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

Lisbon, day 2: No more nuns

I am in France now, but I need to tell you about my last day in Lisbon. First I visited the Belem church and Jeronimos Monastary. It dawned on me that maybe we have such problems with unemployment because there used to be many people living as monks and nuns, but no longer. I have visited countless abandoned convents and monasteries in Europe and there are quite a few in the US as well. I personally have no interest in this lifestyle - just a thought.

This is the number 28 electrico tram that runs through all the older parts of town. They have newer trams now but keep this line for the tourists.The Manueline ceiling of BelemHere lies Vasco de Gama, explorer and colonizer extraordinaire!I studied this flat-faced guy for a few minutes and finally decided it was meant to be a lion. There is very little chance that anyone in Portugal in the early 16th century had ever seen a real lion (and especially not the sculptor) so it was probably very impressive and I am guessing meant to signify Jesus, as he is the "Lion of Judah", from the book of revelations.Then I went to another part of Lisbon to visit the Gulbenkian Museum. The outside resembles a prison somewhat, as do many buildings of the late 1960s, but the collection is remarkable and a testament to the vision of Calouste Gulbenkian. It is amazing what money can do in the right hands. They have several Turners and Fantin-Latour that are wonderful but the real prize to me was the room dedicated to Rene Lalique. Pictures could never do the pieces justice, so I didn't bother. You should just go see it for yourself.
I love this painting of Madame du Barry.

Lisboa, day 1: Castles and rain

I visited the Castelo de S. Jorge yesterday soon after arriving in Lisbon. I have loved medieval times since we had to build a model of a castle in 3rd grade, yet I probably would have been a scullery maid back then and lived to 24. Life was rough.

This hilltop has been used by kings and rulers since the 12th century, but there is an archaeological site from the Iron Age on the site as well. The day I visited there were 50,000 Portuguese cub scouts tramping around and I noticed a large condom dispenser outside the bathroom area. Really? Are there condom machines at the Statue of Liberty? I guess there should be.I also walked around a lot of central Lisbon and waited out a rainstorm in the Chiado with lots of other tourists.

Fondation OBRAS Arists in Residence April May 2011

There is a bit about me in here.

Beach porn

Praia de Dona Ana, Lagos, Portugal. Anna!7am Lagos riverfront, waiting for the bus

Obras

My time at Obras is over, for now. I will surely return. It is a bittersweet leave taking, as many are, because the joy of so many new friends and a strong feeling of accomplishment as well as just plain old reluctance to go. I have now dragged my monster suitcase to the Algarve for a few days of sun! There are tourists from many nations here, but mostly pasty Brits. I blend right in.

random pictures from my time at Obras:
beautiful Erika Dahlen in her studio. She is like the Girl with the Pearl Earring and a great painter from Stockholm, SwedenWe did a lot of cooking for big long delicious shared dinners. I made a crepe gâteau with quince paste.And one night we grilled lots of seafood, including sardines from Luis! This is what they mean when they say sardines in Portugal!My room

Evora, night of the show

The night of my exhibition everyone from Obras went into Evora to see it and then a big dinner after. I was so happy to have them all there and to be able to share some of what I have been doing, since they see me drag this massive camera around but no prints yet, so the digital prints we were able to mount worked out well.
Erika at the showLucas at the windowThen we all walked over to the Museu de Évora, which is newly renovated and well worth the visit. This is Zakarias in front of the monumental display of paintings moved from their original home in the cathedral at Evora. The paintings date from 1501 in Portugal and highly influenced by Flemish painters of the time. It is breathtaking.Miira Sippola, director of Myllyteatteri, a theater company in Helsinki, FinlandHere are two of my favorites from the collection. This was also commissioned for the cathedral. I imagine that is Jesus floating out of the frame.This is titled, "A woman and a turkey", from around 1794.Oh and there are remains of a Roman temple to Diana across from the museum.

Inside the museums, Infinity goes up on trial

Last week or so we took a drive to Elvas, another town nearby and very close to the border with Spain. There is a massive Roman aqueduct that you drive through to get to the town and a shiny new contemporary art museum, The Museu de Arte Contemporânea de Elvas (MACE). It is housed in what used to be a hospital, so there are several beautiful examples of traditional azulejos that depict scenes of health care, and also sad donkeys that must pull the sick people to the hospital.In the lower level they had this interactive piece where you balance and walk on a thin piece of wood holding another.

I captured the castle

I climbed to the castle of Evoramonte last week one lovely May morning with my friend Helga. It starts out nice and mild, wonderful smells in the air, birds in the sky, and then 8km later I am dying in the brutal Portuguese sun, panting my way back to the Herdade da Marmeleira. Helga was not phased at all. She would have survived well back around the time when this current castle was built in 1531, although the city walls are much much older. I might have perished from the heat, or spent most of my days in the kitchen, cooking for the ancient kings.
We went all the way to the roof for a great view of the Alentejo countryside where they have recently installed at least three cellphone towers! It looks bizarre to have them on a 16th century castle, but I am sure it bankrolls much of the town which has about 700 inhabitants.

Chapel of Our Lady Of Mt Carmo (Igreja Nossa Senhora do Carmo)

Yesterday we took a drive to Azaruja to visit this magical chapel, originally dedicated by an order of Carmelite nuns in the 1750s. It is still a place of pilgrimage (as well as a nice hotel), and it is easy to see why. The inside is filled, almost covering every wall with paintings done as thanks for answered prayers by the saint. Many of them are from the 19th century, picturing people lying in bed sick, but the paintings and offerings all mean that someone recovered. It is a place of joy and hope, not suffering.

Little white one

Stormy weather

Chico pauses as he realizes a storm will be upon him.The eye of the stormGod I wish I could show you these pictures bigger - the sky was incredible.