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Mia Gjerdrum Helgesen

M ia Gjerdrum Helgesen paints abstract works that speak to our most intimate memories and unique experiences. Her paintings blend swaths of bold color with subtle details; each work possesses a strong sense of atmosphere that Gjerdrum Helgesen achieves through the harmonious opposition of abstraction and specificity. A native of Norway, Gjerdrum Helgesen states that she is inspired by "the changing seasons in Norway... the feeling of blooming summer, the birth of spring and the cold snow falling down on my face." While nature sparks her

an emotionally charged moment of connection. The scene is personal, its movements subtle. The intense reds focused in the center of the painting move outward, becoming fainter as the figures fade into a pale background.

The viewer sees a thematic similarity between "Bridge" and "Beach." Gjerdrum Helgesen's signature style of paint application is repeated, but instead of blending her figures with their environment, they stand out in sharp distinction. Both elements of the painting are

creativity, Gjerdrum Hel-gesen's works tend toward emotional expression.

She states that her works are about "experiences in life, special moments that take another space in your heart as giving life, death of one you love, love and being loved, sharing...moments with people and being able to see things through someone else's eyes." The viewer can see these themes depicted in Gjerdrum Helgesen's work as a whole and in each individual piece.

"Bridge" is an

in harmony, as the angu- Beach 31"x63" Acrylic on Canvas

lar forms of the silhouette

of a distant beach are echoed in the precise lines of the figures in the

foreground.

This beach scene is formal, yet in its own manner, radically free. There is an echo of Seurat's famous "Grande Jatte" here in its ordinary subject matter (people enjoying a day at the

acrylic relief painting in which two figures appear closely connected. The design is simple: only two colors—red and white—are used to render this scene. Yet Gjerdrum Helgesen uses so many shades and values within this limited color range that the painting takes on a quality of complexity within its more obvious minimalism. The connection, the "bridge" formed between these two figures is the dramatic moment in the work. The bold, horizontal stripe of red suggests a "blood tie" or


	Mia Gjerdrum Helgesen M ia Gjerdrum Helgesen paints abstract works that speak to our most intimate memories and unique experiences. Her paintings blend swaths of bold color with subtle details; each work possesses a strong sense of atmosphere that Gjerdrum Helgesen achieves through the harmonious opposition of abstraction and specificity. A native of Norway, Gjerdrum Helgesen states that she is inspired by "the changing seasons in Norway... the feeling of blooming summer, the birth of spring and the cold snow falling down on my face." While nature sparks her an emotionally charged moment of connection. The scene is personal, its movements subtle. The intense reds focused in the center of the painting move outward, becoming fainter as the figures fade into a pale background. The viewer sees a thematic similarity between "Bridge" and "Beach." Gjerdrum Helgesen's signature style of paint application is repeated, but instead of blending her figures with their environment, they stand out in sharp distinction. Both elements of the painting are creativity, Gjerdrum Hel-gesen's works tend toward emotional expression. She states that her works are about "experiences in life, special moments that take another space in your heart as giving life, death of one you love, love and being loved, sharing...moments with people and being able to see things through someone else's eyes." The viewer can see these themes depicted in Gjerdrum Helgesen's work as a whole and in each individual piece. "Bridge" is an in harmony, as the angu- Beach 31"x63" Acrylic on Canvas lar forms of the silhouette of a distant beach are echoed in the precise lines of the figures in the foreground. This beach scene is formal, yet in its own manner, radically free. There is an echo of Seurat's famous "Grande Jatte" here in its ordinary subject matter (people enjoying a day at the acrylic relief painting in which two figures appear closely connected. The design is simple: only two colors—red and white—are used to render this scene. Yet Gjerdrum Helgesen uses so many shades and values within this limited color range that the painting takes on a quality of complexity within its more obvious minimalism. The connection, the "bridge" formed between these two figures is the dramatic moment in the work. The bold, horizontal stripe of red suggests a "blood tie" or