Bodil Porse
Aarhus, Denmark
Website
wwwbodilporse.dk
Social Media
Instagram
How would you describe your work?
I work with oil and acrylic on canvas, and my process shifts between the intuitive and the deliberate. I explore moments from everyday life—quiet, still situations where nothing much needs to happen. Memories surface and fade again. I focus on emotions, human and social connections, and the psychological space within a painting.
Portraits, intimacy, the present moment, the movement of time, and especially the interplay of colors are central to my work. I often transform backgrounds and surroundings from something realistic into a more abstract or subtle expression. I do this through color, pattern, and painterly gestures, so that the atmosphere resonates with—or contrasts—the moods within the painting itself.
In this way, the visual experience is shifted somewhere else, reinforcing and amplifying the narrative.
What inspires you?
I’m inspired by situations where people meet and something unexpected happens. Encounters with people who are at peace with themselves—or struggling with something. Relationships of all kinds.
Feelings. Nature. A good book. Inspiring conversations about philosophy, worldviews, and life itself. Visiting exhibitions. Studying art books and exploring how great artists approach painterly challenges in their own ways, and the subjects they choose.
Teaching painting and watercolor inspires me enormously, because it places me in the process in a completely different way—it’s no longer about my own work, but about others. I’ve learned that I can often see challenges more clearly when I teach, and I discover different ways they can be solved. That inspiration feeds back into my own practice
Can you say something about your process?
I take a lot of photographs, and I almost always use them as a source of inspiration. My process is not just about the final visible result, but equally about the many decisions made along the way: the choice of subject, the thickness of the paint, the palette, brushstrokes, composition, and the structure of the image. I usually begin by giving the canvas a base color, then sketching the subject to set a framework that supports the expression and composition I want to achieve. Throughout the process, I reflect on how each choice shapes both the content and the visual language, so the painting gains multiple layers of meaning and can “speak” for itself.
Many of my work centers around portraits, relationships, and familiar surroundings, often featuring people close to me. What fascinates me most is presence and intimacy—the here and now, and everything that unfolds within and between people. I want to explore how emotions like solitude, togetherness, community, well-being, care, attachment, kinship, attraction, and difference can be expressed through color, form, pattern, and other painterly tools. My ongoing goal is to capture moods and feelings in a way that allows them to be experienced visually through the painting itself.
How did you become interested in art?
Both my parents were very creative—in handicrafts, music, and art—and this had a big impact on me. I’ve drawn, painted, played music, and acted in theater for as long as I can remember. As a teenager I was convinced I would become an actor. I loved theater and played in amateur productions until I joined drama school, which was a wonderful experience.
In my late twenties, I attended an art school for six months, and I completely fell in love with painting. For a few years I worked with both theater and visual art, but gradually painting took over. I went on to study fine art at the Aarhus Art Academy.
Theater and visual art have both given me great joy and fulfillment. The difference is that as a painter, you work alone until you exhibit your works, and then the paintings must live their own lives. As an actor, you bring yourself—physically and mentally—into every performance, as if it were happening “for the first time” all over again.
Do you have some favorite artists, films, books or quotes?
I have many favorite artists, but if I must limit myself to those I am most inspired by right now, they are Pierre Bonnard, Henri Matisse, Edvard Munch, Peter Doig, Azadeh Ardalal, Tracey Emin, and Poul Anker Beck. Books I love and return to: Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese and Books by Niels E. Nielsen.
I love this: “LIFE IS LIVED FORWARDS, BUT UNDERSTOOD BACKWARDS,” a quote by the Danish philosopher and theologian Søren Kierkegaard.
What advice do you have for younger artists?
Follow your curiosity and your own path, even if it sometimes feels uncertain. Work a lot, experiment, and don’t be afraid of making mistakes – they are part of the process and often lead to new discoveries. Try not to compare yourself too much with others but instead focus on what you want to express and explore.
Seek inspiration in art, literature, nature, and in encounters with other people, but remember that your own voice is the most important. Be patient, because developing as an artist often takes time, and allow yourself to enjoy the process – not only the finished result.
Believe in your work, dare to show it, and share it with others.
