Page 26 • Country Acres | Saturday, April 2, 2022
PHOTOS SUBMITTED
Carol Braaten applies her paintbrush to a piece of wood. She specializes in Rosemaling and has for 20 years, taking care to create pieces in the style from a singular region from Norway. Each region has its own distinct Rosemaling style and each of the styles has its own color palette.
Art form
brought to life
Rosemaling part of Braaten’s heritage
The little black chair was an original design by Carol Braaten, painted for her grandson, Tyson. It is an authentic Norwegian chair made by her husband’s uncle, John Braaten. The chair is painted in Os style Rosemaling, which is from the Hordaland region near Bergen, Norway, which is where Braaten’s ancestors originated from.
BY SARAH COLBURN STAFF WRITER
FARWELL – Carol Braaten is bringing to life an art form more than 200 years old. Poised with a paintbrush and a hand-mixed palette of artist oil paints, she takes to the woodenware, usually painting on smooth, grain-free basswood. Braaten knows and understands Rosemaling or rose painting – the distinct Norwegian decorative folk art. The style of painting can be applied to trays, trunks, bowls, chairs and decorative items. For Braaten, it’s an homage to her Norwegian heritage and now, 21 years of classes and art projects later, she knows the specifics of the various Rosemaling styles. “There’s just an in-
tensity to Rosemaling, it’s a very precise art form, a learned art,” Braaten said. Each region of Norway has its own distinct Rosemaling style and each of the styles has its own color palette. One
style isn’t meant to be mixed with another and each style has its own guidelines. “Each style is very distinct with its specific design details,” she said. Rosemaling of the
Telemark region, for example, has more scrolls and fantasy flowers while Rosemaling of the Valdres Valley region consists of a floral bouquet with a cabbage rose as the central flower. Os style of Rosema-
ling consists of more cheerful colors like yellows and reds, often on a black or white background. In 2001, after Braaten had taught a class on faux wall finishes through the county
Home Extension office, one of the students and also a friend, stopped by Braaten’s house to pick up some class visual aids to share with her Home Extension club. As she looked around Braaten’s home, she mentioned that the wallcoverings were representative of Rosemaling and suggested that perhaps she should sign Braaten up for a Rosemaling class. Braaten agreed and found her niche in the art of Rosemaling. “Apparently my Scandinavian heritage
Rosemaling page 2
