Who: My name is Solveig “GiGi” Sundhagen, and I am 74. I have been an artist all my life, but I became a self-taught painter in 2015. In the past I’ve sculpted with clay, made jewelry and designed clothes and accessories. I’m also a longtime activist for survivors of rape, sexual assault and sexual abuse; I was sexually abused by my mother and her boyfriend when I was about 8.
What: I paint with oil on canvas. The majority are 30 by 40 inches. I’ve always liked big jewelry and big stuff, so when I went to buy a canvas, I just bought a big one. My works are about my life: family, social work, suicide victims, trans people, travel, ballet, etc. They’re unfiltered expressions of my emotions and a way for me to process them. I see some of the same colors from my work when I look at Norwegian painters like Edvard Munch and Harriet Backer, though I may look more crude in comparison to Munch. The tragedy I see in a lot of this stuff is covered over and hidden with bright colors. You’re a mess, but you make everything look happy.
When: I was in my apartment in Bellevue, and I had a painting of the Mexican-American War hanging in the kitchen. All of a sudden, I went to the store and bought a little bit of paint in tiny tubes, got a brush and started painting. Over the next two years, I made 118 paintings. I was walking around in a trance. I don’t know what the heck it was. I didn’t know how to paint. I still haven’t taken a lesson. But I haven’t stopped. I went to a psychiatrist and she thought I’d always known how to paint, but that I’d disassociated myself because of what had happened to me when I was young. I don’t know. It feels like somebody is painting through me.
Where: I was born in Oslo, Norway. I lived in Australia, where I became active in social issues, neighborhood watch and court reform. I later moved back and forth between San Diego, Chicago and Bellevue for 20 years. I retired from my job as marketing director for a talent agency in Seattle in 2013. After I started painting, I decided to find an artist community because I wanted to learn more and being around other artists helps me get inspired. I have a friend who lives in an “artspace” loft in Seattle, but they have a six-year waiting list. I moved into the Artspace Everett Lofts in 2017. I hang my paintings on the wall with stick pins. I have over 100 on display in my loft, 14 downstairs in the lobby and about the same in the hallways.
Why: Art is my bandage. It feels like cuddling in a soft place without sharp angles. I feel compelled to do it. I don’t think about anything else while I’m painting, except for maybe what I should mix a paint with. Sometimes I’ll sit here after I’m finished and think, “I did this?” I’m not sure how I feel about it, other than I know that when I’m doing it, I’m painless.
How: I just go up to the canvas and stand there for a minute, then I pick up some paint and start. I don’t know what the heck I’m doing. I just want to paint. Sometimes the paintings take me a couple hours, or a few months.
Favorite piece: I made “My Family” right after I started painting. It depicts myself, the father of my children and our five kids going somewhere, but I’m not sure where. The mood is sad and controlled. I’m in the background doing what I always did, saying “It’s going to be fine,” because he (the father) was irritated. I painted it in more of a crude fashion, almost childish, with bright greens and reds. I felt a smidgen of freedom and peace.
This interview has been edited for clarity.
An artist on exhibit
This story is part of an occasional series in which local artists share the Who, What, When, Where, Why and How on their creative careers — plus the story behind their favorite original artwork. Do you know an artist worthy of a feature in the Good Life section? Email features@heraldnet.com.
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