Klädesholmen Solo Exhibition, Sweden
Earlier this year, I was invited to have a Solo Exhibition on a small island on the West Coast of Sweden named Klädesholmen. It was a great opportunity to show my love and admiration for the area. As some of you already know, Sweden is my native country and I have spent many summers on the West Coast during my life. I have to say that I know the area quite well. Each summer, I have to visit the West coast of Sweden, to breathe the fresh air, take a swim in the saltwater and take a walk on the cliffs, rain or shine.
Klädesholmen is known as the “herring island”. It is a very small island on the southwest side of the larger island called Tjörn, located only an hour northwest of Gothenburg. On this small island, houses were built very close to each other, which provided protection from dangerous storms which occur with some frequency in the fall. This architectural style creates narrow and picturesque alleys that give visitors a wonderful experience. There were once about 30 herring processing factories on this small island, but today there are just a few remaining. Life here is naturally shaped by the ocean, its salty winds, warm summer, and long and dark winters. As a result, the weather is the island inhabitants' most important partner.
In view of the beautiful scenery in this area, I have created many watercolor paintings during the last two years. Some have been painted out in the open air, on site during our visits and some using photos in my studio. During the month of August, many of these paintings were exhibited. The title of the exhibition was “Bohuslän in Watercolors,“ and almost 40 original paintings were shown in the local library.
The night prior to the opening reception of the exhibition, my husband and I stayed at a nearby floating hotel, which also have a restaurant and conference center. Yes you heard right, it is a floating hotel. You wake up by hearing the seabirds diving for food. Of course, I took a swim in the ocean just before breakfast, since you can almost jump in the water from your room.
The exhibition kicked off with an opening reception on the first Saturday of August. The weather was really nice, and I suspected only some of my friends would attend the event. However, many showed for the opening reception.
We had almost 100 visitors during the four-hour long reception, including many old friends and former colleagues, as well as many I had never met before. Many paintings found new homes, and it was a busy and fun day. What a wonderful memory.
My next adventure will be a watercolor workshop in Andalucia, Spain in May 2020. You will find more information about the workshop, in English and Swedish on my website and here; Watercolor Workshop .
Best wishes, Lena
This painting was donated by me to the local community's upcoming Christmas Bazaar.
