Art classes results.

Art classes help me explore new ideas, but they also provide useful feedback and inspiration, not to mention, it's always nice to learn new techniques and get proper criticism and guidance in how to make my things even better.

Experimenting with new techniques and methods after being inspired by my June art-classes to play with acrylics. This type of art is apparently called "fluid art" and is basically pouring out different colours of paint and letting them mingle and move on the canvas as they please.
Acrylics on canvas - 2017 - 40*65cm

Oct 2017 - acrylics on canvas - 60*50 cm
One of my art class projects, inspired by the theme "jungle".

Nov 2017 - acrylics on canvas - 90*35cm
Another art class project, inspired by the theme "labyrinth"

Art classes Nov 2017 - acrylics on canvas - 70*35cm
Concept and working on an idea. This piece needs to be remade, as I was just playing around with an idea and didn't take well enough care in my work. The idea works though and I'll have to redo it at some point, making an effort and not be sloppy and lazy this time around.
Again, over the theme "labyrinth".

More paintings and projects

Some paintings from this last year or two. Even before art classes I hadn't stopped completely painting, but classes certainly helped me get back into action.

2016 - oil on canvas
A gift for my then employer.

2017
My first try with acrylics. So different to paint with than oil.
Inspired by the morning light one morning.

One of my better pieces, pre classes.
This was painted for a very dear friend in 2016.
Oil on paper.

Playing around with shape and colour. 2016
My sister in law fell in love with it and I framed it for her.
Oil on paper.

Oil on paper 2015-2016.
Sometimes I get so fed up with the controlled work, that I just feel the need to destroy it.
Below are two paintings very loosely painted, focusing on structure and colour.
Above a painting, very structured and controlled, that was cut into pieces and glued onto the other painting. It creates a mosaic and I did intend to make it look like shattered glass.
Not sure I really succeed with that though.

So this is a bit of the work I've done the last few years, before my art classes started.

Art classes and inspirations

Since summer I've been attending art classes at Aarhus Kunstakademi. It's been an interesting journey and process, not to mention, opening up for a whole bunch of new creativity on my behalf.

So, time to share some of the work.

The two final pieces from my first week of art class in June 2017.
First time working in acrylics also.

Result after the "jungle" project during my 2nd art class, fall 2017.

A test piece, that I don't like much after an assignment.
We essentially were blind-folded, held an object and had to draw what we felt.
This is then the painted result of one part of once of those drawings.

One of my summer painting projects.

More paintings

I haven't been completely without creativity over the years and have been painting a bit here and there. So here's a bit more to share.

This was painted 10 years ago. It is actually two paintings, one behind the other, and then cutting through the top painting to reveal a small part of the painting beneath.

This is not exactly a painting, but a drum I made in 2010, and painted in 2014. The colours represents the four directions as per the traditions I learned.

This was a painting I painted in April 2015 to express some of what was going on inside me, after a week-end of deep shamanic work.

And finally, a test of an idea I have, painted in September 2014. I have the idea to make a series of "shields" all with different animals hidden in them.

In the dark

In the dark I wander alone and lost
Longing for the sound of your voice
Hoping to hear your step
To feel your touch upon my skin

Fear grips my heart that you may be taken from me
By an evil I do not know how to fight

Kneeling I pray for the Light to save you
Aches in my body from long hours spent
Hope mingles with worry in my heart
Is it too late, or will we prevail?

So deep is my love for you that I could cry
My life has no worth without you

I touch my cheek remembering your touch
My lips longs for the sensation of you
Strongly love flows in my veins
As I long for your tender embrace

Forever will I love you, more than my life
Forever I will be yours, an eternity for you

More Mandalas

Oil on canvas, my first mandala attempt and design

 Finally I finished my oil painting mandala. That is the first mandala I worked on and fully my own design. I created it before I received my mandala book to have a fresh mind and approach to how to make a mandala. The focus on this one is the colours and it's taken me some 3 weeks to paint in order to wait for different layers of paint to dry.

Variation of the Yantra for meditation on the Gayatri Mantra

Another watercolour yantra. It's taken from my book, but I added the circle to create more harmony and let the grid extend beyond the circle. I'm not too satisfied with the grid part. I'll have to do some more variations and see what comes of it.

Mandalas

Tibetan mandala of Vajrayogini, female Buddha

I've become fascinated by Mandalas and have begun to paint them. These two are the first I have completed, and are both in aquarelle (water colours). I've coloured them with special water-colour pencils and then used brush and water to paint them. Small projects where it almost takes more time to outline the pattern in the mandala than it takes to colour them.

Tibetan mandala of Vajrayogini - a pink/purple version for my daughter

After doing my first one, my daughter wanted one for herself in her favourite colours, so of course I had to create another with lots of pinks and purples. It's now hanging in her room and she loves it.

Yantra of the goddess Durga

Today I was a bit more courageous and did one of the mandalas which are a bit more complicated. I cheated a bit and made half circles instead of lotus leaves in this one. I think the result is rather good though. This yantra should be powerful for attaining desires, remove difficulties and conquer enemies. It bestows wealth and protects the person from sorts of dangers. Let's see if it works, it now hangs on the wall behind my workstation.


I came across this book "World Mandalas" in a French art supply shop, but didn't buy it then. When I came home from the shop it was still in my head and I went online to order the English version. It has lots of inspiration and ideas for mandalas and also tells where the examples are from, giving you a chance to research the background of each one.

The book does suggest that you colour the mandalas in the book, but I'll rather copy them onto another media and thereby be able to do the same mandala several times.

I am quite enjoying painting them, even if some of the mandalas are very daunting to copy. Some are so beautiful and complex.

I'll share the oil-paintings I'm working on when they're done. There are two in progress with my own mandala-inspired designs; the repeat patterns, symmetry, and circles.