hunt / gather

fifty two

2011-06-07T16:37:00.000-07:00

sigur rós has just released a digital version of their film heima with new extras. what a wonderful film it is, so inspiring.

fifty one

2011-06-01T18:36:00.001-07:00

just saw the head and the heart as an opening act for iron and wine. they were so brilliant! you can find one of their videos here. there are also two free downloads available from their site.

fifty - astrid hagen mykletun interview

2011-05-28T21:04:00.000-07:00

i am so happy to present this interview to you, one with astrid hagen mykletun, whose wonderful blog i read religiously. she's incredibly talented and i couldn't be more elated that she's stopped by hunt / gather to answer a few questions:

hunt / gather: first, could you tell about yourself? where do you live? what do you do?

astrid hagen mykletun: I’m Astrid, a 31 years old writer living in Bergen, on the west coast of Norway, with my husband Sølve and our first baby on the way. I work part time as a copywriter for an ad agency and part time freelance as a copywriter and journalist. I’m also an eager amateur photographer.

hg: can you give a random fact about yourself?

ahm: I’m tall (181 cm/ 5.9 feet).

hg: where did your interest in photography first come from?

ahm: My dad has always been an eager photographer, so I guess I somehow was affected by him. I got my first point and shoot camera when I was ca 10 years old, and ever since I have taken photos of happy moments, friends and family.

hg: is your approach to food photography for example different than your approach to say, photographing people?

ahm: I think food for the most part is easier to photograph than people. Food is dead, people are alive. When I photograph people my approach differs depending on what the photo will be used for. When I photograph people for my articles it has to be nice portraits, though usually nothing fancy. A lot of people don’t like having their photo taken, which makes it harder to get a good portrait. A bit of small talk as a distraction from the big camera usually does the trick. When I photograph people just for fun my approach is easy going.

hg: where are you getting inspiration from as of late?

ahm: I’m always inspired by light, nature and simple everyday moments.

hg: what are three constants of a norwegian summer?

ahm: Rain, strawberries and barbecuing.

hg: if you could be a song, which song would you be? why?

ahm: Oh, this is a hard one! I think I would like to be some kind of classical piece that is beautiful, evocative and a bit dramatic; a piece that you can listen to again and again, and yet never tire of.

thank you so much to astrid! visit astrid's website, blog, and flickr, as well as her newest project, artist diner.

forty nine

2011-05-27T09:18:00.000-07:00

always like elisabeth's "... lives here" posts, but these ones are absolutely stunning.

next post, a very very nice interview.

forty eight

2011-05-23T19:36:00.000-07:00

places and plants i like lately. one here, two here, three here.

forty seven

2011-05-21T10:43:00.000-07:00

if it were up to me, i would be at villa mecklin, eating these macaroons from this mariskooli, wearing this maritime stripe hoodie.

forty six

2011-04-28T19:14:00.001-07:00

i am completely smitten with these new promo photos for scandinavian music group. i believe they are taken by kaisa rautaheimo, but i can't seem to find a credit. the new album is great too.

forty five - brian ferry interview

2011-04-19T15:18:00.000-07:00

i am so happy to share some words from brian ferry, who very kindly agreed to an interview. he's one of my favourite photographers.

hunt / gather: how did you get started with photography?

brian ferry: I got started on a whim, really. Probably back in 2006 or 2007, I was looking at photos on Flickr a lot and feeling really inspired, and I thought to myself: "maybe I can do this." So I picked up a cheap point-and-shoot camera to start, and just started playing around. I was in law school at the time, and thinking creatively was a welcome diversion from my studies. In 2008, I decided to take a photo every day for the entire year (a Project 365) in an attempt to shoot lots of photos and learn more about photography. It did the trick, and I was hooked. I've been pretty obsessed with shooting photographs ever since.

hg: your work seems to focus on small moments; a bit of light in a corner, a breakfast spread. why these kinds of shots? what do they mean to you?

bf: I like to take things that seem quite unexceptional and elevate them. My life (and all of our lives, really) is made up of these small moments and I really enjoy documenting them - the process of doing so infuses them with a bit more meaning than you would otherwise think. And I think people really react to this style of photography, mostly because it feels familiar, intimate, universal. There is a quote by the designer Dries van Noten that describes my intentions well: "It's more interesting to have just a picture of a small detail - then you can dream all the rest around it. Because when you see the whole thing, what is there to imagine?" I love that.

