This 20” Os octagon tray was painted in 2006 using JoSonja acrylics. It is basically a geometric design, but I used many different kinds of flowers so the cartouche is actually asymmetrical. The scene is based on a photo I saw of Os in the late 1800’s.
Os is located in the Hordaland fylke (district) south of Bergen. Johannes Johannessen Tveiteras (1762-1842), originally from Sweden, was one of the first rosemalers from this area. Nils Tveiteras Midhus (1795-1875), one of his two sons, moved to Os in 1820 where he developed his own distinctive style. He combined Telemark elements with geometric designs and old Hordaland motifs. His son, Annanias Midthus Tveit (1847-1924) further developed the tradition with great creativity and love of color. Rosemaling was late blooming in this area and didn’t reach its peak until the turn of the 20th Century.
I based this design on the work of Annanias M. Tveit. The design starts out geometric, but I incorporated many different kinds of Os flowers in the cartouche to make it an asymmetrical design. Black along with white, red and medium value blue were used for background colors.
The packet includes five pages of instructions, five enlarged photographs and the line drawing.
