The Artist
How a speech
made me an artist
It began in 2005 with a private painting course. I wasn't an artist — just a man with an idea: paint 100 paintings. See what happens.
After 30–40 canvases, something shifts. The paintings get bigger. The home fills up. You face a choice: hobby or the real thing?
I drove to my brother — the actual artist in the family — and stood three paintings on his kitchen counter: small, medium, large. "What should I charge?"
His friend was there, also a painter. They looked at each other and said:
"Depends what you want to become."
Hobby: 300, 500, 700 kr.
Artist: 3,000, 5,000, 7,000 kr.
I chose the second. Of course I did.
Two weeks later: a major speaking event. 500 people. I put my three paintings on the stage during my talk. Afterwards, a man came up: "I want to buy the middle one." He turned to leave. I called after him: "You don't know what it costs!" He stopped: "How much should I bring?"
"5,000 kronor."
He nodded and left to get the money. In that moment — I became an artist.
He bought it because he wanted it by his front door. A daily reminder of what a human being can achieve when they choose to burn. That became my requirement for every buyer since. The painting must live where it matters. Every day. No exceptions.
Shortly after, I registered my art practice under the name Avatar Flame. Hundreds of paintings followed. Official exhibitions. Private collectors in Sweden, Norway, the USA, and Thailand. When I moved to Thailand in 2009, the Swedish studio closed. The art deepened. Music re-entered my life. My coaching — 45+ years working with the human spirit — bleeds into every brushstroke.
