swedishacademyofrealistart

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Student Interview with Jimmy Astvik

Jimmy is on his third term at SARA. He is shy and has a background in heavy physical work, before pursuing an art education. He frequently throws away his own drawings and because of this, we are only able to showcase his school work in this post. 

What did you want to be when you grew up?

I didn’t know what I wanted to be. I just couldn’t figure it out and I tried for so long. I was thinking of starting my own company but I didn’t know in what field... I guess practicing art is a form of entrepreneurship. 

What’s your first memory of creating art?

I think it was 2006. I was unemployed and I just started drawing a lot of fantasy figures. One day I just started drawing a dragon and couldn’t stop, I drew for hours. And I did that for about two months. Drew non-stop. I finished off two sketchbooks full of only heads. 

The art classes in my school were a joke. Sometimes, the teachers didn’t even show up. I started in a “special” class where you only had swedish classes. Then I went to building- and real estate school. We were taught to do floors, walls, windows. I tore the wall paper down from my apartment and raised its value but saw off some nerves in arm doing it. 

So that’s what you wanted to do?

I did all sorts of things after school. Got my driver’s licence. Got a job doing different physical things like driving, cleaning and helping at an old people’s home. 

And how find your way to art school?

I was drawing in my spare time but I was getting exhausted physically especially from the driving. I started telling my bosses that I was going to go to school but it took me three years of looking for a suitable school. 

I had seen SARA for three years but in the beginning I thought it was just too much money for me. I looked and looked for an alternative but couldn’t find it. 

There are state schools that are free but that’s not what I wanted. I wanted to learn how to draw realistically. And after saving up a bit and finding someone to sublet my apartment to, I took the plunge.

What do you enjoy the most at SARA?

Oh, almost everything. The assignments, the lectures... like the lectures where Hans talks about mixing paint. The whole layout really, how it’s all planned out, from bargues to casts and beyond. I like the step by step process. 

And we get so much experience from the teachers, and what they’ve learned from all of their teachers. 

Do you like Simrishamn?

I do. It’s a little smaller a little bit easier to live in. But the people who live here haven’t learned to stop at crossings. Or even slow down. Most of the times I understand the southern dialect but sometimes it can go wrong. 

Apart from that, I like it better here. It’s closer and the school is much bigger. The old school was a bit more narrow and we had to change classrooms every 2-3 months. Now, everyone has their own spot and can stay there. Even the kitchen is bigger and it’s much nicer to eat lunch at school now. 

What materials do you like the most?

At fist it was pencil but now I like charcoal the best. And chalk. But I still enjoy creating in pencil. 

Do you have any favourite artists? Any favourite source of inspiration?

I like Da Vinci. And also, I get inspired by sculpture, architecture, cool buildings, history, clothing, armour, historical sights, the romans, science, development... everything basically. You know the romans had plastic surgery in their day. And underfloor heating, concrete that’s stronger than today’s and antibiotics?

What do you want to do after SARA?

I suppose I’d like to freelance. Paint pictures, draw digitally for games or movies. Even cartoons. I’m open for everything and I don’t want to lock myself down by just choosing one thing. I choose it all.

I’ve already sold two of my figure drawings. 

How has SARA helped you in your pursuit of an artistic career?

THe school has made my much better at getting all of my ideas on paper, not keep them all up in my head. And also they’ve taught me to value my own art. 

Any advice for new students?

Yes. Have patience! If you don’t have patience, it’s going to be tough for you here. Patience and willpower are great allies. 

Thank you Jimmy!

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Concept art, before and after 2

A new before and after, the before was kindly provided by Suzanne Gysin. 

In this class our students discussed the story behind the initial picture and tried to enhance that story though working on body type and body language. 

Other things the students were shown was the effect of colour and repetitive visual elements for great composition. 

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Etching workshop in Gladsax

Last week, some of our students came to the residence in Gladsax for an etching workshop. 

They sat in Hans-Peter Szameit’s atelier working hard on their copper plates for five days.

They learned the intaglio techniques of etching, dry point and aquatint, and used them to create their own etching from a copper plate.  

