ROOTS & ROSEMALING
– A telemark residency –

Studio life

You will get access to my private art studio in the center of Porsgrunn, a small Norwegian town where everyday life unfolds just outside the door.

Here, you will have time.

Time to paint.
Time to think.
Time to go deeper into your own expression.

The residency is designed as a balance between independence and guidance. You will have full access to the studio throughout your stay, with all materials available — oil paints, acrylics, and surfaces — so you can arrive and begin working without preparation.

You only need to bring your favorite brushes and painting clothes.

I will be present on selected days for individual guidance, conversations, and artistic support.

A return to the roots

Throughout the two weeks, we step also out of the art studio and into Telemark.

We travel to places where rosemaling still lives — including a full-day journey to places like Eidsborg stave church and Vest-Telemark Museum, and through the landscapes of Rauland. (and to see a few hidden, secret gems not available to the public or tourist groups.)

You will see the tradition not as something preserved — but as something that still breathes.

Finding materials

One day is dedicated to something truly special.

I will take you to my favorite second-hand shops — places filled with old objects, worn surfaces, and authentic pieces of rosemaling.

Here, you will thrift something (unpainted) to work on.
Something with history.
Something that already carries a story.
Maybe a few vintage painted treasures to bring home to the US.

My forest studio

For one day, we leave everything behind.

I will bring you to my small forest cabin by a quiet lake — a place not open to the public.

No noise.
No distractions.
Just trees, water, and light.

We will sit, sketch, paint, or simply be. By my fireplace or outside in the sun. The weather and mood gets to decide.

I will prepare a warm, homemade norwegian meal and sweet treats, and you will experience the landscape not as a visitor — but from within it. I will honor you as my personal guest. 

Freedom to explore

Between our shared days, your time is your own.

You may stay immersed in your work, or take the train to explore places like Oslo and beyond. My studio is your studio. My city is yours. I’m here for you as a local guide, teacher and norwegian friend. 

The logistics are effortless:

• Train from Oslo Airport brings you directly to Porsgrunn, door to door.

• The station (and hotel) is just 200 meters from the studio.

• Hotels, shops, and everything you need are within walking distance

No car is needed during your stay. 

Practical details

Duration: 14 days
Location: Porsgrunn, Telemark, Norway
Group size: 2 – 4 participants

Dates:
Residency avaiable from june 20

Flexible scheduling — dates are set once at least two participants align, min.  2 participants and maximum 4. You get to make the plans, check which flights are the better fit, etc. If the dates you suggest works with my calendar, we have a residency booked. 

Investment

(Full price: $ 6 000 USD)
Pilot price first season of 2026: $ 4 950 USD

Flexible payment options available (including installment plans).

Included:
– 14 days access to large private art studio downtown Porsgrunn, Telemark
– Initial teaching and personal 1-1 guidance
– Selected days with individual support
– All materials (oil and acrylic paints, mediums, + canvas if you’d like)
– Curated experiences in Telemark
– Forest cabin day with shared, homemade meal
– Transportation by car for all shared activities

Not included:
– Accommodation
– Travel to/from Norway
– Daily meals
– Travel insurance

I have arranged favorable hotel rates within a short walking distance from the atelier, at VIC Hotel Porsgrunn, located just down the street. For stays of 14 days, the rate is 1100 NOK ($115) per night for a single room.

The stay also includes breakfast, afternoon coffee, and a simple evening meal most days (with the exception of Sundays and public holidays, see hotel website for details), creating an easy and comfortable daily rhythm during your time here.

14 nights:
Approximately $1,500–1,600 USD

Grocieries are available from supermarkeds nearby and can be cooked in the studio kitchen. Restaurants and cafes are also available in walking distance. (Several Air BnB options are also available if you prefer staying in an apartment as a group)

Who this is for

This residency is for you if:

– You already are familiar with rosemaling
– You feel a deeper curiosity about its origins
– You want time and space to develop your own work
– You are drawn to Norway not just as a place to visit, but as something to reconnect with

A personal invitation

I created this residency as something I have long wanted to offer the rosemaling community.

A smaller space.
A quieter pace.
A more personal way of working.

If this resonates with you, I would love to hear from you.

About Mona

Mona Stenseth is a Norwegian fine artist, rosemaler, and art therapist based in Telemark. Her practice operates at the intersection of traditional Norwegian folk art and contemporary artistic inquiry, grounded in historical research and a sustained engagement with rosemaling as a living visual language.

Her work explores form, rhythm, and composition within the tradition, while extending its relevance through themes of identity, cultural memory, and the human psyche. In this way, rosemaling becomes not only a decorative practice, but a site for expression, reflection, continuity, and transformation.

Stenseth has presented her contemporary rosemaling work in solo exhibitions at private galleries and large institutions like Telemark Museum, and has been engaged in professional collaborations with both the National Museum of Norway and Norsk Folkemuseum.

Her work has also been recognized within the international rosemaling community through collaboration and teaching at Vesterheim, the National Norwegian-American Museum, where her practice has been described as “future folk art” — reflecting a position that both preserves and expands the tradition.

She is also a recipient of a national research grant through Grafill, the largest norwegian organization supporting visual arts, and her ongoing investigation into the historical development and contemporary relevance of Norwegian folk art.

Alongside her artistic practice, Stenseth is trained in expressive arts therapy. This informs her pedagogical approach through a focus on process, perception, and the cultivation of an individual visual language within the framework of tradition.

Apply / Inquire

To receive more information or reserve your place, please send an email to:

post@monastenseth.no

Mona Stenseth
Telemark Kunstverksted
Porsgrunn, Norway