![Synneva [SOLD]](https://mlnccwp3sywb.i.optimole.com/w:1080/h:1080/q:mauto/ig:avif/https://kristinkjorlaug.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/1C3C9C7A-D490-46C4-BB43-09FCF6F8FD72-scaled.jpeg)
By Kristin Kjorlaug
Watercolor and Ink – 4×4 inches
Synneva Pedersdotter was part of the farm community around Kjorlaug, Norway and one of the women in my family line that made a way for my existence. She was my great great great great grandmother. Speaking her name with my art means she was not forgotten. I honor her existence and enjoyed imagining her story, gifting, and breath in Norway. —Kristin
For rehoming at gallery840 or purchase online at the gallery website.
![Kristoffer Thomason Kjorlaug [SOLD]](https://mlnccwp3sywb.i.optimole.com/w:801/h:1080/q:mauto/ig:avif/https://kristinkjorlaug.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/4662699E-64A3-47D1-BDAC-AB490327F74F-scaled.jpeg)
reads about the palm trees
What I see in this painting
Palm trees were foreign to Norwegians in the Northern Tundra. Families learned of exotic places by reading together in their homes and with family. It was one way to pass the long nights in Norway. The first thing my grandmother would do when we came over was pick a book out to read a little of each day while we snuggled on the couch together. Whe she read, the stories took me places I had never been and remind me of being with her to this day.
My Norwegian ancestors lived on a farm in Norway in a small region called Kjorlaug. The 4 Rosemaling seed paintings are from bits and pieces of stories my Norwegian grandmother told.
Norwegian Rosemaling is an ancient Norwegian folk art taught to me by my grandmother.
What is underneath this painting
“The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, proclaiming, “The Lord is upright; he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.””
Psalms 92:12-15 NIV
The words in this Psalm were often read on a Sabbath. This rest means listening. Listen then when God describes you. He knows what you are like when you are with Him. You look like a tree when you follow Him—a straight palm reaching far upward, bearing fruit, flourishing beside Him. The date palm produces a fruit that would have been thoroughly enjoyed in Israel, and by Jesus when he walked there beside us.
This art series began on a rabbit trail I was trekking down to find trees in the Bible (there are so many!!!) I love trees, but four arrested my attention and became the subjects for this Rosemaling seed series. Trees are a picture God often uses to describe humans and these four—the date palm, the almond tree, the oak, and the mustard— are how God pictorally described the righteous (those who follow Him). Now when I look at these trees, I feel seen and described by my God. The trees were brought back to seed form in the creation of these pieces because spring was coming when I made them, and I was so looking forward to it. —Kristin
This painting was sold at gallery840 in Allentown PA and lives in a little cabin north of here.
Limited Edition Prints of all the seeds are available:
High quality archival prints of Kristin Kjorlaug’s original Rosemaling seed series in watercolor and ink. 8×10 inch print. Ships within 2 weeks.
Prints are available for purchase through the gallery840 website.
![Emma Torsen [SOLD]](https://mlnccwp3sywb.i.optimole.com/w:817/h:1080/q:mauto/ig:avif/https://kristinkjorlaug.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/31479906-BE06-4C79-B368-59172820D884-scaled.jpeg)
sprinkles almonds on the Kransekake
What I see in this painting
When my sister married, my Norwegian grandmother (the firey red headed one) went to the painstaking work of baking and decorating the rings of a Kransekake to put on the wedding cake table. It was a unique piece of edible art that I had never seen until then. But grandma told me that this was what the wedding cakes were like in Norway. I want to step back in time and see a Kjorlaug wedding in Norway.
My Norwegian ancestors lived on a farm in Norway in a small region called Kjorlaug. The 4 Rosemaling seed paintings are from bits and pieces of stories my Norwegian grandmother told. Emma was my great great grandmother.
Norwegian Rosemaling is an ancient Norwegian folk art taught to me by my grandmother.
