DO YOU HAVE ANY FORMAL ARTISTIC TRAINING?

No.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ARTISTIC TOOL?

My pencils and stamping pads.

HAVE YOU ALWAYS KEPT A SKETCHBOOK, OR WAS CREATING YOUR SKETCHBOOK A TOTALLY NEW ENDEAVOR FOR YOU? DID YOU ENTER THE SKETCHBOOK PROJECT WITH CERTAIN GOALS, OR WAS IT MORE OF AN EXPERIMENTAL EXPERIENCE?

I have always doodled on all sorts of paper and in sketchbooks, but with The Sketchbook Project I tried to create a story, make something more solid. A sort of journey. It was a wonderful experiment.

WHAT DOES YOUR ARTISTIC PROCESS ENTAIL? ARE THERE CERTAIN INSPIRATIONS YOU HOLD DEAR, OR MATERIALS YOU CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT?

I try to combine drawing with printmaking, so I really couldn’t be without my stamping pads. I am also a huge fan of audio books and find them perfect to listen to while drawing. As I tend to draw strange animals, I prefer to be in the company of cats. Their personalities are the best source of inspiration.

ARE THERE CERTAIN THEMES THAT RECUR THROUGHOUT YOUR WORK? DESCRIBE ANY VISUAL OR CONCEPTUAL ELEMENTS THAT YOU FIND CENTRAL TO YOUR PROCESS.

My main inspiration is religious art and weird animals. Also mysticism and surrealism. A strange combination, perhaps, but it works for me. I often draw that peculiar moment when two creatures meet for the first time, and each is so surreal and strange to the other. A kind of curiosity and skepticism at the same time.

HOW DOES YOUR PERSONAL BACKGROUND OR GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION TIE INTO YOUR ARTISTIC PRACTICE?

I have extreme periods of insomnia, and that is what taught me how to draw. For years I only drew animals or people being asleep, and it really comforted me. As I live in northern Sweden, it is very difficult for me to sleep during the summer, due to the midnight sun, so I find nighttime to be the best time for art.