40, YES!

I turned 40 yesterday, YES!

today I m the same, and also as different as I change from day to day, like I do every day.

Still I m supposed to feel something special about this. 

It made me wonder; before I turned 40, on the day itself, and after, what that could be? There s a lot confronting thinking possible on this front (getting physicaly older, losing contact with the stream of evolution around me because of the fact that household/work/life just consumes time, choices we made have had their impact in many ways,…).

Also there s a lot of positive thinking possible (the ability to think for my self gets stronger, more appreciation, more experience, more enjoying small things…) 

One can keep on analysing and explaining why we should or should not feel good about this.

Yesterday I had a conversation with my 14 year old. She wondered why she sensed that I was not completely happy that day, as she is the sensitive one to pic up on peoples feeling in a second. I wondered, "mmm, I m fine, but some how I feel like I m forced to stop for a second, and with that, a stream of nice, happy but also sad memories is going through me. I think that s why I m not a happy birthday-girl..."

After some warm phone calls and messages I also checked my Facebook. Going through those, I realised I have no idea what I actually mean to all of you, and at the same time it hit me. 

It doesn 't matter. What does matter was that, by passing your comments, I realised I m the lucky one to get an emotion with every name I pass. So many people that have meant/mean something to me. It can be a memory of a tiny sentence, a nice conversation, or just your face,work, kids related,..., it can be a struggle as well as nice warm moments.

It can be anything! 

Happy and thankfull to be able to realise that + the love of my familymembers who woke up at 6 to make me a huge breakfast, made my day into a perfect 40 years old-day !

That s what turning 40 meant to me.

Can t wait to turn 50!

*keanne*

                                                                                                                 

Keanne • art and Illustration: Shop

Keanne • art and Illustration: Shop: Online:    http://www.etsy.com/shop/keanne also you can find cards/ prints on these sites: https://www.kaartje2go.nl/zoeken/keanne...

Keanne • art and Illustration: Forrest- life

Keanne • art and Illustration: Forrest- life

Work-space

And a glimps of my "fairly" cleaned workspace...

Keanne • art and Illustration: A lovely wens day morning

Keanne • art and Illustration: A lovely wens day morning: Yes it is heating up outside, already - 10 degrees, and the sun is shining. The last 2 weeks has been below -15,-20 all the time. My brain...

A lovely wens day morning

Yes it is heating up outside, already - 10 degrees, and the sun is shining. The last 2 weeks has been below -15,-20 all the time. My brains slowly started to get frozen. But towards warmer feelings now.

The beginning of the year seems for many artist a starting point of new projects, but also quite some insecurity as grants applications/ publishers answers... haven t come in yet. 

It s like you have to imagine all the projects on your desk will come through this year, and go for it.

At the same time, you know perhaps none of them will or they will, all at the same time :). 

picture from Riitta Ryhtä s blog: http://riittar.wordpress.com/2014/01/26/nurinpain-teatterielamys-mummille-ja-mummin-mussukalle/

But it s good that we have a lot of imagination, so after a few weeks of doing bookkeeping, planning new projects and applying for them at the same time, I start to get warmed up and start at the top of my list. I ll let you know in the coming months what happens.

At the moment our sweet children theatre play is still running. We carefully started with a few performances, but it seems like we will be doing some more soon. 

It s an experimental play based on both Andrea Vannucchi s photographic work and my drawings, and object-theatre in addition to that, using an old fashion projector. 

The play is without speech. 2 characters, a brother and a sister, go through the day and their play. But everything seems to go backwards. The dreamy music/sound-world from LauNau combined with our colourful yet sensitive visual world and the fine humour of the characters, make a perfect combination, creating a whole new world on it s own. 

Friday and sunday are the last performance days for now, you can still book seats:

https://www.facebook.com/events/395940533872693/

Lately I have been thinking about how the economy is constantly pushing us to buy more/do more/ get bigger/be up to date ...and if you look at the result in the world, you might realise it s getting scary proportions. It s almost like you re captured in it and you will be immediately notified if your not allowed on that boat anymore. You will be ignored, excluded and are officially "not cool". "One minute you re in, the next you will be out". It s very powerful, and also feeding itself on people s biggest fear, "to be alone".

Yet I think there s much more to life, and actually, you will survive if you do it your own way.

Maybe not in the way people will think you are cool, but as a bonus you will be really connected with yourself, your friends, your surroundings...whether it are a lot of people because you are very social, or only with a few because you are not. The question "what do you really need in your life" may have become one of the most important you can ask yourself nowadays.

Therefore I loved watching this documentary:

http://areena.yle.fi/tv/2118063

Inspired by it, I draw my own little balloon- house:


Now I m of to the sun (getting some woods to warm our little house :)

Keanne

Keanne • art and Illustration: Christmas spirit

Keanne • art and Illustration: Christmas spirit: Afternoon sun is shining into the room, soon (15.30) she will go under, and the long dark evening begins. Tonight although, will be filled w...

