Art work | swedanes.dk

These paintings is made by watercolor and pencil, inspired by photos taken during a round the world trip 1989-19991.

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Watercolor on paper. 40 x 28 cm.	Hide and seek, Chiang Mai, Thailand Hill tribes are ethnic minorities in northern and western Thailand. Each hilltribe has it’s own language, habits and spiritual believes. The Tribal Research Institute in Chiang Mai estimate of the total hill tribe population to be around 550,000. Meo are Thailand’s second largest hill tribe and live on mountain peaks or plateaus and are especially numerous in Chiang Mai Province.
Watercolor on paper. 40 x 28 cm.	Child eating watermelon, Chiang Mai, Thailand Chiang Mai is home to seven principal hill tribe minorities, people of separate ethnic origin who follow independent lifestyles, to a large degree unaffected by the 20th century. This Meo girl still wears the colorful finery of her tribal costume, as do most hill tribe women, but advances of mainstream society are no longer totally absent. Various government welfare programs are operated, including education for for hill tribe children.
Watercolor on paper. 40 x 28 cm.	Woman carrying child, Chiang Mai, Thailand Hill tribe women in their traditional dresses, continue to present a picture of enduring customs and lifestyles. The men, however, have today mostly abandoned the attire traditional to their tribe, and dress like any other Thai farmer. Nevertheless, a visit to a hill tribe village still affords a glimpse into a unique world.
Watercolor on paper. 40 x 28 cm.	Sleeping child, Chiang Mai, Thailand Thailand is often called “The land of smiles”, but really means “The land of the free”. The country offers a distinct culture with a rich and various inheritance, and have an amazing amount of beautiful scenery. In spite of this it’s the Thai people, that with great ability manage to mix a respect for the past with a joy in the present, that makes the country so exciting.”You can give them your Love, but not your thoughts; For they have their own thoughts.”
Watercolor on paper. 40 x 28 cm.	Men playing checkers, Singapore’s Chinatown the air is vibrating of activity and scents, like a kaleidoscope for the eyes and a staccato symphony for the ears. This is the place to open up all your senses, because hidden back in the side streets there are a lot to see and easy to miss.
Watercolor on paper. 40 x 28 cm.	Sir Stamford Raffles, Singapore Singapore means Lion City, was once a small quiet fishing village until Sir Stamford Raffles in 1819 decided that here was the harbor he needed. Under British government it became an important harbor and military base. In 1959 they got self ruling. Around 2,5 million people are living on 616 km2. It is a green “garden city” where it’s not allowed to through litter on the streets – not even a cigarette. Smoking is prohibited in all public buildings. Big cars pay more tax than small ones. As a tourist you get two weeks visa for shopping…
Watercolor on paper. 40 x 28 cm.	Telephone booth, Arrowtown, New Zeeland On New Zealand’s south island, 20 km. from Queenstown, one of the most popular vacation areas in the country, is the historic and picturesque settlement of Arrowtown. Many original gold rush buildings remain and it’s still possible to find gold in the river. The golden autumn tones Arrowtown’s trees is favorite material with photographers. However, this painting is painted with winter colors.
Watercolor on paper 40 x 28 cm.	Man cutting a lawn, Bali often called “Land of the Many Temples”, one of Indonesia’s 13.700 islands, was a Dutch colony between 1640 to 1949.To the Balinese, the island is the whole world. It satisfies all physical and spiritual needs. The whole life revolve around their religion – Hinduism.Every village must have at least three temples, Pura Desa – for official meetings, Pura Puseh – to honor the village founder and Pura Dalem – the temple for the dead, the spirits in the after-life. There are temples for farm-spirits, lakes and mountains. Every rice field has a small Subak temple and every house has a family-temple. The painting shows Candi Kuning a temple by the Lake Budugul.
Watercolor on paper. 40 x 28 cm.	Man making Murtabak, Penang road, Penang, Malaysia We had the most delicious Roti. It’s a kind of pancakes, filled with egg, vegetables or meat, served with a dahl dip. Murtabak is a thin bread with the same kind of fillings. Have a nice meal…
Watercolor on paper. 40 x 28 cm.	Skateboarder, Bondi Beach, Sydney, Australia On Australia’s most famous beach, Bondi Beach, only 10 min. from downtown Sydney, you can find a copy of the Little Mermaid, made of fiberglass. Pack your esky, wax the surfboard, remember the skateboard, cover yourself with sun lotion, factor 50, and take a seat in the fine, squeaky and very white sand and enjoy the crowd. Fairdinkum! The name Bondi comes from the Aboriginal word “Boondi”, meaning the sound of breaking waves. Bondi Beach is just 7 km from central Sydney, making it one of the world’s most famous city beaches. The Bondi to Coogee coastal walk offers stunning views and links several beaches along the cliffs.
Watercolor on paper. 40 x 28 cm.	Woman offer to the Gods, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia The life of a Balinese, from birth to death, revolves around religion. In the morning they sacrifice to the spirits of Bali – on high shelves for the good and on the ground for the bad.
Watercolor on paper. 40 x 28 cm.	Men drinking Cava, Leluvia, Fiji Around 100 of the 300 sunny islands that create the Fiji islands, are inhabited. One of many social traditions and an important part of Fijian entertainment is Cava drinking. Cava is a root that is crushed and soaked in a special way. When you drink you clap once when The Cava King offers you the mbilo – a coconut bowl. Take it in both hands, say mbula just before the bowl reach your lips. Clap three times after your drink.
Watercolor on paper. 28 x 40 cm.	McDonalds sign, Hollywood, Los Angeles, USA The “Golden Arches Restaurant” claims they served billions. The first restaurant opened in 1940. These days there are about 31 000 in 121 countries. The McDonald’s Golden Arches logo was created by a Jim Schindler in 1962.
Watercolor on paper.	Twin Towers, Manhattan, New York City, USA The Twin Towers of the World Trade Center was destroyed September 11, 2001 when, two hijacked planes were flown into the towers, leading to their collapse and the loss of nearly 3,000 lives. It’s a day that deeply marked modern history and is remembered worldwide.
Watercolor on paper. 40 x 28 cm.	Trecking – Painting was an order made after a photo from customer.
Watercolor on paper. 40 x 28 cm.	Motorbike – an order painted from a photo customer brought.

