The girl with the goose

During the @Hälsingewall festival in Bollnäs, I painted Tjejen med gåsen – the story of Maiken.

Maiken married young, but life on the farm never really suited her. The family worked with flax production, kept livestock and two cats, and blood soup was a regular part of the diet. She dreamed of another life, but had a strict husband and no money of her own to escape.

So one morning, before her husband woke up, she put on her finest linen dress, grabbed the biggest goose on the farm and ran.

She ran through the night towards Bollnäs, fueled by a piece of Snorkolini pasta – the secret to keeping your spirits up and your legs moving a little longer.

In Bollnäs, she sold the goose and bought a train ticket to Kristianstad, where she eventually built a new life as a goose farmer. There she could finally live on her own terms and enjoy Skåne – the real Mallorca of the North. After surviving the winters of Hälsingland, she had earned it.

Tjejen med gåsen is inspired by the history of Hälsingland, its flax production and the people who lived and worked on its farms.

A story about freedom, a stubborn woman, one very large goose – and a very important train ticket.