hg: why film in particular?

bf: There is no comparison with digital, in my mind. No matter how nice your digital camera is, film has a quality to it that cannot be reproduced. There are often times when I know that a particular shot would not look interesting on digital, but film will infuse it with this inexplicable quality of light or color or texture. And shooting with film feels more authentic to me - the process appeals to me. It's slower than digital, and I tend to spend more time thinking about a shot and composing it than I do with a digital camera (with digital, you will shoot 40 images of the same thing, delete all but 2 of them, and then upload your shots to Photoshop to doctor them up - that is not a process that interests me). Film feels honest and organic to me.

hg: do you have a favourite shot you've taken? a picture you want to take?

bf: It would be so hard to choose a favorite photo that I've taken, but this one is close (I think it's the light, and it is a particularly good memory for me).

As for a picture I want to take, that's also hard. I guess I want to take more portraits, using my Hasselblad medium format camera. It takes beautiful photos.

hg: where are you finding inspiration these days?

bf: Everywhere. The new Bill Callahan album, "Apocalypse." My pinterest inspiration board. My flickr favorites. The changing light at this time of year and the different spots the light reaches in my flat. And I always find a ton of inspiration from other photographers online.

hg: do you have a dream setting or place you'd like to shoot?

bf: I would love to shoot in the Scandinavian countryside.

hg: if you could be a song, which song would you be? why?

bf: I don't know if I'd ever want to be a song! I like being a human.
All joking aside, one of my all-time favorite songs is "Life During Wartime" by the Talking Heads. I love it because I've known this song since I was a kid - my dad was a big Talking Heads fan and we used to listen to this on cassette tape in his car when we were driving around. And he used to sing along all the time, and my brother and I loved it. As I have gotten older, this song is still one of my favorites, it never gets old, and I still sing along when I play it.

thank you so much, brian! have a look at brian's portfolio, blog, and flickr.

forty four

2011-04-10T20:54:00.000-07:00

really, really enjoying jonathan levitt's work lately. more here.

(sorry also, for my absence here. i promise to post more often.)

forty three

2011-02-10T19:30:00.000-08:00

well, i can't get enough marimekko right now. video here. rautasänky fabric seems good for spring.

forty two

2011-02-07T20:35:00.000-08:00

always a sanna annukka fan. ihana.

an interview here soon.

forty one

2011-02-01T20:16:00.000-08:00

this book as well as the video have been on my mind lately. getting excited about bread, i think that's a very good thing.

forty

2011-01-14T22:03:00.000-08:00

this house in new zealand featured on dwell is just incredible. photos by stephen oxenbury.

thirty nine

2010-12-18T23:55:00.000-08:00

i visit lisen adbåge's blog everyday. it is so scandinavian in every lovely way possible.

thirty eight

2010-11-27T00:13:00.000-08:00

my current favourite colour = turquoise. let it snow.

first photo by anna emilia, in this post

cara mug from rina ono

iittala jar in water green

thirty seven

2010-10-20T21:50:00.000-07:00

botany factory, via dwell magazine blog. i would like a terrarium right about now.

thirty six

2010-09-23T18:41:00.000-07:00

some flickr favourites today. top one, here. bottom here. please click on the original link to see who the photo belongs to. never do i blog anything here that belongs to me, so if you see your photo/work featured on my blog and would like it off, please tell me by either commenting or e-mailing me.

thirty five

2010-09-19T18:07:00.000-07:00

i would be lying to you if i said i didn't love everything about this interview with her. go look, it's worth it.

thirty four - anna emilia laitinen interview

2010-08-11T15:51:00.000-07:00

today on hunt / gather finally appears an interview, and one i'm very happy to share. this comes from anna emilia laitinen, a wonderful artist living in finland.

hunt / gather: first, can you tell a bit about yourself? where do you live? what do you do?

anna emilia laitinen: Anna Emilia is my name like my great grandmother's was, I was born in a small Finnish village and I always enjoy listening to the radio. I am an illustrator and an artist.
At the moment I live in Tampere, next to a beautiful allotment garden. It is great to meet the people in this garden, they like to talk about their plants and I like it a lot too.

