Artist Birgitte Mellantin – from Copenhagen to Alhaurín – Costa News Spain

Hailing from Denmark, although most of her family is Norwegian, retired theatre and movie set designer Birgitte Mellentin from just outside Copenhagen has continued her artistic drive with her paintings, setting up a studio in the heart of the Guardalhorce Valley in Alhaurín el Grande.

Birgitte: ‘I always paint even if it‘S not a great day. I’ve been painting my whole life. But I earned my living as a theatre set design, creating all the costumes and sets for plays and operas on the large stages in Denmark and Norway.‘

‘We moved to the south ten years ago. I worked and travelled back to Denmark for a few years, but I then decided to paint exclusively. But I‘I’ve always painted.

This massive studio is an old shop, which can be seen from the street.

EWN: Is it a popular place for people to come and see your art?
Birgitte: Sometime, but not always‘It’s not a store. It‘It’s my studio. You can invite them to come and see my studio if you want. It’s not the only thing.‘Not many people visit this place. Our finca was sold a year before and we moved into an adjacent apartment. When I saw that this space was available, I decided to rent it out and paint.

The space was rough and bare when we first moved in. She had smooth concrete floors installed, as well as a storeroom and amenities. This space, which was previously unusable, is now a perfect space for artistic creation.

EWN: What is your source of inspiration?
Birgitte: I am inspired by nature. I like to walk around and observe nature. When I begin to paint, I have no idea what I am doing.‘But I don’t know what to paint. Then I see some elements. ‘You can tell it’s from that place.‘ It is a fact.‘Making abstract works that are based on a plan is a bad idea, as you lose your freedom.‘

The ideas come from memories, often fleeting, from the abundance of nature surrounding Alhaurín el Grande. She points out a large, triptych, at the end, with a lot of sharp, jagged reworkings and colours. There are also brushstrokes and layers of other works, as well as scratches in the paint that reveal earlier work underneath.

Birgitte: It’s a favourite of many. A man came in before Christmas and wanted to buy the book. They don’t‘It was too small. He was always coming back to measure.‘

Birgitte doesn’t want to separate them. They all belong together. Birgitte, who has been painting for 5 years now, has moved on. ‘I’ve heard it from others. ‘You can still see me‘s you.” The brush size has changed. She is much bolder. She shows me the latest pieces she has created.

EWN: Tell me about colours.
Birgitte: I am a colorist. I am a colorist.‘It’s my number one. It‘It’s all. I couldn’t.‘My colours are a part of me and I can’t live without them.

Alhaurín el Grande has always been a magnet for the artistic. She arrived here by chance, but she decided to stay. She doesn’t want to stay.‘It is not necessary to have exhibitions, or deal with intermediaries. She is a painter, and it is a part of who she really is.

Follow Birgitte via Instagram @birgittemellentin