Calendar 2021

https://youtu.be/qLubDlKPFw0

Here's a preview of my Art Calendar 2021, which is available exclusively from the ArtWanted website. I've collected twelve of my most suitable works for this calendar which focuses mainly on nature and the country of Finland where I live. 

The calendar can be found at this link here: https://www.artwanted.com/alanhogan/calendar

Find more of my art on Instagram: https://t.co/4BAsNay9BQ 

or on my Facebook page:
https://m.facebook.com/hoganfinland

#artist #new #calendar #preview #new2021 #artcalendar #arts #artiste #konst #kunst #taide #irishartist #irishinfinland

My Finland 100 : 81- 90

Finland became an independent state on 6 December 1917. Already there have been numerous events staged throughout the country to celebrate this centenary year. The theme of the centenary year is ‘Together’. 

As I have been a resident of Finland for the past ten years I wanted to do a little something. For this I decided to post 100 images to my Instagram account on social media with the hashtag #finland100_igchallenge .

Anyone familiar with the Instagram application will be aware of the vast amount of wonderful photography posted every day online. There are so many amazing images to be found featuring Finland's stunning nature and landscapes. I imagine my photography may be lack lustre in comparison and as a result may not be noticed. So I decided to simply look closer in and around my new home for another approach. I have posted a variety of images found around my own house and neighbourhood. I didn't know much about Finland before I moved here, so I view this as an opportunity to show others a few things I discovered about or associated with Finland and it's culture. I have included everyday items, nostalgic items, locations, food and also some Finnish-themed artworks which I painted myself while living here. In other words, a bit of everything!!

The images are in no particular order of importance or preference, so I'll continue with 81-90...

81/100
... 'Kivimiehet', aka the Stone Men of Helsinki. This is a graphic impression of Emil Wikstrom's big statues outside Helsinki railway station. 

A post shared by Alan Hogan (@alanhogano) on Dec 10, 2017 at 9:19am PST

82/100
.. these Finnish Christmas pastries are called Joulutortuu or Jultårta, and I'm having a pre-festive #instatasting ! 😊

A post shared by Alan Hogan (@alanhogano) on Dec 10, 2017 at 12:15pm PST

83/100
...when summer arrives many Finns disappear to the countryside or out by the sea to a place I call 'The Escape Hut' (acrylic on canvas). A small summer cottage which usually has a sauna, just like the one in this painting had. I took my first finnish sauna in this one!

A post shared by Alan Hogan (@alanhogano) on Dec 10, 2017 at 9:28pm PST

84/100
..for that retro look you can't beat Marimekko's classic 1965 'Unikko' design. ...Nice curtains! 😀

A post shared by Alan Hogan (@alanhogano) on Dec 11, 2017 at 5:17am PST

85/100
..clearing snow is part of life in Finland. And like everything else, it's good in moderation! ⛄

A post shared by Alan Hogan (@alanhogano) on Dec 12, 2017 at 7:26am PST

86/100
.. 'Snow Tango' (acrylic on canvas) 👫🎶 - it's not uncommon to see people dancing the tango in towns around Finland during the summer and every year in the middle of winter the world snow tango championships take place in Tampere city, no matter how cold it gets!

A post shared by Alan Hogan (@alanhogano) on Dec 12, 2017 at 2:10pm PST

87/100
...originating in Italy, the celebration of St Lucia is celebrated in a spectacular manner at the Helsinki Cathedral Finland every year in December. Here's this year's Lucia leaving in her carriage. ...Bringing some light into darkness! 🌋

A post shared by Alan Hogan (@alanhogano) on Dec 13, 2017 at 12:41pm PST

88/100
...having grown up beside the Cadburys chocolate factory in Dublin I've been a fan of chocolate for a long time. I've tasted a lot of it from near and far. This large Finnish Christmas chocolate bar or Joulusuklaa is one of my favourites! ..I used to take several bars of it back to Ireland with me every Christmas for friends and family, and they love'd it too! ..Sadly the bars aren't to be found anymore. Maybe they'll bring them back again. They only have them in sweet form now, but i really miss the big chunky bars! ..💯% Christmas!!

