Exploring colour contrasts

Today it’s about contrasts. About pattern exploring. About playing with indistinct backgrounds and clear shapes from close-up’s.

I’ve shot so many detailed close-up’s of these flowers, that I ended up featuring the bleariness – as it can be clearly seen while scrolling down my photo serie, that I’ve put together this time. I’ve also introduced motif repetition, and I like the results. I like the pattern and texture, but these are colours that are unusual to me. Violet and yellow are so NOT the colours I’m usually working with – too strong is the contrast. Well, here it’s kind of softened, with lots of white, lots of neutral transitional greys, greens, ochres, and violets, but still bright and sparkling. 

I’ve also found yesterday flowers to continue my drawing serie – engelikukkat. Stay tuned !

My shop is ONLINE!

My shop has gone online, please go check it on

http://www.etsy.com/shop/Raumalainen

I’m currently listing my textile items, cards, and that’s all for now. Another projects such as drawings, teddy bears have not been listed yet, if you are interested, let me know, I’ll list them on Etsy for you.

I had to convert the prices in US Dollars, because I can only accept payments via PayPal, and that what was requested. They seem weird in US Dollars, but converting in EURO makes them look better, like 45 EURO instead of odd prices of 56,74 USD.

There are still a lot of details to work out, like shipping costs and alike, I’m gonna also think a bit about promoting it. Well, that’s it, it’s virtual, I’d of course prefer having a real sell platform somewhere, but now it’s a nice possibility to present my work from the market perspective, get some feedback, in addition to my creative hodgepodge and all the randomness along the way that I’m publishing on my blog – I like it being organized and nicely presented, so that it can all be easily found and referred to. 

I have no photos today. All the new product photos, that have not yet been here, and more descriptions and more why's and how's are right now on my shop page.

Have a nice weekend!

New drawings - pale fuchsias

I’m almost done with the shop, but, you know, I'm sort of often spending on the last 10 percent of the total work almost as much time, as on the 90 percent, I’ve done before : proofreadings, specifying the details on shop policies, terms of use, proofreadings again, checking the shipping costs, and keeping everything in mind, and making cross checks. I’m glad it starts getting shape.

And I’ve spent LOTS of time online, reading, writing, retouching, hence, less in the studio. I hope to catch up a bit this weekend. 

Well, I like pretty much about the shop preparation, it’s an interesting experience I’m making right now, it helps me to reflect on my projects from a market point of view – what’s strong, what’s maybe less important, what is missing – why do I do what I do, if there is any philosophy involved. 

I used to make lots of thoughts like this at the time when I was in pursuit of my purely fine arts projects, running though galleries, museums and alike, and then all of a sudden I’ve started having lots of hand work after my girl was born and had less time to meditate on it. I’m glad the shop work has re-focused me on that subject.

Besides that, here is a couple of my drawings of the beautiful pale fuchsia– it was not that easy to get all the light, but I’ve loved the challenge. No idea, what comes next under the label  "Drawings", I’d like to reconnect with drawing the little wild flowers, like buttercups – we’ll see. Stay tuned.

Online SHOP - sneak preview

This week it’s more about what I’d call "secondary creating" - I’m planning my online shop, as I’ve announced recently and have all of a sudden LOTS of issues I’ve not expected to take care of, and they ARE time-consuming.

Such as are these photos okey, do they reflect the product qualities well enough, if not, how to re-do them (photos, not products), and retouch, and arrange, and all the descriptions to be written. Next come issues about postage, payments, how to put together the shop banner and so on, and so forth...

Well, though I’ve done a lot for a couple of last days, it’s still a huge amount of work involved for the next days to come. It’s not that bad and I sort of like it, but I’d like to have it finished by the weekend, that’s my inner deadline anyway, so I try to work REALLY fast and concentrate myself. 

To let me think about my shop as much as I can and to make place in my head I’ve deliberately stopped a couple of projects where I need all my creative forces and I’m right now knitting a couple more teddy bears and finishing mug rugs, while my brain is almost free to non-stop spin around on the shop-related issues.

Here's a peek into the shop in process.

Magenta carnations - NEW drawings

The magenta carnations – I had luck with them, thanks God, the next day after I’d finished the fourth drawing it rained tremendously, so half of them were broken, another half was heavily beaten. They’ll surely recover, but I’m glad I’ve overcome my « inneren Schweinehund » tempting me to postpone the finishing and continue later. I’ve done them and I like them very much.

Yesterday I’ve started challenging myself with fuchsias in pale rose and violet, I’m not that comfortable with painting light-coloured flowers, that’s why I force myself to overcome my fears and keep working on them. Wish me luck !

Right now there is a fresh and crispy sea breeze waving through the air, there’s nothing alike. I love it so much !

Have a nice day !

Life is constant opportunity - Affirmation #3

I‘ve not made any ink drawings lately.

Yesterday watching a movie and knitting a teddy bear I‘ve started thinking about what would be another affirmation, sort of about importance of developing, about the immanent nature of developing – by small steps.

Well, with all this in my head I‘ve started my sketch this morning, as I suddenly realised, that there is another sentence that was getting shape, as I watched my drawing in process – about chances, about using opportunities – the plant I was doodling for my step-by-step-affirmation has revealed another subject being actually more important for me – about taking chances, about searching them, about not missing them, about re-thinking how we use our time. It‘s neither necessarily about artwork, nor about our creative projects - it‘s about nearly everything in life, our family, friends, about other people‘s needs and interests and life stories, about our duties etc., because nearly everything can reveal a chance, if we pay our full attention.

Because the chances do not come always as evident revelations – therefore it‘s about accepting / doing / spending time on something that may seem not very productive in terms of our current creative occupation, but it may bring an unexpected result that may enrich our life, induce new experience and evoke emotions that would bring new inspirations.

As I‘ve already told, and what I firmly believe in – there‘s nothing without purpose – be aware, that life is constant opportunity.

Zipped pouch in mixed technique

Remember the mug rugs, I‘ve been making lately? Here another product with the fabric prints that I‘ve made and embellished with free motion stitching – a zipped pouch. It‘s double-sided, as a mug rug, with one side painted  with fabric paints and another one made of soft cotton corduroy and nice carnations‘ appliqué on it. It‘s padded for a soft nice touch and form stability. The pouch is lined with beautiful fabric with paisley pattern in pastel colours. The dimensions are about 22 x 27 cm (8,7 '' x 10,6 '') . Well, the next week it will be in the shop, together with another one, because I‘ve made two of them, being a bit different in print, in size and with a red zipper (this one has a grey one). I still have a couple of prints left, so maybe I‘ll be making a couple more mug rugs next week for my shop.
Have a enjoyable weekend!