Opportunity knocks! Happy to share my new painting with art lovers. This month I’m participating in a local group show:
Little Treasures in Oslo
My painting to the right
Feel free to check out my brand new painting as part of the group exhibition «Little Treasures» at Sagene samfunnshus May 1.-31. in Oslo. I also highly recommend sharing a nice meal at the local Nazar cafe.
Title: One more cup of coffee before you go
Size: 40 x 40 cm
Medium: mixed media on deep edge canvas
Year: 2025
Price: 950,- NOK (plus shipping costs)
Thanks a lot, Torshov kunst- og kulturforening for this opportunity.
Trust the process! is one of my guiding mantras. I also love working intuitively to open up for untold stories. And sometimes it feels a bit scary as the work comes alive on the canvas, because:
Some paintings have a strong will. This one has been telling me a lot of stories along the way and has a lot of history hidden in its many layers.
Many hidden layers
Catching up with artist community
Good things always happen to me!
First time I had the pleasure of exhibiting with this wonderful local artist community was back in the days. And I’m so happy I decided to join them again.
Lucky to be part of Torshov kunst- og kulturforening!
Work in progress
Group Exhibit 1. – 31. May
Anyways, feel free to check out my work May 1.- 31 on display at Sagene samfunnshus, Oslo. For further information go to my website.
Finally my trip to Side at the Turkish Riviera came alive. I’ve been dreaming about this for months.
From winter to early summer
We took off in the middle of a Norwegian winter night and arrived for lunch in the beautiful Turkish early summer. What a joy to get to know the surroundings and my fellow travellers.
8 days filled with joy
The 8 day trip is like a double Kinderegg:
Tai Chi practice (twice a day)
Summer feeling/ beach life in between
Exploring ancient city, history, culture
Good food and wine
Hanging out with my Tai Chi Tribe
Art workshop
Tai Chi morning practice
Daily Tai Chi practice
Truth be told, I really enjoyed our daily morning and evening practice. It felt so refreshing doing Tai Chi outside in the open air overlooking the ocean, watching the sun orbit until nightfall. Think I could have doubled the Tai Chi hours, but on the other side; doing yoga on the beach was not bad at all.
Beach life
Summer feeling
In between Tai Chi and wonderful meals we enjoyed the summer feeling at the beach (or by the pool) every day. Sunny days and swimming in the ocean felt super energising this time of year. Think I could have doubled the 8 days without getting homesick. No problem!
Temple of Apollo, Side
Exploring the city of Side
One day we took the local bus to explore the ancient city of Side with its old town and the historical Temple of Apollo. And of course we enjoyed a tasty lunch with some deep glasses of wine at one of the best restaurants in the harbour. What a wonderful day!
So tasty!
Workshop and vernissage
When booking my trip I made plans to join a local art workshop. But after some research, I decided to scale down my initial plans and go for a private workshop on my own.
Therefore I packed just enough art supplies to make one painting a day. I also brought some pre-prepared layered paintings from my home studio (specifically made for this very project) hoping to finish the top layers with my Poscas whenever I had some spare time, as it turned out mostly before bed time.
One painting every day
Painting as contemplation
Painting resembles Tai Chi when it comes to body movements. I often practice Tai Chi when in my studio. I see both disciplines as energy work.
For me painting is a mindful way to contemplate today’s lesson.
The topic of my 8 days in Side series of paintings was, of course, the Tai Chi classes and the energy we’ve been practicing each day.
Workshop in Side
Vernissage
Last evening before dinner the whole Tai Chi Tribe was invited to an informal vernissage and to my big surprise 6 out of 7 paintings found a new home within minutes. Sometimes it’s really nice to say yes! when someone pops a question.
Thank you for showing such enthusiasm, dear Tai Chi Tribe!
Thank you!
Some key takeaways
A key takeaway from my trip to Side is that doing research and making plans in advance brings success. The decision to downsize my initial idea of joining a local workshop and instead make my own turned out to be both realistic and fun.
Launching the idea of vernissage was never in my initial plans. The workshop was designed for me to contemplate the energies we had been working on. When I mentioned I was creating artworks before bedtime someone asked me to share a snapshot and thereafter the idea of vernissage arose. Don’t be shy: Go with the flow!
Another important lesson is to bring more summer clothes and make sure the thick books are interesting enough to read (or you might as well leave them at home)!!
Imagine having so much fun in 8 days. Such a refreshing trip!
How on earth did we get through the month of February? So cold and so draining. I got scared every morning as I saw my pale grey face in the bathroom mirror. – Who’s that? Is she alive?
Snowy February
So cold, so dark
February was unfortunately packed with work, and hardly no time – say no energy – to make art. How do you find motivation when your body feels like sleeping every time you have a minute to reflect on what’s going on?
I decided to listen to my body’s cravings and save my energy; read books, pet the guest cat, Miss Fluffy, and drink lots of ginger tea.
