Layers, Memory and Surface

Layers, Memory, and Surface explores how the painted surface becomes a record of human experience. Just as our lives are built through accumulated moments, relationships, and transformations, Sjostrom's paintings are constructed through successive layers of paint. Each layer rests upon another, reflecting the way we live, learn, remember, and change over time.

Every painting begins with conversation. The stories, emotions, memories, and lived experiences shared by the individual become the foundation of the work. Rather than illustrating these narratives directly, Sjostrom translates them into color, texture, and material form. Dense impasto builds emotional weight and history, while scraping and excavation reveal traces of what came before. Earlier layers remain present beneath the surface, much as past experiences continue to shape who we become.

The surface itself becomes an active participant in the portrait. Thick passages, exposed layers, and translucent veils create a visual language of accumulation and revelation. Some moments remain visible, others partially obscured, reflecting the way memory is continuously revised, rediscovered, and reinterpreted throughout life.

The recurring rectangular motif functions as both container and threshold. It anchors the individual story while allowing it to expand beyond the personal into shared human experience. Through this process, the painting becomes more than an image, it becomes a material record of presence, memory, and transformation.