sales

5 sales!! not bad huh? Now if I could this every month I would be home and dry .................

this is a copy of the newspaper report about me and Åsa - how she didnt laugh I dont know - I couldnt stop giggling !

The exhibition comes down tomorrow (sunday) - it has been a wonderful experience - best yet! and possibly the shortest!

Zaz ;-)

phew!

well its done and dusted! the exhibition is up and running ................at least after the private view tomorrow !!

quite pleased with how it hung - at least 9 new figures to add to my store and they took up most of the gallery!

Great gallery too - in centre of town , light and airy - and well lit - so feels good but not expecting any sales or great outcomes from it ! I do however enjoy the experience of hanging, putting stuff together and all in all use the exerience as a positive one to add to my experiences of exhibiting .....................different galleries demand all sorts of different skills ...........so keep 'em coming!

The girl (girl ??? should I say young lady?) exhibiting with me makes jewellry and machine knits - pleasant girl and nice work! Åsa Bergkvist she's called and this is a picture of her brooches and wrist warmers.

Very Scandinavian huh?

Ulf is in my bad books - having helped me hang the blooming stuff he dropped one of the figures and broke her hand ................arrrgh! Knowing exactly how long this stuff takes me to make , I was not best pleased, but if that is the only mishap - then I shouldnt complain!

So heres hoping loads of people turn up tomorrow - press too I hope - then I can rest easy till taking down day on Sunday...............all this trouble for 3 days?????

brother is it worth it ?

Zaz ;-)

first day

had an absolutely fantastic day yesterday for my first day not doing a 'proper job' - for that, read loads of work , no money !

Made up another set of cushions - that now makes 4 sets in total but I have fabric ready dyed to carry on with this latest project.

Another idea of mine that is currently moving on is papier mache! This is something I used to do ..........and have to say, loved it ! I used to make hats with it but they were so hard - so understandably not a raging marketing success! But I also made bowls and stands and these two have stood the test of time!

Now if anyone thinks that papier mache is not durable I have to correct them! These two bowls have been with me now for over 10 years - survived numerous moves ............and countries - and the small mutli coloured one lived in my bathroom - steam and all!! Wonderful stuff - and is something I am re-visiting ..........................so on my fantasmagorical first day home I painted 7 bowls and have 3 more waiting in the paint department (thats actually Ulf, but paint department sounds grander)!

I also packed and listed 35 dolls and figures ready to be hung in the exhibition on Thursday - and today I must type up the list , my cv and put together the emergency kit for hanging ( that means fishing line, scissors,, needles, threads, hammer - get the picture?)

In the evening we had a meeting of http://www.vavkompaniet.se and I am beginning to feel a bit more like a member - I am now an official keyholder ! yoo hoo!

Now one thing that was mentioned at the meeting was the meaning of 'textile artist' - here in Sweden if you say you are a textile artist it means you weave ....................and I dont ..................at least , at the moment I dont ! But this is something I am going to to investigate- not the traditional over and under type weaving on a loom ( apologies to all my swedish friends and colleagues ;-)) but weaving like Roberta Furlanetto and her book 'Weave' is on my 'must buy soon ' list! - so weaving could yet be on the agenda! surprise surprise! :0)

So all in all a great start.............................. and wonderful not to be cleaning

Zaz;-)

cushions

this is the result of my dyed cotton - a set of 3 cushions entitled 'moonlight'!

Zaz;-)

dyeing

Have really enjoyed myself dyeing fabrics .............love these soft colours - and have been busy making them up !
pictures to follow

Zaz ;-)

waste and working

I know I go on and on and on about working ............now only 3 days left! :0) But there are some good bits and the 'waste' is one of them!

Spill - we call it here - and sometimes it is downright wonderful!!

I knew that there had to be a good reason for me working in the plastics factory!


Zaz;-)

Sea Glass

Gotland is a great place to find seaglass and we found loads - even in the short time we were there!

But I still havent found any blue glass!! definitely a shortage of this! Still not sure how to use it - but its just lovely to have!


Zaz ;-)

Easter holiday!

just got back from my Easter break which has been wonderful but a little hectic! we hired a small house on Gotland- right on the sea! and we had the most glorious weather ever!

