Nina Johansson

It´s been quiet here for a while, I had to make an unplanned journey to my old hometown Umeå. Unfortunately I didn´t have much time for drawing up there, but waiting for flights at Arlanda and Umeå airports gave me some excellent opportunities to take the sketchbook out of the bag and get some People Practice. I need it badly…

13 x 18 cm, Lamy Safari pens with Noodler´s Lexington Grey, Fox Red and Hunter´s Green ink on no-name sketchbook paper.

This place is within a stone´s throw of my home, and I went to draw it yesterday with sorrow in my heart. The old public bath in Aspudden in Stockholm will be torn down to give room for a new kindergarten. The City made the decision a few days ago, and many people (including myself) are incredibly upset about this. Built 1919, this bath is a pearl, a unique piece of history, offering bathing experiences that you don´t find anywhere else. Or how about a swim and a movie (shown on the wall above the pool), or an all ladies night with candles lit around the edge of the water? And, of course, since the pool is rather small and not so deep, this place is a favorite for families with young kids living in the area.

I don´t know if the last word is said yet about the demolition, the local organisation that runs the bath and the people who use it and love it have been fighting for this place for a long time, and the discussions are lively right now. We´ll see what happens…

Till Stockholmare och andra hugade som vill påverka: gå gärna in på Madeleine Sjöstedts (fp) blogg och tala om vad ni tycker om beslutet:
Kommentera rivningsbeslutet

(The above is a chance for people in Stockholm to comment on the political decision on a Swedish politician´s blog.)

26,5 x 19,5 cm, pencil, Lamy Safari with Noodler´s Lexington grey ink and watercolours on Moleskine Watercolor Folio page.

I finally got around to drawing this place – Hötorgscity in Stockholm, with the five skyscrapers and the fountain. This is the heart of the city, the shopping streets are centered around these blocks, and the Central Station is not far away.

If you are looking for city pulse, street performers, fashion shops and excitement, this is the place to be. For cozy cafés and warm atmosphere I would probably go somewhere else.

28 x 20 cm, pencil, Copic Multiliner SP and watercolours on Moleskine Watercolor Folio page.

This area in Stockholm will soon be torn down to give room for apartment buildings – something Stockholm is always short of. The area where I sit to draw this is a little harbour for private boats, a rough forgotten spot that I suspect will soon be exploited too.

28 x 17 cm, Lamy Safari with Noodler´s Lexington grey ink and watercolours in a Moleskine Watercolor Folio Sketchbook.

A few days ago I took the bike out to an industrial area not far from where we live, and sat down in the shadow behind a parked trailer to paint this old building. For once I had real painting gear with me, and a sheet of proper watercolour paper.

I find so much inspiration in this place, the old buildings, the dirt around them, big vehicles and strange constructions for industrial use… It never ends. And when a painting is done, you bike one block away and find the next fantastic sight to paint.

20 x 20 cm, pencil and watercolours on Saunders Waterford watercolour paper.

Midsummer Eve in Sweden. Everybody hopes to achieve total happiness and 100 % sunshine on this day, but I actually had a few drops of rain when I went out to draw just nearby where I live. The happiness level is ok, though.

12,5 x 17 cm, Lamy Safari with Noodler´s Lexington gray ink and watercolours on sketchbook page.

The boats from Volvo Ocean Race landed in Stockholm today, and the city has blocked of a whole quai (Skeppsbron) for the occasion, causing a few traffic jams here and there.
I love sailing, and even though I don´t like this kind of event very much (you know, a big stage with performing celebrities, a few stands selling beer and simple food, an inner sealed off area for the sailors and business people to mingle in, and loads of ordinary people watching the whole thing) I had to go see these boats in real life. My, our livingroom is narrower than these floating giants!

13 x 17 cm, Lamy Safari with Noodler´s Lexington gray ink and watercolours on sketchbook page.

Went drawing with a friend (actually, I draw and she takes photos) day before yesterday, and we both wanted to take a closer look at this church, Botkyrka kyrka, on the edge of the Southern suburbs of Stockholm. The largest part of this old building is from the 12th century, which is kind of overwhelming when you start to think of it. Just imagine all the people who visited this place through almost ninehundred years…

15 x 18, Copic Multiliner SP and watercolours on sketchbook page.