Rolf Hellem

"The Turk" oil painting, realist portrait of a bearded man with pipe and red fez

2023

Artist Bio: I was born in Narvik, Norway in 1998 and was raised living part time in the north of Norway and part time in the tropical climate of Anna Maria Island, Florida. At the age of 11 I started painting after my uncle introduced me to some art in a surfing magazine. At the age of 19 I moved to Florence, Italy to study classical art for 6 years. Now I am based out of Florence and I make art for a living. Growing up my grandfather would tell me incredible stories; Viking sagas, world history, stories of his trips into the mountains and across the world. He was an inspirational storyteller. I believe he instilled in me a deep passion to tell my own stories, to go out into the world and search for them on my own. What for him was oral story telling is for me visual story telling. Therefore, my mission as an artist is to let my brushes guide me to discovering my own language. With paint and some pencils, I wish to explore different cultures, philosophy, the past, and my relationship to it all. I tend to speak quite monotone but color and brushstrokes let me tell a more vibrant story.