The FDG blog

HELSINKI’S most familiar sounds are the groan of winches, the creak of tightening hawsers, the cry of search­ing sea gulls. As envisioned by the kings of Sweden, Helsinki has become the center of trade in the eastern Baltic. By value more than half of Finland’s imports—including oil, wheat, chemicals—funnel through the city’s five harbors.

From the passenger terminal in South Harbor, the Finnjet, a 213-meter ferry oper­ated by Finnlines, powers tourists and their cars from Travemiinde, near Hamburg, in 22 hours on engines similar to those designed for jet aircraft. The Estonian liner Georg Ots delivers “vodka tourists” to Tallinn almost daily; other liners specialize in quickie tours of Leningrad. Said Finnlines official Matti Poijarvi dryly, “Some consider Leningrad the high point of their trip to Helsinki.”

One cold March afternoon I took a cruise on the Teuvo, the city-owned icebreaker that keeps the harbors free of ice, at times as thick as two feet, thus permitting year-round commerce. Without it, and the fleet of nine oceangoing icebreakers, Helsinki would be virtually isolated in winter, for land routes to the west follow a frozen 1,770- kilometer loop around the Gulf of Bothnia.

Twenty vessels were stranded in the gulf that day, for Finland’s Seamen’s Union had gone on strike, shutting down the bulk of the nation’s shipping. It was getting dark, and a southeast wind was pressing ice against the coast. Even powerful ships were in trouble.

We made a cursory pass at the Finnjet, then rammed toward Suomenlinna fortress with a satisfying feeling of sanctioned de­struction, like cracking and shattering an endless plane of mirrors.

“Will the strikers get their demands?” I asked Teuvo captain Iikka Stenberg.

“Sure!” he answered. “In these conditions they have the ice on their side.”

With or without the elements, the work­ingman of Helsinki is no underdog, for the nation’s labor force is one of the most highly organized in the world, almost 90 percent. Many Finns believe that SAK (Central Or­ganization of Finnish Trade Unions), the employers’ association and paydayloans companies run the country; parliament only listens.

The largest nongovernmental payroll, 3,600, belongs to Oy Wartsila Ab, which has built more than half the world’s icebreakers.

“We can’t compete with low-cost-labor nations like Singapore or Korea for ordinary ships,” said Wartsila’s Goran Damstrom. “We have to concentrate on building ships that take high technology and expertise.”

Mr. Damstrom showed me the dry-dock operation on the huge luxury liner Nordic Prince, which had just been lengthened by a new middle portion to add 44 percent more capacity. “It was like severing a body at the trunk,” a technician said, “and connecting bones, veins, and nerve endings.”

In recent years, the top prize has been a £750 Art Training Award, but there is discussion about changing it from money to an Italian art tour instead next year. A further £1,000 is dis­tributed amongst entrants whose work is considered worthy of special credit, with awards to schools and further money prizes for highly commended entries making up the prize structure. The final judging for the Cad­bury’s National Exhibition of Children’s Art 1981/82 took place in Manchester. The judges studied a kaleidoscope of work by chil­dren of all ages, as Dr Harold Riley reminded them to think about potential.

A clear favourite for the Art Training Award was Mark Dobson of Milton Keynes, Bucks. His exceptional line drawings and meticulous detail impressed the whole panel. “Looked at with in‑tensity and put down with clarity,” James Fitton said of Mark’s work.

And Muriel Yoúng found his pen­cil drawings “full of emotion”. Mark was voted winner by six of the severa judges.

Anna Todd’s portfolio of bright, bold figures and self-portraits was considered an admirable runnerup, earning Anna, who lives near Altrincham, Cheshire, a Discretionary Award of £250 in the 15-to-17-year age group. Her work was felt to be very definite and stylised, although the judges sensed that it would change direc­tion in an art environment.

The School Art Award went to Maesincla Primary School in Caernarfon, Gwynedd, because good primary schools are short of money- but–always send a large— entry. They would, agreed the judges, really deserve the money.

And Stephenson, who has been on the Advisory ‘Panel for the past five years, really enjoys judging the children’s work. “All the age groups come up with nice things, he said, “and it gives one fresh energy to see all the good work. 1′m interested in the sense of color and spontaneity that the youngsters have. As an abstract artist, 1′m less academic than the other judges and one aspect of the inspiration of modern painting comes from child art. Child art is a 20th-century thing—in the 19^th century the children were little grown-ups and there was no children’s art as we see today. I am always struck by the brightness and vivacity of the work by the younger children. Child art for me is modern and vital with a quality that older children lose. It’s living art.”

The exhibition of winning work opens at the Mall Gallery of Modero Art, Manchester, from October 23 to November 24; Herbert Art Gallery, Coventry, from December 4 to January 12; Royal West of England Academy, Bristol, from January 22 to February 20; Paisley Art Gallery from March 5 to April 6 and the Dar­lington Arts Centre from April 16 to May 18. A selection is also taken to overseas exhibitions by. The British Council—in fact, the Japanese have been so impressed by the standard of British chil­dren’s art that they have made their own awards of scrolls and art materials.