Christmas spirit

Afternoon sun is shining into the room, soon (15.30) she will go under, and the long dark evening begins. Tonight although, will be filled with warm candle lights and songs , as we ll go to church to listen to my sons/and classmates christmassongs. It will be the last time we ll go to a pre-school christmas-event...

I notice that in this time of the year I tempt to read more newsarticles as at other times. I remember, when I was small, my father used to encourage me to listen/watch news: so I would know "what happens in the world".
I have been fighting this for quite a while as it just feeled to much. But the last years I seem to catch up, and read, think about the world around me much more. I think one reason is the fact that our children are growing up, and it feels like a good idea to have a glimps of what happens in the world. Also I realise there s noting more important in our lives than to feel connected. to something, someone, somewhere...

On days, sensitive as this, I feel wisely attracted to positive headers, and luckely they are there to be found!
There is so much warm news around, and espesially in this time of the year, probably difficult for many people /families, it warms my hart to read about how giving people are and I feel like screaming "share this feeling if you feel it too"

Wishing you all a warm christmasmonth ahead!

*Keanne*

Silence after the storm

Yesterday it was very stormy weather although not as intense as in Denmark, Sweden...at least not here. When I look outside the window, it s amazingly quite.

Tree s don't move, no leaves falling anymore, no animals (the dog is flat out on the sofa, something to do with yesterdays stormy mood she had) and I just cached that one mouse that sneaked into my car (I hope)

Soon kids come home and everything moves again, but not yet....So yes, that silence.

Sometimes it frightens me a little bit. People ask, don t you get scared, or lonely living in the middle of the forrest. Well, maybe sometimes, just for a second, but the power and the goodness, the beauty of nature in all forms takes it away very quickly. 

Nowadays it s also so easy to contact someone: phone, Skype, e-mail... And taking the car on the country side is much less of a job then getting from one side of the town to the other, to meet a friend.

I have to say, today is such a day that I actually feel the silence. But most of the time, it just goes by. Time goes fast by working, planning family life, getting housework done, helping kids with homework, self-invented projects... taking care, driving towards social life...just by all the things that life includes.

                                         This balance suits me perfectly.

I will travel towards Belgium for a few days missing my family already. And will be at the book-fair on friday, signing my little book "Een potje vol STORM" at the department of Clavis(212). 

I ll dive straight into that crowded world of books, and hope to meet someone, or maybe find that special book...

Next week will be the end of an other project in the elderly house of Oinasjärvi, as I start to know the people a bit more there, I realise I ll miss them, even as they might not remember me :)

Some more pictures:

http://www.keanneillustration.blogspot.fi/p/about-me.html

After that we start these darker months with some brighter program (in schools) and hopefully room for new idea s... ohyeah, and christmas is coming of course <3

**keanne**

Keanne • art and Illustration: Exhibitions, bookfair and new things coming

Keanne • art and Illustration: Exhibitions, bookfair and new things coming: The last 2 months have been very busy. I was happy was part of two exhibitions (group-exhibition in Perniö, Salo, Helsinki)  and closi...

Exhibitions, bookfair and new things coming

The last 2 months have been very busy.

I was happy to be part of two exhibitions (group-exhibition in Perniö, Salo, Helsinki)  and closing my own one in Matlidedall.

Mostly I m amazed of how much effort was put in those, which I appreciate very much. It feels that in times of crises, creativity lives quite intensively. Creative People, are giving people, and clearely, when things are difficult in our surroundings, supporting each other.
I enjoy this breath of fresh air!

The end of last week and the weekend went mostly to the Turku book-fair, where our little town of Somero was main guest, together with America. I might have been a bit dissappointed about the part orientated to children and youngsters, as it was put into a cold corner, not worthy presented.

But it was very nice to be part and to feel some appreciation from close surroundings, and at the same time see how actively people are actually writing, making books in this area! We have poets, writers of table-books, Novel-writers, photographers, a well known cartoon-artist and me as part for the childrens books. Quite an achievement for a town having less then 10 000 inhabitants.

This week, finishing my elderly project (Osamispolku) and working on my marketingplan is next.

And then I start planning after-autumn-holliday workshops and some new book-relating projects, looking forward to that!

*Keanne*

Keanne • art and Illustration: Coffeecup-world

Keanne • art and Illustration: Coffeecup-world: The last half year I have been involved with a project, intending to find different ways of collaboration between artist a...

Keanne • art and Illustration: Coffeecup-world

Keanne • art and Illustration: Coffeecup-world: The last half year I have been involved with a project, intending to find different ways of collaboration between artist a...

