There are many successful Wildlife artists in the world -but there are few prolific artists.
Wildlife art is the oldest form of expression we have. The interaction between man and nature, between nature as a living and observed experience and mans longing for being part of the same weave.
Nordanger is an artist with sculpture as her primary expression. Nordanger brings forth the superlatives! Reminiscent of the truly great wildlife artists, particularly in the school of Italian sculptor Rembrandt Buggatti (+1916) Nordanger finalizes the essence, the metaphoric, the grand and monumental in even the smallest pieces and with astute observation she captures the nerve in the subject observed.

After leaving her home country of Norway, from the country side of Bergen to the great planes of the Western United States where she studied sculpture she then returned with her beloved horses and family to once again settle in the small rural municipality of Snåsa - where she lives and works today. Nordanger is almost a "hidden gem" - the sort of artist you look and hope to meet "before they make it big". Simply, her work reverberates confidence, theres is no fear in the application of clay, there is an absolute understanding of the underlying anatomy and this is carefully balanced with the ability to sculpt, the ability to metaphorically give the observer an understanding of the very nature of the animal observed, the behavior, the nerve.

The Sporting Life traditions of American wildlife art was founded on european painters and sculptors. In the new world, American artists identified themselves and their young nation through the every day interaction with nature. European Equine art was quickly adopted by many american artists - but to todays observer, it is perhaps the more folksom art of country life, hunting ducks on marshes or stalking deer - that spring to mind as the signature wildlife art of america. Nordanger has set out on a path where with the ballast of continental european traditional sculpture and being true the origins of her observation, she works with subjects that are scandinavian. With the exception of a few works, Nordanger seeks out and observes the animals in her back yard, the nature that is close. She doesn't romanticize the subjects, she seeks the essence of the animals presence. In what traditionally are subjects for "folk art", moose, bears, forrest birds - Nordanger has found her "Norwegian nature".
The subjects are very much a part of the everyday life of people living in the countryside of norway. The pragmatic, no-nonsense approach to nature that is scandinavian -akin to a people who still live "in touch with nature". The animals and nature of scandinavia are still mythical, wolverines, bears, wolves, moose - all are animals that are found in their natural circumstance. Europes cultivated nature, farmed wildlife and the teary-eyed approach that many europeans have to nature are a far cry from the northern countries. Therefore her subjects bare no romantic ideas, no cry for help, just a truthful reincarnation in bronze of the nerve of the animal.

I believe that Nordanger has the capacity and capability to become a prolific modern day norwegian sculptor in the traditions of wildlife art. Norwegian Sporting Life is deeply ingrained in norwegian culture, from sportsfishing to the annual exodus into the mountains in search of red deer, reindeer, moose and perhaps more than anything -grouse -these are cultural activities that very much define the Norwegian Experience. Part of this experience id the observation of it - and that is what Nordanger does best. In my opinion, - a rising star.


Marek Grande Tachezy
AD,
09.12.2011

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