Ulla Bolin

born 1943 in Lund, lived in Örebro 1947-1963, university studies in Lund, MA in Geography, History and Civics in 1967 Sixth form teacher at the upper secondary school in Värnamo 1968-1996.

One daughter, Eva; three grandchildren, Erik, Carl, Johan, married to Björn Stigbrant.

Art studies with Gunnar Okner, artist, courses at the Gerleborg school and Falkenberg Art School.

"When I first got to know Ulla in the late 60s, she was a sixth form teacher with a vivid dream of becomimg an artist. After some years she became one of the students in the group which I taught drawing and painting. Right from the start she revealed a strong ambition and an irrepressible energy, not to say persistency, when it concerned achieving her high set targets by hard work. When she lately has shown her pieces of art , at a number of appraised exhibitions, her work has all the time been signified by a particularly personal style, relieved of every trend and external influence".

Skåne, June 1999 Gunnar Okner, artist

The artist speaks in pictures and it is easy to see what she depicts. I see people ,animals,landscapes with horses and trees, fruits and flowers,things I recognise from our own culture. In her world of pictures there are humans. Mostly women, but also men and children and a lot of animals, cats, cows, horses and a stubborn wasp chasing some dogs. I also finda bull and a dragon. Other animals are fish and birds. She also paints landscapes - large fields in yellow and red - sometimes with trees and horses or a flock of cows in an autumn field.

I notity that the artist works thematically - determined by culturally phenomena - where picturs and figures, action and surroundings are woven together to a significant totality. In the iconography the symbolism is less marked. Well known biblical subjects with Adam and Eve, Moses in the reeds, Jacob´s ladder, Josef, Maria and Jesus and Christ on the cross. Pictures wellknown for one who has read his bible and heard the stories.

Ulla Bolin´s pictures are suitable for interpretation - first step for further studies and information to try to find out what the pictures tell and express this in own words. Or to write down your thoughts about what you think the pictures represent. I think there are pedagogic and methodical thought in Ulla Bolin´s art.

She makes me understand that feelings also are a kind of knowledge. All experiences such as love, happiness and aggression affect us. Understanding, trust and happiness are in the picture "Lady with dog", "Tuliplady with dog", and in the animal world of the "Bolin`s Family". Agression can bee found in "My dogs" and "Wasp and Dog". The artist`s pictures have a social engagement and an insight in the feelings of people and animals.

Ulla Bolin works with several techniques such as oil, gouache, ink, embroidery and sculptures. She has rugs with decorative and ornamentally pictures. She says "the rugs are made by "Sculptures Rugs" in South Africa after my pictures. They are handmade in wool. Every rug is unique."

As I mentioned there are symbols and important elements in her art. Every object has its own charisma and meaning. This makes it easy to identify oneself in the role play going on with people and animals as actors. In traditional christian theology the disruption between the spiritual and the physical in the human nature is emphasized. Eastern and the occult religion emphasize the co-operation between body and soul. In most cultures the dog is a positive symbol for friendship and curage but alo virility.

Does Ulla Bolin depict reality? I see her pictures stylized mostly to sharp the message in the different pictures. Ulla Bolin is metaphorically conscious and has a delicat feeling for the motive and what is going on there. She has chosen to eliminate irrelevant objects in her pictures - such as perspective, light and shades. This decorative, vivid and archetypical art touches the observer.

I am truly impressed by her work. It is both playful and profound.

Bertil Wivhammar, art expert, 2008.