Hi Kerstin! Tell us a little about your life and your experience with art.
—My name is Kerstin Lekholm, and I’ve been retired for several years now. My interest in art and painting has been with me since I was young.

After finishing high school, I trained as a primary school teacher at the Teacher Training College in Gothenburg and worked as a teacher for several years. When I was almost 40, I changed careers and was accepted into the conservation program at the University of Gothenburg, specializing in paper conservation. My special interest was art and painting.

Today, the conservation program includes both science and art-related subjects, such as chemistry, physics, material science, art history, cultural history, color theory, and conservation techniques in various fields. I did my internship at the National Gallery of Denmark in Copenhagen, where I worked with the conservation and restoration of paintings on paper. I earned my bachelor’s degree in 1996, and my thesis focused on an 18th-century Chinese hand-painted wallpaper, the Gustavsberg wallpaper, which is one of many wallpapers brought to Sweden by the Swedish East India Company.

At the same time, I also studied art and visual culture at the University of Gothenburg while working at a regional conservation studio. There, I handled the conservation of prints, watercolors, drawings, and wallpapers.

In 2000, I was hired as a conservator at the Röhsska Museum, where I was responsible for the care and preservation of the museum’s extensive collection of design and craft objects of all kinds. My work included setting up new storage facilities, organizing the collections, and preparing objects for exhibitions and loans.

During my time at the Röhsska Museum, I received a scholarship to travel to Japan. For five weeks, I worked at the Mari Yamaryo Conservation Studio in Tokyo, where I learned more about Japanese paper and conservation methods. In Japan, there are still a few traditional paper mills high up in the mountains that continue to produce paper in the same way they have for hundreds of years.

By then, I had already started delving into the Röhsska Museum’s large collection of Japanese woodblock prints and eventually wrote a book about them.

The Japanese woodblock prints that arrived in Europe in the 1860s were a major inspiration for artists such as the French Impressionists—Manet, Monet, Toulouse-Lautrec, Degas, and others. Monet himself had a collection of over 200 woodblock prints. Even Carl Larsson had a collection of Japanese prints, which can still be seen on a wall in Sundborn.

Throughout my years working in art and cultural history, while raising a family, I always dreamed of having more time to paint. I’ve taken several watercolor courses at different art schools over the years, but there were long gaps in between. As a conservator, I often worked with the restoration and retouching of murals and other artworks, which gave me a lot of practice in mixing and matching different shades of color.

How did you discover FAA/Sweden?
—Through my sister-in-law in Skåne, who told me about Florence Academy in Mölndal. She had taken a portrait painting course with Gustav Sundin in Båstad.

What kind of art do you appreciate, and what do you enjoy creating yourself?
—I appreciate paintings from many different artists and time periods. Some of my favorites are Italian Renaissance artists like Sandro Botticelli, Fra Angelico, and Filippo Lippi. I also love the French Impressionists, especially Claude Monet and Auguste Renoir.

There are also many fascinating and skilled artists from around the turn of the 20th century, such as Harriet Backer, Albert Edelfelt, and Anders Zorn. Since discovering Florence Academy, I’ve been primarily painting in oils, and I want to keep learning and exploring that technique. At home, I like to set up still lifes and try to capture them using the methods I’ve learned at Florence Academy.

Can you tell us about the courses you have taken?
—I’ve taken several short courses (about 3–5 days) at Florence Academy. The first one was a portrait painting course with Gustav Sundin. That’s also where I met Michael DeVore, who helped me refine my portrait by guiding me in adding shadows and highlights.

I’ve also taken two different floral painting courses, a still-life painting course, and a drawing course focused on portraiture. Every course has been incredibly rewarding! I’ve had four different teachers, all highly professional, skilled, and encouraging. You can come in as a complete beginner, at any age, and get all the help you need. It’s such a welcoming and supportive environment!

What about the learning experience at FAA?
—At Florence Academy, you learn how to build a painting from the ground up, starting with the underpainting and layering colors. The method involves using a limited palette to achieve a wide range of tones. I’ve learned a structured approach to starting a painting and developing my technique. It’s an amazing school where you gain so much knowledge, even in a short course.

Anything else you would like to share about the school and your experience?
—What makes the school unique is its focus on traditional, thorough training in drawing and painting—treating painting as a craft. The instructors are highly skilled and incredibly supportive.

Walking into the studios and seeing what the full-time students create is truly impressive. The level of artistry is exceptional!