At the invitation of 'the Rock', artist residence, I travelled to Norway at the beginning of August to focus on drawing and creating for a month. I did not have a preconceived plan but wanted to be surprised and inspired by the nature and environment that I would find there. I like to work from intuition and spontaneity.

 

Eker Gård is originally a farm in the municipality of Skammestein. Today it is a cultural place for art and exhibitions a short distance from the place Beitostølen. This is a mountain village with winter and summer sports activities adjacent to 'National park Jotunheimen'. Beitostølen is also the area where I walked and drew.

 

My drawings are a representation and snapshot of my experience outside. Most of the drawings were made 'enpleinair' and were created during my walks, but I also worked in the beautiful garden of Eker Gård. The variety and diversity of nature and landscapes gave enough inspiration to get started. The rugged dense forests, the vast empty mountain plateau, the stony rocks and the water continued to challenge me daily. The 'mapping' of this landscape has resulted in a multitude of drawings and sketches.

What made my stay special was the experience of the enormous vastness, emptiness, silence and color planes in the landscape. In my own expressie tried to translate these impressions of my walks into a language of shapes, lines or color combinations. Sometimes the long lines but also the small details such as textures were interesting to study. I used collage technique and frottage.

 

I also had access to a large private studio in the barn at Eker Gård, where I could work daily but which I also used during my stay to show work to visitors of Eker Gård. This was a great addition to my stay, to bring interested guests into my drawing world! In addition, in collaboration with artist Anni Onsager, I made a drawing installation based on movement. This was also continuously on display in the barn during my residency together with the existing 'Ibsen' exhibition.

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For my drawing work I used different drawing materials. Because I was often working outside, I chose for handy paper sizes, something that is easy to carry in all weathers. I have worked with charcoal, watercolor, oilpastel, fineliner, tape, ink and pencil. My favorite papers are molskine paper, fabriano paper.

 

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I look back on a fantastic inspiring time in Norway. Despite the bad summer, I thoroughly enjoyed the colors, the tranquility and expansive vastness. I have been able to experience the untouched nature up close.

I am excited and at the same time very curious how this Norwegian experience will influence my drawing art. Special thanks to Anni Onsager of Eker Gård for giving me this great opportunity.  

 

For more information about 'the Rock' artist residence at

Eker Gård visit the website www.ekergaard.no

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