Tuning in

The last few days have been filled with challenges, both personal and work related. On the whole I'm fairly upbeat and tend to muddle through, but today, along with questioning what I really want in life—I hit a metaphorical wall.

The photos were taken in town at the local market in Groningen, Netherlands and based on a card drawn from a series to: Indulge your senses. My card's purpose changed from taste to view, I suspect to lighten my mood, I needed visual food, as opposed to actual food to satisfy my mental appetite.

© Alison Day 

Alison Day Design 

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Taking Time

Photos taken on today's walk to the post office in Groningen, in the Northern Netherlands,  with a smile on my face and a spring in my step. 
With mobile camera in one hand and four large envelopes in the other, filled with recent illustrations, with a destination of a few selected publishers.

© Alison Day 

Alison Day Design 

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Celebration Time

My article on: Celebrating 20 Years of The Groninger Museum has been published, in the December 2014/January 2015 issue of The Holland Times.

Available both online and in hardcopy, The Holland Times offers Dutch news to anyone who wishes to be kept up to date in English.

by Alison Day

© Alison Day 

Alison Day Design 

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Carolijn Slottje: Interior Design - Artist Interview

Decorations in the park (the Noorderplantsoen), during the ten days that the annual Noorderzon Performing Arts Festival is held are often refreshingly original, and in some cases thought provoking for the viewer. Summer 2012, saw the inclusion of an unusual collection of birds throughout the park: outlines of over 30 familiar species native to the area, and they were constructed from detailed, three-layered laser cutouts of mirror. Each was mounted on heavy iron bases by metal nuts and bolts and displayed at intervals throughout the park; one could spy a kingfisher hanging from a pole, a heron balanced on a branch staring intently into the distance, or groups of birds standing in the water’s shallows.

A promotional postcard from the festival, which turned out to be a pitch to the CBK (Centrum Beeldende Kunst) to realize the project, led my curiosity to contact interior designer, Carolijn Slottje.

Carolijn told me that apart from the obvious decorative aspect, the thinking behind this project was to make people aware just how many bird species are resident in the Noorderplantsoen, and what effect the presence of a festival can have on the indigenous flora and fauna.

I met her at her studio, in part of an enormous, high-ceilinged old school premises destined for demolition, and run by the anti-squat organization, Carex. It is here that she has all the room necessary to work on the five or so projects that she completes per year; either under her own name, or as part of the collaborative label (with Eileen Blackmore, Martijn Westphal): Young and Hanson. We ascend a series of bright red wooden stairs to the slightly warmer, large-windowed, mezzanine area of the studio, and sit in the sun, with large glass beakers of hot amber-coloured tea.

A graduate of Minerva, Carolijn has had a great deal of interest surrounding her work, beginning with her graduation project: Capilliar. This organically formed and ‘intelligent’ display structure has exhibited in Berlin, been written about on blogs, and drawn attention from museums for its originality. Looking like a magnified cross section of blood vessels and arteries on a glass slide under a microscope, and constructed from a series of adjustable rubber membrane cells, plastic straws, and with grey plastic tubes as inner display areas, this book case can be adapted to fit any space.

I ask Carolijn where she gets her inspiration from. It seems that her design philosophy and approach comes from her interest in natural structures, the stories contained within patterning, sustainability and fair trade. Finding inspiration in the mechanical working of things, for example bionics, she then figures out how she can translate this for human use. Or from nature: the already documented information on how a leaf unfurls, or the resistance of a riverbed. Knowledge gained from the former has already been applied to the technology of how a satellite opens in outer space. The natural world for her is inspirational through its planned chaos: “If you fill a pot with stones, whether big or small, they will naturally fall to accommodate each other within the pot, and find their own level.”

It can take up to a year before Carolijn can finally launch a new product on the market. Not only does the designed object have to be able to exist in its surroundings, but there is the question of feasibility; materials have to be costed, the end design has to be tested for safety, and then there is the question as to whether there is a market for it.

Although her income could do with a boost, Carolijn is just able to survive from her work: commissioned interior projects, and the creation of small saleable objects. For example, her fabulous up-cycled Zaanse clocks as bird houses – traditional old style Dutch clocks, with new life blasted into them. Plus of course, products from the design collective: Young and Hanson, in house at Vos Interieur.

For the future, her objective is not so much about making a name for herself, but to maybe work for Ikea or Hema, producing products with the underlying philosophy of them being financially accessible and attractive to all. Also, she would like to use her knowledge for the design of a “good chair for a well-known label.”

If you’d like more information about Carolijn’s work: www.carolijnslottje.com.

First published in the Connections magazine #38 Winter 2013

View all issues of Connections HERE (editor, designer, illustrator: 2006-2013)

Alison Day Designs

Frogs etc. - Jasper Oostland

It is a series of brightly coloured cards depicting a variety of animals, which have been attracting my attention for a while. Each has its own story, and is illustrated to incorporate realism, in the accuracy of their detailed rendering, plus a hint of the world of cartoon in their personification. Although frogs seem to be in the majority, it is the card with a bird wearing a top hat tilted at a rakish angle, that becomes the deciding factor in my contacting the artist; beady eyes, long pointy beak and an intense stare invite the viewer to choose one of the three upturned cups on the table in front of the bird, in a gamble, to reveal what’s hiding underneath.