They were guided through the process of etching all the way from the initial drawing through to inking and pulling the final print through the press by hand.  

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Before and After from our Concept Art Class

Here are a few before and after from our concept art class with teacher Miles Johnston.

The students were asked to do a digital portrait and from that, we did a remake of the portraits digitally on a projector. Here are the results:

The spiceman before (drawing by Karl Wennergren)

The spiceman after:

Officeman before (by Suzanne Gysin)

The officeman after:

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A little step-by-step from our student Jenny Berggren

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Student interview with Jenny Berggren

Jenny is from the countryside around Umeå, and she is a librarian. She actually works as a librarian right now, officially, but she’s on leave until she concludes her third year at SARA this spring. 

What did you want to be when you grew up?

I don’t remember if I had a grand dream. Maybe becoming a writer is the closest to it? We used to have bunnies at home and I used to write a lot about these bunnies. I wrote stories about them and gave away as a christmas present to my grandparents and parents. Each year I’d write a story and it would be a bit like a series of sorts. Illustrated, of course.

What’s your first memory of creating art?

I do remember trying to depict one of our bunnies really realistically. I didn’t really know how to explain what I was trying to do. People were saying “oh, that’s nice” but I didn’t think so because the bunny on paper didn’t look like the bunny I saw. I think I said roughly “I want to get every hair of that rabbit on paper!″

So yeah, I guess I’ve always been focused on realism. Not necessarily photographically realistic though. And throughout my childhood, I mostly remember drawing those rabbits…

When did you start painting/ drawing?

I don’t remember when I started, but I don’t think I ever stopped, which is what many young people do when they get too self-critical at a certain age. My parents really encouraged me and my sisters – they bought me an easel and gave me art books, and I read all about these great old artists going to Paris to study art, and copied their paintings with graphite.

I went to an evening class when I was about 10-11. So I painted a lot of still lives with oil already then. And I drew portraits of my sisters all the time, they grew pretty tired of it actually. They’re my younger sisters and they are quite artistic too but I guess they felt they were never as good as I was which is completely natural, as I, being older, had had so much more time to practice. I love what they do, but so far they left the artistic part to me and became engineers (laughs).

Was there a point where you wanted to do something more sensible with your life?

I don't know if it is more sensible, but I have an education and a job already. I did a year in art school at a Folk highschool* and was thinking of going to art school doing illustration, but I was looking for this kind of school [SARA] and it didn’t exist. Not in Sweden at least.

So instead I did five years at university and have two master degrees (laughs); one in literature and one in library- and information sciences. I’ve worked as a librarian since 2005 and am still working.

Yes, I can see that…

I’m on leave now (laughs). But my employment is half time and I will still only work half time when I’m finished here.

When did you decide to go all in?

Well, the plan was to finish high school, go to uni, start working and saving money so that I could go to one of those other schools in Europe that had the realistic niche I was looking for. But in 2011, I found SARA.

The first step was a summer workshop with Samuel Järnegard Fogelvik. He was a very good teacher, although I think it was his last summer as a teacher he was a big part of the reason I’m here now. I enrolled during the fall 2013.

What’s the best thing about SARA?

It's been a dream come true to get this kind of training. I guess the best thing about school is the environment. The students are few and we care about each other and we all share what we know with one another. I mean I guess you could learn a lot of what we learn through private tutoring from an artist but you wouldn’t get the other students. And it’s so easy to be blind, it’s much better to have many eyes to look at what you’re doing.

The teachers are all great. They see different things. It takes about a term or so but then you realize what their special thing is, which they do or see especially well.

I learn a lot from the first and second year students as well, everyone has their own style and their own way of doing things.

What do you think about the area?

It’s a lot better than Stockholm when it comes to the closeness to the school. In Stockholm it took me 40 minutes to get to school and 40 minutes back. Unfortunately, I’m a forgetful person so that meant that if I forgot something it was quite an ordeal to go home and back to school. Here, it takes me a few minutes to walk. I can go and get my forgotten things during lunch (laughs). And I can spend more time at school.

I love the winter light in Skåne. That’s my favourite part. I’d love to live here during the winter and in Umeå during the summer. I get so tired from the dark, I want as much light as I can get.

