Joanna Lumley in the Land of the Northern Lights Page #4

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you do, like drawing and painting, or acting,

when you think, "Will I ever be good enough

to please myself, let alone anybody else?

"Will I ever come up to scratch?" Or people lean

over you and go, "Aren't his eyes more like...?"

"Yes, I know. I'm dealing with the eye later.

" I can't bear being judged on things like this.

They're only for fun and if it pleases you,

which it might not, try to make it please you.

Try to do things that please you. And

if it's not good enough, get better.

This isn't going to be exhibited

anywhere. Except on the television!

'If there is one image and one word

synonymous with Norway it is fjord.

'Otto whisks me away

into a world of romance.

'Fjords like these are

so quintessentially picturesque

'that they've come to define

our romantic vision of the north -

'sublime, savage

and quite overpowering. '

These mountains are quite wonderful. They

look like fairy story mountains, don't they?

As though they'd have trolls in them. Many

fairy tales are connected to them. Giants.

And many trolls.

And there, you see, the top there.

That was a beautiful lady.

It's quite cold out here.

'In the 19th century, this type

of scenery inspired writers,

'artists and composers like Grieg to

write down folk tunes and fairy tales

'and paint the landscape.

'In doing so, they helped forge

a national identity for Norway,

'and an image of the north that

struck a chord with people like me,

'a seven-year-old with

my story books in tropical Malaysia.

'Artists today remain inspired

by the Lofoten Islands.

'I'm off to visit the studio

of one of them, Thor Essissen. '

How do you do? How lovely to

meet you. Welcome to my gallery.

It's fantastic! It's my life. I have

all things here. Yes, you do. You do.

This is one of the most beautiful parts of

the world I have ever been. Isn't it? Here.

All I can say, yes!

I am so lucky.

You're a lucky man, a good man.

'Thor's every bit the modern artist,

'assembling his art from anything and everything.

That goes for his studio and even his outfit,

'but he's just as much inspired

by nature as the Romantics.

'It's the quality of the light here

that most inspires him. '

Tell me, describe for me

the Northern Lights.

I can try! Will you try?

Maybe four weeks ago

I went around the little sea here

in the night.

And so I see

red and green, little light,

is coming.

And I stand up and see

and so the light come, come, come!

And around me.

I have never seen it before.

I stood after it, three minutes.

How extraordinary. I see nothing more.

It touched you? It came? Yes, yes!

So near me, I think.

I think so.

But I be not afraid. No.

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