I have understood and accepted that painting involves a journey that is up and down. And that's enough of all creation. I want to get better all the time and develop. If I feel that it is up all the time, then the risk is that I have stopped and am "satisfied" and perhaps do not "dare" to develop and challenge myself.
Challenging yourself that's what's the hard part sometimes. Sometimes things go wrong, it doesn't turn out as planned. Some days are like a hangover and some days I wonder what you're really doing, but I still have to do it.
I have painted for periods. When I was young I painted when I needed money, there was a frame shop/gallery that had taken a liking to my paintings and bought them as I painted. Then I received orders for portraits of children and pets. Later I also painted for several exhibitions and sold there. I have attended a number of art schools but still feel mostly self-taught. I am constantly creating in my head and having ideas. Some get off and some don't.
I have created my entire career, but mostly as an AD and graphic designer in my company and professional life. I have also been a co-owner of a craft shop where I sold my self-made ceramics and graphic sheets. I also had my own small craft shop where I also sold ceramics and graphic sheets.
In parallel, I have always created "for myself" and in recent years it has been mostly digital images and patterns that I have put on products and sold online, which I still do in another web store, Design by Odette.
But now I'm up and running again and painting pictures, which is great fun. The thing that kicked it off again, even though I've been meaning to do it for a long time, I think was when I got an assignment to create images for a book, which resulted in about 30 images. When the book was finished, we had a realisation/vernissage when I also had an exhibition of Fine Arts prints with about 12 of these pictures, which went very well. There were pictures that were a mix of watercolor and digital collage. And then I felt that now is the time to start painting again.
If you want to see in the Bomullssystrar gallery, take a look here