Miss Fluffy is visiting for a few weeks
Surprising myself
By the end of the month I realised I must have been awake at some point… preparing for my trip to Side, Turkey next month by researching and making first layers of paintings for my planned 7 days workshop focusing on Tai Chi energy.
Preparing for workshop – first layers
Tai Chi is like painting
Think it was father of contemporary Tai Chi (with nickname Flying Dragon) the famous master Li Tianji (1914-96) who said that «Doing Tai Chi is like painting with your body» and that resonates with me because I often do Tai Chi while painting in my studio, especially while working on large canvases.
Ready for beach life
Hoping for sunny days
I sincerely hope for sunny days, sand between my toes and a quick swim in the ocean 😎 Can hardly remember how that feels…
Where did I find energy?
To my big surprise it turned out I had also planned my entries for two upcoming exhibits in Oslo this spring. – Now where did all that energy come from?
Sometimes I wonder how I pull things off in between everything…
Painting is fun!
That being said; I sacrifice a lot to do what I love most and what makes me who I am. Creating art every day is not for everyone, but to me it is vital…
Now off to next month, hoping that March will bring lots of good stuff!
Woohoo! This month my art blog celebrates 10 years! Imagine that! I sometimes surprise myself 🥳
time for celebration
Those who know me might recall that I’ve been blogging about quite a few different topics over the years (handball, cats, food to mention a few), but this art blog is the longest living one.
Hooray! 🥳 Time to celebrate!
Everyone who signs up for my newsletter will get a chance to win one of my paintings! If you’ve already signed up please share this opportunity with friends and family ❤️
2024 was the year of the dragon and forecasted to bring about opportunities, changes, and challenges. Sometimes one wakes up in the morning and wonders if the world is going to last throughout the day…
so many strong emotions this year
Strong emotions
Many people I meet express strong emotions about what is going on in the world today and seem to have a hard time stepping out of all the negativity shared. Some seem to have lost hope. I kind of think of it in a different way:
The Choice is Yours
Emotion is energy in motion and they travel through us. The point is what you do with this energy: Will you let the energy bring you down, or will you use the energy as fuel to bring out the good stuff. The choice is yours!
Haruki Murakami is one of my favourite authors. I love his books with their surreal and strange worlds that are the places of metaphorical journeys. And no matter how strange and hopeless things look, Murakami reminds us that things can get better. I repeat:
Things can get better! And there are things we can do to contribute!
climb up the ladder
Sometimes we all need to climb up our ladders and get out of our rabbit holes to reach new vantage points, viewpoints and perspectives. Now is the time to step up and transform the negative emotions into positive activities!
Take a leap, get out of your comfort zone and do something to help move the world in the right direction. Please!
«Life is a blank canvas, it’s never too late to create your masterpiece.»
— Unknown
Happy New Year! Let’s make 2025 a good one!
A heartfelt thank you to my cheering family, friends, fellow artists and collectors: Your emotional and financial support directly helps fund my work. Your encouragement makes my art journey possible, and I’m deeply grateful for that!
Looking forward to sharing more art with you next year!
Wow! Who would have thought I’d be taking part in 3 group exhibitions this autumn…
15. – 17. November: Nordberg Lions, Oslo
23. November – 11. January: Fault Line: Gaza 355 at Oriel Q Gallery in Narberth Wales
21. September – 10. October: PAE24 at Millhouse Mackinney in Texas USA
Normally I turn down most requests to exhibit my work, but: Sometimes it is nice to say: YES!!!
happy to exhibit my work
Life is a mystery… sometimes one is lucky and sometimes one is really, really unlucky…
So sad
I had the saddest start of this month as my Best Friend Forever, My Heart and My Everything, Mr Muskat suddenly left us 💔
My grief is overwhelming and whirls up so many emotions…
Deep Love also means deep sorrow. But life goes on without Mr Art Cat 😭 RiP 💔
RiP My Wonderful Furry Best Friend Forever. I will miss you 💔
Going back to the studio alone
As I have signed up for a couple of group exhibitions, I had to pull myself out of my rabbit hole of grief and go back to my studio and start working.
Challenge 1: Working small
Working small is one of my biggest challenges, but I think my entries for the Fault Line: Gaza 355 exhibit came together pretty nicely and were shipped to Wales for the group exhibition at Oriel Q Gallery, in Narberth in memory of Hind and the thousands of children killed in Gaza and for those still living there ❤️
Fault Line: Gaza 355 is curated by Tasmin Nash. Exhibition runs from Saturday 23 November 2024 – Saturday 11 January 2025.
Oriel Q Gallery, Narberth Wales
We are based at The Studio, 11 Market Street, Narberth, SA67 7AX
Here you can see my 9 small works:
Fault Line: Gaza 355
Challenge 2: Square paintings
Don’t know why, but I love a challenge. Since September I’ve been working on four new paintings for a local group exhibition. The 4 square canvases measure 60×60 cm and are all part of ongoing parallel projects, but will be on display (and might even get sold) at the Lions Nordberg exhibition in Oslo 17.-19. November.
