Marie Jonsson Harrison » art blogs

159. ART & Rose colored glasses

mariejon — Fri, 23 Nov 2012 04:38:52 +0000

OTHER ART & TRAVEL BLOGS

So here we are still in Gothenburg staying with Leif, Lena and Emma and if you wanna recap here are the art blogs leading up to this point in time. 156. ART & FREQUENT FLYER POINTS and 157. Art & Never judge a book by it’s cover

This is the first time I have been back to Sweden for 30 years, seems crazy that it was that long ago. We had good intentions of returning several times and showing the kids their roots but got waylaid by a travel deal to America and ended up doing LA, Vegas, Mexico and New York instead. This painting of Swedish Midsummer celebrations was bought by my aunty Lillian at an art exhibition in Sweden organized by my USA Art Gallery.

ART OF EMOTIONS

Oh well, finally my husband and I are here the kids were too busy with uni to make it this time, and being in Sweden fills me with mixed emotions too. It is both exciting and scary to revisit your home country, my thoughts go to the people no longer alive particularly my 2 sets of grandparents whom I loved so very much and miss every day still. Coming home to Sweden feels melancholy without them here. Then there is the other relatives that I have missed too and the times and get-togethers – birthdays, Christmases and parties. Over the years I often felt regretful and sad to miss out and imagining how they cherished each other’s company and fun.

THE ART OF HOLDING IT TOGETHER

So it is with very mixed emotions that my childlike view of the world is brought back to reality when I find out that in many cases even though they live in relative proximity to each other some of them have not seen each other since I was home last 30 years ago! And no they are not fighting or dislike each other from what I can see they just simply got on with their lives and time slipped away.

ARTISTIC INSPIRATIONS

Over a series of 9 days travelling from Gothenburg – Sundsvall – Stockholm we gather together with both my mothers and fathers side of the family and have many lunches and dinners and catch ups. I felt so blessed to be within the bosom of my longed for family, at all times I felt cherished and loved and the misapprehension and melancholy soon lifted.

The first gathering in Gothenburg started at 11 am and did not conclude till 11pm with lunch, dinner with coffees and snacks in-between some fine wine. The company was wonderful with Lena, Leif, Emma who we are staying with, then joined by my 82 year old aunty Actress and Director Gun Jonsson and she is something else altogether. Only in the movies have I ever seen a woman that is 80 and looks and acts 50 but here she is. The thing about Gun is it is all natural – no plastic surgeries or trout pouts, nothing fake, a few lines but they do not detract from her beauty, just a woman comfortable in her own skin with hutzpa and vivaciousness, oh I hope I take after her in the “getting old” department! If that is what getting old means we have nothing to fear at all.

She was a chorus girl in her day and a former Miss Stockholm Lucia before she got into acting and has been held dear by the Swedish people and even received a medal from the King and Queen of Sweden for her services to the Arts just recently. If you fancy reading more about her and my fathers upbringing in Sweden in the Circus here is an art blog about that; 20. Antonis Tivoli Art and 21. Life in a Circus Tent .

ART AND SEX AGAIN

Guns most recent engagement was at the theater in Falkenberg where she presented “A naked man” a story by Johan Werkmaster about friendship in life’s autumn. Perhaps on reflection it is from my aunty my own fascination with sexuality comes from, lol.

The “teaser” from this production reads:

“Miss Lasker is old and alone. Mr Jansson is old and fat. They are neighbours . They drink coffee and talk. Afterwards Mr Jansson goes home again. But one night he comes back. Miss Lasker wakes up. Her door bell rings. She opens the door and screams because there is Mr Jansson totally…..

Shame it was not still playing when we were there as it sounded right up my alley!

Anyway back to the gathering, we were also joined by Gun’s son and my cousin Mikael Lind who being the fruit of two actors, his father is Lars Lind, couldn’t help but also getting involved in the limelight in one way or another. Mikael has for the last 20 something years played on cruise ships with his band where he plays the drums. Just like my brother in his band the Clowns of Decadence 25. Shake Rattle and Roll & Art & Music The next generation has also followed in this path with Mikael’s son and daughter enjoying some showbiz accolades through acting and music.

MORE ARTISTIC INSPIRATIONS

The other people present this day was my gorgeous cousin Sonja and Per-Ove who also have lived a very interesting life. Per-Ove was an agronomist and Sonja taught in schools among other things and they lived together in several of the African countries. Their main objective was to help the poor pull out of their circumstances and learn alternatives to conventional agriculture, aiming to produce crops in a sustainable way. Couple this together with their stories about living life in Sweden and alternating that with living in third world countries and you have conversations which was just fascinating. We then spend the next day on tour with them being shown Gothenburg through Per-Oves eyes who was born there and told stories to transport you back to when he was a little boy, a wonderful and enriching experience.

