Sometimes I wonder; Do I paint my own retina to fall asleep - and wake up - to...?

"When the soul wishes to experience something she throws an image of the experience out before her and enters into her own image."
(M. Eckhart)


Friday, December 20, 2013

Monday, December 2, 2013

New paintings in December

 
'In an Ocean of Stars'
(Title inspired by Nicky Bendix' musical composition by the same name)
 
 
 
'Letting Blue Bird Fly'
 
' Transition With Ease'
 
 

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Saturday, November 2, 2013

I Caught a Blue Bird Singing - in Paint :)

I Caught a Blue Bird Singing - in Paint :)

 
 
 
Photography Prints
 
All Rights Reserved.

A HAPPY SPIRIT RUNNING AROUND IN OUR GARDEN THIS SUMMER! :)

A HAPPY SPIRIT RUNNING AROUND IN OUR GARDEN THIS SUMMER! :)
 
 
'Catch me if you can!'
 
 
 
 
 
Sell Art Online

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

'AWESOME!' - also on Saatchi!

'My BIG sister make cartwheels!'


Original paintings and high quality prints for sale.

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Forest Temple - a Painting becomes an installation:

Monday, August 19, 2013

WELCOME TO MY NEW GALLERY

Welcome to my new Sales Gallery
 
 
Original paintings, fine art prints -
and even iPhone cases :)
 
 
 
 

Art Sanctuary's Enchanted Garden - 2013 - closes its' gates.


 
The book 'Art Sanctuary - The Enchanted Garden - SEASONS' welcomes you to stroll through the garden, through the seasons, of 2011 - 2013.
(For a limited time, the book is set for full preview -  enjoy :) )
 
 
AND WELCOME BACK to
'THE ENCHANTED GARDEN'
NEXT YEAR!
 

Friday, July 12, 2013

In the press - July 2013

Art Sanctuary's 'Enchanted Garden' is open and welcoming our visitors:)
Please have a look at what the press is saying about Art Sanctuary's 'Enchanted Garden' exhibition this year!

Sunday, May 26, 2013

Forest Temple; A painting becoming an installation, at 'Art Sanctuary's Enchanted Garden - 2013'

My primary work this year is what I call “(the interior of a) ‘Forest Temple’ “  -  the evolution of one painting in progress through more than 25 years of my life; 1988/89 – 2013; a journey that took me from Norway to US, and back again, through many experiences…..and finally my arrival  here at Art Sanctuary (Belgium); where beautiful dreams were realized.
And then experiencing my mother’s sudden passing (3/8-2012).
My mourning brought me again to the forest…. a young and vibrant forest growing right here in this very garden... Where I could let my thoughts run, like the threads which always accompanied my mother; in her making and mending of fish nets, in her constant knitting, and in her ever present companion, the fish line... threads, threads, and threads again....
 
 - And again this particular painting appeared to guide my way:
To make an interior 'Forest Temple', with tapestries:



And so this painting - of a 'Flight - Five Crows Flying' (orig. title in 1988) becoming  'Forest Temple' -  now evolved into an interior space, an installation: - with tapestries (threads), an earth floor, and a source (of inspiration from a forest).
Inside 'Forest temple' (photo: Ann Schmitz)


This little book is my attempt to tell a bit of the story of this painting 'Forest Temple':
 (Click on image to preview book)

 'Forest Temple' - the installation -  has a very special and beautiful  sound installation created by Nicky Bendix


Ja, det er den drømmen
Noe vidunderlig har skjedd
det måtte skje
da tiden åpnet seg
og berget åpnet seg
da kilden sprang
og åpnet hjertet
for at vi en morgenstund
skulle gli inn i verden
på en bølge av drømmer vi ikke visste om.
(Nina Irene Olsen – in response to Olav H. Hauge)
Yes, it is that Dream
Something wonderful has happened
It had to happen
When time opened
and the mountain opened
when the spring gushed forth
and opened the heart
so that we one morning
should glide into the world
on a wave of dreams we didn’t know.
(Nina Irene Olsen – in response to Olav H. Hauge’s poem ‘Det er den draumen’
Transl. Tone Aa. )

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Hvor er du?


'Hvor er du?'
 

Den gamle kvinnen forlater bildet
glir inn i bakgrunnen
men blir ikke borte
hun trer bare inn i skyggene
hvor minnet om henne blir værende
som et etterbilde
på netthinnen
 
Den unge kvinnen lener seg ut av bildet
vil ut i livet som hun ennå
ikke kan se klart
og ennå ser hun ikke 
den hvite båten
som rolig venter
mellom dem.
 