I find it really challenging working on square canvases, but they seem to be finding their way…
work in progress
Will probably adjust some colors and add some more details before the finishing touches. Wish me luck!
painting the edges
Some details about Nordberg Lions exhibition in Oslo
Opening reception Friday 15.november 18.00-19.00
Where: Kirkestuen, Nordberg Church, Kringsjågrenda 1, Oslo
When: Friday 15. november 16.00 – 19.00 Saturday 16. november 12.00 – 17.00 Sunday 17. november 12.00 – 17.00
Time flies when you’re having fun! These past few months sure have been busy… Packed with to-do-lists and fun opportunities I never ever dreamt of. Weird thing is I didn’t foresee, or wish for, any of this to happen…
Life is full of surprises both good ones and not so good ones. Perhaps that’s the Universe’s way of telling me I’m alive?
My kind of gardening
I just love abstracting nature motifs when in the studio. As you might remember from an earlier blog, I’ve been abstracting parts of my garden for the PAE exhibition in Texas, USA this month.
And I’m happy to share that my painting Hanna’s garden was sold to a happy artist and collector.
Hanna’s garden 2024
Painting with Mr Art Cat
One thing I do love is painting with my wonderful furry helper, Mr Art Cat. Don’t know what I’d do without him…
my wonderful helper Mr Muskat
Last month I brought home some new canvases. I just love starting new paintings…
If everything goes as I hope, these 4 canvases will be on display in November…
new canvases in da house
Fault Line: Gaza 355
Next month I look forward to show 9 small paintings in Wales. I honestly believe that through art we can change the world.
Fault Line. Gaza 355
This is my small contribution for the Fault Line: Gaza 355 exhibition at Oriel Q Gallery in Narberth, Wales in memory of Hind and the thousands of children killed in Gaza and for those still living there.
Thank you for organizing this opportunity to help make the world a little better!
Busy days in my studio
The past couple of months I’ve been busy working on some new motifs for some of my ongoing series. An artist friend recently asked me why I prefer working on several parralell projects instead of finishing one at the time?
My answer is: Because I love to play and have fun and there are so many fun things to explore.
But it seems Mr Cat is not so happy with the outcome…
My Furry Best Friend Forever
Life balance
Some days I think I need a vacation from my own life… So what to do when life is kicking your butt?
Besides roaming the woods with Mr Cat, I prefer spending slow evenings on my balcony with my best furry friend.
Autumn light is even more beautiful with a few candles and a cup of tea. And of course, Mr Cat also gets some nice treats while we read a good book or just chat about life in general…
autumn walk with Mr Cat
Local group exhibition coming up
Last year I think I turned down like 4 exhibitions, both local and international. But surprise, surprise! I’m taking part in 3 shows this autumn.
For the first time in several years I’ve agreed to join the Lions Nordberg Høstutstilling in Oslo next month and will show 4 brand new paintings.
Summer holidays sure went fast this year! I’m back at my dayjob again and feel the need for some real coffee. It is always a shock going back to work after three weeks of doing what you like most…
time for coffee
New projects
As you might remember from my previous blog post, last month didn’t turn out quite as expected…
Weather was not the best and my summer holidays turned out quite differently from what I was hoping for… Think this is the first time EVER that I didn’t swim or go to the beach. I hardly remember filling up my lunch basket with good stuff and go for walks with Mr. Cat…
Weather was not the best and my summer holidays turned out quite differently from what I was hoping for… Think this is the first time EVER that I didn’t swim or go to the beach…
I hardly remember filling up my lunch basket with good stuff and going for walks with Mr. Cat…
lunch in the local forrest
But my studio got a real makeover and I’m really happy how it turned out! I also had some nice studio time with Mr Art Cat and together we made some nice artwork…
Last month’s test paintings went pretty well, but I still don’t know if this project will be continued – because, truth be told, I think it was quite boring…
test paintings on my studio wall
New canvases in da house
Best thing this month was that I got some new 60×60 cm canvases to start. I have a plan, and I think they might go to a local group exhibition in November…
new canvases in da house
Group exhibit in Texas, USA
I’m so happy I got invited to this year’s international group exhibit PAE24 again. This year the exhibit is held at Millhouse Mackinney in Texas USA (21.september – 10.october) and is supporting female artists and entrepreneurs.
