Danish artist captures the bold colours and essence of Andalucía

Most artists spend several years at art college or university in order to develop their techniques and perfect their creative talents, and once this is achieved, they then aspire to show their paintings in galleries or exhibitions in the hope of receiving fame and recognition. However, not all artists follow this practice, especially Bettina Eriksen, a self-taught artist who has lived on the Costa del Sol for more than 25 years. Bettina shies away from exhibitions, preferring to invite people to her studio in the centre of Fuengirola to view her work, and, although difficult to believe, she has had no training. She believes that her paintings convey the "joy of life, human will power, liberty, passion, sensuality and emotion". Her large Andalusian-theme canvases created with bold colours verify this.

Born in Denmark in 1965, it was Bettina's parents who persuaded her not to attend art college, for they feared it might alter or divert what they considered to be a natural gift.

"I have been an artist almost my entire life. Actually, it's been ever since I could hold a pencil in my hand. I never went to art college or university because my parents believed that I had a special talent. They thought that if I went to an art school it could change the way I paint, or change my technique, so I just found my own direction and went with the flow," Bettina tells SUR in English.

At the age of 12, the young artist won a painting competition, and two years later, she created, and sold, her first piece.

She was inspired by her "favourite" aunt, also a painter, who encouraged Bettina to "just be herself and to follow her natural instinct".

As a child, Bettina became obsessed with the colours of nature, taking home leaves that "danced in front of me" in order to try and perfectly recreate their colours with her palette. She financed the purchase of canvases, brushes and paints by delivering newspapers after school.

"When walking home from school, especially in the autumn, I was attracted to all the marvellous colours I saw around me. I would take flowers or leaves home and try to capture the exact colours of nature," she says.

Bettina was inspired to start painting bulls and flamenco dancers soon after arriving in Fuengirola in 1999. She had visited the coast on holiday more than 20 times, so it was an obvious choice for her when she decided to settle in Spain. Today she lives in the town, along with her Spanish boyfriend.

The softly-spoken artist also loves to dance. She says that dance has influenced her art, as she was inspired by the freedom of expression and energy conveyed during a performance, which reminds her of the colours of the "dancing leaves" from her childhood.

She began to turn her focus to how she could express this freedom in her artwork, which initiated an interest in the human body, its anatomy and energy.

"My studies of anatomy combined with my dancing has no doubt helped me as an artist transfer that special sensation of energy into my artwork.

"I would see people dancing in the streets and I found it inspiring, because I could sense the feeling and emotion," she explains.

However, her passion for painting bulls did not come from her love of bullfighting, an art she says that she "thinks should be banned".

"I have never been to a bullfight. My reason for painting bulls is to symbolise the animal and try to change the belief that a bull is an animal to be killed. In Spain, we always associate a bull with death. I want people to see that the bull is a beautiful, powerful animal, which is why I paint them with so many colours. My paintings always show the bull free and happy, not in a bullring. Although I respect that it is an art, animals should not be killed for pleasure," she says.

Putting her art into a style is "very difficult", although she says the closest would be figurative, although, as she points out, she also introduces abstract techniques, "so it's difficult to categorise".

"My mood will take me where I want to go with the painting. It depends on if I'm excited and happy, if I'm sad, or angry, I just go with the flow, which is why I say that painting for me is like a roller coaster ride," she explains.

Bettina believes that her work is "special" because she is "not afraid to use bold colours".

"I use colours in their vibrancy, dancing on the canvas conveying a story and capturing the moment as I myself am experiencing it. It's our innate human potential, our drive and our desire to express that allows me my unique expression in my brushstrokes," the artist declares.

Bettina rarely hosts exhibitions of her work because she does "not really like too much attention from too many people at one time". She has always made good use of the internet and presents her work on her social media pages and on her website (www.artbybettina.com), which she says is the "best way to let people know about it".

"I don't really enjoy doing exhibitions because I don't feel in control, which is why I prefer to invite people to my studio. This is much more personal than a large gathering of people at a gallery," she explains.

Bettina has sold paintings to customers from all over Europe and America, but she rarely sells her work to Spanish clients: instead, she attracts mainly foreign clientele to her studio.

"I am extremely pleased with the way my career has taken shape, especially here in Spain. I have achieved so much, so I am a very content artist who enjoys her work. I am so lucky to be an artist who can survive on my art," she concludes.