Outside in the Danish countryside, nestled between forest and fields, you can find my small but wonderful place. With lots of light and big windows, nature and my garden are just as big a part of my studio as the room officially dedicated to painting.
But it hasn’t always been like this.
I actually grew up in the town where I live now, with a garden and forest close by. I would climb up into the big pear tree that overlooked the garden, take in the beauty and sketch in the shade of the leaves.
But like so many others, I moved to the big city to get an education and a job. For a while, I forgot about my creativity and longing for nature, enjoying the hustle and bustle of parties, people and cobblestones. And I won’t lie, this was super fun for a bunch of years! But then life slowed down. A wonderful husband and a job came along. Suddenly, city life didn’t feel right any longer; and at some point, I came down with stress.
Something was missing.
While pregnant with my baby girl, we went looking for houses in the country and found this beauty. The garden was overlooking the open fields; the autumn-colored forest was outside our door and there was the most intoxicating scent of apples that had just been picked.
This place instantly became my dream home.
We moved in the winter; and with that move, painting and sketching found their way back. Suddenly, inspiration was just outside my door. I could look out my window to see birds, peonies and trees — all of which were ready to be immortalized on paper.
I put up a big easel and started to paint. The easel I used in the beginning was made by my granddad when I was in primary school. It lasted for several years but has now been replaced (but not thrown out).
On weekends I often create in the living room, surrounded by hundreds of books, kids running around, and a big floral watercolor painting on the easel. Sometimes my kids will join me in painting. They have their own easel now, so they too can create when inspired. One of the biggest gifts in my world is to pass on creativity to them.
We also created a small space in the far end of the house where I can look out at the trees, and where I can peacefully create when I need more focused time.
So, when the house is silent, I go up here. Turn on a podcast or some jazz and just enjoy the process of creating. Sometimes alone, but more often than not accompanied by my two cats, Trille and My. Somehow, they can sense a peaceful painting session from miles away. First, they will try to sit on my lap, then they step on the wet watercolors and, after they are told not to drink from the water jar, finally curl up in the window so I can get on with my art.
My studio is filled with things I love: reused frames that once carried photos of people hundreds of years ago; notebooks filled with sketches from my creative journey; and old archival boxes from our local library, where my dad works. I love to surround myself with history and stories, along with nature and family. This is where I ground myself and find peace.
And of course, this is also where I film all my classes for my online school. Over the years, here in my country house, I have been able to connect with students all over the world through social media, which to me is incredible.
Because of this online community, I was contacted by the wonderful people at Page Street Publishing. When they sent the email about a potential book deal, I actually thought it was a spam email. So I asked my husband, who was playing with the kids, “Is this for real or should I just delete it?” Thankfully, he suggested I write back to ask them. And it was real!
That has led to now two books: Ink & Wash Florals, and the new Ink & Wash in the Garden. Both books take deep inspiration from my surroundings and include illustrations and step-by-step guides in my studio. My sister, who is also an incredibly creative person, knows how much I love to be surrounded by stories. So as a celebration of my first book, she gifted me an embroidery of the book cover filled with red poppies. This made for the perfect colorful addition to my studio and is a reminder that everything is possible.
When I look at my work over time, I see a deep connection to flowers. And I don’t think that is coincidental.
I grew up surrounded by flowers. Garden walks were always a big thing every time we visited family or friends (and they still are). Lots of flowers carry memories and they make us remember just through their scent. For example: I am always taken back to summer vacation in southern France every time I sketch lavender plants in my garden. They are strong memory holders and that makes them such an inspiring subject to paint.
When I’m not creating art, I spend my free hours in my garden. I don’t have the same green fingers as the rest of my family, but I’m still trying. I hope one day I can grow my own reference flowers so I never run out of flowers to paint. It can be a struggle, but I try to embrace the fact that I am a beginner, and my garden is not perfect — after all, it’s all about learning and enjoying the process.
Sometimes people ask about the future: What is next?
The world is very unstable right now and having a safe space where we can create and recharge our energy is more important than ever. And that is what I dream of doing. With my memberships, and in every online course, YouTube video and Instagram post, I invite creatives into this space to experience nature and art through my eyes, and to develop their own skills so they too can create their own space. And I dream of doing this even more!
I feel there is so much we can focus on in floral sketching. Often when we sketch a rose, we will sketch a rose in full bloom — but it has so much more to give. I am deeply inspired by showing all of the stages, from early bud to wilted beauty. I mean: Isn’t it incredible to look at a tulip in late growth stretching like a ballet dancer? Stunning! It’s all about observing and seeing the world as it is: imperfect, just like us.
That is also the reason why I can’t seem to throw out flowers I am gifted. Instead, I often hang them to dry around the house and in my studio to observe how the colors and textures change and how much beauty they still radiate.
And then I have a big dream of going abroad, to experience the grand floral events around the globe: the tulips in Holland, the sakura in Japan, the flower festival in Chelsea. Maybe even experience them as art retreats with other creatives — that would be pretty incredible.
I dream of creating a floral world where we see the beauty in flowers — in the small details, the changing colors — but also recognize how grand they can be. How they can tell a story — a story of us.
Flowers are in my veins, I guess, and the pen and brush are my tools to tell their story. All I can do is sketch.