What is underneath this painting
“The word of the Lord came to me: “What do you see, Jeremiah?” “I see the branch of an almond tree,” I replied. The Lord said to me, “You have seen correctly, for I am watching to see that my word is fulfilled.”
Jeremiah 1:11-12 NIV
The word “almond” in Hebrew sounds almost the same as the word “watching” in Hebrew and God purposely played with the similar sounds for a picture that would remind us that He sees. The same message that Jeremiah heard God say was also etched into the metalwork of the temple, where almonds and almond blossoms are “watching” the movement and worship of the people there who followed God.
This art series began on a rabbit trail I was trekking down to find trees in the Bible (there are so many!!!) I love trees, but four arrested my attention and became the subjects for this Rosemaling seed series. Trees are a picture God often uses to describe humans and these four—the date palm, the almond tree, the oak, and the mustard— are how God pictorally described the righteous (those who follow Him). Now when I look at these trees, I feel seen and described by my God. The trees were brought back to seed form in the creation of these pieces because spring was coming when I made them, and I was so looking forward to it. —Kristin
This painting was sold at gallery840 in Allentown PA and lives in a little cabin north of here.
Limited Edition Prints of all the seeds are available:
High quality archival prints of Kristin Kjorlaug’s original Rosemaling seed series in watercolor and ink. 8×10 inch print. Ships within 2 weeks.
Prints are available for purchase through the gallery840 website.
plants an acorn on the Kjorlaug farm
What I see in this painting
Kristoffer Nitter Kristofferson was my great great grandfather and the first Kjorlaug to come to America from Norway. I would have loved to see how he played as a boy on the Kjorlaug farm where he grew up. If he had planted an oak as a boy, it would be a 160 years old today and massive. If I ever get to visit the farm in Norway I will look for an oak that old and wonder
My Norwegian ancestors lived on a farm in Norway in a small region called Kjorlaug. The 4 Rosemaling seed paintings are from bits and pieces of stories my Norwegian grandmother told. Kristoffer was my great great grandfather.
Norwegian Rosemaling is an ancient Norwegian folk art taught to me by my grandmother.
What is underneath this painting
“and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.”
Isaiah 61:3 NIV
God is planting oaks and singing. He sings in Isaiah’s ears of what is yet to come. Someday, those that follow Him will thrive like a grown oak—a picture more like a poem from God, a poem about me. I have seen some mighty oaks here under this sun, but never fully like God’s righteous oaks…what a forest that will be!
This art series began on a rabbit trail I was trekking down to find trees in the Bible (there are so many!!!) I love trees, but four arrested my attention and became the subjects for this Rosemaling seed series. Trees are a picture God often uses to describe humans and these four—the date palm, the almond tree, the oak, and the mustard— are how God pictorally described the righteous (those who follow Him). Now when I look at these trees, I feel seen and described by my God. The trees were brought back to seed form in the creation of these pieces because spring was coming when I made them, and I was so looking forward to it. —Kristin
This painting is for sale at gallery840 in Allentown PA.
You can purchase the painting via the gallery website.
Limited Edition Prints Also Available:
High quality archival prints of Kristin Kjorlaug’s original Rosemaling seed series in watercolor and ink. 8×10 inch print. Ships within 2 weeks.
Prints are available for purchase through the gallery840 website.
Thomas Hendrich Kjorlaug
listens to the story of the mustard seed.
What I see in this painting
Yes, Thomas would have heard from the big Book like a good Norwegian Lutheran. His grandfather had even helped build the little church building near the farm. It was his sister though, that told Dorothy all it’s stories, and she told them to my father, who in turn told me.
My Norwegian ancestors lived on a farm in Norway in a small region called Kjorlaug. The 4 Rosemaling seed paintings are from bits and pieces of stories my Norwegian grandmother told. Thomas was my great grandfather.
Norwegian Rosemaling is an ancient Norwegian folk art taught to me by my grandmother.
What is underneath this painting
“He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.””