Acrylic paintings were painted in the end 90’s and made from photos taken on our round the world tour 1989-1991.

The genre could be called Realism where I “copy” a photo on to the canvas/board and then paint as is and sometimes exaggerate the colors. The advantage with acrylic compared to oil – it doesn’t smell, it can be diluted with water (clean the brushes in water), it dries quickly and it is water resistant when dry. If you think it dries too quickly there are paste, gel and other media to mix in the color to make it dry slower.

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Acrylic on hardboard. 80 x 55 cm.	Lifeguard Jeep, South Bay, Los Angeles, California South Bay is a group of beach-cities like “The home of the Beach Boys” – Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, and Redondo Beach. They are connected with Venice and Santa Monica Beach in the north by “The Beach Walk”, an approx. 30 km. long strip of concrete along the beach. On this piece of surf and beach, you find a mix of surfers, beach volley players, sun bathers and of course Life guards from Bay Watch…”-The idea of America as the land of opportunity is more visible in California than anywhere. California is still the state where anything seems possible, where people bring dreams they aren’t allowed to have anyplace else.” Los Angeles County Lifeguards make up the largest professional lifeguard service in the world, patrolling over 110 km of coastline from San Pedro to Malibu. The Baywatch TV show was inspired by the real-life L.A. lifeguards. While the drama was fictional, many scenes were based on actual rescues and daily routines. On a typical summer weekend, lifeguards can perform more than 500 rescues a day. Over 10,000 rescues happen annually across L.A. County beaches. The L.A. County Lifeguard service dates back to 1914. Back then, lifeguards used rowboats and didn’t have radios. Today’s team uses trucks, boats, helicopters, and drones.
Acrylic on canvas 63 x 60 cm.	Pizza trailer, Miami Beach, Florida, USA, is kilometer after kilometer of golden sand lined with gleaming and not-so-gleaming hotels. Most of them built in Art Deco and painted in various pastel shades. Miami Beach has the largest Art Deco district in the country.The inhabitants are a fascinating mixture of people. Among others a large population of senior citizens with pink or purple hair and a matching poodle…”These Americans, they refuse to move anywhere; if they can make a machine to do things for them, they make it. Drive-in banks, Drive-in movies, Drive-in restaurants and Drive-in posts etc.”
Acrylic on canvas 63 x 60 cm.	Hard Rock Cafe, Chiang Mai Thailand, 700 km. northeast of Bangkok, is Thailand’s second largest city with over 160.000 inhabitants and more than 300 temples. Chiang Mai, that means the new city, was built from scratch in 1296.It has all cultural advantages as Bangkok, but only a few of it’s drawbacks like traffic jams and air pollution- and here is Hard Rock Café… The first Hard Rock Café opened in London in 1971, started by two Americans who just wanted a good burger. There are now over 180 Hard Rock locations around the world. Hard Rock Cafés often adapt their look and feel to the local culture, while still keeping that classic rock vibe. The Vespa on the Chiang Mai sign? A local twist with retro charm—not something you’ll see at every location. Chiang Mai was founded in 1296 and was once the capital of the Lanna Kingdom. It still feels like a city with deep roots and soft edges. The old city is surrounded by a moat and remnants of a wall, giving it a slow, timeless feel. With over 300 temples, Chiang Mai is sometimes called the “City of Temples” It’s a hub for crafts, art, textiles, woodcarving, and coffee shops with mountain views. And yes, there’s even a Hard Rock Café here—because in Chiang Mai, the old and the new have learned to share the stage.