hg: your words on your blog are very poetic and sensory awareness for you seems key. how does this translate to your work?

ael: Oh, thank you! Actually I feel very clumsy when I speak and I am a very silent person too. Writing is different, then I have the time to think of the words, though they come pretty easily. When I was smaller, I used to listen a lot to stories on tapes and on the radio, I still remember some of them very well. Nothing is nicer than someone reading a story to you. The rhythm of these stories is transferred to my writings I think.
When thinking about my paintings, I feel that words can support the story around them, but cannot always describe what is happening in the picture. When I paint, I don't always plan that much, I have just the feeling of the image in my mind and I continue as long as that feeling is found. Not always before that I know what the image is about.

hg: your work features water colour, pencil, sometimes pen among others. do you have a favourite medium to work with? do you have one you wish you used more?

ael: Water colours feel the most natural for me, I like to work with water and of course be surrounded by it. The times I can visit a place by a sea or a lake, it feels so strange that a girl who was born in the middle of fields and forests can feel so at home by such a place.
It would make me glad to work with ink a bit more, but painting with water colours is just wonderful. There has been for many years some clay in my parents' cellar which I hope to use one day, maybe during the cold evenings of this winter.

hg: cliché question, but it's always a good one. where do you find inspiration? what do you do when you're uninspired?

ael: Painting is like writing down things from my memory, I think a lot of the places and scenes that I have seen and connect them to some new ones. Walking always helps the mind to calm down and find some new ideas, or just to see the old things in a more simple way.

hg: you've spent extensive time in iceland. do you think your times abroad have affected your work in any way?

ael: It affects indeed. The beautiful nature and the language, them I think of daily. Icelandic feels very nice on your mouth when speaking, its strong rolls make me very happy. I listen to the Icelandic radios often. They play funny sailor songs.
When I moved there for the first time, I lived in a tiny fishing village of 1 500 people. It did not feel so small as I was used to living in small places, but later on I realized that the nature there and the open sky made it feel a bit like an isolated moment, in a good way. This village lies in the north coast of Iceland and I always felt a bit like on the edge of the world. On the contrary, when I lived in Reykjavík later on, I felt more apart from the continental Europe, I waved often on the shore to the southeast.
In my work I think to connect the places around me to the places I miss, in this sense my paintings still carry some parts from Iceland.

hg: you seem to have a special connection to weather and nature both in your work and words. where do you think this comes from?

ael: My parents are strawberry farmers, I lived my first 19 years in the countryside and still am connected to that place strongly. Our lives were guided by the weather and the changes in seasons there. I feel it very natural to follow life that way also when I live in a town.

hg: favourite last question, if you could be a song, what song would you be? why?

ael: The Waltz by Tarentel, today there is a hint of autumn in the air, so has this song and so does my mind.

thank you very much for answering these questions, anna emilia! have a look at anna emilia's website, weather diary, shop, and flickr.

thirty three

2010-08-10T14:45:00.000-07:00

news at fine little day, these lovely bags! want one bad.

+ an interview here very soon, very soon! i won't say who, it's a surprise.

thirty two

2010-08-09T17:45:00.000-07:00

some flickr favourites. photos here and here. all of my favourites here. nostalgia music today.

thirty one

2010-08-08T22:35:00.000-07:00

my favourite letter. the ring is too cute. picture here.

thirty

2010-08-06T23:32:00.000-07:00

i've wanted one for so long, so bad. oh, fjällräven kånken.

twenty nine

2010-07-31T17:04:00.001-07:00

lotte is very inspiring. what lovely hair she has.

twenty eight

2010-07-16T23:20:00.000-07:00

this video is just about the prettiest thing i know right now. the song is "kom hem" by anna järvinen. she was born in finland, but moved to sweden as a child. sometimes i listen to interviews with her in finnish. it's nice to share a language with her where i can understand what she expresses.

twenty seven

2010-07-14T14:11:00.001-07:00

saw this little beauty at maria's blog and thought it most appropriate to share. lovely summer image. listening to vampire weekend, this one. perfect summer band.

twenty six

2010-07-02T23:54:00.000-07:00

feeling edgy / indie / rock / roll. photos here, here, and here. le corps mince de françoise.

