Gordon Skalleberg

Swedish artist Gordon Skalleberg, on painting faces and people, muses, “…I am trying to see beyond the surface…are we really aware of what we are seeing?” Painting in oil on untreated wood, unique grain patterns are visible beneath the paint, intensifying movement and texture.
A native of Sweden and now residing in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Skalleberg transitioned to full-time artist after years in the family’s business. His relocation to New Mexico inspired new imagery, a distinctive twist on Southwestern features – desert landscapes, mountains, open skies – in a semi-abstract landscape-style.
Skalleberg has shown in galleries and exhibitions since 2007. Since 2015, he has participated in a prestigious annual Studio Tour in southwest Sweden, Konstrundan i Nordvästra Skåne. Occasionally he accepts commissions – a recent example being Netflix engaging him to paint portraits of Uma Thurman and Tony Goldwyn for a production. His work are in museums, corporate and private collections in Europe and the United States.

He studied mechanical engineering and then worked in a highly successful family business, Skaltek AB, for 23 years. He was respon- sible for marketing and sales, as well as production of all company brochures and presentation material, trade shows, etc. He was officially the president of the company for many years and travelled the world, respresenting the company.
As a teenager, Gordon aquired a keen interest in photography, and later in graphic design and typography. Although he sometimes made sketches and drawings, he was never consciously interested in the fine arts while growing up. After many years in the family business, he had an increasing desire to work more creatively. In December 2004 Gordon took a one week course at Gerlesborgsskolan, a well reputed Swedish art school. He decided to leave his job in the company and set out to become a full time artist. He is primarily self-taught as a painter and spends a lot of time to educate himself about art history and the art world.

Contact the artist to find out about exhibitions.