From seeing to feeling

I just spent a weekend in Setesdal (central south Norway) enjoying the beautiful mountains and fall colors. I felt so inspired to paint, and wished I was a plein air painter for a bit. I do love taking it all in with all my senses though, as well as taking photos. Look at the one I took a couple of years ago, at the top of this page. The colors are breathtaking.

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I have learned so much painting from the photos I take when I am stunned by the beauty of Norwegian nature. These days, I am finishing up a small series of 4 oil paintings from places I visit often. They are full of shapes and details of how I see my favorite parts of the forests around Oslo. I paint them in many thick layers, and with oils, that takes time, both in painting and waiting for layers to dry.

While I am finishing them, I have been exploring the theme for my upcoming show at OMK Galleri. I feel myself transitioning from the representational work to painting how a moment or place feels. The two ways of painting show different results from the same experience. I find that so interesting. 

Expressing feeling over seeing is a huge challenge. When you open up, so many different feelings might emerge.

I found myself exploring the Atlantis of Setesdal on Saturday. Standing on the dam that put my father in laws old farm under water in the 70s, I felt an overwhelming sense of sadness and sorrow. I know that this was a heart breaking event for the family at the time. And then there was the stories of the hardships that living on a remote farm like this brought on them. 

But it was also a portal into feeling the surroundings that were still intact more intensely. How to paint this? I don't know yet, but I will be exploring that for my upcoming show. It will be a show of abstracted nature. Full of color and emotions.

At the moment it is a combination of working slow and fast, combining muted and intense colors. Intuition plays a big part, so I have to be in tune with the feeling of a scene at the moment of touching brush to canvas. I am excited to see where this takes me in the coming months. You can follow my journey on my instagram page, and weekly newsletter.

Save the date: Show opening, January 31st at 12 noon. OMK Galleri, Briskebyveien 50, Oslo

Hope to see you there!