Here is a quote by Gaston Bachelard which is how I felt during my time in visiting Sweden again;

“So, like a forgotten fire, a childhood can always flare up again within us.”

Till next time happy painting and sculpting to you all!

Love Marie xxx

Why not come and have a look at Marie Jonsson-Harrison’s PAINTINGS FOR SALE, GICLEE PRINTS FOR SALE and SCULPTURES for sale or WALLBASED SCULPTURES. Enjoy an original artwork on your walls or perhaps one on your bed ARTnBED.

148 Art and my Favourite Quotations

mariejon — Sat, 18 Aug 2012 05:35:57 +0000

ART BLOGS

Those of you familiar with my posts on Facebook and Linkedin know that I always post a quotation and one of my artworks daily with a link to my art website blogs, and you familiar with my blogs know that I always end my art blogs with a quotation!

For the most part I try to find quotations that lift you up and make you feel good. I figure there is so much negativity in everybody’s life anyway – I mean that is just the way life is, you have to take the good with the bad.

ART AND QUOTATIONS TO MAKE YOU FEEL GOOD

So my aim with my quotes is the same as with my art I want to make you feel good! In the process of doing that it also makes me feel good, lol so that makes us all happy right? Just like the title of this acrylic on canvas board painting called “After the rain the flowers came”, there is an upside to everything. The glass is always half full.

ART AND QUOTES CAN MAKE YOU HAPPY

Oh I know so much emphasis should not be put on happiness, after all if we were happy all the time how would we know what happy really felt like, without having experienced disappointments and unhappiness from time to time. Life’s inevitable ups and downs are there to make us appreciate the good bits and help us cope with the bad. The way that I have personally coped with the bad and sad bits of my life one is to “Play Saturday Night” and here is the link to that quotes and art blog;153 The Art of Saturday Night have a look – it has been a wonderful way to make us feel better when the world seems to have turned against you. The other is to realize that when you are really at the very end of the rope and there no end in sight to your dilemmas and worries, there is only one way to go and that is UP. Whatever happens from this point on would have to be better than the hole you are just in. So the next thing to come is going to be good, right!! Yea that’s the attitude! So here are some more of my favorite quotes;

“A joyful heart is the inevitable result of a heart burning with love.” (Mother Teresa)

“Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.” (Carl Bard)

“Life’s problems wouldn’t be called “hurdles” if there wasn’t a way to get over them. “(Author Unknown)

“Failure doesn’t mean you are a failure… it just means you haven’t succeeded yet.”(Robert Schuller)

“The more I practice, the luckier I get.”(Jerry Barber)

“A pessimist sees the difficult in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”(Winston Churchill)

“Always borrow money from a pessimist, he doesn’t expect to be paid back.”(Author Unknown)

“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”(Winston Churchill)

“I try to take one day at a time, but sometimes several days attack me at once.”(Jennifer Yane)

“You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.” ( Mae West)

Here is another quotations & art blog which may also interest you: 136 Quote and Unquote in Art

“Life is an opportunity, benefit from it.
Life is beauty, admire it.
Life is a dream, realize it.
Life is a challenge, meet it.
Life is a duty, complete it.
Life is a game, play it.

Life is a promise, fulfill it.
Life is sorrow, overcome it.
Life is a song, sing it.
Life is a struggle, accept it.
Life is a tragedy, confront it.
Life is an adventure, dare it.
Life is luck, make it.
Life is too precious, do not destroy it.
Life is life, fight for it.” (Mother Teresa)

“Swallow your pride occasionally, it’s non-fattening!”(Author Unknown)

“I’ve never seen a smiling face that was not beautiful.”(Author Unknown)

“Chase down your passion like it’s the last bus of the night.”(Terri Guillemets)

“Never tell me the sky’s the limit when there are footprints on the moon.”(author Unkown)

“If you woke up breathing, congratulations! You have another chance.”(Andrea Boydston)

The real problem of leisure time is how to keep others from using yours.”(Arthur Lacey)

“For every minute you are angry, you lose sixty seconds of happiness.”(Author Unknown)

And I will leave you for today with my favourite quote at the moment often attributed to William W. Purkey, however Susanna Clark sang something very similar in song called “Come from the heart” a collaboration with Guy Clark on the album Old Friends.

