A May Day

May, and only a few days to the opening of the next exhibition. I have been busy! All the paintings are now ready, fifteen new ones, but still there’s a lot to do. Framing, screws to be twisted into wood, bending wire and hanging all the paintings to the walls of the gallery. 

Most of the time this has been fun, and for a couple of moments, pure hell. I fight against my blue moods, I try to conquer this fatigue. Exhaustion has been luring, trying to grab me, sometimes succeeding.

Summer. It’s coming and I’m going to do absolutely nothing.

(Mick, I still can’t leave comments to your blog, it’s so annoying!)

February

A comment in Mick's blog:

The exhibition I had with my friend in January continues through February. It has been very popular and we were asked to continue for another month. Yesterday we took the sold paintings off the walls and hanged a lot of new paintings. I brought also some paintings, the rest are photo manipulations.

Otherwise, I've been dead tired, doesn't feel so good. My head again, it’s such a mess sometimes.

Susu

My Finnish Bikini

Mick longed to see my Finnish bikini writing his comment, so to ease his pain, here is Middle Morbid in her brand new bikini designed by me.

What do you think -should I make postcards of my design bikini and sell cards to tourists ;)

I Dressed Up Just For You!

My blogger friend Mick celebrates his birthday 22.3.2011.

(better too early than to totally forget...)

Happy Birthday, Mick!

Instead of being late, I’m early!

Happy Birthday Mick!

Please, dress me!!!

Mick, that fabulous and inspirational artist, gave me a marvelous idea! He commented on my new book’s video, saying that the figure (who is not me!) wasn’t dressed for winter.

This made me start a project –Top Fashion Design, even with paint- in my Finnish main blog. I have asked the readers to download the picture of Middle Morbid (my English name for her) and design gorgeous, plain or whatever clothes on that poor, shivering thing using whatever tools and programs.

If my English readers wish to participate in this project, please do! Download and dress Middle Morbid with your own style, let your imagination flow and post into your blog your unique fashion style with a few lines about the story behind the outfit, or you can send the work to me. I intend to make a collage or a video about the outfits, so I ask for your permission to use your work.

I’m going to draw lots after dead line of this project, and one lucky fashion designer shall get a small award from me.

The dead line is on Saturday 12.12. 11.59 PM in Finnish time.

On The Bus

picture by Mick Mather

***

Buses are the worst. At first, everything is alright, you step aboard, pay your fare and sit down. The driver starts the engine, your eyes seek for the familiar landscape through the window. Forests and meadows melt into a swirling ribbon, blue, green, occasional sunny, yellow spots. The ribbon unwinds when the bus rolls to a stop, the doors sling open, new passengers mount to the bus.

The journey continues and suddenly you hear the change. Voices of people mumbling to their mobiles get sharper, words come closer, but you can’t hear what is said, you don’t recognize the words. The air is filled with sharp mutter. The ribbon behind the window turns muddy, the window becomes a glass wall, it falls on you, and you’ll be imprisoned into the transparent material.

The bus moves faster. You dare not look at the driver, you’re afraid he’s having a seizure, maybe he’s drunk. He drives more rapidly and you tremble in your glass cube, there’s no air. You struggle for breath, you want to get out, but you’re not able to lift your hand and push the stop button. You can’t move your body. Not before the bus stops for the next time, the doors open, and you feel the cool breeze pulling you out of the bus.

Your feet are shaking. There’s no bench by the bus stop, you’d like to sit on the ground, but you know there’s no way of getting up if you’d do so. You hold on to the pillar of the bus shelter, you lean your forehead and feel the jagged, cold surface, and you try to remember how to breathe.

***

I wrote this short story first in Finnish and published it in my Finnish blog earlier this week, and on the same day Mick published in his blog the pic you see above. I asked for and got the permission to use Mick's beautiful picture to illustrate my story which I translated into English. Mick's work suited the feelings of my story more than perfect. Thank you, Mick.

Walking

My blogger friend, Mick Mather, celebrates his birthday today. I’ve admired his art for a long time (time is so relative in Blogland…), and especially I love his vision of women. Mick treats women in his art with love, care and respect.

I asked and was given a permission to use Mick’s art to make a video. Here it is: a tribute to Mick’s skills.

Happy birthday, Mick! 

A larger version of the video here.

Happy Birthday Mick!

My fellow blogger Mick Mather celebrates his birthday today. I’ve made a video for my friend, the master of filters, layers, colours, visions, creativeness and imagination.

The eternal source of inspiration for me.

Happy birthday Mick.