Oliver
Jeg la ut denne tegningen på nettet en gang. Ganske raskt etterpå mottok jeg denne teksten fra den fine filmforfatteren Pelone Wahl:
«OLIVERS TANKEREISER»
Joda, visst var det lite praktisk, men dyden av nødvendighet fikk komme i første rekke. Hjemme bød det selvsagt aldri på problemer, verre var det på dager som dette, når en god løsning kjapt måtte på bordet. Redselen for å bli oppdaget hadde han forlengst fått bukt med, nå gjenstod bare en ting, styrken til ikke å la seg forstyrre av folks vantro gisp. Han var ikke dum, forstod godt folks reaksjon på å finne en naken mann hvor de minst ventet det. Men om han forstod, hvorfor kunne ikke da andre forstå ham? Alle mennesker tenker ulikt, og han tenkte tilfeldigvis best naken. So what?
Da jeg leste denne teksten for Oliver, modellen, repliserte han:
”Jeg tenkte bare på øl, jeg.”
_______________________
I posted this drawing online once. Right afterwards I received this text from the good screen-writer Pelone Wahl:
"OLIVER'S THOUGHT TRAVELS"
Well, of course it was not very practical, but necessity was allowed to come first. At home, of course, there were never any problems, it was worse on days like this, when a good solution had to be figured out quickly. He had long since overcome the fear of being discovered, now only one thing remained, the strength not to be disturbed by people's gasps of disbelief. He was not stupid, understood well people's reaction to finding a naked man where they least expected it. But if he understood, why couldn't others understand him? All people think differently, and he happened to think best naked. So what?
When I presented this text for Oliver, the model, he replied:
”Me, I was just thinking of beer.”
The ¡MAURICE! exhibition………………… Utstillingen ¡MAURICE!………..
…………….has so far been a success. We had more than 300 people at the opening, there was in fact a queue on the street outside. Several works have been sold.
………………….har så langt vært en suksess. Vi haddeover 300 personer på åpningen, det var faktisk kø på gata utenfor. Flere verk er solgt.
I haven’t done a lot of sculpture, even though it’s mighty fun. This is one of the few I’ve made, model was Maurice.
Jeg har ikke laget mye skulptur, selv om det er kjempegøy. Dette er en av de få jeg har laget, modellen var Maurice.
Puddles in a meadow - Oversvømt jorde
I have recently finished this pastel painting from last winter, done in the farmlands of Prévessin-Moëns. This is an area where I’ve painted a lot. I am very fond of this cultured landscape, with beautiful trees, mostly oak, lining the fields, and here and there small forests. As it is a recreational area, I probably know all the dogs that live in the district. These puddles and the reflections in them caught my attention, I found it strangely beautiful. People who are familiar with the area will recognise the glimpses you catch of the alps through the tree-line.
you can see mor paintings from the area for instance at https://www.borring.no/gallery-geneve-environs-de
Jeg har nylig avsluttet denne pastellen fra forrige vinter, utført i jordbruksområdet i Prévessin-Moëns. Dette er et område hvor jeg har malt mye. Jeg er veldig glad i dette kulturlandskapet, med flotte trær, mest eik, mellom jordene, og her og der små skoger. Ettersom det er et rekreasjonsområde tror jeg at jeg kjenner alle hundene som bor i distriktet. Vannpyttene og speilingene i dem fanget oppmerksomhet, det var vakkert på en underlig måte. Folk som er kjent med området vil kjenne igjen glimtene du får av alpene mellom trærne.
Du kan se flere malerier fra området f.eks her: https://www.borring.no/gallery-geneve-environs-de
Vinter på Berger - Winter at Berger
Two more old paintings, painted in wintertime at the farm Berger in Nesodden. I didn’t drive a car until rather late in life, so the locations had to be within bicycling range. Thus, this farm is one of the many places in Nesodden where I’ve painted numerous paintings. One time I painted the old outhouse from another angle. The old, long ago retired farmer and his even older Norwegian elk hound came by. There was a plank missing on the building, and of course also on the painting. I got a serious speech, he told me that even if he hadn’t managed to finish, I should, out of sheer politeness, have done it.