Outside in the Danish countryside, nestled between forest and fields, you can find my small but wonderful place. With lots of light and big windows, nature and my garden are just as big a part of my studio as the room officially dedicated to painting.
But it hasn’t always been like this.
I actually grew up in the town where I live now, with a garden and forest close by. I would climb up into the big pear tree that overlooked the garden, take in the beauty and sketch in the shade of the leaves.
But like so many others, I moved to the big city to get an education and a job. For a while, I forgot about my creativity and longing for nature, enjoying the hustle and bustle of parties, people and cobblestones. And I won’t lie, this was super fun for a bunch of years! But then life slowed down. A wonderful husband and a job came along. Suddenly, city life didn’t feel right any longer; and at some point, I came down with stress.
Something was missing.
While pregnant with my baby girl, we went looking for houses in the country and found this beauty. The garden was overlooking the open fields; the autumn-colored forest was outside our door and there was the most intoxicating scent of apples that had just been picked.
This place instantly became my dream home.
We moved in the winter; and with that move, painting and sketching found their way back. Suddenly, inspiration was just outside my door. I could look out my window to see birds, peonies and trees — all of which were ready to be immortalized on paper.
I put up a big easel and started to paint. The easel I used in the beginning was made by my granddad when I was in primary school. It lasted for several years but has now been replaced (but not thrown out).
On weekends I often create in the living room, surrounded by hundreds of books, kids running around, and a big floral watercolor painting on the easel. Sometimes my kids will join me in painting. They have their own easel now, so they too can create when inspired. One of the biggest gifts in my world is to pass on creativity to them.
We also created a small space in the far end of the house where I can look out at the trees, and where I can peacefully create when I need more focused time.
So, when the house is silent, I go up here. Turn on a podcast or some jazz and just enjoy the process of creating. Sometimes alone, but more often than not accompanied by my two cats, Trille and My. Somehow, they can sense a peaceful painting session from miles away. First, they will try to sit on my lap, then they step on the wet watercolors and, after they are told not to drink from the water jar, finally curl up in the window so I can get on with my art.
My studio is filled with things I love: reused frames that once carried photos of people hundreds of years ago; notebooks filled with sketches from my creative journey; and old archival boxes from our local library, where my dad works. I love to surround myself with history and stories, along with nature and family. This is where I ground myself and find peace.
And of course, this is also where I film all my classes for my online school. Over the years, here in my country house, I have been able to connect with students all over the world through social media, which to me is incredible.
Because of this online community, I was contacted by the wonderful people at Page Street Publishing. When they sent the email about a potential book deal, I actually thought it was a spam email. So I asked my husband, who was playing with the kids, “Is this for real or should I just delete it?” Thankfully, he suggested I write back to ask them. And it was real!
That has led to now two books: Ink & Wash Florals, and the new Ink & Wash in the Garden. Both books take deep inspiration from my surroundings and include illustrations and step-by-step guides in my studio. My sister, who is also an incredibly creative person, knows how much I love to be surrounded by stories. So as a celebration of my first book, she gifted me an embroidery of the book cover filled with red poppies. This made for the perfect colorful addition to my studio and is a reminder that everything is possible.
When I look at my work over time, I see a deep connection to flowers. And I don’t think that is coincidental.
I grew up surrounded by flowers. Garden walks were always a big thing every time we visited family or friends (and they still are). Lots of flowers carry memories and they make us remember just through their scent. For example: I am always taken back to summer vacation in southern France every time I sketch lavender plants in my garden. They are strong memory holders and that makes them such an inspiring subject to paint.
When I’m not creating art, I spend my free hours in my garden. I don’t have the same green fingers as the rest of my family, but I’m still trying. I hope one day I can grow my own reference flowers so I never run out of flowers to paint. It can be a struggle, but I try to embrace the fact that I am a beginner, and my garden is not perfect — after all, it’s all about learning and enjoying the process.
Sometimes people ask about the future: What is next?
The world is very unstable right now and having a safe space where we can create and recharge our energy is more important than ever. And that is what I dream of doing. With my memberships, and in every online course, YouTube video and Instagram post, I invite creatives into this space to experience nature and art through my eyes, and to develop their own skills so they too can create their own space. And I dream of doing this even more!
I feel there is so much we can focus on in floral sketching. Often when we sketch a rose, we will sketch a rose in full bloom — but it has so much more to give. I am deeply inspired by showing all of the stages, from early bud to wilted beauty. I mean: Isn’t it incredible to look at a tulip in late growth stretching like a ballet dancer? Stunning! It’s all about observing and seeing the world as it is: imperfect, just like us.
That is also the reason why I can’t seem to throw out flowers I am gifted. Instead, I often hang them to dry around the house and in my studio to observe how the colors and textures change and how much beauty they still radiate.
And then I have a big dream of going abroad, to experience the grand floral events around the globe: the tulips in Holland, the sakura in Japan, the flower festival in Chelsea. Maybe even experience them as art retreats with other creatives — that would be pretty incredible.
I dream of creating a floral world where we see the beauty in flowers — in the small details, the changing colors — but also recognize how grand they can be. How they can tell a story — a story of us.
Flowers are in my veins, I guess, and the pen and brush are my tools to tell their story. All I can do is sketch.