“You’ve gotta dance like there’s nobody watching,
Love like you’ll never be hurt,
Sing like there’s nobody listening,
And live like it’s heaven on earth.” (William W. Purkey)

Till next time happy painting and sculpting to you all,

Love Marie xxx

107 Girls Night Out in Art

mariejon — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 05:20:53 +0000

THE ART OF HAVING A GOOD TIME

Oh the 1980’s – I remember it well, those Girls nights out. Well some of it at least although I have to admit through a glass colored by gin and tonic or champagne. Those were the days when I could party all night, sleep for an hour and still attend a fashion shoot the next day and look fresh faced and bushy tailed. My girlfriends and I would hit all the clubs in town, know all the bouncers and never line up. Our favorite clubs were Regines, Toucan & Toucan Two, Limbo and Jules.

GICLEE PRINT

This image is one third of a painting called “The true colors of Hindley Street” the whole one can be seen on this link; and is a Giclee print, the original acrylic painting was 25cm x 155cm and was bought by a Physiatrist and hung in the waiting room. It was very popular with the clients I’ve been told.

Hindley Street was the hub of the clubs and the place to go and hang out in the 70’s & 80’s and the painting was called Cracking a Hindley originally as that what we called driving very slowly up the street with all of the car occupants hanging out the windows and interacting with the goings on!

PAINTING IDEAS

When I had the idea to do this painting I went around and photographed all the shops and businesses that were memorable for me. I used my artistic licence to cut out some of the less colorful places as well as adding all I had seen over the years into the picture at the same time but apart from that it is pretty true to life. Hindley street has changed a little since those days but it is still frequented by the night-owls, and trying to catch a cab there at 4am in the morning without queuing for ages is an impossibility as I recently found out. (Old habits die hard,lol!)

MORE ARTISTIC INSPIRATIONS

However in those days I would spend all night on the dance floor, dancing up a storm, the music pumping through my veins with just enough alcohol to lose the inhibitions. That was the time when Michael Jackson was still black and cute and sang Thriller, Billie Jean & Beat it. Kevin Rowland from Dexy’s Midnight Runner’s singing Come on Eileen, wearing nothing but blue jean overalls. Who can forget Frank the owner of Toucan wearing suits without a shirt complete with gold necklaces! The Eurythmics certainly had it right – Sweet Dreams are made of this and they were my Golden years. The last song the DJ would spin on the turn table was U2’s; Still haven’t found what I am looking for!

But at that hour of the morning round about 4-5 am – what I would be looking for, was a snack and so would all the other clubbers too. So off to Marcellina’s we’d trot, meeting up for a pizza with all the other die hards, some a little worse for wear! Then tip toeing home, shoes in hand with the sun only to do it all again the next night. Oh those were the days!

I can still party up a storm although these days it takes a little longer to recover and perhaps count my drinks a little more carefully unlike Dorothy Parker who said;

“I like to have a martini, two at the very most. After three I’m under the table. After four I’m under the host”.

till next time

love Marie (C)

(if you enjoyed that use these links for another couple of party story art blogs 51. When Laughter is the best medicine mmm…. and maybe a little bit of snake 53. A Hens night out..without mentioning the P…word!..impossible )

Footnote: This Artwork has now been made into a Duvet and is on sale at ARTnBED website

http://www.artnbed.com/ Here is another blog about how that all came about if you fancy a read 140 ART n BED

74.Pop-Eye II & Art

mariejon — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 01:18:38 +0000

ART & THE POP-EYE

This painting is of Popeye which is an iconic Adelaide institution, it is privately owned and the first ferry was launched in 1935 and took you between Elder Park and Adelaide Zoo. The first two boats in service carried 20 passengers each and the three next Popeyes made seated up to 40 people. A very popular tourist attraction and they even took Queen Elizabeth ll and Prince Philip on a little ride in 1977. The new fiberglass models, was launched in 1982 by the then Prime Minister Malcom Fraser.

If you look closely at this acrylic on board painting you will see me, my husband and the two kids in the middle of the boat, the kids loved going on it when they were little (I’m in pink and hubby green). I have even done a ceramic and mosaic version of this painting which hung in the old Adelaide Airport for many years.

JAPAN & ART

I will get back to the Popeye story soon but firstly let me tell you why we came to take another ride on the boat a few years back. When the kids were in high school here in Australia they had a program going whereby Japanese exchange students would come over for 2 weeks each year and learn English and also learn about the Australian way of life. So we discussed this as a family and all thought it would be a worthwhile experience for our family to do. We thought it would help to teach the kids tolerance and respect for other customs and cultures and perhaps learn a little Japanese too. I have for many years had a strong connection to Japan anyway.

