Gold Medalist Portfolios

Artistic ability in people has always fascinated me, and I have been drawn to artistic people. I always liked and took art classes in school and had an inkling of ability, though I never found an outlet for my artistic talents until I started rosemaling in my early 30s. It was a natural fit. I was Norwegian, rosemaling was beautiful, and I liked the people who were rosemalers.

I started rosemaling on somewhat of a whim. My girlfriend (later my wife) was taking night classes, so I decided to take a fun class to fill an evening when she would be busy. At the time, our vocational school offered a long list of crafting and art classes, so I simply looked down the list and rosemaling spoke to me. I started classes, had a bit of a knack for it and have continued uninterrupted since then.

I spent many years working with the Wisconsin State Rosemaling Association headquartered in Stoughton, Wisconsin. Early on, the board assigned me to the Education Committee where I worked with Marcy Lawrence for almost two decades organizing classes for the group. I was introduced to many great rosemalers during this time, took many of the classes, and learned something new from each one of them.

It’s been a great honor to receive the Vesterheim Gold Medal. Attempting to reach this goal has pushed me to improve, and I appreciate the opportunity Vesterheim Museum has given me for this honor.