Artist of the Month is a monthly interview series where Tegnerforbundet introduces a member who is represented with artwork in our Sales Department. With this initiative, we want to give readers an insight into the members' artistic work and highlight the importance of drawing in their work.
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Anders Wunderle Solhøy is an artist with a diverse background in architecture, illustration and art. His drawings reveal an ability to observe and convey details, whether in vast landscapes or in the small, everyday objects that surround us. His eye captures not only the obvious, but also the humorous and bizarre details that can easily be overlooked by others.
Solhøy demonstrates an impressive technical skill in his works, with a distinctive line technique that combines precision and playfulness. His line drawing method incorporates detailed and carefully crafted elements alongside open, sketchy lines, giving a sense of movement and depth to the compositions. The subtle treatment of color in Solhøy's work reveals a similar attention to detail. By allowing certain parts of the image to shine through in color while others remain in black and white, he creates a dynamic contrast that captures the viewer's attention.
After working in Japan for a few years, he now lives in Bergen. Solhøy is a new member of Tegnerforbundet and we warmly welcome him.
TF: Hi Anders. Welcome as a new member of Tegnerforbundet. Can you tell us a little about your artistic work?
AWS: I was trained as an architect but dreamed of becoming a cartoonist as a child after being captivated by the comics of Albert Uderzo and Don Rosa, and the cartoony look has stayed with me ever since. Through my architectural studies, I found new ways to use drawing and was introduced to drafting architects like Alvaro Siza and Kazuyo Sejima, and how they use simple but precise lines to build up drawings to make them spatial.
My artwork consists mainly of ink drawings made with thin fineliner pens, rarely thicker than 0.15 - 0.2 mm. I also use certain motifs as a starting point for producing silkscreen prints, which allows for further experimentation with different formats and colors, and it is these prints that I sell the most. I have exhibited individual drawings in galleries in Bergen and Trondheim, but I hope to exhibit more of them together in the future, as many of them belong together as a series.
After a few years as a practicing architect, I have spent the last couple of years teaching drawing to architecture students at NTNU. The academic environment there, and working with the students, has provided an enormous creative boost and the opportunity to devote even more time to drawing.
TF: Why do you draw? Tell us a bit about your work process!
AWS: Basically, I draw to express ideas, but really the process itself gives me more than actually completing drawings, and time is an important factor in my drawing process. The thin pens don't cover large areas and it takes hours and days to fill the sheet with repetitive movements. The pen's ink is also irreversible, so there's no chance to change your mind - once a line is drawn on the paper, it's there to stay. This means that a lot of time is spent going back and forth on what the next step in the drawing should be, because I rarely have a clear plan before I start. But once a decision has been made, there can be long periods of free flow and scribbling in the form of dense lines.
I usually sketch the large contours, as well as the most intricate details, in pencil before drawing over them in pen, but a lot is also drawn directly in pen freehand. Cross-hatching is definitely the most time-consuming, but it's also the most meditative part of the process. I try to avoid rushing the process and let each drawing take its time - some drawings can take a week, while others sit on my desk for years before they are finished.
TF: Can you name any cartoonists/illustrators who inspire you?
AWS: I could probably name many, but beyond those I've already mentioned, I'm very inspired by Swiss cartoonist Jared Muralt, who in turn has a lot in common with French artist Mœbius - two artists from whom I've picked up many useful drawing conventions. In this country, I have always been enthralled by the dynamism and humor of Bendik Kaltenborn, who expresses an infectious joy of drawing, and Danny Larsen, who conjures up incredible motifs through enormous patience. The depth and mood of Kittelsen's drawings and the everyday beauty of Harriet Backer's paintings are also works that I keep returning to (without comparison, by the way).
Otherwise, I'm always very inspired by seeing old intaglio prints, which have a lightness and precision of line that I strive for in my drawings. One of the most inspiring acquaintances I've made in recent years is when I discovered the Japanese artist Kiyoshi Hasegawa, who himself worked a lot with mezzotint. I lived for several years in Hasegawa's hometown, Yokohama, and became familiar with his work, which was also strongly influenced by the French, as he moved to Paris as a young man. In particular, a series of prints and pencil drawings he made of windows made a lasting impression on me, both in terms of drawing technique, but also the motif itself, which can be interpreted as a kind of first-person perspective.
TF: What themes concern you as an artist?
AWS: I am largely inspired by everyday situations, and to highlight the common and unspectacular. With this as a basis, I like to let my ideas guide the process and spice up the drawing with pop culture or personal references. If you boil it down to a single theme that interests me, it's probably our surroundings and how we relate to them. This is probably one of the reasons why I find first person perspective and having a first person present in the subject so exciting. I usually try to create drawings with a touch of humor, nostalgia and melancholy, but thematically they are usually fairly light-hearted.
TF: Why do you want to become a member of Tegnerforbundet? What does such a membership mean?
AWS: I wanted to join Tegnerforbundet because it is an organization that promotes and highlights drawing specifically as an art form, and provides a common platform for illustrators, cartoonists, visual artists, etc.
The greatest motivation, however, is to be part of an inspiring and talented community of artists, backed by an organization that facilitates the display and sale of work and the artistic development of its members.
Several of Tegnerforbundet's members are artists I have looked to for inspiration for a number of years, and the association as a platform constantly introduces me to new and exciting artists through Tegnerbiennalen and other exhibitions. Tegnerforbundet demonstrates a fantastic breadth of techniques and stylistic expressions, and helps to expand my own understanding of what drawings are and can be.
TF: Tell us a little about your work in Tegnerforbundet's sales department!
AWS: 'Lucky' is based on the movie of the same name, which was actor Harry Dean Stanton's last, and was released after his death. The movie is about a 90-year-old man's reflection on life and death, and how he reluctantly has to accept his own old age. In the scene I've drawn, he's looking down a staircase, but the camera angle and lighting make it look like he's looking down into the abyss, with stoic calm. It was initially the lighting and the colors that made me want to draw this scene, and gave me an excuse to do something different from my usual monochrome drawings.
The motif "Vidde" is taken from Finse, and is part of a series of first-person perspectives. The drawing depicts the seemingly endless expanse that unfolds on the Finse plateau. How to orientate oneself in the directionless is also a theme. In many ways, this is a tribute to my father, who was a biologist, orienteer and generally a man of nature, and who took us on several great trips to Finse when we were growing up.
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See available works by Ander Wunderle Solhøy in the online shop.
