Kristin Kjorlaug

Category: Original work

  • Why paint old folk art?

    The greats of the greats of the greats have repeated the refrain in our ears — art doesn’t happen in a vacuum. It stands on the art of those that went before us.

    I’m fascinated by The Reading-Berks Guild and resonating with the people I’ve met so far. The common thread—artists at work preserving the old ways of doing their craft and educating others so the methods can be passed on. I recommend this group and the shows they host as an invitation to learn from art and craft history. We would be wise not to forget.

    This doesn’t mean that we, as artists, don’t lean into modern iterations of our craft, but I guarantee that time was spent in its history first. I copied much Norwegian Rosemaling over the decades before ever attempting my own version and designs.

    If you come to this Holiday show, stop in and say hi. There’s a history to why I paint an old Norwegian folk art. I’d love to tell you about it.

  • My city’s Art

    This is my city! And West Park is our favorite park here. For 14 years we’ve raised our kids here, given our lives to the city’s social work, justice causes, and spiritual awareness. So it is appropriate and thrilling to have a place in this city’s art scene as well. I may be the only Scandinavian represented at the event, but this is my city! I would love it if you came to see why I keep painting this rhythmic Norwegian folk art in my urban context.

    I hear there will be music and food all day, and 100+ artists set up! Yes, it’s street parking… you’ll be ok.

  • “Kirsten Lauritzdatter”

    4×4 inch. Watercolor on paper, wax sealed

    Kirsten Lauritzdatter was part of the farm community around Kjørlaug, Norway, and one of the women in my family tree. Speaking her name here honors her story and recognizes her place in mine. The Kjørlaug family was revered in my grandmother’s stories. Every name was sought after, considered, and carefully added to a growing line of people reaching back to the 1600’s. Attaching these names to a piece of my Rosemaling is my way of saying, “I see you, Kirsten.”

    Kirsten Lauritzdatter is showing at the Vesterheim Museum in Decorah, Iowa until Jan 11th as a part of their Past/Present/Future of Folk Art juried exhibit along with “Norwegian Cupboard 2.” I chose to submit to this show, first of all because my grandmother was trained at their folk art school in Rosemaling, and second of all because many of my pieces are done in watercolor which is not the traditional medium for Rosemaling. The paint strokes flow so beautifully in watercolor that I think every rosemaler should try it! I’ll start a new trend. This exhibit allowed for unconventional methods while holding to the tradition of Norwegian Folk Art. It is an honor to be included. Thank you to the judges! If you are near the Vesterheim Museum anytime this year, stop in to see the curated results of the exhibit.

    “Kirsten Lauritzdatter” and “Norwegian Cupboard 2” will be for sale through the Vesterheim Museum until January 11th.

    If the title does not say [SOLD] then this piece is still available. I am willing to do prints of [SOLD] artwork only. Contact me if interested in Kirsten Lauritzdatter.

  • Kjørlaug Farm 1 [SOLD]

    Watercolor & Ink

    5×5 inches

    My “Kjorlaug Farm” pictures are odes to the old way of working the land. Since at least as far back at 1780 The Kjorlaug Farm was home to generations of cultivators in my family tree, bringing life up from the dirt. I’m imagining the land in Rosemaling style.

    If the title does not say [SOLD] then this piece is still available. I am willing to do prints of [SOLD] artwork only. Contact me if interested in Kjørlaug Farm 1

  • City Lines 3 [SOLD]

    Watercolor & Ink

    4×6 inches

    My “City Lines” pictures are musings on the way people view the world through wires. I have found an opposing sense of division and connection in my observations. But the beauty is there for those who see, especially in cities. 

    If the title does not say [SOLD] then this piece is still available. I am willing to do prints of [SOLD] artwork only. Contact me if interested in City Lines 3.

  • Tre [SOLD]

    4×4 inches. Watercolor & Ink

    ”Three” in Norwegian

    I adore triangles. Need I say more?

    If the title does not say [SOLD] then this piece is still available. I am willing to do prints of [SOLD] artwork only. Contact me if interested in Myk Vind 1.

  • Myk Vind 2

    4×6 inches Watercolor & Ink

    Means “Soft Wind” in Norwegian.

    Rosemaling is the folk art that moves like the wind, unbound, flowing as it wills. Every Rosemaling piece I paint is shifting as I create, then landing in a different place than I expect.

    If the title does not say [SOLD] then this piece is still available. I am willing to do prints of [SOLD] artwork only. Contact me if interested in Myk Vind 2.

  • Norwegian Cupboard #2 [SOLD]

    The desire to rosemal all my walls, doors, and ceilings prompted me to create a series of designs I can envision on cupboard doors in an old farm house in Norway. Rosemaling represents to me creativity in poverty—to meander down an old barn wall with paint strokes is an act of resistance against the darkness of that room. For this reason, Norwegian Rosemaling keeps coming out of me every time I sit with my brush. It is a gift, a sword my Norwegian grandmother gave me to fight the long nights with. 

    Watercolor and Ink. 8×12 inches.

    Norwegian Cupboard 2
    8×12 inches
    Watercolor & Ink

    If the title does not say [SOLD] then this piece is still available. I am willing to do prints of [SOLD] artwork only. Contact me if interested in Norwegian Cupboard 2.

  • Norwegian Cupboard #1 [SOLD]

    In the old Norwegian homes they painted on every door frame and cupboard, making the mundane flourish for all who lived there.

    Watercolor and Ink. 8×12 inches.

    Norwegian Cupboard #1

    If the title does not say [SOLD] then this piece is still available. I am willing to do prints of [SOLD] artwork only. Contact me if interested in Norwegian Cupboard 1.

  • Quilted Rosemaling [SOLD]

    The intertwining of two grandmothers — one Swedish seamstress & one Norwegian painter, the stitches and strokes of their lives quilted into mine.

    Displayed and sold at the Square Halo Gallery, Lancaster, PA, for the Inklings Conference “Ordinary Saints.”

    Quilted Rosemaling 7×7 inches. Watercolor & Ink

    If the title does not say [SOLD] then this piece is still available. I am willing to do prints of [SOLD] artwork only. Contact me if interested in Quilted Rosemaling.