Coffeecup-world

The last half year I have been involved in a project, intending to find different ways of collaboration between artist and elderlyhouses/care. At was partly education/workshops to get in contact with this world in particular,
and partly each artist would create an own project.

As a visual artist, for my part, we decided I would create an object wich would function as an idea-and senses-box for nurces/ the elderly and possibly their relatives to daily use or as a part of recreation. The name is "Coffeecup-world" and is centered around communication , past, present, future, and also stimulating our all our sences.

The box is created in a way that it could be commercionalised, in case a publisher would be interested to reproduce the boxes.
Otherwise, for now, it is a box, mainly build of recycling materials/partly print on canvas, and would be possible to order the box handmade for your elderlyhouse.

On friday I presented and handed over the box to the lovely local, very homy, elderlyhouse.
It was exciting and also refreshing, because I could finaly reflect my idea s for good and bad, wich will be usefull in case I will build more boxes. So for now it s a part of Somerniemi, in week 40 it will be exhibited in the library of Salo, among other projects, welcome to have a look!

Lots of sunshine to all!

Keanne

Keanne • art and Illustration: From summer to autumn

Keanne • art and Illustration: From summer to autumn: This week felt like a storm gone by. Lot s of little things moved forward. You know that feeling that all things seem stuck at the same ti...

From summer to autumn

This week felt like a storm gone by. Lot s of little things moved forward.

You know that feeling that all things seem stuck at the same time and suddenly get moving just at the same time. Well, on a personal level, my youngest one left to preschool, so now I m suddenly , in one days time, a big boys mother!

On a work level, I finaly got to present my work to my co-artists and curator in the Osamispolku-project (projects in elderly care). It was very intreaging to notice that the object I created, was understood quite well, and awoke positive feelings without explanations. Also the new idea s they gave me where very inspiring and usefull. Yes, working together brings more!  In a few weeks it will be tested, but more news about this later.

An other surpise was that the Salo librarybus, I finished illustrating just a year ago, was chosen to be the second best bus in Finland, from 20 participants. The buss got many good critiques as well about the outside as the inside of the buss. The buss also has a very friendly team putting a good collection of childrensbooks together each week.

My next book with Minttu is getting form. "Gosts don t believe in...", that s all I ll tell for now :)

Next spring it will be in the shops.

If you havent got any plans for tonight, I recommand to have a trip to Salo (for those living in Finland of course) as a very interesting "OUTLET SALE" of many good Salo artist will take place. There will be also over 60 illustrations from my hand as well, published or unpublished...

Unfortunately I can t make it myself tonight,
but have a nice opening for all who will !

*keanne*

Keanne • art and Illustration: A weekend at the sea side !

Keanne • art and Illustration: A weekend at the sea side !: Havent you been to Teijo or Matildedal yet this summer, I recommand to make a trip in that direction this weekend! In mathildedal my exhi...

A weekend at the sea side !

Havent you been to Teijo or Matildedal yet this summer, I recommand to make a trip in that direction this weekend!


In Mathildedal my exhibition "Olipa kerran" is still running. I dropped of some new cards and extra books in the "mini-store" attached to my exhibition, welcome!
The place is surrounded with other activities. There s the harbour and a beach, some lovely new and old furniture stores, a café with a nice atmosphere, alpaka-store+ animals present, a nice restaurant and beautifull surroundings to make a walk.

Next you could visit our summercafee in Teijo, Masuuni. Fresh wafles is our speciality for this summer, and all kind of other sweet and salty foods as well as cofee/tea/fresh made smooties...

In Masuuni itself there s a hand and craft shop, ceramics, antique store and an art gallery. The old church you can visit is just around the corner. More info about our café in Teijo you find: https://www.facebook.com/TeijonMasuuni

This sunday there will be a mini-festival at Masuuni, with some inspiring, experimental music and dance from artist from Salo, Teijo and Kemiö...
Also there will be a workshop for children, so the whole family is welcome and entry is free!

So if you can t figger out what to do this weekend...
now you might be tempted do something to sharpen your sences :)



*Keanne

Creative boosts

I m looking outside, it s raining, Launau on the background, dog hanging on the sofa…

I shiver, it s almost summer almost…(woollen socks still allowed)

This spring has been so filled with work and daily live, and plans changed all the time: Still, when I look back, quite some nice things happened. 

While illustrating the next book, my head looks for change, something new, and the idea to try new techniques and concepts, is  growing in my head.

I m suddenly thinking about what creativity means to me.

Creativity is a constant process, which I think, on some level, we all experience every day. How to solve a problem, how to make food, how the make daily  life work. We create things, but also situations, possibility s, and problems to be solved. It s living in us and it keeps us moving. 

