Thoughts from urbania

 

I hate being away from the bush.

But I love to be among crowds. Sharing moments of extacy. Allowing real beauty to move you; forewer frozen in memory. Strangers breaking all limits just being there as one together.

This is the Power of Art.

Urban Pleasures

This is the new operahouse in Oslo. Built by Statsbygg, designed by Snøhetta, it has become a landmark as well as a popular area to visit for all kinds of people. From my house it takes less than 10 minutes to walk down there: I feel so fortunate!

The opera has also expanded its repertoire greatly with this new building; by my last visit 9.june the opera orcestra performed a symphony with Russian composers; Glinka, Rachmaninoff, Tchaikovsky: tomorrow I am planning to see Kingwings versus The National Ballet; breakdance and classic at the same time!

…and perhaps end the evening as yesterday taking a trip up the hill to Ekebergrestauranten to enjoy the setting of the sun…

Edible creations

This weekend has been dedicated to celebration. More specific, the celebration of coming to the magical age of 4 for a true little princess. As the current residental artist in the family I was called to the department of creative decor, especially on the side of the famous Norwegian Marzipan Cake. For those of you who are not aware of our celebration tradition, the marzipan cake is THE cake. It is the symbol of a REAL celebration. You might have cupcakes.  Which we did.

Chocolate&avocado cupcakes with cream cheese & sugar toppings, “Princess” cupcakes with pink icing, glittery sugar and Disney-themed medaillions.

Then there need to be Gell-O. How else to bring that special anticipation of a bunch of kids of whatsup in these interactive media world than by carrying the dessert, making it shake a bit saying with a funny voice “ohnoohnoooo….. uhunooooo!!!!! I will be eaten soooon…….  Iam sooooo scaaared…”

Multiple coloured gelly with fresh fruit, vanilla cream and some bling.

Ok, okey dokey. Not done it for like… 20 years but my brain or at least my hands still found the way after some wonderful spunking about with geggamoja with some help from the jubilant herself, dressed in pink, of course, for the occasion.    

The celebrant googing around in sugary substances with us while the real mummy expert (NOT me!!!) get down to the basis for vanilla cream filled buns.

Finally! Then it was The Cake. Fine! Not scared, nooo…hehe.. !!! Looking forward to  reconnect with the magical mystery behind doing the definitive cake that makes all true Norwegians close their eyes if only for a split second when taking the first bite anticipating the mixture of sweet and nutty and fruity and creamy and--- how wonderful you are going to do all that and I will now sit down and bask in your glory and have a coffee and hmm?? waitaminutewhat… mmm… uh oh. You would like to have a… what as decoration? Crosscountry skier? In 3 dimensions preferably looking like the celebrant ?

The Cake for a moment looking like something that should definitely be kept behind the bar for… well… why can they not just eat all those other things???

Oh, ok. eh. sure. Are you sure? Yes? And you bought the most expensive ecological marzipan avaliable on the market to create it in? to be colored? by this… by me?? oh. Well. Ok. They asked for me, they will get what I can…, eh, not eat, and like along the way…

Marzipan, chocolate, cream, licorize and golden birthday candles on cake, princess cupcakes in the background.

Mummy is very clever. She knows how to nudge and she judges well. Well, it is creation, after all. So it went well. And it was fun. Especially eating the superfluous parts of the composition before publication;) (but oh I’m So finished with sugar for this year…)

We closed down ovens, took our aprons off, blew the balloons, had more coffee, the kids and parents came from sledging in the park ready to eat and relax and have fun and celebrate.

That was fun! Already booked for the party next year…

Winter pleasures

People may travel. Places, light (ambience) and landscapes may not. That might be why travelling will never go out of style. And why we sometimes just get a strong urge to go to be somewhere specific.

There are many places to visit on Earth. Some we tick off the list. Some places we come back to again and again, always finding it fresh, new, exiting, invigorating. This is one of mine.

 Fruvika beach, Vesterøya, Norway.

I find the ocean even more beautiful during winter. It’s like its quiet, powerful presence is more acute at this time of the year. Or perhaps the inwardness of winter make us more sensitive?

