SUMMER CAMP - MARIE DAHLSTRAND

Silkscreen print, edition of 50, signed and numbered by artist, unframed

Destination: Näsets Marcusgård, Sweden

Date: 5-12 September, 2021

Jaunt #076

approx. 27.5"h x 19.75"w, 70cm x 50cm

"This trip was the perfect opportunity for me to experience a new environment and meet with other artists. New environments always provide many novel inputs and ideas. I also hoped for a peaceful and quiet experience in the deep forests of Dalarna. The enormous sky at night was dead quiet and full of stars, something I don’t usually experience at home, because I live in a city. I have always been a bit afraid of the dark since I was a child, and being here in this silence was quite special, like you could feel it and it made me feel both safe and scared at the same time.

The inspiring company I had with me during the Summer Camp was a very fortunate mix of artists that made the week super-relaxed, undemanding and creative. I would like to emphasize the contributions of the Summer camp’s private chef Seleka, who made every night into a feast. While I was still a bit anxious in the beginning, I tried to find a more private spot were I could work unseen, but as the week proceeded I felt more and more at ease, and at the end of the week we were all working side by side, willingly providing feedback and exchanging thoughts and ideas to each other.

The artwork I made is strongly connected to my experiences at Marcusgården. During my day-long drive up north towards Dalarna, I was passing by landscapes which slowly shifted in color from a summery green to an increasingly yellowed-red-toned early autumn. One day I went for a long walk in search of mushrooms in the deep forest and came upon a small lake surrounded by white birches. The colors were fantastic in the warm September sun, reflecting layers of green, yellow, orange plants, turquoise sky and purple heather. The next day I continued my work with two large canvases and tried to bring in these layers of colors into my work. I had stretched and pinned the canvases directly to the wall of a wooden cabin and it was a special feeling to stand there painting in the great outdoors. I had my palette on the ground and leaves swirled down on it. All of these impressions and memories are collected in the silkscreen print and the autumn leaves are included as a hand-painted detail."

-Marie Dahlstrand