For me, on a work level, I often start at some point intuitively with something. I don t want to know why at that point, because I want to "see what happens". That s definitely one of the reasons we ended up her in the middle of the forrest in Finland 

Next it s the seeing, of possibility s to make the connections with surroundings, to make it work, have a function, by which some kind of outcome or result get s born, whether it s a card, book, exposition or an work-tool for other things. These result are kind of like bricks to build witch, and I keep on collecting/creating new bricks, each time over and over from the beginning. At the same time my own space is created bit by bit, and my own story, dispite what others think or society thinks I should do to "succeed".

So for me, creativity is first of all breathing and evolving on a personal level, second of all a way of functioning in my surroundings… and most of all, i can t stop it, and I don t want to.

Sharing this interesting link about sweet Quentin Blake:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06rYXkIhBtY

Particulary loving the frase " ..It is not that I think that illustrations should be like that, but this is what I can do..."

Welcome by the way to my exhibtion in Meri-Teijo, wich runs all summer!

Some more info and pictures you find here:
http://marilehtisalo.blogspot.fi/2013/06/kesaretkella-teijon-ruukkikylat.html

For now enough serious talk, tomorrow it will be midsummer-night, 

wishing you all a creative party spirit!

*Keanne*

An "Under the surface exhibition" (45-years existing of our art-association) and our visitor Clara

Since almost 2 weeks ago, the exhibition "Under the surface" in Veturitalli (Museum) in Salo is running. 

http://www.salontaidemuseo.fi

The exhibition was curated by Otso Kantokorpi

http://alastonkriitikko.blogspot.fi/2013/04/nayttelykuvia-795-796-luettua-117-118.html

The opening was very crowded and lots of different reactions on different works. Personally I think it is a good selection , working as a total and gives a diversion of the association. There s a certain fragility, also humour in the works, and mostly honest personal works without to havy statements.

I vistited the exhibition with my 5 year old after, and he jumped excited from one work to the other, new sensations all the time and lots of stories, and he felt like dancing ! Heads filled with applejuice, round forms and waving wings, leaves to crowl under, and funny drawings, a car drowning, teatre-chairs, a large tree (can I lay down on it?) "THIS WAS GOOD"
Best critics these 5 year olds!

The exhibition runs until 2.6, welcome!

Then something about Clara the owl, who visits illustrators and collects their thoughts/drawings/

sketches about the experiences they have with 

here for a few days. It s fun, a light experience and at 

the same time nice to see some doodles/website of other

 artist I would other wise not have run in to.

Clara s site:

http://lillaluise.blogspot.de/p/traveling-owl.html

A nice and sunny day from Finland

*keanne*

Keanne • art and Illustration: Waking up from a winter-sleep

Keanne • art and Illustration: Waking up from a winter-sleep: Snow hasn t melt away yet, as it s colder then the usual march, but i guess it will at some point. Today the light turns to the no...

Waking up from a winter-sleep

Snow hasn t melt away yet, as it s colder then the usual march, but i guess it will at some point.

Today the light turns to the north, and this morning we were all awake at 6. This would nt have happened a month ago! It s amazing what the light does to your brains. At the same time it s lovely, like a light switched on and more air to breath, but at the same time it itches your eyes as it s a lot at once to take in . 

 But slowly we are getting used again , and if , soon, a bit of warmth comes with it, I ll be all happy and shinny again ready for spring plans.

The end of the winter I used to finish the book-projects. 

2 books will be published by Aurinkokustannus somewhere in the autumn, and one book will be published in Belgium by Clavis.

About publishing: someone pointed out this week, the situation of getting to find a publisher, wich is a wonderfull feeling when you get that kind of news.  But next to it is the large amount of work, and mostly the situation not to get grants for it, as you would have hoped. Even if you made a tons of applications.

So basicly, if you count the hours and the small author-rights compensation you get  throught the publisher, you can t say you do this otherwise then because you love doing it in the end. 

But it does weigh in the process and I keep wondering, while everryone says this is not right, while making efforts to change this, protest against this, creative people seem to be stuck in this for now. Is it because we love it, we don t deserve a proper fee above it? What do you think? 

But putting this a side again:

Now it s time for future plans. A few weeks ago I started in the project Osamispolku in Turku. 

It s a beautiful project. The idea to stimulate/create better ways for the artistic and care-taking world to collaborate.

We are a nice group of 9 and the group is very inspiring as there s different disciplines involved and the artists experienced. 

Also I started to plan a book-series with Jody Merelle, who moved to Somero a few years ago. She is half Finish, half English and we found a common idea, we are working on at the moment. This is also very exciting, not telling to much yet! 

We at least hope to get something ready for the Turku- book-fair in autumn.

For today, I ll clean my desk, make some sketches and handle some paperwork and orders.

Lot s of light to all!

Keanne 

A happy new year to everyone!

Back home from our trip, still waiting for suitcases. But at least they are spotted in Helsinki, and might be here in a day or 2.

