Britt-Arnhild's House in the Woods

The Gigantic Spider in the Palace Park

@brittarnhild

Two days ago this gigantic spider was unveiled in the Palace Park in Oslo. The spider, which has the name Maman, is 9 meter high and is made by the late French-American artist Lousie Bourgeois (1911-2010) The National Gallery in Oslo/Norway, will host an exhibition with Bourgeois´s work later this year, and Maman is part of this.

Queen Sonja and Crown Princess Mette-Marit were in the park on Monday for the unveiling. I was not able to be here then, but all the same, I met the queen in the park today, in this statue. Our queen loves mountain hiking, as you can tell from the statue.

I have had a great day in Oslo today. I met a friend for morning coffee and chatting, I have been walking a lot, I have been shopping books and cloths, I had bacalao for lunch.......and now I am on the train back home to Trondheim.

 

Preparing for a travel

@brittarnhild

Sunday Terje and I are flying south to Tenerife, one of the Canary Islands. Our 9th trip there, and the first one after the pandemics.

 

Today I have been making plans for some knitting I want to bring with me, a pair of wrist warmers inspired by the amazing paradise bird flowers which grow on the islands. Already on our first visit there, back in 2011, I fell in love with the beautiful flowers, and could not stop taking pictures of them.

I am no painter, but I love doing it anyway, so today I tried to make a watercolour to use as a kind of pattern for my knitting.

Painting is one thing, finding the correct yarn/colours is quite another. I do think I am into something now though (I have done some changes after I took the photos) and really look forward to start knitting.

And to shoot more photos all through next week.

 

The colours of Lent. Red

@brittarnhild

If you have been following Britt Arnhilds House in the Woods for some time, you will know that Lent is a lot about colours for me. Seven weeks of lent, seven colours in the rainbow, and so I have given each week is own colour, starting with red. Two years ago I expanded this rainbow  calendar to also include knitting. I have talked a lot about this in my YouTube videos the last few years.

With Lent starting on Ash Wednesday, and each week starting on Sundays, we are already into the third week of Lent, which according to the rainbow calendar is yellow. I will come to that, but since I haven't been here for some time, I want to start with the beginning, with red.

This year I want to knit wrist warmers in the different colours of the rainbow. Using my own designs, kind of, I find inspiration in a wonderful book I have with watercolours by the Austrian Swedish painter and designer Josef Frank. In the images in this post you see both the painting which is inspiring me, and also the finished wrist warmers.

What a balm for there soul in is to sit here in my studio, looking at colours, making drawings, knitting.

 

If you want to see and hear more of my rainbow calendar, you are welcome over to this video, which I posted during red week.

 

 

 

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You can easily find my other active blogs through my new webpage, brittarnhild.no
The other blogs, which focus on different themes, are all in Norwegian, but the images are all our shared language, and you can always easily use google translate :-)

I have a list of different instagram accounts:
@brittarnhild
@akeleiehagen (the blue garden)
@brittarnhildsstrikkedagbok (knitting)
@brittarnhilds_naturdagbok (nature notes)
@brittarnhildsbokhylle (my bookshelf)
@brittarnhildsflora (wild flowers, active during the summer months)
@brittarnhildsmatseddel (menue)
@dagenslillegrønne (green living)

On Facebook I hava a page connected to this blog, which I call, obviously 
Britt Arnhild´s House in the Woods. Feel free to subscribe to it. I am also considering making a group connected to this page, where we all can post, chat, have discussions, sharing and so on. Would that be of interest for you? Well, let's see where this path leads us, shall we?

I do have an account on snapchat as well, mostly for family and a few close friends. Let me know if you are interested in getting the stories I share there, and we might connect :-)

 

RE-COVERED BOOKS

@brittarnhild

During one of my many walks in Venezia I passed by Scuola Grande di San Teodoro, its door open and a huge poster as you can see in the above picture. Re-covered books.......what is that? Curiosity got me and I walked in.......and was sold, transferred directly into another universe, the universe of re-covered books :-)

Title: Entering the Path of Enlightenment

A posted near there entrance wrote:

Artist statement:
With technology, a new way of life has emerged at an astonishing speed. While many remarkably improvements are taking place, I feel we are plowing full speed ahead without considering what is at risk of being lost. I use books to symbolise the change occurring in the world today.
To many people, books are sacred and evoke warm, nostalgic feeling. They are a reminder of times past. The devoted and contemplative act of reading is losing its meaning in today's fast paced world, along with other human endeavours that require thoughts and care. Are we evolved enough to handle our own creations?
In most cases, my ideas are driven by the books´titles. They inspire me to comment on many social issues, using humor to engage the viewer. For me, the most challenging and rewarding part of the process is creating imagery that transforms the title into a new meaning - other than the one intended by the book´s author. Regarding technique, I prefer using vintage books because their linen covers mimic fine canvas and provide an ideal surface to paint. Creating art with repurposed materials attempts to realise the untapped potential in the world and offers up the idea of looking at things in a different way.
Mary Jean Canziani

Title: My Self and I

Title: Everyday Ethics

I walked slowly along the wall of the church. Stopping for a long time in front of every book.

Title: Where There is Vision

Smiling. Nodding my head. Looking closer.

Title: Here to stay
(my favourite)

Sometimes looking even more close. Is this really hand painted on a vintage book? Amazing.

Title: Meltdown

Title: The Outsider

Title: Our Sex Life

Title: Let's Believe
Oil on Assembled Book Covers. 2018

Based on Icarus Myth, this iteration explores the possibility of different outcome. Rather than plunging into the sea, there is hope that Icarus will be caught in time to survive. Will humanity learn from its mistake and adopt the changes necessary for its future survival?
The female figures were inspired by a Veronese painting, "Juno Showering Gifts on Venetia" (1554-56) located at the Palzzo Ducale. It is among the magnificent panels on the ceiling of the Sala del Consiglio dei Dieci.

 

I am deciding not to add too many of my own words to talk about these pieces of art. They stand much better on their own. Look closely, pretend you are in Venezia. Enjoy.

 

After the two rather sat artisan meetings I wrote about yesterday, this was truly a highlight of my wanderings. Thank you so much Mary Jean. For your art and for the lovely chat we had after I had seen the exhibition.

 

 
Title: The Origin

Here you find Mary Jane Canziani´s website

Go over and take a look. You will not regret it.
And I especially love the photo of her sitting in the Alta Acqua Libreria :-)

 

Hard times for artisans

@brittarnhild

I passed her little workshop while walking around. Looking in through the window I was drawn in by the bright colours and soon I found myself in deep conversation with the artist, a young woman named Ketty.

Ketty told me she was in the process of closing down her shop. "It has become too hard for artisans here" she said, continuing to talk about how the city has changed from a place where people appreciated and paid for art, to a place where cheap souvenir shops pops up everywhere and tourists not wanting to pay for the real stuff.

We had a long and interesting talk, while I admired Katty´s work,

ending up buying one of her pieces, though I had no intentions to do so when I walked into the shop :-)

 

 

The next artist I met was Davide at Pagine e Cuoio, where I for years have bought my journal. Every time I come to Venezia I go to his shop to buy a new journal, which I use the coming year. The first thing which met me was a sign on Davide´s door; "Sale. Shop is closing down!"

"Why? What is happening?" I asked.

"Venezia is getting too expensive" Davide replied, "and people don't want to pay for real handwork!"

I bought two journals, not just one as usual, feeling really sad for his closing down.

 

 

The third artist I met that same day was Mauro, my dear friend for so many years now. He invited me home, he cooked dinner for me, and while eating, together with his wife and daughters, we discussed the problems for artisans in Venezia.

 

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I am afraid that part of the problem is the tourists, like me and you. We love the city, we come here to enjoy but in many ways we look upon it as a Disney Land, like it is made for us, to enjoy. And we don't want to spend our money, the city is there anyway.

 

I am not sure this post is understandable, but I had to air my frustrations somehow, for the city I love so deeply.

 

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By the way, typepad is acting up tonight, refusing one picture after another, telling me they are not valid....... I have struggled with this post for ages, now I want to do something else!

 

Inspired by the Swedish artist Josef Frank

@brittarnhild

We were in Stockholm, visiting our oldest son. One day we had lunch in a small restaurant in Søder, three old ladies were sitting at the table next to us, two of them were talking about painting, and I couldn't help listening. One of them mentioned Josef Frank, "Oh, I wish I could paint like Josef Frank, but nobody does any more......." I had never heard the name, googled it and found an amazing series of watercolours. 

