About Telise Rodelv

About Telise Rodelv

I have looked for the beauty around me for as long as I can remember.

Growing up north of the Arctic Circle in Norway the winters were very long and dark, and the summers short and intense. Spending much of my time indoors helped nurture my creativity through reading and drawing. Seeking the beauty around me was not a conscious effort, but rather an instinctive attempt, which helped me through difficult times and made me stronger.

We lived in a very remote village and it was customary for the children to attend a one room boarding school, two weeks on and two weeks off. The painting "Longing" on the Norway page conveys the feeling of being so far away from home at such an early age. If I walked down to the water's edge at school I could see the beloved mountains above my home and it did not seem quite so removed, or I as lonely.

By 19 years old I made my way south of the Arctic Circle and by 21 I landed in America, where I have lived since; Norway still remains strong in my heart having all of my close family still there and with many visits back and forth.

America has given me the opportunity to pursue my dreams far beyond what I had ever imagined as a

child - it continues to astound me with the generosity and willingness of heart and mind I experience every day in this wonderful country.

This gift of looking for and creating beauty around me still brings me the most joy in my life. It is my sincere wish that some of the joy and love I feel comes through my art to the viewer; only then do I know I am giving the greatest gift back.

I have studied with Joyce McCarten, Maxine Masterfield, Katherine Chang Liu, Gwen Fox, Concetta Antico and several teachers at The Torpedo Factory in Alexandria, VA.

My work has been collected all over America, England, Germany, Puerto Rico and of course Norway.