I started to work since yesterday.

It was a bit like a jump into a cold pool.

But the fresh air starts to fill me up and idea s start to float again. It was good to, yesterday , do all kinds of preparing and practical things as making a clear planning for the coming half year. It start s to get full quite quickly and I m happy to have so many nice people to work with.

First of all, I was invited to participate in the lovely owl-project, you can spot in my sidebar.

Works for the 45-v anniversary of our art association in Salo, starts to get form. Next I will continue the new book-project I started already a bit before the end of last year.

I m very lucky to get the chance to get a book published, from which story and pictures are both mine. I have always been very insecure about writing, still am, but last year I felt like, why not try! 

And it worked in it s own way. Maybe it s a bit like when I say to people in courses: "everyone is creative and everyone can draw, in it s own way". And that process is way more important then how skilled or talented someone is. That s where we learn and find common language.

Maybe I can write in that way, who knows :)

Tomorrow, I get to paint in the elder-house again, it s great we can continue this project already for 3-4 years, and it s starts to look that cosy and colourful in there, that I silently start to hope to get to live there when I m old and have forgotten everyones name.

Hoping a wonderfull start for each and every one of you!

**keanne**

Lists of feelings!

Somehow I have been thinking I should write my last blog this year, but already a few days, I can t get my finger on the item at all.

I think at least I figured out why:) 

Yesterday I started making new lists "to do" for this last bit of the year, during my sleep I continued to do so(yep) and now I m…. so sleepy:). 

But at least the lists are on the table and started. And suddenly I realise the enormous chaos I felt around me lately.

It s strange to just go on. So many things happening at the moment in the world, which give people reasons to be scared, grieve, to be angry, sad and lost.  Systems fall down, trees, houses…It feels almost like, when you as a child builded a high tower of blocks, and suddenly a little brother/sister came to push it down, just on the moment your thinking, NOW I m where I want to be.

But actually maybe to many towers are not all right, maybe time is creating bit by bit new possibilyty s s for us, to balance things again and build a new foundation from these blocks again. 

At least this is how I decided to see things for the moment, and wishing everyone who needs it, the strength to find new possibility s in the coming year.

Lots of warmth to all, 

see you next year!

**Keanne**

Al the advantages you can get for christmas:

Below I have listed for you all the discounts for christmas:

-through my etsy shop: Calendar for only 12 euro + sending costs

-original illustrations for very nice prices

-the number of members in my Fb group got up to 398 already, if 2 more people join, I will do a give away (1 original) before christmas to a random member.

-a special discount code for 5% off to apply to anything available in the shop:

use as a coupon code: CHRISTMAS1

Christmas-markets on which I will be present and will be some special prices:

-in Somero ruokavamesu

-in Salossa: Rikalanmäki joulumyyjaiset

Further you will find my products:

In Somero:

-Pellavakeksus

-Somerokirja

-Justiina (somerniemi marketplace)

Salo:

Toinen Keksi

Design Hill

Lillan

Teijo:

Masuuni

New will be some surprises in coorperation with the Finish designer Somis (famous for here lovely curtains in Toinen Keksi cafee :)

In creating the products is as much as possible kept in mind recycling as well as ecology.

A warm coming up christmasperiod to everyone!

**Keanne**

Wonderfull creatures

The last week, I had to chance to work with special needed and disabled children. 

A "wonderful" week. 

The main idea was that I would go on a mind and sense trip with them, adjusted to their skills and interests. We used a lot of books, a bit of story and the artworks I brought from the traveling exhibition belonging to this project (Polku).

Also I brought my suitcase: the sense-suitcase I created last year, including the senses motivating window-book "inside-out" we made with Andrea last year. That came of good use.

From that we would search from each and every one of them, their inner picture/creature. 

I must say, this was kind of magic. From the moment I came in, the contact with I got with the children, wether it was direct or through the making of the pictures, was so much more real and loving as what I experience on a daily bases. Also the teachers, immediately understand my way of working, the sinking into the process, the letting go of the prestigious or trendy result. It was as if I was invited into a bubble for a week, and I did not feel like leaving it in the end. 

My week in Sirkkulan school in october, was also a very positive experience. The weather made it so that we could 'nt stick to the main plan for the whole week, which was rock painting, but at least partly.

 

In general, we have been a bit more strongly confronted with being a foreigner the last 2 years. This is not always bad, and also a result of our own choices, But I have to say, again, wisdom lays with children. They are not affraid.

They are so open, don't see it as a threat that a foreign/different person comes in, but embrace, share, and learn and I learn from their culture, each time again. That s also why we moved here. It s the whole point; no one is better than the other, just different. And from that we might find sollutions for problems we might have never even thought about on our own.

