About

My journey as a painter began in 2012 – almost by chance, although perhaps not entirely.

After my father passed away unexpectedly in 2004, I inherited his easels, canvases, brushes and paints. He had attended evening classes in painting, and at first I simply put everything away in the attic, where it remained for several years.

Until then, I had never painted a single painting. My experience with paint was pretty much limited to colouring books as a child. Of course, I had tried drawing, like most people, but it certainly wasn’t something I felt I had any particular talent for.

In 2012, I found myself at a point in my working life where I was missing creative challenges. One day, I noticed my father’s painting materials in the attic and thought, why not give it a try? I brought everything downstairs, put a canvas on the easel and started painting.

In fact, I created two paintings that first time. They were very abstract – and rather confusing. I really had no idea what I was doing. I knew nothing about technique, composition, colour theory, materials or even how to build up a painting.

When I had finished, I put everything back in the attic.

But a couple of weeks later, I found myself thinking about it again. The paintings may have been confusing, but I had absolutely loved the process. I had enjoyed every minute of it. So I brought the painting materials downstairs again – and this time they stayed.

I have been painting ever since.

I had no formal art education, so I had to learn everything from scratch. During those first years, I spent almost every evening after work and countless weekends watching other artists paint, studying tutorials, reading about techniques, colour and materials, and most importantly, experimenting for myself. Little by little, I developed my own way of working.

It surprised me that something I had never done before could feel so natural. I suppose there must have been something in me that I simply hadn’t discovered yet. And perhaps it wasn’t entirely coincidental. My father painted, my maternal grandfather painted, and my great-uncle on my father’s side was an artist and painter. So perhaps a little of it is in the genes after all.

What I love most about painting is the process itself. I love not knowing exactly where a painting will end up. I may begin with one idea, but something happens on the canvas along the way that takes me in a completely different direction. That is still one of the most exciting parts of painting for me.

I work intuitively and preferably on large canvases, where there is room for broad, physical movements. I like my brushes large too – 12 centimetres or more – and I am happy to use unconventional tools if they create the expression I am looking for. Charcoal, chalk and graphite often become part of my paintings, and I have even used pheasant feathers as painting tools.

My colour palette is usually fairly limited. I am particularly drawn to dusty, muted and understated tones and earthy colours. Occasionally, I feel like working with a broader or more vibrant range of colours, but I usually find myself returning to a quieter palette.

My work moves between abstract and abstract-figurative painting. I work in layers, and shapes and figures often emerge during the process without having been planned beforehand. When I notice something interesting appearing on the canvas, I follow it and see where it takes me.

What began with two very abstract and rather confusing paintings in my living room has grown into an important part of my life. Over the years, I have exhibited both in Denmark and internationally, including several exhibitions in galleries in Helsinki and Oulu in Northern Finland.

But one of the things that means the most to me is seeing my paintings find their way into other people’s homes. Over the years, I have been fortunate to have many collectors and clients, including returning clients who connect with my work and choose to live with my paintings in their homes. That is a wonderful feeling.

The fact that something I began in 2012 with no experience whatsoever can bring me so much joy in the process of creating – and at the same time mean something to other people – is perhaps one of the best things about my entire journey as a painter.

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Video from my studio – unfortunately in Danish.