My name is Lillian Buljo and I am an alcohol ink artist from Norway. I started painting with alcohol ink during the pandemic and fell in love with the inks instantly, remember feeling like a few puzzle pieces fell into place in my mind. I am originally educated in interior design and sociology, but as I have been struggling with a chronic disease over the last years, it has been hard for me to stay in a normal job. Although my health issues has been the most difficult experience in my life so far, it has given me the opportunity to explore my creative abilities in ways I haven't done before. After painting with alcohol ink for a while, I created an Instagram profile and uploaded some of my paintings. It was pretty scary presenting my art, but the fears turned out to be unnecessary as the response has been nothing but warm, supportive and encouraging. And given the opportunity to participate in this exhi-bition, this just might be a little kick-start for making a small business out of my hobby.
The flow of the inks and colours has become my kind of meditation, leading me to balance and har-mony. I sometimes think of Frida Kahlos' words; "the only thing I know is that I paint because I need to", and find myself recognizing those words. I have always loved to draw and paint, but the focus has been on realistic motives in my younger age. Shifting over to abstract art has been a liberating ex-perience, so soothing for my mind, just following the flow and listening to my instincts on where to go next. Painting has become my medicine. I am so happy and thankful for this opportunity and I hope my art can reach out to someone out there.