We drove around the area, Österlen, with my parents and saw the classic tourist attractions like Ales Stenar and Glimmingehus and we did go to Kiviks äppelmarknad when that was going on. It’s cosy here and beautiful albeit a bit windy.

What’s your favourite method?

Oil is most the fun! I hadn’t used it much since my teenage time, and it is so fun to get back into it. I used acrylics and pastels for some time, because it smells less and I have usually had only one room to paint and sleep in. But acrylics dries too quickly and too boring and pastels make your hands really dry. Oil is more alive – it is like sculpting with paint. I like working in layers, because it is easier to correct things along the way, and there are so many possibilities with layer work in oil, since it dries slowly. And also oil paintings looks really vibrant.

I do like drawing too, with pencils and colour.

Tell me about your inspirations and influences.

Since I work in a library and like images I read a lot of picture books. I find it very inspiring to read images. My number one picture book illustrator is Shaun Tan from Australia. There are also two french artists, Benjamin Lacombe and Agatha Kawa, that I follow. And Sonia M L  Possentini from Italy.

And there are a lot of really good swedish picture book artists, Sara Lundberg for example.

Many of the picture books today are not just for kids, but also for older children, young adults and adults, and you can find a lot of experimental picture books out there. Generally I like images that are realist-based, figurative but with a lot of freedom and experimentation within the realist discourse.

I tend to do cute stuff without really meaning to. I grew up with Ilon Wiklands illustrations, and she might actually be my biggest influence.

Is there anything else that inspires you?

You know, when you’re not looking for inspiration, it comes to you. I think most inspiration comes from just watching the world around me.

And then I can get inspired by people who know their stuff. I can sit and listen to a lecture, even a boring lecture, or a talk or discussion about a certain subject in any field and something one person says gets my mind going and I might end up somewhere completly different, but it is inspiring. And books and movies… when someone has thought something through especially in fiction, then I get really inspired.

I like going to film festivals, because it is there you can find the most inspiring movies. Here in Simrishamn I have joined the film studio, and I watched ”Bird People” there a little while back and that made me draw small birds, I even made some three dimensional ones. I love coming out from the cinema, or a book or an art museum and feel the urge to create something myself, but it takes a really good piece of art to make that happen.

What’s your new goal in life?

I’d like to illustrate children’s books and paint. I had already started illustrating before SARA but I found myself in a position where I felt limited by my skill set. I really needed this time to train. And the possibility to get in the mood. That’s one reason this is really good for me, I’m in another town, I can let go of everything else and concentrate on this.

I own a publishing house but previously I’ve only illustrated books for us, more like a hobby thing. I’d like to do it professionally, and more commissioned work as well. And as far as my art goes, I’d like to investigate expressions (both humans and animals) and I’m also interested in forgotten or not brought to light history – I want to create paintings that tell a story.

How do you think SARA will have helped you get there?

I think one of the most important parts is it has given me tools to get a project starting. I’ve always found it hard to start before, I’ve gotten stuck so much. Now I can start easily and then keep on going, because I have more skills and feel more secure.

And of course the contacts. To get to know all these people has been great.

*something in between high school and university

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A little step by step by Sanna Tomac.

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Student interviews: Dani Lundin

Danica is on her third year at SARA. She’s an exceptionally sensitive and feisty young woman of 21 from Sweden, Serbia and Montenegro. She dislikes elitism and liquorice and tends to get into trouble.

What did you want to do when you grew up?

I’ve wanted many things. Thought of many different careers but maybe the main one was as a fire woman. We went to a fire station in pre-school and that made a big impression on me.

Later I also wanted to be a singer and a writer. And who knows, life is full of possibilities.

Yes, you have time…

I’m only 21. I think I have all the time in the world.

What’s your first memory of making art?

That must be in pre-school in Värmdövik. I drew with crayons or magic markers. No, it was magic markers. That was fun. I still have some pieces from that time.

Any piece in particular you’re thinking of?

Yes, I have a watercolor book about a whale that my teachers helped my write. It was a bit like Finding Nemo, before Finding Nemo and all in bright blue colors.

