Arnor Bieltvedt

ARTIST STATEMENT

After exploring various styles and philosophies of painting for over a decade, I suddenly feel like I have found my home or my style of expression.  Iceland, the island in the North Atlantic where I grew up, has returned to my consciousness and imagination and in the process opened up many doors.  The beauty of Iceland’s atmospheric, surreal landscape, where stillness prevails but the heartbeat of living nature can also be felt and heard is an ideal setting for strong color expression.  The most perfect natural carrier of color is the flower and I feel the attraction it has to the space, soil and air of these still, Nordic landscapes.  This is unspoiled nature and reflects the unspoiled pure aspect of humanity; probably something worth seeking.

I want my paintings to have a positive impact on the viewer, serving as a place of relief from our daily stresses and helping him/her focus on the brighter sides of life.  My color is vibrant, the brushwork is expressive and the images are positive and non-threatening.  My aim is a powerful harmony of line and color and I feel I achieve this with imagery which does not compete with the color but complements it.  With every new painting I try to start fresh, to work intuitively and not to get caught in repetition.  I sense similar concerns in my work as in the work of the Impressionists and Expressionists.  My greatest respect is for artists who did not follow particular movements or conventions in painting but were able to maintain their individuality throughout their careers.