Educational Media Reviews Online

Rosemaling is translated from Norwegian as "flower painting". In this program, Ethel Kvalheim discusses her life and experiences as she became an accomplished rosemaler. The Norwegian style of folk art is full of vibrant colors and beautiful floral patterns. The viewer listens as Kvalheim relays her early interest in the work, and how her painting has grown from simple utilitarian projects to more elaborate artistic endeavors.

The program consists of a collection of still photographs that show Kvalheim preparing her artistic space and creating a variety of paintings as the viewer listens to her voice tell her own story. There is valuable information regarding this style of painting, and basic biographical facts on Kvalheim, but the program is very brief. Therefore it does not provide an in depth look at the subject or the artist.

The photographs are good quality and appropriate. The narrative is clear and informative. However, the program might have been more effective with moving images. It would have been interesting to watch the paints being mixed and the thick brushstrokes being executed rather than photographs of these processes.

The program's producer, Jocelyn Riley, has developed an ambitious collection of videos dealing with women in the arts, providing first person accounts from a variety of creative individuals. However, because of the very specific focus and limited coverage of Ethel Kvalheim, Rosemaler, this program might only be appropriate for academic libraries supporting folk arts or oral history curricula.