These are the creations of artist Jasper Oostland who lives and works in Groningen. I arrive at his house on a rare sunny day in June; a house filled with large windows, which results in an overall bright, airy feel, and is the perfect residence for an artist. With his studio situated in the attic, we head upstairs. White walls, windows on two sides, jars filled with brushes awaiting action, and enormous pots of acrylic paint stand resolutely on a table. Nearby, is an easel with his latest work in progress; there’s a lot of bright pink happening in this work, and from the outlines I can just make out a car and a flamingo. The easel has an ingenious feature - the addition of a rotary centre. This allows the current work to be turned a full 360 degrees, allowing complete ease of access to the entire picture whilst it is worked upon.

A former student of the art school, Minerva, in Groningen, Jasper studied illustration with an emphasis on technique. Studying the use of light, its source and application, is an important part in creating the 3-D realism of the animals. To my question about his colour usage, he says it is something that he uses intuitively. Each work starts with a wash of background colour upon which the animals are brought to life through a series of painted layers progressing from dark to light. As he talks he passes me an amazingly detailed picture of a large grey rhino, standing wistfully next to a delicate pink rose in a glass vase. The equally bright pink background is one of his experiments; in this case how to make pink work on pink. Other little tricks and details he puts in his work are expressly done to leave something for the viewer to discover.

The abundance of frogs in his work, often in everyday situations, leads me to ask firstly, if he is the frog, and secondly, if the variety of situations the frog finds himself in, is maybe a tongue in cheek social comment. To the former he says he is not, as far as he is aware, the frog, although sometimes according to his girlfriend, he can have a particular stance or expression that reminds her of a frog. As for a deep and meaningful message or social comment, he says there isn’t one, he likes frogs, and in particular tree frogs because they have a lot of character; they have great hands with padded fingers that can hold things and expressive eyes.

When it comes to inspiration he researches photos in books or images from the Internet, for the accurate depiction he needs. As for what comes first, it is more or less spontaneous - sometimes it’s the animal and sometimes the object. Ideas also come from association or a particular pose, and these are worked out further in a sketchbook.

These days it is very important for artists to be active with self-promotion if they want public attention. Jasper seems to have this under control: he has an up to date website; makes use of social media (find him on Facebook); exhibits regularly; sells work online – both originals and giclées; uses Chat Roulette, a website where you can watch him paint live. Also, by every exhibition he places a large pile of cards depicting one of his works and including his contact details. As he says: “People keep them and pin them up.” This continual visibility has led to 20% of his work being commission based, and, as a result he finds himself in the enviable position of having enough work for a year.

When asked if he has any dreams for the future, he says that at the moment he is quite happy with the status quo, but maybe a book, a little more structured organization of his business as a whole, and, as the father of two young daughters under five, a little more sleep wouldn’t go amiss.

If you would like to see Jasper’s work, why not visit the library in Groningen, where he is currently exhibiting a selection of works. It runs from 5^th September 2012 to 4^th January 2013.



© Alison Day
First published in the Connections magazine #37 Autumn 2012

Read & download issue here
View all issues of Connections HERE (editor, designer, illustrator: 2006-2013)

© Alison Day Designs

Spam-A- Lot

Whether you accept it, ignore it, or turn the other cheek, everyone at one time or other has been on the receiving end of Spam. 

It is with this in mind, that I wanted to share a rather original spam action. Outside the train station in Groningen, I came across, amongst the zillions of bicycles stalled in racks, a large proportion of them sporting a bright, red, plastic seat cover. On closer inspection, they turned out to be an advertisement for a sports school, with the aim of bringing in more clientele. A visually bright and slightly more original way of trying to interest a broad cross section of the city's inhabitants in becoming clientele. Also, unlike most spam, it is inoffensive, the seat covers are useful, and  free.

So, I vote this a great little idea , which not only enhances your business visibility, but also brightens up the greyness of concrete city life, in the bleak winter months. What do you think?

© Alison Day Designs

SongBird

'A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer, 

It sings because it has a song' - Lou Holtz

The new Connections magazine cover, Winter issue #34

Also, promo design for Vocalips whose up & coming concert you can see 21 Jan 2012, Plaza Danza, Groningen (NL).

View all issues of Connections HERE (editor, designer, illustrator: 2006-2013)

© Alison Day Designs

Noorderzon Festival

The Noorderzon in my favourite annual Festival, in Groningen, The Netherlands. For more details: Noorderzon Festival

What's Hot, What's Not! - KATJEE Art Market

Isn’t it funny that sometimes when you actively pay more attention to certain areas of your life, it’s as if they come alive upon request. If you’re lucky, possibilities can offer themselves like locusts, and seemingly unlock like magical doors from an Alice in Wonderlandrian world, as they creak temptingly ajar. From this initial glimpse, it is your choice of follow-up action; do I push it open further and see what lies on the other side, or do I turn on my heel and choose again?

