Atelier Insights #1 Fredrik Karell

FK: It’s like a big shoebox on the groundfloor in a house built in the 1970’s in the southern district of Helsinki. The space is quite narrow and the ceiling is quite high. I have this old drafting table and a basic office table. Above them I built a shelf where I now store paintings and empty canvases. In the other end I keep my easel I got from a retired gallerist. The space has basically everything I need, one end for drawing and the other for painting. There’s also a bookshelf filled with random stuff I collected like books, toys and sticks. I’ll probably never use the sticks for anything.

FK: Last weekend I spent 4 hours drawing stuff blindfolded so that’s a new technique I’m interested in. Otherwise I’ve been using alot of pencils and crayons, they’re nice to work and travel with. As for materials I am very interested in wood. Especially wood used in wonky folkart, often made with non cultivated techniques.

FK: It’s easier for me to get locked into the process when all my materials are gathered in one space and that space doesnt have any distractions. except for sticks and toys and my phone. sometimes I find it helpful to find forms and objects to draw from books and stuff I have at the studio. I consider myself quite adaptable. I think I could work in any space as long as I have the materials I need. In the end the creative thinking comes from the process of painting.