Drawing and painting have always been a big interest of mine. In 1996, I finally started a course in oil painting at Halmstad Art School, and later continued with Stig Jacobsson, Hyltebruk’s own “Bruno Liljefors.” To this day, oil painting remains an important part of my creative work.
In the early 2000s, I became curious about digital art. I was lucky enough to take a full-time course in Illustrator and Photoshop through the Swedish Public Employment Service (those were the days!).
My interest in pattern design began after reading The Illustrator 10 WOW Book by Sharon Steuer. One chapter briefly covered how to create repeating patterns in Illustrator.
I was hooked immediately and started creating simple patterns, while also training to become a 3D artist in Gothenburg. I often used my own textures and patterns in my work there.
Hand-drawn vector pattern created in Illustrator.
Between 2010 and 2012, I worked as a freelancer and sold patterns to the UK market through Swatchloft UK.
Time passed, I changed jobs, and eventually bought a small horse farm in the countryside. Creativity took on a more physical form—building, renovating, and creating in the garden. At the same time, I continued painting in oils, mostly inspired by nature, animals, and landscapes.
There’s something wonderful about sitting in nature and beginning a new oil painting.
Life isn’t about using the whole box of crayons. It’s about using the ones you have, and the ones you love so well that nobody notice the ones that are missing.
This has led me to where I am today—primarily illustrating and painting in watercolor, with some gouache, complemented by colored pencils, watercolor pencils, graphite, and charcoal. I still create patterns digitally in Illustrator and have also tried Procreate—but I haven’t quite found the right feel there yet.
The challenge today is to combine different techniques and keep experimenting. That’s how I grow.