During my modeling days I fulfilled a couple of contracts there as a Fashion model each one of three months duration (that’s another story) and then as I have written about in these art blogs 57. “THE SIGNING OF THE CONTRACT” ‎as well as 64. “FLYING TO JAPAN” , I have also traveled there many times for my art exhibitions as well.

In any case all the parents who agreed to have the Japanese students attended meetings and were given information and lists of what to do and not to do, what was expected of us and also some basic words in Japanese. According to this information the Japanese students loved going for car rides, sightseeing, shopping (particularly for souvenirs), food shopping (as they liked to see the different types of food we have here) exploring Museums and Galleries and going out for lunch and dinner.

THE ART OF BEING A TOURIST

Over the years this had all worked very well and we had 5 students come and stay with us over the years and all were delightful. However one particular boy drove me completely nuts one day, he was a very quite boy and hard to communicate with but seemed happy enough. A week or so into his stay when we had been very busy with life and work we thought we better plan a day for the boy to see a bit more of Adelaide.

None of us really had any time to this, I could not really afford to take any time away from the art studio, my teenage daughter was supposed to go to a birthday party which she regretfully cancelled and son and hubby likewise cancelled other engagements. We asked him what he thought of the plans and he seemed very excited at the prospect so up early in the morning and into the car for a big day of fun.

Now we lived a three hour round trip to the city and with a few detours for points of interest we covered a quite a few kilometers to say the least. However the “Star” of the day sat bolt upright with his eyes firmly closed asleep for the entire trip, (as only the Japanese can do on transport,lol) only to open them for a minute or two when poked to have a look at something.

ART & TOURISM

Then as we showed him the Museum and the Art Gallery, he walked everywhere with us but looked down on the floor the whole time, and when we sat down to enjoy a lovely lunch he was not hungry and only had a glass of water. So we thought a spot of shopping would surely get him in the mood and took him to the center of the shops and asked what type of things he wanted to get and which shops he would like to go to?

That’s when he informs us that he doesn’t like to shop and doesn’t want to buy anything! What was wrong with telling us that yesterday!! So at this stage we are nearly all tearing our hair out, my children rolling their eyes as teenagers do. We then ask him what he would like to do now and when no suggestions were forthcoming we suggest a few other things and he settles for a ride on the Popeye.

So we go and purchase the tickets, now the tickets aren’t expensive but for the five of us it’s still 60 dollars, ordinarily I would not have minded, but when the five of us sat down and the Japanese boy promptly fell asleep again I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, lol. However the four of us looked at each other and just cracked up laughing, thinking about what we should/could have been doing that day instead of dragging this sleeping boy around Adelaide and totally wasting everybody’s time. We laughed till tears streamed down our faces and still the boy just slept.

So as we drove the one and a half hours back to the farm I thought of this quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson (essayist and Philosopher)

“Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; you shall begin it well and serenely.”

Till next time happy painting and sculpting to you all,

Love Marie xxx

FOOTNOTE; we hope and pray that our Japanese exchange students; Kaori, Kazuya, Takahiro, Yuki and Megumi, and their families and friends are all safe and well after the Tsunami. We are thinking about you and hoping to hear from you. Love Marie, Bryan, Kai and Hillivi xxxx (c)

Why not come and have a look at Marie Jonsson-Harrison’s PAINTINGS FOR SALE, GICLEE PRINTS FOR SALEand SCULPTURES for sale or WALLBASED SCULPTURES. Enjoy an original artwork on your walls or perhaps one on your bed ARTnBED.

61. Can Horses Write and Paint ?

mariejon — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 23:37:24 +0000

ART AND HORSES

We just received a Christmas card from the kids, nothing unusual about that I hear you say and you are so right – normally.

It read “To Mum and Dad, Seasons greeting, Miss you both! Don’t worry we are getting lots of treats up in ‘dem dare hills. Love Zipper & Pringles.

This naive acrylic painting depicts the Werocata Pony club which was located next door to our property for many years (that’s me on the left kissing my horse Rumor).

Back to the greeting card and we were tickled pink, as it was from our little miniature horses we had on the farm and their lovely new owners, who must have helped them with the spelling, lol mm.. maybe?

SEX, ART & HORSES

They are the cutest little misters around, Zipper is a gelding and Pringles a stallion and a very frisky little one he was too.

