“Colours are my earliest memories,” says Stavanger-based artist, Kristin Holm Dybvig.

“For instance, I can clearly picture playing in the fascinating tide pools on the west coast where I spent my childhood summer holidays, the walls of the pools were decorated with Coraline algae painting the rock beautifully pink in vivid contrast to the light green seaweed waving lazily in the stream. The inhabitants were surprisingly diverse, like the multitudes of periwinkles, dark red anemones, bright pink starfish and lively fry that made for excellent playmates.”

I could end this memory with: The sky was bright and blue and the ocean glittering in the sun, but since this is the West coast of Norway that would probably at best be a half-truth.

This profound connection with colours has shaped Kristin’s life’s work, allowing her to express herself with a clarity that transcends words.

“My work is about communication,” she insists. “I lift flashbacks onto paper and express myself through hues that speak louder than words could ever do.”

Stavanger, a city nestled between the open landscapes of Jæren and the enclosed fjords, offers a dichotomy of nature that deeply influences Kristin’s art. Through her engagement with colour, her work is also a reflection of the magnificent landscapes that have left an indelible mark on her life.

“My motives are based on memories of great views and beautiful nature,” she explains. “The landscapes here are a part of me. Each piece I create is a homage to these majestic views, a memory reborn through the silent language of colour. ”

The landscapes Kristin portrays are not mere representations of physical locations but “soulscapes”—abstract expressions of moods and inner landscapes that resonate with the viewer on a fundamental human level. Yet she sees them as telling the stories of ancient landscapes threatened by economic interests and shortsighted profit.

“My paintings are imbued by a hope that they can contribute to change,” she asserts, emphasising the role of art in environmental conservation.

Kristin’s concern for the environment is evident in her work ‘BRE (Glacier)’, for instance, which addresses the rapid and uncontrollable changes to nature due to climate change.  In this work, Kristin conveys the vulnerability and timelessness of landscapes that deeply affect her.

“Our glaciers are melting and becoming history,” she laments.

“I’m inspired by untouched nature and landscapes without traces of human activity. We have the responsibility to protect and manage it on behalf of future generations.

“Generations have stood here before us and taken in the same panorama as we do today—it’s a gift given unconditionally. But the pristine nature is increasingly destroyed and reduced. Will generations after us be able to stand and enjoy the same majestic views and feeling of timelessness?”

She engages with these questions through the process of creating art, which she sees as a journey involving lateral leaps and extensions to the colour palette.

“I use my work process to digest and understand events and experiences in my life,” she shares.

“The words to describe it all are found afterwards when I analyse what I went through in recreating the memory. My process is more a dance with colour, where each pigment partners in the waltz of creation.

“Colours always come first,” she continues. “I start new artworks by selecting the colours I want to use, looking for interesting combinations to express the particular atmosphere I want the artwork to convey.”

Kristin’s artistic process is both bold and contemplative. Some days she starts several artworks with clear intent, while other days involve reworking and redefining until the composition sings.

“I use sturdy cotton paper that tolerates a lot of changes,” she says. “Developing the motive, trying out different ideas, techniques, and colours to make the composition work is my favourite stage.”

Her medium of choice, soft pastels, allows for a direct and intimate expression of her vision.

“Pastel artworks fall into the category of drawing,” Kristin elucidates. “My artworks are simply made by moving, shaping, and blending the pure soft pastel pigments onto the paper’s surface using hands and fingers. They provide me with the best tools to capture the whole range of colours and the nuances needed to express the delicate transitions of the light.”

“The final stage is when it has found its form,” Kristin explains. “The memory, atmosphere, and motive supported by the palette become an interesting, intriguing, and independent artwork.”

Her upcoming exhibitions, ‘Interecci’ in Bologna and ‘The Colour of Water’ in Eidfjord, celebrate the memories and emotions that inspire her art. But while her work itself is often based on memory, she’s always looking ahead.

“I haven’t made my best work yet. I’m still thinking that it’s going to be the next one,” Kristin reveals with a hopeful tone.

“There are many artworks that are waiting to come to life on the paper, and many paths in front of me. There’s still much I would like to examine and try out; it’s difficult to choose which path to walk first.

“Art can reach everybody, it can be a mirror or a provocateur, it can make us remember, contemplate and convey important messages. Contemporary art is the purest human imprint of the present, as it has been through history. It gives a good picture of the times we live in and what is important right now. ”

As she looks to the future, Kristin is filled with anticipation for new opportunities that lie ahead.

“Art is a journey,” she says, “one that I am passionate about and one that I invite others to join.”