Acrylic on canvas 65 x 55 cm.	Orlando, Florida, USA. The king of amusement parks, Disney World, a sparkling maze of kiddie-rides, Disney film sets and Disney characters. Disney World is divaded into three parts, Magic Kingdom, Epcot Center and Disney MGM Studios.Magic Kingdom consists of six lands with fun, fantasy and entertainment: Experience America around the turn-of-the-century at “Main Street, USA”. Celebrate Mickey’s birthday at “Mickey’s Birthdayland”. Ride Space Mountain Roller-Coaster at “Tomorrowland”. Visit Cinderella’s castle at “Fantasyland”. Look at Hall of Presidents and Tom Sawer Island at “Liberty Square/Frontierland”. Go on a junglecruise at “Adventureland”.Forget the reality and pretend you are five years old, maybe six…”-The future is in the hands of those who can give tomorrow’s generation valid reasons to live and hope.” Disney World Resort in Florida covers over 25,000 acres—that’s roughly the size of San Francisco Disney World officially opened on October 1, 1971— Walt Disney’s original Disneyland in California opened 1955. Cinderella Castle looks huge, but it’s only 60 m. —designed with forced perspective to look taller. And no, you can’t book a room there—except for a super-exclusive suite!
Acrylic on hardboard 80 x 65 cm.	Bird at Seaquarium, Miami,Florida, USA. The animal shows at the Miami Seaquarium, Florida, USA, parade the abilities of both marine mammals and their trainers. It’s not every day that you get to see five-ton killer whales breach high above the water. If you don’t like to be drenched, sit more than 10 rows back…
Acrylic on hardboard 80 x 65 cm.	Highway 1 road sign, California, USA. Route 1 – or The Pacific Coast Highway, starts among the surfer beaches south of Los Angeles and sweeps grandly along the California coast. Never straying more then a few km. from the sea. Across rolling hills, through cow pastures and fruit orchards, and past hip urban centers, the Pacific Coast Highway ends in the magnificent redwood groves near Garberville, more than 350 km. north of San Francisco.It begun in 1920, required $ 10 million and over 17 years for completion.
Acrylic on canvas 43 x 30 cm.	Flamingo Crossing ice cream, Key West, Florida, USA. The tropical paradise, Key West, “The end of the road”, only 145. km from Cuba, is the southernmost point in the continental USA. Pastel clapboard houses, hibiscus and bougainvillea plants, year-round tropical climate and gin-clear waters attracted Tennessee Williams and Ernest Hemingway along with all the tourists. The natives call themselves for “conchs”. Non-natives who’ve lived here for several years are “freshwater conchs”. Tourists are all called “foreigners”. Conchs call the Gumbo Limbo tree “tourist trees” – they turn red and peel in the sun! The town’s tombstones have epitaphs like: “I told you I was sick.” Or this one, evidently written by the angry widow:”At least I know where he’s sleeping tonight…”
Acrylic on on hardboard	Sunflower This was a gift to some friends. Made from a photo of a fantastic field of sunflowers in southern France.
Acrylic on hardboard	Tour de France bikers This was an order where I got a picture from a news paper.
Acrylic on hardboard 100 x 80 cm	Michael Jordan An order where I got a picture from a sports magazine.
Acrylic on canvas 1 x 1 m.	Mickey Mouse Classic Mickey design,inspired by Andy Warhol, Pop art Mickey Mouse first appeared in “Steamboat Willie” on November 18, 1928, which is now considered his official birthday. Walt Disney originally named him Mortimer Mouse, but his wife, Lillian, thought “Mickey” was cuter. Walt Disney himself provided Mickey’s original voice! Mickey Mouse was the first animated character to get a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (in 1978).