Exhibition opening action!

Yesterday evening was great fun with my exhibition opening at Annantalo Arts Centre. This exhibition includes gouache illustrations from all four "Elsa ja Lauri" picture books I've made with the author Kerttu Ruuska.

It was the Night of the Arts in Helsinki, so the whole city was packed with happenings, performances, exhibitions, events and late night shopping. I was lucky to have the opening event that same night at Children's Café situated inside Annantalo Arts Centre in the middle of the city centre.
We had prepared a "detective" assignment for the children. They had to find the missing items for Elsa's and Lauri's suitcase before they were due to leave for the airport (as they do in one of the books). The items were all in my paintings, and the search was intense! We gave away small prizes too. And of course, there was a possibility of making paper airplanes, my son's favourite hobby!

Elsa book launch party

I had a really, really good time celebrating the two new Elsa picture books at a book launch party and illustration exhibition's opening last Tuesday. Here are some photos from this happy event!

The exhibition wall is ready!

Interior of Toukka before it got crowded.

Musicians' family members reading.

Which one is going to win, a book or a mobile game?

Yep, the shop is tiny.

Our band Trio Pullakka quartet performing songs made especially for the event.

Friends!

Royal Wednesday

Queen Elisabeth I

King Louis XIV

Today's favourite colours are crimson, vermilion and scarlet red. According to Wikipedia, scarlet is closer to red than vermilion that has a slightly more orange flavour. Crimson has a tiny bit of blue mixed in. These are my three top reds at the moment. Bright, cool pink gets the fourth place!

Workshop weekend

Yesterday three preschool groups from a nearby nursery school visited the exhibition. They were pretty excited to be in an art gallery. We had a workshop where everybody could do their own fantastic fairytale bird.
I had designed bird stencils and had them made in a laser cutting studio Laser-Riimikko. The children seemed to really enjoy painting and came up with some amazing artwork in less than half an hour. This weekend I'll have two more workshops with children aged 4-13 years.

Birds made by children of Impivaara nursery school

Story of the Golden Bird

A couple of more photos from Tuesday's opening party. 

Today is the fifth national Fairytale Day (Satupäivä) in Finland. I visited my son's nursery school and read them a story about a Golden Bird by Finnish storyteller and writer Raul Roine. Who would have guessed that I chose a fairytale about a bird! 

I illustrated the story on big sheets of paper and we talked about it. One boy was very confused as the prince was wearing breeches with knee socks instead of jeans or other 'normal' trousers. First time for everything!

Opening night

Yesterday evening was the opening party of my Lintuja! Birds! -exhibition. So many wonderful people came to the gallery. It was quite a task to have a chat with everybody. And now I'm stocked with chocolate for weeks, not to mention all the gorgeous flowers! Thank you!

 Here's my son doing a few spins and turns!

We arranged a corner for children to draw their own pictures.

Opening soon...

Yesterday I was putting up my exhibition at the gallery. Everything went smoothly, no broken glass or limbs. These birds got a lot of attention from school children walking past the gallery.
Today I'm just taking it easy before the evening and opening party. I will start packing my books and paints and sorting out artwork and papers. Next week I'll be moving to a studio near home. First ever studio outside my home, so I finally got my own 'walk to the office' in any weather. I'm planning to get a pair of snowshoes just in case.

Waiting for frames

Last week before the exhibition. I'm molding birds from Fimo Soft clay and painting them with acrylic paints. It's much harder to do than I thought, so all the birds will have slightly awkward body shape and proportions, crooked beaks, not to mention their legs...But it's fun.
These birds on the studio wall are waiting for their frames. I'm doing the framing part myself. I ordered the passe-partouts to be cut to right size. They'll be arriving tomorrow. So wish me luck with the framing and molding, I will need it!

Monday morning

This little fellow is part of a still life painting. It's sitting on top of an old mustard jar that I found in a cupboard for all things old, forgotten and unused.

Counting days...

...for my Lintuja! Birds! -exhibition. Here is a sneak peek of the invitation that I haven't seen in print yet. Three weeks and counting, can't wait!