Matthew 13:31, 32 NIV
What will it look like to be a follower of Jesus? A tiny seed, Jesus says, that’s what it will look like. As it grows it will weave it’s heart shaped leaves in and through and around all the empty places until it can’t be gotten rid of. You may cut down one part while another part is vivaciously climbing in a place you can’t reach—a huge nuisance weed to some but a haven to others.
This art series began on a rabbit trail I was trekking down to find trees in the Bible (there are so many!!!) I love trees, but four arrested my attention and became the subjects for this Rosemaling seed series. Trees are a picture God often uses to describe humans and these four—the date palm, the almond tree, the oak, and the mustard— are how God pictorally described the righteous (those who follow Him). Now when I look at these trees, I feel seen and described by my God. The trees were brought back to seed form in the creation of these pieces because spring was coming when I made them, and I was so looking forward to it. —Kristin
This painting is for sale at gallery840 in Allentown PA.
You can purchase the painting via the gallery website.
Limited Edition Prints Also Available:
High quality archival prints of Kristin Kjorlaug’s original Rosemaling seed series in watercolor and ink. 8×10 inch print. Ships within 2 weeks.
Prints are available for purchase through the gallery840 website.
![Kimball [SOLD]](https://mlnccwp3sywb.i.optimole.com/w:1076/h:1080/q:mauto/ig:avif/https://kristinkjorlaug.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/09CB0F56-E123-45BF-BE22-B7E576121E83.jpeg)
Dorothy married Kimball—artist and engineer entwined to create a new thing that never could have existed before.
My grandpa fixed everything on a dime and squeezed quarters out of our ears while doing it (yes, he literally pulled quarters out of my ears every time I saw him as a kid). Whatever object, he could find the problem and remedy it, ten times better.
So when my grandmother said she wanted to etch her artwork into brass ornaments, Grandpa made the chemical etching baths, brass coaters, and buffers to create thousands of ornament and a decade of artistic business for my grandmother.
Her handiwork was delicate scrolls and wings, his was machinery.
I named this piece of artwork “Kimball” to honor my grandfather and all the people like him behind the scenes. This art piece is a cohesion of artist and engineer, interweaving precision and flow. Dorothy took on Kimball’s name in marriage, the “C” hidden in the artwork is for Cummings. The union of two vastly different people enabled an artistic dream to become a reality.
To those who support creatives and run the “machines” behind the beauty, I submit this piece of art to you. I see you. And it makes my heart sing to know that it’s hanging on the wall with someone who walked those awkward growing up years with me and supports me to this very day still.
KK
![Dorothy [SOLD]](https://mlnccwp3sywb.i.optimole.com/w:1092/h:1080/q:mauto/ig:avif/https://kristinkjorlaug.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/515EB1A7-40E0-4ED6-A678-6A0DBB340402.jpeg)
“Name your paintings”
they said, but naming something is one of the hardest tasks I’ve ever taken on as a human. It is also a great honor—one I will hold respectfully every time a new thing comes to life and needs naming.
It is with great nostalgia that I begin by introducing you to a painting named “Dorothy.” Painting for me began with Dorothy, my grandmother. She was the first real artist I knew and the first to sit and paint with me for hours upon hours. She was the first to make me practice a paint stroke a hundred times and the first to introduce me to exotic names like burnt umber and raw sienna.
This painting began with a bright red petaled flower reminiscent of my grandmother’s gorgeous red hair and firey spirit. She was power and grace. I surrounded the flower with the Norwegian Rosemaling paint strokes that she taught me. Rosemaling is an ancient folk art that Dorothy’s family brought over from Norway a generation before her. She studied the art regularly and adored her Norwegian heritage, so much so that she took on the family farm name—Kjorlaug— as her artist name.
I used watercolor as my medium instead of the oil paint she taught me with, because I’m exploring and trying to find my art loves. Watercolor is fast becoming a favorite.
It is a joy to know that this painting found a home January 2022.
And so it begins…
KK