I brought quite a bunch of international picture books to this school. Also some Finish books, from which I know they are not enough appreciated as they are again, different. They loved it. It made them move right away. The few safer picture books, where not even picked up. They want more and different, food for their brains. It was inspiring to see and make me believe again. To my opinion, in general, the children's books market is mainly pointed to the adults/parents, as they buy the books. Maybe some day we menage to see our children more as they are.

Today it is a sunny day, I m going to put that to use and wish you all the same!

* Keanne *

Autumnvibes 2012

Autumn is in action, wind blows and the days are grey, mornings and evenings dark...
Nature is very powerful,  it suddenly brings down your energy level and makes you aware of your body, and it s limits. It s adjusting -time and also time to take care and keep warm, gettings out candles and woolen socks (actualy, used these also in summer:) and have to admit, choclate is my best friend!

When I m sitting in my workspace, in the middle of the forrest, it almost seems unreal, all the things happening in the world. I open the computer, the radio and things start to pulp out, a regular line of negativity news. It s like a big flood, we are trying desperately to stop, which at the same time seems impossible.

But what we can do is to wake each day again and look at the day as "ours to experience" and "give form", to sharpen our senses, to watch and listen. We can t control nature, we never could. We can t stop every ones hate , pain and disappointments at ones . But each day we can start again and try, that s the gift in live we all got from the start and for as long as we are here.

An other gift we got was the ability to work together, to communicate.
This week there was an interview on tv: an older lady (politician) told she was at a conference, gathering 12 to 30 years old sharing idea s in technology and science. 2 fourteen year old sat besides each-other, one explaining the other the thing he discovered. The older lady sat down and told the one boy, "don t tell him your discovery, he is your competition".
The boy looked at her and said " boy your old fashion, we share nowadays".

These ways of thinking give hope and bring a smile on my face !

Autumngreetings from the forrest!
Keanne

The library bus (making of)

This autum I got the great opportunity to design/draw the outlook (outside) for the new library buss of Salo. In Finland, there 's library busses driving by schools, daycares and also on private requests to points close to peoples homes, also meant for those who for some reasons have difficulties to travel but love to read. The buss starts driving officialy on monday, and I hope it brings a glimps of positive energy to people around Salo.
But so, here s the making of, in the form of a little slideshow, attached.

enjoy!

(music Selah Sue, Raggamuffin)

Autumvibes

The rest of the autum will be filled with wind, leaves and colours. Projects on my table are a story I wrote myself, beautifully translated in Finish by Hanna van der Steen.... . After a few more drawing the search for a publisher will start and I cross my fingers. I hope to do more projects with Hanna as well. Go and have a look at her blog:
http://tahtisilmat.blogspot.fi/

Next week the artist-godmother weeks start again. I will be visiting in 2 schools this autum, and we might be working outside if the weather alows it. I m looking forward to work with children directly again, after a break since spring.

Also Minttu started writing some new material, I love it again and pictures immediately go through my head! This I will start working on at the end of the year, beginning next year.

Autumcolours to you all!

**keanne**

New and old things:

Yesterday I got sneak preview of the prints for the bus-project, soon there will be more about that...

Something new is my etsy-shop: I decided to move my web-shop from the currant place to etsy, a warm platform where many people show/sell/communicate about creations of their own hands, made with a lot of care. I recommend this site if you haven t been there yet.
In the mean time my old online-shop will stay open until the end of this year, there will be some discounts on the products present there, more about that later.
http://www.keanneshop.nl/
Please, welcome to visit this new place, some new items in store...
http://www.etsy.com/shop/keanne

Also my website got a bit of a different outlook, it s working as a platform of collected links/gallery s. Unjoy my cups!!!
http://www.keanne.be/

My new book project(s) start to get direction as well, I m excited !! but not telling anything yet :)

Today I was painting over 100 harts: cards for "Soriptimist", an international charity-association, in which my work will also be a part of charity. I start my weekend with a warm hart and wishing all the same 2 you!

**keanne**

Nothing to show for/ a process

This week was very a very productive one, but yet I have nothing to show for.
Showing things seems so important nowadays: showing you can or did , showing you won, showing you 're better, or even that you 're/have it worse...

This is what we forget so often: the process behind the showing, is the important thing that makes us present and feeling happy.
It s the actually "permanent thing. There s always the ever moving process we are in and part of.  Finished product are just finished in that particular moment, winning just lasts a second, a positive reaction is wiped away by a negative one in no time... those moments are gone before you know it  till the next one.
Yet it s often the idea of that product or achievement that keeps us moving forward.
Maybe it s a mix of knowing/excepting how to be in a process, and otherwise daring to be challenged by outside idea s and goals yet to be reached.

So therefore, today, I continue my process to get somethings finished again, and wish you all very much good luck with yours!