 

I like walking briskly on winding roads and pathways past fields and through forests to reach the sea from where I am based when here.

The forest is quiet now, just a single bird was heard, but there were many tracks from deer, showing its movements from the road into the forest, over some fields, then back again... Canine tracks: some obviously from dogs, but some smaller longer clawed ones might be from foxes, I know they are around… or badgers, perhaps? It is nice to stop and look and listen and enjoy.

The birch (Betula pubescens) stretch its branches towards the blue wintery sky, enjoying perhaps the longer days, feeling the spring is due in some more months, sensing the pleasant glow from the rays of the mid day sun…

The last days has been sunny and some snow had melted some places in the forest, creating interesting reflections in small temporary ponds, its transparancy revealing hidden stories and treasures…

Where the shades are deeper the ice is textured in a different way, the surface opaque, silklike in lustre, rendering other outlines, equally beautiful but different.

I know this area well. But there are still places I have not explored. You don’t want to disturb anyone and signs are scarse… So I was very happy when this area became designated as a Nature Costal trail, meaning I can wander along in any direction that takes my fancy, finding my way by following small patches of blue with signs at intersections showing different options for a way forward, knowing I will not end up in someones yard having to think of lame excuses for being an airhead not knowing the whatever was an obvious (really?) sign of… well well.... No more of that.

Not knowing the area is no hindrance – just follow the signs!

This way the residents get their privacy, the visitors get to know and explore beautiful areas with confidence. Maps have been made, historical descriptions is available, you can walk, bike, ride, ski or boat and the pressure on the most popular areas is down with the spread. You can find a place to be alone. You can find a place with buzz. Everyone is happy.

I like walking here. When – or if – you meet someone, they greet you with a nod, a smile, a quick hello. You can ask for advice, directions, tips on what to see, where to go, or just have a small chat with a stranger about their dog, something you have seen, or would like to see, then walk on after mutual greetings and wishes for a pleasant day. Or not. You can keep quiet and just smile. Or nod if you feel serious that day. It’s ok. It’s still friendly. Unpretentious. I like that. It makes me want to paint it from within.

I find an old Oak tree clinging to a cliff, caught up in a struggle for survival. It is squeezed but fit for a fight… I climb a small pathway and find ice hanging from the rocks, fluid water transformed into frozen moments of time…

 

It is all very fulfilling. I finish my walkabout, go home, grab a bite, do some work, read a bit: And then, the sun sets over the Fjord and I get up and put down my book to bask in the moment.

The sunset is slow here in the North. There  always seems to be time, somehow. Or, rather, the days and the weeks change fast but the daily rhytm, especially at sunrise and sunset, is just so massively impressive and grandiose that spending time in nature, like most people around here do when they have a chance, really reminds you of your place in the Universe as less than a speck of dust. But a lucky one.

Reflections in Water, in Mind. Trees. Mountains. Snow. Sun moving on elsewhere. Time to rest now. Then to work.

Drawing safaris…

Well, it must be allowed to enjoy good press when one gets it, no?

So I am happy to tell that in their newest special travel edition on Africa, the well established Norwegian magazine “Reiselyst” found space for a six page article about my Drawing safaris…

The head title, for those of you who do not read Norwegian, says “Hunting with a pencil”. How fitting! The image above shows me with the journalist Toril Moland who together with the editor Ronny Frimann came and spent some days in the Mara on a Drawing Safari with me a few months ago taking a cultural break after climbing Kilimanjaro...

It was an interesting visit, and a new experience for Torill who had never really drawn before even though she is a very creative person covering many fields!

After some initial fumblings due to lack of experience she quickly grasped the concept and after a few suggestions got her drawing going really well!

Obviously going on a safari is also about enjoying the animals, the landscape, the food, the people, culture… And I was pleased to find they did take it all in full.

I like doing these safaris. And I think Saruni Camp is doing really well looking after everyone accordintto specific likings regardless of where they come from or what their preferances are.

