Solberg grew up in a small fishing town on the Norwegian coast, and spent several years working seasonally on boats before turning to painting full-time. The sea, in her work, isn't depicted so much as translated — broad, physical brushwork standing in for swell, current, and changing light, without horizon lines or literal detail. She often mixes her own paint in small batches to get exactly the right density and sheen, working quickly in a single sitting to capture the feeling of conditions shifting in real time. She still splits her year between her studio and time on the water, and says the two are directly connected. "I don't paint from memory," she says. "I paint from what being out there still feels like in my arms."
Solberg grew up in a small fishing town on the Norwegian coast, and spent several years working seasonally on boats before turning to painting full-time. The sea, in her work, isn't depicted so much a...


