Artist Bio

Björn Runquist was born in Sweden and grew up outside New York City. He lived in France during his teen years and London for 4 years after college. He is a self taught artist with private lessons since childhood. Björn has been painting and drawing lots of different media and shown in galleries for the last 35 years in many private and corporate collections and in the Farnsworth.

Creative Process

“This collage of maps, stamps, stones and found objects represents the journey away and the return home. My piece incorporates elements of collage and assemblage. There are bits of maps and old envelopes, post office receipts from Sweden and bits of handmade marble paper. The maps include, St George, a starting point, New Mexico, Spain, France, Paris. The inside edge is painted to represent the sky, from night time to sunrise, the eternal ever repeating rhythm of the day, with the constellations, big dipper and little dipper, the northern star to guide you. There is a small wooden house shape to represent home, a beginning place and an end place. The maps represent travel, as do the bits of envelopes. The foreign stamps represent our common heritage of the area which includes, Swedish stone cutters, as well as myself and my parents who are also emigrants. The beach stones and beach glass are from this area as well as one stone from France. The keys are because in your life you will encounter doors and it is good to have the keys. The dice, because life can be a crap shoot. The gold plant because we grow through life and that basic plant is the treasure that we build our lives on. The marble to remind you not to lose your marbles. The pencil sharpener to remind you to keep your pencils sharp. The hearts to remind you that love is everything. The maps to lead you away and back home.”