From an artistic point of view it took me a few years to get really started painting again as well as I wanted, and it took a lot of – real! - “beating around the bush” – to get it. Which perhaps is why I have a LOT of patience – as well as a genuine-  interest in what can make people tick away creating happily from exactly where they are.

The main key, to mine, as well as my students, blissful and creative mode, is to relax into the genuine gentle beingness of the bush. And oh how the animals around is assisting us in our efforts! And if it seems to difficult to get a hold onto how to get a painting by a giraffe done, well, the tree is not going to walk away anywhere soon, is it…

All in all we had a joyful time together, and we were all happy they came.

The Drawing Safaris is all about to be out there, to observe, to watch, to try and try and try again… and to be happy with the day when at the end of it we go back to camp and the fire and the good meals doing smalltalks with the drink of your choice in your hand… and then, next morning, when you open your sketchbook perhaps with a slight anitcipation to be dissapointed at what you did the day before because you think you are so dumb at it, instead you are delighted and happy and suprised and impressed with yourself! … and so you set out again refreshed, knowing that you have done something useful and worthwhile already and bent on doing even better this day…

Thank you also to Sigurd and Kari of  “Safari Opplevelsesreiser” for creating Torilds and Ronnys itinerary! If  you should ever want to travel for a safari from Scandinavia you can rest assured to be in the the best of hands should you book with them;)

…

Hmmm… well as I am on it… there was also a  nice article in a newly started Kenyan magazine called “Focus on Getaways” kidogo time ago which I post as below… A sister magazine to a very popular real-estate magazine as well as hosting links for expats they have been doing really well: thank you, Michelle, for giving me and us such a good press throught your fascination with the concept! When up and into it: Go check the magazine when you can! Available all over Nairobi and through subscription;)

Ok. Starting on the front page…

On the first edition! And on front page! Very honored. Then, as I got the magazine and opened it to read…

Iwas humbeld and felt again very honored to be mentioned in the editors letter…

Stevie Mann took the beautiful photos from the camp. A fantastic man and a true artist.

Meeting the local people, eating and drinking well is a part of the “hum” of a safari regardless if you shoot with camera or try to graps it with pen and pencil!

…and least but not last it is good to know where you are… to which Michelle worked on making clear. Easy to find the way to your home away from home with this!

Then there was a nice feature article about me in Sandefjords blad in relation to my summer exhibition..

Kudos to you all! And thank you for the support!

Things cats drag in…

I have always held the firm belief that it is not we who have cats. Cats have us. According to Wikipedia the domesticated cat stems from no more than 5 self -domesticated desert cats. I wonder who the woman was who took the time and effort to befriend them. Did she live in a tent? A cave? a mudhouse? Did she just find herself with a litter of cats recently born, their mother disappeared, or was it the mothercat herself choosing to trust this strange biped?

Uh, oh, well… Who can resist a bunch of kittens? Suprise  party came up… whaddado but love them?

Mummy Snapper found an unconventional mate – a wild card, a wild cat: a bit unexpected, perhaps, but then, again, hey: I am not one to complain! There is space in the bush! And I like their company! She did a great job rising them.

Mummy Snapper enjoying the warm light of sunset.

Well, back to the unknown lady: She, whoever she was,  must have had a way around her husband as well to avoid him clubbing the dear little creatures for an easy meal when hunting was down. Did he strike a bargain with the darling little things to bring in surplus protein as a bribe in tolling time? Or is that just part of how cats are from natures side? That they share? I am starting to be inclined to believe the latter.

This is one of the newest additions to the things the cats brought in to their pet (me). Carried nicely into the studio, promptly put down and of course “played with” on my favourite Maroccan kelim carpet under the drawing table, I could not resist to promptly rescue the poor thing as it was still in relatively good health; so, here it is:

…it was just too cute, sorry girls…

This might be an African Zebra Mouse: they live in kinship groups and are quite social. It could, however, also be -  according to Jeannine McManus from Sout Africas Wildcliff foundation (big thank you for your friendly note to my request!) an African Field mouse. If this is the same specie only with a different common name  has not been entirely verified yet. No worries. This little darling looks very young: is it not something about the eye/head/ear dimensions that suggests it? Also it was quite without resistance when I took it up and it stayed in my hand for the photo session. More mature animals sometimes resist a bit if and need to be caught in a firmer yet gentle way.