Ytterligere to gamle malerier, malt vinterstid på gården Berger på Nesodden. Jeg kjørte ikke bil før ganske sent i livet, så motivene måtte finnes innenfor sykkelrekkevidde. Dermed er denne gården et av de mange stedene på Nesodden hvor jeg har malt en rekke malerier. En gang malte jeg det gamle uthuset fra en annen vinkel. Den gamle, forlengst pensjonerte bonden og hans enda eldre norske elghund kom innom. Det manglet en vindski på bygget, og selvfølgelig også på maleriet. Jeg fikk en alvorlig belæring, han fortalte meg at selv om han ikke hadde klart å fullføre, burde jeg vært høflig nok til å gjøre det.
Gunnar……….
………just sent me the photo of this unfinished painting. He modelled for it in his own living room sometime in the seventies, and the painting, abandoned and forgotten by me, has stayed there ever since. I don’t know why it was abandoned, but I guess the reason lies in the unstability of the life I lived at the time. Still recognise him, though - a bit sad that I quit it.
………sendte meg nettopp foto av dette uferdige maleriet. Han satt for det i sin egen stue en gang på syttitallet, og maleriet, forlatt og glemt av meg, har vært der siden. Jeg vet ikke hvorfor bildet ble forlatt, men jeg jeg levde et ustabilt liv på den tiden, og antar at grunnen ligger der. Kjenner ham fortsatt igjen - litt trist at jeg ikke fullførte.
¡ MAURICE !
I had the idea of, and therefore took on the responsibility of, creating an exhibition that pays tribute to the model Maurice Budini after his long life in the service of art. In addition, I would like to focus on the importance of model studies in the education of artists, how important it was to us who are now well-grown adults and to all artists before us, and why it has now completely disappeared.
The exhibition will be held in Bærum Art Association 4-26. February. 30-35 artists will participate.
Jeg har hatt idéen til, og derfor tatt på meg ansvaret for, å lage en utstilling som hyller modellen Maurice Budini etter et langt liv i kunstens tjeneste. I tillegg vil jeg gjerne sette fokus på modellstudiets betydning i utdanningen av kunstnere, hvor viktig det var for oss som nå er godt voksne og alle kunstnere før oss, og hvorfor det nå helt har forsvunnet.
Utstillingen blir i Bærum Kunstforening 4.-26. februar.
Jul - Christmas -Yuletide season
Med dette gamle maleriet ønsker jeg alle mennesker en fredelig tid midt i vinter og mørke. Maleriet henger på sykehjemmet på Nesodden. Noen ganger kan kanskje en av beboerne se på det og tenke for seg selv: «Jeg pleide å gå på ski der, det var gode tider».
With this old painting I wish all people a peaceful time in the midst of winter and darkness. The painting hangs in the nursing home in Nesodden. Maybe sometimes one of the inhabitants can look at it think to him- or herself: “I used to go skiing there, those times were good times”.Flere gamle bilder II - Some more old paintings II
This old place lies innermost in the bay where I lived for thirty years, Ursvik Bay in Nesodden just outside Oslo. It’s a very old place, the house is fram the 18th century. The place is called “Grønnbogen”, which probably means shallow arc and describes the landscape structure of the bay. Regardless of its interesting history, I put up my easel there and painted the place just because of its beauty.
Denne gamle plassen ligger innerst i bukta hvor jeg bodde i tretti år, Ursvikbukta på Nesodden like utenfor Oslo. Det er en gammel plass, huset er fra 1700-tallet. Stedet kalles “Grønnbogen”, noe som trolig betyr grunn bue og beskriver landskapsstrukturen i bukta. Helt uavhengig av plassens interessante historie, tok jeg oppstilling der og malte stedet bare fordi jeg fant det vakkert.
