WRITTEN ON August 19th, 2009 BY Eric Scout AND STORED IN Country Reports

Norway, along with the rest of the Scandinavian nations, has a long history of craft, as well as a strong visual aesthetic unique to the area. The “decorative arts” in Norway go back to ancient times, with artisan’s stamps found on ancient textiles, copper and silver work, and more. On the whole, the functionalist Scandinavian Design that took over (think IKEA!) had a good run, but in the 70’s Norway saw a renewal of interest in the organic, handmade quality of craft.

With that then, it’s no surprise that indie craft is alive and well today! On a larger scale, November brings a massive five-way of trade shows running in parallel to Oslo, the craftiest of which is the Kunst & Håndverk (in Norwegian) featuring all manner of craft goods from around the world.

Let’s take a look at some modern-day indie crafters from this northern country steeped in a long tradition of cuteness!

Carambatack Design

Oslo-based illustrator Annette Mangseth has original artwork prints, stickers, and more in her Etsy shop that have a decidedly cute Scandinavian folk color and design sense.

Mandag

Textile and print designer Sini makes these awesome cards above with bold colors and graphics, but also makes minimalist scarves with beautiful muted, natural tones. More in the shop here.

Wandering The Woods

Norway sure does have a lot of artists, doesn’t it! Katrine of Wandering the Woods celebrates one of the things Scandanavian mythology does best: creepy woods! She does a good job of mixing in the cute with the creepy though in her archival prints of original works, available here.

Have any favorite Norwegian crafters we might have missed? On your way to indie crafty events in Oslo, Bergen, or beyond? Let us know in the comments!