I truly believe that art can change the world for the better
What a joyous month! I’ve spent three wonderful weeks doing pretty much nothing at all, except spending time with my all time high favorite, the love of my life; Mr Cat 😻
Lucky me to have my furry Best Friend to hang out with ❤️
My Furry Best Friend Forever (FBFF)
Outside – Inside
My initial holiday plan A was NOT to paint, but I quickly realized (due to the not so summerlike weather) that I had to take on plan B – which meant stepping out of the cold, rainy, windy August weather and into my warm and cosy studio to enjoy myself with some painting…
Of course, as you can see Mr Fabulous Art Cat was accompanying me…
My wonderful art assistant, Mr Cat is a true inspiration
Studio time
With nothing planned, what to do? First I decided to rebuild my studio and make myself some decent storage. Next thing was to go through my sketchbooks and look for interesting ideas for new projects…
Here you can see the beginnings of a small sketching project that might be followed by some new paintings. Time will show…
from sketchbook to 40×40 cm test paintings on paper
Paint your summer
Well, if the summer holidays don’t turn out the way you want… just paint what you long for… Sunflowers, blue sky, beach umbrellas, drinks
This is a 30×30 cm acrylic paint / mixed media on deep edge canvas fresh from my newly rearranged studio
paint your summer
Wine and dine
One good thing about summer holidays is that they give you time to relax and spend some time with friends and family. I love going to restaurants whenever I can afford it and enjoy rich meals with some nice wine…
July – just the name of this month is supposed to make one think of holidays… but my Julys rarely resembles holidays; I normally work (or I have covid) or the grass allergy is killing me…
nice meals with friends
Making memories
This summer’s month of July was filled with my normal dayjob chores, but I also managed to squeeze in some really nice afternoons and long evenings and made some good memories with friends and family… like slow dinners, too many drinks, magic art exhibitions and hiking in beautiful Nordmarka…
Edvard Munch: The Sun
Looking forward to next month
I’m really looking forward to next month because vacation is coming up! I need to escape the hamster wheel for a while… and enter my chill out zone with Mr Cat.
This summer I haven’t planned for any art projects at all… Think that’s the first time since I really started painting in 2011. But we’ll see what happens. Life has this obscure way of dealing with my plans in a totally different way…
These past few months have been busy in so many ways, so my studio practice has kind of taken the back seat. I hardly remember my last brush stroke as I’ve given myself time to do other things that I also love. – So what do you say… am I still an artist? I’d say yes!
Summer in the city
Escaping the hamster wheel
Most of us live busy lives. There are full time jobs, bills to pay, cooking and cleaning, friends and family to take care of, smartphones, concerts, football games and television. At my age I also need a good night’s sleep.
This summer I haven’t planned for any art projects at all… Think that’s the first time since I really started painting in 2011.
Afternoon Chill Out with Mr Art Cat
Chill Out Zone
On the contrary, I plan to enter my Chill Out Zone consisting of sunny summer days, lazy breakfasts with Mr Art Cat, wonderful lunch baskets and swimming in the nearby lake, hiking, bicycling, roaming the woods and spending warm evenings in my hammock reading interesting books after nice dinners with a glass of Greek Retsina.
After my summer vacation I plan to restart my daily art practice and continue working on my projects. Because when I paint I feel fine, happy and playful – like back in the days when the sky was always blue, we had strawberries for breakfast and spent the entire summer swimming, roaming the woods and playing with friends. So in some ways my studio is kind of an escape from everyday life, and I think we all need to find those places…
I love this time of year. Spring is so beautiful with all its flowers and smells. People seem to get out of their winter shells and start smiling again. Is it just me, or do conversations flow more freely this time of year?
Spending time on the balcony is one of my favourite things to do and the bumblebees seem to love my balcony this year 🥰
bumblebee on my balcony
Art travel
At the beginning of May lucky me had the pleasure of traveling to beautiful Skåne in the south of Sweden to join in on the celebration of the Bachelor Exhibition at Malmø Art Academy. We enjoyed four days of art, interesting conversations, nice company, good food and partying with the young art students. – What a joy!
enjoying beautiful days in Malmø
Work Life – Balance
When you know where you are, you know where you’re going!
I decided to dedicate most of this month’s leisure time to reading and hanging out with nice people and getting some mostly needed rest from my normal studio practice. A friend recently donated a stack of art books from her parent’s library and I’m so grateful.
my new stack of art books
May 17th
Constitution Day is my absolute favourite day of the year. I normally roam the streets in my traditional bunad, but this year both me and my hubby had to work. But we did enjoy a nice meal together.
Time for Gardening
The month of May also requires some gardening time to take care of the allotment, the flower beds and the balcony. Lucky me has a very nice little furry helper.
my furry little helper
Abstracting my garden
At the moment abstracting my garden is one of my favourite motifs when in the studio – here is a tiny glimpse bound for an exhibition in Texas, USA later this year.
abstracting my garden
Inspiring Summer Days in Oslo
The beautiful city of Oslo gives lots of opportunities. Check out urban sauna life in the harbour, world class architecture in Bjørvika, pittoresque buildings in Damstredet and Telthusbakken, concerts, festivals, theater, opera, dance, take a stroll along the beautiful Akerselva river or chill out with a few hours of island hopping before enjoying a meal at one of the capital’s three star Michelin restaurants. Check out Visit Oslo
detail from Damstredet
Art in Oslo
I really enjoy going to exhibitions and Oslo has two of the biggest art museums in Europe showing wonderful exhibitions.
I highly recommend Trembling Earth and Horizons at MUNCH museum – and Rothko, Kandinsky, Bergman and Marakatt-Labba at the National Museum.
from Trembling Earth at MUNCH
Trembling Earth at MUNCH is a must this summer
Upcoming Art Drop
At the moment I’m selecting work for my upcoming Art Drop, so stay tuned for more info!
