Working Life: Erika Dahlen

Another artist I had the great fortune to get to know at Obras in Evoramonte, Portugal is Erika Dahlen. She is an artist from Stockholm, Sweden and was joined at Obras by Henrik Sjöberg and their two beautiful sons. Erika works in several mediums, making installations and multi-media works but I was initially blown away by her paintings. They are quiet and focused but her work is about big issues.

I have discovered again, and again and again, that even though I went to these residencies to focus on my work and pull what is in my head out into the world through my images, that I end up learning so much more from the people around me. If you pay attention, you can see the world rushing up to meet you like waves at the beach.

This is Erika in her studio at Obras in May 2011.

Working Life: Annemie Bogaerts

I am incredibly fortunate to have been at Obras in Portugal at the same time as Annemie Bogaerts. She is a Dutch artist who makes incredible installations and graphic works. She changed the way I feel about installation based work. I photographed her for my ongoing project about work, called Working Life.

This is Annemie working on an installation at Obras in Evoramonte, Portugal in May 2011.

I love the errors even still

Agh cursed light leaks! I apologize, my sweet horse friend Brancita. Large format camera + blazing sun + moving horse + 4 planes = a few mistakes

Obras

It has been quite hot here lately - thank god for the pool.and the field of grass and wheat to walk inand the sunset over the hills where the sheep graze in the evenings around the cork trees