Later that day Torgeir bought me a late birthday present, a book with many of his paintings. This book is now on display in our living room, and are of great inspiration to me.

It must be possible to transfer the colours into knitting, I told myself one day.......

.......and started to do so :-)

A pair of pear wrist warmers are now done,

and the whole adventure is told in my YouTube vlog/podcast

In the podcast I also read from a book I've inherited from my mother, and I share a cute little video of a busy spider :-)

 

 

 

Inside the old farm

@brittarnhild

The old farm has been there for generations. A croft (that's the word google translate gave me), with quite a few tales to tell.

For animals originally,

but this winter a friend of mine has transformed it into her art studio.

An art studio with a view you can only dream of.

Or search east of the sun, west of the moon to find something just as good.

A place to create. But also a place to invite a friend (me) over for coffee and talk. Words between friends are the most precious.

At the foot of the mountain. Where inspiration is.

 

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Terje and I are spending our first weekend this year at the cabin. I breath blessings.

 

Here is my lates podcast (the next one, which will be out next week, will have filming from the cabin):

 

 

Look what I found at the fair

@brittarnhild

We left the cabin after an early breakfast this morning, for several reasons. One of them was an art & craft fair which I wanted to visit. For a couple of years I have followed @2vflakk on instagram. She makes the cutest art from driftwood. Many of the pieces are she creates are the holy family, and I have wanted to buy one and many for a long time.

@2vflakk lives in my corner of the world, three hours north of Trondheim, and I have been searching for an opportunity to meet her, and buy some of her art. Then I learned, from instagram, last week, that she would come to Trondheim yesterday and today, taking part in an art and craft fair.

Of course I had to be there.

I already regret that I did not buy more.......

 

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In my blog world today:
(come back for updates)

 

Med bøker på menyen, Books on the menu. My reading journal

dagens lille grønne, green, sustainable ideas

 

 

Grandma Olga´s old blankets

@brittarnhild

In my dear aunt Solbjørg´s livingroom there are two old wool blankets. Both of them filled with colours and memories. The one you see in the back was made by aunt in the late 60ies, early 70ies, the one in the front made by me in the same period. I guess I was 14 or 15. Both of the blankets were crocheted for my grandma Olga, and for as long as she lived she used at least one of them daily, the other ready for guests, especially for when one of her sisters came on visits.

Both throws are crocheted in leftover yarn. Yarn left over from the many items of clothing knitted by my me, by my mother and her two sisters, by grandma Olga and probably also left over yarn given to my mother from friends. It was grandma Ragna Josefine, my father´s mother, who taught me to crochet grandmother squares. 

Usually you make small squares and crochet or saw them together. I don´t know if it was me or aunt Solbjørg who first made one huge square, row following row following row, but looking at the two blankets now makes me smile. I love the bold way we have used the colours, I will never forget how frustrated I was in forth grade when my art and craft teacher told me that green and blue could never, I repeat never! be put together.

May be you want your blanket back, aunt Solbjørg asked me again yesterday, as she has done before. No, I don´t want it back. I want the two pieces of female family history to stay together. And who knows, may be one day I can inherit them, be their proud owner.

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In my blogworld today:
(will be updated)

 

Today´s post is a repost from my knitting blog, maskerade

 

The old tool chest

@brittarnhild

Terje has inherited an old chest from his great grandfather, his mother´s grandpa

The old wooden chest is filled to the brim with tools. Old tools, some very old tools, collected through generations. Used by creative and clever hands.

Terje´s great grandpa was a seaman on a sailing ship. I wonder if the ship was as big as the one in the painting on the inside of the lid.

Terje has taken the chest out, he cleans it, he cleans the tools and puts them back.

The old tool chest has now hit its own space down in Terje´s basement workshop.

I would love to display it in our livingroom.......but so far I have not managed to persuade him that this is a good idea.

 

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I have now started the timid process to move all my travel posts over to Caffe Avec. Click on the image above to be taken there, or go to Caffe Avec on facebook, like the page and you will get updates when new posts are up directly on your facebook wall.

 

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A new YouTube vide from the greenhouse:

 

 

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My blog world today:
(will be updated)

 

Britt Arnhilds naturdagbok - my nature journal

dagens lille grønne - daily green ideas

Akeleiehagen - the blue garden