Moments of Light

Pauli Luoma

Last Thursday April 5th 2012, I attended the opening of 'Valon Hetkiä', an exhibition of oil paintings by Pauli Luoma at the Jade Gallery in Helsinki, Finland. The title of this exhibition translates from Finnish to English as 'Moments of light'. The artist Pauli Luoma from Hamina, was displaying some of his most recent work including some new paintings featuring wonderful coastal scenery from western Finland. 

Pauli Luoma - Tuulinen päivä (Windy day)

It was clear to see the artist's gifted talent in his achievement to capture perfectly the balance of daylight tones reflecting on each of his images. The painting above is no exception. While the viewer is immediately drawn to the pale tones associated with grey skies and wind, one can't help but notice those warmer tones on distant trees cast from hidden sunbeams. I suppose it is these lighter tones or moments that we must appreciate and cherish, for as with life's similar moments they never last very long and often fail to return the way we remember.

Here's a photograph of myself with the artist Pauli Luoma and a gallery visitor taken during the opening of his art exhibition at Jade Gallery in Helsinki last week. Thanks to Jatta Hartikainen for this photo.

Alan Hogan (left) and  Pauli Luoma (centre) at Jade Gallery, Helsinki. - April 2012

As well as landscapes, Pauli Luoma's current exhibition also includes a selection of his figurative paintings. I found these to be a nice accompaniment to his landscapes, with calming tones and complimentary moods.

Pauli Luoma - Nainen valoisassa huoneessa (Woman in a bright room)

Here's a video featuring more of Luoma's wonderful figurative work.

    

Pauli Luoma's 'Valon Hetkiä' art exhibition continues at Jade Gallery in Helsinki until 30.04.2012. 

If you have any questions or wish to meet the artist, he will be present in Jade Gallery on the following date, 22.04.2012, 13.00 - 17.00

Thanks to Pauli Louma for inviting me to his opening exhibition and thank 'you' for reading my blog. Feel free to share with all your friends.

-Alan

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Red Barn Blues!

With the summer a distant memory now, I just wanted to share one of my paintings which reflects summer for me here in Finland. It's a picture of a typical red wooden barn in Finland, with a rapeseed field lingering in front of it. The bright yellow rapeseed fields can be so strong in colour they can only but make you smile!

I usually take a small camera with me whenever I go outside whether in the cities or the countryside. I caught this photograph while passing a field near to village of Ingå in southern Finland. I was in a moving car, so the quality isn't great. But I knew from the moment I seen it that it would make a nice painting.

Here's the original photograph with my painted impression below it. 

'Red Barn' Original acrylic on stretched-canvas 
for sale from artist, size 50cm x 40cm.
Prints available from Imagekind.com, just click on image above.

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- Alan 

                     

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Going to California!

Thanks for dropping by my blog! Nice to have you here again.

There's not much happening around here these days. It's all family occasions and football matches, all happy days of course! ..... even if the mosquitoes are annoying the hell out of me!

I'm also happy about a recent art sale I made. This painting here below called 'Two Black Cats' is leaving home! A sale is a sale as they say, money in the pocket, so one must be happy! YaaBaaDabaDoo indeed!!

I was a little sad today however as I had to post this little painting off to an art collector in the U.S.A.

It's a painting that I have liked having in my studio and I have always enjoyed watching and listening to reactions from people who come to see it. The Finnish people seem to appreciate it's simplistic and positive message, and more importantly, it appeals to the young and old. It has also been one of my most popular paintings for prints both here in Finland and abroad. Especially so in the United States with print sales in Manhattan Kansas, Austin Texas, and Maspeth New York amongst others. And now the original painting is finally on it's way to San Diego California. I want to thank all of those who purchased prints and a special thanks to the nice lady in California who will receive 'Two Black Cats' in the post shortly. I hope they serve you well! This song is for you and my black cats....

Share this blog!

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

You can receive my blogposts direct to your email or facebook profile by pressing the follow button at NetworkedBlogs  and you are welcome to visit my art page on Facebook by clicking the 'Like' button under my signature below.

- Alan 

                     

Soul Inspired!

When most people think of Irish music festivals they think of fiddles, tin whistles, lively dancing and the odd refreshment. But times have changed and nowadays Ireland has many other musical festivals to offer, and for many different tastes. Festivals such as the Cork Jazz Festival, the Electric Picnic, and the Castlebar Blues Festival for example. And this month another festival which has only been around for 5 years comes back to Ireland's capital. Set up by a group of young dedicated Dubliners in 2007 the annual 'Dublin City Soul Festival' is an event about creating positive feeling through soul music. It's a way for musicians and like-minded people to come together and show their passion for what's best about Ireland. One of the big attractions of this year's festival I reckon will be the amazing and charismatic Mirenda Rosenberg, a singer from the U.S. now living in Ireland since 2005. Tickets are only €15 to see her, an absolute bargain! Check her out here in this video, fantastic!

There has been a wholesome connection between the roots of soul music and various musicians in Ireland over the years, and a great bond of musical respect has been established because of this. Well-known Irish artists such as U2, Van Morrison, Sinead O'Connor, The Chieftains, Damien Rice and Lisa Hannigan come to mind.

