Artist Statement
“Playing with water, brush, pigment – and more water – never stops. That’s why watercolour has always been my preferred medium. Watercolour is a living technique and I constantly challenge the medium in my search for expression. I experiment and try out new techniques and colour compositions all the time when I paint; inspired by the free movement and play of the pigments in the water.
Nature and the landscape are recurring sources of inspiration. I am captivated by light, colour and moods, preferably in the Scandinavian and arctic climate, which best suits my temperament. Where the ceiling is high and the horizon is far away!
My motifs describe the movement and mood in the now, the impression of the moment and the changing light in the landscape. At the same time I endeavour to describe the soul of the motif, whether I am working with people or animals, still life or landscapes.
I usually have a figurative starting point in my paintings, but work through variations, perception and abstraction of the seen and sensed impression. When I am in the flow, the process becomes intuitive, a dialogue with the painting, where chance, the character of the pigments and my own mood have a big influence on the finished result.
The very large paper formats – “elephant size” 1m x 1.5m and larger – are a favourite challenge for me, and demand tremendous physical stamina. It can be a long drawn-out process, often my watercolours are left half-finished for several years, before I am able to determine how they can be “closed” and finished. The solution will only come to me when I am ready to receive it: when I understand what it really is I felt and sensed in the precise moment.
I seek contrasts in my watercolours; between light and dark, soft and hard, cold and warm, sharp and diffuse. As in life itself, light exists in the dark: adversity, sorrow and dark periods provide a necessary contrast to the carefree, joyous and light moments.
I exhibit frequently in galleries and art societies, and take part in the Odsherred Artdays at Whitsun every year. I also offer courses in modern watercolour techniques.”
Represented:
Æglageret, Holbæk Denmark
Galleri Dagfinn Bakke, Svolvær, Lofoten Norway
Odsherred Art Days during Withsun
Continuum Movement Art
Grants:
The Letterstedske Scholarship
The Foundation for Danish-Icelandic Co-operation