Skagen: then and now

I learned about Skagen when I first got here and have wanted to visit ever since. It is the Northernmost tip of Denmark--a little sandy bar that fades into the line where two seas meet. Unfortunately, I won't be able to go there this trip, but I found these antique postcards at the flea market over the weekend and the final image is a modern day comparison--a shot of my office mate and fearless city guide, Jesper. It appears that not much has changed.

ships passing by again

i did finally fix the "i like to watch ships passing by" woven card and i want to post it again so you can see it in in all of it's finished glory. the other picture is my sketchbook where i schemed and calculated how to get the darn thing to fit on that tiny card. sometimes sketches and drafts are so much more interesting.

i am still knee deep in thesis production, some writing, some graphics-making. i made this graphic last night comparing a small planted area as calculated by Seattle Green Factor with that of Berlin's version, Green Area Ratio. something about it reminded me of that sketchbook page, so i thought it would make a good addition to this post.

flee market find + still working

got this little set of mini postcards about SYLT, an island in the North Sea, and this the darlingest cover illustration. when i was an au pair in Bremen, everyone up there talked about Sylt like a summer heaven in a mythical, dreamy way. the postcards prove that they are right. sand dunes and long stretches of tall yellow grass. the beaches are dotted with little striped tents and dingies. delicious. this edition is pocket-sized measuring about 3.5 x 2.5 and makes it easy to take the magic wherever you go.

i am making lots of progress, but still worrying about completing everything i want to make my thesis really great. i made a set of postcards entitled "worry" to purge myself of the worries. this is one of the series. the answer to my question is a resounding: YES!

JA!

so, remember when i posted that image of a postcard that said JA! in yellow and red. well, i made that to enter into a contest here at school and i just found that i won and i won 1000Euros!! hell yea. i am so excited. it was a contest to come up with images for 10 principles of sustainable cities and i wrote a text to go with. it is one of ten images that will be used in a publication, though i am not sure of the details. i will, as always, keep you posted on all news. hot diggity dog! that deserves a FANTASTISK!

interlace

started a new little postcard series called, "interlace". I weave paper together to create words. i have made two as gifts this year and thought they were really beautiful so i am going to make some more. these are a bit sloppy, but they are just for messing around. i have been finding really beautiful advertisements for events in bold colors on cardstock and immediately wanted to make interlaces out of them, but the card stock is really difficult to weave with on a small scale. JA is the size of a standard postcard and I LIKE TO WATCH SHIPS PASSING BY is 7 3/4" x 5 3/4". I was really excited about Ships Passing but since the cardstock was so stiff it was really challenging and i got frustrated and stopped. but, now that i have taken a picture of it, it actually looks pretty cool. maybe i will salvage it. i think i might do a Copenhagen Alphabet. we'll see.

Oh, and have any of you heard of Viktor IV? I just discovered him at the Royal Library bookstore in the Black Diamond. Artist wanderer who made daily logs in his boat logbook out of letters, envelopes and other found objects. there is a show about him at Galleri Tavi at the northernmost tip of Denmark, SKAGEN, and i might try and make it up there, visit Mark's parents in Aalborg and reach the tippy top.

hot dogs go home at night

wow. i had a big night of learning.
on my way home from Danish Films with English Subtitles night at the DFI , I saw this:


then i realized:



but i also wondered:



and lucky me, my guy was there. but he told me he is going to vacation to Juttland, or moving there. i couldn't really tell. i hope he comes back. he said he owns three carts and works everyday. his wife died 4 years ago and the dog stands are kind of his life. the one i saw heading home is part of his fleet. and he will actually speak a little bit of danish with me, which is really cool. i had a medister.

found book

pieces of this will certainly be appearing in postcards and collages. it was really wet when i found it, so i had to dry it out on the heater for several days. as a result the pages are very warped. i found out on a walk and it's funny how mundane things like this will strike you. i just wanted to take it home. oh and the poems are in Swedish.

doubletich

the laundry room in my building is an inspiration. bold colors and rolling baskets, and on top of the machines there are signs that say FRI (free) and occupied (don't remember the word) and that is how above post card was born. and below are more from the same laundry session.

get busy on your bike