A post shared by Alan Hogan (@alanhogano) on Dec 14, 2017 at 1:53pm PST

89/100
...scissorsisters!! ✂✂✂...every artist needs a good pair of scissors and I can honestly say there's nothing better than Fiskars scissors. Their factory a short walk from where I live. A company who now own Iittala, Wedgewood, Royal Doulton, Gerber, Rörstrand and (a piece of my Irish heritage!) Waterford Crystal. 😀

A post shared by Alan Hogan (@alanhogano) on Dec 15, 2017 at 6:12am PST

90/100

Oh..Star Wars, you never let us down! ..Brilliant!! 😀🚀..got to watch it in 3D (recommended!) at the Bio Forum cinema in Ekenäs. It's Finland's oldest cinema, operating since 1912 and it doesn't seem to have changed much since then. No computers, just one old lady behind the desk selling popcorn and tickets while scratching seats off a piece of paper. A nostalgic gem!! 🎥

A post shared by Alan Hogan (@alanhogano) on Dec 15, 2017 at 2:36pm PST

Click below for more:

1- 10

11- 20

21- 30

31- 40

41- 50

51- 60

61- 70

71- 80

81- 90

91- 100

Share this blog!

Thanks for reading my blog and please feel free to share it with any of your friends.

- Alan

 

My Finland 100 : 71- 80

Finland became an independent state on 6 December 1917. Already there have been numerous events staged throughout the country to celebrate this centenary year. The theme of the centenary year is ‘Together’. 

As I have been a resident of Finland for the past ten years I wanted to do a little something. For this I decided to post 100 images to my Instagram account on social media with the hashtag #finland100_igchallenge .

Anyone familiar with the Instagram application will be aware of the vast amount of wonderful photography posted every day online. There are so many amazing images to be found featuring Finland's stunning nature and landscapes. I imagine my photography may be lack lustre in comparison and as a result may not be noticed. So I decided to simply look closer in and around my new home for another approach. I have posted a variety of images found around my own house and neighbourhood. I didn't know much about Finland before I moved here, so I view this as an opportunity to show others a few things I discovered about or associated with Finland and it's culture. I have included everyday items, nostalgic items, locations, food and also some Finnish-themed artworks which I painted myself while living here. In other words, a bit of everything!!

The images are in no particular order of importance or preference, so I'll continue with 71-80...

71/100
..Vikings is back and King Harald Finehair is probably having a drink tonight! ...a selection of the Finnish actor Peter Franzen's movies. #peterfranzen

A post shared by Alan Hogan (@alanhogano) on Dec 5, 2017 at 8:25am PST

72/100
...remembering my first day in Finland and the surprise 'snow baptism' I received. A rite of passage for any new arrivals here in wintertime! 😄❄

A post shared by Alan Hogan (@alanhogano) on Dec 5, 2017 at 3:01pm PST

73/100
(Posted on 6th December 2017) 
Happy 100th Independence Day Finland! ...Onnea Suomi 100!!! ...Grattis på 100-årsdagen Finland!

A post shared by Alan Hogan (@alanhogano) on Dec 6, 2017 at 1:47am PST

Here's a short clip from the Independence Day celebrations in Helsinki.







74/100
...perfect weather for a little Independence Day walk in Finland today. Finnish nature can never have enough instagrams!! 🌲🌲🌿❄❄ (click arrow in photo for more)

A post shared by Alan Hogan (@alanhogano) on Dec 6, 2017 at 1:13pm PST

75/100
..the Orange Cow made a playlist of tunes from Finland on Soundcloud.

A post shared by Alan Hogan (@alanhogano) on Dec 7, 2017 at 6:02am PST

You can listen to this playlist here!






76/100
...Life's a birch sometimes! 🌲😄 'Connections' (acrylic on board)

A post shared by Alan Hogan (@alanhogano) on Dec 7, 2017 at 1:39pm PST

77/100
#flashbackfriday  ..that proud moment when you cut down your first Christmas tree in the land of Santa Claus and he's not around to see it! 🎅🎄

A post shared by Alan Hogan (@alanhogano) on Dec 8, 2017 at 4:32am PST

78/100
..60's pop hits! ..because old Engelbert Humperdinck songs sound so much better in Finnish! 😀

A post shared by Alan Hogan (@alanhogano) on Dec 8, 2017 at 8:19am PST

79/100
..finnish sausages or makkara are normally eaten during barbeque season, but they also taste great out of the oven in the winter.

A post shared by Alan Hogan (@alanhogano) on Dec 8, 2017 at 12:26pm PST

80/100
.. a nice place to visit in the summer. 'Åland Landscape' (acrylic-on-canvas)

A post shared by Alan Hogan (@alanhogano) on Dec 9, 2017 at 7:05am PST

Click below for more:

1- 10

11- 20

21- 30

31- 40

41- 50

51- 60

61- 70

71- 80

81- 90

91- 100

Share this blog!

