Nordicwild: A touch of the wild Nordics

By Eva-Kristin U. Pedersen

Norwegian wildlife artist Anita f. Rasmussen Sletten has made a business out of her passion for art and her graphic design education.

“It’s just so enjoyable to see that people like what I do – it’s like a dream,” Anita Sletten says, smiling.

Smiling, by the way, is something Anita does quite a bit; it is difficult not to get contaminated by her optimistic outlook. Perhaps it is this spirit that brought the graphic designer to where she is now. Anita has managed to carve out a special niche for herself in the world of art and decoration.

A set of dinnerware in Nordicwild design. Photo: Nordicwild

From large canvases to a tiny fox

Smile at the world and it smiles back, you might say. Yet, as with many things in life, it was all triggered by a crisis. Though a graphic designer by training, educated in Norway, the UK and France, Anita has always been fond of drawing and painting, a hobby of hers since she was 14.

To nurture her passion, she decided to take an art class and it turned out to be a good choice. Her work immediately received attention, and she started investing more time in her atelier, focusing mainly on large paintings on canvas. She also started teaching art classes for children, retirees and people suffering from dementia, something Anita says she benefits from almost as much as her students. “It’s something that brings a lot of joy, both to the students but also to me,” she underlines.

Anita paints pets on demand. Photo: Harlem Alexander

But then a family crisis forced her to change her habits. Her son went through a difficult time and needed his mother close. To continue painting, she had to make do with a small storage room at her son’s primary school.

Confined to a small space, Anita imagined the animals out in the wild. In particular, she saw a fox – and it stared straight back at her. “I felt like I looked straight into its soul,” she says. That fox made its way into her aquarelle painting – and took Anita´s work in an entirely new direction.

After exhibiting the aquarelle at a fair along with other animal paintings, Anita was proposed a collaboration where her paintings would be used for interior decoration items. The striking animal paintings became so popular that they were featured in the television series Eventyrlig Oppussing several times, and, as one thing often leads to another, she started receiving requests from several design companies, from Bohus to Magnor, Trend Design and others. Together with renowned interior designer Halvor Bakke, she has also designed the dinnerware collection Nostalgi.

This fox was the start of Nordicwild. Photo: Nordicwild

Nostalgic Norwegian culture

Today, her work is used for pillows, tablecloths, porcelain and other household items. The animals still dominate, but she also finds inspiration in nostalgic Norwegian culture. She also paints pets upon request. Moreover, Anita has been joined in her endeavour by her father, who writes texts to accompany some of the illustrations. “The ultimate goal is to be able to live of this full time, because I know how to do this and it’s what I love to do,” Anita says.

While her market has so far been Norwegians, especially those looking to decorate mountain cabins, tourists eager to bring home a piece of Norwegian nature are increasingly interested in Nordicwild. Anita also operates a web shop where all her merchandise can be ordered in the desired size and on different types of material. Eventually, she hopes to bring her talent to the international market as well.

Although her commercial adventures have been successful, Anita’s artistic career continues in parallel. Named Artist of the Year in Indre Østfold last year, her work was chosen for an exhibit called Dyrenes Vandreutstilling.

Nostalgic Norwegian culture is another source of inspiration. Photo: Nordicwild

Once an artist…

Anita also says that she tries to find time to work on the large canvases that she used to love, although she admits it can take up to a year to complete one single painting. In spite of the time required, she hopes to organise a solo exhibition in the coming years. “It’s about having long-term perspective,” she says and smiles again – a smile that does little to hide the passion and tenacity that drives her.