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 Dakota Drawings was founded in 1983 when Ramsey County and Devils Lake celebrated their Centennial. At that time a County commissioner asked Anne-Marit to create some note cards that would represent the history of the Lake Region. The project held great interest for Anne-Marit since her Grand Parents and two of her Great Grand Parents pioneered in Benson and Ramsey counties in Dakota Territory. Once the cards were created, her Aunt Belle (Mehus) said, “You need a name for these creations!” It was Aunt Belle who suggested the name Dakota Drawings. “You draw from your Dakota heritage as you draw.” Anne-Marit says, “Throughout the decades, my family has been my greatest inspiration. My loved ones continue to inspire me every day.”
Through the years Dakota Drawing has expanded to include numerous note cards and several publications including “Chautauqua Talk” which also includes creative work by Candace Bergstrom and Mira Norcross.
For twenty years Anne-Marit hosted a radio broadcast entitled "Our Dakota Sketchbook". The program featured interviews that spotlighted community events. The Unsung Hero program which is co-sponsored by Lake Chevrolet-Toyota-Buick and Ramsey National Bank was an outgrowth of that broadcast.
A recent retrospective of artwork by Anne-Marit featured an oil painting she did at age eleven. Without telling her age, it is interesting to note that five decades of artwork were displayed in that exhibit.
Her oil paintings are in private and corporate collections throughout the state and beyond.
Mission Statement
In my childhood home an appreciation of the beautiful transcended boundaries of time and place. My grandfather came to America in the late Nineteenth century. He brought with him his violin and a treasure trove of Scandinavian Folk Songs. These songs became deeply etched in the hearts of our family. I am grateful to have learned to love both music and the graphic arts. This love deepened when I studied voice with Jennie Tourel and the legendary Danish singer, Aksel Schiot. My love of painting blossomed under the tutelage of Oskar Kokoschka at his Schule des Sehens in Salzburg, Austria. During my professional career I performed as a colorature soprano, but when I married I found an even greater satisfaction singing lullabies. Through forty plus years of marriage I cherished the great joys found in the simple pleasures of every day life. As I sing with my paintbrush I endeavor to communicate the songs that abide in my heart. I am deeply grateful for the songs my Mother taught me and also for the songs I learn daily from my grandchildren and their parents. I only hope I can pass them on.
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