This post is a follow up on the previous post.

Snow has been the most central feature of my works in the series of landscapes. It’s been a hallmark in which my followers has been able to recognise my works for over a decade. I felt it was time to challenge this modus and try something different. It proved to be a much more complex and difficult task than expected.

The patches of snow usually simplifies and draws up the landscape, creating a wonderful dynamic. The lack thereof forced me to get stuck into a lot of tiny details. It’s hard to simplify without creating a mess. I have observed this problem in numerous landscape paintings by other artists, and can only imagine the struggle they have gone trough. Yet, when you finally get there, the result can be very rewarding. There is no quick way to do this. You have to take one feature at the time and slowly build up the layers.

The lake in this painting is the reservoir of the biggest hydro power plant in Etne, and a dam was built in the first half of the 20th century. They also drilled a passage, allowing them to taketh level down 11 meters. The dam also gained 11 meters, giving this reservoir a total range of 22 meters. At low level, the landscape turns in to a moon like environment, exposing the lakebed and all its minerals. It sure can be exiting to explore, but the visual impact is brutal. The maximum water level can be seen in the small green patch on top of the hill in the mid ground. This rock (or hill) turns into an island when the water level is high. It rarely is, and this is how we usually experience it.

“Løkjelsvatnet”. 120 x 135 cm. Acrylic and oil on canvas.