2_9_ScanMag_74_March_2015_Text_Q9_Scan Magazine 1 09/03/2015 23:10 Page 13
Scan Magazine | Design | Hilde Eilertsen Sletvold
Steady, 158x108
Arctic Light, 76x56
Breath, 130x102
Lights of the North Proudly carrying the moniker ‘ambassador of the lights of the North’, Hilde Eilertsen Sletvold has caught the eye of many an art critic. Having put a 21-year-long past as a paediatric nurse behind her to focus on her preferred hobby of watercolour painting, she has not only uncovered her passion – but also made it her livelihood. By Julie Lindén | Photos: Hilde Eilertsen Sletvold
“I loved my old job, but watercolour painting had always attracted me,” says the admired Norwegian artist as we chat on an early morning in February. “I decided to set aside some time and take a course – and I quickly felt this urge to devote more and more time to the craft. So I did,” she says with the unmistakably light tone of someone who has followed their dreams to the fullest, and succeeded. She explains that the decision to devote herself to painting on a full-time basis came after a time of self-reflection. “I had to sort parts of my life out – close a few doors to open others. I knew I wanted to focus on my art.” Despite drawing inspiration from what she describes as “everything in life”, Sletvold has become noted for her clear and precise interpretations of the distinctive light
in her home region of Northern Norway. “There’s so much to draw from in the surroundings up here. Changes in weather, from clear skies to windy days. The nature seems so very close.” She explains that these very factors are especially well portrayed through the use of watercolours. “You can’t go back with watercolours – once it’s there it’s there. The colours mix in a different way, coming alive on their own, something which matches the light up north very well. Watercolours give you the opportunity to be both concrete and bold at the same time.” Sletvold’s art is known far outside Norwegian borders, as she has participated in several important international art gatherings. For instance she was chosen to represent the Nordic Watercolour Society at the European Confederation of Water-
colour Societies in Genova in 2012. She was also juried by the International Watercolour Society in 2012, 2013 and 2014. Renowned artists speak warmly of her talents, with the late, stellar Norwegian artist and teacher Torgeir Schjølberg noting: “Throughout the years I’ve been teaching, there is, from time to time, someone who makes an especially positive mark. Hilde Eilertsen Sletvold is a name in a class of its own. She has a natural talent.”
Sletvold interprets light and mood in her own distinctive way.
Sletvold will be hosting watercolour classes in France on 7-15 May For more information, please visit: www.hildesletvold.no
Issue 74 | March 2015 | 13