Art form brought to life Farwell

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 formbrought to life

Rosemaling part of Braaten’s heritage

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 specifi cs of the various Rosemaling styles.

“There’s just an intensity 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 fl owers while Rosemaling of the Valdres Valley region consists of a fl oral bouquet with a cabbage rose as the central fl ower. Os style of Rosemaling 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 fi nishes through the county Home Extension offi ce, 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

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.

runs deep because that’s what my eye went to when I was picking out (wallcovering),” she said.

Braaten is half Swedish and half Norwegian. Keeping the tradition of Rosemaling alive is important to her.

“I just think it’s important for people to be aware of what it involves,” she said, “No matter your nationality or race, learning your heritage has a special grounding effect.” “I just think it’s important for people to be aware of what it involves. No matter your nationality or race, learning your heritage has a special grounding eff ect.” - Carol Braaten “ For Braaten, the art form also allows her the opportunity to be creative and to exercise her brain. Even if she’s developing her own original designs, she adheres to the guidelines of each region so she can keep each style true to its origins. Braaten has entered original Rosemaling designs on plates, clocks, candleholders and other decorative pieces in the Terrace Mill Rosemaling competition through the years. She has earned the “Bedrift” award for her entries. Bedrift is a Norwegian word for “high achievement.” As a member of the Terrace Mill Foundation-Rosemaling Association, Braaten attends classes twice a year, in June and September, to continue to expand her painting skills. The classes that she attends are typically taught by Gold Medal award winners from all over the United States.

Braaten mixes her own colors and commits to fi nishing a piece before her palette dries out. She wraps the palette in plastic wrap and stores it in the freezer in between art sessions.

Braaten fi nds time to paint on rainy days and snowy days; a threeday blizzard, she said, allows her to immerse herself in her projects. She also tries to fi nd the time to paint in the evening. It can take her anywhere from 30 to 80 hours to fi nish a piece. This

Though Braaten birdhouse has entered a number is painted of competitions through with an the years and taken original home Best of Show Os design awards, she doesn’t plan on working toward a gold medal in Rosemaling. created by Carol Braaten. The Os styling comes from the Hordaland

She does special region of orders and sells pieces Norway. Os through the Elbow Lake is painted in Thorson Library and cheerful colors other markets. including reds,

“It’s a wonderful yellows, black and sense of accomplish- white.

ment,” she said. “When I’ve fi nished painting something that’s very, very intricate I look back at it and say, ‘Wow, I did that? Really?’ It’s a great sense of accomplishment.”

Tines like this one were once used as lunchboxes or to transport food to church or the neighbors’.

It is painted by Carol Braaten in the Telemark design, which is from the Telemark region of Norway. Telemark is made up of scrolls and fantasy fl owers with the design always circling back to the root.

(above) This plate by Carol Braaten is painted in the Rogaland style. Rogaland consists of mirror image designs in the shape of a pie. The words are the beginning of the Norwegian table prayer, “In Jesus’ name we go to the table to eat and drink of His word.”