Well, the cats need to be fed…

Oops, that was indeed a slightly larger relative of the ones in my house but even this one dragged her… well, meal at this time of the victims life, closer to and not away from us… 

Krhm… back a kilometer or so to my domestically blissed world…

As mentioned in the last post Kitamu is the hunting master (hunting madam?) of the family. Being half wild perhaps it goes with the type: I have been amazed by her snatching huge spiders, bugs and other protein- rich… well …things... I am certain her  larger relatives is not above that sort of addition to their diets either… However I never expected to find myself glimpsing up from my work at the easel at the studio to find this sight quickly moving towards my feet:

Mmmwhoops!…

Jumped a bit there but the photo opportunity was just too good to miss although the photo itself is not great…

I hoped it was a grass snake and had somehow thought of giving it a go for the outdoors but I could not entirely get my head around how to catch it safely if it was of one of the 42 poisonous types we have around… meaning, well, to put it blunt, with means of defense above what my kitcen kabinet could give as relief… and since no avaliable tools was ready at the moment: painting brushes and cameras are, after all, for other types of hunting… I kind of just, well, backed up a little bit…

No, no, no, sorry, me, I am  NOT mummy!!! sorry!!! can not help you right now!!

The poor thing was up at a fight to everything – or was it looking for relief? I dont know! I have to admit I just said to it: “Sorry! But you might be one of those things that just get so scared and all, that they bite regardless of my intention, so I think I will just stand on this step for a while and see how you manage to fend for yourself until I figure it all out better…”

Mmm. well.  It went as it had to. Cat got addition to dinner, self caught way that day… Nothing left than a small stain of blood on the studio floor… and I definitely got some of the closest to a snake I have ever been during my 6 years in the bush…

Thats all for today folks, and so the story ends… for now!

Thank you for reading!

Two of a kind…

A few months ago, in the beginning of October 2011, we had a new addition in camp! Sarikoki the eland had been quite lonely up here in the hills, and although he sometimes hung out with the zebras when they visited the garden they left and he remained… spending far too much time in the workshop. Then, one day, some  of the elders apporached us; they had found a baby eland and wondered if we would like to have it?

Of course we said yes!   …but I have to admit I was concerned – Sarikoki had behaved rather agressively towards other orphants in the past such as a zebra and a buffalo. However, I had noticed his different attitude towards Ariel the bushbuck, so I just crossed my fingers and… got not only suprised but very happily so!!!

Sarikoki and Embe with the new baby eland in front of our house

Sarikoki and Baby, both orphaned, bonded fast! Now at least they have eachother… It was amazing to discover how they instinctively knew they were of the same kind even though they never have been part of a herd.

Talking of which… As you might know, I live on a Safaricamp in the wild so there are already quite a few animals around… to which we have added a few:

Two dogs, Embe and Kidogo has been here almost from the start 9 years ago:

With Ric & the dogs on the terracce of Nyati wearing my favourite “Out of Africa” style of hat – very comfortable for eyes and skin!

The dogs are of the local Maasai breed;  playful, kind and always ready for games and fun - and fierce with baboons! Visitors just love them and children especially has been known to profess when asked about which of the animals they have seen so far they liked the most: “…The dogs…”

Then the cats came, Snapper first… Snapper then went on to produce Kitamu and a few other beauties now living good lives in Maasai and Kiisi villages;). I have to admit I have a special soft spot for this one, though: she is a rather interesting cat as her mother, living far away from other villages mated with a wildcat so she is halfbreed…

Quality time in the studio recliner, Kitamu in front, Snapper in the background.

But it is not the mix, it is the resulting character which amazes me. The mix leads to some interesting things, such as her catching and eating snakes, huge spiders and bugs! Not to mention climbing Acacia trees in total disrespect of their fearful spines… climbing down with her head first reveals her wild genes… She also like walking on the top of the roof of our house… While mummy just sits and watch and wonder! And yet she never acts in agressive ways, she is always attentive, affectionate and secure.

