I've changed some up through the years...
still do, in fact!
Every artist should have a kind of Curriculum Vitae - a biography of his/hers achievements in the world of creativity; education, exhibitions etc. I thought mine was nothing to boast about, so as I regard life in itself to be a kind of education, I wrote the following. Finally, I realised that I have accomplished something, so if you want a real CV, go here.
Born by the river Tana in the county of Finnmark, Norway
(that's where civilization ends, up in the Arctic), March 15, 1953.
Moved to the south of Norway in 1965. (Boy, was that a
change of scene!)
Discovered rock in 1966 (the Rolling Stones)
Got drunk for the first time in 1967...
Decided to get away from it all in 1970. Skipped any further
plans of education (senior school) after ten years in school, and
went back to Finnmark to work in the fishing industries.
Came back home in 1971, flat broke and disillusioned.
After a while of moving back and forth between Oslo and the
little town where the place I could call home was, I met a nice
girl at the end of 1971. In 1974, we got married and moved
together. The same year, I began to work as an
illustrator/cartoonist for a local newspaper - Porsgrunns Dagblad.
I worked for them 'till 1976, when their old illustrator returned.
Just as well, I thought. I felt more or less like a kind of a drawing
machine. I also became a member of a local group of artists,
Group 9, and participated in a couple of exhibitions as a member
of it.
Divorced relatively happy (no children) and moved to Bergen
on the west coast of Norway in 1978.
Began to work with the lay-out for a small weekly in Bergen
called "Nye Bergen". Had a comic running: "Felix Færder". (If
anyone should have copies of that one, I'd be grateful to receive
copies of the copies.) Discovered punk and new wave. A relief
after all that disco and symphonic rock in the 70's!
Decided to see Europe in the summer of 1978. After all, I was 25
and I had only been as far as Denmark. I sold out everything I
had (which wasn't much), took the money and hitch-hiked away.
After a trip to the UK (London and Newcastle and back), I went
through France, Switzerland and Italy. There I met a bunch of
nice Dutch youngsters, heading for Greece. We went by train
from Rome to Otranto where we took the boat to Igoumenitsa
on the north-western coast of the Greek mainland. A little south
of that we found the village Parga where we settled down at a
beach. I was broke by then, so I stayed there when my friends
went on. My plans had been to do the world tour, stay away for
a year or so, but I guess it wasn't very realistic. In the end of the
summer, the Iranian revolution broke loose, so the road to the
east was closed. In October, when my clothes were falling apart,
I started on the way back north again.
Went back to Greece the year after. Stayed in Egypt
(Alexandria and Cairo) a couple of weeks, but it was burning hot
and the end of Ramadan, so it wasn't very successful, to say the
least.
The only creative job I had around this time was to illustrate
the magazine "Arken", which was published by a Norwegian
author, Kaj Skagen.
Tried to educate myself in 1980. Went to a "folkehøyskole"
(people's high school - a kind of school which educates for life, if
you know what I mean). That lasted only 5 weeks, because I left
in solidarity with others who were expelled for the use of light
drugs. Later, back in Bergen, I attended an evening school to try
to take an "artium" - an exam on the senior school level. At the
same time, I got involved in a house occupation, so I hadn't
much time for education. Finally, when examines were due, we
all got kicked out from the house I shared with several others. I
was the only one who had paid the rent for months...
After a wild summer in 1982, I managed to get to Sweden,
where I had been accepted to a two-year artistic education at
this anthroposophic "seminar" in Järna, nearby Stockholm. I felt
that my creativity had ended in a cul-de-sac, a dead end. I had
striven to perfection my skills in drawing, but found myself
playing around with "dead forms". I was interested in some of
the ideas these people have. I wanted to learn to know colours,
for instance.
I learned a lot, but when the education took too dogmatic
forms the second year, I began to paint at home. I finished that
year with an exhibition together with my Irish friend, John. We
only exhibited oils.
In 1984, I was accepted as a student of an art school in
Kabelvåg on the Lofoten Islands, Northern Norway. I didn't get a
decent play to stay, though, and the education frustrated me. I
felt I was in the middle of an artistic process, and it was
interrupted there. In addition to that, my problems with alcohol
had become quite severe. The year ended in chaos in the early
summer of 1985.
I went back to Sweden and worked for a painter's shop
(non-toxic) before I began to work with mentally handicapped.
They gave me a lot. I hope I gave them something in return.
Thank you, good people.
Came back to Bergen in February 1987. Had a job but got a kick
in the ass and ended up living on the dole - and partly on the
streets, as well. I had realized I was an alcoholic by now, and was
in for a longer stay in a clinic over the winter when a friend of
mine invited me to go to Barcelona. I thought about it for
approx. 10 seconds before I said yes.