Spring is finally here. Life is good! Birds are singing, flowers are blooming, sun is shining and living is easy. I love walking through the woods, enjoying the smell of Mother Nature waking up after the long, dark winter.
walking in Nordmarka is beautiful this time of year
Finding my way
The process of finding my way as an artist has been a long and winding road. Finding and creating my path, my visual language is sometimes quite bumpy. They say artists put a lot of themselves in everything they make, but I have also experienced that I sometimes lose track of myself when painting.
Over the years I have acquired many tools to refine my visual language and there’s still a lot to explore!
One project at the time
This year I decided to focus on one project at a time. Lately I’ve been working on ideas that have been with me for some time. It all started during lockdown when I had to move my studio back home and students didn’t have access to the art school. So I started to look around the house for interesting items, hoping to make paintings where one could recognize a deeper meaning, not only the shape, colour and use of the actual item.
To be honest, working on this project is a bit of a challenge. I enter the studio with enthusiasm and as the painting session goes on I lose most of my energy. I do not yet know if it’s the colour scheme or the nakedness of the objects that disturbs my energy.
The question is, should I stay or should I go?
Work in progress: flowers, urns and vases
Art Struggles
Art struggles are, of course, a minor problem in the world. But art can pinpoint more important matters and sometimes you have to stick with it for a while in order to figure it out. And sometimes new beginnings are disguised as painful endings. When one door closes, another opens.
Courage and flow are key words in my working process. Playfulness and having fun while painting is crucial. Normally there is some kind of dialogue between me and the painting, but in this project I struggle to grasp the hidden message…
A famous artist once said that
“If I paint from my heart anything goes, but if I paint from my head nothing works.”
Mr Cat wants to go outside
Reflection time
And maybe it’s as simple as that, so I might just skip the whole project… even if there is something tickling me…
Since I’ve decided my studio is my happy place where I nurture and celebrate some of the good things of this earth, I think I need to do some serious reflection work to figure out my next step.
I love to simplify and abstract, and prefer a quirky, loose and free type of expression. Honestly I think most of this is missing in this project, so no wonder I struggle and lose energy. Sometimes life in the studio sucks!
Finding the balance
Finding the balance between output and input is crucial for most of us. Besides painting and talking to my cat, I like spending time with family and friends, enjoying nice meals and checking out art exhibitions.
Checking out an abstract art exhibit
Hang in there! I’ve gotta prepare for a trip to Malmø, Sweden. Hopefully that will give me a much needed break and some new perspectives.
It has been a long, long winter and we’re still not done. My November cactus is blooming again, and again – obviously a bit confused… Mr Cat seems to have given up waiting for spring… He is sleeping most of the time, not at all interested in going outside in the snow, rain and cold wind. I’m not sure he believes me when I keep whispering that spring is around the corner…
Mr Cat sleeps all day
But March sure went fast this year, right? Or is it just me…
Girls just wanna have fun
We all need moments of uplift, probably now more than ever with all the horrible things going on in the world.
When making my More : Less list for this year, I chose «more fun» as one important ingredient because I know that having fun refuels and energizes me. The reason for making this priority list was to set a reminder to myself; a simple tool to help me make the right choices in my busy life and manifest what I really want.
But be careful what you wish for…
Because the past few months have been packed with all kinds of fun; lovely dinners, art walks and talks, exhibitions, lunches, more dinners, good conversations, friendly visits and deep thinking. Not to mention good friends…
I’ve hardly had time for painting 🤣
OMG! It’s so nice to finally meet someone in real life after chatting online or making phone calls for such a long time. Lucky me!
Glimpse from my art studio
When spring approaches and you (hope to) see flowers everywhere I tend to feel more loose and free than during wintertime. This month I’ve pulled out some of my urns, vases and flower paintings from my stack of work in the messy middle.
These paintings take inspiration from my sketchbooks and remind me of good times. Here is a sneak peek:
Work in progress: flowers and urns
Quirky, loose and free
In my art work I strive for progression, not perfection. I emphasize the process of abstracting and prefer a quirky, loose and free type of expression. My art teacher says I’ve always been an abstract painter.
I have always loved to simplify, stylize and abstract form elements and use the weirdest colours (like painting blue faces). I’m also fond of mixing different techniques and making lots of patterns.
Sometimes my paintings are a little hard to grasp because they are so complicated – but so is life – and I believe art resembles life, and you don’t always understand what’s going on in your life. Right?
Q & A: Commissioned work
I’ve had a few queries about commissions. Unfortunately I will not be able to take on commission this Spring.
Life – Work balance
Truth be told, I sometimes miss the lockdown when I had to stay at home painting with my cat. I’m not a big fan of the hamster wheel. The modern rat race is not my best friend. Feeling overwhelmed and overworked from heavy work loads at my day job makes it hard to find energy and spend time on things that nourish my wellbeing.