twenty five

2010-06-19T18:39:00.000-07:00

inga birgisdóttir + first aid kit, if you're feeling like you need a little more woods or scandinavia in your life. hey, it's almost midsummer.

twenty four

2010-04-24T23:43:00.000-07:00

aino, come back! your blog is one of my all-time favourites. i don't say that about a lot of blogs, i'll have you know. your photos make everything look just magical. (twenty four is my lucky number, maybe that will help too.)

really, everything i see at your blog is so beautiful. you're loads of inspiration.

p.s. if you come back, i'll send you chocolate.

jenna

twenty three

2010-03-21T17:50:00.000-07:00

food photographer lars ranek. so good.

twenty two

2010-03-13T23:06:00.000-08:00

i think it's a bit impossible not to love dick bruna and his work.

twenty one - ask, answer, etc.

2010-02-28T14:36:00.000-08:00

emilie björk is based in göteborg, like many great artists.

also, i would like to hear from you. what artists would you like to see interviewed at hunt / gather? do you have any questions about this blog? what do you like most about this blog? what don't you like?

twenty - sandra juto interview

2010-02-24T19:45:00.000-08:00

hooray! the amazing and talented sandra juto has come to hunt / gather to answer a few questions. a very lovely artist from göteborg, she never disappoints.

hunt / gather: first, can you tell a bit about yourself? where do you live? do you have a favourite colour?

sandra juto: i'm sandra, born on an extremly cold december day in 1978. since ten years i live in gothenburg and my favourite colour has many names, i call it dirty white.

hg: you take photos, illustrate, and create. why so many mediums of creativity for you?

sj: i'm always searching for more :)

hg: what is inspiring you right now? do you have any favourite artists?

sj: the change of seasons, i'm a person who loves changes and seeing winter turn to spring makes me curious to search for both lost and new memories, expressions, ways to approach life. i don't have any favourite artists in particular, i would love to have one or two though.

hg: with photography, do you prefer to shoot film or digital? which one has the most advantages for you?

sj: i love both so much, they are so different from each other and also my way of taking pictures is different depending on which camera i hold. it's like my handwriting; it changes depending on which pen i use on what paper. don't know why it's like that. when i was a child i envied my friends who always had the same handwriting and really tried to practice mine, but always failed. now, as a grown-up, i understand i'm lucky.

hg: what is one thing you want everyone to know about you?

sj: oh. there is no such thing :)

hg: if you could be a song, which song would you be? why?

sj: in your room by depeche mode. it matches my temper, which is a bit of a rollercoaster.

thank you, thank you, thank you sandra! you're incredible and i can't say how much i look up to your work. visit: sandra's blog, portfolio, flickr, shop, and wrist worms.

nineteen

2010-02-22T16:34:00.000-08:00

hollie chastain with nice work around vintage.

eighteen

2010-02-15T13:51:00.000-08:00

jen collins makes nice things.

seventeen

2010-02-09T16:42:00.000-08:00

the band seabear has a nice tumblr. they also have a new release.

soon, a sandra juto interview.

sixteen

2010-02-05T22:45:00.000-08:00

always like marc jacobs.

fifteen

2010-01-28T21:00:00.000-08:00

elisabeth brilliantly mentioned maska knits.

fourteen

2010-01-27T19:55:00.000-08:00

really love the album artwork for both of vampire weekend's albums. of course the music is lovely too. i get to see them in march, i couldn't be more excited.

thirteen

2010-01-19T12:48:00.000-08:00

elle interiør and an article on scandinavian modern. i love this style movement with every bone in my body.

twelve - elisabeth dunker interview

2010-01-11T17:11:00.000-08:00

i am completely elated to share this interview with you! this comes from my very favourite swedish artist, elisabeth dunker:

*one note before beginning: the photos seen here throughout the interview are three i asked elisabeth to pick from her body of work.*

hunt / gather: you work with so many different forms of art, and yet seemlessly intertwine them in ways never seen before. how does this come to you?

elisabeth dunker: Thank you for saying so Jenna. For the moment it feel like I'm fed up with about everything I do. I wish that a big scholarship or something could fall down from the sky in my arms so I could focus a bit. I long for time to make animated, stop motion movies again. Time to draw, build little rooms, scenes and to make up stories . I feel shattered in what I'm doing, not saying that is a bad thing though but it's a fact. I don't know if I can answer how things come to me, I'm a pretty impulsive person I do what comes to my mind, and it's all based on lust and pleasure.