 

Kitamu in action mode

Well, enough of that, it was Baby and Sarikoki I was about to tell you about!

The development has been very good. They always hang out together, never go far from eachother, Sarikoki taking the lead (in fact his name, Sarikoki, means “The one who leads” in Maa). Eating, resting, exploring… and interacting with all of us here at camp, biped, fourped, four or twowheeled, the sky sets the limit.

Sarikoki and Baby in the garden resting in the shadow of a Pepper tree (Schinus treblintifolius) in the mid-day heat.

Baby has, as you can see, grown a quite a lot since october!

It seems almost to good to be true, as elands are known to be extremely skittish so… is it all tell and no show?

Well, as they say, a picture say more than a thousand words so here is one from this morning:

Embe and Baby by the sundowner bench in my garden.

And that should about say it all, is it not… except I guess, with my philosophical streak, there is one.

We, as humans, behaving in a relaxed and accomodating way around animals, can help species accepting and getting to know eachother even though they from Natures side would be sworn enemies as hunter and prey. They need to be given sufficiently space, food and attention to accept eachother as part of a group.

Hmmm… having said that, still working on how to include the vegetable part of living life to the community feeling, though…

In the meanwhile fences just have to do the job…

Sacrificing to protect… Sarikoki checking out Jackson building a fence around my Silk Floss trees  grown from seeds collected in the Nairobi Arboretum… Jackson is a rather tall  fellow, so, yes, Sarikoki IS rather huge by now… glad he is friendly most of the time!

Have a lovely day! Mine  has been!

An eventful summer…

This summer was the first time in many years to hold a painting exhibition in Norway.

 

Gallery Flood is situated on an island just outside the city of Sandefjord. Just130 km southwest of the capital Oslo it is reached by exellent roads with great views of the ocean along the way and is a very popular holiday destination.

…overcast morning down by the Fjord: water is cool but immensely fresh, if you find the guts, an early morning bath leaves you feel refreshed – and brave! like nothing else…

Featuring the almost obligatory breathtaking views over the ocean and fjords it also happens to be next door to where I have spent quality time in the past on holidays as well as on other occasions as my aunt lives next door.

the gallery in the preparation phase as I am trying to work out the best ways to hang my things in harmony with the craftwork already there.

Having had favourable receptions on my work in Kenya I should have been totally at ease by expanding my circles but it is alway the way, I guess, that every time one enters something new there is this slight anxiety. So, being slightly nervous about the reception of my work in my native setting this gallery gave the best possible frame as a good combination of something new, something well known… bringing the past and the present together.

me slightly nervous but trying not to let it show, however, the clasping hands let it all away, isnt it…!

I came to Norway a few days before, visiting friends and family and taking photos to share with you here on this blog both from the famous Vigeland Sculpture park but also from the Botanical gardens of Oslo as they recently had a new addition I wanted to take a closer look at. 

This lovely addition is a garden created with the specific purpose of giving people with Alzheimers desease a sense of belonging and rememberance as it contains “oldfashioned” plants and features from gardens in the Eastern part of Norway.

The idea is that they can come here, sit on a bench and reconnect with memories from a distant past,  and to give them a sense of stability through recognition of something familiar.

I think this is a lovely idea. By making the estethical pleasures of the gardens made for beauty and relaxation vivid in the mind through the eye, the touch and the olifactory senses one can connect to deeper levels of self and otherness.

It is always nice to have a quiet bite at the cafe…

Then: Preparing for departure “down south” next day I cycled downwards through Oslo City Center to buy my train ticket and check the departure times. Then back home past the Government quarters to avoid getting stuck in the tramlines next to the Catherdal and then zigzakking up to Frogner via the castle and its lovely park.

Learning that the train tunnels in central part of Oslo was under reconstruction and it would be a complicated journey with buses etc., I chose to ride my bike with my paitings rolled up and my gear on my back to Lysaker - the nearest station open – the next day.

 taking a break at Lysakerkilen - my fabulous foldable bike is a new love!