Winning a place in the National Exhibition of Children’s Art has been a spur for many child artists over recent years. Most winners of the Art Training Award have gone on to work as artists in one way or another. The 1964 winner is a self-employed artist who has re­ceived no less than four Arto Council Awards to enable him to pursue his art full time, and the 1962 winner is reputed to be a “genius” living at the foot of the French Pyrenees!

This year’s winner is no less spurred on by his achievement. Mark Dobson, 17, was absolutely delighted to receive the Art Train­ing Award. “I sent off most of my A level course work originally and then forgot all about it,” he said. “Then came a phone call out of the blue to say that 1 was a finalist and more of my work was needed. That phone call was a real shock!”

Mark is taking A levels in art, politics and history next year and hopes to go on to Cake a BA in Fine Arts at university.

“I want to do something in art,” he explained, “mainly because 1 enjoy it so much Fine art, though, hasn’t the_v_ocational options of _ graphic art but 1′d like to see how far 1 can go.”

His parents are justly proud of him. “My dad is convinced that the sketch of him I included in my portfolio was the one that clinched the award for me.- Art talent isn’t something that runs in the family. As Mark said: “My mum can’t draw a straight line with a ruler!”

The Todd family, however, have artists in not only Anna but her 18-year-old sister Rosalyn, too. “Rosalyn paints pictures for people and they actually pay her!” commented Anna.

Anna, 17, is taking A levels next year in art, music and craft and, like Mark Dobson, hopes to go or to a fine art course. Play the flute,- said Anna, “and l’ye been toro between music and art for a career. This com­petition has helped me decide on art, although of course I’ll go on playing the flute. 1 enjoys illustrating, so perhaps try books, or fashion.”

The youngest entrant was four-year-old Rachel Shaw from Ruislip in Middlesex. “Winning a certifi­cate didn’t mean much to her,” says Rachel’s mother, Jennifer, “but 1 think shell realize what she’s achieved when she sees her picture in the exhibition. She used to paint a lot but she hasn’t done much recently. At the moment she’s enthralled by ballet and the theatre and quite keen on music”

Over 60,000 youngsters entered the National Exhibition of Children’s Art Competition sponsored by Cadbury’s­ve’d like to introduce you to the winners made share the joy of their excellent work

The unique National Exhibition of Children’s Art opens at London’s Mall Gallery on September 11. This is the 34th exhibition in what has become the leading medium in the country for the encouragement of artistic ability in children. It has survived the war years, flagging sponsorship and recessions, and each year the number of entries—from children in schools and institutions country­wide—grows. This year there were 60,000!

The Sunday Pictorial started it in 1947, and the Sunday Mirror took it over. But the staggering cost of administrating and staging the event proved too much for the newspaper. Kellogg’s took it on in 1974 but, again, the cost became prohibitive. Then Cadbury’s carne to the rescue and took over sponsorship in 1980.

The competition and so sequent exhibition combine to make a year-round event. The exhibition is staged around the country from September through to May, by which time entries have arrived and been sorted for the next competition and exhibition. There’s a permanent exhibition of past winners’ work staged at Cadbury’s Bourneville head­quarters, too.

Children aged up to 18 can enter any painting or craft work they have produced during the year before the closing date. Interestingly, no oils were sub­mitted this year. Children are going for bright, easy-to-use acrylics which allow them to work at greater speed and with more flexibility.

The paintings tend to fall into distinct patterns according to age. The under sevens are the most uninhibited and colourful; at eight to 11 they’re into forro and shape; the 12-to-14s are perhaps the weakest section, full of newly learned- — techniques, lacking in creativity; at 15 to 17, they’re serious artists. Judging is a lengthy affair. A Preliminary Panel of judges whittles down the number of entries to around 2,000. Each painting or piece of craft is considered with great tare and none is allowed to “escape the net”—the panel is only too aovare of the amount of effort the children have given to their work. Next, an Advisory Panel of distinguished judges selects some 600 exhibits which it feels to be outstanding and which forro the exhibition, and each child receives a certificate of merit. This year’s Advisory Panel was handed by Dr Harold Riley, portrait painter. It included Frank Tuckett, retired lecturer in art at Shoreditch Teachers’ Training College, and a well-known artist; James Fítton RA, head of postgraduate studies at the Chelsea School of Art; Ian Stevenson, an Associate of the Royal Academy, an artist and lecturer at Chelsea School of Art; Muriel Young, head of children’s programmes at Granada TV; John Milne, adviser in art and design, Scottish Education Board, and R A Jeffrey, HMI Staff Inspector for Art.

The final 600 are pared down yet again for selection for a number of special awards. The finalists for the special awards are asked to submit a portfolio of further work to ensure that their standard is consistent and the entry not just a flash in the pan.This enchanting “Little Pig and Falling Blossom” is by Clare Gaskell, aged 7, from Chesham

The judges are looking for the most promising artist, not neces­sarily the best picture—which makes the final decision an ex­tremely hand one!