hg: there is a certain element of playfulness in your work. where does this come from?

ed: I like to play, that is what I'm doing really. I'm playing, and that is wonderful.

hg: what is inspiring you now when you go to work? are there any new artists and or blogs coming up you're enjoying?

ed: What I'm inspired of is constantly changing. Right now I like to look into magazines and crafting books from the 50's. I have been very drawn to old black and white photographs too for some reason. A couple of names that are relatively new for me and who's work I find very inspiring is: Rosemarie Auberson, Trui Chielens, Ana Maraž, Renilde de Peuter, Claire Loder, and Jeanette Besmer. I'm also very impressed and inspired by such young talents like you Jenna. (hg note: i blushed here, a lot.) I mean 17 years old with that eye and feeling for art and photographing, wow. Other young great photographers I recently discovered: 17 year old nikolinelr, and 14 year old Anna Amphigorously.

hg: you've said always that a summer cottage and opening a vintage shop have been your dreams. is there anything else you dream about?

ed: I wish I will be able to continue being together with my family as much as I can, and that I can continue work with something creative. I believe I'm living my dream right now. The only thing missing is that summer house ;)

hg: there is surely a clean look to your design, but also many vintage and scandinavian elements. how does your swedish heritage influence you? how do thrifted and vintage items inspire you?

ed: I like a worn feeling on items and when it feels like an item has a story in it. I like to fantasize around them and to put them into "new" contexts. That is something I really enjoy - to mix stuff with different styles and from different eras. One of the most enjoyable things I know is to stroll around in second hand stores and at flea markets. How swedish heritage influences me is not easy to say, but I believe I'm pretty strongly influenced by swedish folk art. That is something I find inspiring and interesting anyway.

hg: a favourite question to ask, if you were a song, which song would you be? why?

ed: That is a fun queation. Maybe the a capella song by American folk singer Almeda Riddle "I love my little rooster" (appears in the cult film "Gummo"). I love the tone in that song. It's funny, weird and nice sounding. And I really like that sweet lady Almeda's amazing way to sing. Oh how I wish I could sing like that when I'm old (older)! Here's another nice clip with her.

thank you to the completely wonderful and talented elisabeth! be sure to visit fine little day, fine little shop, lula, and studio violet to see more of her inspiring world.

eleven

2010-01-10T18:13:00.000-08:00

i really like 30 under 30, with photographers like tanya prilukova and charlotte boeyden.

ten - maria vettese interview

2010-01-05T18:44:00.000-08:00

oh, how much joy i have to present to you one artist who i admire so much, the very lovely maria vettese:

hunt / gather: in your photographs, there is of course the sense that you find beauty in everyday life, but also that you have a true and genuine appreciation for it. where does this come from for you?

maria alexandra vettese: Well I was raised in a house with an educator/thespian Mother and a librarian/opera-enthusiast Father. I think with the help of their eccentricities and strong characters, I have appreciated small things for quite some time. I have a very bad memory so I only see my childhood in quick flashes and when I do see I little bits such as the color and feel of the terry-cloth material from my handmade elephant stuffy or texture of my Grandma's skin on mine when she kissed me on the cheeks. I think I started to hone an appreciation for all of this and it has cascaded into my adulthood. And beyond that I just won't stand for a life where I can't notice things. It doesn't take a lot of time to see a reflection on a window or a few drops of water on the counter that might make a pretty pattern. I choose to see it because I need to and because I want to.

hg: your lifestyle is of course very visible in your photographs as well. slow, simple, beautiful. what is your idea of a perfect winter day?

mav: I think my photographs may make my life seem more "slow, simple, beautiful" than it really is (thank you very much) but I do try to take a slow pace when I can. On a perfect Winter day I would get up early and head outside before I've had coffee. I would take a wandering walk with someone whom I love and we would end up going for coffee and toast. Then home and back to bed for reading or lazing. Perhaps in the afternoon I would do some cooking and then meet out for a drink in the later part of the evening. I like a combination of staying in and going out in the Winter. I can't hibernate all the time ... I get too stir crazy!

hg: in the past, you have done so many projects. come darkness is recent, but of course there has been also 3191, lines and shapes, etc. do you find it difficult to work with so many different things at one time? how are these projects different for you? how are they the same?