Keanne

Wens-day= "in between"

So we 're here again!
Wens-day seems to be the day for me, I m usaly the less creative and productive.
It s like I wonder around in conversations, on the phone, on the internet, and even in my own mind. It s like my head searches for silence. I even woke up this night to have a half hour of "silence", and so I slept on after that.
But soon, in an hour, the house will be full with voices again, which are not mine...:)

Maybe it s also, because so many things are again moving at the same time, somewhere,  but I can t see any destination yet.
There 's about 3-4 new projects to come. I should make plans for that, decide things...It s like they all have a fight in the back of my head: which one is getting the attention first,...well can t they find a way to work together!

This week is the "day of cards", from Paletti in Hameenlinna on Saturday.
And there s, perhaps most exciting, my bus-project, which soon will be finished, but isn 't yet completely.
Next week on the program are our new play "Inside out and the other way around" and preparing for the workshops (schools) on the program.

Yesterday I v got 2 positive feed backs in a short time, one for the cover of the new c.d. I designed for Sid Hille (http://www.satnamusic.fi/), and the other positive thing is that I got selected for the second time to "Key Colours", a illustration competition in Belgium.
I think we artist working at home, all experience this once in a while: we feel like nothing goes forward, you wonder "what am I actually doing?", and then suddenly there s a direction again that makes sense. Or I guess, it s like that for every one.
Comes to mind, In salo there s a wonderful project going on:
(Kulttuuri- ja hyvinvointikeskus Villi)
Its like a pop up cultural centre, for one month. people get moving/share/ open up. As I was talking with one fellow artist who is having a atelier there now, it s what we miss once in a while, to work in a place where people move, give idea s comments....

But... now it 's wens-day, my head is really not working. I m in between.
Today I had to use my hands some more in a practical way, to find a balance, and also prepared everything for Saturday.

Welcome to dive into the world of cards, many sellers/card-artist/collectors/exhibition will be there....! saterday from  10-16h
http://www.paletti.fi/korttientarinat/

***keanne***

A point of view

Last week holiday :
besides that the weather has not been hot and sunny all the time, we have been enjoying it. It is summer! Things grow, lots of green and some things already to eat from outside. Kids go to swim a few(short) times a day, 18-22 degrees outside seems to be hot to them.

My program has easily filled by our kids, house/garden-keeping, and social trips, even a few exhibitions seen: we come and go, have some guests, but no Holiday guests for longer periods this time.
Actually, it s the first summer since many years. Don t take me wrong, I love (really) each and every one of u guests. But this time I meet my self in time, also left for me and it seems like I needed it some how.

I actually get to think, besides work and children and housekeeping and al the worrying situations happening in the world. Bit by bit I get flashes about realities concerning me as a person and my choices made during the last 13 years.
Also, all 3 kids are now so big, that it leaves me with moments where they are all busy on their own.

It feels like I meet myself again and through that start to have own thoughts again, feels like I missed that a bit since some years. Moving here meant a world full of new things and possibilities. New things to learn about, but mostly time has gone to adjusting, while also we came into a whole new face in live.

This few weeks, I finished reading some books, have been putting time in the garden, also I cleaned many cupboards, bags full of clothes went direction south. I sold some things, gave away, and my environment really feels lighter, and so do I.
I m not a fan of cleaning, I admit, but once in a while, it s very therapeutic to push your self through it and to create actual space.
While doing this, I got to think backwards and go through layers of experiences from the last few years. It feels like I could write a book about every aspect of my live separately, so much seemed to come to the surface through this process. No need for expensive therapy, but cupboard-cleaning...:))

At the same time, meeting myself also makes me face some confronting things about this face in live: I m suddenly a 38 years old (young:) women, a mother and an artist to some level, besides that a cook, cleaning lady, teacher....you probably now the drill.
It s just full, the whole day, again and again and the direction is made. The endless/illusional feeling of possibility s s not there anymore like it was before, but replaced by a direction of possibilities related to choices made before...

Fighting for own hobby s etc. feels like a to big of a struggle in this face of live, the fact that we have no family around, us being both entrepreneurs, just makes it so that  I m always with kids, at least if they re not in school and I use my time completely to work.
"But" this is how I see (feel) it, it s the most blossoming time of my life, never boring constant learning and I m very conscious of the fact that every moment is very temporary and valuable, yet every move a direction to some future situation and consequence. My work is also my hobby and in my work I meet friends. My work is also related to my role as a mother. So far I love it, although the last year has been rough physically and makes me wonder again. Some of you who know me longer, know more detailed why. But still, I m quite fine. Yet an other victory on that side.

I feel like I m standing on an other platform in my live, ready to jump in to the pool again. I m not sure where my priorities lay yet, they shift all he time, but somehow it always get s me back to this reality: through respecting yourself+ your limits and both your possibilities, you get thoroughly in contact with your environment again, and from that choices are again more easily to be made...