And I suppose we shouldn't forget that little movie by director Alan Parker called 'The Committments'. This is the band that came to my mind first when I heard about this new festival in Dublin. It's a film I really enjoyed for the energy, the acting and of course that sweet soul music! Although I don't recall anyone singing soul music on the buses when I was growing up in Dublin. Weddings perhaps, but never on public transport!

It's not a bad redition of the old classic soul tunes. But let's be honest here and say that the originals are the ones to savour and add to your cd collection. The Committments were at their best an excellent covers band, not unlike a lot of the cover bands doing the pub circuits around Ireland at the moment. It is however nice to see that the old gang are back together again these days, and they have a 20th Anniversary Reunion Concert planned for next November in Dublin's Olympia Theatre. In fact they play two nights on November 9th and 10th, 2011. If you're lucky enough to be in Ireland around those dates you might like to enter this competition here to win some tickets. They recently had a comback concert last March with all of the original line-up. Here's a little video from Irish television with a few of them singing the classic 'Chain of Fools', and yes, that is the gorgeous Imelda Quirke singing!!...sorry I mean Angeline Ball!

  

The Dublin City Soul Festival's big banner-call this year is 'Cead Mile Failte', which is an Irish welcome as described in this short poem here.

An Irish Welcome

Here's Céad Míle Fáilte to friend and to rover
That's a greeting that's Irish as Irish can be
It means you are welcome
A thousand times over
Wherever you come from, Whosoever you be.

I recently received an email from one of the Soul Festival's event people asking me if I'd like to take part in this year's event. The organisers have a project called Eye Candy where they ask artists to donate a piece of their work in aid of the festival's charity. The charity in question is called the 'Musical Youth Foundation'. It is the aim of this charity to provide more access for every Irish child to music through free lessons and musical instruments. I did of course donate a painting. I didn't have a lot of notice about the event, but I hope this little piece which I sent over can help somehow. I call it 'Soul Inspired' with a slight pun towards Dublin city's most controversial landmark called 'The Spire' on O'Connell Street (see photo below). The 'Dublin City Soul Festival 2011' is on from May 26th to May 29th 2011.

Finally, speaking of charity events, for anybody living in Ireland there's a great little table quiz being held in Dublin on June 1st, 2011 in aid of the Irish Cancer Society. It's called 'The Hogan Quiz' and it's organised by a wonderful bunch of people with plenty of heart and soul. And they also happen to be cousins of mine so you will definately have a great night. For more information check out their event page on Facebook here!

Thanks for reading my blog and please share it with all your friends.

-Alan

You are welcome to visit my art page on Facebook by clicking the 'Like' button here.

Please leave your reaction to this blogpost by ticking one of the boxes below. Thanks!

2D or not 2D? that is the question!

Last summer I had a quick look at the work of Finnish artist Pauno Pohjolainen in the Turku Art Museum. The painter transformed from being a traditional artist at an early stage of his career to making more 3-dimensional work in the way of painted sculptures and textured forms such as chipped wooden surfaces. The artist still prefers to be called a painter though. 

Pauno Pohjolainen: 

Pyhä Yrjö surmaa lohikäärmeen, yksityiskohta, 

2008

Born in Kuopio, Finland in 1949 Pauno Pohjolainen held his first solo exhibition in Kuopio Art Museum in 1981. His art is visually pleasing and consists of many natural textures and colours. Some of his work extends to interior and exterior building facades.

Pauno Pohjolainen, the Virgin Mary, 1996, Kuopio Art Museum Collection

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

-Alan

There's no art like snow art!

The date was the 14th of February, St.Valentine's Day.

This is a holiday I have normally associated with love, romance, cards, flowers and chocolate. A day every Irish teenager eagerly awaits at their halldoor for the postman to arrive with a Valentine card from that someone special who supposedly loves them so much, whether they like it or not. Oh yes indeed, the memories of Valentine's Day!

This holiday in Finland is slightly different however. The holiday of St.Valentine is relatively new here. In fact it first appeared in diaries here in 1987 as 'Friend's Day' or "Ystävänpäivä" in Finnish.

And to this day it is still called "Ystävänpäivä".

However, nowadays you can see cards and other items advertising 'St.Valentine's Day' in shops and on television everywhere in Finland. But it's just another word for Friendship to most Finns. And while the elements of romance which are associated with St.Valentine's Day slowly begin to creep in to Finnish culture, you are still more likely to see close friends and even relatives giving each other cards and gifts of friendship on February 14th.

As it turned out, 'Friendship' was the theme at a very 'cool' event I attended last month. The local municipality of Raseborg in Southern Finland were I live had organised a day out for the public which included some ice-swimming, bbq sausages and most importantly a Snow sculpting contest. This contest was held over a period of 3 hours on a beach in the town of Ekenäs. The sea here was frozen at the time, so I got a chance to walk on ice. This was a first for me!

A selection

of snow sculptures.

And here's the sculpture

that came first in the contest.

Well, that's what happened down my way last month on Valentine's Day. Definately something different for me and also a novelty day-out. I reckon a Friendship Valentine is always a good thing!

Here's a little clip I made of the Snow Art and more.

Thanks for reading my blog and enjoy the video!

Alan