Category Archives: People

Katka Pruskova’s feeling for flowers

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Katka Pruskova 1

Katka Pruskova is a Czech-born computer scientist and photographer. On her quest to show us the amazing colorful world we live in, Katka has made an absolutely spellbinding video of blooming Amaryllis, Lilies, Zygocactus, Rose, Gladiolus, Tulip and Gardenia. I wish my countryman Carl Linnaeus could have watched this masterpiece with us. He would have been supercalifragilisticexpialidocious excited. Sit back, enjoy.

To make this masterpiece, Katka has used a technique called “time-lapse photography.” In a homemade studio (a cabinet, black cloth and two LED lamps), Katka placed her flowers (carefully picked in her mother’s garden) in front of a Canon 5D Mark II and shot 7,100 photos over 730 hours. Once converted into a video, played back at 30 frames (photos) per second, time appears to be moving faster. This is not an exercise for the wilting weeds of the photography world! It takes serious planning and after the hours of shooting there are days of post-production. Bravo!

Katka Pruskova 2

French dramatist Jean Giraudoux once said: “The flower is the poetry of reproduction. It is an example of the eternal seductiveness of life.” I’m sure Katka would not disagree but with her time-lapse photography, she makes the flower luscious and sexy as well. Thank you, Katka!

With love from Mireille Zagolin

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It is raining and I am cold when I meet Mireille Zagolin at her studio in Nyon near Geneva. Her warm welcome includes a huge mug of hot tea. We chat. She is at once effervescent and charming.

Mireille Zagolin 1

She tells me how, already a wife and mother, she took up painting more than twenty years ago. Sculpting began ten years ago. However, working with oil on canvas is her primary passion. In this medium she can let her imagination fly. Her spirits range far and wide on a hunt for inspiration. By contrast, she has found working with clay appeals to a much more personal, inner part of her being. I see she has difficulty putting this into words. To change the subject: whose work does she admire most? No surprises: Nicolas de Staël and Camille Claudel.

Mireille Zagolin 2

Untitled, 1990, 60cm x 40cm, paint on silk

Amazingly, Mireille has taught herself to paint and to sculpt. It is obvious that she has talent in abundance. I ask about her best creative moment. “My first exhibition!” She says without hesitation. “It was a great success… and a huge adrenalin rush!” She sold everything bar one silk painting which she shows me. It is delicate, feminine and floral. It heralds her beautiful stuff to come.

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Mireille Zagolin 4

Inevitably, I ask about her worst creative moment. This is the only time during my visit that she is not smiling and laughing. She admits that she has never been asked this. She is silent for a minute. Her face clouds over. Eventually she says “It is when I lose that intimate connection with a clay I am working on; I can’t move forward.” There is the key word: “intimate.” Everything that she creates has a profound air of intimacy together with a distinct femininity. Whatever the medium, her work exudes sensuality and is suffused with love.

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My King, my Queen, 2013, 60cm x 60cm, oil on canvas

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L’amour en voyage, 2013 80cm x 80cm oil on canvas

To visit Mireille’s studio is to be dazzled by striking passages of colour and seduced by beautiful bronze curves. I leave with two of her stunning new canvases in mind as I head out into the rain. But I won’t be cold. I have had a wonderful and warming afternoon. Thank you, Mireille.

Lunds Studentkårs Karneval 1954

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I love flea markets. The process of discovering, desiring and acquiring speaks to me. So does the idea of recycling old stuff. The other day, I strolled around our local “marché aux puces” here in Geneva. This is what I brought back home in exchange for 20 francs:

Lunds Studentkårs Karneval 1954

The print measures 25 x 35 centimeters. It includes both textual and graphic elements. The centaur, wearing a student cap, looks happy. Like many students approaching the light in the end of the tunnel, he probably had a few (well deserved) drinks.

Lunds Studentkårs Karneval is a student carnival taking place in Lund (Sweden) every fourth year. Dating back to 1849, each carnival has a different theme, featuring shows, food and drinks. This is the original poster of 1954 carnival. Feel the tide of history!

Hasse Alfredsson The print is signed “Alfred Lutter.” Google tells me this is actually an anagram of Hans “Hasse” Alfredsson and Carlgösta “Lutter” Wistrand, both studying at University of Lund 1954. The former (pictured to the right) is today a legendary Swedish actor, director, writer and comedian.

So, one may wonder how the heck an original print of 1954 carnival can end up at a flea market in Geneva? I guess a former exchange student (perhaps a friend of Hasse and Lutter) emptied the attic and accidentally tossed this beautiful stuff in a box labeled “Salvation Army.”

The print is now framed, hanging on a wall in my home here in Geneva. It reminds me of my Swedish roots, as well as of the excitement, anxiety, joy and pain of being a student. And how I love the work of Hasse Alfredsson. This is absolutely priceless.