(Nina Irene Olsen - min gode hjertevenninne)

 
'Tre generasjoner'

Saturday, April 6, 2013

Norpus - My Little Angel

 
A little wild kitten walked into my house in Hardanger, Norway, in 2008 -
There is a long story behind, and so....
I shut the door and decided to try to find him a home.
There was none to be found - so I ended up keeping him.
I called him Norpus.
('Nor' is 'little' and 'Nord' is north)
He came with me on a long journey, from the fjord of Hardanger, Norway, to Wallonia in Belgium,
where he became my constant companion and special friend,
and the Prince and Guardian of a most beautiful garden.
 
At only 2 he became critically ill - the vets all said there was no cure....
leukemia..?
But he survived....and lived on....for another 2 years....
 climbing the trees, running and playing -  always inspecting and guarding the garden
- and inspiring me....
 
2 days ago he passed on -
 
This little cat had one of the biggest hearts and spirits I have ever experienced -
and he inspired several paintings - some of them:
 
'This is not the last piece of the Puzzle'
 

'A Room With a View'

'12 Crows'
I cannot explain how he inspired this - but he did.
And this painting made me remember the crow 'RaSpirit' who came to me, and made me a 'Crow Mama' during the spring, summer and autumn of 2006 -
 
'Blue Bird Visiting'
This painting and the one below arrived at the same time - at the beginning of this winter.
I didn't know what to make of either one of them....
Now I know:
A 'Messenger' and the 'Message':
 

'Blue Moon Dancing'
 
 
The evening of April 4th - my dear husband and I danced.....into the night.....
slowly.....and tenderly --- there was so much love -
and Norpus watched....
my heart was aching for him - so weak -
it was such a peaceful evening....
 
- Then it was time to go to bed....my husband went upstairs - and I was preparing to carry Norpus upstairs, to sleep on his bed next to ours.
Norpus looked at me - and I knew.....
 
This wonderful being put his head in my hand.......
And he sighed three times......clutching my hand.
 
I am so thankful, but I cannot keep from crying.....
 
LIFE..... 

Monday, March 18, 2013

The End of the Line


During Autumn and Winter...

Every morning I arrived in the barn, 
to feed the animals;
A donkey and three goats.
 - And the cat was also always there -

I cleaned up – and then I would remain for a while
– listening to the peaceful sounds of their chewing.
Then I would walk through the garden,
and every morning I would pass through the little forest –
and stay a while…
 -  Always thinking of my mother;

Trying to grasp that she was no longer at the end of the telephone line –
Never more would I hear her voice
Never more see her face,
And  her eyes glowing with life

And her hands would never more reach out for mine.

Days becoming weeks…. becoming months….


One day I suddenly had the idea that I wanted to make a loom
-             In the forest
-             And I started cutting threads…

For every thread that I unwound,
I thought about my mother
-             No longer walking
       on this planet earth.

No longer there
At the end of the line

And so I cut the thread
And then I started again
Another line of thought
About my mother
-             No longer here
No longer there
At the end of the line

And so I thought  agian - 
and cut it
And I tied it up
Along with all the other threads
all the other thoughts - 
On a branch between two trees
And to each thread
-             Each line of thought –
I fastened a stone
Down there
On the ground

I thought of my mother laughing
And I thought of her crying, too
I tied every thought to the branch
And another stone
-             As I thought how she loved this life
And I thought of how small she’d appeared
As she lay there that day
In a coffin
-             Where is she now?


Then one day
The loom appeared
All the threads
And the thoughts
were there

And every day I returned
To my atelier
and I would make one more face
-             And another –
As I’d seen her
In that coffin that day
And every time
I closed her eyes
As I held my attempt to remember her face in my hands…


'Nothing'
(Oil on canvas, 60 x 50 cm)
 

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Tankevev


 
 
Stråene husker ennå

det som skjedde ifjor

helt til nye spirer gror.

 

Da flyr minnet

bort i vinden

og det er bare jeg

som står igjen

og ligner på et strå.

 

 
 

SPINNE, SPINNE

 
Tankene spinner -
men hva skal jeg gjøre

med alle disse trådene?

 

Jeg vil ikke strikke

og jeg vil ikke sy

jeg vil ikke hekle heller

 

Jeg vil bare spinne og spinne

rundt og rundt

Trekke ut en tråd

og klippe den av

og  lage en knute

og så trekke ut en ny

 

Hver tråd er en tanke

Jeg klipper den av

Og så tenker jeg den på ny

Og på ny

 

Jeg snur meg i ring

og henger dem opp

på en grein

i en skog

Og et tankespinn

blir til en vev

 

Mellom trådene

trer et bilde frem

som langsomt

forandrer seg

dag etter dag

 

Blader som levde

ligger på bakken

og svinner hen

og bare tråder

blir igjen

 

Så kommer vinden

og blåser på dem

og så er trådene borte

Men tankeveven henger

ennå en stund

 

Der bladene

en gang falt

kommer nye grønne

farger frem

i bildet mellom trådene

 

Akkurat lenge nok

henger trådene der

 
 
 

Tråder


 
 
Tråder spiller

lydløst

i vinden

 

og mitt blikk

danser