Then I have a funny looking drawing of a bird that I’m very fond of. Particularly because I can still draw like that if I try to. Exactly like that. I guess it’s a reflection of my personality or something.

And was it in pre-school that you started to experiment artistically?

Well, art has always been a factor in my life. With a pen and a surface, you’re never bored.

Do you doodle a lot?

Yes, in fact a lot of my pieces are a product of doodling and I think that those ones tend to be better than my more planned work. Doodling is more natural, more intuitive.

Has there been a point where you’ve thought that art wasn’t the way to go for you?

I’ve never had thoughts of not somehow making art. But I do feel like I need something outside of art to keep me motivated and sane. I do a lot of political activities. I go to protests and work with Svenska Freds (a Peace and disarmament organization/ red). I’ve briefly worked with Amnesty International too. And then there’s Debate Club in Lund.

I haven’t really found the avenues to do political work in Österlen yet, I travel to Stockholm and Lund to do that, but I know there are ways. Like Gudrun Schyman (leader of the feminist party FI/ red.) lives around here and does home parties, that would be one way to engage. Although I think she’s busy until summer…

Why did you decide to focus on art?

Honestly, because I couldn’t think of anything else to do. It might not be the best reason, I acknowledge that, but I’m on the road to getting to know myself and I figured, why not do the thing I enjoy doing the most?

I really got more dedicated to art when I was 13 and got my first drawing tablet. I had discovered the world of digital art on the Internet and so I gravitated towards that world. I still do a bit of digital drawing today but not so much anymore, especially because I have such a shabby tablet.

Generally with school and my political engagements, I have less time to do personal projects but I channel a lot of my creativity in The Seed (länk!). And even if it’s a prompted exercise, it’s really fun and I get a lot out of it.

What do you like the most about SARA?

The appreciation of beauty, without a doubt. It’s outdated in society as a whole but SARA is a place that embraces beauty in every way. Outside of the school beauty is seen as a bourgeois thing where it’s unnecessary and “why should you appreciate beauty when you should be working?” kind of thing.

But I think it’s important not to bash beauty. Beauty does great things for the human soul.

You went to SARA in Stockholm before right? What do you think of Simrishamn?

Yes, I started in 2013 so I did start out in  Stockholm. But I like Simrishamn. It kind of reminds me of a small British town. And people are a lot friendlier here than in Stockholm. I appreciate the graveyard nearby, maybe it sounds strange but I do. I go there on walks if I feel frustrated. It’s a good place to draw and look at architecture from too.

I haven’t been around much in Österlen, school takes up a lot of time and the rest of the time I usually spend visiting my classmates. I’m rarely in Malmö. But I like Ystad and Lund. Rides to these places are cheaper, it’s cosy and I love the architecture there.

What is/ are your favorite method/s?

I’m a fan of oil and pens. Both ballpoint and markers. Oil because it’s quite forgiving. You get to paint over it as many times as you like. It’s a soft way to paint. I like pens for the opposite reason. They're completely unforgiving. The lines and values have to be good, which makes me pay more attention to every stroke.

As I mentioned before, I’m also a fan of digital. But I gravitate away from it a bit nowadays.

What influences  do you have?

There are many. But my main three influences that you can actually see in my work are Tim Burton, Disney and Slavic art. The Disney part is a result of my early drawing days and I've been trying to get away from it a bit. That stylistic approach is beneficial in gesture drawing, but not when you try to paint something with a more classical or realistic feel.

Any favorite artists?

Yes, many. I’m a big fan of John Atkinson Grimshaw, a landscape artist. Swedish artist John Bauer, as well as John Singer Sargent of course, you won’t meet many oil painters who don’t love him. Ivan Bilibin, Giovanni Boldini. Rodin's sculptures, oh- and Franz von St��ck is great!

Any female artists?

Karin Larsson! She was such a great painter. I actually like her work more than that of her husband’s. He discouraged her from painting. Which I will forever hold against him.

Female classical influences are tough to think of, for obvious historical reasons. The one I used to love I kind of outgrew. There are plenty of excellent women working as contemporary artists on the internet.