The small house on the left was the store for the garden furniture! sweet huh?

I even got around to sketching a bit on the ferry over - I hate having nothing to do for 3 hours and once I have done the rounds of the deck , eaten lunch and read the freeby mags then its down to work! ;-)

This week is work for exhibition week! I have collected some sea glass, and some spill from work so really must get on with more figures! .................meanwhile more pictures of my holiday - Ulf and my sister!

Zaz;-)

Saturday girl

had a lovely morning! Decided to go and help out at http://www.vavkompaniet.se/ as I am trying to learn the ropes! It was busy ..............which is good!

Ms T in the foreground!

They sell such a variety of goods , pottery, wool, jewellery, iron goods, woven mats , paper string ..........everything - all hand made! Its a great atmosphere.

I have to learn how to run the shop, cash up, lock up and unlock - etc etc etc .................................bit nerve racking!

I worked today with a girl called Ingalil.

I will go back again next week and the week after ....................somehow this has to be incorporated with my working day!!!

oh well!

I can take work to do there...... and there is also my skecthing that has got terribly behind!

Zaz ;-)

working ...........again!

HHmmmm back at the cleaning job! I didnt mean to but I need the money! Oh well!

anyway - I have been making hokus pokus sticks ...........sticks that do magic! we all need those ......sometimes ;-) Mine are Swedish so they only do Swedish magic but that is better than nothing.........I could do with some Swedish magic ..................



also have been making some brooches .............see! I am not totally redundant or useless :-)


its just hard sometimes to be creative and working!

...........stop moaning Zaz;-) and get on with it ;-)

zaz ;-)

spending money!

HHHmmmm............ being at home is costing me money! I now have the time to read blogs and websites etc etc ..........and I am so easily persuaded that I must have these things! So today I have ordered a book from Sweden, some crayons from the USA and I am currently toying with the idea of some art supplies from the UK! ;-)

But - on the plus side I have finished figure no 3 - so that is 6 new ones for the exhibition - and also have made 6 magic wands !!

Tried to take a picture to display my new found productivity persona but it was too dark - so they will have to wait til tomorrow!

Wait ! did I hear someone ask about magic wands???


well, there is a big demand for them here ..................now dont you just wish you lived in Sweden?? ;-)

Zaz ;-)

figures

I have been working on my figures today for the exhibition at the end of April! I sort of thought that I would work in sets of 3 - dont ask why cos I dont know why - buts thats how it was going !

I have finished 3 foresty type figures - and am now working on 3 white hanging figures ! Now, usually all my figures are female types but tonight one of the white figures has turned out to be a bloke type figure!!!!

Where did he come from? and he looks quite chinesy!!! But there he is and it was him that determined he would be there !!!

The picture on the left here is my 'man' and on the right is the female equivalent!! I will finish him tomorrow but so far are quite pleased with his female counterparts!

I have quite a large hanging space and these figures will wave and move in the air ........................

I also have acquired some super pieces of plastic waste that I am raring to get started on tomorrow .............oooooooooer - I am so excited!!!

Zaz;-)

strange days?

some days just turn out to be strange .............. dont they?

This is my first day as a full time professional textile artist - ta da!!! So what has happened ?

Well the cat has delivered 2 dead mice and a bird - obviously he feels there is something to celebrate now in having me at home all the time ! So he decided to share his 'catch' with me !!! Thanks! ;-)

Then I had to go to the job centre to sign on - nice people but a little lacking in understanding of the job market I think! They found me a job at a theme park - High Chaperell - cowboy theme park !!! I am speechless.........did they know about my line dancing career in my previous life??? and - yes- I did teach line dancing in England !!

However I am now 53 and a little tubbier than I was then - so I dont think that performing in the 'show' or even serving hot dogs dressed as a rootin tootin Shotgun Annie is really up my street!

Thanks jobcentre people - but I think I'll pass on that one!

Also .................I have been offered my cleaning job back after it being temporary - I have to consider that one too!

At the moment I am working on my figures .............................and contemplating life as a textile artist!!!

yee ha!

Zaz;-)

oh yes - nearly forgot - these really are pictures taken in our downstairs toilet - I did say I was strange ..................or did I say the day was strange??? ;-)