I lived in Barrio Gótic in Barcelona from October 1987 'till May
1988. Tried to get some comics into El Vibora, the second largest
comics magazine in Spain, but I gave it up after a girl from
Bergen came down. We moved back to Bergen in May.
I had some jobs for a friend of mine in Tromsø in 1988. Creating
posters for concerts etc. Made some wood-cuts. Tried to sell
them on the street, with no success. Began to work on some
comics (you may go and look at one of them on this site).
In 1989 I was on my own again, still without work
In the spring of 1990, I have had my fill. After the first drawing
I had made for months - a self-portrait - I packed my bag and left
for Oslo and Sweden.
Got a job in the kitchen of the anthroposophic hospital in Järna
through my friend John. Worked my way up from the washing
of dirty dishes till I was the second cook in command by the
summer of 1991. Another talent discovered. I can cook!
Moved to Finland in June 1991, as I never became particularly
fond of Sweden.
Began to work for Ny Tid in March 1992 - and shortly after,
Hufvudstadsbladet.
Quit drinking in June 1995! Haven't touched it since. Have
had my fill, it seems...
Worked on a serial of books on mathematics for the first
grades in primary school. I have illustrated them, that is. I have
also made a few covers for books published by Söderströms and
Schildts and Sahlgrens, smaller publishing companies here in
Finland.
Exhibited in France 1996. A cartoonists' biennial, one might say.
Worked as a political cartoonist for the newspaper Demari 1995
- 96.
Worked on illustrations for schoolbooks in
Swedish for the Finnish senior school, published by Otava.
In addition to this, my cartoons were bought by several
politicians in Finland, and one was even given as a gift to
the former president of the Republic of Ireland, Mary Robinson.
My cartoons have also appeared in Danish, Swedish and
Norwegian newspapers and magazines. Some have also been in a
German publication of some sort.
It's 2001, March 5, and we are into the new millennium. Since I
wrote my "CV" here, a lot has happened, out of which is that in
October 1999, I moved to Portugal, where I am living now. In a
city named Viseu, about 150 km south east of Porto, up towards
the Spanish border. Why Portugal and why Viseu? Because I fell
in love with this country when I first visited in April 1993 and
since then it was a dream to move here.
After I bought my computer in the summer of 1998, I got in
touch with an artist living here, Teresa Torres, and she soon
invited me to participate in a group she formed, consisting of
friends and colleagues her from around here, and a few she had
learnt to know through the Web. We opened our exhibition in
the beginning of June 1998 and I had decided to go down here to
join in the preparations and the opening and all. I learnt to know
a lot of people and decided to make my move.
I sold out what I could, among them most of what I had of
works to a good friend, bought an old Skoda for the money and
in the company of my younger brother, I left Helsinki on
October the 9th. 1999. On the 15th we rolled into Viseu so not a
bad word about old Skodas!
1999 was also a year with a lot of exhibitions. I was invited to
participate in one, gathering the leading cartoonists in Finland,
celebrating Finland's presidency in the EU. I had a little
exhibition in Porvoo, west of Helsinki, which received good
critics, but sold nothing... The exhibition of Alternative 1,
Teresa's group, travelled from place to place here, and after a
sejour in Porto, it ended up at Keijo University in Japan. Well,
the final exhibition was here, at IPJ (Instituto de Juventude) in
Viseu, where it all began, the same winter as I moved here.
There were a couple of other exhibitions as well, but I'm not
very systematic, so...
Anyway, it was a difficult year, 2000, with some personal
difficulties and of course it is always difficult to adapt to a new
country, learning the language and what with all the
bureaucrazy etc., but 2001 began well and ended well, too.
So have the year 2002.
I have continued to
work for Hufvudstadsbladet all this time, thanks to my computer
and now I am slowly beginning to receive a few jobs here as well.
So far, it's been some drawings I did for a big discotheque here
and a restaurant, too.
Then some illustrations for an archaeologist's
publication.
I have also worked with my friend Carlos Clara Gomes, a musician, on
some projects and hopefully more will come...
Aside from that, the Finnish Foreign Ministry asked me to
deliver illustrations and cartoons (every second week)
throughout 2001, as they had the presidency of the
Nordic countries.
I just finished some illustrations for the Finnish Parliament's web site, too.
On the personal level can be said that I met a wonderful woman
October 2000:-) She speaks only Portuguese aside from some
French which I don't speak, so now I really am learning
Portuguese. Hopefully this will result in some Portuguese text here...