The artist

Randi Smedsgaard (Born 1954) lives at Baerums Verk, near Oslo, Norway. She is married and has one child. She has a good theoretical education from the University of Oslo, and has been teaching French, Spanish and Latin in high school in Norway. As an artist she is basically self taught, but has studied with well known Norwegian artists and she has taken courses in different disciplines as graphic art, lithography, printing, drawing and sculpture.

Randi Smedsgaard is well-acclaimed as a portrait painter. She has successfully made three one-man shows. In 2000: “Et in Arcadia Ego”, in 2004 “New Icons” and in 2008 “Depression”.

Randi Smedsgaard is also an illustrator and a writer on the subject of art and has contributed to professional magazines, like “Numer”, “Kunstmagasinet” and “Klassisk Musikkmagasin”.

The Art:

Her expression is classic, but her inspiration is modern life. In her drawings, paintings and prints, she lets experiences of to-day blend with classical myths. Architecture is important, not as a simple ingredient, but as a part of the theme.

Her next large project is to visualize the meeting between East and West, Christendom and Islam. In a number of paintings she will let Oriental ornament develop into a synthesis with Western figuration. New dynamic impressions will appear.

Portraits:

Portraits are her favorite. A portrait drawn or painted by an artist has an lasting value, and constitutes the perfect gift to one self or others. No photograph can compare with an artist´s interpretation of your personality. Experience has convinced her that faces are living forever. Meeting people on the streets she often recognizes faces from ancient portraits, renaissance or baroque, but also expressionist and impressionist – at times even modernist.

Ordering a portrait you can choose between techniques; oil, acryl, gouache and drawing.
Prizes from NOK 5000 for a drawing to NOK 25 000 + for an oil.

Paintings:

Her expression is classic, but her inspiration is the present. Her paintings can approach the cartoon. A cartoon painted in oil, where the colors are laid over imprimatur and tempera. The result is an extraordinary strong effect of light.

She employs a disciplined method based on a study of the renaissance with under painting, tempera and glaze. In other works she uses acryl.
Prizes from NOK 6 500-NOK 35 000.

Drawings:

Drawing is the shamed child of art. It is called the abortion of the Muses. Then you forget that drawing probably is the most popular of the arts, not without reason. The drawn line speaks to the onlooker as roads on a roadmap. The lines run parallel to the nervous system of the artist.

The line in a successful drawing has an effect on human senses, like the vibrato of violins. Nothing can compare. The line is the beginning and the end of everything. Long live the line!

Techniques include pencil, pen, watercolor, gouache and pastel.

Prizes from NOK 3000.
Prints: Graphic works after traditional methods: Lithography, cold needle and etchings.
Prizes form NOK 800.