. Determined to find a new way to continue to live a slow life, staying on a Slow Media Diet. I feel inspired. And then I think about how I feel it’s so vital to travel. A change of scenery, however small or big the change may be. It can be something as simple as making the wrong turn when you step off the bus, or opening yourself up to an impulse to take a peek at what’s behind that building you always pass by on your way to something else.

And as I sit here typing this post, just about to write something about how our inner journey is as important as our outer journey, I hear the sound of a massive fireworks display. And I by that, I mean really impressive and orchestral, symphonic and majestic. I go out on the balcony to see if I can catch a glimpse of the fireworks, but I can’t, I can just hear the sounds… I’ll use my creative license to interpret the fireworks as a celebration for travel, for getting off the beaten track, for newfound inspiration, for growth, for rest and for fun and playful creativity.

Tags: carpe diem, celebration, creative process, gratitude, iPhoneography, seize the day, slow life, summer, travel

The very creative, brilliant, many-sided and lovely Valarie Budayr of Learn Sweden and A Place Like This has honoured me with a Kreativ Blogger Award.

Valarie writes about a range of topics including crafting, reading, cooking and her experience and passion for different cultures. Her family is international and one of Valarie’s many expressions for her Swedish heritage is her Swedish school where she runs online Swedish language and culture courses. Valarie also has a great love for nature, whatever you do, don’t miss her beautiful series Fox Diaries!

In return for the honour of receiving the Kreativ Blogger Award, I must pass on the love to seven other creative bloggers and then share seven things that you didn’t know about me. In the spirit of Valarie, I’ve selected inspiring blogs that span a wide range of topics, from culture, creativity and nature to living with several cultures and languages.

7 Creative Bloggers Who Have Been Inspiring Me Lately

• gardenmama – Nicole never fails to inspire and delight with her beautiful photography, creative projects and love for life.
• Turquoise Poppy – Love brought Tara from California to Turkey. The expat-induced identity crisis that followed, lead her onto an exciting path of self-discovery. Tara blogs about ways to “bloom where you’re planted” and examines the possibilities of a fluid identity.
• Gora! Gora! Gora! – Jason blogs about relocating from Sydney to India and accompanies his writings with splendid photography.
• artlovejoy – Wini’s blog is such a sunny, gorgeous and inspiring place to visit! I adore her taste and sense for colour.
• madebymegs – Megs writes poetically with great honesty, vulnerability and strength about the dark sides of her life, only to turn around to write about her appreciation of beauty or to tell a story with wit.
• ocasiocasa – the beautiful online home of Dale and Jeff. Poetic photography and stunning, eclectic crafts.
• williamboschdotcom – William modestly calls himself “an accidental photographer”,  check out his blog for a feast for the eyes!
• a house called nut – Michele is an American in Helsinki, Finland and she blogs beautifully about her adventures. From life in an eco-cottage in rural Finland to anticipating parenthood in the big city.

I’ll be back later with the other list.

Tags: blogging, celebration

Birch twigs decorated for Easter

It’s been an Easter full of contrasts. Sightings of black bunnies and crocus. Spring in the air. The joy of spending time with family and friends. There’s been egg hunts, reading, iPhone photography, walks and cooking projects (the lemon drizzle cake was delicious).

Imagine my horror when I woke up this morning and found the park covered in snow! And it wasn’t just a sprinkle of snow, it was a complete Christmas card landscape, except for the jingling of bells and singing of carols. I charged out onto the balcony and rescued the daffodils in the nick of time.

This Easter I wanted to spend some time ironing out the technical details for a new online store that I’m setting up for my new series of paintings. Somehow, I messed up big time and if you tried visiting my site during the holiday you will have noticed that Marmalade Moon was gone! What a failure!

I went through a series of emotions, everything from shock to relief to horror, until the site came back, magically resurrected…

Tags: blogging, business, celebration, iPhoneography, spring, technology

iPhone photography: Christmas Crackers

We had a wonderful Christmas and are now enjoying “mellandagarna”, the days in between Christmas and New Year’s. Peaceful days for contemplation, cosy days at home, long walks in the snow.

Before I return to my new book, The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters, and painting software Art Rage 3 I wish you a “happy continuation”, “god fortsättning”, as the Swedish greeting goes.

Tags: celebration, Christmas, iPhoneography, software, winter