Telise Rodelv is a local artist who wanted to give to new Habitat St. Johns homeowners in the best way she could. While she isn’t in a position to help build houses, she generously offered for new homeowners to choose up to three of her beautiful, original paintings to help decorate their new homes.
In doing so, she brightened their day and new homes with pops of color and demonstrated that giving from the heart leaves a lasting impact.
Tell us about your involvement with Habitat for Humanity and your art donations.
My first involvement with Habitat for Humanity was when I lived in Granary, Texas, almost seven years ago. I was trying to find a way to help out but knew that doing any labor on the houses would not work for me; but donating my art to the new homeowners filled that box, and it was so wonderful to see the looks of joy on their faces when they got to choose their pieces.
We moved to St. Augustine in 2020 and I eventually got involved in the art community here, member of the art association and represented by two galleries in town. By last summer I decided to take a break from all of the above, but found myself with a home studio full of art! Habitat came to mind, and I discovered the local chapter full of enthusiastic and loving folks who work so hard to make affordable homes for people in the area, and I was welcomed with open arms.
I donated five pieces to the show home and now donate three paintings per new homeowner, where they can choose from several pieces I bring to them.
I try to get some basic information about them so I can find the best ones to bring. For example, one woman had a blue couch, so I knew I needed to bring a blue painting, which she did choose along with two more.
If there are children, I bring at least one that would work for a children’s room. Ninety percent of the paintings are original artworks with a few prints or giclees thrown in. They are framed or canvases ready to hang, so no extra cost to hang them is needed.
Tell us about your artwork. What do you paint and what mediums do you use?
Creating art has been a big part of my life, from the early days of photography, custom tile and murals until I found painting on canvas or paper (not as heavy to move around as the tiles were for sure) but it was not until I spent some time learning abstract art at the Torpedo Factory in Washington, D.C., in the early 2000s that I really “ignited” in my love of art. I have never felt more alive and joyful than those times when all I did was learn and learn, taking classes several days a week and painting nonstop the rest of the week, visiting art museums and art shows.
My main teacher said I “soaked it all up like a sponge,” and when I left she said I did not need any more classes — “just go and paint.”
And that is what I have been doing ever since. Those heady days in D.C. I worked exclusively in acrylic, but have since changed to oil — and more specifically oil and cold wax. The cold wax is used to blend
with the oil paint and is made of mostly beeswax; the consistency is like painting with cake frosting, only thicker, and it gives me many ways of working. Having experimented with cold wax for the last eight years has brought out many different ways of painting and design styles, from abstract to more realistic and everything in between. The “what if” is alive and well in my mind; I live to experiment.
What first sparked your interest in art?
Growing up in post-war Norway I was surrounded by what we now call “mid-century modern.” It was not a design concept; it was simply a way of living with more modern, simple and quality style.
Living in the far north of the country, winters were long and hard, so looking for beauty was also hard. So, one learns to look at the simple things again; shape and color become important. The designs of abstract art was formed in an early time and has never left me.
What do you like best about what you do?
I have always looked at myself as a wanderer, a gypsy, having moved from Norway to the U.S. in my early 20s and been living in almost every corner of this country since then. So this need for variety has fueled my art in a most joyful way; here I can do so many different things, trying out things, learning new ways of painting and, most of all, I love telling stories with my art, simply with paint, no words, for people to discover or even bring in their own stories while watching my work.
What’s next for you and your art?
I continue to paint and create art practically every day. That will never change, and I find my home studio continuing to fill up, so perhaps I will look for another gallery to represent me in the future.
Do you plan on staying involved with the nonprofit in the future?
Yes, I will continue to support and donate art to my local Habitat for Humanity for as long as they will have me! And I encourage any artists to do the same as what I am doing, find your local Habitat and spread the beauty and joy.
How can readers get involved with Habitat for Humanity and learn more about your art?
Julie Wesling is my main contact at the local Habitat in St. Augustine, she is the community engagement manager there and for me. I can be found on Facebook with both a business page, Telise Rodelv Art and Clothing, and my personal page, Telise Rodelv, where I post new pictures of my paintings often on both pages, as well as through my email address, teliser@earthlink.net.
