For some reason, when I first started craft painting I started with Pennsylvania Dutch designs. Blame it on my Saxon heritage (my father was born near Dresden) but the simple yet elegant designs fascinated me then and still do today. I continue to use many of the stylistic forms but add some of my own as well.
After taking a class in Rosemaling, I was captivated. My first attempt on my own was a large windmill birdhouse. Using the class project and some images taken off the Internet I came up with a design and colors but quickly realized its one thing to paint a plaque and another a four sided birdhouse! Next I tried a plate and it was a lot easier.
Our Danish friends have wanted us to go to Norway with them for years. It seems our visits never had enough time. When they saw the birdhouse they seized on this as the perfect time for us to go. Fly to Oslo to meet them and drive all over to the villages famous for Rosemaling. I guess each one has a variation of the tradition that makes them unique. Is that a trip made in heaven or what? Plus I've heard the scenery literally takes your breath away. So, it looks like the end of July we will be spending a few weeks in first Norway and then at the tip of Denmark near Skagen.
As I am getting more and more involved with acrylic paints, I may also be able to take my paints along with me! There are small sets you can take and while maybe not the best, canvas boards are definitely lighter and take up less room than a canvas. Our friends have a cabin half buried in the dirt (yes it has a real living grass roof even) and when we get there we can walk through the heather and forest to get to the Baltic Sea. It is a painter's paradise and many of Denmark's most famous artists either lived or painted in this area. There is in fact one of their finest art museums within a stone's through of both the North and Baltic Seas. On our last trip there I took a photo of my wife and our friend Lis with a foot in each sea. You can even see a difference in the color of the sea.
Like Joseph Campbell said, "Follow your bliss." I may not sell very much but I am sure having fun following my bliss.
If anyone has been to that area and has suggestions, please let me know. We are at the planning stage now!
Alan
After taking a class in Rosemaling, I was captivated. My first attempt on my own was a large windmill birdhouse. Using the class project and some images taken off the Internet I came up with a design and colors but quickly realized its one thing to paint a plaque and another a four sided birdhouse! Next I tried a plate and it was a lot easier.
Our Danish friends have wanted us to go to Norway with them for years. It seems our visits never had enough time. When they saw the birdhouse they seized on this as the perfect time for us to go. Fly to Oslo to meet them and drive all over to the villages famous for Rosemaling. I guess each one has a variation of the tradition that makes them unique. Is that a trip made in heaven or what? Plus I've heard the scenery literally takes your breath away. So, it looks like the end of July we will be spending a few weeks in first Norway and then at the tip of Denmark near Skagen.As I am getting more and more involved with acrylic paints, I may also be able to take my paints along with me! There are small sets you can take and while maybe not the best, canvas boards are definitely lighter and take up less room than a canvas. Our friends have a cabin half buried in the dirt (yes it has a real living grass roof even) and when we get there we can walk through the heather and forest to get to the Baltic Sea. It is a painter's paradise and many of Denmark's most famous artists either lived or painted in this area. There is in fact one of their finest art museums within a stone's through of both the North and Baltic Seas. On our last trip there I took a photo of my wife and our friend Lis with a foot in each sea. You can even see a difference in the color of the sea.
Like Joseph Campbell said, "Follow your bliss." I may not sell very much but I am sure having fun following my bliss.
If anyone has been to that area and has suggestions, please let me know. We are at the planning stage now!
Alan
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