Picture of a large painted surface in the stairwell of my studio. A sage green wall about 4x8 feet, decorated with swirling Telemark-style painting in blues, greens, reds, yellows. A smaller blue panel partially visible below it. Oh, and looks like my thumb at the lower right corner of frame.

A view of just the large panel. It's at a raking angle, as it's hard to photograph in the stairwell. Large, rococo- and baroque-inspired "C" and "S"-shaped swirls and abstract flowers. Rosemaling is a Norwegian folk art that has been around for a long time (and is similar to many other folk painting traditions in Europe). It became popular in America among the diaspora during the 20th century. I started Rosemaling after the 2024 US election; the re-election of Trump made me feel intense stress, anger, and grief. Painting has helped me keep me sane.

A smaller painting project. At left, an antique platter by Per Lysne, a Stoughton, Wisconsin-based painter who helped popularize rosemaling as a craft in the US. At right, a seat from a child's chair, on which I am painting a design closely following Lysne's distinct style.

Timeline cleanse painting projects: I am close to finishing the big design in my studio stairwell (based on work by Sigmund Arseth), and a little piece inspired by Per Lysne (his 1930s platter on left in image).

#howItrytostaysane

#folkart #rosemaling #painting 🎨