G isela Wåhlström invites her viewers into her dreamy, viv­id landscapes with intense colors, sinuous brushwork and evocative storytelling. Wåhlström’s works are worlds suffused with feeling that go beyond the ordinary. Her work is reminiscent of Chagall in its whimsy and loose, painterly style. The idea of magic, of things unruled by the everyday world, is at work in Wåhlström’s paintings. She says, “My main motivation is my fas­cination with colors and people, with human relations and their dynamics which I often express in interrelated sequences and al­legories.”
Wåhlström’s works provide an escape from the everyday. Her imagination is a refuge not only for her viewers, but also for her­self. Wåhlström grew up in Germany during World War II, where she and her family lived under the threat of the Nazis. As her fam­ily helped refugees flee the Nazis, Wåhlström would sometimes find peace through creating art. Equipped with an old box of paints, Wåhlström painted on whatever materials she could find, as no paper could be gotten during the war. Wåhlström states, “My art is partly a way of examining and dealing with complexity and contradictions - but also a way of expressing hope, strength, excitement, curiosity, love and humor.”
From these beginnings, it is easy to see how Wåhlström’s in­spiration continually springs from her imagination. The boldness of her works reveals her conviction of the strength and power inherent in creativity. The world around Wåhlström is merely the beginning of what can be seen with the artistic eye.
Wåhlström has lived in Germany, New York and Sweden. She was educated at the School of Fine Arts of Stockholm. Her work reflects the “intensity of New York” and the “reflective ways of Sweden.” She says, “I am always seeking new ways of expres­sion and continuously change when it comes to technique, shape, symbols and motives. The only permanent feature is my imagina­tion, my intense colors and my interest in people.” Gisela Wåhl-ström has exhibited her work extensively throughout the United States and Europe. Website:http://www.giselakonst.nu
The Garden of Eden Oil on Canvas 40”x 34”
Spring Adventure Oil on Canvas 42”x 56”