About me
My name is Elisabeth Svendby, and I am a professional artist based in Oslo, Norway.
I paint scenes from my life and surroundings, from the forests of Norway to old family photos. I love using saturated colors to bring my paintings to life.
To start a painting, I might use a photo I've taken, a sketch from life, or my imagination. I enjoy altering elements to fit each piece, using my artistic license to highlight messages or feelings. I also play with color to evoke the right mood or represent what I see when I close my eyes.
My paint palette has very few colors, and I seldom use green from a tube, even though it is my most used color. Mixing my greens each time ensures a vibrancy and variation that wouldn't be possible otherwise. It keeps it interesting for both me and the painting.
Choosing colors is purely intuitive for me. I might have a main color in mind when starting a painting, but then let the process decide where to take it as I get into it. I never work from any strict plan. Painting has to be an exploration for me, a mix of inventiveness and discovery.
I mostly stretch and prepare my own canvases. I select my favorite cotton or linen, perfect for each occasion, and prepare the surface according to how I want to paint. I usually paint on the thickest and roughest cotton canvas I can find, as it is very soft and stretchy, yet extremely strong. Well-suited for both small and very large works.
My painting technique has evolved over the years but has generally remained thick and bold. I need a perfect flow to my paints and a very specific set of synthetic brushes to make the strokes I enjoy the most. At the moment, I use Lascaux paints and Alf Bjercke 988 brushes. I paint in opaque colors, with clear lines and strong transitions. This is currently being exaggerated, and the simplification is becoming more and more important.
I enjoy finding simple ways to show complex scenes. My work might remind you of animation films or children’s drawings in a way. This is the challenge I enjoy the most: taking a difficult scene and distilling it down to the most important shapes and colors.
I have been drawing and creating all my life. In 2017, I left my design job to focus on painting full-time. I had been working as a chief designer in various media houses, starting in Dagbladet and ending in Amedia. However, the desire to create tactile objects and have a more hands on and off screen life, became so strong, that there was no way back in the end. Now i make and sell my paintings out of my studio in Oslo, Norway.
If you'd like to visit, please email me at support@elisabethsvendby.com to arrange a time.
UPCOMING EVENTS
December 6-8th POP-UP show at Dugg Popup, Oslo (Bjerregaardsgate 49)
EXHIBITIONS
I prefer selling my work through my studio or website, but here are a few events where my work has been shown:
Oslo Open 2024 - Open studio, Økern Torgvei 1
Galleri S9, Oslo - Solo exhibition, 28 aug - 10 sep, 2021
Oslo Maleklubb - Fall exhibition, Oktober 2019
Kroloftets Jubileum exhibition, Juni 2019
Oslo Open 2019 - Open studio, Kroloftet
Oslo Open 2018 - Open studio, Kroloftet