mav: I actually enjoy having a variety of projects all at one time. Somehow this sort of balancing act really helps me think straight. I think most of what I'm involved in springs forth from the idea of exploring ideas. If I have a thought and follow it around the room I can usually see how it becomes a real idea. I would say all of my projects are quite different requiring me to wear different hats at all times. It keeps me on my toes.

hg: do you ever feel uninspired? if/when you do, what helps you through it? are there any artists or photographers you look up to for inspiration?

mav: Oh yes. Yes, yes! I feel uninspired daily. No one can walk around filling an entire day with pure goodness ... it's just not possible. I think exercise, a nice cup of tea, a chat to a friend, sitting and thinking, baking, petting my cats ... they are all good ideas for me. I like to take myself out of the uninspiring moment and head to the ocean to clear it all up. Changing scene is very important to me in these moments. Often I will get on Flickr or check a few blogs to feel inspired but I do that much less these days. I have gotten away from being inspired by the computer as much in the last year. I think it's just a matter of my needing to literally be off of this box with a keyboard more than anything else. I'm finding what's actually in front of my face more inspiring these days.

hg: finally, a favourite question. if you could be a song, which song would you be? why?

mav: There is a song called The House Always Wins by The Clientele. That is the song I would be if I could be a song. It's the most magical song I know and I think about it almost every day. It makes me feel love.

thank you so much, maria! see more of maria's work on her website and flickr, as well as the card society, 3191, and lines and shapes.

nine

2010-01-01T21:52:00.001-08:00

i love hel looks. a lot.

eight

2009-12-17T18:27:00.001-08:00

sirena con jersey, like the mustache.

seven - hanna konola interview

2009-12-11T17:28:00.000-08:00

today on hunt / gather i am so pleased to share with you one of my favourite artists, hanna konola. she has so kindly agreed to an interview and i'm very happy to share it with you:

hunt / gather: first, could you tell a little bit about yourself?

hanna konola: My name is Hanna, I was born in April 1981 in Pyhäjärvi, Finland. Now I live in Helsinki.

hg: what now for you is the biggest influence in your art?

hk: This is difficult for me to say, maybe someone else sees it better. But I do think one of the most important themes at my work now is being connected to your surroundings and nature.

hg: where do you look to for inspiration? what do you do when you feel uninspired?

hk: I don't especially look things for inspiration, but just because I'm interested. I think the things that affect me the most stay somewhere inside me and come out later when I work. People who work a lot and try to be honest inspire me. When I work I don't really long for inspiration either, I just do things and try to concentrate. I try to trust my intuition. It's best to do at least a bit even if you don't feel so good, but it doesn't mean you should work too much. It's good to make imperfect works anyway.

hg: you're doing an advent calendar right now. can you tell a bit about that, where did the idea come from?

hk: I did the first advent calendar in 2007 when I was staying in Bergen, Norway for a few months. I guess it was because I was waiting to arrive home at Christmas, wanted to have something nice to do every day and wanted to make something nice for other people too.

hg: do you ever find other forms of art influence your own?

hk: Yes, yes, music and handwork for example.

hg: being from finland, do you think finnish style or finland in general inspires you?

hk: It's hard to say what is finnish, but the environment and the way of living can be seen from my work I think.

hg: if you could be a song, which song would you be? why?

hk: Today I would be Kim Hiorthøy's "Alt Måste Bli Anordlunda," because it feels true today.

thank you to hanna for the beautiful interview! be sure to have a look at hanna's website, blog, flickr, shop, and advent calendar. what an inspiration she is.

six

2009-12-07T18:45:00.000-08:00

katya de grunwald, gorgeous light she has used. thanks dear.

five

2009-12-06T18:46:00.000-08:00

amber rose ortolano. only thirteen.

four

2009-12-04T20:52:00.000-08:00

the always brilliant maija louekari.

three

2009-12-02T17:25:00.000-08:00

annette pehrsson, like. blog, flickr. soon, interviews from some of my favourite artists.

two

2009-11-30T17:10:00.000-08:00

haktium. i dream in daylight too.

one

2009-11-29T18:36:00.001-08:00

so beautiful and simple, it could only be ananda serné. blog, flickr.