Thanks for reading my blog and please feel free to share it with any of your friends.

- Alan

 

My Finland 100 : 61- 70

Finland became an independent state on 6 December 1917. Already there have been numerous events staged throughout the country to celebrate this centenary year. The theme of the centenary year is ‘Together’. 

As I have been a resident of Finland for the past ten years I wanted to do a little something. For this I decided to post 100 images to my Instagram account on social media with the hashtag #finland100_igchallenge .

Anyone familiar with the Instagram application will be aware of the vast amount of wonderful photography posted every day online. There are so many amazing images to be found featuring Finland's stunning nature and landscapes. I imagine my photography may be lack lustre in comparison and as a result may not be noticed. So I decided to simply look closer in and around my new home for another approach. I have posted a variety of images found around my own house and neighbourhood. I didn't know much about Finland before I moved here, so I view this as an opportunity to show others a few things I discovered about or associated with Finland and it's culture. I have included everyday items, nostalgic items, locations, food and also some Finnish-themed artworks which I painted myself while living here. In other words, a bit of everything!!

The images are in no particular order of importance or preference, so I'll continue with 61-70...

61/100
Big rocks like the one shown here are a common sight in Finland. They were left over from the ice age. In fact the rock shown here is one of the smaller ones.

A post shared by Alan Hogan (@alanhogano) on Nov 29, 2017 at 10:24am PST

62/100
...'Thoughts of summer' (acrylic on canvas). a finnish summer house in Prästkulla Finland which i painted in a dreamscape of summer colours.

A post shared by Alan Hogan (@alanhogano) on Nov 30, 2017 at 1:57am PST

63/100
.. If you ever visit Helsinki check out the city's superb Jugendstil architecture. My favourite area is Katajanokka where I took these photos. (click on left of photo for more images)

A post shared by Alan Hogan (@alanhogano) on Nov 30, 2017 at 2:10pm PST

64/100
...the small town of Ekenäs in Finland has a pole where they lock the necks of any Irishmen who don't pay for their beer, as demonstrated here by myself and my cousin on a recent visit.🍺😄 It's called the 'Shame Pole'. ..It was once used to punish criminals in the old days.

A post shared by Alan Hogan (@alanhogano) on Dec 1, 2017 at 2:48am PST

65/100
...flashback friday, hanging out with football fans from local Karis club BK-46 during the summer. The best of Finland! ⚽😎👍 

A post shared by Alan Hogan (@alanhogano) on Dec 1, 2017 at 12:50pm PST

66/100
.... 4 words: Finland, Metal, Cello, Apocalyptica!

A post shared by Alan Hogan (@alanhogano) on Dec 2, 2017 at 12:46am PST

67/100
.. a glowing Helsinki Cathedral overlooks the Christmas market in Senate Square this weekend.

A post shared by Alan Hogan (@alanhogano) on Dec 3, 2017 at 1:40pm PST

68/100
... wall tapestry from Finland,... red christmas lights from Dunnes stores (switching on shortly)

A post shared by Alan Hogan (@alanhogano) on Dec 4, 2017 at 6:03am PST

69/100
..'just had a night visit from this little guy asking me to put up my Christmas tree and some lights asap.🎄 He's called a Tonttu/Tomte here in Finland and he's a wannabe mythological creature from Nordic folklore who appears every Christmas. I tried to keep him quietly in the kitchen as I have another small mythological creature from Irish folklore hidden in the livingroom. He's fast asleep now and won't wake up until mid-March. So, i'd better get moving and keep this Tontuu happy or he might wake up old grumpyhead! 😯

A post shared by Alan Hogan (@alanhogano) on Dec 4, 2017 at 2:53pm PST

70/100
...'travelling by boat from Dublin to Liverpool I once found myself surrounded by young Irish football fans with bleached hair and this guy's name on their jerseys. Probably the first Finnish name many Irish people will mention when asked to name a famous Finn. Absolute legend for Liverpool and Finland! ⚽😎👍 (click right side of photo for more images) #samihyypia

A post shared by Alan Hogan (@alanhogano) on Dec 5, 2017 at 1:42am PST

Click below for more:

1- 10

11- 20

21- 30

31- 40

41- 50

51- 60

61- 70

71- 80

81- 90

91- 100

Share this blog!

Thanks for reading my blog and please feel free to share it with any of your friends.

- Alan