Flere gamle bilder - Some more old paintings
……….har dukket opp. Dette er malt på Solberg Gård på Nesodden en kald, kald vinter. Et annet maleri av samme landskapsutsnitt ble til i samme periode, https://www.borring.no/galleryblog/fra-from-solberg-ii . Det var mens jeg holdt på med disse bildene at jeg satte personlig rekord i friluftsmaleri i vinterkulde - den kaldeste morgenen var det -16 grader celsius. Med påfyll av 2 liter varm te og kaffe holdt det i tre-fire timer.
……….have showed up. This was painted at Solberg Farm in Nesodden a cold, cold winter. Another painting of the same landscape section was created in the same period, https://www.borring.no/galleryblog/fra-from-solberg-ii . It was while I was working on these pictures that I set my personal record for outdoor painting in winter cold - the coldest morning it was 3,2 degrees Fahrenheit. With the help of 2 liters of hot tea and coffee, I lasted for three to four hours.Peney-Dessous
For noen uker siden sto jeg og malte "les vignobles de (vingårdene i) Peney-Dessous". Været vekslet mellom regn og veldig hardt sollys. Bakdøren på bilen ga en viss beskyttelse, i alle fall mot regnet. Men når du maler i dette sterke sollyset, kommer du som regel hjem med et veldig mørkt maleri. Dette stedet, som ligger like ved elven Rhône, er en del av Satigny-distriktet, hvor de produserer fantastisk gode viner. Maleriet har vært på staffeliet siden den gang, det er ekstremt komplisert å gjøre det systematiske kaoset vinrankene utgjør om til et maleri.
Some weeks ago, painting “les vignobles de (the vineyards of) Peney-Dessous”. I had my fair share of both rain and very hard sunlight. The back door of the car gave some protection, at least against the rain. But when you paint in this strong sunlight, you usually come home with a very dark painting.
This place, situated close to the river Rhône, is a part of the Satigny district, where they produce the most delightful vines. The painting has been on the easel ever since, turning the systematic chaos of the vines into a painting is extremely complicated.
Solberg gård
Et av de mange stedene på Nesodden jeg har vendt tilbake til om og om igjen, er Solberg gård. Den ligger på en hylle i landskapet på Nesoddens østside, og lyder navnet sitt. Et vakkert sted, med en god følelse av lang historie i landskapet. Her har det vært drevet jordbruk i uminnelige tider. Leter man godt kan man finne helleristninger, fra Yngre Steinalder eller Bronsealderen.
One of the many places on Nesodden I have returned to again and again, is Solberg farm. It is located on a "shelf" in the rather steep landscape on the east side of Nesodden, and resembles its name. A beautiful place, with a good sense of long history in the landscape. Agriculture has been practiced here since time immemorial. If you look closely you can find petroglyphs, from the Neolithic or Bronze Age.Måsatjern / The Bog Pond
While I was painting this picture in a rather remote part of Nesodden, I got a visit. Leader of the pack was an old friend, a lawyer who was also a longtime friend of China. He was the one who took the photo underneath, and later on he bought the painting. With him were the cultural director of the municipality, and three delegates from China, one of whom was rumored to have sat in Mao's lap as a child. I was reminded of the slogan on the package of the cigarette brand I smoked at the time: "Wherever particular people congregate."
Mens jeg malte dette bildet på Tomåsan, en ganske avsidesliggende del av Nesodden, fikk jeg besøk. Leder av flokken var en gammel venn, en advokat som også lenge hadde vært en venn av Kina. Det var han som tok bildet under, og senere kjøpte han maleriet. Med seg hadde han kultursjefen i kommunen, og tre delegater fra Kina, hvorav den ene ryktes å ha sittet på Maos fang som barn. Jeg ble minnet om slagordet på pakken til sigarettmerket jeg røykte på den tiden: «Hvorenn spesielle mennesker samles».Horses at Granerud Farm / Hestene på Granerud
It’s not always easy to find the right point of view for a painting. Especially when one discovers the motif from the car. Like this one, where I had to borrow a pallet from the farm, place it over the ditch by the road, and stand there painting while the passing cars nearly tore my jacket off.
