A fast sketch by the bay. Still no leaves on the trees, and even though the weather was warm, the wind was surprisingly cold.
architecture
Eirapuisto
It’s finally warm enough to sit outside and draw.
Pasila construction site
From my office window, I can see the new train station and mall being built.
Swimming in Vienna
Maybe the biggest surprise in Vienna was that you can find many places to swim, just a few subway stops from downtown. These are either quiet branches of the Danube or cut-off sections (basically lakes). Some are surrounded by high-rises, others by parks.
Castello Scaligero
We spent a wonderful two weeks around Lake Garda and the Sud Tirol / Alto Adige, mostly hiking in the mountains. I had time to paint a few watercolours, mostly of mountains.
Barcelona Sketches
We spent three weeks in Barcelona, and that was too short. I only had time to do a few sketches, but I think the city will continue to inspire my paintings for a while.
Interior courtyard in Paris, 6eme arrondissement.
Pont neuf, Paris
A few rare days of sun in wintertime Paris.
Kiasma art museum, Helsinki
This building by Stephen Holl manages to be too big and cramped at the same time. Not only does it look like a Zeppelin hangar from almost all sides, the inside has surprisingly little actual hanging space. This is because a third of the floor space and the full height of the building is taken by the lobby and an oversized ramp. See video here: www.kiasma.fi/kiasmainfo
My next drawing of this square will include the tents of Occupy Helsinki. It was too cold to draw outside so I had to seek refuge in a café. Yes, the occupiers have been there all winter – at -25C and 50cm of snow.
This was my first field test of Neocolor II crayons. Here they are combined with Supracolor II pencils.
Wooden villa in Haaga, Helsinki
The whole neighbourhood used to be nothing but villas until they started to build pre-fab apartment blocks in the 50s.