Not to mention our very own Theodora Capat is very inspiring! I hope more female persons become profoundly good in the classical art world.

Have you been to the House of the Larssons (Millesgården)?

Yes. Twice. No three times. Karin designed the furniture in there. She had a good aesthetic sense.

Anything else that inspires you?

Nature of course. Everything stems from nature. Except man made objects. Man has no choice but to incorporate nature into everything in some way.

I’m extremely inspired by the human body. I would like to understand every crevice on it eventually. I’m so fascinated that I have considered just reading grey's anatomy from start to finish.

What do you want to do when you grow up?

I’m looking for studies to do after this. I might do a 4th year here but it’s leaning towards no. Instead I’d like to do some international studies in the fields of human rights, development or humanitarian activism. Perhaps work in an NGO or at the UN.

I see myself freelancing a lot, on and off, maybe for life. I don’t think I could center my life around art. I’d love to have time for personal projects, be a part of an artistic community like I am here.

I think I’ll keep in touch with many of the students here. They’ve brought their lives and experiences into the school and into their works and perspectives and made this whole experience rather valuable. I like to say there is no such thing as a normal person. This is especially true at an Art School.

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

Yes. I think it’s important to say that we’re entering a new age and it's exciting to see more than just white heteronormative men getting to succeed within art!

Thank you very much. And Good luck!

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A little step by step of a painting made by Sanna Tomac. Made in her Studio in Gladsax. 

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Still life paintings with details, done by advance SARA students during the spring 2015 term.

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During SARA’s summer workshop, Landscape Painting withJames Cowper, students will spent the week working outdoors on several different paintings. The principles that were emphasised in the class were composition/design, how to simplify complex information, and how to effectively use values and colour to depict nature. See all of SARA’s past workshops. 

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SARA offers a 14 week preparatory drawing course in Simrishamn and Stockholm.

The course takes students through the first part of the standard training program of SARA. They will be introduced to the comparative method of drawing which will help them to train their eyes to accurately see shapes and values as well as line and edge quality.

During the course, students will copy a few small drawings in pencil and, if they have the time, one larger drawing in charcoal. These drawings were produced by Charles Bargue (1825-1883) in a publication called Cours de dessin (Drawing Course), which was designed to assist beginning students learn to draw objects and figures realistically and accurately from life.  This course prepares students for working well and correctly from the cast and live model.

Examples of student copies of Bargue drawings can be found in the Bargue Copies gallery.

For more information or to register, visit http://www.swedishacademyofrealistart.se/evening-course/.

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Pictures of Simrishamn and the region of Österlen, SARA’s new home! 

Simrishamn is located in the southern tip of Sweden in the beautiful region of Österlen. Österlen is famous for its natural beauty as well as its long established artistic culture and boasts the highest density of working artists in northern Europe.  Another benefit is that Simrishamn offers a lower cost of living for students than Stockholm.  If students desire to spend some time in a larger city, Copenhagen, the cosmopolitan and capital city of Denmark, is just 2 hours away by train making for an easy day trip.  Also, the attractive city of Ystad is 40 minutes away by train, from which one can take a short ferry ride to Continental Europe.

See Swedish Elle Sverige’s feature of Österlen as a “PARADISTOPPEN”.

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We are excited to present our new home! 

The academy will fully occupy this 19th century historic building located in downtown Simrishamn.

After 9 great years in Stockholm, we feel very fortunate and are absolutely thrilled about our move to the south of Sweden. Simrishamn is located in the beautiful region of Österlen, which is famous for its natural beauty as well as its long established artistic culture.

To learn more about our new location, visit our website.

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The last application deadline for the 2015/16 academic year is 31 June, 2015. For information on our programs and how to apply, visit our website. 

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WELCOME

♢ SARA GROUP EXHIBITION Featuring contemporary realist art by SARA students, faculty and alumni. ♢ VAXHOLMS RÅDHUS http://www.upplevvaxholm.se/gallerier/konst-pa-radhuset ♢ 13 JUNE —16 AUGUST Thursday — Sunday, 12 — 16 ♢ VERNISSAGE 13 JUNE Saturday, 12 — 16

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