Customer Reviews

Aarseth's Rosemaling Design

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This is a must have for the serious student of rosemaling, especially in the Telemark style. Edwards and Aarseth have done a great job in putting out a quality product.

This book has wonderful pictures from which to study. Aarseth is one of the rosemalers out there and why not study from one of the best?

I really like to "folksy" feel to the book; after reading it, one will feel as though Aarseth is a friend. He shares keen and sometimes poetic insights to the art of rosemaling, the nature of Norway and how the two come together.

One will learn about suggested supplies, color, painting traditional wet-on-wet, what makes a good design, help with picking out the right brushes to use and how to make the brushes give the desired strokework, wood pieces, and design. Aarseth also gives sound advice for the future of this beautiful art form.

This is the long-awaited Rosemaling book featuring Sigmund Aarseth, one of Norway's most knowlegeable Rosemalers. He and Diane Edwards (also a very accomplished Rosemaler) have crafted a unique combination of historical reference, how-to instruction and beautiful examples of canvases and unique Rosemaled items.

Sigmund, in his endearing style, presents his technique and thoughts that help guide the serious Rosemaler. He discusses what are traditional vs. non-traditional techniques and gives some of his own tips which he has learned over the many decades of Rosemaling himself. Included are numerous pictures showing Sigmund's painting style. There are also step-by-step pictures of several of his more complex scroll strokes and designs.

A special treat are the many canvases that Sigmund painted especially for this book. In each one, he analyzes his approach and what he was thinking when he produced each scroll. The palette colors for each canvas are given and Sigmund explains his sequence in developing the overall design.

From large rooms -- ceilings and walls -- full of Rosemaled designs, to small unique trunks and smaller Rosemaled pieces, this book covers this unique and historical art form from the perspective of one of the world's greatest Rosemalers.

With over 60 pages of color pictures, this book is a must have for the serious Rosemaler.

I bought this book after a trip to Norway, where I was enthralled by the way Norwegians had decorated their homes with beautiful paintings right on the walls and furniture. The description of the book states that it covers strokes. It does, but in a way that would benefit mostly people who already know the basics of folk painting and want to expand their abilities. I think I will order Diane Edwards' book for young people and start at the beginning.