Art at the Edge of Light: Sunnmøre’s Fjords & Human Rhythms

Circadian Rhythm: Where Landscape Meets Biology

Living and working in Sunnmøre on the west coast of Norway, I am surrounded by a landscape where light changes dramatically throughout the year. Long summer evenings, short winter days, and mountains that cast deep shadows across the fjord shape not only the landscape but also the rhythm of everyday life.

My ongoing Circadian Rhythm series explores the relationship between these changing light conditions and the human body. Combining traditional printmaking with an interest in biology, I investigate how natural light, hormones, and our internal biological rhythms influence the way we experience the world.

Rather than illustrating science, these works use landscape and anatomy as visual metaphors for the invisible systems that connect us to our environment.

Light, Hormones, and the Body's Internal Clock

Every day, light enters the eye and provides information that helps regulate our circadian rhythm—the internal biological clock that influences sleep, alertness, hormone production, body temperature, and many other physiological processes.

Growing up in the Netherlands and later moving to western Norway made me particularly aware of how differently light is experienced at northern latitudes. Here, the changing seasons transform both the landscape and the quality of daylight. Winter mornings arrive slowly behind the mountains, while summer evenings seem to continue long after the sun has disappeared.

These observations became the starting point for this body of work.

My background in radiography has further shaped my fascination with anatomy and the hidden structures that sustain life. Through printmaking, I bring together scientific observation and poetic interpretation, creating artworks that connect the visible landscape with the invisible processes taking place within the body.

The Works

Melatonin

Inspired by the winter sunrise seen from my studio, Melatonin explores the relationship between daylight and the body's sleep-wake cycle. The landscape becomes more than scenery—it becomes an active participant in the biological rhythms that influence our wellbeing.

Growth Hormone

During sleep, growth hormone plays an essential role in repair and regeneration. In this work, a poppy from my garden becomes a symbol of rest, renewal, and the quiet biological activity that continues while we sleep.

Oxytocin

Oxytocin considers another aspect of human biology: connection. Often associated with trust, bonding, and care, the hormone becomes intertwined with the mountain landscape, suggesting that belonging is shaped not only by relationships with people but also by our relationship with place.

Om å henge saman

The Norwegian title Om å henge saman can be understood as both to hold together and to belong together. Constructed by weaving three woodcut prints into a single installation, the work brings together the central ideas of the series.

The woven structure creates physical connections between separate images while symbolising the invisible networks that link landscape, biology, memory, and human experience. The technique itself becomes part of the meaning: individual elements gain strength through connection.

Traditional Printmaking

The Circadian Rhythm series is created using traditional colour woodcut and mezzotint techniques.

Working with layered colour printing, puzzle construction, and hand-mixed gradients allows the image to develop gradually. The slow process reflects the themes explored in the work—growth, transition, adaptation, and the continuous movement between different biological and environmental states.

Every print is carved and handprinted in my studio in Sunnmøre using professional archival materials. Each edition is signed, numbered, and produced in small quantities, making every impression an original work of art.

Landscape as a Living System

The mountains, fjords, and gardens surrounding my studio are not simply subjects to be depicted. They are living systems that shape daily life and continually remind us that humans remain part of nature.

Through the Circadian Rhythm series, I invite viewers to consider these often-overlooked relationships—between light and hormones, landscape and physiology, science and emotion, and the rhythms that quietly connect all living things.

Explore the Circadian Rhythm Series here :