Jokivalkeat - Fire Sculpture

While in Finland I had the chance to participate in some really random art workshops. The first of which was Fire Sculpture, I was sold at the title. I had no idea what it was or how it works, but I sure was excited. This also marked my first experience with the Finnish educational style, by all accounts the best in the world. Even now as I reflect back on the whole experience I am not sure how to classify the teaching. The teachers don't really feel like teachers, more like associates. They are even addressed as 'tutors' instead of professor or teacher. At times I felt a bit lost because I didn't have that authority figure to turn to in times of confusion. Instead I was encouraged to work out my own solutions, which is probably the better way to go for the last year of my bachelors.

The main point of this workshop was to celebrate the river and the darkness which is so prominent in Lapland. We started by throwing a few ideas around and eventually came to epic conclusion of making a dragon. We sold the idea with the mythology and aesthetics associated with dragons, but lets face it, it was just awesome to make a dragon.

Once we had the wood frame built we stuffed it with hay. At this point I had no idea if it would even work.

We set up the sculpture and stood back to admire our work. It was good. Work went much faster than we anticipated so we made two baby dragons and put wings on the main dragon. I don't mean to sound cocky, but our piece definitely stood out.

Showtime came and the results speak for themselves. Its a great feeling when you got the roar of the crowd supporting your work.

Adaptation Charting

Being the hyper active artists that I am I managed to squeeze in another show before I left this weird place called Finland. This one focused more on my contextual experience rather than the development of my own ideas. The project called for an emphasis on photography, but being the crafty guy I am I managed to warp this to something I was more comfortable working with, an animation / process drawing.

This was the result of about 2 months of work. Everyday before I went to bed I made one quick drawing on a large piece of paper and took a picture. Each drawing was made to represent my day, so as an art piece I don't think this is very successful. It is more akin to a source of memories for me. Other people in the group approached this project as a scrapbook, available for all to freely read. I didn't want to make things to easy for the viewer. I felt that this chaotic assembly of imagery represented me better as well.

Halfway through my process drawing I got the feeling that I wasn't going to be entirely satisfied, so I went ahead and jumped into my favorite medium. I also felt that I didn't have enough work. Finland just wasn't pushing me enough.So I thought I would put my skills to the test and see how many paintings I could produce in 3 days. Keeping with the theme of documenting my stay on the other side of the world, I decided to do a sort of anthropological documentation with a slight twist. I asked some friends to come by and I would paint a straight portrait. The catch was that they had to make a funny face. Each person is from a different country and the expression was their own choosing. I liked this series much better than the drawing. It still maintained the main idea, but it was filtered through me now.

Who We Are

Like a good little art student I finished my stay in Finland with an exhibition of my work. I'm not really sure how I feel about the series as a whole. I had a chance to refine my technique and work out some concepts. It was quite the switch from the factory production pace that is expected in Montreal. When I stand back it feels like just another drop in the bucket. I feel an incessant drive in the back of my head and despite my best efforts I have not even begun to define it. I wonder now if it will ever be defined or will this be the buzz the pushes me to my limits till my time has come. At the moment I think that the answers I am seeking lies within some abstract art theory or psychology text, so my research must continue.

Animus and Persona

Anima

 

Shadow

These four pieces represent Carl Jung's main archetypes, the organizing principles of human thought and personality. I chose this theme for my stay in Finland because I felt that it would effectively cross any cultural barrier, and believe me there was a bunch of them.

In order to encourage people to actually comment on my work, I covered one wall in paper and wrote 'Who Are You' in the center. Even in an English environment it's like pulling teeth to get comments about your work so I thought this would be a bit encouraging. The images above is the result after a 3 week exhibition. In the end there was a lot of great answers and I'm glad I included it.

Reflecting back on the show I couldn't help but think about the marketability of this series or even portraiture in general. For whatever reason I am drawn to that particular style of expression, but I can't really see a use for it besides my indulgent need to endlessly create and express the ideas whirling around my head. I suppose we will all have to wait and see what becomes of me and my work.

Collaboration

Some weeks ago, while I was working on the SnowCastle in Kemi I met this amazing sculpture. As it turns out he had a vision for a snow, ice and light project and he needed some help. I was more than happy to offer him anything he needed. The end result is incredible and well worth the effort, but it has to be said, I have never been colder in my entire life. Several hours in -27 with just student quality winter gear wasn't really a smart choice. Also consider that for most of the time I was jumping around in half a meter of snow. Regardless, I will always remember this experience. I also invite you to check out further details of the project here.

Lou Lou #3

Lou Lou is coming along nicely. I finally figured out how to paint an extreme side view of an eye. Its one of those weird things that you would think wouldn't be a problem, but it really is. I am not sure how I feel about the glow of the volcano's peak. I like the brush work throughout, but its not quite Caravaggio level. Yea, I aim that high. Next day I will rework the face, legs, and consider pushing the scenery back in an attempt to make it look like she is in front of a window. I will probably also add a bit more paint to her arms to bring up all that lovely texture.