Det er ikke alltid lett å finne den rette standplassen for et maleri. Spesielt når man oppdager motivet fra bilen. Som dette, der jeg måtte låne en pall på gården, legge den over grøfta ved veien, og stå der og male mens de forbipasserende bilene nesten rev jakken av meg.
Stolmabrua / Stolmen Bridge
While painting in Austevoll at the West Coast of Norway, I got fascinated by this construction. At the time it was the bridge with the longest span in the world, built in the “straight ahead”- method, 202 meters between the pillars if I remember correctly. The method implies that you fill up the hollow land-based part of the bridge with more and more ballast as you build out over the water. Goes to prove that I’m not I’m not only obsessed with nostalgia, doesn’t it?
9/11
I was standing in a meadow at Sulheim Farm in Bøverdalen alongside my good friend Kjell E Midthun , in the rural heart of Norway, painting a few of the buildings on this beatiful farm with roots back to the viking age. Around us cows and sheep were grazing, bells around their necks ringing. The farmer’s triplet girls in their light summer dresses, playing and laughing amongst us and the live stock, made the idyll complete. Then Kjell’s cellphone rang, and the world changed. It was September 11th 2001.
Some of Kjell’s pictures: https://www.google.com/search?q=kjell+midthun&sxsrf=AOaemvK6Ec151DD-8-dwv_NTMz_LiYegWg:1642107776787&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiu496V0K_1AhU5gv0HHRR6CvAQ_AUoAXoECAIQAw&biw=1527&bih=834&dpr=1.1
Winter in Nesodden
Photographed a long time ago by Trond Folchersahm. As far as I remember he used the picture in the local newspaper Akershus Amtstidende. I still use the same “kindergarten suit”. It has served me well.
I have found three paintings from this place. The first one, above, is dated 1998 and belongs to a local plumber who has been a good friend and helper.
This second one is from 2001 or 2002. The third one, below, is from 2003, and seems to be the one I’m working at on the photo. This painting hangs in a local nursing home for the elderly, which feels good. If some of the residents gets memories brought up from their own cross country skiing, maybe even from their childhood, the painting has done a good job. And the same for the painter.
Olabue / Ola’s shack
A small grant brought me to Austevoll, a group of islands on the west coast of Norway. There I found this beatiful little shed, built long time ago, probably for fishing gear and equipment to the boat.
While standing there painting a little old man approached me, asking the second most common question in the business: “How much could this painting cost?” I mentioned a small sum, and he looked like if I’d hit him, uttering sounds of dismay.
Then he went on with the conversation: “Its me who owns that fish farm out there!”
Fun fact: At this time Austevoll, as a result of the fishing and seafood industry, had the highest concentration of millionaires in Norway.
Arstadfossen / The Waterfall
I am still digging up photographs of older paintings, formatting them and posting them on this web-page. Many years ago a small grant brought me to Beiarn in Nordland, far north in Norway. This is one of the many places in Norway you don’t go through, the road stops there. As most such places the population was sparse and there wasn’t much going on, but the scenery was beautiful. My stay there and the people I met are good memories.
Failure or success
Dette lille grantreet vokser rett under tregrensa på Beitostølen. En personlighet, kjente jeg da jeg sto der i dypsnøen og malte det. Kanskje er det litt skuffet over at det ikke ble juletre, lite, rart og vindskeivt som det er. Til gjengjeld får det vokse til det blir stort, rart og vindskeivt. Kanskje kommer en dag en gammel, rar og vindskeiv maler tilbake og maler det.
Treet og jeg ønsker jeg dere alle en god jul.
This small spruce grows just below the tree line at Beitostoelen in the midst of Norway. A personality, I felt when I stood there in the deep snow, painting it. Maybe it's a little disappointed that, beeing small, strange and crooked, it didn’t become a Christmas tree. In return, it will grow until it becomes large, strange and crooked. Maybe one day an old, strange and crooked painter will come back and paint it.
The tree and I wish you all a Merry Christmas.