I started early, passed through Vigelandsparken and took these images of people having fun posing as the sculptures, strolling about, enjoying the weather…

 

It was the morning of the 22nd of June 2011.

And little did I know that the world, for us, would change dramatically that day.

I tried to write about this earlier. Somehow my computer crashed and the blogpost disappeared. Having other things coming up; travels to Italy, Marocco, England… death of a loved one… health issues…  I never musted the force to write as I felt I had to deal with this post before anything else. and the time was just not right. Whatever came out too raw, somehow, or it felt too platonic merging the loss and sadness with the happiness and joy of the wonderful experiences that also had been part of this last months so I kept postphoning it. until now.

As I came back to the house after bringing my paintings to the gallery and setting myself up for stretching them we settled in front of the television to watch the news.

There had been a terrorist attack. First a bomb. then shootings. Filled with dread and sadness I remembered passing by the exact spot at the exact time the bomb had gone off the previous day. My thoughts went out to people I know working in the area. were they ok? no answer on the phone. then the details came. the children enjoying companionship and happiness gunned down. it was too much to take in. I was devastated. and in doubt: should we cancel the show? would it be disrespectful?

the gallerist and I talked and thought and decided; we will go on. but on a smaller scale.

I am happy we did that.

Between 150 and 200 people showed up for the opening. And they continued to come. They wanted to talk, they said; we do not want to be stopped by this. life must go on. perhaps we have become complacent, perhaps we have become spoiled. we must open our hearts and mind and embrace life, embrace eachother, grow closer.

it was magical. it changed something in me listening to these people reflecting on themselves in such an open way. At the opening I tried to give an impression of what life in Africa is like and got quite engaged, it seems… (btw the painting in the background is from Langebybukta, based on a sketch I made the previous year…) and I tried to tell the tale of how the strong togetherness in our local Maasai Community is working and how important it is for them to have foras where all aspect of a problem or an idea is discussed at length regardless of your position until an agreement is reached.

the next weekday I went to Oslo. Being very Norwegian, not wanting to pry, not wanting to be in the way for the investigations, still wanting to pay my respect and face the facts I silently made my way downtown.

Tears welled up in my eyes as I came closer to the Cathredal. Even before I saw the hundreds of thousands of flowers I could feel, tangibly, an atmosphere of silent togetherness and strength.

It was as if the normal sounds of a busy city had gotten mufled, somehow. There they were. thousands of them. families with small children. young people and old. all composed. talking, not in hushed but silent and clear voices. standing. feeling. thinking. masses of flowers and greetings, stopping here, reading there. walking through the pathways made. most had flowers, some cards, some flags. and pictures. drawings. it was as time itself had come to a standstill. and I fell in love with my country again, with the strength, with the difference it can do to dare to be silent together, to allow the immensity of what was truly a national tragedy come forward not in loudness and cries of revenge but in a silent intimacy. that touched my heart in a deeper and more lasting way than any outcry would have made. Is it not always so? that silence looms larger than words? when true strength is manifested, is it not so that it does so calmly? that the terror came from within, did that not also show that we had not been present enough? not caring enough? that we needed to rethink?

To be together in silence is a very intimate act. To experience gently move around in a crowd who all move deliberately, consciously, knowingly, respectfully, is, in a way, to experience love on its deepest level.

these people did not belong to some specific group that had made it a point of showing up as a political standpoint. they had not been through years and years of training in empathy and lovingkindness. they were no hardheaders present there to criticize. to condemn. to demand. the point was simple. These everyday people were there to be there. to show that they cared. to feel together and to show by the act of coming there and to participate in silent respectful moving around bringing their most precious ones – their children – that they could be counted on. it was like a dance! magic! It showed, and they wanted to show, that they had their hearts intact, their minds set to overcome and to understand the tragedy. and to continue to live their lives with love and kindness.

Impressingly profound. the very act of being there as individuals, as families and as friends, completely unorganized, yet capable of this great… gentleness. and I, by myself, I walked around in this, I watched and thought and then, when the moment felt right, left for the other things that was on my agenda that day. but it did not leave me. and it never will. and that is exactly how it should be.

perhaps it is time to move on, now.