He would try to have a go at Zipper who was most put out and not at all interested in Pringles advances. When that would not work he would be chasing my big horse Cally-she however was very interested and happily backed up to towards him, their only stumbling block was that she was more than twice as tall as him and there was no way that he could ever reach.

Oh the pitfalls of a short man (well in the horse world that is!)

So when that had come to nothing and poor little Pringles still had the urge he would have to scale the fence and try to find some lovely ladies somewhere else. It happened quite a few times that my husband would come in and tell us we all had to hop in the car to go and try to find the little Horny Mr!

ART INSPIRATIONS

Once he had a female in his sight (the neighbor’s horses) nothing would lure him back home, we tried apples and carrots and stern words and praise, but in the end we had to try to come in from all four sides and throw a rope around his neck and the walk him back across the paddocks of the farm. Of course he would still be ducking and weaving and doing loop the loops to get back to the pretty girls. In the meantime Zipper is patiently waiting for his companion to come back and probably enjoying the peace and quiet for a little while.

Zipper had won a couple of ribbons at Pony club, well not really any big deal in the horse world but very cute. Zipper belonged to our son Kai who was no more than 10 years old when he led the little horse around a little obstacle track and got a purple ribbon to show for it.

When we recently moved from the farm I found the bag of ribbons from the various horse shows but neither kid wanted to pack them, but I think we still took them, it’s hard to throw away all those memories!

So has the frisky little Pringles mellowed with age I hear you ask, well not according to the horses new mum and dad, Pringles does still, if the occasion arises so to speak, lol take off for dem dare hills to look for cute girl horses.

If you enjoy stories and paintings about animals here is another of my art blogs about my pet bird; 154 Galah Art

Therefore I think some wise words from Winston Churchill (British prime minister) is in order here although I think Pringles only listened to the first part before he took off!

“Never give in, never give in, never, never – in nothing, great or small, large or petty. Never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense.”

Till Next Time happy painting and sculpting to you all!

Love Marie (c)

60. Animations in the Burbs

Marie — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 00:25:16 +0000

ART OF NEIGHBORS

So here we are, living in the ‘Burbs’, remarkably it is not as difficult a situation as I thought to get used to, although I do miss having my art studio detached from the house.

One of the things I was most worried about was to have neighbors.

When you have been living on a farm and the nearest house is kilometers away this was a daunting idea. No more running around the yard starkers-well not that I made that a big habit of that but just the fact that we could when and if we wanted to.

We are making the backyard into our own little Balinese sanctuary here with high bamboo fence, lots of palms, elephant ears and ferns, a Bali hut and comfy day bed and decking around one side of the pool with paving and some feature stones on the other.

We do love water features too and have a natural rock pond in a corner setting and a Balinese head sculpture on the patio and two big white fish sculptures spitting into the pool (emm..well that did not sound very nice did it, lol but it is really, I assure you.)

It is starting to take shape and hopefully will make up for the lack of space and open fields we are used to and at least we can pretend we are in the jungle somewhere far away from civilization.

ART & ANIMATION

The animation above is a combination of several of my paintings put together; The “Balloon Wedding” ( Giclee print) combined with “Shake Rattle and Roll” (acrylic painting) as well as the stars from “You can walk your own ferret” which is an artwork in ceramic and mosaic and the animation was actually made by one of my new neighbors Suzie.

So far we have been very lucky with the neighbors they all seem very friendly and nice and I even went out to lunch with Suzie, the other day. She is American and I had a little laugh to myself when I got to the restaurant as it looked just like an American diner.

We had a very lovely time at “Fresh Choice” and it was too, with all you could eat. I refrained from making a total pig of myself and did not even spill a drop of my lunch on my clothes, which if you have been following my art blogs is something of a miracle.

Suzie is a bit of a whizz kid on the computer and has given me valuable advice on my art website and also has two websites of her own.

ART & ANIMATION WEBSITES

This link will take you to her Christmas Animations and you can use any of these animations with the money going to charity. On her other site she has book marks and I am very happy that she photographed the orchid that has been officially named after moi: the” Marie Jonsson-Harrison orchid” (written about in another blog) and then she made it into a book mark.

There are lots of other bookmarks on this sight too with many Australian animals and funny quotes, so click here Flashman Bookmarks to have a little look. Use this link to see my page with more of my artwork animated too;MARIES ANIMATIONS

So I had a nice day and it gave me joy, so here are some wise words from E.B White (writer).

“We should all do what, in the long run, gives us joy, even if it is only picking grapes or sorting the laundry.”

Till next time happy painting and sculpting and also animating to you!

Love Marie xxx (c)