Rosemaling the Beautiful Norwegian Art
Thousands of people have learned rosemaling from Helen Elizabeth (Bowman) Blanck (1915-1988), both from her books and in her classes. Her rosemaling studies started in 1971 at the Norwegian American Museum in Decorah, Iowa. In Sweden she studied folk painting with Hans Prins in Leksand and helped bring him to the American Swedish Institute to teach. She maintained studios in her home in Blaine, Minnesota, and at her summer cabin at Knife Lake near Mora, where she taught. She also taught at Kelly's Knife River Gallery on the North Shore and in Stockholm, Wisconsin. She had numerous commissions, and her work graces many products and gift items. Many private collectors also own pieces of her work.