fred andkjar

Fred Andkjar is a still-life painter whose passion for flowers is expressed in his exquisite floral paintings. The journey of Andkjar’s paintings begins in the garden. Fred and his wife Helga, also an artist, are lifelong gardeners. He selects and hand picks each flower that he paints. The painting process begins with studies. Andkjar observes the shapes of the flowers, their individual petals, the way light hits each one, establishing color and value. When the studies are complete, Andkjar uses true gesso, layered and hand sanded, to build a smooth and refined surface on his panels.

A charcoal sketch establishes a beginning composition. Andkjar’s colors for his floral paintings are created by his own limited palette. Each oil color is mixed and recorded, and often put in his own empty tubes, labeled and ready to be used. His understanding of pigments and their individual properties is comprehensive.

Andkjar’s process of painting is then to build each flower in the painting, adding and subtracting brushstrokes of pigment, along with sheer glazes, creating overall rich and subtle shifts in color and value. Andkjar's vibrant paintings often take months to complete.

Andkjar states, “Flowers are different. It’s a matter of accumulation, of studying, of interpreting. You have to make your own interpretation…a style; but you need the floral knowledge in order to produce the desired effect.”

Andkjar’s history with flowers was also a part of his career as a textile designer. His specialty was florals—and several of his designs were best sellers in the industry. Andkjar retired to become a full-time oil painter.

He lives in upstate New York with his wife Helga, surrounded and inspired by the nature around their studios. They have two children: Eric Andkjar, a designer/inventor, and Elise Andkjar Freda, a painter.