Packages before the holiday

I love sending packages probably because it contains a surprise always , for the ones opening it. The one that just send by mail, was for a competition in illustration. It has been a long time since I tried that, but I thought I ll give it a go, keeping fingers crossed...

The last month was a very diverse one conserning illustration: wallpaintings, illustration for a tattoo, for a c.d., a poem book, starting with idea s for our new performance and now still one set up for a next surprise project, after which I will have a real holiday with my children...so much looking forward to that!

Rain and sun are switching turns at the moment, some summer thunderstorms seen,...at least it s not a boring summer until now  :)

Iloinen Toinen Keksi/Happy Toinen Keksi and some other things

The last month, I had some fun painting walls: first of all in the personal house of Lasten Taikamaa (www.lastentaikamaa.fi), a stairway turned into a forrest, and after that, our newly opened cafe got some more colours as I decorated the children corner.

At moment a group exhibition is going on in Teijo (http://www.teijonmasuuni.fi/), together with dear artists-friends. If you re in the neighbourhood, I recommend you to go and have a look.
It  s a nice place: besides our exhibition, crafts and arts  for sale, a cafe and an old authentic oven to be seen.

This coming 2 weeks I will be rushing trough some unfinished assignments and also preparing some test drawings for new projects to come. After that, I hope to take a small holiday and enjoy what s really important...

Hymykuoppa: an EU project ended

about 2 weeks ago our project Hymykuoppa officially ended by a conference/workshops.
A book has been created about the whole project, an other beautiful book related to us artist directly. Now we are left with our products, which we created during the last 3 years.




Our end product is a program we developed with SI therapist Sirpa Kauranen; it was wonderfull to work with her! We developed a package consisting a series of 12x sesions per group, working with children wich are confronted with minor difficulties in day cares. The idea is to also spot and support these children, so the possible problems don t unnecessary enlarge itself in time.
An other part of my end product , as an artist and supported by knowledge I gained through working with Sirpa, is a "Suitcase full of idea s" called" To be seen".
The substance is meant to stimulated different senses and invite to move in a non competitive, but creative way. At the same time to invite to work with lost materials as well as challenging adults to create on children's level and from their point of view. This suitcase is accompanied with a pdf containing my points of view as an artistic person and also idea-cards and steps to create your own idea-suitcase, -cupboard, -wall with the children in your group.'

http://www.salo.fi/toimialoittain/sivistystoimi/kulttuuripalvelut/hymykuopat/
"Elämysmatkalaukku varhaiskasvatukseen

In autumn this suitcase will be for rent for reasonable fees, hopefully developing to something new!

The sun is shining!

"Chain of friendship"

The project "chain of friendship" is based on the book "Ystävyys kuin perhosen kutitus" (A friendship tickling as butterflies)
This spring I had the pleasure to go and have workshops in daycares and school.
We builded for each a own friend, using socks, stockings to give it form.
About 60 children got their own creature home.

The filling consited out of different kind of materials giving weight, and decoration/creatures where free to invent to the kids. We worked on the floor again, spreading with lots of fun all the stuff around, getting wonderful personal figures. With some groups we created, according to the book, recipes for friendship, they could be anything, from jelly to hugs to snails...

Basically my goal was to get the children once again in contact with recycling materials and above all the idea to create little social sideways for the children to talk, play between each others and having created their own toy.
An other goal was to bring forward the importance of weight versus calming effect. Each creature was filled with something that gave it a sustainable weight, so the could be put on the stomach/neck/legs to calm down and help to focus more.
It was amazing how children instinctively started to do this.

So the workshop had in total a calming effect by giving them choices to create their own, by the feeling of the materials and using the hands in different ways, and by the end product.

Personaly I got a lot out of it,  and will be probably making some more this year:)

This project was sponsored by Varsinais-Suomen Taidetoimikunta

A colorfull summer

 

















Salespoints for the summer, 
welcome to search for your personal treasure each hidden in a special place:

Salo:
• Toinen Keksi oy, Turuntie 15, 24100 Salo, http://www.toinenkeksi.fi/
• Ipana : Asemakatu 12, 24100 Salo
• Lillan: Salon taidelainamoo: Asemakatu 12, 24100 Salo, www.lillan.fi
• Design koru, Annankatu 8, Salo

 Halikko:
Design Hill,Vaskiontie 418, 24800 (Halikko) Salo

 Somero:
•Pellavakeskus, Joensuuntie 49, 31400 SOMERO
•Someron kirjakauppa, Joensuuntiella. 31400 Somero
•http://www.lastentaikamaa.fi/

Teijo
• Teijon Masuuni, Telakkatie 17, 25570 TEIJO, http://www.teijonmasuuni.fi/
  
During summertime:
Somerniemi:
"Justiina", Somerniemin kesätori
Sattmark
21600 parainen, Pargas


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