Hopefully it will get better next month ‘cause Woop! Woop! The Year of the Dragon gave me new opportunities!
But first: Easter Holidays
Upcoming Spring Art Drop
At the moment I’m trying to put together a new body of work for my upcoming Spring Art Drop, so stay tuned for more info!
Truth be told, my initial plan of scheduling time for spontaneous creativity on a daily basis did not work out very well. But February was not all about heavy work loads at my day job. I also went to a few interesting exhibitions and chilled with some really nice people who made me feel happy and energized and inspired and ready to paint!
refueled, inspired and ready to paint!
The Year of the Dragon
The year of the dragon started on February 10. In Chinese culture, the Dragon holds a significant place as an auspicious and extraordinary creature. It symbolizes power, nobility, honor, luck, and success.
2024 is forecasted to bring about opportunities, changes, and challenges. If you’re seeking a shift in your current lives, this year might offer a favorable chance.
opportunities, changes and challenges
Studio days
Last month I started experimenting with new color schemes, shapes and themes and to my surprise I really enjoyed it. Since my studio is my happy place where I nurture and celebrate some of the good things of this earth, I decided to bring these joyful experiments further by incorporating them into some already existing artworks.
My master plan for this year includes continuation of a few projects started during lockdown as well as playful testing of new artistic expressions.
This pic shows how I keep track of what’s going on in my studio:
what’s going on in my studio
Throwback to lockdown
A few days before Norway closed down on March 12, 2020 our class had started the initial discussions on how to pull off our graduate project. I remember discussing that a crucial part of artistic development is developing your personal style and that looking back on your history might give you some clues.
During lockdown all students at my art school were left with one opportunity only; working from home.
Long hours alone in my studio together with my cat was nice, but as days turned into weeks inspiration got scarce. I started to examine what I had collected over the years and pondered about what I liked and disliked about each object. I studied shapes, patterns, colours and textures on tablecloths, vases, urns, bottles, wine glasses, embroideries, flowers and plants.
This month I pulled out my sketchbooks from Easter 2020 filled with sketches and notes about heirlooms such as furniture, textiles, handicrafts and photo albums.
Once again I will simplify, stylize and abstract form elements and patterns, and bring my findings into new contexts.
In my art work I strive for progression, not perfection. I emphasize the process of abstracting. I prefer quirky and imperfect, incomplete aesthetics, perhaps a bit wabi sabi like. To me the most interesting part of creating lies somewhere between intuitive play and logical thinking. Here’s a sneak peek (work in progress):
sneak peek | work in progress
Transforming colours
Colour and energy is all around us. Colours have different energy, some you like and some you don’t. When you mix different colours with each other they transform. Two bright complementary colours next to each other will give the impression of an energy kick, but if you put a bright colour next to a neutral colour you get a different kind of energy, a different expression.
I love working with contrasts, and I love challenging myself. Colour mixing can be really fun, but also very time consuming and frustrating as daylight changes my studio light during the day.
Studio time includes lots of fun and complex problem solving. If it’s not tricky, it’s no fun! So at the moment I try mixing colour values and presenting them in new ways to explore how this makes a difference to my expression.
If things go as I hope, I might throw a spring art drop with some brand new works in a month or two. Fingers crossed and stay tuned for more news.
time will show
Celebration time
At the end of February the family gathered to celebrate my Hubby’s birthday at a really nice restaurant with a wonderful view over the Oslo fjord. The food was delicious and the wine bountiful. What a night!
In my part of the world winter is still on, but days gradually get longer, and nights shorter, until the summer solstice in June. January light always brings positive energy and I hope this year will bring more time for creativity and playful exploration in my studio. I also hope to keep the seasonal viruses out of my system!
A trip along beautiful Akerselva river, in January 2024
Creative spark
The month of January always gives me a creative spark. This year is now exception. After weeks of darkness and really cold weather, the sun is back and amounts of white snow makes nature look amazingly light and beautiful. Mother Nature gives fresh inspiration; her shapes, lines, structures and the graphic winter color scheme make me want to wander off into new paintings. But transforming mostly black and white impressions of nature into a personal artistic and colourful language is a complex procedure which requires lots of studio time, trial and error.
More & Less
I think of the New Year as a fresh start, giving me the opportunity to leave old habits behind and redetermine how I want things to move forward. Therefore I made a More & Less – list for my creative journey. I decided to cut the crap, get down to basics – and here it is:
More painting, more fun!
Life is what we make of it
My creative force has been with me since early childhood. Carving stone, working with clay, making weird wood sculptures and drawing portraits are among my first memories. I’ve always been busy creating something. I believe that creativity is one of my core qualities.
In 2019 I made a commitment to show up in my studio every day for 100 days. The goal was to nurture my creative art practice and step up the game. Every single morning or evening (before/after work) I went to my studio to work on my #100dayproject. And what a joy! Read more here
This year I will schedule time for spontaneous creativity on a daily basis.
