WorkArt & Culture

Scandinavian innocent maidens float in fantasy worlds

Kari-Lise Alexander’s expressive work explores themes rooted in her Scandinavian heritage. Innocent maidens float in worlds of their own making, often losing themselves in their own daydreams.

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All images courtesy of the artist

All images courtesy of the artist

At a young age, Kari-Lise was always experimenting with paints, pencils, pastels and anything else she could get her hands on. In 2000 she studied Fine Art for two semesters but left college to pursue other interests. It wasn’t until the spring of 2009 that her heart led her back to painting and she hasn’t stopped since.

Working from her home studio in Seattle, Kari-Lise creates paintings that captivate the viewer. Her work often reflects the Norwegian folk art of rosemaling. This traditional art is given a contemporary feel in many of Kari-Lise’s paintings as it wraps and entwines itself within the composition, sometimes floating like a ghost as if it were an ancestral reminder. Find out more on her website.

A woman with long silver hair gazes at a brown bear surrounded by squirrels in a meadow of blue flowers against a muted textured background
A pale-skinned woman with braided white hair sits cross-legged, holding a glass vase of blue flowers and green stems as insects swarm around her against a blue textured background
Woman in flowing dress sits within a glass dome surrounded by bare branches, with small animals at her feet and a misty forest background
Woman with long lavender hair emerging from water surrounded by lotus flowers and dragonflies in a dreamlike composition
Pale-skinned woman with flowing grey-green hair featuring two white polar bears nestled within the strands, against a muted blue-grey background
Profile of a woman with braided hair holding a small decorative horse, with ornamental flourishes in the background
A pale-faced girl with white hair adorned with berries and branches wears a grey wolf and blue birds on her head in a whimsical portrait painting
Seated figure with legs crossed, cradling an intricate tree-filled castle sculpture where her head would be, adorned with blue birds and flowering branches against a starry backdrop
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