Business magazine in different shapes each issue

The Swedish business magazine, that means "our" business, called Cap & Design have a new deal going on this fall. They let different designers design each monthly issue of the magazine. They get to make the whole magazine from scratch, and then I mean EVERYTHING. The first issue was in my opinion almost impossible to read. They turned the layout 90 degrees, and made all the text light purple, and all the images as well. But this month issue is much more readable. It IS readable. I wonder how many magazine´s out there that have done the same thing: to give absolute free hands to design an issue month after month, risking really bad sales. A fun idea. First issue was a big NO, NO. So "bad" I still havent read it in its entirety, but the current issue follow a more "traditional" layout and design.
Its only their website that looks the same. And they attach each issue with an explanation why they do this way this fall.

Stefan Lindblad
Illustrator & artist

Review from my summer exhibition in Vadstena, SWEDEN

Review in Östgötakorrespondenten, juli 2007
A daily newspaper. Translation from Swedish by Stefan Lindblad
Paintings. The Gallery: Mitt vardagsrum vid Vättern in Vadstena, SWEDEN. 28 july - 19 august 2007

Painting published with this post is "Traffic Light", 2005, acrylics on canvas, by Stefan Lindblad.
----------------------------------

With quick brush strokes

"Snapshot Stories" is the name of this exhibition given by Stefan Lindblad, of which the motif derive from experiences around the world, foremost the USA and London and the Greek archipelago. And its a much tougher artist we meet this time, with a renewed pictorial language, a more direct approach and - as the title suggest - a stronger snapshots characteristic.
"I am a camera" Christopher Isherwood claimed during his time and Stefan Lindblad says he have the same capacity to register, wherever he directs his eyes. Quick brush strokes are used to manifest the impressions, and it make his paintings, his work very special. The ambition is namely stronger than just to immortalize a brief experience.

With "Macy´s in Flagstaff" from Arizona there is something so banal as a visit to the local café that inspired to the motif. Whereas "Phoenix X" surprisingly enough show a view over the airport and its traffic symbols, the X. With "Phoenix X" he lets the fictitious part take part of the concrete in a nearest course of art-historical events, and I think of the paintings by Torsten Andersson in the 60´s.

But of course Stefan Lindblad have other idols from that decade, first and foremost he is inspired of American artist´s like Joe Tilson, of which paintings "Oh" associates with the "Route 66" suite. And not to forget Robert Indiana and his "The American dream", in which one part not only entails the numbers 66 but also consistent star symbols. Which brings the thoughts to sheriff, of which uniform emblematic is reused by Stefan Lindblad.

The fact that the paint is dripping on the artist´s canvas doesn't need to mean a flirt with Jackson Pollock...

Critic written by Ewe Olsson,
The Östgötakorrespondenten website, in Swedish>>


Stefan Lindblad
Artist & illustrator

Olympics in China?

Art, illustration, design and inspiring meetings with ordinary people from India and China. Getting inspired by the interesting art scene in China. And why not even India. Two countries, or continents with a long history of making fantastic art and design. But although all of this, is the Olympics in China something to support I wonder, especially with the horrible things happening in Burma, and with no real response from China or India or even Russia. All countries supposedly with some influence on the Burmese Junta. During the 80´s there were a few boycotts of the Olympics in Moscow and Los Angeles, because of the East-West conflict at the time. People at age 20 in the western countries at least, maybe cant relate to that, but it was in 1989 so many incredible political situations that were solved or started to get solved. With dictatorships falling apart, and new democray´s was born in the old Eastern Europe. I even remember the first turist bus in 1990 from Russia arriving to Stockholm, how they were glued to the window looking out. The bus was old, smelly and dirty. I was so happy to see them coming over on a turist trip. A year before I almost didnt dare to believe it. Some years later the bus coming was no longer dirty, smelly or peolpe glued to the window. They came stashed with cash and more happy looking. And I am still happy they are coming.

But when will the Burmese people come on a similar turist trip?
And is a boycott of the Olympics in China something to start? Desmond Tuttu thinks so, unless the Chinese government starts helping the freedom fight in Burma. Whatever happens, I strongly hope that the horrible Junta in Burma is resigning and vanish. For how long will politicians in the world struggle to help the freedom to come to Burma as well.

Read more here:
Read more, the Ko-Htike blog>> and
Read more, Mizzima>>
Read more, CNN>> and also CNN Asia>>
Read more, The Telegraph>>


Stefan Lindblad
Artist & illustrator

Paintings for sale - paintings in the archive

Paintings in the archive means paintings I made before my current paintings. Simple as that. But in this specific archive its the paintings before I came up to my new way of painting. These paintings are still paintings I hold dear. These are also those I still have for sale. All have been exhibited and some have been reviewed. See reviews in the textarchive under the link Reference.

These paintings show how my work have looked like 9 years previous to how I work today. All have been made during 1991 - 2003. They also show a series of paintings I made in a breaking point as we call it in Sweden, called in the exhibition "The Journey", exhibited at and made specially for Ekeby Qvarn art space i Uppsala. And as planned later followed up with the exihibition at the Audi Forum at the street Hamngatan, in the center of i Stockholm, Sweden. You cant be more center of stockholm town really :-)

I thought it was great to have the paintings shown in a showroom for cars. In this showing that journeys are made not only by cars. The paintings in the archive called "The Journey", a series of paintings with a naive tuch and cartoon aproach, was also reviewed by the Uppsala Nya Tidning (Uppsala daily newspaper). And the review can be read in the link Reference in the Text archive on my website.

Stefan Lindblad
Artist & illustrator

Showdown at Saatchi Gallery - vote?

Earlier this year I got an email from Saatchi Gallery in London about their "Your Gallery" and showdown. First I thought, ooh another spam? But it was not. And later that week I read about the thing in the Swedish newspapers. And so I entered their gallery website and uploaded a selection of paintings, acrylics and oils on canvas.

As I am writing this there is a voting going on, on their website. Its the Showdown go head to head, voting on artworks. So if you like my painting and you sit and drink coffee, tea or something, and like to place your vote for my painting or someone else, then here is the link to the page with my painting>>

The painting in question is this. "Enter" acrylic on canvas, 2006.
Thanks for a vote in advance.

Stefan Lindblad
artist & illustrator