Make room for daily art practice
Everything is possible
As we tiptoed into the new year I’ve focused on playful experiments just to let loose, feel free and have fun. In my studio everything is possible. Time seems to stop when in my creative zone, probably as I’m in flow and feel happy and energized.
Winter has many shades of blue
Project: January diary
This January I’ve spent my studio days creating a new body of small works where I experiment with new color schemes, shapes and themes. My main focus is on spontaneous and joyful play. Anything goes, no judgment, no room for critics as I try to paint from my heart and soul, not from my logical mind. The trick is to have faith and trust the process.
Before I start I try to set myself in a meditative state, or some kind of spiritual mode far, far away from the hamster wheel of everyday life in this crazy world of horrific wars, climate change and economic rat race. My studio is my happy place where I nurture and celebrate some of the good things of this earth.
Set myself free
The idea behind this project is to set myself free from patterns in my life that I’m not consciously aware of and to express emotional energies from within.
My chosen method is: Spontaneous, intuitive, unfiltered, unplugged. No pressure, just try to have fun. Try to be bold, loose, rough, raw, quick. Use unexpected combos of colours, lines and shapes. Hoping for intriguing, surprising and colourful outcomes.
So I’ve created 32 small paintings on paper, and a few bigger ones are still in process. Quick painting sketches, kind of experimental stuff where one painting informs the next one.
And of course, those who know me well have already guessed that I’m working on a few side projects as well, but I’ll save them for another blog.
I made 32 small works on paper for my January Diary
Life changing experience
13 years ago I attended the local art school for a week-long painting course. Walking through the woods in the morning sun I realized I was about to start a life changing experience… and slowly, slowly I truly found back to my creative self (and my inner voice that had been silenced for years) and discovered my strengths and limits, but also my dreams and hopes as an artist.
Growth and expansion is a complex process that takes two steps forward and one step back. Creativity is like ebb and flow, so don’t panic if everything seems to go wrong, take a timeout, do something else and remember to set aside time to «compost» or to do nothing.
My studio is my Happy Place and creative time fills me with energy. With a full time job, planning is essential and I try to make time for my art practice every day.
My studio is my Happy Place
Hopes and plans for the yearto come
My art plans for the coming year are a mix of short-term goals which I want to fulfill in the near future and long-term goals that will take months and years to finish.
This year I will try focusing on one project at a time. My art plans contain both unexplored territory, projects in the messy middle and a few projects nearly finished. All in all, lots of fun and tricky problem solving. If it’s not tricky, it’s no fun!
But the main thing is, of course, the work – life balance… So now, if you’ll excuse me; I’ll get back to my stack of interesting books. It’s recreation time, or “time to compost” as my gardening husband puts it.
First of all: HAPPY NEW YEAR! to family, friends and followers from all over the world! Let’s hope for peace and prosperity and that our leaders will make wise decisions to cool down climate change.
Happy New Year!
Small recap from my studio
As we tiptoe into 2024 please allow me to share a few things with my fab followers:
This was quite an exciting year in the studio. Being an artist means taking risks in the studio. My mantra is: I wonder what happens if I do this, or maybe that?
Taking risks and going out of my comfort zone sometimes feels challenging, but I want to grow my artistic tools, so therefore I’ve put the fear of failure aside to experiment and learn. I now know a lot more about what to do and what not to do. Yep! I’ve made a lot of crazy mistakes along the road, but hopefully my share of ugly paintings is coming to an end soon.
This year I chose not to show so much of my working process on Instagram and Facebook, but I’ve been blogging every month and sending out newsletters.
Before x-mas I had the pleasure of sharing some of my brand new artworkswith you and I’m very pleased that some of them sold!
x-mas art drop
Like last year I decided to skip local exhibitions, and at the moment I’m considering whether or not to do a pop-up exhibit next year.
One of my goals for this year was exploring creativity and seeking inspiration in the arts, so I visited many exhibitions, read loads of weird books, listened to new music and danced in my studio – while my cat was staring at me wondering what on earth was going on…
Filled with gratitude
Reflecting on the year gone by I am filled with gratitude for the support and enthusiasm so many of you have brought to my art practice.
Being an artist means a lot. As long as I have my studio and my art practice I always have something to look forward to. Thank you for showing interest in my art, for all your nice comments and for buying my artworks. I think I have the best people cheering for me!
I feel so lucky to be able to live a creative life, so lucky to have family and friends cheering for me, and so lucky to meet so many nice people from all over the world, some in real life, some over the internet.
I honestly don’t know who I’d be without my art practice…
Most of my planned painting holidays didn’t go as planned this year due to different unplanned circumstances, but what the heck;
Life is what happens while you’re busy making other plans…
Winter is a season of recovery and preparation, but also for planning. I don’t know about you, but I sure miss the light and can’t wait for the days to start getting longer.
My studio feels a bit crowded these days as I have many paintings in different stages just waiting for daylight and more painting time…
Finally I have the pleasure of sharing some of my brand new artworks with you. How about that! The online exhibition / studio shop is now open exclusively for those who follow my newsletter. This private early access is available for five days only.