It is with this in mind, when my mobile phone went off recently, and whilst weighing up the pros and cons of picking up yet another unknown number in the display, that my intuition told me to “pick it up.” As a rule, I find being totally accessible to all and sundry by mobile exasperating, and the ensuing lottery as to whether I will pick up or not, is generally based on whether I feel like ‘playing the game’ that day with the over-motivated, opinionated, sales person or purveyor of nonsense at the other end. In this instance, I’m glad I did, as it turned out to be from one of the organizers, Martin Dölle, of the KATJEE Kunstmarkt (Art Market) in Groningen, asking me if I would like to take part in one or all of the five Art Markets, which run from May – September every year.

After a very interesting conversation, blind panic replaced euphoria; I had nothing I wanted to sell, no clue of what was required, or how much to charge, and May was far too early for me! Once I had regained my composure, I decided that it would be a smart idea to go to the May market, to answer my questions, and with a view to taking part in the September market.

Sunday 8th May turned out to be a gorgeous day for the Art Market, and I probably would have appreciated it more if I hadn’t been out dancing into the small hours the night before. Little stalls were lined up in rows like soldiers under the protective shadow of the Aa-Kerk, sporting the creations of the artists: brightly coloured canvases, creative jewellery, black and white line drawings as well as the currently hip, fused glass jewellery. Artists sat on little stools behind their stalls, or mingled with potential clientele. Prices from what I saw were reasonable, and the work would make great any occasion presents.

If you would be interested in going to one of these markets, the next Markets will be: 12 June, 10 July, 7 August and 4 September. (A little tip…I will be at the September one, as Alison Day Designs!)

For more info: www.katjee.nl  (Dutch). If you’d like more information contact, Martin Dölle.

First published in the Connections magazine #32 Summer 2011

View all issues of Connections HERE (editor, designer, illustrator: 2006-2013)

©  Alison Day Designs

 

9 Women Exhibition

Meet Scarlet from the '9 Women' Exhibition, which is still in full swing in Groningen... still not seen it them yet? More details: here

©Alison Day Designs

Women of Clay - Hilda van Pop

Flying through the streets on my Vespa, destination Paddepoel, for my next artist interview in Northwest Groningen. I arrive outside an ex-office building from the 1970’s, which whilst waiting for new tenants and in the care of anti-squat company named AdHoc, it is filled with a number of small businesses. Number eight on the eighth floor are my directions, as I gingerly step into a rather antiquated and scary looking lift, which reluctantly shudders and shakes me up to the eighth floor.

Each level of the building is built around a central lift house, the rooms of which are large and spacious. Hilde van Popta, favourite colour pink, greets me; she loves bright colours, and has a smile to match. She shows me around the different rooms: one where she conducts regular workshops, (filled with partially finished female figures on tables and ledges), another that exhibits examples of her finished works, followed by a large room, which is the photographic studio of her sister, (a photographer and visagist). The rooms are filled with images and trinkets, masks, beads, clothes and scarves; a feast for the eyes, but what makes me smile is a bright pink, feather-covered Barbie-esque 1960’s telephone, pontifically placed on what must have been the reception desk in days gone by, and, it actually works!

Over a cup of coffee, I find out that Hilde is a trained nurse and presently still works in the health sector (in an administrative capacity). With no formal art training she dabbled in acrylic painting as a hobby, but it was a six month clay-modeling course that became the turning point, and her women in clay figures emerged. Her figures then developed further as although she found them interesting in shape they lacked something. Out came the acrylic paints, and she proceeded to paint them in bright colours to “pimp up the images” as well as decorating them with fabrics and other miscellaneous objects.

 

I ask her about her colour use, to which she says that she loves bright colours; the colours pink, red, black and white feature regularly in her work. Also, she uses acrylics because one knows what the outcome will be, unlike glazes, which are generally a surprise until they leave the kiln. However, she would be interested in experimenting with the latter in the future, as she believes that it is important to continue to develop oneself as an artist.

Subject-wise she chooses women, due to the fact that women in their diversity are a great source of inspiration, and also her clientele often recognize themselves in her work. There is no deep and meaningful message behind her figures, with a lot of them coming into existence quite intuitively, often making her laugh.

When asked if finance was no object, whether there is an artistic project she would like to realize in the future. Quick as a flash she tells me of an old empty factory she drives past every day, by the side of the motorway. She would like to buy something similar, do it up, and convert it into an enormous artists’ market. With her as the owner, it would be a hive of artistic creation: with artists at work, little individual shops, workshops and music would pervade the air. 

If you would like to become the proud owner of one of Hilde’s ‘Women of Clay,’ why not take this opportunity and use the 10% discount voucher on this page? The offer runs from 01 January 2011–30 June 2011.

Alternatively, if you would like to take part in one of Hilde’s workshops you can contact her via: hilde@vrouwenvanklei.nl / 06-21955117

To view her work: Vrouwen van Klei

First published in the Connections magazine #30 Winter 2011

Read & download issue here

View all issues of Connections HERE (editor, designer, illustrator: 2006-2013)

©  Alison Day Designs