The flight of a bird is its momentum, the natural manner by which it travels between locations. Humans have other means at their disposal. We can escape ourselves and question our very existence. We are not content with our natural environment and is constantly looking for ways to improve it. However, if we stop for a moment and look around, there is so much to discover. Vast natural beauty still cover our planet — much greater areas than most of us are aware of. I want to paint that.

I worked in Hawaii for some years. The experience made me ponder the real meaning of the word “exotic.” The longer I stayed on the islands, the more distant the nature of the North felt. The colorful environment of Hawaii, with its different birdlife, gradually grew more familiar, while the image of Scandinavia turned exiting and exotic in my mind. Since birds were always fascinating to me, they became the intermediary through which I explored nature and how we view it.

After moving back to Sweden, I brought a notion of everything being new; scanning the surroundings with eyes of a newcomer. Through my work, I have tried to illuminate Nordic wildlife anew. I want to spotlight the uniqueness of every individual and their place in the creation — especially the more common species and in particular those we offhandedly call nuisance birds. My standpoint is that all creatures have an absolute value, regardless of numbers and locale.