My series are all original and individual artworks.
My artworks are handmade and one of a kind.
There are no prints for sale.
Affordable prices
What’s up: New collection
Proudly presenting brand new artworks for you to enjoy and purchase directly from my website. Check it out!
New series: Magic Moments in Nature
Magic Moments in Nature
Like most Norwegians I love nature. Hiking in the nearby hills with my grandmother is among my strongest childhood memories. Daily rituals of roaming the woods, watching animal wildlife and exploring the fjord grounded me with Mother Earth and made me realize the importance of respectfully taking care of Nature. They say childhood shapes your future.
Hiking and exploring together with nice people give new perspectives, positive energy and good memories, therefore I try to block out holes in my calendar to spend time in nature on a regular basis. Because spending time in Mother Nature can help relieve stress and anxiety; boost our immune system, creativity, and focus; and teach us to live more in the present.
Photoshoot in scarce winter light
Inspired from Mother Nature
The paintings have several layers as do Mother Nature. Some layers are hidden while others stand out more clearly. Each trip gives rise to different shapes and brush strokes. Color schemes are inspired from both people and places.
When in my studio I work from my heart and memory, not from photographs. Thus each painting captures unique emotional impressions and is a representation of what happened at a special moment in time and space. I aim to explore and filter reality through the prism of my individual perception by reinterpreting natural surroundings.
Sizzling with energy
Guided by intuition I try to transform or «translate» my experience into patterns, shapes and color arrangements. Some of them are more recognizable than others. My intention is to make the paintings sizzle with energy, just like I felt during that special moment in time.
Hopefully the paintings touch on the complexity of being a tiny person walking around in a big world and the wonderful feeling of belonging, of inner peace and calmness.
Hope they bring out some Magical Moments in your life too! See them here
Looks quite good when matted
Inspiration for you
Every month I search for inspiration. This month I hope to inspire you! I paint what I cannot express in words. I paint to grasp the world around me by listening inwards. I paint in search of authenticity, trying to find and develop my true voice and always remember my artistic vision. Sometimes that resonates with the viewer and sometimes not.
I believe every artwork will reveal its secrets to the right viewer and therefore you instinctively know when to buy a painting or not; because it speaks directly to you.
The original paintings are hand painted, one of a kind and signed on the backside. Please remember that the paintings are sold unframed and unmatted so that you are free to choose what suits your personal taste and match your beautiful home best.
In case you wonder; my prices will never ever be less expensive than today. The only way they will go is up, so grab the chance today!
It is nearly time for my art drop. This time I will release a series of new works on paper in various sizes at affordable prices. All subscribers of my newsletter will get access to my new artworks before everyone else.
But first, I have some decisions to make and some work to do.
Treasure hunting in my studio
The privilege of choosing
People and artists are different, there are various ways of carrying out one’s art practice. Some of you know that I always work on parallel projects, both short term and long term projects.
Lately I’ve been telling you about my multitude of half finished, or just started, works on paper and a pile of canvases in a seemingly never ending process. I cannot do it any other way. But that means I have to ponder a little when it comes to my upcoming art drop.
So, what to choose? Think I’ll have to get some help from my assistant Mr Cat.
Seeking advice from my art assistant Mr Cat
Finishing touches
After the privilege of choosing which paintings to include in this upcoming art drop, I need to get the paintings ready for their new homes. Some might need a finishing touch of colour, while others need to have their edges painted.
I prefer to sign my abstract paintings on the backside. But if a buyer prefers to see my signature on the front that is also an option – just remember to give me a hint before I ship your artwork.
Painting the edges
Photographing and presenting art
Way back I used to work as a freelance photographer, so I know a few things about photographing art. I have also worked professionally with web publishing and managing social media, so I prefer to do all the work myself, even if it’s a bit time consuming.
Sometimes I wonder if I should learn how to make frames…
Framing or not framing, that’s the question…
Artistic text work
I truly believe that every artwork will reveal its hidden message to the right viewer. I also believe that buying art is a soulful decision in the sense that you will instinctively know when to buy a painting – because it “speaks” to you.
They say pictures contain more than a thousand words, but I think that sometimes titles and an introductory text about the art might add some more insight to what messages the artist is trying to get across.
When exhibiting my work in galleries I normally give a brief artist talk, or introduction to my work and when launching a new series on my website I like to do the same.
When working on a series, I always reflect on my process, take notes and think about ideas that come up during studio time. Reflection time is crucial and some days I spend more time looking at my paintings than painting. I reflect on titles, I ponder about why I want to express a specific theme and how to make that “visible” in an abstract way.
The trick is to talk, or write, about my art series in ways that give the viewer a more fully understanding of my theme – or even better; how do I explain my thoughts and ideas in ways that makes the viewer curious?
I like writing and reading about art. Hope you get some nice ideas too!
Home is where the art is…
How to grab one
It is soon time to launch my upcoming art drop. All subscribers of my newsletter will get access to my new artworks before everyone else. Here is what you can do:
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