Window painting for Global Climate Strike 2019

Biblo Tøyen children’s library wanted to mark the global climate strike headed by the young climate activist Greta Thunberg from 20 – 27. September 2019. And I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity to decorate their windows.

The library wanted the paintings to be inspired by the climate strike and the global climate crisis we are all facing. I was so happy when they asked me if I wanted the job, but also terrified. It was such a serious and overwhelming theme to work with creatively, and I had little more than a days notice to plan it all out. Let’s just say that I was feeling the pressure #sweatingbullets.

I had no measurments to work with (because I forgot to ask), but I had seen the windows previously so I had a general idea of what the windows looked like. So, I decided to work with designs that would be easy to adapt and change depending on what I would have to work with on the day.

In one window I decided to write the message “Think renewable not fossil” with visually interesting and graphic letters. On the other window I wanted to do simple line drawings of closed down factories with wild vines and plants growing out of their chimneys.

I couldn’t really remember the last time I made a window painting, and I knew that I was rusty. So, like any professional worth their salt I rolled up my proverbial sleeves and went in to full-on research mode. After a few hours of google-fu, watching videos, reading blog posts and checking what materials my local stores would have in supply I decided on using Posca pens. They are water based and water soluble paint pens. They can be used on anything! Metal, concrete, glass, paper, you name it. And you can use water based spray varnish to seal the color if you want it to be permanent. It washes of easily with hot water. You don’t even need dish soap and it doesn’t leave plastic flakes behind like acrylic paint does. So to me it seemed like the easiest and most environmentally friendly option.

Anyway – this is how the final window paintings turned out!