Åse's thoughts on her patterns

All my patterns have a story, and they all begin with me and my thoughts.

I love color and form. It is my passion. I draw so much inspiration from nature and from my work – my work is not just my work, it is my life.

It is curiosity that drives me. A quiet wondering about how a certain color combination might look.

I spend a great deal of my time thinking about combinations in my mind, often while surrounded by the clutter in my room. I sort through my patterns and imagine how they might change, how a pattern could perhaps belong somewhere else. An ongoing process that I always carry with me.

When ideas for a new pattern begin to take shape, I start with a sketch-like draft, and then translate it into squares on paper. The digital stage comes later in my process, almost entirely at the final stage when the form is set. Then it becomes a matter of sensing and considering… staying… removing… altering in my own way, in my world of colors. That is when I am in my own bubble.

I love seeing Öjbro Vantfabrik's patterns on people, with people. I feel so proud and happy when I see my patterns in their homes. The patterns take on another life, a bigger life, a truly tangible life. They are born on my drawing table and then go on to live lives of their own. A truly magical feeling, difficult to describe.

Sometimes I pinch myself – it feels so big and unreal that people choose my patterns. I feel so fortunate and deeply grateful. To me, a pattern is never an isolated object, but part of a context.

Creating patterns with a long lifespan is, I believe, my most important contribution to a more beautiful and greener world. It is my passion. I feel grounded in our Nordic cultural heritage.

When I create my new folkloric patterns, I do so together with those who came before me.